Chapter 11
When he woke up, he found himself lying in Xiao Yi’s bedroom.
He had spent the whole day wandering around, only to end up back where he started.
Fu Yu tilted his head and saw a needle in his hand, connected to a saline drip. A family doctor was standing nearby, giving some instructions to Xiao Yi. Xiao Yi furrowed his brows, listening intently and occasionally nodding.
After they finished talking, they noticed that Fu Yu had woken up. The family doctor removed the almost-empty saline bag, left some pills, and then excused himself.
Xiao Yi sat on the edge of the bed, her anger not yet dissipated. “You drank so much last night, went out this morning without even wearing a coat, and worked overtime until late at night. Do you think you’re a superhero? Don’t you know how to take a break?”
Fu Yu knew he was in the wrong in this matter and couldn’t argue. “I didn’t think catching a cold would be a big deal.”
Seeing Fu Yu showing rare vulnerability, Xiao Yi’s anger began to subside, but she still wore a serious expression as she lectured him, “Now you’ve learned your lesson, right? Fu Yu, you’re not the same as you used to be when you were young. Back then, you were a master swordsman. Why did you become lazy and neglect your physical condition? A little breeze knocks you down. Learn from me, consistency is key in training.”
Fu Yu remained silent and didn’t respond. He lowered his eyes, hiding his emotions.
The atmosphere became awkward, and Xiao Yi pretended to clear her throat. “Anyway, you should learn to take care of yourself.”
“I’m not lazy,” Fu Yu suddenly spoke up.
“I stopped practicing swordsmanship because I thought it would help me defend myself, prevent what happened in my childhood from happening again. But later, I realized that physical injuries aren’t as frightening as emotional ones. Betrayal from a friend hurts more than being beaten by ten people. And no matter how much I train, I can’t protect against that. So, what’s the point of continuing?”
His icy gaze pierced straight into Xiao Yi’s eyes, his lips devoid of any curve, conveying an unspoken accusation.
Xiao Yi understood what he meant; Fu Yu was finally going to bring up their old issues.
She forced a smile but couldn’t hide the tension. “It’s been so long since that happened. I don’t have those feelings anymore. Do you still need to be wary of me?”
“Has it passed? I remember you never apologized to me. You always thought you were right,” Fu Yu’s tone carried an unusual hint of anger.
Xiao Yi stood up abruptly. “Where did I go wrong? If you think my feelings towards you were abnormal, I’ve said it before, they’re gone now! What else do you want from me?”
“Like you did in college, stay away from me, drink your alcohol, host your parties, and date the women you like. That way, I’ll believe that you’ve truly let go of me.”
Xiao Yi’s restlessness had subsided to some extent, and she sat back down on the bed. “I can’t do that, not because I can’t let go of you, but because I’m not the same person I was in my youth. I’m taking care of you now out of our old school friendship. Chen Shaoguang takes care of you too, right? Why can you be so friendly with him but not with me?”
“One is the person who betrayed and hurt me, the other has always been kind to me. How can I treat them the same way?” Fu Yu said, feeling somewhat guilty as he spoke. Chen Shaoguang had indeed been consistently kind to him over the years, but despite the passage of time, Fu Yu still couldn’t consider him a true friend. In contrast, he and Xiao Yi had become the closest confidants within a few months of their acquaintance, sharing secrets that no one else knew. Besides family, he had never had such a close interpersonal relationship with anyone else.
Fu Yu always trusted his instincts and rarely made mistakes in judging people. However, he had stumbled badly when it came to his most trusted friend.
“If you’re not willing to apologize and can’t do what I suggested, then I have reason to believe you still have those feelings. I’m sorry, but I can’t accept it, and I don’t need your so-called school friendship,” he said coldly.
“Can’t you give me another chance? Let’s be friends again, I promise I won’t overstep any boundaries,” Xiao Yi’s tone almost sounded like a plea.
Fu Yu stared at the expression on her face, trying to discern lies and insincerity, but all he could see in her restless eyes was tension and earnestness, as if she were a sinner begging for forgiveness from God.
Xiao Yi, who was usually proud and arrogant, was now humbling herself before him.
For a brief moment, Fu Yu’s heart softened.
“If you apologize and admit that you were wrong back then and shouldn’t have had those thoughts, I will consider giving you a chance,” he said. Fu Yu felt like he was being too lenient. After all, what Xiao Yi had done to him in college had almost amounted to a crime. The pain and disappointment of betrayal still lingered after all these years, leaving indelible scars.
He had kept that incident a secret from everyone to protect Xiao Yi’s reputation in school and to ensure he could make other friends in the future. He had borne this burden alone for years, and now he was contemplating whether to forgive her?
He must be crazy.
However, when Xiao Yi heard his response, she didn’t show the joy of being forgiven. Instead, the hope in her eyes quickly faded.
“I won’t apologize because my feelings for you were not a mistake,” she said, her face pale but her voice unwavering. She walked to the door and turned back, “Stop running around recklessly. There’s dinner in the kitchen. After you eat, get a good night’s rest. When you’re better, you can go wherever you want.”
“Whether we remain friends or not, I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
Fu Yu heard the door close, and he lay back on the bed, covering his eyes with his hand.
He had come dangerously close to forgiving Xiao Yi in a moment of weakness.
Did this mean that deep down in his heart, he also wanted to move past the shadows of the past?
