Chapter 72
If Li Meihan’s statement, “It wasn’t you from the very beginning,” froze Su Bin’s heart in an instant, then the words “it’s your friend” catapulted him to the edge of the Ngorongoro volcanic crater.
From extreme cold to scorching agony, this must be the feeling… “Who?” Su Bin nearly suppressed the explosion of emotions within him and asked in a steady voice.
At this moment, faces flashed through his mind as he tried to recall every detail of any ambiguous actions between Chen Xiaotian and anyone else… The one who appeared most frequently was Guo Li.
“Su Bin, you’re really naive,” Li Meihan looked at him with concern, “Can’t you see it for yourself?”
Su Bin: “… Guo Li?” Guo Li had always been laid-back, acting familiar with Chen Xiaotian due to their friendship. He was also eloquent and enjoyed joking around…
But Li Meihan shook her head and dropped a bombshell that shattered Su Bin, “It’s Huang Zhengming.”
“It’s impossible!” That was Su Bin’s immediate reaction. Huang Zhengming had a reserved personality, and he barely exchanged a couple of sentences with Chen Xiaotian!
“I don’t believe it…” Su Bin tried his best to deny it, but he couldn’t control the trembling in his body… If Chen Xiaotian liked Huang Zhengming, why did she agree to date him? If Huang Zhengming also knew that Chen Xiaotian liked him, why didn’t he tell Su Bin? He was his best friend, and friends don’t mess with each other’s partners. If Su Bin had known from the beginning that Chen Xiaotian liked Huang Zhengming, he would have never intervened between them.
Su Bin stared at Li Meihan and asked, “How do you know it’s Huang Zhengming?”
Though he knew there was no reason for her to deceive him, Su Bin still felt there must be a misunderstanding in all this!
Li Meihan furrowed her brows and said, “Chen Xiaotian is very intelligent. She gradually figured it out on her own… I initially thought that Chen Xiaotian started liking you after you two got together, and she forgot about her pen pal. But then, during the summer vacation of our second year of high school, she called me and couldn’t keep it to herself any longer. Yes, she admitted it herself – the person who wrote the letters was Huang Zhengming, the one she truly liked.”
Su Bin’s fist tightened and then relaxed. Why did she keep it from him?
“But the most puzzling thing about this is that Huang Zhengming clearly knew everything but never stepped forward to clarify the misunderstanding. He allowed this misunderstanding to continue, and after you and Chen Xiaotian got together, he never wrote her a letter again.”
Summer vacation of their second year of high school, they had been together for three months. If Chen Xiaotian didn’t like him, she could have told him, so why?
Li Meihan continued, “I remember Chen Xiaotian initially wanted to break up with you, but she never brought it up… I asked her why, and she initially said she felt sorry for you and didn’t want to hurt you. Later, in our senior year, she worried that breaking up would affect your mood because she could tell you depended on her a lot… Finally, after we graduated, she told you. But I didn’t expect you to win her back, and at that time, I genuinely wished you two the best… But now, you’ve still broken up.”
Su Bin didn’t know what to say. He couldn’t take in anything anymore. He had even thought that Chen Xiaotian wanted to break up in the KTV because she found his pursuit too hasty, but she had had thoughts of breaking up from the start…
But what Su Bin wanted to know most at this moment was whether the person Chen Xiaotian referred to in the breakup call as “the person she likes” was Huang Zhengming, and if they could be together…
Su Bin couldn’t imagine them being together, and he couldn’t accept it…
Li Meihan glanced at Su Bin and suddenly asked, “Have you not been on the school’s social network for a long time?”
Su Bin nodded absentmindedly. He didn’t dare to log in.
Li Meihan sighed, “Ah, I suggest you go and take a look…”
After learning the truth about Su Bin and Chen Xiaotian’s breakup from the school’s social network, Su Bin was in a state of turmoil. Li Meihan understood his emotions and didn’t keep him company for long. They just walked around the city center briefly before deciding to part ways.
After seeing Li Meihan off at the train station, Su Bin felt apologetic, “I’m sorry, I should have accompanied you happily.”
He bought coffee and sandwiches for Li Meihan and even got her some small gifts from the station’s shop, as a reciprocal gesture for the scarf she had given him.
When saying goodbye, Li Meihan suddenly hugged him, “Su Bin…”
Su Bin: “…”
Li Meihan: “Actually, since high school, I’ve liked you a lot. But back then, you only had Chen Xiaotian in your heart and eyes. I envied and was jealous too. I even wished you two would break up sooner, I’m sorry… But in the end, I chose to distance myself from you two… But now that you’re here, I’m really happy… I know saying this now might make you feel troubled, but I always feel it’s fate… I hope you can…”
Phone: “Ding-ding-ding-ding…”
Li Meihan: “…”
Su Bin awkwardly apologized, “I’m sorry…”
He was apologizing for the sudden text message ringtone, but after saying it, it seemed like he was rejecting Li Meihan’s confession. Since that was the case, he might as well go ahead and say it—
“Li Meihan, I’m really sorry, I can’t make empty promises to you because I’ve been badly hurt from my previous relationship. I don’t know when I’ll recover, it might take a long time… And even if I do recover, being with you would definitely make me think of Chen Xiaotian. I feel like that would be really hard for me.”
“Stop talking…” Li Meihan softly interrupted him, her expression disappointed, “I understand what you mean.”
Su Bin awkwardly opened his stiff arms and hugged her back, “Thank you for liking me.” It was the first time he felt so uncomfortable rejecting someone.
Li Meihan felt a bit better after Su Bin’s embrace, and she hugged him back tightly, this time without any ulterior motives, “Silly Su Bin, get better soon!” Her voice carried a hint of tears.
After seeing Li Meihan off, Su Bin took out his phone to check the text message—
Allen: “Did you mean you’d be back after 8 PM?”
Oops, it was already 8:15 PM!
Su Bin quickly headed outside the station while replying to Allen, “I was seeing off a friend at the train station.”
Allen: “Practicing what you preached to Joe, he’s already out, at the xxx restaurant. Come if you have time, if not, just go home early.”
Su Bin had the time; if he rushed over now, he should make it. However, he wasn’t in the mood. His thoughts had already wandered down into the depths of the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon…
Returning home in a daze, Su Bin shut himself in his room and collapsed onto the bed.
He wasn’t sure how long he’d been lying there, but Su Bin finally took a deep breath and got up from the bed. He turned on his computer and logged into the school’s social network, which he hadn’t accessed in a month and a half.
Private messages and comments had exploded…
Su Bin ignored them all for now and clicked on Huang Zhengming’s profile picture, wanting to ask him about Chen Xiaotian.
However, when he saw the last message Huang Zhengming had sent him, Su Bin was rendered speechless.
In that moment, he felt pain throughout his entire body… The bitterness and betrayal from being kept in the dark couldn’t be explained in just a few words…
Two days before he and Chen Xiaotian broke up, he had sent a message to Huang Zhengming, asking him to talk to Chen Xiaotian for him and not to make it too difficult for her.
Huang Zhengming had replied on the day he and Chen Xiaotian broke up, with just three words: “I’m sorry.”
Su Bin covered his heart, yes, he really did, he felt like a complete and utter tragedy, a laughingstock…
Su Bin clicked on the profile picture of the senior who had messaged him the most. The first message on the list was: “Damn! Do you know that Chen Xiaotian and Huang Zhengming are together?”
He was the only one left in the dark…
Why did it have to be his best friend and the girl he liked the most…
It had only been a month and a half since their breakup, and they were already together…
Was I just a pawn in the creation of their relationship?
Didn’t you promise that you would wait for me to come back? Didn’t you promise to take good care of Xiaotian during this time?
What was once so passionate and unforgettable, now turns into intense jealousy…
What was once so steadfast and loyal, now turns into burning anger…
Fate lurks at every opportunity to hurt you, attempting to make your world collapse in an instant. But Su Bin doesn’t want it to collapse. He suddenly remembers the words of his idol, “Only by seeking hope in despair can life become brilliant” … He doesn’t want brilliance; he just wants a clear and straightforward explanation!
That night, Su Bin did the most impulsive thing since arriving in Country B – he went online and bought a plane ticket to return to his home country in four days.
Because it was a last-minute purchase, it was quite expensive, but Su Bin didn’t care too much. If there were available seats and he had enough money, he might have even bought a first-class ticket. He wanted to fly back immediately, stand in front of Chen Xiaotian and Huang Zhengming, and ask them directly – why did you do this to me?
