After Breaking Off the Engagement, The Young Lady Deeply Regretted It - Chapter 45

Fan Qingyu was absent-minded. Strange as it was, although she thought through countless turbulent emotions, she didn’t show a trace of them—completely numb, hopelessly so.

The consequences of climbing high and falling hard were fully manifested on her.

Her memory remained stuck on the day Fan Shusheng had issued her the ultimatum. The scene replayed over and over, turning into a nightmare that haunted her day and night. She clenched her hand tightly, her nails digging deep into her flesh, trying to numb her nerves with subtle, relentless pain, as if that would prevent her from returning to reality…

After listening to half of the concert, Jing Xiao hesitated for a moment before finally reaching out to hold Fan Qingyu’s tense hand. Through the skin, she could even feel the veins bulging beneath.

“Have you been eating properly lately?” Jing Xiao asked, pressing slightly; her fingers hurt from pressing against the thin bones of Fan Qingyu’s hand, but Fan Qingyu’s hand remained ice-cold. Jing Xiao even wondered if the quality of her coat was insufficient to keep her warm.

Fan Qingyu answered truthfully, “I really don’t have an appetite. I’ve been so tired lately.”

The psychological burden was suffocating. Fan Qingyu’s eating and sleeping were affected, her heart raced uncontrollably. She felt that sooner or later she would need to see a psychologist, or else she feared she might collapse from it.

Jing Xiao frowned in concern, turning over her hand and rubbing the palm gently. “If I’m here with you, would it make you feel a bit better?”

Truthfully, not really—but at least she could be sure she wasn’t completely alone.

“Should I find a psychologist for you?”

The thought being voiced by someone else made Fan Qingyu recoil slightly. She shook her head gently, refusing Jing Xiao’s kind offer.

Jing Xiao misunderstood, seriously assuring her, “Don’t worry, psychologists won’t disclose a patient’s information, and I won’t try to pry into your hardships.”

“I’m fine. It’s not to the point where I need a psychologist yet,” Fan Qingyu said lightly.

After some thought, she realized she couldn’t reveal her vulnerability to a stranger. At most, she might see a hospital professional and get some sleeping pills.

The concert wasn’t as miraculous as rumored. Jing Xiao didn’t find anything particularly stunning, but she grew increasingly worried about Fan Qingyu’s condition.

Outside the Vienna concert hall, people were coming and going. Fan Qingyu, slight and light-footed, was quickly swallowed by the crowd. Jing Xiao only just stepped back to settle a deposit and immediately lost sight of her, turning anxiously in circles.

“Xiao Xiao, what are you doing?” When the crowd thinned, Fan Qingyu finally saw Jing Xiao anxiously searching and called out lightly, making Jing Xiao hear her clearly.

Fan Qingyu was backlit, her face thin and slightly gaunt. She wore Jing Xiao’s coat, which reached down to her ankles.

In that instant, Jing Xiao regretted it. Had breaking up with Fan Qingyu been the right choice after all? Perhaps at that time it had been. She thought to herself that she had no right to forgive her past self for what she did to Fan Qingyu.

“What are you thinking about?” Fan Qingyu asked as she approached.

“Nothing.” Jing Xiao wanted to take Fan Qingyu to eat something. She had already found a nearby restaurant and showed her the menu on her phone.

Fan Qingyu shook her head. “I want to take a walk. Will you come with me? If not, it’s fine.”

Jing Xiao blinked. Their two figures overlapped, and she seemed to see the willful, domineering Fan Qingyu of the past. Back then, she would have brightly and matter-of-factly said, “I want to take a walk. Come with me, move faster.”

Jing Xiao forced herself to forget the past. Outside the concert hall, the area was brightly lit and heavily guarded, offering privacy without the risk of being photographed by someone with ill intentions. She didn’t respond immediately, instead adjusting her collar, letting Fan Qingyu put on her coat properly first.

Looking closely, Fan Qingyu was wearing quite a bit. Jing Xiao murmured, puzzled, “Next week I’ll take you to see a TCM doctor, get some prescriptions to help you recover.”

Fan Qingyu shook her head firmly, rare for her: “I don’t drink traditional medicine.”

Jing Xiao found another way. “Then I’ll bake some red dates and dried ginger for you. You can soak it in water while at work.”

Jing Xiao’s subtle care constantly touched Fan Qingyu’s most sensitive heartstrings. She knew Jing Xiao still cared for her. But what identity did she have now to accept this kindness? Fan Qingyu asked, “Tell me the truth… do you want to get back together with me?”

Jing Xiao’s fingers curled as she thought of how to answer.

“You don’t want to, I won’t force you. You need time,” Fan Qingyu said self-deprecatingly.

“No, I want to get back together with you,” Jing Xiao said without hesitation, her voice gradually lowering. “I really just need some time.”

Fan Qingyu didn’t want to dwell on these topics anymore. Her gaze fell on the quiet, endless night road. “Fine, then walk with me.”

Most people had left the brightly lit roads. Aside from sanitation workers, the path was deserted, surrounded by greenery, with the river flowing slowly beside it.

Although it should have been a peaceful atmosphere to relax, Jing Xiao’s nerves were on edge. The soft soil beneath her feet and the dry branches and leaves crackling underfoot made her suddenly stop, blocking Fan Qingyu’s way.

“What are you doing?”

“Fan Qingyu, I want to hear you scold me,” Jing Xiao said firmly. “Like you did at the beginning.”

Fan Qingyu looked puzzled. “The beginning? I never scolded you at the beginning.”

Jing Xiao quickly corrected herself: “Since the day I became different.”

“That day you became different…” Fan Qingyu’s hazy eyes gradually cleared. She blinked hard, reaching out to touch Jing Xiao’s facial features.

The day Jing Xiao had “become different” reminded Fan Qingyu of the inexplicable things Jing Xiao had said and done—her changes, her subtle tests.

Everything was heading in an increasingly ambiguous direction, still requiring further testing.

A thin layer of understanding appeared in Fan Qingyu’s heart. She smiled slightly, thinking she had found an answer to something: “Why do you want me to scold you?”

Jing Xiao marveled at Fan Qingyu’s initiative to touch her. She held Fan Qingyu’s wrist, rubbing her cheek against her palm as if they were lovers in the throes of romance: “Nothing, I just want to hear it.”

Perhaps seeing her in such a disheveled state over the past few days, Fan Qingyu felt she wanted to rekindle interest in past things.

Fan Qingyu chuckled lightly. That laugh seemed to unravel all her worries, like threads being pulled out from a cocoon.

Her brows and eyes were like autumn mountains, layered in mist. As the mist cleared, a breathtaking view was revealed, impossible to look away from.

Jing Xiao froze. How could Fan Qingyu go from sulking to laughing in an instant? She didn’t understand, but she felt a surge of happiness and laughed along.

Fan Qingyu tilted her mouth in a playful smile. “Jing Xiao, when did you become a masochist?”

Masochist?

Why did Fan Qingyu associate her with that word?

Fan Qingyu patted her shoulder. “Sorry, I can’t fulfill your request now. I don’t want to scold you.”

“Alright then.” Jing Xiao thought she had just suddenly accepted things and hurried to defend herself, “I’m not a masochist.”

Fan Qingyu pressed two fingers against her chin. “Then why did you want me to scold you?”

A faint blush colored Jing Xiao’s cheeks. She tucked her hair behind her ear as the cold wind brushed her face, hoping the redness would fade faster. “Because… I wanted to make you happy.”

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