Ye Zhiqiu didn’t call out Lu Shuangshuang’s denial. Instead, she deliberately let out a sigh.
Lu Shuangshuang’s heart immediately jumped into her throat. “Zhiqiu, is something wrong with Xiaoxiang?”
“Well, there is something.”
When Ye Zhiqiu explained He Bin’s situation, Lu Shuangshuang became very agitated, her expression tinged with panic. “What did you say?! Xiaoxiang is dropping out of the martial arts school to go earn money!”
“When did this happen?”
“Recently.”
A bold guess suddenly formed in Ye Zhiqiu’s mind — could it be that Xiaoxiang wanted to earn money because of Lu Shuangshuang? Especially since Lu Shuangshuang seemed so unsettled about it.
“Shuangshuang, did something happen between you and Xiaoxiang?”
Lu Shuangshuang didn’t hide anything from Ye Zhiqiu. She told her about how He Bin had come to see her during the Mid-Autumn Festival, and how she’d deliberately said those things to make him give up completely.
“Zhiqiu, I really didn’t think Xiaoxiang would take it seriously. What do I do now?”
“No, I have to go find him and explain!”
Lu Shuangshuang stood up and was about to head out. Ye Zhiqiu quickly grabbed her. “Shuangshuang, don’t rush.”
“How can I not rush? I really didn’t know he was so literal-minded. If I’d known he’d take it seriously, I never would have said those things. How could he… how could he take it seriously?”
Lu Shuangshuang was so flustered she couldn’t even form a coherent sentence. Ye Zhiqiu patted her shoulder. “It’s okay, it’s okay. This isn’t a big deal.”
“How is it not a big deal? He’s about to drop out of the martial arts school! I… I’ve basically become the villain here!” Lu Shuangshuang was practically drowning in guilt.
“Shuangshuang, even though this has to do with you, the decision is still in Xiaoxiang’s hands. I talked to him, and I know he made this choice after careful thought — not on a whim.”
“He’s an adult now. He can take responsibility for his own decisions and his own life.”
Lu Shuangshuang was surprised. “Zhiqiu, you’re not blaming me?”
“Why would I blame you? I know why you said those things.”
“You said them to make Xiaoxiang give up, but him not giving up — that’s on him.”
“Whether you end up with him or not, or whether he ever gets married — he’ll need to establish himself first, right?”
“There’s nothing wrong with starting early. And martial arts can always be a hobby.”
Ye Zhiqiu saw things very clearly. “Xiaoxiang’s personality really isn’t suited for the military.”
The military has strict discipline and demands absolute obedience.
He Bin is full of ideas and doesn’t like being controlled. If he joined the army, he’d probably have a rough time of it.
Ye Jiawu, by contrast, was much better suited than He Bin.
“But…” Lu Shuangshuang still felt she bore a huge responsibility for this.
“Shuangshuang, do you like Xiaoxiang?”
Ye Zhiqiu’s question made Lu Shuangshuang’s eyes go wide with panic. “I… Zhiqiu, what kind of joke is that? Xiaoxiang is so much younger than me. How could I possibly like him? I see him as a little brother.”
“Shuangshuang, so that means you and Xiaoxiang could never be together?”
Lu Shuangshuang instinctively started to deny it, but Ye Zhiqiu raised a hand to stop her. “Shuangshuang, when it comes to matters of the heart, the person involved is blind while the bystander sees clearly. I can see exactly how you feel about Xiaoxiang. The only reason you won’t accept him is the age gap.”
Ye Zhiqiu wasn’t wrong. That was indeed Lu Shuangshuang’s inner conflict. She was so much older than He Bin — she truly didn’t know how to accept his feelings.
If she said she wasn’t moved by the things He Bin had done, she’d be lying.
During that period, her family had broken her heart. He’d stayed by her side — protecting her, taking careful care of her, and trying everything to make her laugh.
She would often find herself thinking back to that scene — him steering his bike with one hand, a big bouquet of flowers in his other arm, coming to see her.
How could she not be moved by a He Bin like that? How could she not like him?
“Shuangshuang, I think it’s rare in life to meet someone you truly connect with. Of course, right now you and Xiaoxiang aren’t right for each other, but that doesn’t mean you won’t be in the future.”
“I don’t think age is a problem. Plenty of men marry women several years younger than them. Why can’t a woman find a man younger than her?”
Lu Shuangshuang couldn’t shift her mindset so quickly. After all, the general belief is that the man should be older and the woman younger — that an older man is more mature and knows how to care for someone.
“Shuangshuang, since you’re not planning to give Xiaoxiang an answer right now, then don’t go looking for him. Why not leave your future to time?”
Ye Zhiqiu said frankly, “If you go to Xiaoxiang, what would you even say? That you were lying to him, and he should go back and continue his martial arts training so he can join the military later?”
“Then should Xiaoxiang listen to you or not? And what right do you have to say those things to him?”
Lu Shuangshuang opened her mouth but didn’t know what to say.
Because what Ye Zhiqiu said was exactly what she’d have to face if she went.
Lu Shuangshuang couldn’t understand. “Zhiqiu, I don’t have the right position to say anything — but why aren’t you stopping Xiaoxiang either?”
“Shuangshuang, Xiaoxiang isn’t a child who doesn’t know anything. He has his own thoughts and considerations.”
“I can’t keep interfering in his life. If he’d made this decision on impulse, then of course I’d stop him.”
Lu Shuangshuang truly didn’t know what to do. She felt terrible inside.
She went home feeling depressed. When Feng Wan saw something was off with Lu Shuangshuang, she asked with concern, “Shuangshuang, didn’t you go to see Zhiqiu? Did you two have a fight?”
“Auntie, no. How could Ye Zhiqiu and I ever fight? Even if I wanted to argue with her, with her temperament, she wouldn’t argue back.”
Lu Shuangshuang sat down next to Feng Wan. After hesitating again and again, she told her about He Bin.
Feng Wan was a woman of experience. She immediately understood the situation, and what she said was similar to Ye Zhiqiu.
But if a knot in the heart could be untied so easily, it wouldn’t be a knot. Lu Shuangshuang couldn’t convince herself to accept He Bin’s feelings.
She tossed and turned all night and didn’t sleep well. Frustrated, Lu Shuangshuang grabbed her hair. “Forget it! Just leave it!”
She decided to listen to Ye Zhiqiu — to pretend she didn’t know about this and leave the outcome to time.
Yesterday her aunt had also told her that if two people are meant to be, they won’t be able to avoid each other even after several years. And if they’re not meant to be, then even seeing each other every day won’t make them right for each other.
She might as well focus on the performing arts troupe.
Ye Zhiqiu would be going to Jiangning again in a few days, so she probably wouldn’t be coming back to the troupe for a while.
But someone had to be the lead dancer, and among the troupe, only Lu Shuangshuang was suitable, so she was promoted to the role.
Lu Shuangshuang never expected her long-held wish to come true just like that. She was overjoyed.
She practiced especially hard every day, working much harder than before.
She hoped that one day she could stand on equal footing with Ye Zhiqiu.
It wasn’t that she was putting herself down — it was just that surpassing Ye Zhiqiu was truly difficult.
In the past, she’d been prejudiced against her and couldn’t see her strengths. Now, with a calmer mindset, she was discovering more and more just how amazing Ye Zhiqiu was, and how much she had to learn from her.
