After being attacked by Ji He with the words “No wonder you never had any friends before,” Zhou Zhuoyuan now urgently needed to confirm a relationship.
Without a second thought, he chose He Qinglan, who had bumped into him—or perhaps it was He Qinglan after careful consideration.
Indeed, no one was more suitable than him: mature and gentle enough to tolerate Zhou Zhuoyuan’s temper, someone who didn’t know Zhou Zhuoyi and would never meet him in the future, intelligent with a strong sense of propriety, and most importantly, someone who liked Zhou Zhuoyuan.
Although Zhou Zhuoyuan blurted out those words without any preparation, he would take responsibility for He Qinglan. He wouldn’t impulsively break up with him over his own emotional issues and would give his partner some leeway to make mistakes.
However, the psychological sacrifices he had prepared turned out to be unnecessary. He Qinglan proved to be a perfectly ideal “white moonlight” partner—never causing Zhou Zhuoyuan the slightest discomfort during their relationship, and even teaching the naturally selfish Zhou Zhuoyuan how to give proactively. The only time he hurt Zhou Zhuoyuan was after they broke up.
These were all events yet to come. At this moment, the still-clueless-about-the-future and selfish Zhou Zhuoyuan made a promise in his heart. To protect himself, he solemnly asked He Qinglan, “If you ever stop liking me, you have to tell me right away. I won’t cling to you.”
From those words, He Qinglan sensed Zhou Zhuoyuan’s deep insecurity and lack of confidence. He couldn’t understand why someone with such excellent looks and family background would feel this way, but with his high emotional intelligence, he didn’t brush it off with a perfunctory reassurance that he would never change. Instead, he made an equally solemn promise: “I promise you.”
At the time, he felt this was the only way to put Zhou Zhuoyuan at ease.
Many years later, when He Qinglan looked back on that day, he still couldn’t say what he would choose if given another chance.
Perhaps this was just fate.
–
He Qinglan said he was there to pick up Zhou Zhuoyuan, but in reality, he didn’t have a car and didn’t know how to drive. The two of them huddled together, shivering in the cold as they waited for their ride-hailing car, looking utterly pitiful.
But the hearts of these “hard-luck” lovers felt incredibly sweet.
He Qinglan’s eyes followed a young couple walking ahead for a while. Emboldened, he slipped his large hand into Zhou Zhuoyuan’s pocket, enveloping his hand.
He had often warmed Zhou Zhuoyuan’s hands before, but this time was different—it made him especially nervous.
Zhou Zhuoyuan’s face flushed beneath his scarf. He unclenched his tightly fisted hand and intertwined his fingers with He Qinglan’s, holding on all the way to the car without letting go.
They took the cab to the hotel in C City where He Qinglan was staying. By the time they got out, their palms were sweaty.
They had originally been roommates, so sharing a room was perfectly normal. But now that they had confirmed their relationship, they both felt too embarrassed.
He Qinglan cleared his throat lightly. “I’d like another king-size room.”
The front desk clerk, thinking the extra “another” was odd, asked for his ID.
Without overthinking it, He Qinglan handed over his ID.
After checking, the clerk looked puzzled. “Huh, sir, you’re already checked in here.”
He Qinglan then realized. “Oh, right. I’d like to book one for my boyfriend too.”
He emphasized the words “my boyfriend” especially clearly.
The front desk: “?” Are you two okay?
Looking at their youthful, student-like faces, the polite clerk ultimately nodded in understanding. How nice—young love from student days.
In the end, Zhou Zhuoyuan didn’t successfully check into the hotel. As he opened his phone case to take out his ID, he accidentally lit up the screen, and his heart sank.
There were six missed calls from different hospital landlines, and one text message: “Hello, is this Mr. Zhou Zhuoyuan? Your friend Ji He was in a car accident on XXX Road and is currently being treated at XXX Hospital. Are you available to come now?”
