Compassion

After Gu Huaimin got dressed, he did not ask me to leave. Instead, he waited quietly off to the side.

I thought I sensed a trace of hidden reluctance. My heart felt both bitter and sweet, and my thoughts were in turmoil.

After a long while, I suddenly remembered why I had come.

I looked at Gu Huaimin's face and said as calmly as I could, "I came to say goodbye. I'm leaving tomorrow."

"Mm." Gu Huaimin nodded and looked at me quietly too.

"Last time, you said your grandmother needed surgery. How did it go?" I asked.

"Fairly well," he said.

"That's good." I immediately felt relieved.

As long as it went well.

I never wanted to see Gu Huaimin looking so helpless again.

I agonized over what to say next right up until the moment I finally said it.

Thinking that this might be the last time we ever saw each other, I gathered my courage and spoke.

"Besides saying goodbye, there's something else I want to tell you."

"What?" Gu Huaimin asked.

"I need to apologize to you." I explained, "The last time I came over, I suddenly learned the truth and got a little carried away. I said some hurtful things to you. I don't remember being with you, and I don't know you, so I shouldn't have accused you so hastily. I'm truly sorry."

"It's okay," Gu Huaimin said, his eyes red. Then he immediately added in a quiet voice, "It was my fault."

It wasn't your fault.

You were wonderful.

I was just unlucky enough to get into a car accident right before the college entrance exam.

If only... if only I hadn't been in that accident, we might not have had to part.

The little person in my heart was already crying.

I forced a smile at Gu Huaimin. "You must have had your reasons for making that choice. Whatever they were, I... I'll understand."

"I'm leaving," I said goodbye to him again. "Goodbye."

"Wait," Gu Huaimin said suddenly.

So I stood still.

I was a little curious about what he was going to do.

Gu Huaimin went over to the dining table, unzipped his backpack, and took out a bank card. He walked back slowly, one step at a time, and handed it to me. "There's ninety thousand in here. It's for the rent and the money you spent on me before. I originally wanted to round it up and give you a hundred thousand, but some of it went toward my grandmother's surgery, so this is all that's left."

"You don't have to." After hearing him, I felt a pang of disappointment and smiled bitterly. "Who asks for the money back after spending it while dating?"

"Then think of it as a gift from me for your studies abroad. I hope everything goes well for you over there," he said.

"That's even less appropriate. What are we to each other now? How could I accept such a generous gift from you?" I asked.

Gu Huaimin had no answer. He only insisted, "I owe you this. Please, you have to take it."

"You don't owe me anything." I took two steps back and looked around the room. "I chose to rent the place myself. It was my personal expense, so you can't be held responsible for it."

"But you never even lived here for a single day," Gu Huaimin kindly reminded me.

Is that right?

So I rented a place, full of anticipation, hoping to live with the person I loved, only to be dumped before I could spend even one night there.

At that thought, I gave up trying to hold back and said, "Those were things the version of me who'd lost his memories did. If you're going to pay anyone back, you should pay him."

Gu Huaimin was taken aback. "To me, you're the same person."

"We're not the same."

I had thought I was fully prepared. After all these days of keeping my head, I thought I could face him without feeling a thing.

Before Gu Huaimin took out that bank card, the mood between us had been pretty good.

But now, for some reason, his attempt to pay me back struck a nerve, and I suddenly felt utterly overwhelmed. "He was the one who dated you, but I have to bear the pain of the breakup. And now you want to pay me back and make me the villain at the very end. That's not fair to me."

As I spoke, the tears started falling and I couldn't stop them.

Gu Huaimin opened his mouth, then looked at me speechlessly.

I immediately realized I had crossed the line again. "Forget it. I said I wouldn't bother you anymore. I'm leaving."

I wiped my tears carelessly as I turned to go, but Gu Huaimin suddenly rushed over and grabbed my wrist tightly.

His grip was so strong that it hurt.

"You're right," he said. He pulled me back to face him, looked into my eyes, and spoke slowly and clearly. "I should make it up to you."

"..."

"No need. I don't want your money."

"You used to always want to sleep with me," Gu Huaimin said suddenly. "Back then, I didn't understand anything and turned you down so many times. Later... I finally understood how you felt. I can let you sleep with me now. Do you want to?"

One-on-one, both leads are devoted to each other and have no prior romantic or sexual partners.

A very wholesome couple, and both of them are deeply devoted. I hope you'll show them lots of support!

Note:

A bittersweet second-chance romance. The novel is divided into two parts: school life and the workplace.

The first part, Huaimin, about their school days, is complete.

The second part, A Promise of True Love, about their reunion at work, is currently being serialized.

Theme: Growing through friction and learning to get along