Zhu Queqi didn’t know how to face Gu Ansheng.
In the past, when he hugged and kissed her, she didn’t reject it. In fact, she secretly felt happy about it, because back then they were in love with each other.
But things were different now. She no longer planned to continue being his girlfriend, so such intimate behavior now felt like a burden to her. At the time, during the kiss, she didn’t think much of it—but once the physical flutter of emotion faded, everything about it left her feeling uneasy.
No matter what, since heaven had given her a second chance at life, she didn’t want to keep shrinking back timidly. If she had already decided to separate from Gu Ansheng, then she should make things clear directly. Dragging things out wouldn’t be good for either of them.
In this life, she wanted to try relying on her own hands to build a good life.
Most importantly, during the past few days at home, she had written down all the college entrance exam questions she could remember from her previous life. When the time came, she could look up the answers in books, memorize them before the exam, and this time she would definitely be able to get into university!
With that thought, Zhu Queqi gathered her courage and pushed Gu Ansheng away.
Gu Ansheng froze for a moment. Thinking he had kissed her too roughly and hurt her, he hurriedly asked with concern,
“Queqi, what’s wrong? Did I hurt you?”
As he spoke, he even leaned closer to check her lips carefully.
Zhu Queqi suppressed the painful feeling rising in her chest and tried to steel herself. She couldn’t drag this out any longer. Gu Ansheng was already twenty-three; many people his age were already married. Since she had decided not to continue their relationship, it was better to explain things sooner rather than later and not delay his life.
Having made up her mind, Zhu Queqi hardened her heart. She stepped around him, walked to the desk, opened a drawer, and took out the pair of gold earrings Gu Ansheng had given her back when they were living at the youth dormitory.
Turning around, she stuffed them into his hand.
Her eyes turned red as she blinked away the tears, forcing them back. In a stiff voice she said,
“Comrade Gu Ansheng, thank you for taking care of me when we were in the countryside. I… you should take these earrings back. I can’t accept them.”
Gu Ansheng was a smart man. How could he not understand what she meant?
His pupils shrank sharply. In an instant, his face darkened. His jaw clenched tightly as his dark eyes fixed on her.
He stood there stiffly, almost petrified, holding the gold earrings she had just returned to him.
After a while, he finally recovered enough to speak. His voice carried no emotion at all.
“What do you mean? Now that we’ve returned to the city, you think I’m useless, so you’re kicking me aside?”
Zhu Queqi didn’t dare look at him. She kept her head lowered, staring at the ground, but her tone was firm and unquestionable.
“We’re not suitable for each other.”
“Then why?” Gu Ansheng’s voice was hoarse, as if scraped raw by sandpaper.
Zhu Queqi took a deep breath. Her fingernails dug into her palm. Her heart hurt terribly, but she refused to turn back.
She forced herself to raise her head, though her eyes looked off to the side instead of at him.
“You’re very good. You’re good in every way. But I… I don’t like you. So no matter what, I just don’t want to be with you anymore. If you’re willing, we can still be friends in the future. If you’re not willing… then we shouldn’t see each other again.”
Gu Ansheng’s face instantly turned pale. He endured the taste of blood spreading in his mouth—he had bitten down too hard.
Almost pleading, his voice was full of pain.
“Queqi, feelings can be cultivated. If there’s something you don’t like, tell me and I can change. I swear, I’ll treat you well for the rest of my life. In this lifetime, I’ll only be good to you alone…”
“Stop talking!”
Zhu Queqi’s nose stung, and tears nearly fell. She bit her lip hard and forcefully interrupted him, her voice trembling with suppressed emotion.
“No matter how well you treat me, I don’t want to be with you anymore. Gu Ansheng, let’s just leave it like this. Don’t waste your time on me. Don’t come looking for me anymore, and I won’t respond to you either. We’re drawing a clear line between us.”
After saying that, without caring what expression he had on his face, she pushed him out the door and slammed it shut with a loud bang.
After a while, she heard staggering footsteps outside, then the sound of the door opening, followed by it closing again.
Zhu Queqi slowly opened her bedroom door.
Sure enough, he was gone—Gu Ansheng had left.
The moment she realized this, her heart felt as if it had been pierced by needles. The tears she had been holding back instantly fell.
She quickly shut the door again, turned around, and threw herself onto the bed, burying her face in the pillow as she cried until she was nearly exhausted.
That evening, when Zhu’s mother came home from work and saw that dinner still hadn’t been made, she burst into furious scolding. It wasn’t until her son came back and started clamoring for food that she finally stopped.
Zhu Queqi didn’t come out for dinner, and since Zhu’s mother was still angry, she didn’t call her either. Zhu’s father, always good at reading the situation, didn’t dare say a word. Only her younger brother called out for her a few times, but when she didn’t respond, he gave up.
Curled up under the blankets, a sudden thought entered Zhu Queqi’s mind:
If Gu Ansheng were here, no matter how much she threw a tantrum, he would patiently coax her to eat at least a little.
At that thought, Zhu Queqi’s tears fell like beads from a broken string, pouring down once again