The moment the study door closed, the entire villa suddenly fell silent.
Even the sound of the night wind outside the window seemed exceptionally clear.
Yu Qingyu stood there in the center of the living room, standing for a long time, so long that the tear stains on her cheeks dried.
She did not chase after him again, did not make a scene again, nor did she shed another tear.
The surging grievances, unwillingness, and questions from earlier were all extinguished in his words, “I’m tired,” and his resolute retreating figure.
Twenty-six years of obsession, two years of pursuit, and over a year of day and night companionship had all become a complete joke.
She had once believed that as long as she was obedient enough, sensible enough, and loved deeply enough, she could eventually warm him up, and her love would always receive a response. But now she realized she was wrong.
It turns out, not loving is simply not loving.
No amount of effort can fill a heart that does not love her.
At this moment, her eyes were fixed on the direction of the staircase, but the corners of her mouth were filled with irony.
There was no anger, no hysteria, only a kind of almost numb clarity.
Loving to the extreme is letting go.
Hurting to the extreme is the death of the heart.
Everything was over.
She picked up her bag from the sofa.
The wine glass was placed steadily on the tray, not a drop spilled, just like the dignity she was barely holding onto now.
No letter left behind, no farewell, no crying or making a scene demanding an answer.
She gently closed the villa door without looking back.
Outside, the night was deep, and the gilded lights had long since faded away.
Yu Qingyu looked up at the night sky, a faint, light smile slowly curling at the corners of her mouth.
From now on,
She was no longer the Yu Qingyu chasing after Huo Zhili.
She was just herself.
The most thorough farewell is a silent release.
No entanglement, no questioning, no looking back.
From now on, mountains and waters shall not meet, do not ask of the old one’s length or shortness.
Inside the house, Huo Zhili sat at the desk in the study, his brow tightly furrowed, his fingers unconsciously tapping on the tabletop.
A car’s headlights flashed past outside the window, and he inexplicably felt a void in his heart.
As if something extremely important had, without his awareness,
Forever, left.
This kind of scene—slamming the door and leaving after an argument—was no longer the first time it had played out, and Huo Zhili did not take it to heart.
After all, at most a day later, Yu Qingyu would take the initiative to seek reconciliation with him, either softly saying “let’s start over” or apologizing with reddened eyes, saying she just loved him too much, cared too much.
Huo Zhili lit a cigar, holding the cigarette between his fingers, and sent a message to Lou Minghe: 【Qingyu has gone back.】
Lou Minghe, who had not yet fallen asleep, saw the message and immediately called, his tone carrying undisguised questioning:
“Did you two argue again? The fourth time this month, right? Huo Zhili, do you even love Qingyu?”
Huo Zhili fell silent for a second into the receiver—Did he love her? He had always felt that he was indulgent enough toward Yu Qingyu, and that should count as love.
He tugged at the corner of his mouth and retorted, “Do you think I have nothing better to do?”
Lou Minghe chuckled softly, his tone cooling a few degrees,
“Don’t beat around the bush, just answer whether you love her or not. If not, don’t waste each other’s time. I’ll persuade Qingyu to let go.”
Huo Zhili took a deep drag of the cigar, the nicotine’s spiciness irritating his throat, making him cough violently a few times. After catching his breath, he spoke hoarsely, “There is love.”
“‘There is love’?”
Lou Minghe scoffed lightly,
“Meaning not much love, right?”
“I love her, just not as deeply as she does,” Huo Zhili said bluntly.
A long sigh came from the other end of the phone, Lou Minghe’s voice tinged with helplessness,
“You should break up. What you have now is a twisted relationship, just torturing each other.”
With that, he hung up the phone directly.
Huo Zhili’s fingers holding the cigar tightened slightly. Lou Minghe’s words echoed in his mind—break up? Those two words had actually crossed his mind earlier downstairs, but at the time, he had only felt tired and fed up.
Yet now, the thought suddenly faded.
He picked up his phone and sent a message to Jiang Zhou: 【Pull up the surveillance footage from the private room tonight and send it to Miss Yu.】
Jiang Zhou replied quickly: 【Got it!】
Lou Minghe hung up the phone, changed out of his bathrobe, put on a well-pressed black shirt and trousers, and left the room.
He walked straight into the elevator, went up one floor, and after stepping out, used his fingerprint to unlock the door. He sat quietly on the living room sofa, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the armrest, his gaze as heavy as if soaked in water.
Half an hour later, the sound of Yu Qingyu’s fingerprint unlocking the door echoed.
She pushed the door open and saw Lou Minghe sitting in the living room. She forced a smile, her voice hoarse from crying: “Brother, you got the news pretty fast.”
Lou Minghe looked at her reddened eyes and instantly furrowed his brows, softening his voice: “Qingyu, why give up an entire forest for just one tree?”
Yu Qingyu tossed her bag onto the sofa, gently resting her head on his shoulder as her eyes began to burn again: “Okay.”
Lou Minghe’s heart softened. He raised his hand and patted her back, his tone full of concern: “Whatever decision you make, I’ll support you.”
“Brother, I’ve decided to accept the invitation from Johns Hopkins,” Yu Qingyu’s voice was soft but carried a resolute determination.
The invitation had come a long time ago. She had once thought of rejecting it for his sake… Thankfully, she hadn’t done that.
Her love wasn’t worth sacrificing her career for.
Lou Minghe responded softly, his tone tinged with relief: “That’s good. Go out and see the world. When I have time, I’ll visit you with Mom and Dad.”
Yu Qingyu nodded, burying her face in the crook of his shoulder, her voice muffled: “Mm.”