Chapter 41: Boyfriend-Girlfriend
“Even if there's no future for us together, you don't care?”
“What… what do you mean by that?” Kong Yiyue widened her eyes, staring intently at him as if afraid she'd misunderstood the deeper meaning of his words.
Fu Jinting said, “Kong Yiyue, you said this is our last chance. If in the end, you still can't make me choose you without hesitation, I hope you'll keep your promise then.”
Kong Yiyue understood what that promise entailed, but she already felt it was incredibly precious and rare that he'd compromised this much for her.
“Alright!” Kong Yiyue agreed readily, taking several steps closer to him with a radiant smile. She asked, “So what are we now? Are we boyfriend and girlfriend?”
“No.” Fu Jinting's gaze fell on her fair, delicate hand resting on his arm. His eyes darkened as he said, “This is just an adjustment period.”
Although Kong Yiyue wasn't happy with how he defined their relationship, it was still better than the distant, lukewarm dynamic they'd had before.
She smiled and dropped the topic. “Have you eaten? I planned to go to the dance studio early this morning, so I haven't had breakfast yet. Want to go together?”
“You go ahead first. Xiang Yi will be here soon.”
“Oh.” Hearing this, Kong Yiyue didn't want to cling to him. They stood in silence for less than two or three minutes before Xiang Yi appeared from the other side of the building.
Kong Yiyue could tell the two of them had important matters to discuss, so she wisely chose to leave. “I'll go first then—I'll contact you later.”
Fu Jinting didn't try to stop her, simply saying, “Okay.”
As Xiang Yi approached, he clearly saw Kong Yiyue pulling her hand away from Fu Jinting's arm. He then looked at her face—her smile wasn't completely carefree, but it was bright and charming.
Xiang Yi paused his steps. Watching Fu Jinting bid her farewell, he couldn't help but notice the faint smile at the corner of his lips, and began to think deeply.
The morning sun pierced through thick clouds, casting patches of golden light. Xiang Yi had a feeling that the sight of the two of them together was truly captivating.
Only after Kong Yiyue had walked far out of sight did he approach Fu Jinting and ask, “What's the meaning of this?” Just last month when they'd come to Lian University, Fu Jinting had been so certain when he said that since there was no future with Kong Yiyue, he wouldn't waste those years and bring unnecessary trouble upon himself.
But their actions and expressions just now were completely contrary to what he'd said back then!
Xiang Yi felt he needed to get to the bottom of this. Seeing Fu Jinting furrow his brow without responding, he pressed further, “Did something happen while you were in Qinglin City?”
Fu Jinting's voice was low as he walked forward, saying, “I underestimated them. Being sick and making me come back to take over the company is one thing, but my grandmother is being completely unreasonable—she wants me to get engaged to Nie Lingwei now to stabilize the company's morale.” His tone was harsh, and traces of sharpness were evident in his expression. He said, “They really think I'm docile enough to be manipulated however they want.”
Seeing him openly vent his anger like this, Xiang Yi couldn't help but worry he might take extreme action.
He'd always been well aware of Fu Jinting's situation. Like all wealthy heirs, they seemed glamorous to outsiders, but their lack of freedom matched their outward splendor. Even if you wanted to break free, it was no easy task.
Fu Jinting had always known his responsibilities. For years, he'd endured without resistance, growing into the person the elders wanted him to be. He'd already been unhappy about going abroad earlier, and now they were rushing into marriage—his anger was understandable.
But still…
“Fu Jinting, then where do you stand with Kong Yiyue? Are you using her as a tool to fight back against the elders?” The question was sharp and to the point.
At this, Fu Jinting's steps faltered. A tool? Merely a tool for his use? After a moment of silence, he replied, “She's always wanted me to give us both a chance. I'm granting her wish—shouldn't she be grateful?”
The sarcastic tone made Xiang Yi immediately realize that Kong Yiyue was nothing more than a pawn in this. He couldn't help but feel sympathy for her. “If you still don't plan to end up with her, then why toy with her like this? If she finds out this is why you're with her, do you think she'll ever be able to accept you again?”
Fu Jinting didn't respond.
As for what the future held, he'd take it one step at a time. Kong Yiyue wasn't a constant in his life—she would be a variable.
Kong Yiyue couldn't wait to grab her books and stand up as soon as morning classes ended. Jiang Manxin had been her roommate for nearly three years and rarely saw her so anxious. She asked, “Why are you in such a hurry?”
Kong Yiyue lightly shook her phone in her hand, smiling as she said, “I'm planning to ask someone out for dinner.”
“Hm?” Kong Yiyue asking someone out for dinner? This was the first time Jiang Manxin had heard of it. “Who is it? It's not Hou Guanglue, is it?”
Kong Yiyue quickly shook her head. “I can barely avoid him as it is—why would I eat with him?”
“Oh?” Jiang Manxin couldn't think of who else it could be. Kong Yiyue rarely interacted with boys, and among girls, besides herself, she usually only ate with a few classmates from their class.
Kong Yiyue had been in a great mood since morning. Seeing that Jiang Manxin was curious, she told her directly, “The person I mentioned before—he's back.”
“Really? Congratulations.” Seeing the joy radiating from her face, Jiang Manxin thought to herself: It's clear this person is truly special to her.
“Mm, thank you.” Kong Yiyue smiled sincerely. “I'll call him now.” The call connected quickly, but Fu Jinting said he was busy and couldn't make time to eat with her.
Kong Yiyue couldn't help feeling a bit disappointed—she'd been looking forward to spending time alone with him. But since he was busy, she shouldn't push it. She gathered her spirits and said generously into the phone, “Then next time.”
Fu Jinting just replied, “Okay.”
When Jiang Manxin finished packing her books and walked out of the classroom, she saw Kong Yiyue standing not far from the door, lost in thought. The bright smile was no longer on her face. She asked, “What's wrong?”
Kong Yiyue smiled slightly and said, “He's busy—can't make it.” As soon as she finished speaking, even the faint smile disappeared.
Jiang Manxin just looked at her, wanting to offer a word of caution, but seeing how down she was, she didn't want to make things worse.
Kong Yiyue, sometimes when you put someone too high on a pedestal, you become passive. Over time, you lose your importance in their eyes—do you understand that?
Although Fu Jinting was attending classes at Lian University, he didn't live on campus. Instead, he'd bought a three-story villa in a high-end residential area not far from the school.
After school that afternoon, he received a call from his secretary and hurried back to the villa without delay.
Besides the master bedroom on the second floor, there were two connected large studies. The studies were luxuriously decorated in a white-themed style, with three desks lined up side by side, each holding a black LCD computer.
After returning, Fu Jinting turned on his computer to check his emails. He then spent hours on video calls and phone conferences, and by the time he'd finalized the proposal, it was already ten o'clock at night.
Fu Jinting rubbed his shoulders, swiveled his chair around, and looked up at the floor-to-ceiling windows behind him. The dark sky outside was filled with twinkling stars.
He stood up, walked to the window, and gazed at the starry sky. His eyes shone as brightly as the stars above.
The room was brightly lit, the crystal chandelier casting brilliant light. Standing tall and alone against the night, the light behind him created an almost ethereal silhouette of his figure.
After standing in silence for a while, Fu Jinting turned back to his desk, picked up his phone, and checked his missed calls. There were two—one from Zhong Ziyang, and the other from… Nie Lingwei.
Nie Lingwei?
Just seeing those three characters made Fu Jinting's already stern expression darken further. Naturally, his thoughts turned to Kong Yiyue.
Had she really not contacted him again after their call at noon? Could it be that she was being considerate and not disturbing him because she knew he was busy?
A faint smile crossed Fu Jinting's lips at the thought of her “consideration.” He looked at his phone and decided to send her a message. After all, it wasn't too early or too late, and he'd never actually asked about her schedule. He simply typed: “Asleep yet?”
Kong Yiyue was watching a critically acclaimed film that their professor had recommended in class with Jiang Manxin. Before they could reach the ending, her phone notified her of a new message.
She opened it casually, surprised to see it was from Fu Jinting. After reading it carefully, she replied after a moment: “No.”
As soon as she sent the message, Fu Jinting called her directly. Kong Yiyue had been wondering why he'd send a message so late when the sudden ringtone startled her so much that even Jiang Manxin, who'd been engrossed in the film, jumped. “Who's calling so late?”
Having lived together for so long, Jiang Manxin knew that besides her family and one or two friends who occasionally contacted her, Kong Yiyue rarely talked on the phone. At this hour, it must be…
Jiang Manxin immediately thought of the boy she'd mentioned earlier. Seeing Kong Yiyue go outside to answer the call, she turned her attention back to the film.
She should either support Kong Yiyue's relationship or stay out of it. If things worked out, that would be wonderful, but if not…
Jiang Manxin imagined the worst-case scenario—it would just mean falling hard and then getting back up strong.
Some things are meant to be experienced, and trying too hard to stop them would only be forcing the issue.
Just as Jiang Manxin finished thinking, Kong Yiyue walked back in after hanging up. She opened the wardrobe to find some clothes, calling out without turning around, “I'm going out for a bit—I'll be back later.”
Jiang Manxin watched her busy searching for clothes. After a moment, she replied, “Mm, come back early and be careful on the way.”
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