A Chan – CH 146

Chapter 146: Ending (3)

Zhang Jingchan had no choice but to rush to the bidding site.

A tense day of presenting and bidding passed. As dusk fell, the bidding results were announced, and Huicui lost.

Even a future business tycoon’s entrepreneurial journey was never smooth sailing; bumps and setbacks were the norm, and it was what allowed him to grow like a rocket. This project was crucial to Huicui, and the entire team was depressed; even Zhang Moyun had smoked several cigarettes.

Zhang Jingchan drove back to the company, utterly exhausted. He decided to lead the team in one last debriefing. Just then, he received a text from Li Weiyi: “I think we both need to calm down. Maybe breaking up for a while would be better.”

Zhang Jingchan slammed his phone down.

He forced himself to lead the team in the debriefing at the company, and it was already past 11 p.m. He sat alone in the empty office, much smaller than Fuming’s old building—just half a floor, and rented at that. His head was throbbing terribly. He picked up his phone, then put it down again, ultimately deciding not to go find her immediately.

He went home and woke up suddenly at 2 a.m., unable to fall back asleep. He picked up his phone and saw a post Li Weiyi had made on her WeChat Moments half an hour earlier:

Sometimes, being alone is more comfortable. (Smug smiley face)

Zhang Jingchan looked at it, feeling a lump in his throat, making it hard to breathe. He jumped out of bed in a fit of anger and pulled back the curtains, and the cold night wind whipped at his face, but it couldn’t dispel the suffocating rage and frustration in his heart. He chugged down several large glasses of cold water, but it was all in vain.

He picked up his phone and read through the text messages she’d sent during the day and her recent post on WeChat Moments several times. He replied with only one sentence: “Fine, let’s break up.” Then he tossed the phone aside, not wanting to care about anything else.

Zhang Jingchan didn’t know that Li Weiyi had posted that post on WeChat Moments while crying. Last night, she was truly heartbroken and utterly despondent. After sending the breakup text message during the day, she was completely distraught, waiting all day for a reply but receiving no response. Realizing it might really be over, she posted that message on WeChat Moments. She didn’t even know who she was posting it for.

For the next two days, the two had no contact. Li Weiyi went to school as usual, but every morning she woke up with her eyes swollen like a rabbit’s.

Zhang Jingchan followed his meticulously planned schedule perfectly: working on his thesis, negotiating business deals, recruiting employees… though his eyes were terribly dark, and he barely ate anything at meals.

On the evening of the third day, Zhang Jingchan was supposed to attend a dinner with his father, but just before leaving, he suddenly said to his father, “I’m not going.”

Zhang Moyun: “What’s wrong? Secretary Hu is coming this time too. It’s a rare opportunity, and I wanted him to meet you.”

Zhang Jingchan left without explaining anything.

After Zhang Moyun stepped out of the house, he cursed under his breath. That kid—not only did he suddenly run away, but he also drove off in his car. Zhang Moyun had no choice but to walk to the roadside to hail a taxi.

Zhang Jingchan drove straight to the Academy of Fine Arts, to Li Weiyi’s dormitory building.

His heart, which had been restless for days, finally felt at ease.

At first, he tried calling Li Weiyi but couldn’t get through, assuming it was a signal problem; then he called her three roommates, but none of them answered. Zhang Jingchan suddenly realized what had happened and almost choked.

Damn it! He’d been blocked by them all.

He had to ask a passing girl to go upstairs, and she told him that the entire dormitory was empty; they’d apparently gone to a bar.

Zhang Jingchan was completely devastated.

Li Weiyi and her roommates returned to school after 10 p.m. She’d been so depressed lately that her roommates couldn’t stand it anymore and insisted on dragging her out for some “fun.” It was really just going to a quiet bar, having a few drinks, listening to music, and then coming back. Li Weiyi was completely lost in thought the whole time, avoiding any guys who tried to chat her up, much to her roommates’ dismay.

The nights in early January were very, very cold. Zhang Jingchan hadn’t even bothered to change out of his suit before leaving home. When Li Weiyi saw him, he’d been standing downstairs for hours in the freezing cold, his hair even frosty, and his nose red. As she approached from behind, she saw him constantly stamping his feet, his hands always in his suit pockets.

This scene was truly shocking; the famous Zhang Jingchan had been left standing downstairs all night by Li Weiyi. At least a hundred people were gathered at the windows of the surrounding girls’ dormitories, watching with a lively, noisy crowd.

Her roommates quickly went upstairs and left. Zhang Jingchan saw them and immediately turned around, seeing Li Weiyi with her head down, only the top of her dark hair visible.

In that instant, most of his anger and dull pain subsided.

But for the first time in his life, Zhang Jingchan didn’t dare to speak, afraid of being rebuked or abandoned.

After much deliberation and silence, he said, “I’m so tired. I haven’t slept well for days. Can we find a place where I can take a nap first, and then we can talk?”

His calm and reasonable tone reassured Li Weiyi, who nodded and said, “Okay.”

So Zhang Jingchan drove to the best hotel in the city and booked an executive suite.

He wasn’t lying to her; he really was tired. Now that she was beside him, Zhang Jingchan completely relaxed. When she nervously finished showering and came out, Zhang Jingchan was already quietly asleep on the sofa.

Li Weiyi squatted down in front of him, looking at him. The young and handsome man, the man she never imagined she could have in her life, was still in his suit, one hand resting on the sofa armrest, a glimpse of his white shirt peeking out from the black suit sleeve. Even in his sleep, he seemed lost in thought, his brow slightly furrowed. She knew he was tired and under immense pressure. He was too outstanding; his heart was far bigger than most.

She wanted to try her best to keep up, but in the process, she truly felt lost, uneasy, yearning, and sad.

Li Weiyi kept wiping away tears.

Zhang Jingchan suddenly woke up, looking at the girl squatting in front of him, tears slowly welling up in his eyes as well. He sat up, then squatted down in front of her, cupping her face in his hands, both of them gazing at each other with red eyes.

He said, “Let’s not break up, okay?”

Li Weiyi nodded haphazardly.

He continued, “How could you break up with me? How could you bear to? I…sometimes, I’m really afraid I’ve messed things up. My original intention at 27 was to wait until 2022 to be with you again, without changing anything. But I couldn’t resist. How could I resist when you were right in front of me? I know we are too young, the future is too long. What if our relationship doesn’t work out, we argue and break up, and we each find someone else? What will we do when we ‘wake up’ again? So I’ve been trying so hard, wanting our relationship to proceed smoothly and steadily, without any problems. But now it’s still messed up. It’s all my fault. I was so busy with business that I neglected you. I never thought about being with anyone else. You’re the girl I’ve wanted for the rest of my life, and I’m so afraid of losing you. Damn it, I can’t be crying for you at 27, regretting that I ended up alone, can I?”