Bai Yu had always been carefree and joking, so when he suddenly became this serious, Song Yunfei couldn’t help but feel a bit nervous.
After a long silence, she finally spoke slowly, “I know… you’ve always been very good to me and treated me like a younger sister. I’m really happy and honored.”
“I’ve always wanted an older brother who would care for me. Whether or not we have any blood relation, I’ve truly experienced what it feels like to have a brother through you.”
Bai Yu said nothing, simply staring straight at her, his expression unreadable.
Song Yunfei took a deep breath and continued.
“I know what happened with Yaoyao hit you very hard, but it really wasn’t your fault.”
“After all these years, you’ve been trapped in the past and unwilling to move on. If Yaoyao knew, she would be sad too.”
“You don’t just have a sister—you still have your parents. Are you going to abandon them as well?”
“The pain of losing a daughter won’t be any less for them than yours. And now, they also have to endure the agony of possibly losing their son. Do you really want to burden yourself not only with the label of a failed older brother, but also with the shackles of being an unfilial son?”
“Are you here to play the role of a mediator?”
Bai Yu’s tone carried barely restrained anger, and his gaze had become unfamiliar, as if their previous interactions had all been an illusion.
Without waiting for Song Yunfei to respond, he coldly ordered, “Leave.”
Song Yunfei looked at him with a complicated expression, but her feet didn’t move.
She had expected things wouldn’t go smoothly before coming—but she hadn’t expected him to reject everything so completely and not listen at all.
“Bai Yu, I didn’t come here just because I promised Aunt Su. More than that, I genuinely hope you can be happy again.”
A mocking smile curved on Bai Yu’s lips. “What kind of relationship do we even have? Don’t think that just because I helped you before, you’re somehow special. Don’t act like some kind of angel who can save others with a few words.”
“I’m not Chu Jinhan. That kind of act of yours doesn’t work on me. I know what I’m doing, and I know what I want. I don’t need your reminders, and it’s not your place to lecture me.”
His words were sharp and cutting, like needles stabbing into Song Yunfei’s heart, leaving her feeling inexplicably hurt.
Yes… they didn’t really have any special relationship to begin with. What right did she have to persuade him?
At best, she was just a substitute for Yaoyao.
When he needed her, she was important. When he didn’t, she was nothing—perhaps not even a friend.
The situation had completely fallen into deadlock. Those carefree, joking times from before now seemed like nothing more than illusions.
She bit her lip, her eyes turning slightly sour.
Seeing her like this, something in the depths of Bai Yu’s eyes seemed to shift slightly, but he quickly looked away and hardened his resolve.
After a long while, Song Yunfei steadied her emotions and spoke softly.
“I’ve never thought of myself as special, and I’m not here to save you. In this world, no one can truly save another person—only they can save themselves.”
“I just… as someone who sincerely treats you as a brother and as a trustworthy friend, I simply hope you can live a happy life.”
“I’m sorry for disturbing you.”
Song Yunfei slowly stood up. With things having escalated to this point, there was no reason for her to stay any longer.
Bai Yu never looked at her. It was as if he hadn’t heard her words at all—or as if she didn’t exist. Yet the fingers resting on his knees were clenched tightly.
When the sound of the door closing softly rang out, he closed his eyes, his chest rising and falling heavily, as if struggling to suppress the turbulent emotions within.
After Song Yunfei walked downstairs, she let out a long, melancholic sigh.
She had never expected things to turn out like this. Perhaps from now on, the two of them wouldn’t even be friends anymore.
But she didn’t regret it. After all, if you didn’t even dare to try, how would you ever know the outcome?
She got into the car, and the driver slowly drove out of the residential complex.
When she returned to the villa, Chu Jinhan was on the sofa in the living room handling work. As soon as she entered, he immediately noticed her.
Song Yunfei subconsciously walked over and sat beside him, her expression downcast.
“Did it go badly?” Chu Jinhan asked without even looking up.
Song Yunfei froze for a moment, looking at him in surprise. “How did you know?”
Chu Jinhan glanced at her. “It’s written all over your face.”
Song Yunfei pouted slightly, somewhat helpless. “You could tell that too?”
“When a person’s mask is suddenly taken off, no matter what their intention is, their first reaction will inevitably be defense and rejection. Let him calm down for a few days first, then go find him again.”
Song Yunfei was surprised. “You’re not jealous anymore?”
“When have I ever been jealous?”
His serious denial amused her.
“Alright, alright, you’ve never been jealous. I don’t know who it was, but the moment he heard the name Bai Yu, his reaction was just like Quanquan-Quanquan.”
It had to be said—this man’s psychological resilience was truly strong. Even when exposed on the spot, his expression didn’t change at all.
He even turned the accusation back on her. “You’re comparing me to Quanquan-Quanquan?”
He set down the laptop in his hand and leaned toward her.
“Can Quanquan-Quanquan send you red envelopes, give you gifts, take photos with you, or marry you?”
Song Yunfei quickly pushed against his chest to avoid him. “I was wrong, I was wrong—move away!”
Chu Jinhan actually let her go. Seeing that she was in a bad mood, he didn’t push further.
He suddenly seemed to remember something, picked up the phone on the table, and made a call.
After the call connected, he said in a low voice, “Keep an eye on Bai Yu.”
Song Yunfei looked at him in confusion. After he hung up, she asked, “Why are you monitoring him?”
Chu Jinhan placed the phone back on the table and met her gaze.
“I’m afraid you’ll feel guilty.”
“What does that have to do with me feeling guilty?”
“You exposed something he had been avoiding for over twenty years and broke the internal balance he had maintained in his heart.
Now that the two of you have fallen out, in a sense, this is his second loss. It’s another blow to him.”
“Either he is forced to reflect through the pain and be reborn, or he collapses completely.”
Song Yunfei listened in a daze, a chill slowly creeping up her spine in hindsight.
She began to feel flustered. “I… did I do something wrong?”
Chu Jinhan pulled her tightly into his arms and comforted her softly, “You didn’t do anything wrong. Your intention was good—you were thinking for his sake. But good medicine tastes bitter. For someone seriously ill, suddenly using strong medicine can be hard to endure.”
“He can’t live in a dream forever. He will eventually have to face reality. Recognizing the truth now is better than regretting it after losing even more in the future.”
Hearing his words, Song Yunfei felt slightly relieved, but she still couldn’t fully let go of her worries.
Very soon, work was about to start, and Chu Jinhan also became increasingly busy.
He had already sent people to pick up Song Yunfei’s parents; they should arrive within the next couple of days.
However, because of Bai Yu’s situation, Song Yunfei couldn’t feel happy at all.
She was truly uneasy, so early the next morning she went to Bai Yu’s place again. But after knocking for a long time, no one answered.
She didn’t know whether he truly wasn’t home or was deliberately avoiding her.
After asking the people Chu Jinhan had sent to keep watch over Bai Yu, she learned that he had been at home the entire time and hadn’t stepped outside at all.
This made Song Yunfei even more worried.
For three consecutive days, she stayed outside Bai Yu’s door. The weather was still cold, leaving her hands and feet numb from the chill.
Seeing that Bai Yu still hadn’t come out after three days, Song Yunfei hesitated over whether she should just break the door open.
The two burly men accompanying her were already eager to act, rolling up their sleeves and preparing to kick the door open.
Suddenly, Song Yunfei seemed to remember something and quickly stopped them. “Wait!”
She looked at the electronic lock in front of her, hesitated for a moment, then nervously reached out and entered a string of numbers.
After a brief moment—
Ding-dong.
The electronic lock actually opened!
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