After finishing lunch, Chuxia was sitting at her office desk, half-dozing off, when Li Xiaoru arrived. Her eyes were somewhat red, clearly having cried.
Having talked with her aunt Wang Lei yesterday, Wang Jing no longer harbored any resentment towards Chuxia, but with loss of face, interactions were still somewhat awkward. At this moment, Li Xiaoru’s arrival gave her a chance to make amends. Standing up, she walked towards the door and said, "Lin Chuxia, I’m stepping out for a bit, I’ll be back before work starts."
Obviously, what she meant was, "You two go ahead and talk, I won’t come back midway to interrupt." Chuxia blinked in slight surprise, then quickly said, "Thank you, Sister."
Wang Jing smiled and waved her hand, her footsteps light as she left.
"I’m sorry for bothering you," Li Xiaoru said apologetically to Chuxia, "It was my lack of consideration, I’m sorry."
"Sister Xiao Ru, no need to be so formal, please have a seat." Chuxia gestured for her to sit down and also poured her a glass of water. "Are you curious about what Brother Cheng said to me this morning?" Cheng Guo had been expressing his troubles to her that morning, and Li Xiaoru had returned then before leaving again, which was why Chuxia asked this question.
"Not really..." Li Xiaoru said with a bitter smile, shaking her head. "I want to ask you for a favor. I know it’s presumptuous of me, but after much thought, it seems you’re the only one I can turn to."
Having a good impression of her, Chuxia nodded eagerly, "You just say it. If I can help, I’ll definitely do my best."
"Cheng Guo is in love with his junior sister, but because of responsibility, he always chose to be with me. If I don’t bring it up, he would definitely marry me.
Even though the Cheng Family’s uncle and aunt have been vehemently opposed during this period, he would certainly face the pressure and marry me. I’ve known him since childhood; I know he’s that kind of person.
But I can’t be so selfish; I can’t let him suppress himself for a lifetime. I know that if I tell him outright, he would definitely deny my words.
So, in a few days, I will leave A City with my parents, and we won’t come back. In this lifetime, I’ll probably never see Cheng Guo again."
"He will certainly look for me, please give him this letter after I leave..." Li Xiaoru said, extracting a folded letter from her pocket, unsealed.
Chuxia took it, promptly picked up the glue, and sealed it tightly with care, smiling at her, "I don’t have a habit of prying into others’ privacy."
"Thank you, I’ve troubled you too much, but I probably won’t be able to repay you in this lifetime..." With a heavy sigh, Li Xiaoru’s expression was indescribably forlorn.
After a hesitation, Chuxia asked, "Did you overhear our conversation this morning?"
"No." Li Xiaoru shook her head, then looked at Chuxia with a hint of anticipation, "Did he ever talk about his feelings for me?"
"Just a little bit, he said he’s been distant with you lately in the hope of first persuading his parents to accept you. He mentioned that his parents are actually quite hesitant now, they say they oppose your relationship, but inside they feel very guilty about your mother’s situation."
Chuxia recounted the first part to her but didn’t mention the latter part.
Because when Cheng Guo asked if she had noticed anything, she thought he was talking about the change in his attitude, but he told her, in reality, the person he truly loved was Wu Jingbo.
From the beginning, it was Wu Jingbo he cherished, but later on, Li Xiaoru’s circumstances and the promises they made as children made it impossible for him to reject Li Xiaoru’s advances.
Then, as one thing led to another, things developed in a way he never anticipated, making it even harder for him to let go and impossible to do so.
Yet, he was in agony, having to act nonchalant while watching the person he loved walk by every day, being extra careful while helping for fear of being misunderstood.
He said life was hard, his mind constantly on edge.
Indeed, as a doctor, such a state was dangerous. He was aware, but he had no power to change anything.
Coincidentally, Li Xiaoru left when they had reached this part of the conversation, and Chuxia took her leave. Still, it was evident that unburdening himself had lightened Cheng Guo’s mood significantly.
Unexpectedly, just this morning after Cheng Guo had shared his dilemma, Li Xiaoru came by noon asking Chuxia to give him the letter, to set him free.
Rationally, Chuxia felt this was the best solution.
But emotionally, she still pitied Li Xiaoru.
This was a kind girl whose fate wasn’t hers to choose, whose mother’s suffering wasn’t intentional. There was nobody to blame, yet the guilt was hers to bear...