"Sister-in-law, you say Lin Deng and Sister Biyun have been together for three years, right? How can he abandon a three-year relationship just like that, carelessly casting it aside without a thought?" He Dongxue sighed deeply, "Sister Biyun must be heartbroken now. A three-year romance, ceaselessly cast aside in such a short time."
"Definitely," agreed He Zhilan. Her concerns were not unsubstantiable. "When your brother wanted to divorce me, I was distraught. The feelings Jiang Biyun has for Lin Deng are no less than the feelings I had for your brother."
The two, having bought their groceries, sighed on their way back home. Just when they switched their conversation topic to tonight’s meal, they were suddenly stopped. To their surprise, it was Lin Deng.
It had only been a few days, but Lin Deng seemed like a different person. His head hung low, he looked as if he had just walked out from a hospital, akin to a beaten eggplant.
"Could I have a word with you?" Lin Deng was looking at He Zhilan as he spoke.
He Zhilan nodded, passing the groceries to He Dongxue, asking her to head home first. Once He Dongxue was out of sight, she turned to Lin Deng. "Are you really getting engaged to Gu En?"
Lin Deng grunted in acknowledgment and nodded mechanically. "I tried calling Jiang Biyun, but her aunt wouldn’t let me speak to her. Could you pass a message to Biyun for me?"
"Did Gu En call Jiang Biyun again?" He Zhilan rolled her eyes. "If not, I couldn’t have known about it. The Jiang family is too far, how could they possibly know already? If you’re getting engaged to Gu En, why are you even calling her? Are you inviting her to your engagement ceremony with Gu En?"
He Zhilan’s words sparked visible pain in Lin Deng’s eyes. The once sunny and energetic boy was pushed into desolation by his recent predicament.
"I just want to tell her that I’m sorry, I couldn’t maintain the love we had. But it’s not that I don’t love her. It’s just... I can’t keep loving her. Sometimes, I really envy my cousin. He lives a more unrestrained and carefree life than me. Sometimes, I even wonder, why wasn’t I born into his family?"
As he spoke, Lin Deng crouched in front of He Zhilan, hugging his head and furiously tugging at his shaved hair.
"Because I am Lin Deng, I must carry the weight of their expectations, their ambitions. I can’t escape it. It feels like I’m a snail, carrying a huge, heavy shell. Every step is slow, every step is exhausting."
He Zhilan didn’t say anything. She just silently watched Lin Deng. At this moment, she felt some sympathy for him.
TWO distinct Lin families, but due to the different choices of the elders, the lives of the children within them took different paths.
"He Zhilan, I beg you, tell Jiang Biyun for me. I am sorry, sorry for the love we had before. If she wants to hate me, I welcome it. I just hope that after she finishes hating me, she’ll find happiness. She deserves it. She is so wonderful; there must be a better man out there for her."
"Don’t you think these words will only add insult to injury? Since you’ve given up already, you should break off all contact. This is better for both you and her. The more guilty you seem, the harder it will be for her to let go." He Zhilan sighed profoundly, and without another word, she walked away, leaving Lin Deng behind.