However, after taking a few steps, she couldn’t bear to leave things as they were. She turned back and said, "I’ll relay your message to Biyun."
"Thank you." Lin Deng’s voice of thanks carried a hint of a sob.
As for Lin Deng, He Zhilan didn’t really dislike him. In fact, at the beginning, she quite liked this sunny, cheerful young man. Apart from the domestic situation of Lin Deng’s family, seeing Jiang Biyun and Lin Deng walk through so many years together, He Zhilan was genuinely happy for the two of them.
Lin Deng, although part of Gu En’s circle, was a straightforward young man who exuded positivity.
Upon returning home, as soon as she stepped through the door, He Zhilan was greeted with the aroma of cooking.
"Is Dad cooking? Smells delicious!" He Zhilan walked towards the kitchen, where she found her father, dressed in an apron, skillfully preparing a meal. He Dongxue was by his side, learning and occasionally asking questions that elicited both laughter and affection.
"Sister-in-law is back!" As soon as He Dongxue saw He Zhilan, she swiftly retreated from the kitchen, smiling, "Dad said that since you bought so many good ingredients, he wanted to show off his skills!"
"Then we’re in for a treat!" He Zhilan laughed, and then said, "I need to make a call. Please call me when the food’s ready! Can’t let you guys have it all to yourselves!"
"Don’t worry, sister-in-law, go ahead. Even if it takes an hour, it’s fine. Dad loves you so much, there’s no way he’d let my younger brother and me hog the meal." He Dongxue teased along with He Zhilan. Although she didn’t ask, she knew He Zhilan intended to call Jiang Biyun.
There was a telephone in the living room, conveniently placed there in case of emergencies.
After dialing the Jiang Family’s number, as expected, it was Jiang’s mother who answered. Only after hearing it was He Zhilan did she call for Jiang Biyun.
"Biyun." Hearing the shallow breathing from the phone, He Zhilan spoke softly, "Are you okay?"
"Yes." Jiang Biyun’s voice was a bit hoarse, clearly indicating that she had been crying.
"When I went out to buy groceries just now, I ran into Lin Deng. He asked me to relay a few words to you. Do you want to hear them?" He Zhilan tread carefully, doing her best not to upset Jiang Biyun further by bringing up Lin Deng.
"I don’t want to hear it." Jiang Biyun rejected without hesitation, "He’s already given up on me. What more does he have to say to me? At most, he wants to apologize, wants me to forget him, or move on and find happiness with another man."
He Zhilan fell silent. Indeed, how could someone not understand their loved one after three years together?
"He Zhilan, tell him for me that Jiang Biyun does not need his concern. He gave up on our relationship, so from that moment on, he lost the right to care about me. Whether I’m happy or not, what does it have to do with him? I won’t bless him and Gu En either. I, Jiang Biyun, will be strong and successful. I will forget him the moment I turn around and find someone who is far better than him. Moreover, I will marry before he does and be a hundred, even a thousand times happier!"
By the end of her speech, Jiang Biyun couldn’t hold back her tears any longer, "Three years of love, how can he just let go? I waited for him at home, and all I got was his careless abandonment. What was the worth of our three-year relationship? Was it really just my one-sided love all along? How dare Lin Deng say he can let go just like that?"
"Then, as you said, be brave. If he has let go, then you should let go too." Struggling to mask her own tears, He Zhilan found herself thinking of Ding Jinshi and Lan Li, for some reason, as she watched Jiang Biyun and Lin Deng’s current situation.