Chapter 231: Staying with Her
Xu Youyou took a deep breath, feeling like she was about to face Lu Jingyao’s accusations at any moment.
She had lived a second life, not to continue getting entangled in struggles with Gu Xueying.
“Lu Jingyao, let’s break up,” Xu Youyou said proactively.
Lu Jingyao: ?
Confusion almost overflowed from Lu Jingyao’s face. Did he miss some important part of the story? How did it jump so suddenly from rescuing a woman to breaking up?
“If you want to help her, go ahead. I won’t stop you,” Xu Youyou said, turning around to leave again.
But once more, she found her arm tightly restrained.
“Lu Jingyao, I’ve enjoyed spending time with you. Don’t make me think you’re unreasonable,” Xu Youyou said.
Lu Jingyao sighed and said, “I don’t know why you want to break up, but at least give me a chance to explain.”
Xu Youyou knew she was being overly suspicious, but in her previous life, she had seen firsthand how everyone went crazy for Gu Xueying. She had to admit Gu Xueying had some kind of extraordinary charm, allowing her to commit countless misdeeds fearlessly.
As she listened to the past between Gu Xueying and Lu Jingyao, she felt more and more like the villainous supporting character in a story.
A collectible worth over a hundred million from over a decade ago — even for the Lu family, that wasn’t something insignificant. Since Lu Jingyao cared so much about Gu Xueying back then, it was unlikely she had left no impression on his heart.
She couldn’t help but think, absurdly, maybe Lu Jingyao liked her because he mistook her for Gu Xueying.
But Lu Jingyao looked at her firmly and said, “I do remember her, and even my parents probably do.”
“Then there’s nothing more to say. I wish you both happiness,” Xu Youyou said. She had money and leisure; although losing Lu Jingyao would be a pity, avoiding the tragedies of her past life was enough.
Lu Jingyao said, “It’s not what you think.”
“That collectible really was worth over a hundred million, but the one displayed at the banquet that day was a fake.”
Now it was Xu Youyou’s turn to be confused.
Lu Jingyao continued, “After she broke the piece, she hid under a table crying. Since my family hosted the banquet, everyone was watching. We couldn’t blame her. My mom pushed me to comfort her.”
“But because she broke it, my dad realized it was a fake. The real one had been swapped by a servant. Luckily, it hadn’t been sold yet and my dad managed to retrieve it.”
Xu Youyou hadn’t expected the story to be so complicated.
Lu Jingyao continued, “To me, she’s just a kid who once caused a small accident in my house. I’m not stupid enough to develop weird feelings for someone just because they made a mistake.”
Xu Youyou touched her nose, realizing a little too late that her earlier behavior might have been too heartless.
“Why is it that every time something happens, your first reaction is to break up? Like I don’t matter at all to you,” Lu Jingyao couldn’t help but complain.
Xu Youyou lowered her head, not knowing what to say. She could only softly mumble, “Sorry, I overreacted.”
Lu Jingyao thought for a moment and asked, “Is it because of me or because of her?”
Xu Youyou replied, “Because of her.”
Lu Jingyao sighed, “I knew it. In your heart, I’m not important at all.”
Xu Youyou, feeling guilty for once, said, “Maybe you should find a girlfriend who cares about you more?”
Lu Jingyao gently pinched her nose and said, “You really know how to stab me in the heart. I thought you’d say you’d treat me better from now on.”
Xu Youyou looked embarrassed. Maybe it was because she had been so deeply hurt by the Gu family in her past life that even now, with a great boyfriend, she still couldn’t fully open her heart.
But Lu Jingyao was quite open-minded. He said confidently, “It’s okay. We still have a long, long time. I don’t believe that even when I’m old and about to die, you’ll still say you don’t care about me.”
The young couple made up.
Meanwhile, in her hospital bed, Gu Xueying seemed to have suffered a major blow: “No… This isn’t possible…”
Although her feelings for Lu Jingyao weren’t pure, she had treasured that memory. She hadn’t expected that, from Lu Jingyao’s perspective, it would be explained so differently.
“Tell me… it’s not true…” Gu Xueying pleaded, still seeking an explanation.
But Lu Jingyao, now afraid of her, didn’t dare to say more. He just pulled Xu Youyou out of the hospital room.
“Li Zhuang will take good care of her. Don’t worry,” Lu Jingyao said to Xu Youyou.
Xu Youyou suddenly looked up at him very seriously and said, “Lu Jingyao, you’re really good.”
Lu Jingyao, who was still a little upset about the breakup talk earlier, couldn’t help but smile after hearing that. He coughed lightly and said:
“After all this running around, are you hungry?”
Xu Youyou looked at him trying hard to change the subject, but the faint blush on his earlobes gave away his true feelings.
“Don’t you care why I lose my composure every time Gu Xueying is involved?” Xu Youyou asked.
Lu Jingyao said, “You two lived each other’s lives for over twenty years. Your views of each other are definitely different from others’.”
Xu Youyou was stunned for a long time before softly saying, “Yeah, it’s like fate is deliberately playing tricks on us.”
Whenever Gu Xueying was involved, Xu Youyou wanted to stay far away, and Gu Xueying was always on guard against her. It was like fate had placed them on opposite sides of a scale.
Lu Jingyao seemed very familiar with Jinling. He actually took Xu Youyou to a dessert shop near the hospital.
Xu Youyou hadn’t expected much, but the desserts hidden in that alley turned out to be surprisingly delicious. “It’s really good! Did you come here often before?”
Lu Jingyao shook his head and told Xu Youyou honestly, “Assistant Liu found the place. Since you like it, I’ll give him a bonus later.”
Xu Youyou couldn’t help but laugh. Compared to the entanglement with Gu Xueying, money brought more real security. She didn’t have to painstakingly plan her trips like ordinary people — there were always people willing to handle everything for her.
Thinking of money, Xu Youyou suddenly remembered—
She had come out to hunt for treasures, not to pick up a pregnant woman!
Ever since Gu Xueying’s miscarriage, Xu Youyou had been so busy she completely forgot her original mission.
“I want to go back to that little courtyard,” Xu Youyou said.
Lu Jingyao didn’t ask what she was going back for. It seemed that since the day they met, Xu Youyou had always had many secrets.
But that didn’t matter. He just wanted to stay with Xu Youyou. Looking at her tenderly, he said, “Alright, I’ll go with you.”
