"I never wanted to be your brother, so are you rejecting me?" Ji Yunchuan asked, his lips curling into a faint, bittersweet smile.
He had known the answer long before asking. This confession wasn't about winning her over; it was about closing a chapter in his life and moving forward without regrets. It was time to finally let her go.
Ye Fanxing frowned deeply, clearly torn. "Yunchuan, we're both public figures. You know what a relationship could cost us, right? My career is at its peak right now, and I can't afford any distractions."
Ji Yunchuan, however, wasn't willing to wait any longer. His voice was firm as he replied, "But how many more years do we have to wait? How many more decades can I afford to let slip away?"
From the time he was seventeen until now at twenty-seven, and from her being sixteen to her current twenty-six, they had spent the best years of their youth entangled in this unspoken love. It wasn't just ten years; it was the heart of their lives.
"We're still young," Ye Fanxing murmured, still hesitating. "Can't we wait a little longer? Let me think it over, please."
The truth was, she didn't love Ji Yunchuan. But at the same time, she didn't want to lose his care, his protection, or the influence of his powerful family, which had helped her career thrive in the entertainment industry. She needed him, even if not in the way he wanted.
"There's nothing more to consider, Fanxing," Ji Yunchuan interrupted, his tone resolute. "Either you agree to be my girlfriend right now, or I'll walk away and pretend I never said any of this."
This time, he wasn't going to back down. His mind was made up. He needed an answer—today.
Ye Fanxing's frustration boiled over. "Are you trying to force my hand? Why do you have to make things so complicated between us?" she snapped, her voice sharp with irritation.
"I'm not forcing you to love me," Ji Yunchuan replied coolly. "I'm only pushing you to face the truth. Han Nian is married now, Fanxing. If you had feelings for him, you should have pursued him openly when you had the chance, not resort to these underhanded tactics."
"Ji Yunchuan, whose side are you on? Mine or that bitch's? You know what, just leave. Get out! I don't want to see you anymore!" Ye Fanxing finally lost her composure, pointing angrily at the door as she screamed at him.
Ji Yunchuan stood up, his tall, lean figure towering over her as he slid one hand into the pocket of his beige cropped pants. His voice was calm but laced with a finality that made her stomach drop. "Alright, I'll leave. But remember this: you'll never have another man like Ji Yunchuan who loves you again. I'll do everything I can to move on, find someone else, get married, and live a peaceful life. You'll be just a memory."
Without looking back, Ji Yunchuan strode to the door, his back straight, his resolve unshaken. As the door clicked shut behind him, Ye Fanxing's temper flared once more. Grabbing the nearest thing within reach—a fruit knife—she hurled it across the room in a blind rage. The knife struck the door with a loud thud, embedding itself in the wood.
Just then, Gu Yining entered the room, narrowly missing the knife. Her calm composure suggested that she had seen far worse in her life and wasn't easily rattled by such things.
If Gu Yining hadn't been someone who had faced her fair share of chaotic moments, she might have been knocked off her feet by the near-miss. But instead, she merely raised an eyebrow at the sight of the knife sticking out of the door.
Seeing Gu Yining, Ye Fanxing's furious expression instantly transformed. In a split second, she turned on her charm, putting on her best sweet and gentle smile. "Leon, you're here! I'm so sorry about what happened yesterday. It caused you a lot of trouble, but I've already reached out to my PR team, and they're working on clarifying everything for you online. I'll make sure they clear up the misunderstandings."
Gu Yining's face remained pleasant, but inwardly, she was rolling her eyes. What an actress, she thought. Truly deserving of an award for this performance.
Keep up the act. I'm not buying it.
What Ye Fanxing didn't know was that Gu Yining had been standing outside the hospital room, leaning against the wall, listening to the entire conversation between her and Ji Yunchuan. She hadn't planned on eavesdropping, but it wasn't every day that Ji Yunchuan mustered up the courage to confess his decade-long feelings. It didn't seem right to barge in and ruin such a moment. So, she had waited—and heard far more than she had expected.
With a casual motion, Gu Yining reached for the fruit knife stuck in the door and pulled it out, twirling it playfully in her hand as she approached Ye Fanxing's bedside. She dragged a chair over, sitting down leisurely, the knife still in her grip.
"I didn't come here to talk about the past," Gu Yining began, her tone light yet direct. "I came to end our contract."
Ye Fanxing glanced at her, eyes narrowing in suspicion. Gu Yining sat there, legs crossed, still spinning the fruit knife like a toy, her presence exuding a strange mixture of calm and menace.
At that moment, Ye Fanxing couldn't help but think she didn't look like someone here to settle a business matter. No, with that knife in her hand, Gu Yining looked more like a debt collector—a terrifying one at that.
It sent a chill down Ye Fanxing's spine.
"There's no need for us to stop working together," Ye Fanxing said quickly, trying to regain control of the situation. "I'm sure we can reach a compromise. We can adjust the formula—lower the concentration of ingredients so it's within a tolerable range for me. We can keep things professional, you know."
But Gu Yining's expression didn't change. She simply leaned back in her chair, the knife still idly twirling between her fingers, her smile never reaching her eyes.