My Youth Began With Him

”Oh, come inside. Give me a minute, I’m going to go wash up.” Huo Mian opened the door to let Ning Zhiyuan in.

Walking inside, he slowly looked around this little home, and his chest filled with a complex mix of emotions.

He still remembered how excited he was when he had first moved in with Huo Mian. Even though they slept in separate rooms, the simple fact that they could be together from dawn to dusk filled him with joy. If it hadn’t been for the incident at her high-school reunion, perhaps they would have held their wedding already.

Ning Zhiyuan truly hated that ex-boyfriend of Huo Mian’s. They broke up so many years ago, so why did he have to come running back and bother them?

If he was that rich, why didn’t he just go and find another girlfriend? Why did he have to cling onto Huo Mian?

Huo Mian got dressed, then went to the bathroom to wash up. When she came out, she saw Ning Zhiyuan was sitting on the sofa, reading the newspaper.

”What did you want to see me about?” Drying her hair, Huo Mian walked out into the room.

”Thank you for bailing me out yesterday,” Ning Zhiyuan opened his mouth and said awkwardly.

Huo Mian instantly knew what he was talking about and only calmly replied, ”It’s nothing.”

”Mian, actually, I’m not normally like that. I was just in a bad mood yesterday. I was thinking about our past together, which was why I went drinking. After I got drunk, some woman took me out of the bar. I actually don’t remember what happened after that. You have to believe me.”

”You shouldn’t be explaining this to me. Your current girlfriend is He Man,” Huo Mian reminded him.

”Mian, you know I still have feelings for you. Over the past few years, you and I…”

”Zhiyuan, what are you trying to say?” Huo Mian cut straight to the point.

”Mian, I was in the wrong this time. You went through the trouble of picking me up last night and getting me to the hotel. I really feel that I’ve wronged you. He Man and I were just fooling around. It wasn’t real. You’re still the one I love. Let’s wipe the slate clean, okay? I won’t bring up the fact that you were still in contact with your ex-boyfriend anymore. I screwed up this time. Add that to the thing with He Man, and we can call it even. Let’s go back to how things were before, alright?”

Huo Mian put down her towel. ”Zhiyuan… Do you think life is a game? You mess up, and you can just start over?” she asked, staring seriously into Ning Zhiyuan’s eyes.

”That’s not what I was thinking. It took us time and effort to come together. Since we both have feelings for one another, why do we have to torture each other?”

”Zhiyuan, do you know what kind of person I hate the most?”

”What?” Ning Zhiyuan asked.

”Liars.”

”I didn’t lie, Mian. Yesterday was really the first time I screwed up. I won’t do it again.”

”But the policeman at the station told me that you had been taken to the station before. It wasn’t your first time with a prostitute. You’re a frequent offender.”

When Huo Mian finished speaking, Ning Zhiyuan’s face instantly drained of color.

It was a while before he was able to stammer out, ”Don’t listen to those stinking policemen. They’re all corrupt. They only arrest people for the money. They set me up.”

”Zhiyuan, that’s not the point. The point is that we can’t go back.”

”Why? You still want to be with your ex-boyfriend, don’t you? Just because he has more money than me?” Ning Zhiyuan was getting angry.

”Don’t bring him into this. It has nothing to do with him.”

”I don’t believe you. You’re definitely still in love with him. You can’t forget him, can you?” Ning Zhiyuan questioned.

”Zhiyuan, I’ve explained already. You know that I never lie. It is what it is.”

”Then, there’s no chance of us getting back together?” Ning Zhiyuan asked, distraught.

Huo Mian remained silent.

”Alright, I understand.” With that, Ning Zhiyuan took out a wad of cash from his bag and placed it on the coffee table.

”I heard that you spent two thousand on my bail yesterday and another thousand for the hotel room. Altogether, it’s three thousand. Here, I don’t want to owe you anything. We’re even now. Huo Mian, I’m warning you. Since you’ve made your decision today, don’t regret it. When that rich boy doesn’t want you anymore, when he’s done toying with you, don’t you come begging me to take you back. I’ve given you a chance, and you’re the one who threw it away.”

Hearing this, Huo Mian felt somewhat speechless.

After Ning Zhiyuan finished talking, he turned around and opened the door to leave.

”Hey, you haven’t taken your stuff yet.”

”I don’t want it. Throw it away,” Ning Zhiyuan huffed before slamming the door behind him.

This time, it’s really over, right? Huo Main thought.

Just then, her cell phone rang. Huo Mian turned around to reach for it.