My Youth Began With Him

“Huo Mian, where is she?” Rick asked nervously.

“She’s in my room, go and check on her!” Huo Mian lied without blinking, surprised by her newly-discovered talent.

Upon seeing Rick rush into her room, Huo Mian smiled proudly and headed downstairs, looking at the dumbfounded crowd below her.

“Dr. Huo, what’s going on?” Tang Chuan asked.

“Nothing, just eat,” Huo Mian laughed.

“My wife was right, Huo Mian’s trying to get them back together,” Wei Liao chuckled.

“Right, right, right, your wife’s always right. She’s the smartest,” Huo Mian laughed. Then, she added, “Not bad, Xiaowei, you’ve taught him well…”

Huo Mian rarely joked so casually, causing everyone to burst into laughter.

Wei Liao looked down, feeling a little shy by what she said.

Huo Mian sat back down and grabbed some cold noodles with her chopsticks. However, Su Yu suddenly knocked the noodles out of her hand.

“What the hell!” Huo Mian exclaimed as she glared at Su Yu.

“You’re just out of postnatal recovery, eating cold food isn’t good for you.”

“…” Huo Mian was immediately shocked speechless.

The crowd smiled to themselves; they were more than used to Su Yu’s attentiveness towards Huo Mian.

– Upstairs, inside Huo Mian’s bedroom –

When Rick rushed in, he saw Xixi standing there, perfectly unscathed. Realizing that Huo Mian lured him in on purpose, Rick felt awkward and turned around to leave. However, Xixi stopped him, “Rick…”

“Can I help you?”

“Do you really hate me that much? Is that why you try to leave whenever you see me?” Xixi asked, feeling heartbroken.

“I just… don’t think there’s anything else we can say to each other, am I wrong?” Rick replied faintly.

Xixi took a deep breath in and walked up to Rick. “Rick, I need to explain things to you. I really didn’t sell Huo Mian out, it really wasn’t me.”

Upon hearing this, Rick only responded with silence.

“Do you really not believe me, not even a little bit? Am I that despicable to you? Do you really think I’d betray my own friend?” Xixi demanded.

“There’s no point in discussing this, Xixi, it’s really not important,” Rick replied without much emotion.

Rick’s indifference felt like daggers in Xixi’s heart; she walked up to face him as tears shone in her eyes. “But it’s important to me, Rick, my happiness depends on you believing me… Rick, I’m sorry, I’m too stupid and naïve, I shouldn’t have looked for Huo Mian without your permission. I didn’t try to hurt her and the twins on purpose. Please don’t be mad at me, okay?”

Xixi apologized like a little kid, grabbing the corner of Rick’s shirt while choking on her words.

“Xixi, don’t apologize. It’s not your fault.”

“No, Rick, I know what I did was wrong, please don’t break up with me… I don’t want to leave you, I’ve never loved someone like how I love you…” In the end, Xixi threw away her pride, confessing her feelings to Rick.

The truth was, Rick was struggling internally. He didn’t want to ruin an innocent girl like Xixi, nor did he want her to waste her youth with him. Therefore, he didn’t want her to think that they still had a chance. Therefore, he forced himself to say, “Xixi, I’ve made myself very clear, let’s not waste time on each other anymore. I have to go… Bye.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Rick grabbed the corner of his shirt back. Then, he turned around, leaving Xixi feeling like her world had collapsed.

Before he could make it out the door, Xixi couldn’t help but ask in tears, “Rick, tell me, have you ever loved me? Was our relationship just a one-sided play that I was a part of? Was I the only one that felt anything? What am I to you? A piece of garbage you can throw away at any time? Huh? Answer me!”

Upon hearing Xixi’s questions, Rick felt a stabbing pain in his chest.