Moving On from the Tsundere, I Choose the Perfect Sweetheart

Chapter 15: Chapter 15: The World Kisses Me with Pain, I Repay It with a Smile

”And then?”

”Then, when I was three, there was an accident. My dad died saving me, and everything changed after that.”

”Our home, which had once been filled with happy laughter, fell silent.”

”Five years after my dad was gone, when I had just turned eight, my mom passed away too. She died from an illness caused by overwork.”

”Looking back, you could see it coming from the start. After my dad died, the entire burden of supporting our family fell on my mom. She started leaving early in the morning and coming back late at night, working day and night without rest. I was still little back then, so I didn’t understand... or rather, I couldn’t comprehend an adult’s grief. I would often throw tantrums, complaining that she never spent time with me.”

”It was only after I grew up that I finally understood. Maybe the reason my mom worked so desperately wasn’t just to carry the weight of our lives, but more to numb herself with exhaustion, to try and forget the pain of losing her husband.”

Su Qinghe’s tone was placid, her voice soft, as if she were telling someone else’s story.

But the more she acted this way, the more Gu Yifan’s heart ached for her.

It wasn’t that Gu Yifan had fallen in love with her, but simply that he felt a deep pang of sympathy for her tragic experiences.

”When the doctors carried my mother out of the house, I just stood there, stunned.”

”I didn’t even cry at her funeral. I couldn’t believe that the mother who had promised to take me shopping just the day before was now nothing but a small urn.”

”It wasn’t until after the funeral was over that the heart-wrenching pain finally hit me.”

”Because I knew that once the stone slab was sealed, my mom was never coming back.”

As she spoke of this, Su Qinghe’s voice lost its initial calm. It grew hoarse and choked with emotion.

Gu Yifan looked at the slender girl before him, and ripples of emotion stirred in his heart once more.

He reached out his right hand and gently took hers.

Feeling the warmth from his palm, Su Qinghe flinched slightly before relaxing again.

After composing herself, Su Qinghe spoke again.

”After that, once my mom’s funeral was over, my grandma came to live with me.”

”From then on, it was just me and my grandma, depending on each other to survive.”

”That was also when the villagers started saying I was an unlucky person, a reincarnated jinx who first caused my dad’s death and then my mom’s.”

”When the kids at school found out I didn’t have parents anymore, they started bullying me too.”

”At first, I’d argue with them, try to defend myself. But after a while, I just grew numb to it all.”

”Sometimes I’d wonder if they were right—if I really was a jinx who caused my parents’ deaths.”

”Because my dad really did die because of me.”

”My grandma always comforted me. She said my parents’ deaths had nothing to do with me, that it was their fate.”

”She told me I was a kind child, an angel, not a jinx.”

”But...”

”Last month... my grandma passed away from cancer.”

”Now, I’m all alone in this world...”

At this, Su Qinghe’s beautiful peach-blossom eyes filled with tears, but she fought hard to keep them from falling.

’The world kisses me with pain, but I repay it with a smile.’

The thought flashed through Gu Yifan’s mind.

”Sigh...”

He sighed softly, his voice gentle. ”If you want to cry, just cry. It’s okay.”

The moment he said that, Su Qinghe couldn’t hold back any longer.

Tears streamed down her face. Watching Su Qinghe cry so beautifully yet so sorrowfully, Gu Yifan’s heart trembled.

He didn’t hesitate.

He reached out and pulled her into his arms, whispering gently in her ear, ”It’s okay now, it’s okay. You’re not alone anymore. From now on, you have me.”

”Whatever happens, you can tell me. We’ll face it together.”

”We’re friends now, aren’t we?”

Feeling the warmth of Gu Yifan’s embrace, Su Qinghe could no longer control her suppressed sobs.

As for his last sentence, she didn’t quite hear it.

She collapsed against his chest, breaking into heart-wrenching sobs.

Gu Yifan said no more. He just held her silently, gently patting her back.

.................

The night breeze brushed past them, and the temperature began to drop.

An unknown amount of time passed.

Su Qinghe had stopped crying, though an occasional sob still escaped her.

It was a natural physical reaction from crying for so long.

He had held her for as long as she had cried.

Another ten-odd minutes went by.

Su Qinghe’s emotions slowly began to settle.

But!

Perhaps it was from the long walk today, or perhaps from crying for so long.

Unconsciously, Su Qinghe had fallen asleep.

Hearing the even breaths coming from his arms, Gu Yifan froze for a moment.

He looked down and saw that Su Qinghe had indeed fallen asleep in his embrace.

Her brow was furrowed, and shimmering teardrops still clung to her long eyelashes.

Asleep, she looked a little dopey and cute.

Uh...

’What a silly girl. How can she trust me so easily?’

Gu Yifan thought to himself.

”So careless,” he said helplessly, pursing his lips.

But Gu Yifan didn’t have the heart to wake her. He knew the poor girl was truly exhausted.

’Forget it.’

’Let her get some proper sleep.’

Gu Yifan shook his head.

...

In a flash, it was 5:30 in the morning.

Looking east, a faint light was already breaking on the horizon.

The sunrise was clearly on its way.

Gu Yifan carefully freed one hand, trying to pull his phone out of his pocket.

”Mmmph...”

Just then, Su Qinghe let out a muffled groan in his arms.

Her eyelashes fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes.

The moment her eyes opened, they were filled with confusion.

She had a classic ’Who am I? Where am I?’ expression on her face.

”You’re awake?” Gu Yifan asked softly.

”Ah!”

Su Qinghe yelped in surprise, as if she had just remembered something.

Her face instantly flushed red. She scrambled out of his arms, keeping her head lowered and her gaze averted, completely unable to meet his eyes.

Seeing her shy and flustered appearance, Gu Yifan couldn’t help but let the corners of his mouth curve into a slight smile.

”Um...”

”It’s almost dawn,” he said casually, standing up and stretching vigorously.

Hearing him speak, Su Qinghe looked up at the horizon. A sliver of light had appeared, surrounded by the fiery clouds of dawn.

Suddenly!

In her peripheral vision, she caught sight of a large wet patch on the chest of Gu Yifan’s shirt.

It was clearly her ”masterpiece.”

The thought of how she had lost her composure earlier made Su Qinghe wish she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

’It’s just too embarrassing!’

”Gu... I-I’m sorry, I got your shirt dirty,” she said in a small voice, her face red.

”Hm?”

Gu Yifan, who hadn’t quite heard her, paused and turned his head. ”What is it?”

”Your... shirt...” she said, pointing at his chest, her voice barely a whisper.

....