Chapter 98: Giving You Hope

Gao Xin Hua took a sip of mineral water and suddenly realized that deep down, he still wanted his daughter to return to Nanjiang. She was his only daughter, and if she stayed in the capital after graduating from university and formed her own small family, their chances of seeing each other would be fewer. Which parents wouldn't want their children to be closer to them?

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Xu Chunliang went back and asked his grandfather to go to sleep, saying he would take care of cleaning up. Xu Changshan told him to just put the dishes in the sink and wait for Aunt Lin to wash them the next day.

After finishing the cleanup, Xu Chunliang saw that the light was still on in his grandfather's room. He walked in and found him already asleep. The old man was advanced in age and had drunk quite a bit tonight. Xu Chunliang placed a bottle of mineral water on the bedside table, turned off the light, closed the door, and quietly left.

As soon as he returned to his room, his phone rang. To his surprise, it was Zhao Xiaohui calling. Since the medical dispute was resolved, they hadn't been in touch. Could Zhao Xiaohui be regretting it? Was she planning to settle old scores?

Curious, Xu Chunliang answered the call.

"Got time for a drink?"

Xu Chunliang looked at the time; it was already 10:30 PM. He yawned and said, "I was just about to go to bed."

"Hehe, liar, men are all liars. Who said we were friends? Who said they would sincerely help me?"

Xu Chunliang could sense her drunkenness over the phone: "Where are you? I'll come find you."

Zhao Xiaohui hung up.

Xu Chunliang waited a moment, and she sent him a location.

Zhao Xiaohui sat by the Yilong Lake, hugging her knees, barefoot, facing the night wind at 11 PM, staring blankly at the moon in the sky. Her eyes were filled with the cold moonlight. Next to her were six cans of beer, four of which she had already finished.

She scrolled through her contacts from A to Z and back to A, wanting to find someone familiar to keep her company, but all the names seemed so strange. In the end, she chose Xu Chunliang, someone who couldn't even be called a friend.

If she had to find a reason to contact Xu Chunliang, it was because he had once said he would be her friend. Because she was in a terrible mood tonight, she needed an outlet to vent, even to find someone to curse out. Xu Chunliang was undoubtedly a suitable choice recently. If he dared to come, she would scold him until he was covered in shame.

Xu Chunliang, of course, dared to come. Although he wasn't a good person, he kept his word. He had promised to do things and would certainly follow through. Zhao Xiaohui had reduced the compensation from 3 million to 30,000, partly because she had a guilty conscience, but also because she had given him enough face.

Seeing Zhao Xiaohui sitting alone on the embankment, Xu Chunliang first took off his outer jacket and put it on her shoulders from behind.

Zhao Xiaohui looked up at him, the words she had prepared to scold him suddenly stuck in her throat. Before Xu Chunliang arrived, the autumn night wind had taken away the warmth from her body. This jacket gave her a sense of the warmth she craved.

Xu Chunliang smiled and sat down next to her: "Do you want to find someone to curse out?"

Zhao Xiaohui pointed at him, was he a devil? How did he know what she was thinking?

Ha!

Xu Chunliang opened a can of beer, slowly getting used to the taste of beer in this era.

Zhao Xiaohui also wanted to open a can, but Xu Chunliang had already handed her an opened one and opened another for himself.

Zhao Xiaohui said, "I broke up with Chen Jianxin."

Xu Chunliang nodded; this had nothing to do with him.

"Why don't you comfort me? Even a few insincere words would do!"

Xu Chunliang laughed: "You don't need my comfort. With your broad-mindedness and heart, you won't be troubled by emotions."

Zhao Xiaohui shook her head: "You don't understand. You don't understand emotions at all. Do you know how much I've sacrificed for him? If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have left my hometown to come to Dongzhou. If it weren't for him, I would have had better job opportunities. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have ended up like this." She said all the pent-up words in one breath, and tears uncontrollably streamed down her face.

Xu Chunliang didn't have any tissues; men rarely carry such things, and his relationship with Zhao Xiaohui wasn't intimate enough for him to wipe her tears. So he could only watch her cry.

Zhao Xiaohui's eyes were blurry, but she could still see Xu Chunliang's expression. His face showed no sympathy, still smiling at her. Was he gloating? Was he even human?

Zhao Xiaohui grabbed the sleeve of Xu Chunliang's jacket and wiped her tears, then her nose.

"Are you happy to see me in such a miserable state? You call yourself a friend? Hypocrite!"

"Friends don't have to share the same hardships. In your understanding, it might mean that when you're in trouble, I should be in trouble with you, and when you cry, I should cry with you. Wouldn't that make you even more miserable? A true friend is someone who brings you a bowl of hot noodles when you're hungry, puts a jacket on you when you're cold, makes you feel that laughing is better than crying when you're sad, and protects you when you're drunk."

Zhao Xiaohui listened intently, even forgetting to cry.

Xu Chunliang said, "Since the relationship has reached its end, breaking up might not be a bad thing. You're crying because you feel you've been wronged, not necessarily because of the relationship. If you still had deep feelings for Chen Jianxin, I don't think you would have given up so easily."

Zhao Xiaohui glared at him: "Smart people often don't live long."

Xu Chunliang laughed: "I agree with that. I'm not a smart person; I rely on others."

Zhao Xiaohui heard the indirect insult and took out a tissue from her handbag, wiping her tears and blowing her nose: "My life is a mess."

"Few people have as much self-awareness as you."

"Go to hell!" Zhao Xiaohui cursed but couldn't help laughing, feeling a bit lighter in her heart.

Xu Chunliang took another sip of beer: "I've always said I would treat you to a drink, but in the end, you treated me first."

"Why treat me? There must be a reason."

"Thank you for being lenient with Changxing and sparing them."

Zhao Xiaohui didn't want to talk about the past: "The past is the past. I just want to ask you one question. Did Chen Jianxin ever mention us to you?"

Xu Chunliang shook his head; everything was based on his assumptions.

Zhao Xiaohui understood. Xu Chunliang had no evidence regarding her situation; he had been bluffing from the beginning. She had given in because she had a guilty conscience. No matter what, she had lost in their game.

Zhao Xiaohui didn't feel angry or depressed; instead, she felt relieved and liberated. Xu Chunliang was right; making a big deal out of it would have been detrimental to her future.

Zhao Xiaohui looked at the dark lake, unable to see the distant scenery, only hearing the waves. She had forgotten her dreams and didn't know the meaning of life. When she found out she was pregnant at Changxing, her first thought was to keep the baby, believing that this life might change her and help her find the meaning of life.

But reality played a cruel joke on her. She had to have her fallopian tube removed due to an ectopic pregnancy. Her claim against Changxing was not just about the misdiagnosis but also her hatred of the world.

Chen Jianxin no longer loved her. She had sacrificed herself for him, but in the end, he looked down on her.

Zhao Xiaohui took a sip of beer: "I loved him, but now I realize it wasn't worth it. My pain isn't from the breakup but from the fact that I no longer recognize myself."

Xu Chunliang didn't say anything, just took a sip of beer. Zhao Xiaohui needed someone to listen and be with her. It was a strange feeling; just a few days ago, they were strangers, but now they could sit together and talk like this.

"You might think I'm a strong woman, but I'm not. I've always been careful and even a bit humble in front of him. The more I did this, the more I wanted to show my strength to others. But I'm not strong at all. Do you understand? I'm a woman..."

Xu Chunliang nodded. Zhao Xiaohui was not only a woman but a beautiful one. However, the saying "beautiful women have short lives" might not be appropriate to say now, as it could worsen her pain.

At that moment, a faint yellow-green light appeared before them, flickering. It was a firefly.

Zhao Xiaohui looked at the firefly, lost in thought: "When I was a child, I once got lost in my hometown at night. I was so scared, thinking I would never find my way home. I cried and cried. It was very dark, and I was terrified. Then a firefly flew past me, and I followed it. I kept walking, and when the firefly disappeared, I saw the lights at the village entrance."

Xu Chunliang said meaningfully, "I think what you saw was hope. As long as you're alive, there's always hope."

Zhao Xiaohui sighed; she couldn't see her hope anymore.

Xu Chunliang smiled: "You don't believe me? Close your eyes."

"What for?"

"To show you hope."

Zhao Xiaohui closed her eyes hesitantly. She heard a snap, and when she opened her eyes again, she saw the surrounding grass and trees lit up with tiny points of light, like stars, dancing around them, gathering more and more, as if they were in a river of stars, a dreamlike scene.

Zhao Xiaohui opened her arms, her eyes filled with surprise, almost unable to believe what she was seeing.

Xu Chunliang smiled at her, realizing for the first time that helping someone could bring him joy.