His words were like a slap across my face, sharp and stinging. Pain exploded in my chest as if my heart were about to shatter. My teeth sank into my lower lip until the metallic taste of blood filled my mouth, and only then did I release it. The world around me seemed to fall silent, like a primordial wasteland.
Chen Qiao Luo’s gaze was icy, freezing me to the core as if I were standing in a snowstorm.
Perhaps there truly was no future for us.
I forced a bitter smile as I stood up. The noise of the surroundings gradually returned to normal. Without another word, I turned and stumbled away.
I didn’t return to the bleachers or watch any more of the races. Instead, I ran out of the school, alone.
It seemed that whenever I was at my lowest, I would encounter Xu Xuan.
Sitting alone on the steps of the plaza, I suddenly saw him appear in front of me. He crouched down, studying me for a moment, then smiled and asked, “Want to go skating at my place? My treat.”
I followed Xu Xuan to his ice skating rink.
At three in the afternoon, the place was empty of customers. The girls at the service counter were yawning, looking bored, but straightened up instantly when they saw Xu Xuan walk in.
He led me to a chair, gesturing for me to sit down, and then went to the counter to grab a pair of skates. Squatting down, he helped me put them on.
This man, whom I’d only met twice before, was now doing something so unexpected that it stunned me. I didn’t know how to respond.
Xu Xuan, however, seemed entirely unconcerned. After finishing, he stood up and extended his hand to me with a smile. “Miss Zhu Yun Hao, shall we?”
He guided me onto the ice.
The empty rink was ours alone. Needing an outlet for my frustration, I let go of his hand and skated off on my own. As I glided across the ice, all the unhappiness and bitterness I’d been holding onto started to fade.
Two hours later, I was drenched in sweat, and it felt like my sadness had melted away with it.
Only then did I realize that Xu Xuan had quietly left the ice and was now standing on the sidelines. The rink had been entirely mine for some time.
When I looked over at him, he clapped lightly and smiled. “Impressive!”
I returned his smile and attempted a challenging move on the ice.
By the time we left the rink, the evening sky was already cloaked in twilight. Xu Xuan insisted on treating me to dinner. Remembering everything he had done for me earlier, I couldn’t refuse and followed him to a nearby restaurant.
We chose a window-side table. After the waiter handed us menus, we ordered a few dishes, and an awkward silence settled over us.
In truth, Xu Xuan and I were little more than acquaintances who had coincidentally crossed paths a few times. Yet, somehow, he always seemed to appear when I needed help the most. At the time, I had been too upset to question it, but now that my mind was clear, something felt off. It was just a vague intuition, nothing I could pin down.
After some hesitation, I decided to ask, “Xu Xuan, how did you happen to be there earlier?”
“I was running an errand nearby and happened to see you sitting there alone,” he replied smoothly, as though he had anticipated the question. Taking a sip of coffee, he smiled and added, “Don’t you think we’re quite fated to meet like this?”
With that, Xu Xuan brushed the matter aside.
Seeing how easily he redirected the conversation, I chose not to press further. I smiled back, and we chatted like ordinary friends. It was during this conversation that I learned more about him: he was two years older than me, studying at A University, and owned the skating rink we had just visited.
We talked about many things that evening. Xu Xuan never asked why I’d been sitting alone earlier, and for that, I was deeply grateful. He allowed me to retain the little dignity I had left.
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