Chapter 038: He Said He Had His Reasons!

Before she could finish her sentence, she was sharply interrupted by Xiao Xuezheng, who was sitting beside Shi Runrun: "Xiao Rourou, just eat your breakfast and stop bothering your sister-in-law!"

Chastised, Xiao Rourou stuck out her tongue in annoyance and muttered under her breath about his harshness, but said nothing more.

The sudden chill in the atmosphere made Shi Runrun feel uneasy. She wondered if she had misheard, but it seemed that her sister-in-law had just uttered the word "Zao"...

Ever since that night, when he cried out that name in anguish, she had become hypersensitive to it. Was her sister-in-law referring to that woman named Zaozao?

Is that why Xiao Xuezheng reacted so strongly?

Suddenly, the breakfast in her hand lost all flavor. In his heart, he still cared so much for that woman called Zaozao.

Shi Runrun felt suffocated. It seemed she would have to find a chance to ask him, to finally know who this Zaozao really was...

She had already told him everything about her own past. She wanted, too, to understand his world, to know him completely.

There were no classes that morning, but she had an assignment to submit. So she set out for school a little later than usual.

This meant Xiao Xuezheng could not drive her himself, and she had to rely on the family driver.

At half past ten, the driver stopped at the entrance of Jing University. Shi Runrun thanked him as she stepped out, closed the door, and headed toward the school gates.

But just as she set foot inside, a tall and striking figure appeared before her, blocking her way.

Shi Runrun looked up and found herself face-to-face with Qiao Yu...

His upright posture, the youthful sharpness and handsomeness of his face—it all made her heart skip a beat.

Perhaps a girl’s first love is always exquisitely sweet and unforgettable.

Though she could not calm the flutter in her heart, she kept her composure.

Shi Runrun pretended not to see him and tried to sidestep him, but he seized her wrist.

"Runrun, can we talk?"

The familiar, low timbre of his voice made Shi Runrun momentarily dazed.

If, two years ago, when she confessed her feelings in their first year, he had called her name like this, had looked at her with such intensity, perhaps she would have fallen for him completely.

But fate had played its tricks—he had left the country the very day after her confession, and now she was carrying another man’s child, married to someone else.

Shi Runrun decided it was time to clear things up between them. She didn’t try to avoid him, allowing him to lead her to a quiet corner of campus.

Standing in front of her, he spoke in a grave tone: "That man at the airport yesterday—what is he to you?"

He asked directly, and Shi Runrun saw no reason to hide the truth. "His name is Xiao Xuezheng. He is my husband."

As the words left her lips, a flash of pain crossed Qiao Yu’s stern face, gone as quickly as it came.

He pressed his thin lips together, the corners of his mouth lifting in a self-mocking smile. "Just as I thought."

He was no fool. Sharp as he was, he’d seen the hostility in that man’s eyes at the airport.

Afterward, he’d had someone look into it. She had, indeed, married—and married Xiao Xuezheng, no less...

"Runrun... you're married now. I’m happy for you. But are you truly suited to a powerful family like the Xiaos? Are you being mistreated in that household?"

As he spoke, he reached for her wrist again.

Shi Runrun stepped back, deftly avoiding his grasp. "Qiao Yu, Xiao Xuezheng and his family have all been very good to me. You don’t need to worry."

"And there’s something else—I’m already pregnant with Xiao Xuezheng’s child."

She felt the longer she hid the truth, the more painful it would be when it finally came out. So she chose to say everything at once.

As she finished, Qiao Yu’s face darkened. Silence fell between them, the air thick with tension.

His hand, hanging by his side, clenched into a fist, then slowly loosened. He looked at her with a sigh, helpless and pained. "Runrun, how could you marry someone else so soon, and be carrying his child..."

"Two years ago, I had my reasons for not accepting your confession and leaving the country right after. I thought, if you waited for me, if I came back strong enough, I could be with you, marry you. But you..."

"But you didn't seem to choose to wait for me..."

His voice was bitter, and his words cut deep within Shi Runrun’s heart.

He had his reasons... he said he had his reasons...

So, two years ago, when her confession was rejected and she was left behind, it hadn’t been deliberate on his part...

But then, Shi Runrun thought, what use were those reasons now?

Between her and him, there was already an unbridgeable chasm. Neither of them could cross it, nor overcome it.

They could never be together now.

It was all too late.

Shi Runrun pressed her lips together, struggling to keep her reddening eyes in check. In a quiet voice, she said, "Qiao Yu, it’s too late for any of this. At best, we can be friends. I’m sorry for any trouble I’ve caused you. I hope, from now on, you’ll think of me as a sister."

"I have an assignment to hand in to my teacher. If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going now."

With a bitter smile, she cast one last look at him, then turned and walked away.

Qiao Yu watched her small figure retreat, his hands clenching into fists as he slammed them hard against the nearby wall.

Bang!

His hand split open, blood welling out, but the pain was nothing compared to the ache in his chest.

He looked at the spot where she had disappeared around the corner, a pale, self-mocking smile curling on his lips. He laughed at his past helplessness, at his present defeat, then whispered, head bowed, "Runrun, I’ll always be here for you. If only, just once, you could turn back and look at me..."

Because of her encounter with Qiao Yu that morning, and everything he had said, Shi Runrun spent the entire day in a distracted daze.

During the afternoon class, when the teacher called on her to answer, she didn’t even hear her name until Cen Huan kept poking her shoulder.

She nearly got thrown out by the notoriously hot-tempered teacher!

After the final class, she left the building with Cen Huan as planned.

Cen Huan glanced at her face and asked in concern, "Runrun, what’s wrong with you today? You seem so preoccupied! If something’s bothering you, just tell me..."

At this, Shi Runrun looked at her and asked, "Huanhuan, Qiao Yu said he had his reasons for rejecting my confession two years ago. He wanted to be with me after he came back. What do you think those reasons could be?"

Cen Huan replied, "I don’t know, but if he said he had his reasons, I’m sure he did. Qiao Yu’s not the type to lie. But hold on, Shi Runrun, do you still have feelings for Qiao Yu? Let me remind you, you’re a married woman now! You mustn’t betray Mr. Xiao!"