Chapter 47: Once Heartbroken

The surgery lasted until the afternoon, and Yun Bu was moved to the intensive care unit.

When Su Ling went in to see her, Yun Bu still hadn’t woken up. Su Ling hesitated about whether to contact Yun Bu’s parents—after all, this was a major incident, and they were blood relatives.

But then she decided against it. She would wait until Yun Bu woke up. Ever since summer vacation, Yun Bu had never gone home, so it seemed her relationship with her family was strained.

A while later, Yun Bu opened her eyes and saw Su Ling by her side.

Yun Bu’s voice was hoarse. “Ling Ling...”

Su Ling quickly reassured her, “It’s me. I’m here.”

Yun Bu moved her fingers under the blanket but realized she couldn’t feel her legs. Her face turned pale. “Why can’t I feel my legs?”

Su Ling comforted her, “Your legs are fine. You were given anesthesia earlier; it’ll wear off soon.”

This was true. Yun Bu was luckier than Su Ling had been. The injuries to her legs were just superficial wounds caused by sharp rocks, nothing severe.

Though the incident had been sudden, Su Ling breathed a sigh of relief. No matter what, Yun Bu was safe now, and once she recovered, everything would be fine.

She didn’t realize that her timely arrival had changed the course of events, but at least the outcome was good.

Yun Bu stared at Su Ling for a moment, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes.

Su Ling grew anxious. “What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell somewhere? Should I call the doctor…?”

Yun Bu started sobbing. “It’s... it’s my fault. I already regretted it when I felt the wire snap. I looked down at the steep slope and got so scared...”

Through her sobs, she explained to Su Ling, “You were right before, Ling Ling. I did like him. But after that movie we filmed together, I barely even saw him again. I was so foolish. He was nice to me, and I let myself hope. I knew the distance between us was too great, but I wanted to get closer to him... But the moment I fell, I regretted it. He doesn’t care about me at all. He probably forgot me long ago... Waaah...”

In the end, Yun Bu burst into uncontrollable tears.

Su Ling handed her tissues to wipe away her tears, sighing inwardly. So this was how it was. Yun Bu truly loved Ji Chong.

She had worked so hard to act, hoping to catch up with him as his career soared while she remained stuck playing minor roles across various productions. She had tried so desperately to keep up with him, even sacrificing her life in her past life.

A twenty-year-old girl, full of earnest devotion.

Su Ling remembered now. In Yun Bu’s final year—the year she died—Ji Chong had been linked to another woman, not Yun Bu.

That scandal only surfaced years later, after Ji Chong became a top celebrity.

And Ji Chong likely didn’t remember Yun Bu at all. He would never know everything she had done for him. His life was filled with success—he became an award-winning actor, surrounded by admirers and lovers.

Yun Bu died for a love that never had a chance to blossom, humbly and painfully, on set.

Su Ling didn’t know how Yun Bu had met Ji Chong in her previous life, but perhaps fate and love were always difficult to explain.

Even though she had changed the beginning this time around, Qin Xiao still ended up falling for her.

After crying herself out, Yun Bu whispered, “I don’t love him anymore. I can’t dare to love him. All the courage I had to love him died in that instant this morning. I can’t keep going.”

Sometimes, she thought Ji Chong treated her differently. On the urban drama set, she played his assistant, and she got too caught up in the role, believing that the man who was kind to her actually cared for her. Ji Chong had been good to her, teaching her many things. Before Zheng Xiao Ya was replaced as the lead actress, Ji Chong had even protected Yun Bu from Zheng Xiao Ya’s bullying.

But love often appeared sweet at first glance, only revealing its bitter truth when the dream ended.

Ji Chong disliked Zheng Xiao Ya yet could still go out to dinner with her.

Similarly, he didn’t love Yun Bu, but he gave her the illusion of tenderness, luring her like a moth to a flame.

Su Ling wiped away Yun Bu’s tears, and eventually, Yun Bu cried herself to sleep.

At that moment, sunlight streamed through the window.

Three lifetimes of dreams.

Su Ling closed her eyes briefly.

How long could one person love another? Two years? Five years? Ten?

In the end, death reduced them all to mere dust.

In her previous life, Ji Chong might not have even grieved over Yun Bu’s death. Yun Bu appeared carefree on the surface but was deeply insecure and always striving. She craved love so much that she fought for it in silence.

And Su Ling—she pressed her hand against her heart, lost in thought. Had she ever loved Qin Xiao?

Across two lifetimes, all her feelings of love and hate had been entangled with him. But had there ever been a moment when her heart truly fluttered for him?

That year, she was nineteen, waking up in his bed, feeling as though the sky was collapsing.

He found it amusing, saying he would treat her well in the future.

During the first year she was forced to stay by his side, she had indeed developed feelings for him. She wasn’t so different from Yun Bu. Both were lonely, yearning for affection while simultaneously fearing it.

She remembered how panicked she had been when she first arrived at the villa, stuttering as she addressed him as “Mr. Qin.”

Whenever he came near, her whole body tensed, ready to flee at any moment.

“Mr. Qin” wasn’t exactly a saint back then either. He found her reactions amusing, loosening his tie. “Do you know why I brought you here?”

That year, she was young, her eyes brimming with tears. At his words, she froze. “N-no... I don’t.”

He smirked. “What do you think a man does with a beautiful woman?”

Su Ling’s face turned ashen.

She didn’t remember that night—they had drugged her, and she felt nothing. When she woke up, all she felt was pain.

Because of that, she hated and feared him.

Lowering her head, her voice barely audible, she said, “I want to go back to school.”

“Go back so those people can keep insulting you?”

She didn’t respond, but the light in her eyes showed she wasn’t afraid.

Qin Xiao sneered, “Dream on. Stay put.”

Her dejected expression amused him. Qin Xiao remarked, “What’s so great about studying? I dropped out in my teens, never went to college, and look how well I turned out.”

She bit back the urge to call him shameless.

Qin Xiao was the textbook example of someone who skipped school but inherited a fortune.

“Come here. What are you standing around for?”

Stiffly, she approached, only to be pulled onto the couch and kissed. His hand slipped under her skirt, and she turned her face away, tears in her eyes, feeling humiliated.

He gripped her chin, forcing her to face him. With a soft click of his tongue, he marveled at how delicate she was, how even her tears seemed seductive.

Back then, Qin Xiao wasn’t particularly patient with her. Initially, he was drawn to her purely for her beauty and physical pleasure. That year, Qin Xiao was nothing but a scoundrel, a thoroughly despicable man.

But then, one day, something changed. He began treating her kindly.

He became attentive, insisting on holding her close while they slept and waiting for her to wake up before heading to work. He bought strange cartoon figurines and forced them on her. He came home more frequently, even driving back in the middle of the night.

He clumsily tried to please her, but Su Ling felt nothing.

One day, while chatting with Aunt Ding, the older woman reminisced about the kind of men she liked when she was young, only to end up marrying a short-lived husband. Though she married for love, it was cut tragically short.

With a gentle smile, Aunt Ding asked Su Ling what kind of man she liked.

Su Ling’s eyes sparkled. Back then, she was naive and innocent, softly replying, “Grandma once asked me this too. Someone gentle and caring, maybe someone who can cook. Men who cook tend to be quite gentle.”

Aunt Ding laughed heartily.

The next day, Su Ling found Qin Xiao in the kitchen.

Hesitantly peeking from the doorway, she called out, “Mr. Qin, what are you doing?”

Impatiently, he snapped, “Stand back. What’s there to see?”

His knife skills were brutal, making Su Ling nervous. “If you’re hungry, I can cook instead.”

“I can cook, and my food is delicious. Believe me or not. Sit there and don’t look this way. Just eat when it’s ready.”

Anxiously, she sat and waited. After a long while, Qin Xiao brought out a plate of sweet and sour pork ribs.

“Mr. Qin,” she murmured softly, “I’m not hungry.”

Qin Xiao’s face darkened as he narrowed his eyes. “Are you looking down on me? Eat.”

In the end, he made her eat while watching. She ate two pieces—it was the worst thing she had ever tasted in her life.

Qin Xiao pinched her cheek. “Is it good?”

Her eyes shimmered with tears as she answered honestly, “No, it’s not.”

Qin Xiao nearly strangled her in frustration. He dumped the dish himself and called Aunt Ding back to cook. Aunt Ding couldn’t stop laughing as she chopped vegetables.

Later, Qin Xiao took her to watch the sunrise.

They drove there, but halfway, their car got a flat tire. After calling for help, Qin Xiao crouched in front of Su Ling. “Get on.”

He carried her on his back for over half an hour until they reached the mountaintop just as the sun rose.

The dawn bathed everything in warmth.

His profile softened. “Ling Ling.”

She responded softly, “Hmm?”

A faint smile danced in his eyes. “My dear.”

The warm red light illuminated her face, turning it rosy.

That year, the sunlight was gentle, the wind atop the mountain was gentle, and he was at his most tender.

Perhaps she hadn’t loved him, but her heart had fluttered once.

Yet when hatred outweighed that flutter, Grandma died, and Qin Xiao hid the truth from her. He kept her locked in the villa for too long. Later, when Su Ling broke her leg and Qin Xiao became engaged, he still refused to let her go.

She had lost everything—her beloved grandmother, her efforts, all rendered meaningless.

She no longer wanted to stay by his side. She was too tired.

On the night she died, Qin Xiao was away on a business trip.

Deep down, Su Ling felt a twisted sense of relief. She was in pain, but also at peace.

Finally, she had left him.

While alive, she had been trapped by his side. But in death, she couldn’t see him, and that was fine too.

The stars in the sky were like tears.

She gazed at them and slowly closed her eyes.