Old Zhu felt his worldview shatter into pieces at that moment.
His throat felt like it was clogged with a burning coal, and it was as if countless steel needles were pricking his heart, a fiery pain, twitching in waves.
He wanted to vomit, but nothing came out.
Was that his broken heart?
Old Zhu and Zhang Yining were, in fact, high school alumni.
From the first year of high school, when he caught a glimpse of her at the opening ceremony, Zhang Yining's confident and vibrant smile was like a brilliant ray of sunshine, instantly illuminating his somewhat gloomy adolescence.
Zhang Yining was the campus belle, a being adored by all.
She was beautiful, cheerful, and had excellent grades; she was the center of attention wherever she went. The boys who pursued her could line up from the school gate to the end of the street.
And he, Zhu Hongliang, was just one of the most inconspicuous among the masses, wearing thick black-rimmed glasses, introverted, and his grades were only average.
He silently liked Zhang Yining for three years.
In those three years, the greatest achievement of his courage was merely pretending to accidentally bump into her in the corridor on the eve of graduation, then blushing and saying, "I'm sorry." Zhang Yining didn't even look at him directly, only nodded politely, and then walked away, laughing with her sisters beside her.
On ordinary days, he didn't even dare to look directly into Zhang Yining's eyes, fearing that his humble feelings would be seen through.
In his heart, Zhang Yining was a fairy who did not eat the food of mortals, a pure white moonlight, too dazzling, too brilliant, making him feel inferior.
Hearing that Zhang Yining's goal was Yanjing University, Old Zhu studied like crazy.
For an entire semester, he almost studied with his head hanging and a needle pricking his thigh, miraculously rising from an average student to firmly rank among the top ten in the entire school for the college entrance examination.
He remembered that Zhang Yining was not only the campus belle but also consistently had top academic results, always ranking in the top ten in every exam at school.
He also vaguely heard that Zhang Yining seemed to be a few minutes late for the college entrance English exam? He was worried for her at the time.
Later, when the results were announced, he saw Zhang Yining's name conspicuously on the Yanjing University admission list, and the stone in his heart finally fell.
It seemed that the rumor of her being late was false; the goddess was indeed a goddess, a born favored child of heaven.
Today was his first "accidental encounter" with Zhang Yining at Yanjing University.
But the scene before him was like a clap of thunder, directly striking him, leaving him charred outside and tender inside, his worldview shattered to pieces.
After a summer apart, Zhang Yining was still that stunningly beautiful Zhang Yining, but she also seemed no longer the high and mighty Zhang Yining in his memory!
In his impression, only boys would ever hold gifts, humbly kneeling before Zhang Yining, begging her to give them another glance.
But now... now why was his goddess kneeling before a man?!
That man... Old Zhu's gaze involuntarily turned to Lu Xuan. That face was excessively handsome, yet also chillingly indifferent.
He didn't even spare a glance for Zhang Yining, who was kneeling on the ground, as if she were just an insignificant object.
Lu Xuan brushed past the petrified Old Zhu, not even sparing him a glance, as if he were just an inconvenient mass of air.
"Brother Xuan! Don't go! I was wrong! I was really wrong!"
Seeing Lu Xuan about to leave, Zhang Yining disregarded the pain in her knees and fumbled to grab Lu Xuan's pant leg, but Lu Xuan mercilessly shook her off, losing her balance and falling awkwardly to the ground with a cry of pain.
Old Zhu reacted almost instinctively, rushing forward in one stride, squatting down to help her up: "Yining! Are... are you alright?"
The goddess had fallen! His heart tightened.
Zhang Yining's face was streaked with tears, her hair disheveled, and her exquisite makeup was ruined by crying. Her pitiful appearance made Old Zhu's heart ache terribly.
However, just as his hand was about to touch Zhang Yining's arm, Zhang Yining suddenly looked up, her eyes full of disgust and impatience, and she fiercely slapped his hand away.
"Get lost! You stinky loser! Don't touch me!"
Her sharp, piercing voice was like a cold awl, piercing deeply into Old Zhu's heart.
"Stinky... stinky loser?" Old Zhu was struck by lightning, his entire body froze, and the color drained from his face.
He couldn't believe that these three words would come from the mouth of the goddess he had longed for, and directed at him.
Zhang Yining had no time to care who he was at that moment; she just felt this person was meddling and an eyesore.
She scrambled to her feet awkwardly, not even bothering to brush off the dust, and stumbled towards Lu Xuan, who was already nearing the cafe entrance.
"Yining!" Old Zhu snapped back to reality, an unspeakable anger and heartache surging within him. He fiercely grabbed Zhang Yining's wrist, his voice trembling slightly with emotion, "Zhang Yining! Why are you debasing yourself like this? That man doesn't cherish you at all!"
He took a deep breath, summoning the greatest courage of his life, almost shouting: "It doesn't matter if he ignores you! You still have me! Zhu Hongliang! I will always be by your side! I will be good to you!"
This sudden heartfelt confession made Zhang Yining stop.
She frowned, somewhat confused, as she scrutinized the black-rimmed glasses-wearing, red-faced boy in front of her, trying hard to search her memory.
A few seconds later, she looked at Old Zhu as if he were a lunatic, impatiently spat, her tone full of disdain and contempt: "No, who the hell are you?! Are you sick?! What I do is none of your damn business! Mind your own business!"
With that, she forcefully shook off Old Zhu's hand and rushed towards the door without looking back, anxiously calling out: "Brother Xuan! Brother Xuan, wait for me! I was wrong! I was really wrong! Don't go! Brother Xuan!"
"Bang!" The glass door of the cafe was slammed shut, cutting off her figure.
In the corridor, only Old Zhu remained, like a soulless statue, frozen in place.
"Who the hell are you..."
"Are you sick..."
"Stinky loser..."
Each of Zhang Yining's cold and harsh words was like a poisoned dagger, stabbing countless times into his already riddled heart.
Every stab came with bloody mockery.
He felt as if his heart was being fiercely gripped by an invisible hand, the pain almost suffocating him.
His stomach churned, and a sweet, metallic taste rushed to his throat.
"Pfft--"
Old Zhu suddenly bent over, and a mouthful of fresh blood, after all, could not be held back, gushing out and splattering on the clean floor, like shattered peach blossoms, a shocking sight.
It turned out that the goddess he had spent his entire youth looking up to, when he bravely extended his hand, only gave him one phrase—"stinky loser."
It turned out that the so-called favored child of heaven, the so-called pure and unblemished, could also humble herself to the dust, and even... kneel, before another man.
Old Zhu felt utterly despondent, his vision blurring in waves.
He used his last ounce of strength to lean against the wall, preventing himself from also falling.
The faint, gentle music from the cafe, now sounded to him like a mournful dirge for his pathetic unrequited love.
His youth, it seemed... had ended.
In a humiliating and tragic way he had never imagined.