"What else can I plan? If there's still no result, I'll just have to give up…"
Zhang Fan still remembered how terrible Zhou Yu's expression was when he heard that.
Sure enough, he relented the next day.
But in their subsequent interactions, Zhang Fan had also vaguely noticed that Zhou Yu seemed to be deliberately restraining his emotions. He didn't know why, but it was clear that the current situation was not optimistic.
Even though he had only met the guy briefly, Zhang Fan's intuition told him that the man beside Jian Ran tonight was no ordinary person.
That was why he had come.
But Zhang Fan knew Zhou Yu too well. If he learned that Jian Ran had someone new, it would backfire, so he could only hint at it.
"Zhou Yu, don't test feelings. No one is going to wait for you forever."
If he was just using this breakup to prove that Jian Ran wouldn't leave, he was sorely mistaken.
Reality is not a fairy tale, nor is it a melodramatic TV drama. No one is obligated to wait for you in the same place.
After Zhang Fan left, Zhou Yu sat at his desk for a long time without getting up.
After a while, he picked up his phone and dialed the number he knew by heart.
But just as his finger was about to press dial, Zhou Yu's mind suddenly flashed with the image of a woman in red resolutely walking away, completely ignoring the man and the boy behind her who were trying to stop her.
The man asked in pain, "Why?"
He seemed unable to understand why the woman who had so forcefully entered his life, claiming to love him, had suddenly changed like this.
But the woman only looked at him coldly. "Why? There's no why. I just don't like you anymore. Is that not allowed?..."
*
After leaving the club, the car drove steadily back to the residential area.
Jian Ran had been feeling drowsy since getting in the car. She had planned to close her eyes and rest for a while, but instead, she fell asleep.
Chu Lulin unfastened his seatbelt, turned to gently shake her arm, and softly called, "Sister, wake up. We're home."
Jian Ran's cheeks were slightly flushed. She opened her eyes drowsily, her gaze a little unfocused.
She had a tipsy appearance, as if half-drunk.
Chu Lulin paused, realizing that the aftereffects of the cocktail must have kicked in.
He just didn't know how drunk she was.
"Sister, is your head spinning?" he asked tentatively.
Jian Ran, clearly more sluggish than usual when drunk, shook her head and then replied with a pitiful tone, "It's spinning…"
Chu Lulin had never seen Jian Ran like this, and his heart instantly softened.
"Then don't move yet. Let me help you out of the car, okay?" he coaxed softly.
Jian Ran was unusually obedient at this moment, not fussing or making a scene. She did whatever Chu Lulin said, and so he managed to help her home without any trouble.
But as soon as they entered the house, she seemed to turn into a different person.
Chu Lulin had just taken off her shoes, and before he could help her into her slippers, Jian Ran pushed him away abruptly. Then, barefoot, she staggered into the house.
As she walked, she took off her coat, which she found cumbersome, and threw it to the ground.
It landed exactly in front of Huluhu, who had come to greet his owner upon hearing the noise at the door.
The little cat stared wide-eyed at this unfamiliar version of his owner, seeming to sense danger and instinctively stepping back two paces.
But it was clearly too late. When Jian Ran spotted the little creature, her eyes lit up.
"Wuwuwu, Huluhu, Mommy's back! Did you miss Mommy?…"
Chu Lulin had just picked up the coat Jian Ran had thrown on the floor when he saw her chase the cat, staggering as she ran.
"Slow down, be careful not to fall."
By the time he caught up, Jian Ran had collapsed on the sofa, holding Huluhu in her arms.
Seeing that she was fine, Chu Lulin breathed a sigh of relief.
Huluhu, who had been resignedly held by his mother, spotted 'Daddy' approaching and seemed to see hope. He meowed pitifully, begging for help.
Chu Lulin noticed that although Jian Ran was drunk, she had a good grip on her strength—she held the kitten tightly enough that he couldn't escape but didn't hurt him. So he didn't intervene.
Seeing that the human and cat were temporarily calm, he remembered Qin Siyan's instruction before leaving: to make sure Jian Ran drank some honey water to avoid a headache the next day. So he headed to the kitchen.
But Chu Lulin never expected that during the short time it took to prepare the honey water, he would return to a sight that almost made his heart stop.
Jian Ran was wobbling on the arm of the sofa, trying to grab Huluhu, who had somehow climbed onto the top of a nearby cabinet.
"Naughty Huluhu, not good," she scolded angrily.
Chu Lulin dared not make a sound for fear of startling her. He put down the glass and slowly approached her from behind.
One step, two steps, three steps…
Finally, he wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her down onto the sofa with him.
Jian Ran let out a small scream, a bit confused as she lifted her head from Chu Lulin's arms, as if she had no idea how she had fallen.