After I Was Gone, Mr. Song Said He Loved Me

Song Yu held the phone in front of me, his thumb lightly touching the end call button, his tone airy, “Bai Yu, I don’t always have the patience to give you another chance.”

“Do you understand?”

I nodded repeatedly, not daring to utter another word of defiance.

Song Yu tossed the phone aside, closed his eyes, and leaned back in the seat. Suddenly, he said, “It’s been over a month, hasn’t it?”

I was momentarily confused, “What?”

Song Yu loosened his tie with one hand, his deep, smoky voice chuckling softly.

I immediately understood the meaning behind Song Yu’s words. He was referring to the fact that it had been over a month since we had been intimate.

“Yes,” I replied shyly, my head lowered.

Song Yu smiled leisurely, saying nothing more, leaving the rest to me.

After a passionate encounter, Song Yu took a deep breath and clicked his tongue in admiration, “To think of using Chi Jin against me, you’re quite clever.”

I shook my head, mumbling an explanation, “No… no, that’s not it…”

Song Yu leaned down slowly, his deep eyes unfathomable.

After a while, he smiled, “It’s okay if you did.”

I was startled, not quite understanding Song Yu’s words.

Wasn’t he the one who disliked Chi Jin the most?

How could he not be angry knowing I wanted Chi Jin to help me break free from him?

Suddenly, Song Yu initiated another round of action. I gasped, quickly silencing myself, as the car was parked by the roadside. Despite the rain outside, someone might notice this million-yuan vehicle.

In those brief twenty minutes, Song Yu said nothing, but his actions taught me a profound lesson.

I suddenly felt a bit afraid of Song Yu.

I shifted my body, barely supporting myself as I slumped in the seat.

Song Yu got out of the car and returned to the driver’s seat, then opened the window slightly. The temperature difference inside and outside instantly cleared the fog on the window, and I became more alert.

“Take me to the hospital,” I rasped, my voice hoarse.

“No way!” Song Yu refused without a second thought.

I was instantly furious, stretching my neck and raising my voice, “Why?”

After being tormented like this, am I not even allowed to go to the hospital?

“I’ve been out with you for too long; Nian might overthink it, so you have to come back to the hotpot restaurant with me,” Song Yu said as he started the car, his cold tone sending chills down my spine.

It was truly ridiculous.

Apparently, my life and suffering were less important to Song Yu than Nian Hua’s misunderstanding. Even if I was bleeding profusely, I had to go back with him to put on a show.

“Song Yu, you care so much about Nian Hua, why do you still sleep with me? Isn’t your affection too cheap?” I murmured weakly.

Song Yu showed no guilt at being accused of infidelity. Instead, he chuckled, “When you reach my age, you’ll realize that the cheapest and most useless thing in this world is emotion.”

“Money, power, they may seem corrupt, but they will never betray you. It’s the emotions that people hold in high regard that will leave you battered and bruised.”

“You say my feelings are cheap; it’s better to say I have no feelings.”

His words tightened my throat, cold sweat trickling down my spine. If Song Yu despised emotions so much, what about his feelings for Nian Hua? Was it all an act?

“Song Yu, you’re terrifying,” I shivered involuntarily.

Song Yu smiled faintly, said nothing, and drove the car back to the hotpot restaurant along the original route.

I watched the drizzle outside the window, my eyes unknowingly moist again. Compared to the physical torment, the emotional pain was the most lethal.

The unspoken grievances and sorrow filled my chest, suffocating me.

I once adored Song Yu, deeply fascinated by him, unknowingly stepping closer to him. I thought he was my light, my support, and salvation, but it turned out to be the beginning of my nightmare…

The car sped along, and in the blink of an eye, we arrived at the hotpot restaurant.

Song Yu unbuckled his seatbelt and turned to ask, “Can you walk?”

I just nodded, saying nothing.

Song Yu glanced at me, pushed open the car door, and got out. I took a deep breath and followed suit, thinking I was numb to the pain. But as soon as my feet touched the ground, the pain nearly knocked me out, causing me to stumble.

Suddenly, a strong arm wrapped around my waist, helping me stand.

I thought it would be Song Yu, but when I looked up, it was Chi Jin.

Song Yu stood beside me, his arm frozen in mid-air, before slowly lowering it…

Note: The following is a flashback to Nian Hua and Song Yu’s university days, presented in a third-person perspective, similar to an Easter egg.

In his junior year, Song Yu received the opportunity to study financial management as an exchange student at the famous university in M Country, a chance many dream of. Yet, Song Yu was far from excited; he was in agony.

Because his first love, Nian Hua, the person he wanted to protect for a lifetime, had broken up with him.

Now, it was the fifth day of his slump in their shared apartment. The room was pitch black, the gray-blue curtains tightly drawn, making it impossible to distinguish between day and night.

The CD player had replayed “A Thousand Farewell Songs” countless times, Nian Hua’s favorite song.

Song Yu lay sprawled on the sofa, a shadow of his former self. His hair was a tangled mess, and his once handsome face had turned sallow from days of erratic living and excessive drinking. The stubble around his mouth had darkened from a faint blue to black, and his cotton pajamas were wrinkled and stained with water marks from spilled drinks. He no longer resembled the talented person he once was at S University.

Ugh-

Half-asleep, Song Yu felt his stomach churn violently. He sat up abruptly, the alcohol threatening to surge back up, forcing him to rush to the toilet to empty his stomach.

He staggered to his feet, accidentally stepping on an empty bottle, and crashed heavily onto the hard floor with a thud. Yet, he seemed oblivious to the pain, shaking his head before getting up again and heading to the toilet.

Ugh-ugh-

His stomach rebelled once more, and as soon as he entered the toilet, he clung to the bowl, retching violently. All that came up was a pale yellow liquid, the rancid smell of fermented beer making him retch again, this time bringing up bile.

Flush-

After cleaning up the mess, Song Yu leaned against the toilet, breathing heavily, his mind slowly regaining a bit of clarity.

He supported himself on the toilet edge, stood up, and walked to the sink. He turned on the faucet, scooped up some water, and rinsed his mouth before spitting it out. Glancing at the mirror, he gave a self-deprecating smile, flicked the water off his hands, and left the bathroom.

He opened the fridge, grabbed two cold cans of beer, and cracked one open, hoping the cold would soothe his burning stomach. But as soon as he drank, he coughed violently, spraying the beer out.

“Even you are against me,” he muttered weakly.

Just then, the door lock clicked behind him, and his eyes lit up. The only other person with a key to this place was Nian Hua.

Turning around, he saw Nian Hua standing at the entrance.

“Nian, you’re back!” Song Yu’s face lit up with surprise, and he hurriedly discarded the beer can, rushing over.

Nian Hua’s expression was one of disdain, her voice cold: “I’m here to get the drawings I need to submit to the professor next week.”

Without another word, she brushed past Song Yu and headed to the bedroom, where she found the materials she had organized in a drawer beneath some scattered underwear.

Her face darkened with disgust, wondering how she had lived with Song Yu for so long.

A man who couldn’t give her anything, who had wasted three years of her youth simply because of his title as a talented person from S University. Yet, those years had taught her that talent and ability were worthless compared to money.

Just like Song Yu couldn’t even provide her with a house with a study, something he would never achieve in his lifetime. Some things are determined at birth.

Song Yu stood at the bedroom door, speaking hesitantly to Nian Hua’s back: “…Nian, please give me some time. I won’t always be this poor. I’ll give you the life you want. Trust me, you won’t have to wait long.”

Nian Hua paused for a couple of seconds before turning to look at Song Yu’s disheveled appearance, a sneer curling at her lips: “Song Yu, I used to think I could wait for you, but now I realize how ridiculously naive I was.”

“Song Yu, wake up. If you had even a shred of ambition, you wouldn’t be in this state. Look at yourself; how are you any different from those drunks on the street? What can you offer me for the life I want?”

“Do you know how I feel after seeing you today?”

Song Yu stood there, speechless.

Nian Hua stepped closer, her voice barely above a whisper: “Leaving you was the smartest decision I’ve ever made.”

A man’s voice called from outside the room: “Nian Hua, are you ready?”

“Oh, I’m coming.” Nian Hua pushed past Song Yu, heading quickly to the door.

Song Yu turned stiffly, watching as Nian Hua left arm-in-arm with a young man.

Song Yu knew this man must be wealthy because he recognized the LV logo on his belt, the only luxury brand he was familiar with…