Chapter 35 Chapter 35: Rain Soaked the Sky – Part 5
Xu Yecheng froze. That voice… it sounded oddly familiar.
He turned toward a nearby bench—and there she was: a girl hunched over her knees, her slightly curled long hair spilling down onto her legs, soft sobs escaping her lips.
That silhouette was unmistakable. Xu Yecheng recognized her instantly—it was Ji Qingying.
His heart jolted in shock.
Wasn’t she supposed to be at karaoke with Zheng Wenxuan and the others?
He heard her sniffle, her voice hoarse and low.
A pang of sympathy hit him. He wondered—was it because of He Xiaohan that she was so upset?
Xu Yecheng hesitated. Should he go over and comfort her?
But between them now… they were practically strangers.
He stood rooted in place. Walking away felt cruel—but staying felt even harder.
Ji Qingying lifted her head slightly, wiping her tears with her sleeve. In Xu Yecheng’s mind, her tear-streaked, red-rimmed eyes from their last encounter flashed vividly before him.
He took a deep breath and exhaled—just as Ji Qingying looked up.
Her swollen, bloodshot eyes locked onto his. Xu Yecheng’s face burned with awkwardness.
Instinctively, he turned to leave—but she called out his name.
“Yecheng…”
His feet stopped. That soft, trembling voice—so full of sorrow—shook his resolve. All the tangled words he’d buried deep inside began swirling to the surface.
Slowly, he turned back. Ji Qingying’s face was soaked with tears, and that fragile look of hers melted something in his chest.
“What’s wrong?” he finally asked, after another moment of hesitation.
The month they’d spent together was a chapter Xu Yecheng couldn’t simply close.
Maybe it wasn’t about her—it was about that sense of purpose, that feeling of not drifting through days empty-handed. He missed that.
“Can you… just stay with me for a little while?” Ji Qingying whispered, voice cracking with tears.
Xu Yecheng frowned, clearly conflicted—but he walked over and sat down beside her.
He knew if he walked away now, he’d only hate himself later for being heartless.
He couldn’t just pretend not to see her pain.
“What happened…?” he asked, rubbing his temples in worry.
He sat down, and Ji Qingying glanced at him—her eyes welling up again.
“Xu Yecheng… I’m sorry,” she murmured.
He blinked, startled by her apology.
A wave of bitterness rose in his chest. He had so many questions he wanted to ask—
Like why she got together with He Xiaohan so soon after they broke up.
But seeing her like this—broken, tearful—he couldn’t bring himself to voice any of it.
“I’m sorry…” she repeated.
Now Xu Yecheng was truly puzzled.
“You don’t need to apologize,” he said gently—though the hurt still lingered in his voice. “What’s going on? Weren’t you with them?”
Ji Qingying took a shaky breath, trying hard to compose herself. The sight of her tear-streaked face softened him again.
“He Xiaohan… broke up with me,” she whispered.
Xu Yecheng let out a long, defeated sigh. After a long silence, he finally spoke:
“Why did you even get involved with him in the first place?”
“I…” Ji Qingying wiped her eyes again, her expression darkening. “I… just acted on impulse. I said yes without thinking.”
Her eyes darted away, avoiding his gaze.
Xu Yecheng’s heart sank.
So it really was He Xiaohan who made the first move…
“Then what happened? Did he just… break up with you out of nowhere?”
Frustration and old wounds pressed against his chest, making it hard to breathe.
But then he reminded himself—Ji Qingying hadn’t actually done anything wrong.
After all, she only started seeing He Xiaohan *after* they’d already parted ways.
“…Yeah,” she murmured hesitantly. “Please… don’t talk about that jerk anymore. Yecheng, thank you. Really.”
So he used her and just threw her away?
The thought filled Xu Yecheng with a dull, suffocating anger.
He didn’t even care about her anymore—yet he couldn’t stand seeing her treated like this.
“He never really liked you,” Xu Yecheng said quietly, resigned.
Ji Qingying went still. Then she looked up at him—her eyes clouded with something unreadable, complex, and suddenly tender.
...
Meanwhile, back at the karaoke room, He Xiaohan pushed the door open.
Zheng Wenxuan leaned to the side—but didn’t see Ji Qingying behind him.
“Where’s Qingying?” Zheng asked, confused.
“She’s mad,” He Xiaohan said with a sigh, though his tone carried an air of calm certainty. “It’s nothing—just a little mood swing. She’ll cool down soon.”
Zheng had been worried—but seeing He Xiaohan so composed, he didn’t press further.
“Hold on tight, Lao He,” Zheng clapped him on the shoulder. “She’s the department flower, after all. Miss this chance, and you won’t find another.”
He Xiaohan lit a cigarette, his expression oddly serene. “Thanks for the reminder, Brother Zheng.”
“Alright, birthday boy’s calling in a favor!” Zheng waggled his eyebrows and handed He Xiaohan the mic. “Sing us a song—just one little birthday wish!”
The group immediately erupted in cheers. “Yeah! Come on, God He—sing something!!”
He Xiaohan pinched the bridge of his nose. “I can’t sing.”
He shrugged, the smoke from his cigarette curling lazily around his fingers.
Liu Xianlin snorted. “Don’t act modest! You *have* to sing—you can’t ruin the vibe for everyone!”
A flicker of annoyance crossed He Xiaohan’s eyes—but he only smiled again, politely. “Fine. I’ll embarrass myself for you all.”
Liu Xianlin was already at the song selector. “What’ll it be?”
He Xiaohan chose “Ten Years.”
As the gentle, melancholic intro began, his gaze grew distant, almost hollow.
“Ten years ago, I didn’t know you—you didn’t belong to me.
We were the same, walking beside strangers,
through streets that slowly grew familiar...
Ten years later, we’re friends—we can still say hello.
But that tenderness… no longer has reason for an embrace.
Lovers always end up as friends in the end.”
When the song ended, the room burst into applause.
He Xiaohan gave that familiar, weary smile and returned the mic to Zheng Wenxuan.
“Not bad at all!” Liu Xianlin said.
He Xiaohan shook his head. “I just didn’t go off-key.”
Zheng silently agreed.
He Xiaohan was being honest—singing wasn’t his thing.
He’d barely stayed in tune, his delivery stiff…
But still—Zheng couldn’t help thinking:
His love life? Now that’s the real drama.
—
Here it is, here it is~
Next chapter brewing~
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