Chapter 74: Karma and Divorce
Proofread by Yu Bing
Gong Benli smiles lightly, ” Everything here looks exactly the same as it was 5 years ago, but if you give it a second thought, you will realize that pretty much everything seems to have changed. Time is mystical. The other day, if Chen Ying didn’t introduce you, I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able to recognize you even when running into you on the street.” Yuexi forces a smile, “Everything will change. Besides, you have so many fans in school. It’s normal for you for not remembering me.”Property of Nô)(velDr(a)ma.Org.
Gong Benli curls up the corner of his mouth to force a bitter smile, “Really? Even though there are lots of people who pursue me, they can’t compete with the one and the only person in my heart. Back in college…” He wants to go on saying, but Yuexi suddenly begins to cough badly. Her face turns pale in an instant, and she feels the severe pain in her chest. Gong Benli stands up suddenly and looks at her worriedly, “Did you catch a cold? Why do you cough this badly? How about going to hospital?”
He says as he reaches out to help Yuexi stand up. But she cleverly dodges it. Reluctantly curling up the corner of her mouth, Yuexi smiles, “I’m not that delicate. I’m perfectly fine.” Gong Benli frowns, with his eyes manifesting a complex look, “In fact, it happened a long time ago. Although you rejected me at the time, I really liked you from the bottom of my heart.”
Yuexi is stunned by his words. After so many years, she had never imagined she could hear these words from his mouth. She ducks her head to avoid eye contact and says with her head low, “Just as you said, “It happened a long time ago”. You should look forward into the future. I’m a different person now. I get divorced once, and now I’m married again. Today I ask you out. It’s just business nothing personal.
Gong Benli sits down again, “Han Feng told me everything about you. Do you still remember him?” Yuexi chuckles and recalls what happened in the past. “After you left, he came to give me a lecture. How could I forget him?” “I apologize to you on his behalf.” Gong Benli looks at Yuexi’s eyes very seriously.
Yuexi waves her hand and curls up the corner of her mouth, “It was a long time ago. I didn’t take it to heart. Besides, I’m the one who owes you an apology.” In fact, it would be a lie to say that she doesn’t care. Only that person who goes through pain can really understand how painful it is to see the person you love leaves you.
Han Feng found Yuexi at the time and put all the blame on her. He said that if she hadn’t forwarded the flowers to Chen Ying, even if she rejected Gong Benli, he wouldn’t have gone abroad. Facing the accusation, Yuexi didn’t say a word but silently bowed her head and bore it all.
However, only she herself knew how much she liked Gong Benli at that time. If her rival is another person but Chen Ying, things will be totally different. But that person is Chen Ying, her best friend. She is the last person in the world Yuexi will hurt. Therefore, in spite of his intense love, Yuexi still decided to give up. Even if she felt painful at that time, still she didn’t regret her choice.
People say that time could cure anything. As expected, her first love is buried in the dust and it can’t continue to grow. She was married to Lingyun later and she made up her mind to live a simple life, but her dream was over. She is now into someone that she shouldn’t fall in love with. She doesn’t know how things will turn out later, but at least she knows her decision to quit won’t break Chen Ying’s heart.
“I hear it from him that your marriage is a setup.” His voice is soft, as if with a touch of emotion. Yuexi looks down at the coffee on the table. It reflects her face. Her image wavers in the steam. “That is my karma and destiny, the due punishment that God gave me for the way I treated you in the past. So, I deserve such an end—to fall in the hands of such a scumbag.”
Yuexi raises the coffee cup, with her fingers clenched tightly subconsciously. She looks at him with smiles. At this moment, the waiter comes in with the dishes. Scanning the dishes on the table, Yuexi is shocked. Gong Benli orders all the things she likes. Unexpectedly, after all those years, he still remembers her preferences. They eat in silence. Yuexi is calculating how to make the first move. Although she feels too shy to speak it out, she has to accomplish her task in order to resign from the company.
After dinner, Yuexi takes out the contract from her bag and hands it over to him, “Let’s get down to business now, you know my company wants to do business with your company. Today, I ask you out just to talk about the details of the contract. Although it is quite embarrassing, please take a look.” “No need to read it.” Yuexi is anxious and says quickly, “Actually, the contract conditions offered by our company are quite favorable. Don’t you like to think about that carefully…”
“My point is ……, I don’t have to read it. I’ll agree to anything, as long as it is your wish.” The smile of Gong Benli is warm, just like a spring breeze. Her eyes wide with astonishment, Yuexi looks at him incredulously, “Aren’t you afraid that this is a trap?” “Even if it is a trap, I will voluntarily and without hesitation jump into it. I don’t know why, but every time I see you, my mood will be particularly good. Each move and smile of you will affect my mood. From the past until now, it is hard to describe.”
He says seriously. His expressions are light, but his intense looks make Yuexi bow her head in embarrassment. The man in front of her is every woman’s dream husband. He has everything a woman has been looking for—look, personality, wisdom and wealth, etc. He is a real gentleman and is “perfect”, the total package, the real deal. It seems that you can’t find anything unpleasant about him.
Therefore, over the last three years when he is away, in order to heal her broken heart and recover from that pain, Yuexi desperately has been forcing herself to learn to “love” Lingyun. But time doesn’t heal her wounds and she ends up divorced. Gradually, she finally comes to realize that this is what she deserves. This is God’s punishment. Seeing the smile on Gong Benli’s face again, Yuexi feels like life is being so hard on her that Yuexi’s heart begins to tremble.
Lost in her own thought, Yuexi suddenly senses the door of the private room pushed open and in comes the waiter serving other dishes. The weather outside changes, and suddenly there comes a gust of wind. Sitting right beside the window, Yuexi is seized by a fit of coughing suddenly. The coughs cause severe pain in the chest that makes her feel like being torn apart. She finds herself now almost unable to stand straight.
Gong Benli stands up suddenly and asks anxiously, “You look bad. What’s is the matter?” He helps Yuexi up and feel her temperature by touching her forehead with his fingers. He is shocked, “You have a fever!” Yuexi forces a smile, sweat all over her face, “I’m fine, I’m fine…”
“I’ll take you to hospital!” Gong Benli says nothing more and carries Yuexi in his arms and walks toward the door. Yuexi moves restlessly in his arms, “Let me down, I… I can go there by myself…” She feels so painful that she could hardly speak. Every time she coughs, she feels like someone is thrusting a knife into her chest.
Gong Benli looks at Yuexi’s pale face, he quickens his pace to go outside but accidentally bumps into a woman coming in his way. He is so anxious that he doesn’t pay attention to who she is. Instead, Yuexi sees through her half-closed eyes the woman who is knocked down is Li Ya. She is stunned for a while, and then there is an evil smile creeping across her face.