Moving On from the Tsundere, I Choose the Perfect Sweetheart

Hearing Gu Yifan’s answer, Han Ning’s heart skipped a beat!

"Why?"

Her nose tingled, and the sob in her voice grew more obvious.

"Why?"

"You know why better than anyone, don’t you?"

"If you’re going to force me to say it, then I can only tell you this: the way we used to interact wasn’t how friends should act. This is."

Gu Yifan looked at her and said, enunciating each word.

’I’m going to lay everything bare and make it clear today. This way, I can prevent Han Ning from giving me a little taste of sweetness in the future, causing my old simp habits to flare up again.’

’In short, let’s just make a clean break today!’

’It’ll be better for me, for Han Ning, and for both our families!’

"Alright, everything’s been said. I don’t want to say anything more."

"I have to go."

Gu Yifan shook his head and turned to leave.

"Gu Yifan!"

"You’ve changed! You were never like this before!"

Han Ning cried out, her eyes red and her face a mask of grievance.

"Yeah!"

"I have changed!"

"Actually, it’s not just me. We’ve both changed!"

Gu Yifan said with a slight, wry smile.

With that, he didn’t hesitate this time and walked straight away.

’He didn’t want to explain anything more to Han Ning. He’d already said enough. If she got it, she got it. If she didn’t, she never would.’

’From now on, we’ll go our separate ways. You go your way, and I’ll go mine.’

’That’s for the best. For both of us.’

Watching Gu Yifan’s retreating figure, the tears in Han Ning’s eyes could no longer be held back and streamed down her face...

She squatted down and began to sob softly.

Gu Yifan heard her cries, but he didn’t stop. He walked straight back to Su Qinghe at a brisk pace.

At that moment, Su Qinghe was squatting on the ground out of boredom, watching some ants move their home.

She was so engrossed that she didn’t even notice when Gu Yifan walked up to her.

"What are you looking at? You’re so absorbed!"

Gu Yifan leaned down, his voice sounding right beside Su Qinghe’s ear.

"Hm?"

Su Qinghe froze for a moment. She slowly lifted her head to look at Gu Yifan, her eyes still a little dazed.

Looking at her adorably dorky expression, Gu Yifan felt an urge to pinch her cheek.

In the end, however, he resisted.

"You’re back. Did you finish your talk?"

Su Qinghe stood up and asked Gu Yifan.

"Yeah, it’s done."

"Let’s go."

Gu Yifan said with a nod.

"Oh, okay..."

Su Qinghe nodded lightly. The moment she turned, she caught sight of Han Ning in the distance, squatting on the ground and sobbing uncontrollably.

"Is it really okay to leave her like that?"

After a moment’s hesitation, she asked, pointing in Han Ning’s direction.

"It’s fine. She’ll be alright after a good cry,"

Gu Yifan said.

But after he spoke, he noticed Su Qinghe was still staring at him, unmoving.

Er...

Gu Yifan shook his head with a helpless sigh, then pulled his phone from his pocket, unlocked it, and tapped away for a moment.

"There! I just sent a message to her best friend. She said she’ll be here to get her soon."

"Can we go now?"

he said to Su Qinghe after putting his phone away.

"Mhm..."

Only then did Su Qinghe nod lightly.

Their figures gradually receded into the distance, and the sound of crying faded until it disappeared completely.

...

By the river in the park, the willows had already sprouted new branches. A gentle breeze drifted by, and the long, trailing branches lightly skimmed the water’s surface, creating faint ripples.

Gu Yifan and Su Qinghe walked side-by-side on the little stone path along the bank.

Su Qinghe occasionally kicked at the small, scattered pebbles on the path. The casual, carefree gesture was not without a certain grace, making her seem rather playful and cute.

"Classmate Su~"

Gu Yifan suddenly said.

"Hm?"

Su Qinghe paused, tilting her head as she looked at Gu Yifan in confusion.

"I remember you said before that you’re not from Mountain City, right?" Gu Yifan asked, stopping in his tracks.

"Mhm~"

"My old hometown was a small county in Zhang City."

"The county is near the coast, and in my village, almost every family made a living by fishing."

Su Qinghe said softly.

Her gaze grew distant, as if she was recalling something.

"Not long after my dad passed away, my mom came to Mountain City to work, and I followed her here to settle down."

"After my mom passed away, since I was still young, my grandma worried about me being here alone, so she came over to take care of me."

"Actually, after Mom was gone, Grandma wanted to take me back to Zhang City, but I was already used to living here. Grandma was afraid I wouldn’t be able to adjust if we went back, so we just ended up staying."

After a moment of silence, she sighed softly and spoke again in a low voice, "Thinking about it now, Grandma probably knew that everyone in the village called me a jinx, an unlucky person. She didn’t want me to go back and be subjected to all their gossip."

After speaking, she turned to look at Gu Yifan. Her expression was calm, but he knew that she must be hurting inside and was just forcing herself to endure it.

From their two days together, Gu Yifan knew that she was someone who looked gentle and weak on the surface but was actually incredibly strong on the inside.

A string of family tragedies, the hardships of life... anyone else might have collapsed under all that long ago.

’Never mind that she was about to jump off a building before!’

’She’s actually handled it incredibly well, probably better than a lot of guys could.’

’But that’s just how life is.’

’A rope always snaps at its weakest point, and misfortune always targets the downtrodden.’

Gu Yifan shook his head, sighing inwardly.

"Are you... okay?"

After a stretch of silence, Gu Yifan wasn’t sure what to say. He asked softly.

"Mhm~"

"I’m okay. I’m used to it, really."

Su Qinghe gave Gu Yifan a brilliant smile.

"But still, thank you."

"If it weren’t for you, I probably wouldn’t be in this world anymore."

Her smile faded as she looked at Gu Yifan and said seriously.

’Yes!’

’If Gu Yifan hadn’t appeared, if he hadn’t lost his footing and fallen, if he hadn’t taken her hiking, shown her the stars, and listened to her pour her heart out, she really would have never escaped that dead end in her mind.’

’Gu Yifan’s appearance was like a beam of light in the darkness, illuminating her heart.’

’The fresh breeze had blown away the haze, leaving nothing but a Sunny Day.’

So, her thanks right now came straight from the heart.

Seeing Su Qinghe’s earnest expression, Gu Yifan smiled faintly. "No need to thank me."

"I’m just glad you’ve thought things through."

"You still have a long life ahead of you. Keep working hard and live a positive life. Your mom, dad, and grandma will be watching from heaven, and they’ll be happy for you."

Following the direction Gu Yifan was pointing, Su Qinghe looked up at the white clouds drifting across the azure sky and froze for a second.

"Didn’t the elders always say when we were little that when people die, they become stars in the sky, watching over their loved ones? Even though you can’t see the stars during the day, they’re still there."

"So, your mom, dad, and grandma are probably watching over you quietly from up there right now,"

Gu Yifan explained softly.

"Mhm!"

After hearing Gu Yifan’s words, Su Qinghe beamed and then nodded earnestly and firmly.

...