A Flutter Lost, Never to Return

Unlike Gu Hansheng's keen, cutting edge, Gu Mingze had a natural air that made people feel bathed in a spring breeze. A smile in his eyes was enough to lower their guard.

But my heart no longer fluttered for him.

I instinctively pulled my hand back and took a step away, putting distance between us.

"Hanhan." His voice was gentle, but he could not hide his urgency. "I know what's happening with your family, and I understand you need help right now. Let me help you, okay?"

I shook my head. "We can't go back."

Gu Mingze froze for a moment, then suppressed the flicker of jealousy in his eyes.

He stepped forward, his voice as soft as a sigh. "I don't care about your past with Gu Hansheng. All that matters is that you're willing to come back to me."

I laughed bitterly inside.

What Gu Hansheng and I had was hardly a "past." It had only just begun.

I was his "contract lover" now.

"There's no chance for us anymore." I turned to leave, but he blocked my path again.

Those eyes, always smiling, were now rimmed with red. My heart softened, and my steps faltered.

After all, the happiness we had shared was real.

Back then, Gu Mingze had been the boy on the back of my bicycle, the person I once thought I would walk hand in hand with for the rest of my life. Those green years of youth were something Gu Hansheng could never replace.

"Then at least... have a meal with me. I've wanted that for a long time."

There was even a plea in his eyes.

Seeing someone who had always stood in the light lower himself this far for me, I felt the breath caught in my throat turn painfully sour.

I fell silent for a few seconds, but in the end, I nodded.

The restaurant was elegant, with wooden screens partitioning off a small, private world. The lighting was soft, and a little vase of baby's breath stood at the corner of the table.

Gu Mingze pulled out my chair and waited until I sat down before taking the seat opposite me.

He smiled as he spoke. "Remember when we were in school? You said you wanted to open a restaurant with nothing on the menu but your favorite dishes."

I had long forgotten those passing fancies of my youth, yet he remembered.

I leafed through the menu. Sure enough, almost every dish was a favorite of mine.

"It really suits my tastes." I closed the menu, forcing myself to stay calm.

"Don't read too much into it. I don't own this restaurant. I only just discovered it myself."

"Let's order." I closed the menu, not wanting to ask any more questions. But as my fingertips brushed over the pages, my feelings were still in turmoil, and I ordered a few dishes at random without looking closely.

Before all the dishes had arrived, Gu Mingze was already recounting one memory after another.

Before our final exams in senior year, he had stayed with me at the library until midnight.

And during a summer downpour, we had sheltered together in the corridor of the classroom building, our shoes soaked through, laughing as we squeezed the water out for each other.

There were even embarrassing incidents, like the time I fell into the water and nearly kicked him to death when he tried to save me...

One by one, like pearls, he picked them up with utmost care and placed them in my hands.

Gradually, the strings pulled taut around my heart began to loosen a little.

I could not help laughing aloud. There really were far, far too many little moments from our past.

Without realizing it, we talked for a very, very long time. It was as though we had returned to the past.

A gleam flashed through Gu Mingze's eyes as he looked at me, as though he wanted to pull me back into those carefree days of youth.

Until the phone on the table vibrated, breaking the mood.

The ringtone was especially grating in the quiet restaurant. The name glowing on the screen sent my heartbeat into sudden disarray-

It was Gu Hansheng!

All my blood rushed to my head in an instant. My heart pounded wildly, and my fingers nearly lost their grip on the phone.

"What's wrong?" Gu Mingze noticed something was off.

"Nothing... I need to take this call."

I tried my best to remain composed as I stood, but inside, I was panicking.

He wouldn't... be checking up on me now, would he?

I excused myself to the restroom.

The moment I shut the stall door, I hurriedly answered the call.

Even my fingertips trembled a little with guilt.

Thinking of how I had once disdained answering Gu Hansheng's calls, only to now sneak around, reduced to such a lowly state, I could not help laughing bitterly inside.

The wheel of fortune really did turn.

Gu Hansheng had finally turned the tables and become the one in charge.

"How's your dad doing?"

His voice came through the phone, very calm, betraying neither pleasure nor anger.

I suppressed my racing heartbeat and answered as softly as I could. "He's doing okay. The doctor said he's stable for now."

There was a moment of silence on the other end.

I hurriedly added, forcing a smile, "Sorry, I was asleep just now, so it took me a little longer to answer."

"Oh?" He gave a low chuckle, slow and laden with meaning. "Then what are you doing now?"