Reboot the heyday

Chapter 3486 will no longer be a new regret.
It feels like going back to the past.

What does that mean? It's nothing more than being overly sentimental.

Cheng Ticao has just reached the age where she can be sentimental, but Wang Taika is already past that age. The boy who once wanted to die knowing why he died now only wants a stable happiness.

Unconsciously, we've grown up. This growth seems to carry a sense of helplessness and sorrow, which we often don't even realize in normal times. Only when we catch a glimpse of our former selves in a moment of confusion do we sigh or feel this strange emotion.

Ah, so this is what I looked like back then.

Looking at Cheng Gymnastics, Wang Taika felt as if he were overlapping with his past self. No, it was still different. His own demeanor back then was utterly repulsive, but Cheng Gymnastics was at least adorable.

"What's the point of saying all this now?" Wang Taika said helplessly, "I'll put in a good word for you later and give you more resources in China, so that we won't have wasted our time knowing each other."

"Do you think that's all I'm after?" Cheng Ticao's heart sank little by little.

From any perspective, Cheng Ticao seems unable to escape the label of "mercenary." From her initial nonchalance to her current deep regret, she is a classic example of someone who put on airs and got slapped in the face—a perfect example of "serves her right."

However, if we examine Cheng Gymnastics' choice from a neutral perspective, we will find that her choice was correct.

Because you can't blame a hungry person for wanting to eat, nor can you blame a thirsty person for wanting to fall in love. Someone who wants to become an idol naturally needs to carefully choose the company they debut with. Cheng Ticao simply made the decision that was most advantageous to her at the time, based on reality.

Wang Taika's appearance and the changes he brought about were the anomalies.

More precisely, this bitterness is more like a feeling of jealousy. Cheng Gymnastics' ambition may not actually be that strong; the heart-wrenching pain at this moment stems more from the feeling that the favor that once belonged exclusively to her has been taken away by someone else.

Perhaps everyone in the world has forgotten, including Wang Taika himself, that he was the one who unconditionally protected Cheng Gymnastics when she got into a fight with someone else. That blatant favoritism once gave her a strange sense of security.

Now, everything has changed.

"If I say now, 'Uncle, I really do have some feelings for you,' does that sound like I'm being particularly materialistic?" Cheng Ticao's voice trembled with self-deprecation.

Wang Taika remained silent.

Cheng Ticao slammed down her water glass, the bottom hitting the coffee table with a dull thud. She looked up, her eyes completely red, her previous feigned composure gone: "I never expected that all you'd say to me now is 'How have you been lately?' 'Is everything going well?' You know perfectly well, you know perfectly well that I'm not doing well! It's not because I'm unpopular, but because even the person who last stood up for me has left me."

Wang Taika grinned inwardly. "My god, this sophistry is exactly like my own back then."

"Cheng Gymnastics, calm down," Wang Taika tried to reassure her. "If you get bullied now, I'll still stand up for you. But sometimes, whether you become popular or not depends on a lot of things, like luck. You're not very lucky."

"No, no." Cheng Ticao was truly desperate. Now, no matter what she said, it would seem like she was only there for personal gain. Only she knew that what truly broke her heart was the disappearance of that unique favoritism.

She can't blame anyone. Given this series of unfortunate coincidences, the more eager she is to reveal her true feelings, the more she resembles a frustrated and opportunistic person.

Even if you cut out your heart and show it to the public, it won't prove anything.

Some emotions, suppressed for too long, reach a breaking point when one realizes how pale and powerless words are. Even a thousand words cannot express the sincerity of the heart. The soul, yearning to burst forth, is trapped within the body, along with the heart that longs to erupt, suppressed within the shell.

The mouthpiece cannot speak the truth; physiology has triumphed over psychology, and once again proves that communication studies is rubbish.

"I used to think that the most painful thing for me was the failure of my career. But what hurts me even more than seeing others shining brightly now is, Uncle, looking at you... looking at you, it seems like you've completely forgotten I even exist! I regret it! I regret it to death! I regret not listening to you and going to XB! I regret choosing that damn 'safe' path! I was like a fool, thinking I could do it on my own! And what happened?"

Tears streamed down her face, unleashed without her wiping. A hoarse, tearful scream echoed in the empty room: "I came back to China. I wanted to prove myself, not to vent my anger, but to make you feel you can't lose me, to make you want to comfort me one more time. I thought I could prove myself, but it all started strong and ended weak, everyone fawning over me and belittling me. Is that how you see me now? But I want to prove myself, I just really don't know how anymore, I really don't know."

Wang Taika's eyes suddenly turned cold. It was all because of Cheng Gymnastics' final tearful complaint.

"I really don't know what to do." Those words, like a rusty key, suddenly unlocked the long-sealed lock of memories. Because of those words, someone had once said the same thing to him.

That night, someone, with a sob in their voice, hugged him tightly, almost suffocating him, and pleaded with him helplessly.

I like you, but I really don't know what to do now.

Even though everything is over, and revenge has been taken thoroughly, and we are now like strangers, the past always seems to tear apart unexpectedly.

Even if the love is gone, I still feel sorry for my naive and stubborn self back then. In truth, wasn't I just as much of a despicable bastard back then?

Wang Taika's gaze was calm and still as he silently observed. Only when Cheng Ticao's screams turned into sobs, and her shoulders trembled slightly from the sobs, did he slowly speak, his voice low and clear, revealing a deep weariness that pierced through the noise.

“Cheng Gymnastics, there’s no going back. Time never gives people a chance to regret. I also have things I regret, but even if I could do it all over again, I’m afraid I would still make the same choice. This may be fate, it’s just my personality, so no matter what I choose, the ending will be pretty much the same.”

"Actually, what I meant wasn't regret, but something else... Never mind, the more I talk about it, the more I feel like a clown." Cheng Ticao gave up in despair, covered her face and sighed, despair completely engulfing her.

Wang Taika also sighed, but he was still thinking about what Cheng Ticao had just said. He was indeed moved by Cheng Ticao's last words.

It might be because the two were communicating in Chinese. Because they were arguing in their native language, Wang Taika seemed more emotionally affected.

Psychological research shows that people who are proficient in different languages ​​may experience subtle changes in their personality when switching languages.

Like many Chinese idols working in South Korea, they speak Korean in a gentle and soft voice, but become bold and forthright when speaking Chinese.

Wang Taika severed all ties with his past in South Korea. But the initial separation occurred in his home country, while the ultimate revenge ended in a foreign land. Over the long years, many things seem to have lost their reality, becoming distant and irrelevant, making them feel unreal and disconnected.

If Cheng Ticao had said those words in Korean, Wang Taika probably wouldn't have been moved at all. But it was in Chinese, and in China no less.

One rose is tirelessly becoming another; true love is giving each other strength and courage.

Even though that woman is no longer a part of my life, the sincere and passionate love we shared when we were in love still shines through to this day, becoming the last bit of warmth remaining in my heart.

And what about the warmth in Wang Taika's heart?

The last vestige of tenderness for the past, hidden deep within the lake of my heart, is concealed within the combination of Chinese characters. Only someone with the utmost despair can unearth this desolate grave.

This isn't just Wang Taika's romance; it's a romance unique to Chinese people, ingrained in their very being.

Actually, Wang Taika had made mistakes before the breakup, and his ex had tried to win him back.

On a late autumn night, she also held him tightly, pleading helplessly with Wang Taika, "I really don't know what to do."

But Wang Taika didn't believe it at all back then. By the time time proved him right, it was too late.

Alright, then I'll accept your favor one last time. May the lessons that girl taught the boy, and the things you taught me, not become new regrets.

Wang Taika looked at Cheng Ticao, his gaze softening slightly, and said, "Alright, I believe you."

Cheng Ticao looked up abruptly, her eyes filled with disbelief: "Really?"

(End of this chapter)