I am not a literary giant

Chapter 87 When Love is a Thing of the Past (Thanks to Alliance Leader Itami Juzo)

As soon as Ning Chunyan stepped out of the store, she felt a wave of heat hit her. Perhaps this season was just missing a downpour to wash away all the sweltering heat.

People came and went on the street. Lin Feng was in a daze, holding a bouquet of roses in his hands. Suddenly, he felt that his behavior was inappropriate: "What a mess! I bought a bouquet of flowers for no reason. How am I going to explain this to my wife when I get home?"

Ning Chunyan blinked: "What's so hard to explain? It's romantic, isn't it? Prince Xu is even more romantic, giving me a flower every day."

"That was when they were dating, wasn't it? When I was dating my wife, we were lovey-dovey too, and now it's been so many years. If I buy her a bouquet of flowers now, it's not that I'm wasting money, but people will either suspect I've done something wrong..."

After hearing this, Ning Chunyan gasped, "Is life really this suffocating after marriage?"

Raymond Lam made a nostalgic expression: "Not really. Most of the time it's still wonderful. Having someone by your side, that feeling is really different. It's like having both armor and a soft spot..."

Ning Chunyan couldn't imagine what that feeling was like. She still found it terrifying.

"I never thought that Wang Zixu, with his thick eyebrows and big eyes, could be so romantic. Buying a flower every day, ugh, it's so cloying it makes me nauseous... But that woman also has some issues. How could she keep receiving roses for over a year? Is she just a fan of flowers or trying to test my sincerity? If she wanted to test my sincerity, she didn't need to do it for over a year, did she? Doesn't she find it disgusting? Wang Zixu's meager salary isn't enough for her to squander. It's better that we broke up."

Ning Chunyan spoke in a mature and unassuming manner, unlike a young and beautiful woman in her early twenties. Instead, she sounded like a picky mother-in-law, standing up for Wang Zixu.

Lin Feng suddenly slapped his forehead: "I remember now, the boss's wife mentioned Zhang Qian from the publicity department, I know her!"

Ning Chunyan turned to look at him: "Really? What kind of person is she?"

Lin Feng said, "I met Zhang Qian once before because of some kind of patrol. She's famous for something, and when the boss lady mentioned it, I remembered it, but I was wondering whether I should tell you..."

Ning Chunyan snapped, "You're so pedantic! You've already dug up information about Wang Zixu's ex-girlfriend, what else can't be said?"

Lin Feng thought for a moment, then cursed inwardly. If Ning Chunyan weren't here, he would have spoken up. But since Ning Chunyan was here, he couldn't swear, so he had to suppress it.

After composing himself, he said softly:

"About seven or eight years ago, someone set up a flower arrangement in the square, 999 red roses, to confess his love to Zhang Qian. After that, Zhang Qian started dating someone. At the time, this story was quite a romantic tale in our Xihe area. I thought the person was pretty romantic, but just now I heard the landlady tell the story, and wow, it all came together."

Lin Feng clapped his hands, and Ning Chunyan's eyes widened, her face showing fear.

"So, that person stole Zhang Qian's boyfriend? Was Zhang Qian's boyfriend at the time Wang Zixu?!"

Lin Feng pursed his lips and whispered, "Do you know what's even scarier? I'm wondering if that person knew about Brother Zixu giving a rose every day? Is that why he deliberately sent 999 roses as a show of defiance?"

"To kill someone by destroying their spirit?"

The two stopped at the same time.

This story is so classic that it's a bit outdated. It feels like a careless screenwriter just ripped a scene from an old movie and put it into reality. It's absurd yet reveals a hint of arrogance. If this shitty plot were to be shown in theaters, people would definitely be asking for refunds.

However, as Wang Zixu's newly met confidants, the two completely adopted Wang Zixu's perspective. They couldn't imagine the romance of 999 roses; they envisioned the quiet, enduring love of one rose a day, which ultimately couldn't withstand the sudden, powerful impact of a wealthy man's brick.

Considering the ending of the story, Zhang Qian ends up marrying a wealthy man, while Wang Zixu is lost in the mundane world.

"You tell me," Lin Feng said, sighing, "isn't this just designed to completely crush a person's self-esteem?"

"This is too much of a bullying," Ning Chunyan said.

Lin Feng suddenly looked up and heard a slight sob in her voice. Upon closer inspection, he found that her eyes were indeed filled with tears.

Lin Feng was somewhat surprised. He thought to himself, "As expected of someone involved in new literature and art, he's so sensitive and empathetic."

He comforted him, saying, "A woman like Zhang Qian is not suitable for Brother Wang Zixu. If he were to marry Zhang Qian, it would only be torture for him."

Ning Chunyan wasn't comforted; instead, tears welled up in her eyes even more. Her voice thick with emotion, she said, "The key issue is how unfair it is! Why should he pay back what he spent? That man is so rich, why shouldn't he pay it back? And that woman, why should she? How can she be so shameless?"

Lin Feng reminded her to speak softly, lest someone with ulterior motives overhear and offend someone. Besides, if she actually returned the money, wouldn't that be even more hurtful to someone's self-esteem?

Raymond Lam said, "To put it another way, it's all in the past. Brother Zixu is married now and doing just fine. Nobody's been defeated by life, right?"

Ning Chunyan calmed herself down for a moment, then raised her face and said, "What about his wife? Where is she? Didn't the florist say she wasn't there? Are you sure you're not mistaken?"

"Well……"

As he said this, Lin Feng felt a sharp pain in his back, as if he had been stabbed in the back. He was certain he hadn't misremembered; he suspected that Prince had lied to him. But what reason would he have to lie to him?

Ning Chunyan said, "Why don't you just call him and ask?"

Lin Feng initially felt it wouldn't be good to disturb Wang Zixu so abruptly, but Ning Chunyan gave him a few hints on how to phrase it before Lin Feng felt at ease enough to make the call.

The call connected quickly, and Lin Feng put it on speakerphone.

"Hey, Brother Wang, haha, it's been so long since we last drank together, haha..."

"Yes, it's been a few days. Speaking of which, we made a promise to each other to get rich last time. People can't help but worry about money and power."

Wang Zixu's voice sounded very gentle and firm, both the same and different from his usual voice. The difference was that it seemed even more firm than usual.

Ning Chunyan gestured silently to the side, while Lin Feng calmly spoke into his phone:

"I was taking a walk outside today and suddenly came across the flower shop where your wife works. I thought I'd go say hello..."

Upon hearing this, before he could finish speaking, the person on the other end said, "Did you go to the flower shop on the corner of the square?"

Lin Feng glanced at Ning Chunyan sideways and nodded, saying, "Yes."

"Oh, you've come at a bad time. My wife is resting at home these days and hasn't gone to work."

Lin Feng frowned: "But the boss's wife said they've never hired female employees?"

A soft chuckle came from the other end of the phone: "I know, you mentioned my name first, then asked about my wife, didn't you?"

Lin Feng and Ning Chunyan exchanged a glance: "I guess so."

"She was just joking with you. I know her very well, and she's someone who really likes to joke around. Besides, a lot of people used to pursue my wife, and they would go over and inquire about her every few days, so she would always say that there was no such person, and it eventually became a habit."

Lin Feng and Ning Chunyan were completely bewildered after hearing this. They had a feeling that something was wrong, but they couldn't quite put their finger on it.

Prince Xu laughed and said, "If you don't believe me, go ask her again, and she'll give you a different answer."

Ning Chunyan wanted to bring up Zhang Qian's matter several times, but she forcefully suppressed the impulse. A little thought revealed that Zhang Qian's case was a wound in Wang Zixu's heart that couldn't be reopened. If she rashly brought it up, it would be like tearing open the wound, causing pus and blood to flow endlessly.

No matter how curious she was, she shouldn't have brought up the past in front of him.

Lin Feng's tone was a little stiff: "Uh, well, I have something to tell you."

"Okay, go ahead."

"The deadline for that essay contest we're having is approaching, so you really need to take it seriously and polish your piece. Not only will my teacher be a judge, but high-ranking officials will also be attending the awards ceremony. You know... you really need to take it seriously."

"Okay. I actually have an idea, and I'll be able to finish writing it in a few days," Wang Zixu replied decisively.

After hanging up the phone, Ning Chunyan and Lin Feng parted ways at the corner of the square, both filled with doubt.

They were too embarrassed to actually ask the proprietress again. Many things in this world remain unresolved. This matter was no exception. Since Prince Xu had spoken so decisively and matter-of-factly, wouldn't it be impolite for them to press the issue further?

Perhaps he simply didn't want them to see his wife's true face?

Ning Chunyan held a bunch of baby's breath in her arms, staring blankly ahead. The sun was like a furnace, baking the ground a ghastly white, and heat rose with the chirping of birds. She felt she must look dazed, a bit like 13-year-old Natalie Portman in "Léon: The Professional."

Reaching a shady spot under a tree, she put down the baby's breath flowers she was holding, swiped her phone screen, gazed at the distant horizon, thought for a moment seriously, and then edited on her phone:

Walking down the street today, I suddenly felt so lonely. I've heard people say that loving someone is like having both armor and a weakness. I can't understand that feeling. Maybe it's because I've never wholeheartedly loved anyone.

I racked my brains, and the closest emotion I could think of was writing a name on a rain-soaked window, experimenting with a pillow to create a shape that would bring someone to my dreams, walking alone on the street, knowing nothing of the world, yet suddenly remembering that person's name and feeling a strange sense of happiness. It was listening to other people's stories while constantly thinking about that person.

I told myself to stop thinking about it. But it was like a flood; the more I tried to suppress it, the more turbulent it became. I had no choice but to follow the call of my heart and confront that person directly—tell me, is this emptiness, as if a piece of my heart has been ripped out, love? Little Prince?

(End of this chapter)