A Long-Awaited Marriage - Chapter 23

“Jiang Ye, you’re so lucky, you’re truly blessed.”

“Hey girl, are there any single girls in your dorm? Want to introduce some?”

Lu Anran would just smile secretly, or quietly eat her food. She would only answer a few questions when Jiang Ye’s roommate asked her something, and wouldn’t say much more on her own initiative.

Zhou Yichen sat down next to Lu Anran, and the once spacious private room suddenly felt cramped. He could hear his own heart pounding like a drum.

For the next three years, every time Lu Anran came to Huicheng to meet Jiang Ye, Jiang Ye would treat her roommates to a meal at a restaurant near the school.

Zhou Yichen always sat next to Lu Anran.

“Hey, you two in front, that’s foul! That’s foul! You’ve thrown out way too much dog food! We’re all full, we won’t be able to eat our delicious meals later!”

Jiang Ye and Lu Anran walked ahead hand in hand, and their roommates behind them would tease them.

Whenever this happened, Lu Anran and Jiang Ye would exchange a smile. Such a handsome man and beautiful woman were truly captivating.

“Hmph, you think you can bully us because no one’s holding our hands? Come on, let’s hold hands too~” The dorm’s big joker proudly took the hands of Zhou Yichen and another roommate.

That scene was absolutely hilarious.

At that time, Zhou Yichen always stood behind Lu Anran. He was in a position where she could see him whenever she turned around.

His best friend and the girl he fell for at first sight were showing off their love in front of him. He was a little jealous and a little sad, but he also sincerely wished them well and hoped they would grow old together.

Jiang once advised him, “With your looks, finding a girlfriend shouldn’t be difficult. Don’t be too picky.”

He always brushed it off, saying, “I’m not in a hurry to find a girlfriend.”

In the dead of night, he would secretly browse her social media. Only when they were alone could he fully express his love.

Perhaps fate also has its own order of arrival.

Sometimes he felt resentful. Why wasn’t he the one who met her first? If only he had met Lu Anran first.

After graduation, he and Jiang returned to their hometown of Qingcheng. One day, Jiang invited him out for drinks.

He assumed Jiang had found a job and gladly accepted the invitation. Unexpectedly, when they arrived at the agreed-upon tavern, Jiang didn’t speak to him but instead drank one glass after another on her own.

Unable to bear it any longer, he snatched the glass wine cup from Jiang Ye’s hand. “Drinking so much, are you out of your mind? What happened?”

After a long, long time, Jiang finally said, “Ranran broke up with me.”

Jiang Ye looked extremely dejected. He had never seen Jiang Ye cry so bitterly, nor had he ever seen Jiang Ye so lost and distraught.

“How could this be?” He was shocked. It was too sudden. They were clearly in love, and he had wished them a long and happy life together.

Jiang shook her head. “I don’t know.” Then she took another wine cup, filled it with wine, and drank it, laughing and crying at the same time.

“Stop drinking.” He couldn’t bear it, so he took the wine cup from Jiang Ye’s hand and helped the completely drunk Jiang Ye back to his home.

That night, he hesitated for a long time before finally dialing Lu Anran’s number.

Lu Anran offered no explanation, only replying calmly, “Don’t ask anymore,” before hanging up.

Not long after, he tragically discovered that Lu Anran had deleted him.

He was extremely sad. He had thought that he held a special place in her heart.

When Lu Anran and Jiang Ye had a conflict, he was willing to act as a peacemaker between the two, reassuring Jiang Ye and then comforting Lu Anran.

He even selfishly hoped that the two of them would argue and have conflicts.

Lu Anran talked to him more and more, and he gained a sense of satisfaction from his role as a “peacemaker”.

After making up, Jiang Ye would go to Yancheng to apologize to Lu Anran in person. He would always pat Jiang Ye on the shoulder, looking like a wise teacher, and say, “That’s more like it!”

But when he turned around, his dejection was written all over his face, impossible to hide.

She broke up with Jiang Ye and completely severed ties with everything related to him, including him. All those years of talking over the phone were only because of Jiang Ye.

It turns out she had never cared about him.

Never.

Zhou Yichen snapped out of his thoughts and sighed almost imperceptibly.

“See? I told you so! Cousin, you’re not getting any younger, it’s time to find me a cousin-in-law!” Fang Xiaoya teased him, thinking she had hit a nerve when Zhou Yichen remained silent.

Zhou Yichen suddenly flicked Fang Xiaoya on the forehead, “You dare to talk about your cousin like that? Are you going back first or waiting for me here?”

Fang Xiaoya tilted her head and thought for a moment, “I’ll wait for you. There’s nothing to do back home.”

Zhou Yichen nodded.