Chapter 115: Cherished Love
On the day Seventy-Six returned, the boy saw her off at the train station and sat with her at the waiting area.
Both of them were in low spirits, wanting to cry but not daring to, afraid of overwhelming each other.
The boy forced a smile, intentionally trying to cheer Seventy-Six up.
Until the boarding announcement, the boy watched Seventy-Six go in, and Seventy-Six looked back at the boy every three steps. The boy smiled, just watching.
After Seventy-Six disappeared into the crowd, his tears finally couldn’t be held back and flowed out.
Like a child who had lost their most beloved possession, he cried alone for a long time.
Two people who clearly got along well; one left for a dream, and the other sacrificed their own happiness to support her dream.
After a long while, the boy wiped away his tears and returned to the shop with unspeakable sadness.
He hugged the big white bear stuffed animal speaker that he had once given to Seventy-Six and played the song “A Life’s Beloved” by Ji Kejunyi;
“Yesterday, today, gone, never to return. Red curls fade to pale. From the past until now, love still remains. Far away, waiting for you to drift beyond the white clouds. Painful love brings sorrow. In this world, destiny cannot be changed. Letting go, we can no longer love. Is this fate’s arrangement…”
The other colleagues felt very distressed seeing the boy’s dejected state.
Seeing the boy’s haggard face, his eyes, clearly having cried, were filled with red bloodshot veins.
He looked like a walking dead person who had lost their soul.
Recalling the boy’s usual bright and lively demeanor, they couldn’t help but ask if he was foolish for not keeping Seventy-Six.
The boy helplessly said he didn’t want Seventy-Six to have any regrets. Life is only lived once; if she later regretted not doing what she wanted to do, she would be very sad. He didn’t want Seventy-Six to have any regrets.
Seeing how foolish the boy was, the others didn’t say much more, only telling him to rest and get a good night’s sleep.
Fortunately, after Seventy-Six left, she video-called the boy every day. They would talk to each other, which brought the boy some comfort.
However, Seventy-Six looked troubled and very distressed, telling the boy that her father wouldn’t sign for her, and without his signature, she couldn’t leave. She asked what to do.
The boy advised Seventy-Six not to worry and to think of another way, suggesting she ask her grandmother for help.
Seventy-Six said her grandmother had tried to help, but it didn’t work.
This was because Seventy-Six’s father asked her where her mother was now, and Seventy-Six didn’t tell him, so her father refused to sign for her.
How to explain this situation.
Seventy-Six was raised by her grandmother. When Seventy-Six was very young, after her father made a mistake and went to jail, her mother sued for divorce and ran off with someone else. Although her father returned and remarried, he had always wanted to find Seventy-Six’s mother to vent his anger. He had asked Seventy-Six many times where her mother was, but Seventy-Six never told him. Now that Seventy-Six needed her father’s help, he wouldn’t cooperate.
About five or six days later, snowflakes were falling outside. Seventy-Six, wearing her grandmother’s cotton-padded jacket and pants, carrying a large leather suitcase, suddenly returned to the shop.
Seeing this scene, the boy was both surprised and delighted; this was something he had never dared to hope for.
At the same time, he asked Seventy-Six, bewildered, “Why are you back? Aren’t you going to school?”
“I’m not going anymore. I’m afraid you’ll break up with me if I leave.”
These words deeply moved the boy, but he also felt it shouldn’t be that simple. If it were true, why did Seventy-Six go back in the first place?
It was highly likely because her father wouldn’t sign for her, and she had no other choice but to leave.
But since Seventy-Six had returned, why should he overthink it? This was the happiest thing for the boy.
The others didn’t know the details and all assumed Seventy-Six stayed because of the boy, and they all advised the boy to treat Seventy-Six well.
The boy didn’t say anything. Even if others hadn’t advised him, he would definitely treat Seventy-Six well because they already had a very good relationship.
Afterwards, after work every day, Seventy-Six would secretly go to the boy’s room to visit him.
At this time, the boy was full of youthful vigor, how could he resist? He would engage in such activities whenever the opportunity arose.
Even when it was inconvenient for Seventy-Six, she would still let the boy hold an umbrella and use the “convenient door.”
At first, the boy was unwilling. He felt it was going a bit too far, even though he had seen similar scenes in movies. However, the boy still felt it was inappropriate; during special times, one shouldn’t be like an animal.
Unexpectedly, Seventy-Six told the boy that she hadn’t given him her first time, but no one had used the “convenient door,” and she really wanted the boy to experience it and see the world.
The boy was initially reluctant, but he couldn’t resist Seventy-Six’s persistent pleading, and she said that if he didn’t go, it would mean he was disgusted with her. Helplessly, the boy grabbed two umbrellas, gritted his teeth, and went in.
And so, the two of them were inseparable after work every day, until late at night when the boy had to urge Seventy-Six back to her room to sleep, and she would reluctantly return.
The store manager, worried that the two of them being so clingy might create a bad impression, told the boy to rent a place nearby, so they could go to and from work together, which would be much better.
Upon hearing this, the boy found a place nearby and moved in with Seventy-Six.
After moving in together, the boy was even better to Seventy-Six, washing her feet, face, and hair, and doing all her laundry, socks included. This was because the boy knew Seventy-Six had suffered a lot as a child. He felt heartache for her and doted on her, hoping his love could make up for the wounds she suffered in childhood.
Furthermore, the boy told Seventy-Six to send some money to her grandmother every month. Not only did he not take Seventy-Six’s money, but he also gave her money to spend whenever she needed it, giving it to her every few days from the start of her salary until the next payday.
It’s unclear if it was because people are not meant to be spoiled, or if their flaws gradually began to surface after some time.
Under the boy’s extreme kindness towards Seventy-Six, she was like a different person. She started using foul language casually, and if she was slightly unhappy, she would start an argument with the boy, even cursing him if she had a disagreement with someone else.
This drove the boy crazy, and he couldn’t understand why. He tried to reason with Seventy-Six several times, but it was no use.
She even started to hit the boy, which confused him even more. When he hadn’t been so good to Seventy-Six, she hadn’t acted this way. But by pampering, indulging, and yielding to her, she had become like this?
There were several times when the boy was covered in injuries and wanted to fight back.
But he felt he was older than Seventy-Six and should let her have her way. Gritting his teeth, he cursed but did not retaliate. He knew that if he got angry, he could be very fierce, and he was afraid of accidentally injuring Seventy-Six if he wasn’t careful.
So, no matter how provoked the boy was, he would at most curse a few times. He would reason with Seventy-Six when she calmed down.
This was all while the boy was extremely good to Seventy-Six, never stingy with money, and still took care of her.
Cough, cough, cough, thinking about how foolish this boy was. If it were anyone else, they would have turned hostile long ago and kicked her into submission? Moreover, the boy himself had a rough past and was quite rascally, fierce, and stubborn when angry.
But it was strange; he endured it and didn’t fight back, feeling that men shouldn’t hit women.
