Chapter 80: Chapter 80: The Feelings Have Faded, This Relationship Is Destined to End

As she spoke of the conflict with her boyfriend, a look of anguish crossed her face:

“To be honest, my boyfriend and I have been dating for nine years. I’ve always wanted to get married and settle down, but he says he wants to build his career first, hoping to have a better financial foundation before starting a family. But… but I’m already 38 years old. My youth is fading, and I really can’t afford to wait any longer.”

“Yesterday, we had a huge fight about this. He slammed the door on his way out and hasn’t come back since.”

“I’ve been thinking about it a lot, and I’m sure he must be cheating. Otherwise, why would he be so reluctant to get married?”

Tu Yue took out a photo of her boyfriend. In it, a man in a light-colored shirt stood in the sun, his smile gentle and heartwarming.

But judging from the photo, her boyfriend was indeed much younger than Tu Yue.

“I know you read fortunes from faces, so I brought a photo. Streamer, could you please take a look for me? Is he seeing someone else?”

Her words stunned the viewers in the livestream chat:

[Oh my god, she’s 38? I thought she was 26!]

[OMG! How do you look so young? Teach me your ways! I’m 24 but I look 42.]

[Why are you all taking this so seriously? Don’t you know beauty filters + makeup = eternal youth?]

[Nine years and no marriage? He’s gotta be cheating!]

When Tu Yue saw the viewers all saying her boyfriend was cheating, she panicked. “Streamer… he isn’t really cheating on me, is he…?”

Her voice trembled as she spoke.

Shen Zhiyao shook her head. “No, he’s not cheating.”

“He’s not cheating? That’s a relief!”

Tu Yue’s sorrow instantly turned to joy. She quickly asked, “Since he’s not cheating, will he marry me once his career is stable? Can we grow old together?”

Shen Zhiyao shook her head again. “He’s not cheating, but the thread of fate connecting you has faded until it’s nearly invisible. Even when his career is stable, he will not marry you. Nor will you grow old together.”

Tu Yue shot up to her feet. “No! That’s not possible! Didn’t you say so yourself? He’s not cheating, and he hasn’t fallen in love with anyone else. How can our relationship be over?!”

Shen Zhiyao sighed. “Deep down, you already knew the answer when you asked that question, didn’t you?”

Tu Yue fell silent.

Perhaps because she’d been suppressing her feelings for so long, she suddenly had the urge to pour her heart out.

Before long, she began to recount her past to everyone.

The year they met, she was 29 and a sales manager at her company.

And he had just turned 19, a new intern at the company.

The boy may have been young, but he was warm, cheerful, and a hard worker. More importantly, he was handsome, and all the other interns in his group adored him.

But he only had eyes for Tu Yue, diligently bringing her breakfast and coffee every day.

She remembered one time when she was negotiating a deal, the client’s boss kept trying to force her to drink. It was he who stepped in to take the drinks for her, ultimately drinking so much his stomach started to bleed.

Tu Yue thought he was being ridiculously foolish and chided him, “Are you an idiot? If I drink, they’ll let me off after three or four glasses, tops. But the moment you step in for me, they’ll go nuts and take turns pouring drinks down your throat!”

His face was pale, but he still managed a goofy smile. “I have a strong constitution, so I’m not afraid of them. But you’re a girl; drinking too much isn’t good for you!”

Tu Yue had been hustling in the business world for years. To close deals, she’d had to do her fair share of drinking at company functions.

But not once had anyone been willing to step in and take a drink for her, and no one had ever told her, “You’re a girl; drinking too much isn’t good for you.”

Not long after that day, he confessed his feelings to her.

But for practical reasons, she refused.

She told him, “I’m nearly ten years older than you. You’re still maturing, and I’m starting to age.”

But he didn’t give up. He persistently pursued her, bringing her meals and coffee every day.

Knowing she hated that takeout portions were small and tasteless, he started waking up an hour earlier every day to bring her delicious, home-cooked food.

They both worked late every day. Worried she wouldn’t be safe going home alone, he would secretly follow her, only resting easy once he saw her get home.

That year, she went home early for the New Year.

He didn’t see her for a few days, and he couldn’t reach her because her phone had been stolen. He was frantic.

A coworker jokingly told him, “Li Yue quit. She’s never coming back.”

He took him seriously. During the peak New Year’s travel rush, the only thing he could get was a standing-room-only ticket. He stood for eight straight hours, until his legs were completely numb.

That evening, a heavy snow was falling. It was cold enough to freeze a person solid.

The moment Tu Yue stepped outside, she saw him.

He was pacing back and forth in front of her house.

He hadn’t brought anything with him and was wearing only a down jacket. Shivering from the cold, his shoulders and forehead were piled high with snow.

He was trembling from the cold but still forced a smile. “Li Yue, I heard you quit your job. I just came to ask… are you planning to stay and build your career in your hometown? If so… can you take me with you?”

A young man’s love is so pure.

On that cold night, they embraced in the heavy snow.

That night, snow fell and covered their hair.

She couldn’t help but think of the saying: “To be covered by the same snow is to grow old together.”

In the beginning, for the first few years, they were deeply in love.

They returned to the city and rented a place together.

He took on all the chores: cooking, laundry, even cleaning her shoes. He didn’t mind doing anything, as long as it was for her.

She didn’t like fatty meat, so he’d laugh and say, “What a coincidence! I love fatty meat. We complement each other perfectly! It’s like we’re a match made in heaven!”

She loved movies, so every week they would hold hands and go see one.

He told her to save their ticket stubs. Once they had a hundred, they would have also saved up enough money to get married.

But now… they had far more than a hundred ticket stubs, but that young man’s passionate heart was gone.

He went from being an intern to a pillar of the company. He’d saved up more than enough money to get married long ago.

But that passionate heart of his slowly grew cold.

He stopped talking about marriage. He’d work all day, then have business dinners at night, or he’d just stay home and play video games.

He gradually started to complain that she was clumsy, that she wasn’t pretty, that her clothes were frumpy.

Every time she brought up getting married, he’d say impatiently, “What’s the big rush? We have plenty of time!”

Plenty of time for him, maybe. After nine years together, he was only 28 and still in his prime.

But she was already 38. She had poured her entire youth into this relationship.

Even now, she still didn’t understand when their love had started to change.

Maybe it was when the lines of age began to creep around her eyes. Or maybe it was in the endless fights.

Her eyes brimming with tears, Tu Yue said to Shen Zhiyao, “Streamer, the truth is, I know we can’t last. But I love him. I can’t let him go. He loved me for so many years. So why is it that the more I love him, the less he loves me? Where did that boy who once rode a train for eight hours just to see me go?”

Shen Zhiyao had never encountered a situation like this before, and she didn’t know how to respond.

’Love really is an incredibly complicated thing.’

’You could call it intangible, but when it burns bright, it consumes everything. People will even sacrifice their lives for each other without a second thought.’

’But when that fire burns out and turns to cold indifference, you can shatter the heart of the one you love and not even notice.’

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep