Meanwhile, Jiang Yun endured a bumpy bus ride before arriving at Su Qing's residential complex. Su Qing's family had moved to this newly built neighborhood the previous year after their financial situation improved. The area was tidy and well-landscaped, but it lacked the lively neighborly atmosphere of their old community. Although the buildings housed several times more people, the place felt oddly desolate.
The complex wasn't large, so Jiang Yun quickly found his way to Su Qing's building. He pressed the elevator button and waited downstairs. To his surprise, when the elevator doors opened, he heard Su Qing's voice.
"Thank you, Haoran! I can't believe you came all the way here to help me in this heat."
"N-no problem... I'm j-just glad to help..."
"I have plans today, but I'll treat you to a meal another time!"
"No need... really, I..."
As they stepped out, the man speaking with Su Qing froze at the sight of Jiang Yun standing by the entrance. Jiang Yun recognized him immediately—Sun Haoran, someone Su Qing had known since childhood. They had grown up in the same neighborhood, shared classes from elementary through high school, and their bond ran deeper than Jiang Yun's with Su Qing. Having been classmates before, Jiang Yun was familiar with Sun Haoran.
From Sun Haoran's gaze, Jiang Yun could sense the burning affection he held for Su Qing. However, Sun Haoran's appearance was rather plain, even bordering on unattractive at first glance. His skin was dark, and he had been chubby since childhood, his weight only increasing over the years. He wasn't the type of fat person with hidden potential—his features were merely passable, and even if he lost weight, he'd still have an ordinary face. Thus, despite Sun Haoran's longstanding crush on Su Qing, which had evolved from secret admiration in middle school to open affection, Su Qing had never reciprocated his feelings.
It wasn't that Su Qing was overly fixated on looks—though that would be understandable—but rather, Sun Haoran's personality was too awkward. Despite knowing each other for years, he still stumbled over his words when talking to her. They had shared meals and outings, but Sun Haoran often remained silent, letting Su Qing carry the conversation. Such behavior held little appeal for most women. Consequently, they remained just friends, and after Su Qing started dating Jiang Yun, Sun Haoran's chances dwindled to none.
Su Qing wondered why Sun Haoran had suddenly fallen silent mid-sentence, but her eyes soon lit up as she spotted Jiang Yun at the entrance. She smiled and hurried over to him.
"Jiang Yun, you're here!"
"Hmm... I just got here. Why is he here?"
Jiang Yun frowned as he pointed at Sun Haoran, whose face stiffened slightly as he forced a smile.
"Oh, my computer broke down again, and Haoran just fixed it for me."
"I told you I'd fix it for you from now on. Why did you call him over?"
"Pfft, your skills are terrible—you take forever. He fixed it in less than an hour and even installed all the software I usually use!"
"As long as it works, isn't that enough?"
Su Qing pouted and rolled her eyes at Jiang Yun, looking incredibly adorable. Unfortunately, Jiang Yun was too caught up in his jealousy to notice. But Sun Haoran, whose gaze was fixed solely on Su Qing, saw her charming expression and thought to himself how mesmerizing his goddess was, even with the simplest gestures.
Yet, a pang of pain struck Sun Haoran's heart. Su Qing had never shown such a playful side to him. Though she always greeted him with a smile, there was a subtle distance between them, making him feel he could only admire her from afar, never daring to cross that line.
Jiang Yun, seeing Sun Haoran staring at his girlfriend Su Qing, grew furious. In truth, Sun Haoran wasn't leering at her—it was just that his narrow eyes and somewhat awkward features made his gaze seem suspicious when he squinted. Jiang Yun, of course, didn't bother analyzing this. Seeing Sun Haoran's unwavering stare, he snapped:
"Sun Haoran, Su Qing is my girlfriend. From now on, whether it's her computer or anything else that breaks, I'll take care of it. Stay away from her!"
"I…"
"Jiang Yun! Don't say that. I was the one who asked him for help."
Hearing the words "Su Qing is my girlfriend" felt like a knife twisting in Sun Haoran's chest, making it hard to breathe. But when Su Qing defended him, a flicker of hope ignited in his heart—maybe his goddess did care about him after all. For years, Sun Haoran had been like this: a single word or even a smile from Su Qing would fill him with joy, making him believe he held a special place in her heart and fueling his unwavering affection. Yet he was also fragile, easily reading too much into certain words and silently suffering alone.
"He clearly has feelings for you!"
"What nonsense! We're just good friends!"
("Good friends... after all these years, just good friends... Of course... what else could it be? She has a boyfriend now, Sun Haoran. Give up. You're not worthy of her...")
His face darkening with despair, Sun Haoran muttered, "I'll head out now," and turned to leave quietly.
"Haoran, thank you! I'll treat you to a meal sometime!"
Su Qing called out as he walked away. Hearing this, Sun Haoran turned back and smiled at her, his heart lifting once again.
Jiang Yun, however, was far from pleased and let out a couple of disgruntled snorts.
Su Qing turned back to him and couldn't help but laugh at his expression.
"Oh my, look how worked up my little vinegar jar is!" she teased, giggling as she pinched and tugged at Jiang Yun's cheeks. Seeing her smile, Jiang Yun found it impossible to stay angry.
"From now on, I'll fix any computer problems!"
"Alright, alright, you fix it. My little vinegar jar is the best!" Su Qing said with exaggerated enthusiasm. Jiang Yun could no longer keep a straight face and joined in the laughter and playful banter with Su Qing.
Not far away, Sun Haoran watched the scene from a corner, his heart aching unbearably. He had always believed that his relationship with Su Qing was ambiguous, stuck in that limbo between friendship and romance. But seeing Su Qing and Jiang Yun together shattered his illusions. He left the heartbreaking scene in a daze, tears unknowingly streaming from the corners of his eyes. The laughing couple remained unaware that they had just broken someone's heart, as they held hands and headed to the cinema to watch a newly released romantic comedy.
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