CHAPTER 272: CHAPTER 272: PAIN PIERCES THE HEART

"Xiao, how can you be so self-deprecating? I like you, but you think all of this is impossible. Isn’t what you’re doing just another version of me?"

She never believed there could be any outcome between them.

"Finding someone who loves you—isn’t that much better than continuing to love someone so humbly?"

She looked at him with a hint of pleading in her expression.

"Since you understand this feeling, then stop saying such nonsensical things. My love for her is never going to change."

Gu Qixiao was here today to issue her a warning, making her understand that there was truly no future for the two of them.

"From today on, you’re staying here, forever."

This dimly lit basement was now going to be her destination.

She hadn’t liked the luxurious life she’d had before, so he decided to let her fully grasp what solitude meant in this place.

"Xiao, why do you have to treat me like this? All I did was love you, but treating me like this—isn’t it excessively cruel?"

How could there be such terrible things in the world?

The two of them were clearly so well-suited for each other, yet Gu Qixiao could say such heartless things.

"How can you leave me here?"

"You brought this upon yourself," Gu Qixiao showed no intention of pitying her.

Whenever he thought about how Ji Yu had almost never woken up because of her actions, he found himself unable to forgive her.

Watching Gu Qixiao’s retreating figure, her expression began to crumble into despair.

"Why did you have to do this to me? All I did was love you."

But her words would fall on no one’s ears.

When Gu Qixiao returned to the hospital room, his expression clearly showed he was in a bad mood.

Ji Yu knew he had likely just gone to handle the situation with Song Xuan.

"Gu Qixiao, you need to understand—punishing yourself for someone else’s mistakes is the worst possible thing you can do."

This matter clearly had nothing to do with him, yet he still carried such deep guilt because of his sense of responsibility from the past.

"You’re consuming yourself right now."

Ji Yu didn’t want him to keep going like this; fundamentally, this matter had no connection to him.

"I can stop thinking about her, but I can’t stop caring about you. I know your health isn’t great right now. If it weren’t for this incident, we’d have already gone home to celebrate."

"No one could’ve predicted this outcome, so how can you blame yourself for it?"

Ji Yu always felt the root cause of these troubles had nothing to do with him.

If Song Xuan had even a shred of sensibility, things wouldn’t have come to this.

"Gu Qixiao, you need to realize that no one else needs to interfere in our relationship, and I will never blame you."

Both of them were at fault in a way when it came to this matter.

"At the start, I had some compassion for her, thinking her brother saved your life. So I kept her around, which led to this ending. The fault is mine indeed."

If she hadn’t made that decision back then, perhaps today’s situation wouldn’t have unfolded this way.

"Yu, I know you were trying to wake her up at the time, but she just couldn’t understand your intention."

Some people, it seems, are destined to lack fortune.

"Stop punishing yourself over her."

Ji Yu hoped he could find some happiness moving forward and stop dwelling solely on these matters.

"Besides, my condition is already improving. But I’m worried about my mother; could you take me to see her?"

She couldn’t let go of the thoughts of Madam Ji’s condition lingering in her mind.

"Auntie’s condition is stable, and there’s even been some signs of waking."

He still wished Ji Yu could properly rest and stop worrying about these things.

"You can ask me about anything—don’t think about leaving your hospital bed."

He was concerned that her mobility could lead to unnecessary complications.

"Right now, the most important thing is for you to rest."

Ji Yu sighed helplessly. "I’m not a three-year-old child. I know my body’s condition—how could there be any issue? I just want to see how my mom is doing."

Something inside her felt unsettled, as if something was about to happen.

She wouldn’t be able to let go of these feelings without seeing Madam Ji for herself.

"If you’re truly worried, we can go together. But you still need to be cautious; your health isn’t great either."

When they arrived at the room together, Madam Ji’s condition appeared remarkably stable, and there were already signs that she might wake up soon.

"This morning, I saw your mom’s hand move a little—seems like the surgery was very effective," Mr. Ji said, his tone filled with joy, as though this was nothing short of a miracle.

"Dad, you should also be careful. I don’t think Xia Chuanhe really intends to help."

He was clearly a deeply obsessive person, and it wouldn’t be surprising if he did something dangerous eventually.

Mr. Ji nodded, obviously aware of what was on his mind. But since his daughter already had someone she liked, he wouldn’t push the matter further.

"This was all arranged by Professor Zhang; I definitely owe him my thanks. As for Chuanhe, you can handle his matters yourselves. I won’t interfere in the affairs of you young people."

He had always seen these things philosophically and understood that not everything needed too much attention.

Ji Yu was most worried about her parents’ situation.

Fortunately, things appeared normal for both of them; there were no signs of trouble.

After waiting for a while longer, she saw Xia Chuanhe arrive, accompanied by several strangers.

"Who are these people?" She asked, clearly uncertain about the situation before her.

"Yu, you don’t need to question my motives. I have no ill intentions toward your mother. I simply brought them here to learn, as this is a particularly unique case."

Ji Yu understood that such situations did happen occasionally, though she found his actions somewhat distasteful. After all, he hadn’t informed them beforehand of bringing others.

"Please notify us next time when undertaking something like this in advance, so we can prepare."

This kind of behavior was inherently impolite.

"It was my oversight this time. It won’t happen again. Besides, your health isn’t great—you should go back to rest and stop worrying about things here. I’ll handle everything."

He seemed to have entirely forgotten the incident from just a few days ago, showing an overly magnanimous demeanor.

Ji Yu couldn’t understand his behavior and felt he must surely have other motives. Otherwise, he wouldn’t act in such a way.