CHAPTER 421: CHAPTER 421: I WILL NOT GIVE UP

But Jiang Huai had already collapsed at this moment; he didn’t know what he truly thought in his heart. In this situation, he simply couldn’t persevere anymore.

"Do you think Yu will come back? She’s been missing for so long. If she could be found, she would have been found by now. Not finding her now is practically equivalent to her being taken away by wild beasts."

He didn’t want to think so pessimistically, but the truth was right in front of him. He couldn’t continue deceiving himself. He had already resolved in his heart that as long as Ji Yu’s body was not found, he would stay by her side for as long as it took.

"Yu wouldn’t die so easily. I trust her abilities. I know she must have thought of another way to protect herself."

Gu Qixiao believed, no matter the circumstances, that Ji Yu was still alive. If Yu had truly died, it would mean betraying him, and she wasn’t someone who would do such a thing.

"If you don’t believe it, suit yourself. But I still believe she’s alive. It’s extremely important to me. If she truly disappeared, then maybe I would just follow along with her too."

At least it would spare him from this endless suffering. He didn’t want to forget Ji Yu, nor did he want to accept the reality of her death.

"So you’ve given up so easily? And you claim to love Yu? Everything you’ve done seems shallow at best, and all your past actions are nothing but an eruption of your selfish desire to possess."

Gu Qixiao sometimes doubted whether Jiang Huai had some mental issues. Why did he act like a madman when Ji Yu was still around? And now that she’d left, he turns into someone unrecognizable.

"Gu Qixiao, you’ll never understand the torment in my heart. You’ve received all of Yu’s love, so you find these matters trivial. But I, I’ve gotten nothing. Back then, I was already begging her."

He had put down his last shred of dignity, yet still, he didn’t win Ji Yu’s heart. This matter was terrifying to him.

"I couldn’t convince myself that Ji Yu loved me. I thought about it repeatedly, but the result was always the same. Even now, I want to go rescue her, but I haven’t found her."

This might be their calmest exchange yet, though the content of the conversation could create a great divide between the two.

Of course, they weren’t exactly friends either, so such distance seemed inevitable.

"So everything disgusting you’ve done was just to make Yu stay with you? Do you even remember what you’ve done?" Gu Qixiao laughed bitterly as he spoke.

"There’s one very important question I’d like to ask you: What are your true intentions now? If Yu is still alive, then what do you plan to do? Are you really going to continue entangling yourself with her?"

"How could I continue to entangle myself with her? She jumped off a cliff to avoid me. If I pursue her further, she might really choose death." Jiang Huai laughed bitterly, unsure of what he had done wrong to end up with such a result.

"Since that’s the case, I won’t force you to continue looking for Ji Yu. I can search for her alone, but you must give me the antidote and let me remember her. I cannot bear to forget her like this."

This was his final bottom line. The person in his memory must not vanish just like that. Even if they created beautiful memories in the future, if those memories were lost, it would be an unbearable loss for him.

"Gu Qixiao, don’t you think forgetting is actually the best solution? Continuing to remember these things will only hurt you more. Perhaps forgetting would be a better option."

Jiang Huai didn’t consider such action to be wrong. After all, life must go on. One can’t keep guarding an already deceased person forever, can they?

"That’s the difference between you and me. I can never forget Yu. Even if she’s no longer here, she remains of utmost importance to me."

Those memories were his happiest times. If even he couldn’t remember them, then what hope was left for Ji Yu to live on?

"There’s no need for you to judge what’s between us." How could Jiang Huai forget the past in such a short matter of time? He simply couldn’t confront these things inside himself.

"Look at the way you’re acting now. You must know inside your heart that there’s no chance for you to continue like this." Gu Qixiao didn’t want to expose him, but everything Jiang Huai was showing proved that he was deceiving everyone, deceiving himself, into forgetting Ji Yu.

"Only you know exactly how much pain you’re in. Are you truly willing to end things like this? Deep down, you must feel incredibly unwilling, don’t you?"

Indeed, he was unwilling. But what use was it? The outcome would still be the same; he hadn’t received any love.

"She went to such extremes to leave, even hurt me at any cost and chose to jump off a cliff. What reaction do you expect from me? Should I continue loving her?"

Just thinking about it was like a knife twisting in his heart, and yet, there was nothing he could do.

Perhaps the one who declares love first always loses.

Gu Qixiao also couldn’t understand how their relationship became this awkward.

"Actually, all of this stems from every wrong move you made. Think back; there were still traces of affection in the beginning. If you hadn’t treated Yu so harshly, he wouldn’t have done this."

Gu Qixiao was deeply aware of Ji Yu’s character.

But right from the start, Jiang Huai made such terrible decisions, controlled her with despicable means, and drew everything toward this disastrous outcome.

"Yes, this is who I am—a person who operates in unscrupulous ways. I’ve made so many mistakes, there’s no chance left to salvage anything. I’ve already lost the person I loved most."

He had to admit that everything he’d done was wrong, but even so, what could be done? The damage was already irreversible.

"I advise you to go back."