CHAPTER 450: CHAPTER 450: ADVANCING BY RETREATING

"Your tactic of advancing by retreating is utterly useless against me."

She had seen tricks like this countless times before.

And considering how well they knew each other, how could she not understand why he was doing this?

"Gu Qixiao, just be honest with yourself—return to your company, focus on your work, and stop bothering me. Otherwise, don’t blame me for being harsh."

She was already deeply resistant to the situation, and now encountering something like this naturally made her feel uneasy.

"Yu, I’ve never understood why you’re so resistant to me. Did I offend you at some point?" Gu Qixiao had sensed her aversion to him ever since their first meeting.

"I’m not rejecting you. It’s just that we were never supposed to meet in the first place." It was that simple.

Ji Yu had never been one to push others away or irrationally suggest that they shouldn’t see each other.

But due to certain irreversible reasons, they simply couldn’t overcome their situation for the time being.

"Please just listen to what I’m saying. Don’t come looking for me anymore. If you need anything, you can tell me. I’ll help you with anything, but I cannot meet with you."

Gu Qixiao, for a moment, felt utterly lost. What kind of serious issue could possibly prevent them from meeting?

"Why not just tell me directly? That way, at least I’ll understand and accept it," he said, holding onto the belief that there was still hope for them.

"All you need to do is stay put and follow what I’ve said," Ji Yu replied, not wanting their interactions to become unbearably unpleasant.

Thus, her words were incredibly straightforward.

Yet she managed to avoid making him feel humiliated.

"Just treat it as if you’ve never met me." Ji Yu couldn’t figure out why, in such a large city, their paths had crossed so unexpectedly.

And now, things had only gotten harder—they were even more entangled than before.

"If you don’t tell me your reasons, there’s no way I can let this go," Gu Qixiao asserted, his stubbornness showing. He wasn’t going to back down in this matter.

At times, Ji Yu found herself driven to frustration by his persistence.

"If I could tell you, I would’ve already said it by now." The things she couldn’t say were exactly what would ruin things further if revealed. That’s why Ji Yu remained so insistent, believing it was best to leave matters unresolved for now.

"Ji Yu, you cannot deprive me of my right to pursue love. If you refuse to tell me the truth, I won’t leave."

In Gu Qixiao’s mind, it was clear—if he couldn’t pursue her, he at least deserved to know the reasons why.

"If you truly like me, Gu Qixiao, then you should listen to me. Leaving now is the best thing you can do for me." Ji Yu was, by now, utterly worn out.

Heaven knew how long they’d been tangled up like this. If it continued, neither of them would find happiness.

"If I end up falling for someone else, would you feel hurt?" Gu Qixiao suddenly found himself curious about her answer.

"I don’t know how I’d feel. But right now, I don’t want to discuss this with you any further." Ji Yu took a deep breath. She had seen this coming and understood that his pursuit of another love was something she ought to accept at this point.

After all, he no longer remembered their shared memories.

His feelings for another person weren’t something she could fault him for.

Still, if such a thing ever truly happened, perhaps it would only confirm that they were fated to remain apart.

"Look at your expression—even you’re reluctant to let me go. So why not give it a try? I won’t force anything. If we’re incompatible, we can part ways then."

It wasn’t even the first time he’d made this suggestion.

"Gu Qixiao, just treat this as my last plea. Let me have some time to calm down. I don’t want to talk about this anymore."

Perhaps sensing Ji Yu’s agitation, Gu Qixiao decided not to press her further. Instead, he mentioned coming back another time.

As Ji Yu watched his retreating figure, she was filled with a deep sense of helplessness, unsure what she could do to prevent things between them from deteriorating further.

"Yu, if you truly care that much for him, why not give it a shot? Try things his way. If it doesn’t work, you can part ways later," Hu Jianyu said, unwilling to see his daughter bear such heartache.

What’s more, she had clearly been missing Gu Qixiao this entire time.

"Dad, I don’t want to see him hurt anymore. You’ve seen how much pain he was in before. If things continue like this, he’ll only suffer more."

Maybe it was best to just maintain the current situation, however flawed it seemed.

"You’re really something else with your stubbornness," Hu Jianyu sighed, only wishing for his daughter to follow her heart.

The outcome they currently faced didn’t have to be the final one.

"If you don’t give it a try, how will you know what happens? Besides, hasn’t he already forgotten about you? Even if you spend time with him, it won’t bring back too many memories."

"I don’t have that kind of certainty. I’m afraid that if problems arise, I won’t be able to save him," Ji Yu admitted. Deep down, she understood this all too well.

To love someone and not be able to be with them—this feeling was excruciating.

"Yu, don’t be too upset. If it really doesn’t work out, you can always move on. I’ll even help you find someone else. You can just take your pick."

It wasn’t as though there wasn’t someone else who resembled Gu Qixiao.

"Dad, I don’t have the energy for romance right now. All I want is to finish creating the cure as soon as possible. Besides, don’t I already have a ton of work to deal with?"

She’d rather fill her days with work than embark on a new relationship. It wouldn’t be fair to either of them. Waiting seemed like the better option.

"But what if he finds someone else he loves? What will you do then?"

"Then I’ll slowly let go. It’s nothing that can’t be overcome. Moving on might actually be the best thing for both of us," Ji Yu said, though the words were unbearably painful for her to voice. Still, she forced herself to say them.

"If your face wasn’t so contorted when you said that, I might actually believe you," Hu Jianyu remarked helplessly.