Chapter 288 - 288: Leave It at That
Extra Chapter 12: Brother’s Story
In the past few days, Nan Zhe must have secretly called the Nan family. Otherwise, the Nan family would not have suddenly found her parents and even threatened them. Nan Zhe must have lost his temper.
She could not describe what she was feeling.
Qi Yan’s mind was in chaos.
She Imew very well that she could not end it with Nan Zhe just like that. Although she did not expect to be with him until the end, she had always hoped that the two of them would break up peacefully if it really ended. It was because she did not love him anymore, and it was because separation would be better than now.
But this time, reality forced her to lower her head.
During the rest of the journey, Qi Yan took the time to call Nan Zhe’s grandmother. She tried her best to disguise herself as if nothing had happened and did not let Nan Zhe notice anything amiss.
The two of them went straight to Lhasa. Qi Yan knew that this was their last journey and did not want to ruin the atmosphere. She did not want Nan Zhe to leave any regrets here.
Hence, she planned to break up with him after this trip ended and she returned to Huai City.
She also hoped that she could find a suitable reason during this period of time and try her best to end things perfectly so that they would not end on bad terms.
However, according to Nan Zhe’s temper, after she mentioned breaking up, he would definitely not give them a chance to continue being friends.
Not only did they not part on good terms, but he would probably not see her again in the future.
Two days before the return trip, just as she was about to leave with dignity, Nan Zhe proposed to her.
The sun was shining on the golden mountain. Qi Yan looked up at the snowy mountain opposite and felt a little emotional. She quickly turned around and called Nan Zhe over to take a look.
“Brother Nan!” She turned her body slightly. At first glance, she only noticed the camera that she had placed not far behind them. She had taken a lot of photos and videos along the way and planned to keep them as souvenirs in the future.
She slowly looked down and saw Nan Zhe at a second glance.
The man knelt on one knee for an unknown period of time.
Just now, she was so focused on the scenery that she did not notice that he had not made a sound. He had been waiting for her to turn around.
Looking at the ring in his hand and the smile on his face, Qi Yan felt her entire body turn cold.
“Did I scare you?”
Her retreat was keenly caught by him. He smiled and didn’t get up. “You probably don’t remember very well.”
“Previously, you asked me why I was so persistent and wanted to come here. I vaguely remember that when we were still studying, you took the magazine Yuan Chi bought and read about this place repeatedly. You told Yuan Chi that if there was a chance in the future, you had to come here with someone you liked.
It was best to take a photo under the sacred snow mountain.”
“I still remember that Yuan Chi said that he could come with you during the summer break. You didn’t say anything at that time. So for a period of time, I
always thought that you actually liked him.”
“I…” Qi Yan moved her lips and said with difficulty, “I… really don’t remember.
But I don’t like him.”
In the early years when she was still studying, she was relatively close to Yuan Chi, but the two of them were definitely very simple friends. To put it bluntly, they were good brothers. Yuan Chi completely treated her as a man. At that time, when they first met, he dragged her to the men’s washroom to use the bathroom.
Their relationship could not be purer.
“It’s okay, as long as I remember.”
Nan Zhe was not surprised. He looked down at the ring in his hand and slowly said, “I didn’t want it to be so sudden, but too many things have happened between us recently. I know you’ve been working hard recently. Perhaps for a moment, you might have wanted to give up on this relationship. I’ve also been thinking of ways to resolve the problem between us. I want you to feel at ease.”
“You know that I haven’t been good at saying nice things. After thinking about it, I still want to use actions to express it. I think our relationship is stable. It’s only a matter of time before we take this step. This way, we can give each other enough security.”
“So, Qi Yan, will you…”
“Nan Zhe, I’m not thinking about getting married for the time being.” Qi Yan hid her hand in her pocket and clenched it tightly. She forced a smile and said bitterly, “Didn’t we agree at the beginning that we would only date for a year?”
Nan Zhe had thought that she would reject him. When he was preparing, he had also thought of giving up. However, recently, the elders of the family had found her. He could feel that Qi Yan was uneasy. He was very worried that this matter would affect their relationship.
Therefore, he still chose such a rash method to try to bind their relationship through marriage.
He had never thought that he would be separated from Qi Yan. In his opinion, it was only a matter of time before the two of them got married.
Of course, he felt that she was not ready. It did not matter if he was rejected. It did not matter even if she did not want to get married in the future. As long as they were together, it was fine. He just wanted Qi Yan to know his feelings. He had never wavered.
However, he never expected Qi Yan to mention that ridiculous agreement.
“What do you mean?” He looked up. The smile on his face was gone. He suddenly had a bad feeling.
“Didn’t we agree that after a year, if we feel we are unsuitable for each other, we will…”
Qi Yan interrupted him again and said firmly, “Yes, I just don’t think we’re compatible.”
” Nan Zhe was stunned.
He stood up abruptly. Ignoring the ring that had fallen to the ground, he gritted his teeth and asked, “How can it not be suitable? Have we ever quarreled after being together for so long? Putting aside the recent problems, haven’t we always felt that this relationship was going smoothly?”
“Where did you come to the conclusion that we’re not suitable?”
Qi Yan was forced to retreat repeatedly until her feet pressed against a rock. There was no one around. Other than the snowy mountain, there was only them.
It was such a good place. She had never thought of ending it here.
However, at this point, it seemed like she could not wait any longer.
She smiled and asked, “Why should we put aside our recent problems? Can we ignore them like this for the rest of our lives?”
“When we first got together, I said we weren’t compatible. Yes, we didn’t argue. You’ve always been very accommodating. You’ve been very good to me. You’re not wrong. But we just weren’t compatible.”
“Our family backgrounds and social status are not compatible. In your eyes, this has never been a problem but it’s not the case for me. I don’t feel inferior. I know I’m very outstanding, but I’m far inferior to you. The distance between us is too far.”
“It’s like there’s a long ladder between us. I originally walked slowly step by step, but in the year I was with you, I went crazy and wanted to catch up to you. I wanted to get closer and closer. I started by walking, then running. I tried to surmount all that distance with a single stride.”
“I only cared about walking forward and didn’t dare to look up.”
“A long, long time later, when I looked back, I realized I had come a long way. I mustered the courage to look up and see if there was only a little distance between us.
“In the end, there are still endless steps in front of me. I seem to have been walking in the same place. But in the past year, I’ve clearly worked very hard. I
didn’t even have the chance to take a breather and forced myself to keep walking. But—”
“I can’t see the future at all.”
“Thinking about it carefully, that’s indeed the case. How can I catch up to you in a year? It’s only because I’m young and ignorant that I dare to dream. It’s clearly impossible in this lifetime.”
“I was going to lay my cards on the table with you after this trip. I just didn’t expect… I never dared to think that I would marry you in the future. In my opinion, you’re not marrying someone like me. And my marriage partner is not someone like you.”
“We’re all very good, especially you. You’re my first love. You’re an existence I’ve never dared to hope for before. I’ve really been very happy this year. I don’t regret it. I’m even very grateful to you for suggesting dating for a year.”
“But we have to be realistic. The choice to continue with you is not an option in the future.”
“Brother Nan, let’s just leave it at that..”