Xu Jiayi shook his head, "It's not that I didn't succeed in stopping you." Looking at Shi Xinxin, Xu Jiayi's eyes were full of deep affection. "In the end, I decided to respect you, so I didn't stop you. Even though I wanted to stop you so much, I thought, this is your decision, and perhaps it will make you happy, so I let you go."
Hearing Xu Jiayi's words, Shi Xinxin was even more surprised and a little moved.
Shi Xinxin never expected Xu Jiayi to think this way. He refused to obstruct her in secret precisely because he respected her. In fact, Shi Xinxin knew that if Xu Jiayi wanted to stop her, he could.
"Xu Jiayi, why?" Shi Xinxin looked at Xu Jiayi in disbelief.
Xu Jiayi gave a bitter smile, "You ask me why? Don't you know? Shi Xinxin."
Xu Jiayi's rhetorical question touched Shi Xinxin's heart. Yes, how could she not know? Xu Jiayi's feelings for her were so obvious, how could she not know?
"I'm sorry." Besides these words, Shi Xinxin didn't know what else to say.
But Xu Jiayi shook his head, looking helpless. "Why is it that every time my affairs are involved, you always say sorry? Shi Xinxin, can you be a little fairer to me? Don't always be so polite to me. Even if you still can't accept my feelings, at least you can treat me as a friend, right?"
Hearing Xu Jiayi's words, Shi Xinxin calmly replied, "But even as a friend, an apology is still necessary."
Xu Jiayi felt he shouldn't talk to Shi Xinxin anymore, lest he get so angry he died.
"Forget it. Anyway, after this healing journey, if you can truly find your carefree self again, it will be worth it." Xu Jiayi muttered indifferently.
Shi Xinxin was startled by Xu Jiayi's words. "I'm not going for healing." After all, her wound had been touched upon, and Shi Xinxin instinctively wanted to conceal it.
Seeing that Shi Xinxin was still stubbornly denying it, Xu Jiayi snorted coldly, "Don't think I don't know what you're thinking, Shi Xinxin. Women are like this; when they can't extricate themselves from a relationship, they'll find all sorts of ways to escape."
Shi Xinxin bit her lip and lowered her head, remaining silent.
Xu Jiayi continued, "But if this is your choice, I have no other words but to support you. Shi Xinxin, whether it's as a friend or out of my selfish desire, I hope you can get over this relationship. If leaving is that important to you, then I will fulfill it. I will wait for you here. Until you come back. Even if..."
By the end, Xu Jiayi couldn't continue, and their conversation came to a halt.
Xu Jiayi could sense that every time Shi Xinxin mentioned this matter, or that person, she would fall silent. And the pain wasn't hidden; her sadness was impossible to conceal. It seemed she still hadn't given up on that man.
"Will you tell him?" Xu Jiayi suddenly wanted to know if Shi Xinxin would tell Sheng Chenjin that she was leaving.
Shi Xinxin finally managed to compose herself. She looked up and faked a smile, pretending not to care. "Why would I tell him? He has nothing to do with me anymore, and I don't want to disrupt his life. Besides, what does it matter to him whether I leave or not? He and I are just strangers now."
"Is that so?" Although Shi Xinxin said it, Xu Jiayi didn't believe it at all. Her current demeanor didn't seem like someone who could be so open-minded. If she were truly so open-minded, she wouldn't have gone to America to hide.
"Besides, I'm only going for a year, not forever. A year will pass quickly. Why say these meaningless things? It will only make people laugh at me." Shi Xinxin continued to speak with feigned indifference.
Xu Jiayi responded with a "Heh heh," deciding not to engage with the hypocritical Shi Xinxin anymore. "You keep pretending, keep pretending, Shi Xinxin. See how long you can keep it up."
"Many things become habits if you pretend long enough." Shi Xinxin still insisted on arguing.
Xu Jiayi appeared indifferent. "Whatever you say, as long as you know yourself. You're so stubborn, you won't listen to anyone else. I don't want to waste my energy. I'd rather save it to pick up food and eat."
Shi Xinxin smacked her lips, truly speechless at Xu Jiayi.
"However, there is one thing that surprises me." Xu Jiayi seemed to suddenly recall something. He looked up and at Shi Xinxin seriously. "I thought you wouldn't tell me this news and would secretly go to America. And then one day I'd look for you and find you gone." Xu Jiayi picked up food from the table and continued eating.
Shi Xinxin shook her head. "I wasn't planning not to tell you. I was actually thinking of telling you all along, just not sure when."
"At least you have some conscience. You didn't treat me like a monster and keep your distance."
Shi Xinxin smiled. "If I treated you like a monster, I would have been avoiding you all along. Why would I be so generous in coming out to eat with you?"
"That's true. After all, you're a fool." Xu Jiayi said casually while eating.
Shi Xinxin took offense. "Xu Jiayi, don't keep calling me a fool. I'll really become one."
Xu Jiayi burst into laughter. "Alright. Actually, this meal today is a farewell dinner."
"Farewell dinner?" Shi Xinxin was surprised by Xu Jiayi's words. "I didn't expect you to say such a thing, or to use such a word."
"Why can't I say it or use it? I have more conscience than you do." Xu Jiayi protested.
Shi Xinxin had no choice but to nod. "Yes, you have more conscience than I do. Thank you, my conscientious friend."
Xu Jiayi ignored Shi Xinxin's words and continued. "So when do you plan to leave? Call me when you do, and I'll definitely come to see you off."
"No, my friends will see me off." Shi Xinxin directly refused Xu Jiayi. After all, she knew Tang Tang would come to see her off. Moreover, since she had been constantly rejecting Xu Jiayi, Shi Xinxin didn't want to bother him with everything. This would make him think she was someone who liked to play ambiguous games.
"If you say that, then you don't consider me your friend." Xu Jiayi, however, was unfazed. He calmly continued to eat, thinking of ways to win Shi Xinxin over.