After Being Scummed – Chapter 55

I Love You

During her youth, Yin Bai read a poem that said, “I have a house facing the sea, where spring is warm and flowers bloom.” Upon reaching this part, she found it very appealing. So, at the age of sixteen, her grandmother bought her an island in the southern hemisphere and built a “house facing the sea, where spring is warm and flowers bloom.”

At this moment, in the northern hemisphere, it is already a chilly winter day. However, on this island in the southern hemisphere, it is in full bloom with a lively atmosphere of spring.

Behind the spacious villa courtyard, clusters of roses in various colors adorn the surroundings, creating a scene of purple and red everywhere.

Wearing a light silk shirt and comfortable light-colored wide-leg pants, Yin Bai sits in a wheelchair under the lush grape arbor. Holding a pair of scissors, she cuts the pile of roses and fresh flowers in front of her into a beautiful bouquet, placing it in a vase.

Since fleeing from Tibet, she didn’t bring any assistants and hastily escaped to this secret hideaway.

After notifying Zhang Yu, Xiang Qui, and others of her safety, she almost sat under the grape arbor every day, forcing herself not to think about Zuo Jingyou and concentrating on arranging these flowers.

However, the kiss that night was truly unforgettable for Yin Bai. Once her mind empties, all she can think about is Zuo Jingyou.

Her gaze was so gentle, as if she was carefully embracing her. Her lips were so soft; when they kissed, it felt like gently kissing her wounds.

Every move of hers conveyed to Yin Bai, “Don’t be afraid, I won’t hurt you.”

How can one know they won’t cause harm when nothing has even started?

Promises made before everything has even started are not reliable!

But when Yin Bai thinks about the way Zuo Jingyou looked at her that night, so focused, so serious, her heart starts to ache again.

Yin Bai sighed, pulled out a red rose from a cluster of roses, and while trimming the leaves with scissors, she muttered to herself, “Little Rose, she must be angry.”

“I left without a word; she must think I rejected her.”

Yin Bai sighed again, then changed her tone to a more cheerful one and said, pretending to be very happy, “Oh, my friend, you’re overthinking it.”

“The woman you admire is such a wise and considerate person; she will surely understand your complicated feelings. Moreover, you left a reliable companion by her side, didn’t you?”

Yin Bai pursed her lips, placed the trimmed red rose into the vase, and sighed lightly, saying, “But Zhang Yu doesn’t know anything. If I place Zhang Yu in front of her, it might make her think of me, and it might make her even angrier.”

Yin Bai then pulled out a rose with thorns all over, imitating its appearance and playfully said, “Oh, no! Didn’t you tell your reliable companion to take good care of her? Your reliable companion will surely convey this to her, and she will surely understand your intentions.”

Yin Bai frowned, expressing deep sorrow, “But what if she doesn’t know? What if she sends Zhang Yu away because of it?”

“Ah… most importantly, what if she feels sad because of this? Before leaving, I promised her a quick response, but I just ran away. She must be very sad.”

The “Rose” that acted like it had teeth and claws quickly continued, adding fuel to the fire, “Of course, she will be sad. You know, her confession was so sincere, she cares so much about you.”

“She might even cry, quietly shedding tears in the middle of the night upon discovering your departure. Her tears will fall to the ground like pearls, covering the entire room and sparkling under the moonlight…”

“She’s your Little Mermaid. If she can’t have your love, she’ll cry and eventually turn into foam.”

Yin Bai leaned over, inserted the rose into the vase, and sighed, saying, “Little Rose, don’t exaggerate. She is a mature adult, different from us…”

“She’s mature, rational, and filled with all the charm of a woman. People pursuing her lined up from Tibet to this little island…”

“Perhaps after I reject her, she will meet someone even better? Someone more mature, who won’t flee, and will respond positively to her feelings?”

The “Little Rose” countered, “No, no, no. Even if that’s the case, the hurt caused by your rejection can’t be compensated by a new relationship. She is a very emotional person, spending so much time on you, treasuring you so much. Leaving her, she will surely be heartbroken and cry.”

Yin Bai sighed, lowered her head, and said softly, “Sadness is just temporary. Life is so long; she will eventually forget about me.”

The “Little Rose” sighed softly and advised her, “But haven’t you forgotten? She said if you reject her, every time she sees you, it will hurt her. Are you willing to let her suffer?”

“Of course, I don’t want her to suffer, but…”

The “Little Rose” swayed its newly trimmed skirt and chattered, “But what? Nothing is permanent to begin with. Love is like us roses, blooming beautifully, and then quickly withering.”

“But when we bloom, we are the most beautiful flowers in the world. Everyone, including you, wants to have us, right?”

Yin Bai lowered her gaze, sighing, “Yes, I want to have you. But every time I see you wither, I feel so sad…”

The “Little Rose” smiled coyly and said cheerfully, “What’s there to be sad about? When our flowers wither, you collect the seeds, sow them again in fertile soil, carefully nurture and water them. Let us bloom once more from the same land, producing equally beautiful flowers.”

Yin Bai’s hand holding the scissors paused, her brows furrowed, eyes filled with sorrow, “But I’m afraid I can’t do that… Love is not such a simple matter; I…”

Before she could finish, the “Little Rose” angrily interrupted her, “Is cultivating a rose such a simple thing? We need fertilizer and water every day, can’t be exposed to too much sunlight but also can’t lack sunlight, need a fence, stay away from camels, make friends with butterflies, and even fear the night wind…”

“To achieve all these things, you can nurture us into beautiful roses, and that’s no small feat!”

“How can you say that cultivating a rose has no importance compared to your love!”

Yin Bai was rendered speechless by the retort. She pursed her lips and looked at the roses in the vase for a while before exhaling, “Alright, alright, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. It’s my fault, I’m sorry… I was too pessimistic… I was too weak…”

The “Little Rose” seemed to accept her apology, squeezed together, nodded in satisfaction, and said to Yin Bai, “Well, it’s not entirely your fault. We understand that humans always have various vulnerabilities. Many people are just like you, not perfect, with flaws. You just happen to have larger flaws.”

“As your faithful friends, we need to remind you a few things…”

A “Rose” swayed with the wind and looked straight at Yin Bai, asking, “Do you like her? Are you willing to choose her as your life partner?”

“Most importantly, are you sure that after giving her up, there will still be someone who loves you so much?”

Yin Bai pursed her lips and muttered, “I… I don’t know…”

The “Little Rose” sighed with frustration, “Of course, you don’t know because you always hope to receive love from others! But love comes from within yourself, not from others!”

“Yes, yes!” In an instant, all the “Roses” seemed to become excited, and the clamor surrounded Yin Bai from all directions. With the wind carrying the noise into her ears, it echoed in her mind: “Love comes from within yourself; you need to give yourself more and more love!”

“Don’t think about whether she will love you, but think about whether you love her?”

“Do you love her?”

The “Little Roses” all swayed their branches together, loudly asking Yin Bai, “Look at me, my dear friend, tell me the answer from your heart, do you love her?”

“I…”

Yin Bai held the scissors, unconsciously gripping a rose. When her fingertip was pricked by a thorn, Yin Bai seemed to awaken from a trance and realized, “Yes, I love her.”

The roses finally became joyful, swaying their branches, and in a relaxed tone, they said, “Then go tell her! If you like someone, you must let her know!”

“Go, and the wind will be the courageous wind for you, carrying your heart to the other side of the sea of love.”

Yes, for this matter, she must tell Zuo Jingyou no matter what. She couldn’t stay silent and do nothing like the last time!

Suddenly, Yin Bai felt a surge of immense courage. She set down the scissors, propelled her wheelchair, and headed towards the room.

She hurriedly pushed her wheelchair, almost several times steering herself into the thicket of roses. Seeing this, the garden servant who was trimming the garden in the yard quickly set aside his tools and ran behind Yin Bai, pushing her into the house.

Yin Bai expressed her thanks and had the servant push her towards the phone. She picked up the phone, hastily pressed the familiar sequence of numbers, and dialed quickly.

The phone rang for quite a while, and Yin Bai’s wavering heart became increasingly uneasy. She held onto the receiver, her lips pressed tightly, constantly hoping that Zuo Jingyou would answer the call.

Just as the ringing reached its end, the phone finally connected. A cold and clear voice, accompanied by faint electric noises, came through, “Hello?”

It was Zuo Jingyou. Upon hearing her voice, Yin Bai felt her entire body relax.

Yin Bai sat in her wheelchair, holding the phone, and softly said into the receiver, “Hello, it’s me…”

On the other end of the line, Zuo Jingyou gripped her phone tightly, pressed her lips together, and nervously asked, “Yin Bai?”

Yin Bai nodded and cautiously said to Zuo Jingyou, “If… I tell you now that I’m on a small island in the southern hemisphere, would you be willing to come and find me?”

Upon hearing this, Zuo Jingyou felt like her heart, suspended on a steel wire, suddenly dropped. She lowered her eyelids and gently said, “I will.”

Wherever Yin Bai was hiding, Zuo Jingyou was willing to go and dig her out.

Yin Bai’s eyes moistened instantly. She lowered her gaze, suppressing the trembling in her eyes, and with a teary voice, she said, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have run so far away.”

“But…”

“Zuo Jingyou, I love you.”

If there’s anything more concise, clear, and powerful than those three words to express affection, it’s hard to find.

Zuo Jingyou’s eyes turned red in an instant. She faced the howling northern wind, held her phone, and in a choked voice, she said to Yin Bai, “I love you too.”

“Where are you? Tell me the address, I’ll come find you right now.”

After enduring so many days of solitary suffering, she could no longer bear it. At this moment, all she wanted was to see her loved one.

Tell her how much she missed her.

LP: YES!!! I want Yin Bai’s brain…