Chapter 43: Love’s Bitter Taste

If life is a glass of clear water, then “love” is undoubtedly the “sugar.”

Once mixed in, the water becomes as sweet as honey.

In other words, if one simply wishes to separate sugar from water, existing human technology makes it very easy to purify.

There are countless ways to extract the sugar, to effortlessly separate the “water” from the “sugar.”

But when it comes to love—the love that has already mingled with life—how could it ever be purified?

Forcing a separation would only leave life riddled with holes, and the process would surely be unbearable.

Yan covered her ears, but her fingers had gaps.

Even if she didn’t want to hear, she still caught every word she dreaded.

“Are all the promises you made to me just lies?” Yan asked Chen Lin, her voice tinged with despair.

Chen Lin thought for a moment, then realized what promise she was referring to. “You mean that night? You can take it as me lying to you.”

Such frankness made Yan feel as if countless tiny hands were gripping her heart, prying it apart. It was as if her heart was about to be torn to shreds.

“…I won’t accept it. I won’t accept this outcome. What kind of explanation is that? Are promises so trivial to you?” Yan rebuked Chen Lin, and this time, tears streamed uncontrollably down her face.

She had only ever been made to cry by Chen Lin twice.

The first time was when he proposed their engagement—tears of joy overflowing.

This time was the complete opposite.

If her heart had been filled with joy then, now it was paying back with multiple times the sorrow.

“I’m sorry.” Chen Lin lowered his head and apologized to Yan.

“…I don’t accept it. I will never accept it.” Yan replied.

Chen Lin could treat that night’s words as a lie, but she could not.

Yan was on the verge of hysteria. She stood up, her young face streaked with tears.

Seeing Yan like this pained Chen Lin deeply.

“Yan, calm down.” He tried to soothe her, but she wouldn’t listen.

“How can I possibly calm down?” As if to vent, Yan yanked the tablecloth, sending everything crashing to the floor.

The commotion shattered the quiet atmosphere of the café, naturally drawing attention.

Chen Lin immediately stepped out of the booth and approached the server who had come to check on the situation.

“I’m sorry. I’ll pay for the damages.”

Since Chen Lin said that, the server had no choice but to back off for now.

Fortunately, there weren’t many customers in the café, so the impact was limited.

Shihan stepped out of her private car and looked at the café before her.

“Looks pretty nice,” she said to the driver. “I’ll contact you if needed.”

“Understood.” The driver nodded and drove off.

Shihan was in an excellent mood. Of course she was—she had been invited by the person she liked.

Chen Lin had asked her to meet at seven, but Shihan always arrived early. Since there was nothing to do at home anyway, she decided to come straight here.

It wasn’t even six yet. She was a bit early, but that didn’t matter.

Sitting in the café with a cup of coffee, resting while waiting for Chen Lin to show up—Shihan thought that would be nice.

Just as she was about to enter, her phone vibrated. Excited, she quickly picked it up, thinking it was a message from Chen Lin.

But when she unlocked the screen, she saw it was from her sister. She didn’t dislike her sister at all, but still felt a little disappointed.

– Are you really not coming home for dinner today?

Seeing Meiyue’s message, Shihan typed a reply.

– Yeah, I have other plans.

Within seconds, a reply came.

– But I contacted your private tutor. You don’t seem to have any classes today. You don’t have a boyfriend, do you?

– There is someone I care about.

Because she was very close to her sister, Shihan didn’t intend to hide it after a moment’s thought.

– I see. In that case, I’ll keep it secret for you. But in exchange, let me meet this person you like when you get the chance. Let your sister vet him—I won’t let any bad man deceive my good sister.

Seeing her sister’s concerned text warmed Shihan’s heart.

She wanted to tell Meiyue that she had already met the guy she liked, but after thinking about it, she decided not to. Her sister worried too much.

Pushing open the café door, Shihan stepped inside and immediately sensed something was off.

Not far away, beside a server, she spotted Chen Lin apologizing.

Worried, Shihan walked over and asked, “Can you tell me what happened?”

Her subtext was that if it involved money, she could help Chen Lin a little.

Seeing Miss Shihan appear, Chen Lin was very surprised. “Why are you here?”

They had agreed on seven. Shihan had come way too early.

“What do you mean why am I here? You’re the one who asked me to come,” Shihan responded, puzzled.

Suddenly, she realized something. Could it be that Chen Lin planned a surprise and she wasn’t supposed to arrive early? Was that why he was apologizing to the server?

Really, he didn’t have to do that. She would have been happy anyway. But since he was putting in so much effort, she’d cover the cost.

“How much is the compensation? I’ll pay it all.” Shihan handed the server a black bank card.

However, the ordinary café staff didn’t recognize the significance of such a card—only those with keen eyesight would.

Suddenly, Shihan felt a chill run down her spine. It was an instinctive reaction to being locked onto by a murderous intent.

Following the uneasy feeling, she saw Yan staring at her with a terrifying gaze, as if she were her mortal enemy.

****

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