Chapter 135: Return to My Side

Xu Fangyuan knew Lin Yanran too well—just by seeing the expression on her face, she understood exactly what Lin Yanran was thinking at that moment.

In short, Lin Yanran was regretting it.

She regretted breaking up with Su Chen.

Seeing this, Xu Fangyuan reached out to tousle Lin Yanran’s messy hair, then gently smoothed it down.

While doing so, she spoke softly, “Yanran, I know what you’re thinking. Are you regretting it? Do you feel like you lost such an outstanding guy like Su Chen?”

Lin Yanran lay back on the bed, covering her eyes with her arm. Her nose twitched, but she remained silent.

Yet Xu Fangyuan clearly saw a tear roll from where Lin Yanran’s arm met her face, falling onto the bedsheet.

Lin Yanran was crying.

Though she refused to admit it, the emptiness inside her was suffocating.

Even if she could put on a brave face in front of Xu Fangyuan, she couldn’t deceive herself.

Seeing Lin Yanran’s state, Xu Fangyuan sighed deeply and said, “If I had known it would turn out like this, I wouldn’t have agreed to your breakup no matter what.”

“Seeing you like this, so despondent, truly breaks my heart.”

Using gentle persuasion, Xu Fangyuan coaxed Lin Yanran into feeling even more regretful, stirring a yearning in her to rush to Su Chen and confess her true feelings.

In truth, it was Xu Fangyuan’s idea for Lin Yanran to break up with Su Chen.

But she never forced it outright. Instead, like warming a frog in slowly heated water, she kept subtly whispering in daily life until Lin Yanran truly believed Su Chen wasn’t good enough for her.

In the end, it was Lin Yanran’s own strong will that pushed her to end things.

So even now, Lin Yanran blamed no one else but herself for the breakup.

Xu Fangyuan was truly masterful at manipulation.

Listening to Xu Fangyuan’s comforting words, Lin Yanran felt a strange sensation she couldn’t quite explain.

But the warmth of Xu Fangyuan’s concern quickly dispelled that odd feeling. She sat up, embraced Xu Fangyuan tightly, and trembled as she sobbed.

“Yuan-jie, only now do I realize how deeply Su Chen loved me…”

“At that time, he was willing to wash the vegetables, cook, clean the house—everything—so I didn’t have to worry about a thing.”

“We were poor, yes, but Su Chen never let me suffer a single hard day.”

“And he wouldn’t abandon me alone at night like Feng Shixiang did last night. He… he was so worried I might be in danger.”

“Whenever work conflicted with me, he didn’t hesitate to quit. No matter where I was, one phone call and he’d rush to me…”

Through her tears, Lin Yanran’s words soaked Xu Fangyuan’s shoulder.

“He treated me so well, and yet I still recklessly broke up with him. I… I…”

“Yuan-jie, I really miss Su Chen so much!” Lin Yanran admitted.

Hearing these words, Xu Fangyuan’s lips curled into a slight smile out of Lin Yanran’s sight.

She knew the moment was ripe to push things forward.

Xu Fangyuan gently patted Lin Yanran’s back, soothing her softly as if comforting a child.

“It’s okay, Yanran. Life is long, and no one can guarantee they won’t make mistakes.”

“As the old saying goes, nobody is perfect; everyone makes mistakes.”

Lin Yanran nuzzled into Xu Fangyuan’s shoulder, voice muffled, “But this mistake is so huge… I’ve been thinking all these days, maybe this will be the biggest regret of my life.”

“How tragic it is for two people who love each other not to be together!”

Hearing this, Xu Fangyuan’s smile twitched.

Two people who love each other… how ironic that sounded.

A woman despised a man for not being good enough, while he said she was worthless to him. Now that the man has found success, she says she still loves him…

Well, whether she truly loves him or not, it was clear that Lin Yanran regretted it.

And that was enough.

“Yanran,” Xu Fangyuan said, “if you think this is the biggest regret of your life, why not fight for it yourself?”

“If you just regret it passively and only sigh here, then this regret will haunt you forever.”

Xu Fangyuan’s words made Lin Yanran pause. Suddenly, she lifted her tear-streaked face and looked at Xu Fangyuan, asking, “Yuan-jie… what do you mean?”

Xu Fangyuan wiped her tears away and said, “I mean, if you still love him, then fight for it. Go be with him again.”

Lin Yanran looked stunned, uncertain, “You mean… I should get back together with Su Chen?”

Xu Fangyuan nodded.

But Lin Yanran hesitated, “How is that possible? I hurt Su Chen so deeply. How do I have the face to find him again?”

Seeing Lin Yanran’s hesitation, Xu Fangyuan said earnestly, “You said he was the one who chased you in the beginning, so now it’s your turn to win him back.”

“Men chasing women is like climbing a mountain; women chasing men is like crossing a veil. You two love each other already. I’ve seen so many couples who go through ups and downs and end up happily together. This is just a story you’ll tell about your future happiness.”

Lin Yanran’s eyes brightened suddenly.

“Really? Yuan-jie, you truly believe that?”

“Of course!” Xu Fangyuan nodded. “Su Chen hasn’t been linked to anyone else yet; he’s still single.”

“And even if he weren’t, you could still fight for love. Remember, love is the purest and most powerful force in the world!”

Hearing this, Lin Yanran stopped crying, a smile blossoming on her face.

She wanted to rush to Su Chen right now and tell him with her own lips that she still loved him, urging him to come back to her.

Given how deeply Su Chen once loved her, Lin Yanran believed he would smile and return to her arms.

“Thank you, Yuan-jie! Without your words, I don’t know how much I would have missed out on.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t be so despondent anymore. I’ll show Su Chen my best side and bring him back to me.”