Chapter 24: Chapter 24: Heart City and Choice
Lin Yue looked at Lu Chen with a complex expression. Lu Chen slowly took out a well-prepared exquisite gift box from his pocket, and then gently opened it. Inside was a crystal-encrusted diamond necklace that sparkled with brilliant light.
In an instant, the lighting engineer turned off the lights in the hall, and only a spotlight was shone on Lu Chen and Lin Yue. Their figures were particularly dazzling in the bright beam. At this time, Su Ran seemed to be swallowed by the darkness. In this dimness, he felt as if he was gradually losing his entity, and his consciousness began to become blurred.
"This crystal diamond necklace was specially made by the top jewelry designer in China. There is only one in the world. I named it - Beloved. It symbolizes my most sincere and pure love for you, shining forever like diamonds and crystals. Lin Yue, give me a chance to let me wear it for you personally, okay?" Lu Chen's voice was gentle and affectionate, echoing throughout the hall.
Su Ran thought silently in her heart, Lu Chen was wrong, a crystal diamond necklace, anyone can buy it for a woman as long as they have money. But the true sincerity and purity in love comes from the most real emotions in the heart, and it can never be piled up by material things. But in this real world, how many women can see through this? The dazzling light of diamonds has already confused the eyes of too many people.
Su Ran finally chose to remain silent. He closed his heart tightly, as if hiding in a city that no one can reach. In it, his world shrank smaller and smaller, leaving only endless loneliness and loss.
The guests at the scene were moved by Lu Chen's affectionate confession. They applauded and encouraged Lin Yue to accept this love with warm applause. Lin Yue turned her head slightly and looked at a corner in the dark. Then, in silence, she nodded gently. In an instant, applause and cheers came one after another, and the whole hall was shrouded in this joyful atmosphere. Lu Chen was very excited and put the necklace on Lin Yue with trembling hands. At this moment, at Fang Yuan and Yan Yan's wedding, another couple was in love for life, which was double happiness.
At this moment, except for Su Ran, no one remembered the agreement he and Lin Yue had made in the rain that evening - to take a set of wedding photos called "Silent Joy". Those beautiful visions of the past, at this moment, seemed to be completely forgotten in the corner of time.
The wedding banquet was gradually coming to an end amid people's laughter and bustle, and the guests who came to the wedding began to say goodbye to each other. Su Ran staggered and walked out of the hotel alone. Outside the hotel, the sun was hot and dazzling. He subconsciously reached out to hold a pillar beside him and squinted his eyes to look at the blue sky and white clouds. In the dizziness after being drunk, he seemed to see the city in his heart slowly detached from the ground, slowly rising with the floating air, and finally merging with the blue sky and white clouds, gradually becoming crystal clear, and all the loneliness and pain seemed to disappear at that moment.
Yan Yan and Fang Yuan, wearing wedding dresses, rushed over and supported the shaky Su Ran on the left and right. Yan Yan said apologetically: "Su Ran, I'm sorry. We really didn't know that Lu Chen would confess to Lin Yue at our wedding. You must feel bad, I'm really sorry." "Haha, I'm not sad, how could I be sad? By the way, did you see... The city in my heart flew into the air, hidden in the sun, and became crystal clear." Su Ran said vaguely, and took out the transparent film from the cigarette box and covered her eyes, trying to find the illusory sky city. Yan Yan and Fang Yuan looked at each other, Fang Yuan gently took off the film in Su Ran's hand, and said: "Don't talk drunkenly, I'll find a driver to take you back." "Don't bother so much, I can go back by myself, I'll take a taxi." Su Ran broke free from their support and walked to the street. As he staggered, he saw Lin Yue supporting the drunk Lu Chen from the other side. As Lin Yue walked, he took out the car keys from Lu Chen's pocket and opened the door of the black Land Rover. Fang Yuan and Yan Yan hurried over to help, and they helped Lu Chen into the car.
Su Ran looked at this scene, and there was not much sadness in his heart. He thought to himself that at least he could still stand, but Lu Chen was drunk and unconscious. This time, it was Lu Chen who fell down. He was the "grandson", and he was the "grandfather", a "grandfather" who silently endured the pain in loneliness.
He stood quietly in place, watching Lin Yue start the car and drive Lu Chen to the depths of the city's prosperity.
This afternoon, Su Ran sat on the green belt beside the moat and smoked one cigarette after another. Finally, the cigarette box was empty, he closed his eyes helplessly, lay down, and felt the breeze of the autumn afternoon gently brushing his body. Although he drank too much alcohol, the extreme pain in his heart prevented him from falling asleep. Instead, in this alternative sobriety after being drunk, the pain was infinitely magnified.
The scene of Lin Yue writing "wait" heavily on the car window in the past, and the scene of her silently nodding to accept Lu Chen's confession today, alternately appeared in Su Ran's mind, and flashed faster and faster, like two sharp blades, trying to tear his soul apart. He hugged his head in pain, curled up, and whimpered softly.
The pain in his heart became more and more unbearable, and Su Ran even had a terrible idea - to end his life and follow the city that had been stripped from his heart and turned into the city in the sky. He used up his last bit of strength, took out his mobile phone from his pocket, found the most recent call record in the call log, and dialed it without hesitation.
After a long time, the call was connected, and Xu Tianna's firm voice came from it: "No matter what excuse you use this time, I will not tolerate you anymore. You must move out today. I don't want a liar to live in my house." Su Ran smiled bitterly, and his tone was surprisingly calm: "If you are free now, come to the moat quickly." His inexplicable request made Xu Tianna even more angry. She asked in a heavy tone: "Why should I go?" "Come and stop me, I want to jump into the river, I really will jump." Su Ran finished speaking, and without waiting for Xu Tianna's response, he raised his hand and threw the phone into the moat. He did not lie. Driven by alcohol and pain, his heart was numb and he really wanted to pursue the crystal clear sky city. A warm breeze blew, bringing a hint of comfort. But before Su Ran took a step, the long-accumulated alcohol suddenly surged into his heart. He looked up at the dizzy blue sky, his body suddenly softened, and he fell to the ground and fell asleep. When Su Ran woke up, it was completely dark. The street lights on both sides of the moat emitted dim light, reflected on the river surface, and swayed gently with the waves. From time to time, the sound of car horns could be heard on the road on the shore. Under the dual stimulation of vision and hearing, the originally blurred world gradually became real.
Su Ran had a splitting headache and stared blankly at the twinkling stars in the sky. At this moment, a faint woman's fragrance drifted into his nose with the autumn wind at night. He turned his head and was surprised to find Xu Tianna sitting next to him, and he was still wearing Xu Tianna's coat.
Su Ran sat up from the ground, and Xu Tianna realized that he was awake.
"You're awake."
"Why are you here?"
The two asked almost at the same time.
Another gust of night wind blew, and a yellowed maple leaf slowly fell into the river not far away, and drifted with the waves under the reflection of the stars.
Both of them looked at the river quietly. After a moment, Xu Tianna replied, "I came to see if you were dead."
"What do you mean dead or not?" Su Ran was full of doubts. He had long forgotten that he had called Xu Tianna before he fell asleep.
"So you are lying to me again, right?" Xu Tianna asked.
"I have no idea what you are talking about." Su Ran sighed.
Xu Tianna patiently explained, "You called me at noon and said you wanted to jump into the river. If you still have questions, you can check your phone's call records."
"Then let me see." Su Ran said, and began to fumble in his pocket. "Huh? Where's my phone?"
Looking at the river again, he finally remembered that he had thrown his phone into the moat on impulse. As his memory recovered, he remembered that he had indeed called Xu Tianna like crazy at noon and said he wanted to jump into the moat.
Su Ran said to Xu Tianna with some guilt: "I'm sorry, I drank too much at noon, and I was just talking nonsense. I really didn't mean to deceive you."
"Scum, a liar without moral integrity!" Xu Tianna scolded mercilessly.
"Can you stop scolding me like that?" Su Ran paused for a moment and said, "It's just jumping into the river. I'll make it up to you now. It's not too late, right?"
"Go ahead." Xu Tianna said to him while looking at the river.
"Jump if you want." Su Ran said, stood up, walked to the river, and jumped onto the guardrail by the river. At this moment, he was full of confusion and pain. He didn't know what the outcome would be if he took this step, and he didn't know whether Xu Tianna would really watch him jump into the river, and how the complicated entanglement between him, Lin Yue, and Lu Chen would develop after this.