Obscuris Labyrinth

At nine o'clock in the evening, the big clock at the railway station chimed. A train was about to arrive. At this time, the railway station was bustling with people. People were in a hurry, dragging their luggage, either anxiously waiting for the arrival of their relatives and friends or impatiently wanting to board the upcoming train. In this noisy environment, Zhao Yuxuan, as usual, would take a rest after finishing this business deal every day. Standing among the crowd, his eyes were like a sharp - eyed hawk, searching for potential customers among the people coming and going.

Just then, he saw a young woman with a suitcase in her hand. The woman was extremely fashionably dressed. She wore an exquisite dress paired with fashionable high - heeled shoes. Her hair was carefully groomed and shone with an alluring luster. Zhao Yuxuan quickly walked up to her, with a polite smile on his face, and gently asked her in a mild voice if she needed any service. However, the young woman just gave him a cursory glance and unhesitatingly refused him, then walked away hurriedly with an elegant gait.

Zhao Yuxuan couldn't help but feel a tinge of disappointment in his heart, as if a basin of cold water had extinguished the small flame that had just been kindled in his heart. He let out a soft sigh, which was tinged with helplessness and frustration, and then turned around to look for the next customer.

At the moment he turned around, his eyes were suddenly attracted by a girl. It was Chen Shihan. Her eyes were full of tears, like a lake on the verge of bursting its banks. The moment Zhao Yuxuan saw Chen Shihan, he felt his face burning as if he had been slapped hard. That sense of shame made him wish that the ground would suddenly crack open so that he could crawl in. However, this thought only lasted for a few seconds in his mind. He quickly adjusted his emotions and forced himself to regain his composure. The corners of his mouth even calmly lifted slightly, and he managed to squeeze out a faint smile as he said softly, "It was Zhao Yaxuan who told you."

Chen Shihan didn't respond. She just stared at him quietly, her eyes full of apology and pity. Her tears still kept falling from her cheeks like broken strings of beads. She sobbed and said, "Yuxuan, how could you do this? How could you?" Her words were full of disbelief at Zhao Yuxuan's current situation, and her voice trembled slightly, like a flickering candle in the wind.

However, Zhao Yuxuan didn't want to see her pitiful look. That look was like a sharp sword, stabbing straight into his heart, causing an unbearable pain in his heart. He was constantly struggling deep inside. On the one hand, the past feelings still made him have complex emotions towards Chen Shihan; on the other hand, he extremely disliked this pity - filled gaze. He didn't even want to say another word, but coldly said, "Chen Shihan, go back. What I do and what I become have nothing to do with you anymore."

After hearing his words, Chen Shihan suddenly burst into loud sobs. Her crying was particularly conspicuous in this noisy railway station, like a wounded little animal wailing. She reached out and tightly grabbed Zhao Yuxuan's arm. Her hands trembled slightly because of excitement, and she said in a trembling voice, "Yuxuan, Yuxuan, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I really didn't expect that I would cause you such great harm. Now even I hate myself. Come back with me. Let's not be apart anymore. Let's be together forever."

Facing Chen Shihan's tears and hearing her words, a surging tide seemed to rise in Zhao Yuxuan's heart. That impulse almost overwhelmed him, and he almost reached out to hug her and agreed to get back together with her. But soon, he forced himself to calm down. He thought to himself that Chen Shihan could come here, shed these tears, and say such words, which only showed that she still had feelings for him, but more of this feeling was pity. The love he desired was a love as firm as a rock, unwavering until death, a woman who could share joys and sorrows and stand together through thick and thin. But Chen Shihan was not. Since the day she said "sorry," she was no longer that person.

Zhao Yuxuan stared at Chen Shihan quietly, his eyes full of complex emotions, and said slowly, "Chen Shihan, you should go. I think my current life is quite good. It's very fulfilling, and I'm gradually getting used to it." Although his voice was calm, his heart was like the sea before a storm, seemingly calm but actually full of undercurrents.

Chen Shihan still held him tightly and said eagerly, "No, no, Yuxuan. You're not the kind of person who does such low - level work. Come back with me." Her words were full of anxiety. She simply couldn't accept that the once high - spirited Zhao Yuxuan was now doing such hard - labor work.

Zhao Yuxuan was stung in his heart once again. He frowned, and a sense of anger and unwillingness welled up in him. He said, "Who says that being a porter and doing hard labor is low - level work? This is a hundred times, a thousand times better than those national moths who steal, rob, or embezzle and corrupt by abusing their power." At this point, in order to test Chen Shihan further, he didn't mention that he was leaving the railway station for Xiling tomorrow. He just continued, "Chen Shihan, you want me to go back and make up with you, but have you thought about it carefully? I didn't study well, and I hardly have any strengths. In the future, I may very likely end up with nothing. Although I can stop being a porter, I can only be a small - time clerk or something. Forget about having a house, there won't be a car either, and I can't go to those high - end places. I can only live a tight - fisted life all my life. Are you really willing to live such a life with me?"

After these words were spoken, Chen Shihan didn't answer for a long time. Her heart was in a fierce struggle. The grip on Zhao Yuxuan's hand gradually loosened. Her eyes showed contradiction and hesitation. She didn't know if she could really accept such a life. The life she had once yearned for was full of sunshine and beauty, not as bleak as Zhao Yuxuan had described.

Zhao Yuxuan felt Chen Shihan's inner contradiction once again, and his heart was also gloomy. He knew that the distance between him and Chen Shihan was getting farther and farther. Chen Shihan could still shed tears for him today, which still made him feel a little comforted. After all, the past feelings hadn't completely disappeared. However, he also knew clearly that Chen Shihan always felt guilty towards him. But this kind of guilt was something he didn't want to see because it would only make him feel more sad, like rubbing salt into the wound.

Although Zhao Yuxuan had lost a lot, his dignity was still intact. He didn't need love with guilt and pity. This kind of love was like alms to him, a trampling on his self - esteem.

So, he quickly pulled his arm out of Chen Shihan's hand, stared at her firmly, and said coldly, "Chen Shihan, you really should go back. Don't worry about me. I know what I'm doing. Tomorrow I'm leaving here. I want to go around and relax. You're very beautiful. You need an outstanding man to be worthy of you. I'm good for nothing. If we're together, you'll be unhappy, and I'll be even more miserable."

Chen Shihan was silent again. She bit her lip so hard that it was almost about to bleed. She asked, "Then where do you plan to go?"

Zhao Yuxuan replied, "I'll go to Xiling first. It's hard to say what will happen after that, but perhaps there will always be a place suitable for me."

Chen Shihan nodded and said, "It's good for you to go and relax. But remember to call me."

As she spoke, she took out a stack of money from the small handbag she carried with her and handed it to Zhao Yuxuan, saying, "Yuxuan, this is ten thousand yuan. Take it. Eight thousand of it was secretly withdrawn by me from my father's bank card, and the other two thousand was given to you by Zhao Yaxuan. She said that she always charged things to your account in the past and felt very embarrassed. This two thousand yuan is to pay you back."

Zhao Yuxuan didn't take the money. He said firmly, "Chen Shihan, take the money back. At least for now, your family needs the money very much. You also know your father's temper. If you secretly take money from him and give it to me, you will surely be severely scolded when you go back. Also, thank Zhao Yaxuan for me. But she charged things to my account, and I acquiesced. It wasn't borrowing money from me, so there's no need for her to pay me back. I will earn money with my own hands. No matter how much it is, only the money earned by myself is comfortable to use."

Chen Shihan didn't listen and insisted on giving him the money. She felt that she owed Zhao Yuxuan and this money was a way for her to express her apology. But she was stopped by Zhao Yuxuan again. Zhao Yuxuan raised his voice and said, "Chen Shihan, go back quickly. If you give me the money again, I'll throw it on the ground." His voice was full of unquestionable determination.

Chen Shihan looked at Zhao Yuxuan's gloomy face and had no choice but to put the money back into her handbag with a desolate look. Her eyes were full of loss and helplessness as she said, "Yuxuan, if you are short of money someday, call me and I'll send it to you."

Zhao Yuxuan didn't pay any more attention to her. He turned around and walked towards a middle - aged woman. The middle - aged woman looked a little tired, with several large and small bags beside her. Zhao Yuxuan walked up to her, and immediately a bright smile appeared on his face, like the warm sun in winter. He enthusiastically asked the middle - aged woman if she needed any service and began to haggle over the price for a few yuan of remuneration. His voice echoed in the air, sounding full of a positive attitude towards life.

Chen Shihan stared blankly at him showing a bright smile to the middle - aged woman and listened to his voice haggling over the price for a few yuan of remuneration. A very complex expression gradually appeared on her face. There was surprise, sadness, helplessness, and also a trace of indescribable bitterness in that expression. She bit her lip tightly and then turned around and left hurriedly without looking back at him once.

Zhao Yuxuan watched Chen Shihan's receding figure, and his heart seemed to be bleeding. Today, he once again determined that Chen Shihan was a materialistic woman. She indeed liked him in her heart, but she yearned for a wealthy life more. He secretly vowed that if he appeared in front of Chen Shihan again one day, it would be when he was triumphant and had made a name for himself. He would be more excellent and wealthy than all the men around Chen Shihan. He wondered what her expression would be like at that time. He wanted to make this materialistic woman regret her original choice and let her know that he was a truly capable man.

At this time, Zhao Yuxuan decided not to do any more business. He felt that what had happened today had made him extremely tired inside. He was going to go back to that underground passage and have a good sleep. Tomorrow he was going to Xiling. He had already checked that the cheapest flight was at 11 o'clock noon. Now train tickets were not in short supply, and it was still in time to buy them on the spot.