Pursuing Her Best Friend after Confession Failed-Chapter 359 - 159: Saving the Situation Indirectly, The Mother-in-Law Assists

Li Yuan looked at Zhong Tingyue’s mother and handed her the gift he was holding.

"Auntie, I came in a hurry and wasn’t sure what you’d like, so please accept this small token," he said.

Gu Lanxin stared at the gift box Li Yuan handed her, momentarily startled and hesitant. She hadn’t expected that, despite the special circumstances, Li Yuan would still remember to buy her a gift while rushing over from Modu by car. His thoughtfulness was incredible. This considerate young man was indeed very appealing to women. Never mind her daughter; if a man pursued her with the same passion he showed his cherished child, she too would find it hard to resist and would quickly succumb.

Gu Lanxin politely declined. "It’s enough that you brought something for Little Moon; I don’t need anything."

Li Yuan smiled faintly. "Auntie, it’s just a small gesture for my first visit."

"I’ve known Little Moon for so long and haven’t had the opportunity to visit you in Sucheng. I hope you don’t mind."

With that, he placed the gift box into Gu Lanxin’s hands.

The box contained a set of gold jewelry—a necklace, earrings, and a bracelet—that he had casually purchased from a jewelry store next to the residential complex. The price wasn’t too extravagant, totaling around fifty to sixty thousand yuan, which he figured was an acceptable gift for Zhong Tingyue’s mother.

"Well, you shouldn’t have," Gu Lanxin said politely as she accepted the gift. Her impression of Li Yuan rose once again. A man willing to spend money on a woman is a good man—a million times better than those who only pay lip service while trying to sponge off others. And listen to him speak... he’s such a polite and well-mannered boy.

"Auntie, I’m going to see Little Moon now," Li Yuan said, his gaze shifting to the balcony where Zhong Tingyue was curled up, hugging her knees with her head bowed, sobbing quietly.

Li Yuan walked softly over to Zhong Tingyue, sat down beside her, and sighed.

"I’m sorry, Little Moon."

Zhong Tingyue turned her head away and cried even louder, her heart filled with immense sadness and grievance.

She originally had no intention of dating in university and just wanted to be alone. But Li Yuan had suddenly burst into her life at the start of the school year, deceiving her with a lie. He had treated her so well, causing her to fall completely for him... After giving him everything, she thought she would finally have a happy life and a fresh start. But then a bolt from the blue shattered her world, making her realize it was all a fantasy. She was just a third party intruding on her roommate’s love story... She couldn’t even imagine how she would face her roommate, Bai Weixi, in the future... But she hadn’t known anything, hadn’t done anything wrong. How did things end up like this? With her hopes shattered and her love defiled, she no longer saw any meaning in living.

Li Yuan gently placed a hand on Zhong Tingyue’s shoulder, patting it softly as he began to speak.

"Little Moon, you probably think anything I say right now is just another lie. Thinking back on it, I did lie."

Zhong Tingyue’s sobs suddenly softened. With tear-filled, swollen red eyes, she gazed at Li Yuan and asked a single question.

"Li Yuan, do you truly love me?"

"Yes, I love you. In my last life, this life, and my next, I will always love you," he answered without hesitation. His gaze was steady as he looked at Zhong Tingyue, her eyes red-rimmed and full of tears, her face pale and haggard without a trace of color. His heart was filled with worry.

Zhong Tingyue stared blankly at Li Yuan, her voice hoarse.

"Li Yuan, you already have a girlfriend. Why did you have to pursue me?"

"You chased Bai Weixi for three years in high school, and you’re together in university. Then you came after me. I feel like a third party."

"You keep saying you love me. Can love be shared?"

"Li Yuan, I hate you."

Li Yuan listened quietly to Zhong Tingyue’s hysterical, tear-filled accusations, understanding her feelings completely.

When someone invests their whole heart in a relationship, they can’t simply let go of the hurt. Zhong Tingyue couldn’t, and neither could he. In his previous life, after investing so much emotion and time, the pain he felt was even worse than what Zhong Tingyue was feeling now... The words he had so carefully prepared suddenly seemed meaningless. There was nothing left to justify.

"Sigh... Little Moon, matters of the heart are sometimes beyond our control. It was my fault for wronging you," he said.

"All I can do is offer my sincerest apology once more."

"You might find what I’m about to say disgusting, but I still want to say it."

"I wasn’t lying. I really do love you. Not being with you in our past life was the biggest regret of my life. I’m grateful that heaven gave me a second chance to meet you again."

"Heh, all that talk of ’three lives, three worlds, and peach blossoms blooming just for me’... All those beautiful things were fake!" Zhong Tingyue sneered, her gaze vacant as she looked at Li Yuan. The glimmer of light that had risen in her eyes instantly dimmed again.

She didn’t even dare to ask Li Yuan to choose between her and Bai Weixi, because deep down, she already knew the answer. She had read Bai Weixi’s social media posts and all the comments several times, and each time, the pain in her heart grew sharper... Bai Weixi and Li Yuan weren’t just high school classmates; they were also attending Daxia University together. For Bai Weixi’s sake, Li Yuan had stubbornly applied to Daxia University, risking having to repeat a year if his scores weren’t high enough... So many classmates and friends had witnessed their relationship and given them their blessings.