civilwarnovels Chapter 156 The one who tied the knot must untie it.
Chapter 156 The one who tied the knot must untie it.
Lin Kai had been waiting at the intersection for quite some time.
The night was deep, and the dim yellow light of the streetlights shone on him, making his slightly solemn expression particularly clear.
With his hands in his pockets, he kept glancing at the intersection, looking just like a student anxiously waiting for the results of the college entrance examination.
When he saw Lu Yuan and his group emerge from the night, his eyes lit up instantly. He rushed over and eagerly asked, "How did it go, Lu Yuan? Did you find out anything?"
"..."
Lu Yuan and the others looked at each other, unsure of what to say.
"What's wrong? Say something!" Seeing everyone's silence, Lin Kai's heart sank, an ominous premonition surged into his mind, and his expression became increasingly solemn.
Finally, Lu Yuan sighed and broke the deadlock: "Lin Kai, maybe we've all misunderstood."
"What's the misunderstanding?" Lin Kai frowned, his tone revealing a barely concealed excitement and panic.
"Perhaps, Ya-jie doesn't like you that much." Lu Yuan paused, carefully choosing his words to find the most tactful expression. "At least from what we know so far, she may have had a relationship with someone else. Perhaps, in her heart, there's always been someone more important than you."
"How could this be...?"
Lin Kai froze, as if all his strength had been drained away, probably because he simply couldn't accept this outcome.
His lips moved as if he wanted to refute something, but his throat felt like it was stuffed with cotton, and he couldn't utter a single word.
In fact, he had considered this worst-case scenario, but when it was laid bare before him, the suffocating pain was still unbearable.
He slumped down on the roadside, covered his face with his hands, and fell into deep regret and self-doubt.
Lu Yuan and the others stood aside watching him, their eyes filled with heartache.
Gao Zhe stepped forward and told Lin Kai everything he had found out that night.
At the same time, it is important to emphasize that these are, after all, elegant truths uttered after drinking, and should only be used as a reference, not necessarily all facts.
Lin Kai remained silent for a long time, the night wind ruffling his hair.
He rubbed his temples wearily and let out a helpless sigh: "This trip will probably be a wasted effort."
"What? From what you're saying, you're planning to leave?" Lu Yuan keenly caught the hint of retreat in his words.
"Yes." Lin Kai raised his head, his eyes filled with resentment, yet also with a deep sense of helplessness. "I've been stuck here for too long. Today my family called and gave me an ultimatum: if I don't go home, they'll freeze all my bank cards."
"Is that so?" Lu Yuan asked, somewhat puzzled. "Don't your family know why you went out this time?"
"Sigh, how could I possibly tell them that I came to see Ya Ya!" Lin Kai said with a wry smile.
"Why can't we tell them?"
"Because of me..." Lin Kai hesitated, his eyes flickering, as if there was some unspeakable secret hidden behind it.
"Just say it directly. We're on the same side now, sharing the same fate." Lu Yuan looked at him sincerely. "I don't want any secrets to hinder our assessment of the situation."
"Okay, I'll tell you the truth." Lin Kai took a deep breath, as if he had made up his mind, before slowly speaking, "Actually, my family has already arranged a marriage for me, with my... childhood sweetheart. The reason I suddenly came to find Ya Ya at this time is because I might be getting married when I go back this time."
"What?! You're engaged?!"
Upon hearing this, Gao Zhe's eyes widened instantly, and a surge of anger rushed to his head; he immediately became displeased.
How could he tolerate someone who was already engaged coming to entangle with his sister?
Since they're already engaged, why is he still trying to seduce Gao Ya? Isn't that the behavior of a complete scumbag?
"No, no! Let me explain!" Lin Kai quickly waved his hands to clarify, "It's just a verbal agreement between the two families' elders, basically just to maintain business ties. But I don't like that person at all, and I was forced into this marriage!"
"..."
Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent again, and the atmosphere became somewhat awkward.
Lu Yuan stroked his chin, thought for a moment, then suddenly grasped the key point and asked, "Does Sister Ya know about this?"
"She... doesn't know, right?" Lin Kai carefully went through the thought in his mind, then nodded with absolute certainty. "Yes, she definitely doesn't know. Apart from my family, no one else knows about this."
Despite Lin Kai's confident assertions, Lu Yuan still harbored a nagging feeling that this "hidden engagement" might be the most fatal obstacle standing between them.
"I think the one who tied the knot must untie it," Ye Yixian, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke softly. "Ultimately, the matter between you and Sister Ya needs to be resolved by yourselves. No matter what secrets you are hiding, you need an honest and effective conversation."
Everyone turned to look at Ye Yixian, clearly not expecting her to offer her opinion on such a relationship issue.
Feeling slightly embarrassed as everyone stared at him, Ye Yixian's cheeks flushed.
But Lu Yuan gave her an encouraging look, which gave her immense courage.
She composed herself and continued, "Instead of blindly testing the waters here, why not go directly to her and find out how she really feels about you? If you're sincere enough and your attitude is genuine enough, and if she truly cares about you, even if she doesn't agree to date you right now, she'll eventually soften and tell you those secrets she doesn't want to tell you."
"The most important thing in a relationship is sincerity."
At this point, Ye Yixian paused, carefully observing Lin Kai's expression to make sure he had taken her words to heart, before continuing, "But if... Sister Ya truly doesn't have romantic feelings for you, then it proves she's not the right person for you. It wouldn't be a bad idea to let things go and move on."
Ye Yixian's rational and insightful words successfully made everyone think deeply.
Wang Qingyu chimed in at the opportune moment, "Yes. Girls' thoughts are all pretty much the same. If they really like someone, they can't keep running away and dodging. As long as you show her enough sincerity, she will definitely give you an answer."
"this……"
Lin Kai was speechless for a moment. He turned to look at Lu Yuan and Gao Zhe, wanting to hear the opinions of his two good brothers.
Lu Yuan readily agreed with Ye Yixian and Wang Qingyu's assessment. He patted Lin Kai on the shoulder and said earnestly, "At this point, this is the only way. Lin Kai, we're familiar with Sister Ya, so in a sense, we're definitely on her side. If she truly doesn't have those feelings for you, we can't force her to date you, right?"
"Hmm..." Lin Kai had no reply and could only nod silently.
Lu Yuan continued, "But as men, we also hope you can face this relationship squarely. Don't give up easily, but never force it either. After all, relationships are a two-way street, and finding someone who truly loves you is more important than anything else."
"Then... I'll go find her now?" Lin Kai was greatly encouraged, and a glimmer of light rekindled in his eyes. He planned to go to Gao Ya in person and get things straight.
"Go."
Lu Yuan nodded, then turned to Gao Zhe: "Do you think Ya-jie has gone home to sleep yet?"
"She drank a bit too much tonight, I'm not really sure," Gao Zhe said, already taking out his phone to call and confirm.
If she's still awake, that's good too. With a bit of alcohol on her side, she might be more willing to let her guard down and communicate properly with Lin Kai.
Before dialing the number, Lin Kai was so nervous that he even held his breath.
He secretly vowed that if he still got nowhere after speaking his mind to her face this time, he would stop right there and never bother her again.
"Ring ring ring..."
The moment the call was dialed, the same cell phone rang simultaneously in the vicinity.
"What happened?"
Everyone looked at each other, then turned to look in the direction of the sound.
A familiar figure was standing in the shadow of a tree not far from the intersection.
"Why does it sound so much like my sister's ringtone?" Gao Zhe paused for a moment, then said uncertainly.
But he didn't even need to confirm it; everyone had already recognized the person from the slender figure in the night.
"Yaya?"
Lin Kai's eyes flickered slightly as he saw the person slowly walking towards them. His expression shifted from confusion to surprise, and finally to undisguised joy.
"Sister Ya? What's she doing here?"
Everyone was a little confused.
Her elegant steps quickened, and she soon arrived before the crowd.
Unable to contain his excitement, Lin Kai stepped forward, about to say with a smile, "Ya Ya, I was just about to look for you, but it turns out you..."
"Snapped!"
A crisp slap rang out suddenly. Before Lin Kai could finish speaking, he was slapped so hard that his head was turned to the side, and the rest of his words were swallowed back down his throat.
Everyone was shocked; they never expected Gao Ya to be so ruthless.