Abstinence Pei, don't be too sweet when chasing your wife

The neon lights outside the floor-to-ceiling windows blurred into blurry spots on the glass, and Gu Fanxing's hands, holding the phone, were sweating.

The video of Jiuer drinking to drown her sorrows has been posted in the WeChat group for two days. Apart from a few insignificant emoticons, Du Fei's avatar has remained silent.

The dim blue light from the screen reflected on her face, making the anxiety in her eyes even clearer.

"What is he thinking?" Gu Fanxing muttered to himself, his thoughts in a tangled mess.

Memories came flooding back, and those overlooked details suddenly became crystal clear.

When Jiu'er was injured at Yunqi Mountain, Du Fei rushed over almost reflexively, picked her up and rushed down the mountain; outside the operating room, Du Fei was so nervous that his body was shaking; when he was taking care of Jiu'er in the ward, the sweetness and care overflowed the screen...

But after all this care and tenderness, an invisible high wall was built in Du Fei's heart.

He grew up in an orphanage, and completed college with the help of scholarships and part-time jobs. He has long been accustomed to bearing all the hardships on his own.

He travels around the world with a backpack all year round, handling the most difficult tasks for Pei Luonan, but his own life has become a drifting lonely boat.

He always felt that he could not give Jiuer a stable future, so he would rather bury this love deep in his heart.

"I can't stand by and watch any longer." Gu Fanxing sat up suddenly, a determined light flashing in his eyes.

She decided to take the initiative and do something for this couple who liked each other but were afraid to take the first step.

The first step is to find Pei Luonan, Du Fei's most trusted brother and boss.

When the morning light pierced through the clouds, Gu Fanxing was already standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window in Pei Luonan's office.

The glass reflected the faint blue shadows under her eyes, but it could not hide the sharpness that was leaping in her eyes.

Pei Luonan pushed the black coffee across the table. The crisp sound of the metal spoon hitting the wall of the cup was particularly clear in the silence. "Are you sure you want to use this method? Du Fei's temper, if pushed to the limit, might completely retreat into his shell."

"Then break his shell." Gu Fanxing opened the notebook, which was filled with densely written analysis.

Pei Luonan knew Du Fei too well and told him the truth: "Once Du Fei makes up his mind, he won't change it easily."

"We have to give it a try." Gu Fanxing unfolded a detailed plan with a determined look: "We need to use the method of provoking her. I have already contacted my cousin and asked her to organize a bachelorette party this weekend."

She paused. "The most crucial step is the third one, which is to have Jiuer 'accidentally' meet an excellent 'blind date' at the party. I've already found someone: my cousin's colleague, Chen Nan, a jewelry designer who studied in France. He's willing to cooperate with us in this scene."

In the next three days, Gu Fanxing pushed forward the plan like a precisely running gear.

During lunch break on Wednesday, she knocked on Jiuer's workstation with a folder in her arms.

A faint aroma of bitter coffee wafted from the cubicle. Jiuer's back, staring at the computer screen, was as thin as a piece of paper.

"Jiuer, my cousin just opened a dessert shop and there's a bachelorette party this weekend..." Before she could finish her words, Jiuer's hands that were typing on the keyboard suddenly stopped, and the blue light from the screen made her face turn pale.

Gu Fanxing paused deliberately and turned the phone screen towards her: "I heard there is a jewelry designer who studied in France. He is not only handsome, but also likes to look at the stars like you."

Jiuer lowered her eyes and stared at the cookie crumbs in the cracks of the keyboard. After a long time, she chuckled: "Okay, let's go and try the new products." She reached out and took the registration form.

Gu Fanxing specifically said in the WeChat group, "Jiuer has a date this weekend. I heard that the other person is very handsome and has potential..."

When Du Fei saw Gu Fanxing's message, his heart trembled slightly, and then he tugged at his tie irritably. When he realized his loss of composure, he immediately pretended to be calm and nonchalant to deceive himself.

The bachelor party was held as scheduled on Saturday evening.

Jiuer made a stunning appearance in a burgundy halter dress, and the diamond necklace on her collarbone sparkled under the light.

Chen Nan had been waiting in the corner, holding a bouquet of champagne roses in his hand, and half of a starry sky-themed handkerchief was sticking out of his suit pocket, which was Jiuer's favorite element.

"Ms. Ling, this is a constellation necklace designed just for you." Chen Nan knelt on one knee and opened the velvet jewelry box. The sapphires inlaid on the platinum chain shone mysteriously under the light. "I heard that Pisces girls should have their own exclusive starry sky."

Jiuer's cheeks flushed and her fingers trembled slightly.

Chen Nan took the opportunity to hold her hand and gently put the necklace on her: "Sure enough, no matter how beautiful the gem is, it is not as good as yours." His voice was gentle and magnetic, attracting the attention of the guests around him.

Gu Fanxing in the corner recorded the entire scene, especially capturing the blush on Jiuer's ears and Chen Nan's affectionate gaze.

She also took pictures of Chen Nan's fingers accidentally brushing across the back of Jiuer's hand when the two of them were clinking glasses, and the ambiguous moment when Chen Nan lifted her hair when Jiuer lowered her head and smiled.

At eight o'clock that evening, Gu Fanxing sent the carefully edited video and photos to the WeChat group.

In the picture, Chen Nan puts a suit jacket on Jiuer, and the two look at the camera side by side, like a couple in love.

The accompanying text added fuel to the fire: "Jiu'er is so beautiful tonight! The handsome guy I just met is also very good at flirting. I'm going to support this CP first!"

At this moment, Du Fei, who was in a foreign country, was standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, and the whiskey glass in his hand almost slipped.

The dazzling image on the screen made his throat tighten. He slammed half a glass of wine down his throat. The amber liquid burned his esophagus, but it couldn't extinguish the burning pain surging in his chest.

The image of Jiuer smiling with her eyelashes drooping in the picture overlaps with the girl making coffee in the memory, but is torn apart by the gentle gaze of the man next to her.

"She deserves better." He muttered to himself in the empty room, his nails digging deep into his palms.

But when Chen Nan knelt on one knee to show the necklace in the video, the blush on Jiuer's ears was like a heavy hammer, shattering the composure he had painstakingly maintained.

The phone vibrated again, and Pei Luonan joined the group chat: "It seems that this time they are serious."

The city lights outside the window were so bright that his reflection was shattered.

He really wanted to rush back to China and take Jiuer away from that man, but the plane tickets from various countries stuffed in his suitcase reminded him that he was just a homeless wanderer, so how could he give her a future and promises?

His breathing stagnated. At this moment, Jiuer on the screen was being gently gazed at by another man, but the pain was far more severe than the polar wind.

He grabbed the room card and rushed out the door, running wildly on the unfamiliar streets.

The night wind whistled past, drying the cold sweat on my forehead, but it couldn't blow away the lingering images in my mind.

Passing by a jewelry store, the sapphire necklace in the window made his eyes sore.

He stopped for a long time, and for some unknown reason took out his mobile phone to search for Chen Nan's name. When he saw the introduction of "a new jewelry designer who returned from further studies in Paris", he laughed at himself.

Yes, only a man like this is worthy of the stars in Jiuer's eyes.

Back at the hotel, Du Fei threw himself on the bed and stared at the ceiling in a daze.

He thought of the video Gu Fanxing had posted of Jiuer drowning her sorrows in alcohol. He'd feigned composure, but in reality, he'd watched it countless times. The sight of Jiuer curled up on the carpet was like a knife stabbing his heart every time he saw it.

“Perhaps this is just as well.”

He turned over and buried his face in the pillow, trying to block out the surging thoughts.

"At least she can have a secure future."

But somewhere in the corner of his chest, a voice kept shouting: Are you really willing? Willing to watch her become someone else's bride? Willing to bury those unspoken feelings forever?

As the morning light pierced through the clouds, Du Fei stared at the chat boxes on his phone that he had deleted and then restored. In the end, he just set Jiuer's dialog box to do not disturb.

He packed his luggage, looked at the rising sun outside the window, and told himself: This may be the best ending.