I was a rookie reporter in the 00s

Chapter 337 The knot in the heart is hard to untie

The day Li Wei told Zhang Wanqing everything, the air seemed to freeze. Zhang Wanqing sat on the sofa, her eyes empty, as if everything she had just heard was beyond her ability to bear. She looked at Li Wei, then at Fu Siyuan standing beside her, feeling a mixture of emotions.

"So... Siyuan has been lying to her?" Zhang Wanqing's voice trembled slightly. She tried to look calm, but she could not hide the loss in her eyes.

Li Wei sighed and said in a gentle tone, "Wanqing, Siyuan did this to protect you. Kong Weiwei's methods were too cruel, and he didn't want you to get involved."

Zhang Wanqing shook her head, a hint of confusion in her eyes: "Protect me? But why doesn't he even trust me?"

Fu Siyuan stood aside, his eyes filled with guilt. He wanted to explain, but didn't know where to begin. He looked at Zhang Wanqing and said softly, "Wanqing, I didn't mean to hide this from you. I was just worried that you'd worry, that Kong Weiwei might do something to you..."

Zhang Wanqing interrupted him, her voice choking with sobs: "Siyuan, I'm not made of glass. I'm also capable of protecting myself. You're hiding this from me. Do you not trust me at all?"

Fu Siyuan's heart sank as he realized Zhang Wanqing had misunderstood. He stepped forward, trying to hold her hand, but Zhang Wanqing dodged him. A hint of disappointment lingered in her eyes. "Siyuan, I thought there were no secrets between us. I thought... even if we weren't lovers, we were partners. We've been through life and death together, and endured so many hardships together. Isn't that a reason for you to trust me?"

Fu Siyuan lowered his head and fell silent. He knew he had made a serious mistake—he had tried to protect Zhang Wanqing but ignored her feelings. He had thought keeping it a secret from her was the best way to protect her, but he hadn't expected it would create such a barrier between them.

Over the next few days, the atmosphere at the newspaper office grew awkward. Zhang Wanqing and Fu Siyuan were no longer as close as they once were, replaced by an inexplicable distance. Every time Fu Siyuan tried to get closer, Zhang Wanqing coldly rejected him. Her eyes were no longer tender, replaced by a deep disappointment.

Li Wei saw it all and was anxious. He knew that the relationship between Fu Siyuan and Zhang Wanqing had gone through too many twists and turns, and now it was at a stalemate because of this misunderstanding. He found Fu Siyuan and patted him on the shoulder: "Siyuan, you have to have a good talk with Wanqing. She is a proud girl, you have to make her understand your difficulties."

Fu Siyuan nodded, with a hint of determination in his eyes: "I know, I have to explain it clearly. I can't let her misunderstand me like this."

However, when Fu Siyuan found Zhang Wanqing, she avoided him. She sat alone on the rooftop of the newspaper office, looking at the sky in the distance, with a hint of loneliness in her eyes. Fu Siyuan stood behind her, hesitated for a long time, and finally mustered up the courage to speak: "Wanqing, can we talk?"

Zhang Wanqing didn't turn around, but just said calmly: "What are you talking about? About how you hid it from me, or how you used me?"

Fu Siyuan's heart ached. He walked forward and stood beside her: "Wanqing, that's not what I meant. I just don't want you to be involved in this danger. Kong Weiwei is too cruel. I'm afraid she will hurt you..."

Zhang Wanqing sneered, "Are you afraid that she'll hurt me? Or are you afraid that I'll drag you down? Siyuan, do you think I don't know what you're thinking? You've already made up your mind, you just don't want me to know."

Fu Siyuan was stunned. He hadn't expected Zhang Wanqing to think this way. He took a deep breath and tried to remain calm. "Wanqing, you misunderstood. I really just didn't want you to worry. You know Kong Weiwei's methods. She even dared to threaten me, let alone you."

Zhang Wanqing raised her head, a hint of stubbornness in her eyes: "Siyuan, I'm not a little girl who needs to be protected. I have my own abilities and my own bottom line. You hid it from me and made me feel like an outsider. You thought you were protecting me, but in fact you were only hurting me."

Fu Siyuan looked at her, his eyes full of guilt: "Wanqing, I know I was wrong. I'm just too afraid of losing you and afraid that you will be hurt. I...I don't know how to make up for it."

Zhang Wanqing was silent for a long time, and finally sighed and said, "Siyuan, you can't hide your feelings. If you can't even trust me, then what's the point of us being together?"

"I'm sorry, it's all my fault." Fu Siyuan said.

At this moment, Zhang Wanqing seemed to have vented all her previous emotions. It was the first time she quarreled with Fu Siyuan, and it was also the first time she said out all the unspoken words in her heart.

"I'm not your girlfriend, you don't have to make it up to me! I'm... just... your colleague..." After saying that, Zhang Wanqing turned and left. This was the first time she treated Fu Siyuan so decisively, completely without the humble attitude she had shown in her past.

At this moment, Fu Siyuan realized for the first time how much he loved Zhang Wanqing and how much he feared losing her. The word "love" had never entered Fu Siyuan's mind. From childhood, he had only known studying, reading, taking exams, and working. He was a completely straight man. Although he was handsome and talented, and many girls pursued him since childhood, he had never been moved by anyone.

Previously, he had assumed Zhang Wanqing was just like the girl he'd known since childhood. When Zhang Wanqing first confessed her feelings to him, he didn't respond. His refusal wasn't a rejection, nor was it a way of treating her like a fish in a pond. Rather, he was genuinely at a loss, unsure whether his feelings for her were truly love. Alas, are there really men in this world who are so insensitive to love?

Yes, at least Fu Siyuan is that kind of man. But in the eyes of a clear-headed girl like Lin Yue, Fu Siyuan's failure to respond to the confession of his love for the girl he likes is the behavior of a scumbag.

Later, Fu Siyuan, who was a hard stone, was finally moved by Zhang Wanqing's sincerity. He asked Zhang Wanqing to give him time to think about it. When he was mature and mentally prepared one day, he would accept her. So, Zhang Wanqing started to fight internal friction, always waiting and always thinking about it.

She thought that as long as she waited, Fu Siyuan would figure it out and accept her, but then Kong Weiwei appeared again. No matter what the reason was for Fu Siyuan to be with Kong Weiwei, they were a couple, and everyone saw them being very affectionate.

At this point in the story, Fu Siyuan finally realizes that he loves Zhang Wanqing. He believes that he and Kong Weiwei are together for Zhang Wanqing, and Zhang Wanqing should forgive him. But no girl can accept the boy she loves being affectionate with another girl, right? Because, as Zhang Wanqing said, Fu Siyuan also has other solutions.

Alas, when it comes to matters of the heart, each person has his own reasons and no one can explain it clearly... Otherwise, why are there so many people in this world who are crazy about love?