Chapter 70: Chi Mo 24
Xu Jike fell silent for a moment. "Fine, I won't ask. But if you feel unwell, please feel free to tell me."
Tan You: "It's fine. I just need to lie down for a night."
They reached the hotel parking lot in a disjointed conversation. Holding her drink cup, Tan You said, "Thank you for driving me back to the hotel."
She had only taken two steps when she suddenly heard footsteps behind her. Xu Jike jogged up to catch up. "Chi Mo, can we talk? I won't take much of your time. Just five minutes will do."
Tan You stopped in her tracks. "What do you want to talk about?"
Xu Jike hesitated. "We haven't known each other long, but I think you are truly exceptional. You are kind to everyone else, yet you are uniquely cold toward me. Why?"
He wasn't a fool; in fact, Xu Jike was incredibly intelligent. Could he not sense Tan You's attitude toward him? But he truly didn't understand—had he done something to offend her?
Tan You thought for a moment. "I have achieved some small successes now. Suppose I hadn't? Suppose I were just an ordinary girl whose hobbies are dancing, applying makeup, and wearing pretty clothes—would you still say these things to me?"
"My personality is simple, and my life is simple. I cannot understand the topics of you 'elite' types. I am just a very ordinary girl."
"Mature men either see through you or exploit you." Tan You gave a light laugh. "Many men prefer to be with someone with a simple mind because they feel relaxed around them."
"But as time passes, they grow bored because the other person cannot achieve a spiritual or soulful resonance with them. In their eyes, there are plenty of people with simple minds; once they grow tired of one, they can just move on to the next. After all, they are smart and cold enough to find a substitute at any time."
"But what have those women who get dumped done wrong? They simply had a romance that led nowhere, yet they are the ones left with nothing but pain."
Xu Jike remained silent for a long time. "In your eyes, am I that kind of person? The kind who both sees through you and exploits you?"
"I was just speaking generally," Tan You looked up at Xu Jike. At this moment, she particularly missed her height of 1.7 meters; at least when facing Xu Jike, she could maintain some presence.
"I wasn't specifically referring to you, but can you honestly say you aren't the former?" Tan You stomped her foot, attempting to dispel the chill surrounding her. "I am doing perfectly fine in my own little world. I don't need someone to suddenly barge in and pass judgment on my life, only to withdraw without hesitation after turning my life into a mess."
"Forcing someone else to adapt to you is, in itself, a form of coercion."
"I am not trying to force you," Xu Jike looked at her with a very serious gaze. "I admit you are beautiful, and I was indeed moved by you at first sight. At first, I thought you were just an ordinary, beautiful girl, but when I saw you dance, I felt as if your whole being was glowing."
Tan You smiled. "Thank you for the compliment on my dancing, but that is not the kind of love I want. What I want is simple and pure. He won't love me because of my glory, nor will he look down on me because I am just an ordinary person."
"Strip away these external halos, and I am just a very ordinary person. I like eating and drinking, I like spending time on my makeup every day, and I like wearing pretty clothes. My preferences are just those of a typical young girl; they are just that simple."
"But my simple preferences haven't interfered with anyone else. I live well in my own world. I don't need someone to come along one day and tell me that I am wrong, or that I should be like everyone else."
"You think you hide your arrogance well, but do you think I can't see the faint contempt you hold for me? You haven't placed me on an equal footing with you in terms of character. Since I clearly see this, why would I ever choose someone like you?"
Seeing Xu Jike about to argue, Tan You raised her right hand. "I think you are a bit greedy. You want a girlfriend who is easy to read at a glance, yet you also want her to understand your spiritual world. But where in this world can you have both?"
"So, you search, then you give up, and then you continue searching, repeating this cycle over and over. Even knowing the other person cannot understand you, you still insist on being with them."
"And after breaking up, you can quickly start the next relationship, leaving others to struggle in their pain. Meanwhile, you begin a similar experience to the one before, and so the cycle repeats."
"You are truly perceptive," Xu Jike finally admitted. "You understand me far better than I understand myself. But what can I do? Chi Mo, now that you have seen such a despicable side of me, my feelings for you are even more extraordinary."
"That is your business," Tan You said coldly. "Liking someone is your own business; it has nothing to do with anyone else. It has been much longer than five minutes. I'm going back to my room."
Leaving those words behind, Tan You did not linger in the parking lot and headed into the elevator with her small bag. It wasn't until Chi Mo's figure was no longer visible that Xu Jike got into his car and left.
He thought he would be angry, but the more he thought about it, the more excited Xu Jike felt. Being seen through was undoubtedly unpleasant, but what could he do? As long as he thought about the fact that it was Chi Mo who had seen through him, Xu Jike's breathing became excitedly rapid.
He had never had such a feeling before—a stranger understood him far better than he understood himself. So why let her know? Knowing these things would only make him more obsessed.
Tapping on the steering wheel, Xu Jike drove even faster.
How could Tan You care what Xu Jike thought? In her view, Xu Jike was a man who placed great importance on maintaining appearances. Even in her past life, when Chi Mo broke up with him, he had always remained composed and calm, rarely showing emotional fluctuations.
Now that Tan You had pointed out his base human nature to his face, he should have been tactful enough to back off.
After returning to her room, Tan You sprawled onto the bed; only now did she truly relax. Seeing that everyone in the group chat had arrived home, Tan You tossed her phone aside. After resting for a few more minutes, she took her toiletries into the bathroom.
After a forced shower, drying her hair, and applying a medicated patch, Tan You finally fell into a deep sleep.
It wasn't even four in the morning when Tan You opened her eyes. She had been woken up by hunger. Although dance performers need to maintain their figures, Tan You never practiced intentional fasting.
Because her training volume was so high, if she didn't get enough energy from food, she would feel dizzy and lightheaded. Touching her slightly cramping stomach, Tan You sighed.
Her waist injury had eased a bit, but she was truly hungry right now. Did the hotel serve breakfast? When she booked the room, she had seen in the description that breakfast was included.
(End of Chapter)