Jian Youyou stood by the window, vigorously wiping away tears. She had already thought up an explanation for how she could have jumped into the sea and yet be standing here perfectly fine, just waiting for Yu Hekun to question her.
She knew Yu Hekun was different from Zhan Cheng; he had a softer heart and was easier to fool. If she really couldn't explain it clearly, she could just distract his attention like the last few times—she could always muddle through.
But as Jian Youyou listened, Yu Hekun didn't ask anything. Instead, he looked at her with an expression like an abandoned wife and said, "Come back with me."
A flicker of surprise crossed Jian Youyou's face reflected in the glass, but she didn't turn around and quickly suppressed the expression, continuing her loud, tearless sobbing.
Yu Hekun had genuinely been terrified earlier. Now, seeing Jian Youyou standing there safe and sound, aside from all the complex shock and doubt, his overwhelming feeling was relief.
No one knew how panicked and afraid he had been, standing by the railing as time ticked by, wave after wave of lifeguards coming up, yet finding no trace of the person who had just jumped into the sea.
It wasn't even about complex emotions; it was a pure fear of life vanishing. Once dead, there's nothing left.
He had a very unique experience. When he was about twelve or thirteen, he once went to the mountains with friends and fell into a deep pit.
Yu Hekun was stuck in that pit for over ten days, crying out to no avail. All his friends had disappeared. It wasn't even that high up, yet it felt like he was cut off from the world. No one found him, not for a long time. His phone had no signal. He only had two bottles of water and some tissues in his backpack. He even thought he would die there.
Fortunately, just as he had finished eating the tissues and thought he was about to die, Huo Jiaoyue found him. She stood by the edge of the pit Yu Hekun had fallen into and threw down many unripe, sour apricots and some bugs wrapped in leaves.
To this day, Yu Hekun remembered clearly: Huo Jiaoyue was wearing a white ankle-length dress that day, billowing in the wind like a pure white sail, helping his little boat drifting on the edge of life and death sail toward survival. Her waist-length hair was loose, and her bare feet seemed injured. Although she didn't have the strength to pull him up directly and seemed lost in those mountains too, the food she provided saved his life.
That was the first time Yu Hekun had been so close to death. A child of that age should have been fearless, yearning for all things new and thrilling. But after that rescue, Yu Hekun gave up all dangerous activities, even drinking only in moderation.
He became an oddity among the rich second-generation circle. Whether it was the immense respect for life that experience gave him, or the fact that after recovering from that ordeal, he quietly developed a crush on Huo Jiaoyue at that age of budding first love—yet he never rashly scared her with it.
Huo Jiaoyue was gentle and lovely. Yu Hekun felt no one in the world could be as kind or as deserving of better things as her. So even when she chose Yu Mingzhong, who was handsomer and more capable than him, Yu Hekun never held any resentment toward her.
Yu Hekun also once believed no one could be like Huo Jiaoyue. Even if someone looked similar, no one would ever be like her.
But that day, on the deck, the figure of Jian You, with her loose long hair and bare feet, leaping into the sea without regard for her life over a single angry remark from him, overlapped with Huo Jiaoyue's figure from back then.
It was an indescribable feeling. Even though Jian You and Huo Jiaoyue seemed to have very few similarities—compared to Huo Jiaoyue's serenity and gentleness, Jian You was like a restless little bird—Yu Hekun was uncontrollably moved by her and involuntarily spoke his mind.
It was enough that she was alive. How she survived wasn't important. He wanted her to come home with him.
"Jian You," Yu Hekun walked up behind her, placed a hand on her shoulder, and said again, "Come back with me."
His voice was very low, his movements gentle, as if afraid the person before him was just an illusory bubble that would pop with too much pressure.
Jian Youyou never expected this attitude from him, but it played right into her hands.
She struggled, shaking off his arm, and said with a sob, "Go back? There's no going back."
She turned, tears hanging beautifully on her face, her expression one of heart-wrenching sorrow. "I've thought it through. I've given up. Weren't you always telling me to pack my things and get lost? I agree."
Jian Youyou said, "Just throw my things away. No need to pack."
Yu Hekun's breath hitched, his brow slightly furrowed. He moved his lips. If Zhan Cheng were here, he'd probably want to crack open Yu Hekun's skull and pour in some normal logic. This situation should clearly be Yu Hekun's to control, yet he had lost all advantage and was being led by the nose.
But he was inexperienced, not like Zhan Cheng who had seen it all. He was very green. If he had been even a bit more forceful, Jian Youyou wouldn't dare act so cocky, since she still needed to stay by Yu Hekun's side to complete her tasks. Even if he didn't come for her, she'd have to find a reason to go back.
But Yu Hekun's face flushed red. He moved his lips and finally said, "Didn't you say... you liked me, that you never wanted to leave in this lifetime..."
He stopped halfway, pursed his lips, his brow knitting tighter, realizing this wasn't quite right.
Jian Youyou immediately seized the opportunity, not giving him time to think. "Yes, I do like you. I like you a lot. Otherwise, I wouldn't have risked my life over a single sentence from you."
Jian Youyou shook her head, taking two steps back as if afraid of Yu Hekun. "But you have no heart!"
She fake-sobbed once. The flush of excitement on her face from Yu Hekun playing along actually made her feigned heartbreak more convincing.
"I jumped into the sea and was lucky not to die. After choking and waking up, I climbed up along the side of the ship. I originally wanted to go find you happily," Jian Youyou said with a laugh, but tears fell again. "But it was so cold. The wind blew, chilling me to the bone."
Jian Youyou said, "That's when I started to understand: if you really cared about me, how could you let me jump into such a cold place?"
Yu Hekun thought of that scene again, his Adam's apple bobbing. He spoke, full of remorse. "I'm sorry... I didn't want you to jump. I just..."
Jian Youyou sharply cut him off. "You just said it casually. I know. You just wanted to force me to back down. You just..."
"You just don't care," Jian Youyou covered her face, secretly smiling for a moment, then continued in an utterly sorrowful tone. "I know now. I understand. I was deluding myself. I won't pester you anymore. I even hid until the very end after getting on the ship, not appearing to offend your sight. Why won't you let me go?"
As she spoke, she hugged herself and crouched down, sobbing uncontrollably. Her shoulders trembled visibly. It didn't look like a bad breakup. It looked more like someone had killed her whole family.
While Jian Youyou was hugging herself and shivering, she was still thinking, isn't this act a bit over the top?
Would Yu Hekun be scared off by her? If he ran, she'd have to chase after him again. What a hassle.
But peeking through the gap between her arms, she saw Yu Hekun turning his head to wipe away tears. His face was terribly flushed—she had felt it when he touched her shoulder earlier—he was running a fever.
From this side profile, Yu Hekun's nose tip was as red as a sled-pulling reindeer's. To be this soft-hearted and still try to keep a mistress... Jian Youyou secretly curled her lip in disdain, then cried even more pitifully.
"Go away, just go away," Jian Youyou mumbled into her knees, subtly shuffling her feet a bit closer to Yu Hekun. She had already planned it out: if he really decided to leave, she would grab his leg and say she couldn't bear to let him go or something.
But Yu Hekun was really quite considerate. He didn't leave. After secretly wiping his tears a few times, he half-crouched, half-knelt and tugged at Jian Youyou's arm. "I'm sorry, but I really didn't mean for you to jump."
Yu Hekun's voice carried a hint of a nasal tone. "I promise, I'll never say anything like that again."
Jian Youyou hadn't planned on holding out anyway. Since she had to go back eventually, she would take the first opportunity to relent.
Hearing this, she slowly raised her head, looking pitifully at the apologetic Yu Hekun. "You should go back. Don't talk to me like this."
Jian Youyou acted as if she couldn't accept it. "If it's impossible for you to ever like me, if you despise me, then why do you treat me this way? Why give me hope?"
"You know, when you're like this..." Jian Youyou paused, biting her lip, leaving the rest unsaid, and just hugged herself again.
But Yu Hekun moved closer, gripping her shoulders and giving them a squeeze. "Stop crying. All your things are at my place. Even if you want to end this, you have to come back to get them."
If she was determined to end it, Yu Hekun planned to give her generous compensation.
It was the only thing he knew how to do, the only thing he could do for her.
However, the moment Jian Youyou sensed a shift in his tone, she immediately refused. Going back was absolutely necessary—the next plot point involved the female lead returning from abroad. Since she had transmigrated into this story, she definitely had to complete the tasks properly and get the money.
"I understand," Jian Youyou said, suddenly shoving Yu Hekun. "I already said I don't want them, yet you keep insisting I go back. I get it now."
Pointing an accusing finger at him, Jian Youyou played her trump card—a skill honed since childhood in fights with Bian Xia. "You want me to help you clear up the scandal outside, don't you? To face your company and protect your reputation from damage, right?"
Yu Hekun shook his head. "No."
"No?" Jian Youyou let out a bitter laugh. "I understood everything Zhan Cheng said earlier. Because I haven't shown up, you're being talked about terribly outside. So today, you all just came to find a way to get me to clarify that incident, right?"
Jian Youyou continued, "Fine, it's okay. I'll appear. I'll go to the police station myself. I'll say it all had nothing to do with you. That jumping into the sea was just me being an idiot, thinking it was hot on the boat and wanting to cool off. It has absolutely nothing to do with you, the great CEO Yu. I'm crazy, I wanted to die, and not showing up after surviving was me deliberately messing with the police."
Jian Youyou stood up, pointing at the door, her whole body shaking violently. "Is that version acceptable?"
"If it is, please get out now, okay?" Jian Youyou's agitated voice suddenly became very small. "Please. I'll... I'll pull myself together in a moment, then I'll go turn myself in. I'll definitely make it clear it has nothing to do with you. Please, just let me go. Is that okay?"
Yu Hekun had never thought any of that. The Yu family's business wasn't so fragile that this little incident could shake it. Hearing Jian Youyou put it like this made even Yu Hekun feel it was too despicable to listen to. He also stood up, took a step forward, and grabbed Jian Youyou by the shoulders, explaining, "That's not it, I never thought that!"
Here comes the crucial part. Jian Youyou looked up at Yu Hekun, her eyes rimmed red, and asked him, "Then what were you thinking? If none of my guesses are right, why do you want me to come back? You've always wanted to drive me away before. Could it possibly be... that you actually like me now?"
After she said this, she looked at Yu Hekun eagerly. Yu Hekun looked back at her, but after a moment of eye contact, his gaze began to falter.
