Untouchable Lovers - Chapter 279

Chapter 279: Chapter 256: Long-Stored Dishes Chapter 279: Chapter 256: Long-Stored Dishes Rong Zhi smiled and said, “Just call me Rong Zhi.”

Chu Yu curled her lip, “Over this past year, from beginning to end, the person appearing as Guan Canghai was always you?”

Rong Zhi raised a hand to lightly brush away the willow leaf that had fallen on her hairline, his expression indifferent, “Not entirely. Initially, it was indeed Brother Canghai a few times, and what he said to you then was mostly true. But later, nine out of ten times, it was me.”

Chu Yu thought to herself it was no wonder that sometimes Guan Canghai’s attitude toward her was a bit cold. She hadn’t thought much about it at the time, assuming he was simply in a bad mood that day, never realizing that it had been a different person altogether.

After pausing for a while, Rong Zhi asked, “When did you detect it was me? And how did you find out that I was Guan Canghai?” He almost had the answer in his heart, but he always wanted to hear Chu Yu say it herself.

Chu Yu instinctively replied coldly, “Under that situation just now, if I still couldn’t recognize you, I would truly be a fool.” As soon as the words left her mouth, she suddenly recalled the intimate moments, the burning kiss almost scorching her senses away.

Seeing Rong Zhi’s lips curve up in a smile, lips brightly colored, unlike the usual paleness she’d seen, Chu Yu’s face turned beet red, almost ready to smoke with embarrassment.

Lowering her eyelids, Chu Yu suppressed her emotions, continuing coldly, “Furthermore, you didn’t wash off the medicinal scent on you completely.” Rong Zhi had been impersonating Guan Canghai for a year, but the fragrance of medicine he used was the same as Canghai’s. Having been immersed in its scent for a long time, the aroma had seeped into his body. Even though Rong Zhi had cleaned up carefully before coming, there were still some traces left.

Once she realized that the man before her was Rong Zhi and distinguished the medicinal scent on him, the past year’s moments instantly replayed in her mind in reverse. Chu Yu then discovered that in many subtle aspects, that “Guan Canghai” was strikingly similar to Rong Zhi.

It was impossible for one person to completely impersonate another, especially in front of someone who knows them well. Although Chu Yu wasn’t familiar with Guan Canghai, she was familiar with Rong Zhi.

The thought that she had been deceived for a whole year ignited a nameless anger from her heart to her forehead, dispersing the discomfort she was harboring. She calmly turned her head to size up Rong Zhi, whom she could say she hadn’t seen for over a year, yet could also say she had often seen throughout the year.

Rong Zhi quietly watched her, her gaze bright and sharp, her eyes wary and guarded, no longer showing the carefree closeness she had when facing Guan Canghai over the past year.

Chu Yu stared at Rong Zhi, the corners of her mouth slowly curving into a shallow, icy smile, and said, “Alright then, just tell me straight, what do you want to do?”

Rong Zhi blinked, his tone incredibly gentle, “What do I want to do? I don’t want to do anything.” His tone and expression looked extraordinarily innocent.

This manner of speaking, this demeanor, Chu Yu felt as if she had returned to the spring of the year before last when she first arrived.

The springtime then was just as lovely as now. In the spring light, the youth’s clothes were white as snow, his aura refined and gentle, capturing her heart in an instant.

Spring breeze brings bloom, who is the graceful youth of the times.

But now, everything has changed. The spring of the year before last has long since drifted away with the fallen flowers and flowing water, and now when she looks at this person, she can only oppose him with cold indifference.

Chu Yu lifted the corner of her mouth, revealing a slightly scornful smile, “You’ve impersonated Guan Canghai this past year to get close to me. You’re certainly plotting something. I don’t believe you would partake in anything without reward or value. Even now, stopping me from leaving must serve some purpose, right?”

She spoke deliberately, “Now, I will not be deceived or misled by you again.”

Rong Zhi’s smile seemed to pause for a moment, and his originally pitch-black eyes deepened slightly. He said gently, “Is that what you think?”

Chu Yu replied with a radiant smile, “Should I fool myself into thinking you’ve fallen for me? That’s just too unrealistic–even my daydreams have never touched upon such an idea.”

Rong Zhi replied with a teasing tone, “Why not? Wouldn’t such thoughts make you happier?”

Chu Yu’s smile was brilliant, but her gaze was unusually cold. She had been deceived for a whole year, a fact that nearly drove her to rage. Yet, she didn’t shout or scream, but instead strived to remain calm, stating very clearly, “Leaving aside the fact that I know this is a lie, even if it were true, I wouldn’t be happy because I don’t want it anymore.”

The two of them looked at each other with smiles. To an observer, they might seem harmonious, but between them, an invisible high wall had been erected.

Rong Zhi’s gaze flickered slightly, and he asked with some curiosity, “Why? I thought you liked me.”

Chu Yu sighed, somewhat helplessly, “Rong Zhi, you still don’t understand. Let me give you an analogy. Imagine there is a dish of delicious food, but I can’t eat it. To avoid being sad over my inability to eat it, I’ll try hard to forget it. After a long time, when I look at that dish again, it will already have rotted away.”

Loving someone is a very brave yet fragile thing. When you like someone, you like them a lot, but once the love is gone, it can become extremely indifferent.

“I don’t regret once liking you, but now, I need to protect myself; I need to forget you,” Chu Yu said, meeting his gaze unflinchingly and speaking clearly, “Just like food, love has an expiration date. An expired love is like food left out for too long, unworthy of a second glance.”

That kind of thing, if eaten, would lead to food poisoning.

For an instant, Chu Yu thought she saw Rong Zhi’s gaze shatter, but the next second, he smiled calmly. The composure and control he emanated made her immediately think that what she had seen was just an illusion.

Rong Zhi said softly, “You’re right; I indeed had ulterior motives.” His voice sounded as if it came from a faraway place.

Chu Yu shrugged and chuckled, standing up and turning to look back at the tranquil river surface. Above the Luoshui, the shadow of the painted barge could no longer be seen. Wang Yizhi had left, a realization that brought her a slight sense of loss.

But… it was better that he had left. Her desire to follow Wang Yizhi had indeed been a form of evasion. Unlike Wang Yizhi, who could let go of everything, she had many attachments and could not truly be carefree. Rong Zhi’s obstruction made the right choice for her.

With the truth revealed, and seeing that Rong Zhi seemed not inclined to declare his intentions openly, Chu Yu was even less inclined to ask. After all, it wouldn’t lead to any result.

As her thoughts cleared, Chu Yu suddenly remembered that if she hadn’t boarded the boat, then Amman must still be waiting for her… With this in mind, she hurriedly ran toward the riverbank, leaving Rong Zhi behind.

Rong Zhi called to her: “Chu Yu”.

She didn’t look back, nor did she slow down.

Just as she said, she really didn’t give it another glance.

Rong Zhi watched Chu Yu’s figure gradually obscured by layers of willow branches, and his heart vaguely understood: some things, once missed, are missed forever and canPerhaps, never be reclaimed.