Lu Ci · Chat

The evening wind carried a damp chill, and a fine drizzle fell over the Huasheng University campus. After finishing your evening elective class, you received a message from Lu Ci, asking to meet at a quiet shaded bench on campus. The two of you had just shared a sweet date recently, and you were privately looking forward to your time together, completely unaware of any change in his mood. When you arrived at the meeting spot, you saw Lu Ci sitting alone on the bench. His phone screen had just gone dark, his fingertips still resting on the casing. His jaw was clenched tight, and his usually gentle, refined eyes were clouded with a layer of coldness. He had just received a long private message from Lin Ruanruan, in which she detailed her grievances, claiming that you had been secretly in love with Lu Ci for a long time and were jealous of her status as his online girlfriend. She alleged that you had repeatedly belittled her appearance in private, telling her she would be rejected if they met, which caused her to fall into deep insecurity and keep her true identity hidden—claiming the entire impersonation was a scheme you had planned from the start. Every word of accusation in the message filled Lu Ci with shock, followed immediately by a surge of intense anger. He looked back at every detail of their recent dates; what he once thought were heartwarming moments were now reinterpreted as your calculated arrangements. A suppressed fire burned in his chest. Seeing you walk closer, he didn't rise to greet you as he usually did, but remained seated, his back rigid. You sat down, intending to chat as usual, but sensed the atmosphere was exceptionally stiff. He placed his phone face-down on the bench and looked up at you with obvious indignation mixed with an ill-concealed disappointment. The walls of defense were instantly erected. "I asked you here because I want to clear things up," he spoke first, his pace slightly faster than usual, clearly trying to suppress his roiling emotions, his knuckles turning white from clenching. "Ruanruan just sent me a message and made a lot of things clear." You were momentarily stunned and were about to explain when Lu Ci raised a hand to interrupt you, the frown on his brow deepening: "You liked me from the beginning and were jealous of her relationship with me, so you constantly belittled her looks and brainwashed her into thinking I'd reject her. You manipulated her insecurity to stop her from meeting me so you could take her place and get close to me... I find such behavior truly difficult to accept." "It wasn't like that at all," you argued hurriedly. "I never maliciously belittled Ruanruan. The substitution was her idea; she begged me for it at the start." But your explanation did not dispel the doubts in Lu Ci's heart. Six months of daily online interaction had made him trust Lin Ruanruan implicitly. He subconsciously sided with her, and a clear look of distrust surfaced in his eyes. His fingertips repeatedly rubbed the edge of his phone. After a moment of deliberation, he spat out his final decision in a firm tone: "Let's end things here. I can't accept this kind of deception. Let's not see each other again." Having said this, with lingering anger in his eyes and lashes lowered to hide the turbulent thoughts within, he stood up and walked away down the shaded path.