Lu Mingzhe had lived for thirty years and was spending New Year's alone for the first time in his life.
After returning home from the hospital, his mother called and texted him repeatedly, wanting to visit him, but he refused to speak a single word to her.
Days in advance, his mother had already pleaded with him on WeChat to come home for the New Year. She had said that if not for her, he should at least consider their father, and that it would be difficult to explain to their father if neither son returned.
Lu Mingzhe had simply turned off his phone.
Ever since Xiang Wan had left, he had been spending his time at Lu Qingxu's club. Being alone in a room like this, like a wandering ghost, was unbearable.
Excessive worry had led to his recent nervous breakdown. He suffered from insomnia, sleeping during the day.
Usually, as soon as he fell asleep, he would start dreaming. Upon waking, his limbs would feel weak and he would be groggy.
After sleeping for too long during the day, he couldn't sleep at night and would flip through various random television shows and movies. The more he watched, the more melancholic and sorrowful he became, and the more he felt the loneliness and difficulty of living alone.
However, he still held onto a sliver of hope.
He believed that Xiang Wan didn't truly want to leave him, that she was also struggling, feeling uncomfortable and pained, somewhere out of sight. She just couldn't bring herself to act.
Lu Mingzhe couldn't contact her, but she could contact him. Sooner or later, she would come to her senses, her longing for him would become unbearable, and she would call him. And New Year's Eve was the perfect opportunity.
Lu Mingzhe waited for the New Year with almost all the energy and patience he possessed.
He turned on his phone early in the morning.
He received calls from Zhan Beijue and Lu Qingxu. He wasn't in the mood to deal with them, so he said a few words and hung up.
He stared intently at his phone screen from six in the morning until almost midnight. The large television on the wall had been on all day, broadcasting topics related to the Spring Festival with lively chatter.
At this moment, after a passionate and lengthy address by four excited CCTV hosts, they were inviting all viewers to join them in a New Year's countdown.
Lu Mingzhe, who had been watching with eager anticipation, felt his heart pierced like a beehive.
It was only then that he truly understood how ruthless and heartless Xiang Wan was. She wouldn't call him anymore. A strong thought told him: Don't wait. He would never receive her call again in this lifetime. It was New Year's Eve; she was probably having a big meal, setting off fireworks, playing games, and making New Year's wishes with someone else. How could she possibly think of him?
Lu Mingzhe angrily smashed his phone onto the floor. He was so furious that he wanted to jump up and stomp on it repeatedly with his feet. He wanted to use all his anger to denounce the two heartless characters in the phone, Xiang Wan.
However, hope arrived as quickly as it could. Just as he was about to stomp on it, the phone lit up. The screen displayed the character "Xiang." He felt like a drowning person, exhausted by the waves and about to give up on survival, who had seen a glimmer of hope.
With great joy, he picked up the phone, only to see the words "Xiang Yang." Could it be that Xiang Wan had called Xiang Yang, asking him to relay a message? He rapidly switched between despair and joy, his hand trembling as he unlocked the screen.
Xiang Yang's end was as quiet as his own. After a few seconds, he spoke.
"Mingzhe Ge, it's Xiang Yang."
Lu Mingzhe gathered all his strength to steady his trembling voice. "I know. Is there something you need?"
This was the first time they had spoken calmly since Xiang Wan had left. Before this, Lu Mingzhe would always rush to the school to find Xiang Yang and question him about whether Xiang Wan had called him. Every meeting ended in a huge argument. It was precisely because of this that Xiang Yang never contacted him proactively. On one hand, he felt tired and repelled by Lu Mingzhe's violent temper; on the other hand, due to their previous pleasant interactions, he felt deep guilt and pity towards him. It was with this mindset that Xiang Yang called him tonight.
"It's nothing. It's just New Year's, and I thought you'd surely be alone, so I called to say hello."
"Although these words might sound fake and meaningless, I sincerely wish you a Happy New Year, Mingzhe Ge."
Happy New Year. He called to wish him a Happy New Year. Happy. What ironic words. Lu Mingzhe had been carefree and happy for 29 years, only to be defeated by a woman named Xiang Wan. For several months, he hadn't known what happiness felt like. Humble as he was, he still harbored a lingering fantasy: "Did Xiang Wan ask you to tell me?"
With that one sentence, Xiang Yang knew he was about to lose control again. Prepared to be scolded, he told the truth.
"No. Just like you, I haven't received any calls or messages from her since that day."
"This is the last time I'll call you. Without her in between, we are strangers."
"This year is over, and everything is in the past. I need to move forward, and I hope you will too. Don't think about her anymore, and let's not contact each other again."
Okay. Very good. Excellent.
Lu Mingzhe completely smashed his phone. He stumbled back onto the sofa, trembling all over. After pounding the cushions furiously for a few seconds, he suddenly felt it was all so pointless. He used to despise men like himself. To seal his heart and love for one woman, to be blind to the beautiful scenery outside, to spend his days dying and coming back to life in these personal emotions. He was a psychologist! His specialty was regulating his own emotions, yet he had allowed himself to fall so low for so long! Xiang Yang had said something quite right: the new year has arrived, and what belongs to the past should stay in the past. Having been a laughingstock for so long, it was time to draw a perfect conclusion to this relationship. Lu Mingzhe, you can't embarrass yourself like this anymore. His 29 years of happy experiences told him that even on New Year's Eve, there were many places for young people to find happiness. Eileen Chang once said: there are only two ways to get over a relationship: time, and a new love. Since time wasn't working for him, he would try a new love. Don't think I've wronged you, Xiang Wan; you're the one who forced me into this state.
Lu Mingzhe quickly washed up, put on his best attire, and drove to Lu Qingxu's bar. As expected, the bar was crowded, with all sorts of young and beautiful girls swaying on the dance floor, like a paradise on earth. He sat at the bar, sipped half a cocktail, found a girl who looked the most outstanding and caught his eye, and leaned towards her. The girl was clearly a social butterfly; not only did she not reject the handsome guy's approach, but she also acted quite proactively. The handsome man and beautiful woman quickly became close. The missing part of his heart was gradually filled by these fleeting moments of happiness, leaving him no time to think about Xiang Wan. On the first day of the New Year, Lu Mingzhe finally emerged briefly from Xiang Wan's shadow. He stayed at the bar until past five in the morning, and only returned home to sleep when he was utterly exhausted. That sleep was dreamless.