[Free] The Years We Missed

Chapter 2

"Zi Yu, you’ve been hiding really well. If you’re so good at running away, why not disappear for life?”

In that instant, Zi Yu’s heart seemed to skip a beat. His hands trembled slightly, his lips pressing together without conscious thought.

Then, very quickly, he took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.

Now, at twenty-six, he was a grown man, no longer the naïve youth in his early twenties whose joy and sorrow had once been written so plainly across his face.

Slowly, he turned around, his gaze meeting the figure he had been unable to forget for four long years, whether in dreams or in waking moments.

Tian Xu Ning, too, was far less composed than he appeared. His breathing was slightly unsteady from rushing over, his expression hardened, and his voice carried a sharp edge, cold, laced with mockery and restrained bitterness.

He had once prepared countless reproaches in his mind, nurturing them for four long years, waiting for the moment he would finally see Zi Yu again, just to unleash them and vent his anger.

But the instant Zi Yu turned around, once more facing him with those clear, wide eyes, every harsh word became lodged in his throat.

So different from the fashionable young man he used to be, the kind who wore whatever was trending at the time, the Zi Yu of today carried an entirely different air.

Impeccably dressed in a tailored suit, polished leather shoes gleaming under the lights, the clean lines hugged his tall, slender frame, accentuating a pair of straight, elegant legs so striking it was difficult to look away.

His shirt was buttoned all the way to the top, the tie drawn snug at his collar, rimless glasses resting lightly on the bridge of his nose, everything about him composed, restrained, almost distant.

His face was still beautiful, but the naïveté of his early twenties was gone, replaced by a mature, steady presence, even one that felt faintly unfamiliar.

To be honest, the Zi Yu of today made Tian Xu Ning feel both estranged and… unsettled.

That impeccably proper air, so pristine it seemed untouched by the mundane world, made him want nothing more than to step closer, rip the tie from Zi Yu’s collar, tear away that polished, courteous exterior, just to see whether, beneath the disguise, he could still maintain that same cold, elegant composure.

The two of them stood there like that, facing each other for a long moment, neither of them speaking.

The night wind swept across the balcony, fluttering the crisp hem of his suit, deepening the silence between them until it grew almost stifling.

In the end, it was Zi Yu who broke it.

“It’s been a long time.”

The moment the words left his mouth, regret followed immediately.

He had come here tonight out of nothing more than a fleeting moment of weakness, a selfish desire to see Tian Xu Ning in the flesh once again, not through a screen, not through interview clips, nor the towering LED displays in shopping districts.

He had told himself that merely stealing a distant glance would be enough. Enough to tuck that image away in his heart, to hold onto it for years to come.

At this moment, he should have turned around and left.

They belonged to two entirely different worlds, worlds that were never meant to intersect.

Their meeting four years ago had been an accident, and he had chosen to leave decisively, returning everything to the path it was meant to follow.

If that was the case, then he should not have appeared now. He should not have disturbed Tian Xu Ning’s brilliant life.

That was what reason dictated.

But Zi Yu’s legs refused to obey.

He remained rooted to the spot, as though bound in place.

Desire, suppressed for so long, began to stir again, smoldering beneath the surface, tightening around his chest until it was hard to breathe.

And then he heard himself ask,

“How has your life been…?”

Those words sounded unbearably mocking to Tian Xu Ning.

How has your life been?

Zi Yu had vanished without a single goodbye, disappeared for four years, and now he came back asking that?

Damn it. If it were him, would he have been doing well?

That was what he thought. Yet when Tian Xu Ning spoke, he couldn’t stop the bitterness from spilling out anyway.

“Without you, my career’s been nothing but smooth sailing. Major projects, one after another. And look, four years in, and I’ve already got a Best Actor trophy.”

He let out a cold laugh.

“So tell me, isn’t that good enough?”

Zi Yu lowered his gaze and did not respond, telling himself he had asked a pointless question.

Seeing his silence, Tian Xu Ning frowned, his words growing even sharper.

“Judging by how you look now, it seems you’ve been living quite well these past four years. Then again, that makes sense. You’re so good at deceiving people, there must be no shortage of fools around you willing to be taken in. It’d be strange if you weren’t doing well.”

Bitterness suddenly welled up in his throat. Zi Yu couldn’t bring himself to offer a single word of defense. All he could do was swallow the bitterness down.

His silence only poured fuel on the fire. With no response to temper his anger, Tian Xu Ning’s words grew even uglier.

“So what are you doing in Beijing now? Did you think the fish elsewhere weren’t big enough, so you came here to find someone richer, to keep on playing with their feelings?”

“Do you regret it now? If you hadn’t run away back then, what you could’ve gotten from me wouldn’t have been just a few hundred thousand.”

Zi Yu had to draw on every ounce of willpower he had to keep Tian Xu Ning from seeing how weak and pitiful he truly felt.

Zi Yu lifted his head, meeting the fury blazing in Tian Xu Ning’s eyes, then replied in the calmest tone he could manage.

“Of course I regret it. There are plenty of people with money in this world, but someone who’s rich, foolish, and easy to deceive like you is rare. Too bad you have a girlfriend now and no longer like men. Even if I wanted to deceive you again, I wouldn’t get the chance.”

Tian Xu Ning pressed his lips together, his fists clenched tight, his eyes bloodshot with anger.

“You’re like this… and you don’t feel even a shred of guilt?” he ground out, word by word.

Still wearing that same indifferent tone, Zi Yu answered,

“Didn’t you say it yourself? That once I left, your career finally took off and became what it is today. So why should I regret anything?”

Watching Tian Xu Ning’s expression darken further, Zi Yu cruelly added one more sentence,

“If you no longer have any value for me to exploit, then don’t appear in front of me again.”

With that, he turned and walked away. What Tian Xu Ning saw was only a resolute back, leaving without the slightest hesitation or lingering attachment.

Tian Xu Ning clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug deep into his palms. His jaw locked, and he hissed through gritted teeth,

“Zi Yu, you’re heartless!”

Only someone truly heartless could live so unburdened after doing something so cruel.

What he didn’t know was that, in a corner beyond his line of sight, Zi Yu’s large eyes had already reddened, tears quietly welling up.