Breaking the Chains
958 Words
Outside, brilliant sunlight bathed everything in dazzling radiance.
At the door, a solitary figure seemed to linger for an eternity—as if waiting for a lifetime.
Du Zixiu had overheard every word of the conversation between Lucy and Yan Yishan. His heart ached as if it were being torn apart—a pain he had never known before. He watched the two so absorbed in each other that it made him feel utterly extraneous. He longed to step forward and speak to Lucy, to comfort her and pull her into his arms. Yet, when he saw the deep sorrow in her eyes, he hesitated, unable to find the right words.
Quietly, in a state of humiliation and having no other choice, he left the music classroom. Inside him, an odd emptiness stirred—as if someone had wrenched away the most precious part of him. Perhaps that precious thing had never truly belonged to him at all.
In the afternoon, the warm glow of the sunset flowed quietly over the elegant campus. The broad sports field was overlaid with a fine layer of golden light—an exquisitely beautiful sight.
Lucy and Yan Yishan walked hand in hand toward the main gate.
At the gate, the usual clamor of students filled the air; and, as always, whenever Du Zixiu appeared, a throng of girls erupted in shrieks of admiration, their starry eyes following him as he departed.
When Lucy emerged from the classroom, the driver promptly opened the car door with respectful precision.
“I thought I wasn’t to be picked up today,” Lucy remarked, casting a glance at the driver.
“It’s the CEO’s orders,” he replied.
Since when does he care so much about me? she thought bitterly. It must be surveillance disguised as protection!
Waving at Yan Yishan, she climbed into the car. A wry smile played on her lips—as if laughing at her naivety. “He’ll never let me go,” she mused silently.
Through the window, she saw Situ Yue happily arm-in-arm with Du Zixiu, boarding a sleek Rolls-Royce. After a long moment, snapping back to reality, she responded coolly to the driver, “Drive.”
That evening, the fading glow of the sunset filtered through the dark glass onto Lucy’s face, lending her an air of serene composure. She recalled the times in the music classroom when Du Zixiu had taught her to play the piano—the memory of his warm, interlaced hands on hers filling her with a gentle warmth that made her eyes, once cold and distant, sparkle with a newfound light.
From the rearview mirror, the driver noticed a flush of delicate pink on her face—a bashful glow of a girl in love. “Miss Xiao, are you thinking of the boss? You’ll see him very soon!” he asked with a teasing smile.
Lucy paused, then in her characteristically calm tone replied, “No.”
“Really? But just now, you looked like a girl in love!” the driver joked.
“I told you—no,” Lucy replied wearily, her brow furrowing with quiet irritation.
The driver knew when to stop—he also sensed that beneath Lucy’s icy exterior lay a sorrow beyond her years. This woman lacked the carefree joy typical of her age; instead, she carried an air of melancholic maturity. There was something extraordinary about her: she was distant yet impeccably polite, seemingly indifferent to everything yet longing for what she craved.
She was beautiful—the kind of beauty that pained the heart. So lonely, so isolated.
It was hard to fathom why the CEO would fall for such a woman—didn’t it leave him utterly exhausted?
Just then, music began to play.
Lucy pulled her phone from her pocket and saw the blue screen flash two words. A soft smile gradually spread across her face.
“Hello? Dean Mom?”
A warm, kindly voice replied from the other end, “Lucy, Dean's Mom misses you! Remember what you promised her?”
“Of course I do—I promised to come and keep you company! I missed you last week, so this week I’ll make it up to you.”
“Hehe, my dear Lucy, you’re so good. I’ll be waiting for you!”
“Okay. Take care, and don’t overwork yourself, Dean Mom.”
“Alright, love you.”
Lucy ended the call, and finally, a spark of genuine happiness flickered across her face. Every Sunday, she visited her Dean Mom—only with her could she truly feel the warmth of family. In her Dean Mom’s arms, she could shed the icy armor that had shielded her heart for so long and be a regular girl, cared for and spoiled.
Since her mother had abandoned her at the orphanage and left her with a wealthy stranger, home had meant nothing—a distant, bitter dream.
The idea of home had become a furnace, burning away the innocence of a joyful girl until only cold silence remained. In that inferno, only her Dean Mom could offer a semblance of warmth.
And she had learned that in this world, no one truly loves another—only by striving for it can one ever hope to have it.
“Miss Lucy, the boss is waiting for you inside!” the driver announced.
Lucy looked at the towering building without a trace of bitterness.
Today, she had resolved to make things clear with Kevin—this had to end once and for all!
She couldn’t go on like this; she was terrified that if things continued, she’d never be free of him.
“Kevin, everything between us ends today!” she whispered resolutely.
- Writer
