(PS: It's not about abusing the protagonist! This is important plot progression! If you don't like it, please forgive me for now! The content that follows won't disappoint you!)
The next morning, when Gu Jin came out of his room, the lights in the corridor were casting a cold white glow.
After only a few steps, he saw Sakuragi leaning against the wall not far away, a backpack at his feet—he had clearly been waiting there for a while.
"The coach told me to go back with you," Sakuragi straightened up and patted his backpack.
Gu Jin's throat tightened, he opened his mouth but said nothing, only nodding slightly.
He knew these two were afraid he couldn't handle it alone.
By the time they drove back to Kanagawa, the sky had gradually brightened.
"Hey, we can slack off for two days when we get back," Sakuragi said jokingly.
Gu Jin's mouth twitched, trying to smile, but his eyes felt dry.
The rolling shutter door of K楠 noodle shop was only half-open, and a faint aroma of noodle soup wafted out, but none of the usual warmth.
Gu Jin squatted down to lift the shutter door. As soon as he stepped in, he saw Sakuragi Xiaonan wiping tables with her back to the door, and Sakuragi Zhe Xiong sitting in the corner smoking.
Hearing the movement, both turned their heads at the same time.
The moment Sakuragi Xiaonan saw Gu Jin, her face instantly darkened, and the rag in her hand slapped onto the table: "What are you doing here? You're not welcome!"
"Konan Auntie," Gu Jin stood still, his waist slightly bent, his voice hoarse, "I know... I know about Uncle. I came to apologize to you."
"Apologize? What right do you have to apologize?" Sakuragi Xiaonan suddenly stood up, her chest heaving violently, "It was your Uncle who threatened with a hostage back then, and pointed a gun at Yong Zhi's head, forcing him to drive them away! It was your Uncle who caused Yong Zhi to be hit by a stray bullet and die in the wilderness! Is a simple apology enough?"
Sakuragi Zhe Xiong quickly got up and pulled her: "Konan! Say less!"
"Say less? Why should I say less!" Sakuragi Xiaonan broke free of his hand, her eyes red as she glared at Gu Jin, "Do you know how hard it was for me to get through these ten years with Yoko? Now, it turns out I've been good to a criminal's nephew for ten years? How can I face Yong Zhi? How can I face those good people who died!"
Gu Jin's face turned pale, his fingertips clenched, making his palms ache, but he still choked out, "Konan Auntie, I can't defend what Uncle did, and I know you hate him. But Yoko and I... we grew up together. Over the years, we've been through a lot together, and I've always considered you my family."
"Family? Do you even deserve it?" Sakuragi Xiaonan's voice was like ice, sharp and cutting, "Your own parents didn't want you, and the one who raised you was a thief! You're a jinx, just like your name!"
"Konan, don't talk like that." Sakuragi Zhe Xiong hurriedly reached out to pull her, his brows tightly furrowed, his tone full of dissuasion.
But Sakuragi Xiaonan ignored him completely, abruptly standing up from her chair.
She turned around, her face devoid of expression. Her eyes, usually somewhat gentle, were now like a frozen lake, cold and heavy, staring directly at Gu Jin, she said, word for word: "Get out now, and never appear in front of Yoko and me again."
The color drained from Gu Jin's face instantly. His hand, clutching the hem of his clothes, tightened again and again, his knuckles turning white, his fingers almost digging into his flesh.
He opened his mouth, his throat feeling as if something was blocking it, unable to squeeze out a single word—his parents had separated when he was very young, and in recent years, he had indeed lived with his aunt and Uncle.
But the words "the one who raised you was a thief" and "jinx" were like icy thorns, piercing deep into the softest part of his heart, cold and painful.
"Gu Jin, let's break up."
Just then, Shimamura Yoko's voice also came. It turned out she and Sakuragi had also returned to Kanagawa, and were on the same train as Gu Jin, but she had strongly insisted on avoiding him. Sakuragi had no choice but to go to another carriage with her.
At this moment, his tone was very light, yet every word was clear, "My father died because of your Uncle, and my mother's suffering these past ten years is also inextricably linked to your Uncle. With these things between us, we can't be like before."
"Yoko..." Gu Jin looked at her, the light in his eyes dimming little by little, "Just because of this? Our years of affection..."
"Affection?" Shimamura Yoko smiled, but the smile didn't reach her eyes, carrying a hint of coolness, "Can affection bring my father back to life? Can it stop my mother from having nightmares? Gu Jin, stop deceiving yourself. We shouldn't have continued."
She paused, then turned her head to look out the window, as if afraid that looking at him for too long would make her waver, but her voice grew colder: "Let's just consider those good times in the past a dream. Now the dream is over, it's time to part."
"Yoko! How can you say that!" Sakuragi, beside her, grew anxious, "You clearly..."
"Sakuragi, stop talking." Shimamura Yoko interrupted him, without turning her head.
Gu Jin stood still, as if all his strength had been drained.
He looked at Shimamura Yoko's back, at her deliberately straightened shoulders, and suddenly remembered when they were little, she always loved to follow him, sweetly calling "Gu Jin Gege," saying she wanted to be his neighbor forever, never to be separated.
It turned out "forever" was so short.
Sakuragi Xiaonan was still muttering something in a low voice, and Sakuragi Zhe Xiong kept pulling her, but Gu Jin couldn't hear anything clearly anymore.
He only felt his eyes burning, but he stubbornly didn't let the tears fall.
He slowly backed away, to the edge of the rolling shutter door, and as his hand touched the cold metal, he heard his own hoarse voice say, "Okay."
Let's just say... let's just say that affection really grew wings and flew to a distant place no one could reach.
He turned and pulled open the shutter door, and the morning light poured in, stinging his eyes.
From the noodle shop behind him, he seemed to hear Sakuragi Zhe Xiong's sigh and Sakuragi Xiaonan's suppressed sobs, but he didn't look back.
Sakuragi and Sakuragi exchanged glances, then silently followed him.
The wind in the corridor blew through the gap in the shutter door, making one feel cold. Gu Jin's figure was stretched long by the morning light, yet so lonely it seemed as if he could be swept away by the wind at any moment.
In the distance, a black Mercedes was quietly parked in the shadow of the street corner.
"Go investigate," Fujisawa Eri's voice came from the back seat, with an undeniable coldness, "who is deliberately spreading these messages behind the scenes."
The subordinate in the front row hesitated slightly, then turned to advise: "Miss, this matter... we probably shouldn't interfere. After all, it involves the case from back then, and also involves..."
"But Gu Jin is innocent!" Fujisawa Eri suddenly interrupted, her tone tinged with urgency.
The subordinate, however, did not back down, his tone sinking: "Miss, his family is criminal. In my opinion, you should also stay away from him, to avoid trouble."
"What did you say?" Fujisawa Eri's voice suddenly rose, with clear anger, "I won't allow you to speak of him that way! He has nothing to do with those things!"
The car window reflected her tightly strained profile, her eyes surging with unwillingness and protectiveness—she knew better than anyone that Gu Jin was not as they described him.