When I Stopped Loving, I Stopped Crying

I took out my long-forgotten professional books and started a study plan.

Time flew by as I immersed myself in my work, thoroughly enjoying it.

I didn't even notice when Chandler returned.

"Yasmine?"

I looked up, realizing he was in the room.

"You're back?"

I rubbed my eyes. After not reading for so long, they felt uncomfortable from such engrossed studying.

"Why didn't you answer the phone?"

His words contained a hint of questioning and suppressed anger.

I didn't understand. I just didn't answer the phone. He used to ignore my calls and messages constantly.

"I was busy, I guess I didn't hear it."

This was the excuse he had given me countless times, now returned unchanged.

I propped myself up with one leg, finding my phone buried under books - several missed calls.

Only then did he seem to notice something amiss.

"Your leg..."

I glanced at my right leg with the steel plate, not wanting to elaborate.

"I've already finished the surgery. It's not a problem."

A trace of guilt flashed across Chandler's face, and he awkwardly stepped forward to help me.

I had already grabbed the cane from the table, avoiding his hand as I headed for the door.

"Lily was injured that day. She has hemophobia and said she couldn't breathe. I wanted to take her to get checked out first and then come back... "

Meeting my gaze, he couldn't continue.

Lily's "injury" was just a scrape on her right hand, covered by a large bandaid.

The idea of returning was a joke.

He turned away, coughing dryly to cover his embarrassment.

"Cockroaches were found at Lily's today. She's been terrified of them since childhood. I could only clean and disinfect for her..."

I stopped at the guest room door and looked back quietly.

Of course. She is your junior sister.

He seemed stunned, as if not expecting me to say that.

After all, I used to hysterically question my importance to him.

"Yasmine, could you please stop with the sarcasm? Lily and I are..."

"Innocent. If you wanted to be together, you would have long ago. You've said it many times. I know."

"My legs hurt and wake me up at night. In order not to disturb your rest, I will sleep in the guest bedroom."

"You've had a busy day, you must be exhausted, so you should go to bed early!"

I pushed open the guest room door, got into bed, closed my eyes.

"Shit!"

I heard his muffled curse through the door.

I guess he felt he had humbly explained himself, but I ignorantly didn't follow suit.

It's wrong for me to be hysterical, and wrong to be calm.

In his eyes, whatever I did was wrong.

Life is too tiring.

The next morning, I was woken by Lily's shouts as soon as she entered.

Liu Yin came and started shouting as soon as she entered the door.

"Brother, Yasmine is not up yet? You spoil her too much."

"I came with all my bags, but she's still sleeping. Doesn't she welcome me?"

I leaned quietly against the bedroom door, watching her feign grievance in front of Chandler.

He ruffled her hair lovingly.

"How could that be? I'll go call her."

He knew I'd slept late after being injured.

When he looked up, our eyes met as I regarded him calmly.

Lily jumped towards me, covering her mouth exaggeratedly.

"Yasmine, is your leg really injured?"

"I'm so sorry, it's all my fault. If I hadn't fainted and had trouble breathing, Senior Brother wouldn't have been so anxious to leave you behind."

Her voice trembled, but her eyes revealed hidden pride.

Chandler couldn't stand it anymore. He stepped forward, patting her shoulder tenderly.

"It's not your fault. In the dark, none of us could see clearly."

"Yasmine, were you in pain and scared at that time?"

Looking at Lily's seemingly concerned face, I was back on that dreadful night.

Before our May Day trip, Lily complained of boredom and wanted to join us.

Packing last minute, she left late and got stuck in traffic.

As night fell on the country road, visibility was poor, so I asked Chandler to drive slower.

But Lily, in the passenger seat, kept urging him to go faster due to a stomachache.

The accident happened instantly. My head was hit repeatedly, leaving me dazed with searing pain in my thigh.

I called out "Chandler".

But he ignored me, hurriedly picking up Lily and disappearing into the darkness.

My thigh was stuck in the car door. Despite agonizing attempts to free myself, I failed.

The front caught fire. In that moment, I felt utter despair, thinking I would die.

Fortunately, a kind passerby rescued me just before the car exploded.

I came to my senses and nodded calmly.

"Yeah, I was very scared. Without those kind people, I would've died minutes later."

"Yasmine, I don't know..."

Chandler showed rare guilt, wanting to comfort me.

But before he could take a step, Lily grabbed him.

"Wow, surviving disaster means future fortune! Senior brother, it happened, no need to blame yourself too much. Let's buy Yasmine a cake to apologize!"

Blame and make amends?

That wasn't necessary.

They quickly comforted each other, no one really caring about my feelings as the victim.

They returned swiftly with an exquisite strawberry cake.

"Yasmine, thanks to you, I can eat this today."

I watched them chat and laugh as they cut and divided the cake.

Lily put cream on Chandler's face.

He tapped her forehead lovingly, "Naughty!"

On Chandler's first birthday together, I had also smeared cream on his face.

At the time, he looked disgusted and resistant.

"Dirty!"

Then, regardless of my flattery and apology, he left all his friends behind and walked away.

From then on, I never ate cake again.

They ate with great interest.

Seeing my lack of movement, Chandler grew unhappy.

"This cake was picked by my senior brother himself. Yasmine, you should at least try it. If you don't take a bite, are you still blaming me and him?"

Lily tried smoothing things over with ill intentions, and Chandler's face darkened.

"Yasmine, it happened and we apologized. What else do you want?"

I moved the cake towards them.

"I'm allergic to strawberries!"

"Eat more if you like!"

Chandler's angry expression softened to embarrassment.

"I don't know. Lily likes strawberries, so I thought all girls were the same..."

He stopped short as Lily tugged his sleeve.

"How about I buy you a different flavor?" he offered.

"No, I don't like cake!" I replied firmly.

Chandler seemed displeased for some reason.

"Yasmine, I admit I was wrong to leave you that day. I've apologized. What more do you want from me?"

"Yes, Yasmine, please don't be upset with my senior brother. He hasn't focused on piano these past two days because of you."

"I'm not upset. What are you two up to?"

I interjected, heading out on my own, already planning to find a new place soon.

At noon, I noticed Lily's update on her Moments.

"Four-hand piano is still the best match for you and me."

The photo showed an open bag of potato chips on the piano stand.

Chandler, a budding pianist, strictly forbade me from entering his practice room, let alone eating snacks in it.

When I first moved in and accidentally left a hair on the stand out of curiosity,

he was furious.

It was off-limits to me, but Lily faced no such restrictions.

Love and lack thereof were indeed straightforward and simple.

I had been deceiving myself all this time.

Now that the illusion is shattered, it's time to wake up.