Chapter 89: A Farewell Kiss
Yun Shen had no idea about Wang Jingyao's arrival—she didn't even know this person existed. Seeing Ruan Yu standing at the door, she assumed she was waiting for her.
With a smile, Yun Shen waved at Ruan Yu and held up the dessert box in her hand. Today’s creation was visible through the transparent lid—soft pink and white cream swirled inside.
Ruan Yu looked at Yun Shen’s innocent smile and suddenly felt an overwhelming ache in her chest. But what could she do?
Stop Yun Shen from entering?
She might manage it once, but not a second time.
She knew that as long as Yun Shen still had feelings for Teng Hao, the thing she feared most would inevitably happen.
As Yun Shen stepped inside, the first thing she saw was Wang Jingyao sitting on the sofa and Teng Hao fetching her a drink. The sensitive girl, with her keen intuition, didn’t need to ask—she already understood.
“That’s Teng Hao’s classmate,” Ruan Yu said, gently placing a hand on Yun Shen’s shoulder. “She came for some tutoring.”
Yun Shen’s stiff posture relaxed slightly.
Hearing the voices, Teng Hao turned around. The moment he saw Yun Shen, he rushed over, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her toward Wang Jingyao.
The gesture was nothing short of a disaster, but the oblivious boy had no idea.
“Jingyao, look—this is my good friend, Ren Yun Shen,” Teng Hao introduced excitedly. “Yun Shen, this is my classmate, Wang Jingyao.”
The two girls sized each other up.
They were complete opposites, evident even in their clothing. Yun Shen usually dressed modestly or plainly, rarely in the bold colors Wang Jingyao wore. If one had to compare them, Yun Shen was like an elegant magnolia, while Wang Jingyao was a vibrant forsythia.
“Hello,” Wang Jingyao greeted Yun Shen with a smile.
Yun Shen nodded in return, smiling back.
“I’ve seen the videos of you and Teng Hao performing together online. Your piano skills are amazing! So many guys in our class want to meet you, but Teng Hao refuses to give out your contact info. Everyone’s been wondering if he likes you.” Wang Jingyao’s tone and expression were bright and cheerful, as if she were merely stating facts, but the words carried an ambiguous weight.
Yun Shen turned to look at Teng Hao.
His face, already flushed, burned even hotter under her gaze.
“No way!”
His hasty denial, lacking any tact or restraint, was like a needle popping a balloon—Yun Shen’s hopeful heart shattered instantly.
No way?
Right. No way.
Someone as wonderful as him—how could he ever like her?
Wang Jingyao seemed to have been waiting for this answer. She flashed the most relaxed smile she’d had since arriving.
Suppressing her emotions, Yun Shen quietly placed the dessert box on the table and gestured for everyone to help themselves.
Wang Jingyao froze—only now realizing that Ren Yun Shen couldn’t speak. When the boys in their class had asked Teng Hao about her, he had never mentioned she was mute. He would only ever say, “Get lost. None of you are good enough for Yun Shen.”
It was precisely because Teng Hao made Yun Shen sound so perfect that Wang Jingyao had felt threatened—and why she had decided to visit today.Wang Jingyao had always known that Teng Hao liked her. Though he was somewhat tsundere and not good at expressing himself, she could sense it from his words and actions. He would prepare gifts for her birthday, buy her medicine from the infirmary when she had menstrual cramps, and even blush when he saw her. Wang Jingyao quite liked Teng Hao too—after all, he was good-looking, danced impressively, came from a wealthy family, and was practically the school heartthrob.
She had originally planned to wait until after the college entrance exams to give Teng Hao an opportunity to confess his feelings, after which they would naturally get together. But plans often go awry. Recently, she had clearly noticed a change in Teng Hao—he no longer paid as much attention to her. Meanwhile, the name Ren Yun Shen appeared more and more frequently in his conversations, especially after their collaborative video went viral online. Teng Hao had practically become Yun Shen’s spokesperson, speaking of her with either overwhelming pride or fierce protectiveness.
Wang Jingyao was genuinely jealous, but at this moment, all her resentment dissolved into nothingness.
No matter how beautiful or elegant Ren Yun Shen was, her inability to speak was a fatal flaw.
Would Teng Hao really like a mute? Even if he had some feelings for her, he would never actually be with someone who couldn’t speak.
This realization bolstered Wang Jingyao’s confidence considerably.
“Go ahead and try it—Yun Shen’s cooking is amazing,” Ruan Yu said, stepping in to help Yun Shen play host to Wang Jingyao.
Wang Jingyao shook her head. “I’ll pass. I’m on a diet lately.”
Ruan Yu didn’t press her. Instead, she pointed at Wang Jingyao’s backpack. “Then take out your workbook. I’ll look over the problems first.”
“Okay, thanks, Sister Ruan.”
“No need to be polite.”
As Wang Jingyao pulled out her workbook and handed it to Ruan Yu, she asked, “Sister Ruan, do you think Teng Hao has a chance of getting into a university in Beicheng with his current grades?”
“Hmm? Teng Hao wants to go to Beicheng?” Ruan Yu glanced at Teng Hao.
“We agreed we’d go to university in Beicheng together,” Wang Jingyao answered quickly.
“When it comes to the college entrance exams, luck plays a role alongside ability. I can’t say for sure what the outcome will be,” Ruan Yu replied cautiously.
“True. I hope we all perform well so we can be together,” Wang Jingyao said, then hastily covered her mouth. “Oh, I mean, so we can go to university together.”
Teng Hao blushed again.
He scratched the back of his head sheepishly, grinning but not clarifying that going to Beicheng together was a shared aspiration among the seven or eight members of their study group—not some private promise between him and Wang Jingyao.
Listening to Wang Jingyao’s subtle—or not-so-subtle—boasting about her future plans with Teng Hao, Ren Yun Shen felt so upset she could barely contain herself. Suppressing her emotions, she stood up from the couch and gestured playing the piano to indicate she was going home to practice.
“Didn’t you already practice today?” Teng Hao asked.
Yun Shen ignored him and turned to leave.
Teng Hao wanted to ask more, but Ruan Yu pulled him back.
In this situation, Yun Shen staying would only make her feel worse. It was better to let her go—out of sight, out of mind.
“Yun Shen, she…”
“What about her?”
“She seemed a little off today.”
“Off how?”Teng Hao thought for a moment, then shook his head. If he had to explain, he couldn't pinpoint exactly what felt off—it just wasn't the same as usual.
"You should go upstairs and do your homework," Ruan Yu said, exasperated by his lack of progress.
"Oh."
Ever since encountering Wang Jingyao, Ren Yunshen had stopped coming to visit Teng Hao at home.
Teng Hao sent her messages, but she never replied. The thread connecting them seemed to have snapped. Even though they lived right next to each other, if one side deliberately avoided the other, meeting became nearly impossible.
Teng Hao couldn’t understand Yunshen’s sudden coldness.
"Top Scholar, tell me—did I do something wrong to upset Yunshen?" he asked Ruan Yu.
"Figure it out yourself."
Teng Hao actually spent the whole night racking his brain, but the answer he came up with the next day left Ruan Yu torn between laughter and tears.
"Could it be because I turned down those guys from our class for her?"
"..."
What kind of logic was that?
Then again, expecting Teng Hao to understand a girl’s heart was like waiting for a pig to climb a tree.
Afraid of making things worse between them, Ruan Yu didn’t dare give him too many hints and could only watch helplessly from the sidelines.
A week before final exams, Yunshen finally reached out to Teng Hao.
That evening, just as Ruan Yu arrived at the Teng residence, she saw Teng Hao rushing downstairs, his excitement palpable. He was pulling on his jacket as he ran, barely stopping when he spotted Ruan Yu. Only when he reached the entryway, while slipping on his shoes, did he hastily explain, "Yunshen asked me out. I’m going to meet her now—wait for me, okay?"
With that, he flung open the door and dashed out, brimming with joy.
Ruan Yu had thought this would be the meeting that mended things between Teng Hao and Yunshen. Instead, it turned out to be a farewell.
About an hour later, Teng Hao returned, his demeanor a complete contrast to when he’d left. The most alarming thing was the faint redness around his eyes.
"What happened?" Ruan Yu asked.
Teng Hao said nothing and went straight upstairs.
Ruan Yu hurried after him, but Teng Hao gave her no chance to speak further. He retreated into his room and locked the door.
"Teng Hao! Teng Hao?"
No matter how much she knocked, there was no response from inside.
What on earth was wrong with him?
Just as Ruan Yu was growing frantic, wondering if she should contact Teng Yi, her phone buzzed in her coat pocket.
It was a message from Yunshen.
Ruan Yu skimmed the screen, her heart sinking the moment she spotted the word "goodbye" in the long block of text. She quickly unlocked her phone to read it properly.
"Big Sister Ruan, I’m sorry to say goodbye like this. I’m flying to Hong Kong tonight. I wanted to tell you in person, but you know my situation—even if we met face-to-face, I’d still have to type everything out in the end... More than that, though, I was afraid I’d cry. I don’t look good when I cry, and I didn’t want you to see that side of me again. I’d rather you remember me at my best. I’m so glad I got to know you in Liaocheng. You’re so kind, always looking out for me like an older sister. I really adore you. I hope you and Yi-ge end up happy together—he’s a wonderful person too, and I know you two will be. Let’s meet again someday. Yunshen."
The message ended with a long string of waving and crying emojis.
Ruan Yu stood frozen, unable to process it for a long moment.
Yunshen was leaving!
No wonder Teng Hao was so heartbroken!
Ruan Yu’s own heart suddenly felt adrift.Who knew when they would meet again after this departure?
--?--
Ren Yun Shen sent the text message to Ruan Yu while on the plane. After sending it, she turned off her phone, put on her headphones and eye mask, and like a fish retreating into the depths of the ocean, she completely submerged herself in her own world.
Playing in her headphones was Jacky Cheung's song, on repeat, over and over again.
The Cantopop king's accented Mandarin blended with his soulful singing, bringing tears that soaked through her eye mask. In her mind, scenes of her time with Teng Hao flashed repeatedly.
Once, he had been her savior. In her heart, he was comparable to the legendary hero who rode in on a rainbow-colored cloud, just like the one from the story of the Purple Cloud Fairy.
Her heart had fluttered from the moment she threw herself into his arms and their eyes met.
It was he who had led her out of her cage—not just the locked door of her stepmother's room, but also the self-imposed prison of her own insecurities and timidity.
Singing at lively karaoke bars, riding bicycles through bustling streets, choosing steaming hot breakfasts—these simple, mundane pleasures and everyday joys that were within reach for most people were all first-time experiences for her.
She loved the version of herself when she was by his side—full of anticipation and laughter, vibrant as if she were truly alive.
Her father, Ren Tianhai, had repeatedly expressed his wish for her to go to Hong Kong. She had delayed it again and again, knowing that once she went to Hong Kong, she would once again become the Barbie doll on the crystal chair—her clothes, meals, and every action meticulously arranged. She didn’t want that kind of life. Of course, the most crucial reason was that she couldn’t bear to leave him.
Even though she knew deep down that she and Teng Hao could never last, she still greedily wished to stay by his side—watching him scratch his head over homework, seeing him dance with unrestrained joy—one more day was a blessing.
This humble wish was utterly shattered after Wang Jingyao appeared.
Wang Jingyao was radiant and bold. Her voice was as clear and bright as a lark’s, her words revealing a sharp, worldly intelligence. She was everything Ruan Yu was not—never quiet or withdrawn, never feeling like an outsider in this world, unable to express or articulate herself.
Someone as sunny as Teng Hao deserved to be with a girl like her.
They could talk about anything and everything, dream about the future together.
After leaving the Teng household that day, Ren Yun Shen fell into an inescapable spiral of self-loathing. She hated her own flaws, hated every sound she made. Compared to Wang Jingyao, she felt like a clown.
When insecurity deepens into something even heavier, it’s time to leave.
Ren Yun Shen understood she couldn’t stay any longer. She had to save herself.
Her father, Ren Tianhai, was overjoyed when she finally agreed to go to Hong Kong. He quickly arranged everything for her. But as the departure neared, Ren Yun Shen found herself reluctant again. Though she hadn’t replied to Teng Hao’s messages or reached out to him during this time, every morning she would stand by the window, secretly watching him leave for school, and every evening, she would wait in silence for his return.
She couldn’t bear the thought that even these small, cautious moments of romance would become a luxury in the future...
The eye mask was completely soaked. Ren Yun Shen took it off.
Outside the window, the sky was as dark as spilled ink. The plane had pierced through the clouds, and there wasn’t a single light in sight.
An hour earlier, Teng Hao had come running toward her.
He said, "Yun Shen, Yun Shen, you finally agreed to see me! I thought you’d never talk to me again! You scared me to death!"Ren Yun Shen handed him her phone, displaying a line of text she had prepared earlier.
"Will you take a walk with me?"
"Of course, anywhere you want to go!"
There were actually countless places she wished to visit, but time was against her—she had a flight to catch. So, the two of them merely strolled around the streets outside the neighborhood.
A winter night, a cold wind, not even a fallen leaf in sight—the entire city lay bare.
The boy remained as talkative and noisy as ever, while the girl stayed quiet and silent.
Teng Hao seemed determined to recount everything that had happened in the past few days, as if to fill the void between them. Yun Shen, on the other hand, seemed to be giving him all the patience she had left in her life. She wanted to treasure every word he said, to savor them slowly later when she was alone. Even the smallest, most trivial things—as long as they came from him, she loved them all.
After walking for about half an hour, they circled back to where they started.
Ren Yun Shen typed out a message for him: "I'm going to Hong Kong. I won’t be back for a while."
Teng Hao stared at her phone screen, stunned.
Seizing the moment, Ren Yun Shen stood on her tiptoes and quickly pressed a kiss to his lips.
Finally.
She kissed him goodbye.
On that empty street.
Teng Hao’s face flushed crimson in an instant, while Yun Shen’s tears streamed down uncontrollably.
She slipped into the car, letting the driver take her away.
Teng Hao stood frozen in place, while her sobs grew louder and louder. In the rearview mirror, the moment he turned to look back, her heart shattered into pieces.
That kiss might have meant nothing to him, but it took away her entire youth.
"Teng Hao, I know I’m not good enough for you, but I still wanted you to know—I liked you. Of course, I still do. Maybe I always will. If I can’t forget you, I’ll resent you and myself. I’ll resent my youth, and how dazzling you were. I don’t want to say goodbye to you. If we can’t be together, I hope we never meet again. Yun Shen."
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