Ten Years Are Not That Far

Well, this wraps up Ten Years are not that Far! I know Chapter 5 is painful to read, so I combined chapters 5 and 6~ The ending is so simple, yet beautiful, and I really can’t help but love the author more and more! ❤

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Image copyright unintended, but I really couldn’t find the owner of the pic, besides from Pinterest.

Chapters 5 and 6

Gu Yan would still go on blind dates once in awhile, but he never deliberately gave the time and place to Qu Xi anymore for her to wreck chaos. He seemed to have set his heart against allowing Qu Xi in his private bubble anymore.

Qu Xi remained cool and collected as she observed him. Finally, a day came when she found an opportunity to secretly steal into Gu Yan"s car. She was originally planning on talking to Gu Yan alone, but after waiting there for an entire day, she didn"t think that she would fall asleep behind the seat of his car.

After Gu Yan and his blind date finished talking over dinner, he drove the other party home. As they drove along a secluded rode, Qu Xi awoke, and she opened her eyes, confused. She climbed out from behind the back seat.

The woman sitting in the front pa.s.senger seat was immediately scared out of her wits when she saw a person with dishevelled hair suddenly appear in the backseat from the rearview mirror. She screamed repeatedly, howling until everyone"s heart beat like crazy. Gu Yan stomped on the brake, and after an ear-piercing brake sound, the scene immediately sunk into a strange quietness.

The girl, who was on the blind date with Gu Yan, uselessly fainted. Gu Yan glared at Qu Xi who had suddenly popped up, so angry that he couldn"t even speak.

Qu Xi"s face had b.u.mped into the back of the front pa.s.senger seat. It hurt so much, she grimaced in pain. She pitifully rubbed her nose, "Uncle Yan, you have to be careful when you drive."

Although Gu Yan was usually calm and unperturbed, his veins were virtually popping out right now. He got out of the car,  opened the back door of the car and dragged Qu Xi out, shouting, "What are you doing?"

"I"ve come to wreck your blind date." She spoke truthfully and self-confidently. Gu Yan"s brows frowned at  her dedication. Qu Xi loudly continued, "You don"t like me, but you also don"t like the person you"re going on a blind date with. But how come they can have a relationship with you, while I can"t?"

Gu Yan was dumbstruck. Subconsciously, he answered, "You"re still too young."

Qu Xi fished out her ID, and pointed at the date on it. "I am 22 years old this year, and according to the traditional Chinese calendar, I"m 23 years old. I"ve already graduated from university, I have a reasonable job, I can marry and give birth to sons, and I like you too. Where am I lacking?"

Gu Yan became speechless from Qu Xi"s reprimanding words. He silently looked at Qu Xi, as his heart turned in great waves. He suddenly felt that ten years weren"t as impa.s.sable as he had originally thought.

Qu Xi was so strongly attached to him, and now, he…

He also… Gu Yan was alarmed by his internal thoughts.

"Uncle Yan." Qu Xi tugged at his sleeve, almost as if acting coquettishly. "Just try it, give me an opportunity."

Gu Yan was unaware of what vast amounts of courage she had gathered to ask him this question after his cold rejections- one after another. She had put down her dignity and made herself lowly and inferior. At the moment, he felt extremely confused, and he couldn"t quite pinpoint how he felt towards Qu Xi. He subconsciously wanted to struggle free of Qu Xi"s hand. However, this time Qu Xi seemed as if she was completely willing to press her luck, as she looked at him closely, unwilling to let go.

The woman in the car slowly came to. She looked all around her, and found that Gu Yan was currently outside conversing with someone. She got out of the car curiously, and saw that this girl was the same person who had just popped out from the backseat, and she was even pulling at Gu Yan, and not letting go. She was a bit displeased. "Mr. Gu?"

Gu Yan"s emotional state seemed to sober up after hearing someone call his name. He fiercely pried apart Qu Xi"s fingers and escaped back into the car.

That girl looked at Qu Xi oddly, but she also went back into the car. When the car door was closing, Qu Xi heard that woman ask, "Who is she?"

"An office worker at the company."

Qu Xi slightly trembled. She hesitated for a moment, but summoning the last depths of her courage, she knocked on the car window. "Uncle Yan, don"t abandon me here."

Her voice was extremely soft, and with the car window up, Gu Yan couldn"t hear her. The motor hummed and the black BMW drove off without a second thought.

Qu Xi stood at the roadside, the cold night wind blowing into her eyes and making them get misty. She looked at her empty hand, and then looked at the empty road, as she mumbled, "Actually, I am afraid of the dark. Even if I"m only a worker at the company, you can"t abandon me like this. And what"s more…"

What"s more, what sin did I ever commit to fall in love with you…

Qu Xi suddenly wondered why of all people, she had to fancy Gu Yan. Clearly, love could not be earned from hard work.

Only after Gu Yan dropped that woman back at home did he suddenly recall that he had left Qu Xi off at a secluded road with few people. Few cars would pa.s.s by that area at midnight. How would she get home all by herself, as a girl? At the time, he had been distraught with anxiety when Qu Xi asked him that question, so he had completely overlooked this point. Now though, he was worried about her safety. Gu Yan"s face paled, as a thread of fear surfaced in his heart.

When he drove back Qu Xi was still crouching there by the road like a little abandoned dog.

Gu Yan stepped forwards and pulled her up. When he touched her hand, it was completely ice-cold. An indescribable mood suddenly leapt up in his heart. He seemed to feel self-loathing, but he also seemed to feel distress for her. He pulled Qu Xi into the car. She didn"t speak, only buckling herself up well, and then looking at her own hand, as she foolishly began to lose herself in thought.

"Where do you live?" He didn"t know how long he had driven for before Gu Yan realized he ought to ask this question.

Qu Xi was silent for a long time, but in the end she ignored the question and replied, "Uncle Yan, in the future I won"t bother you, alright?"

When he heard this, Gu Yan only felt his lower jaw tighten. He didn"t reply, allowing Qu Xi"s question to sink into the ocean, like a large rock, without a trace.

"Just stop at any bus stop." Qu Xi said, "It"s not like I can"t get home without you."

Gu Yan continued to be silent, his face becoming ashen. After Qu Xi got out of the car, she respectfully bowed to Gu Yan, and then turned around and left. She didn"t even want to leave him with a good -bye.

The next day, Gu Yan didn"t see Qu Xi again at work. Only after he asked someone else, did he find out that  she had actually already quit.

That night, he worked overtime as usual, but at 9:00 pm, he didn"t hear the knock at the door , and he didn"t have the fragrance of hot tea wafting through the air to sober up his somewhat muddle-headed mind. In that moment, Gu Yan put down his pencil, and looked at the piece of paper in front of him. He was depressed, yet cold, as he became absent-minded.

—

In the middle of April, Gu Yan received an invitation to speak at his alma mater, inviting him to lecture at the Hundredth Year Anniversary for the school. Naturally, he would agree.

When he stood upon the square lecture stage, Gu Yan"s gaze swept over the faces br.i.m.m.i.n.g with youthfulness. His heart suddenly thought, One girl had listened to every single one of his lectures in the past. Perhaps, every time he stood on stage, she could hear every word he spoke, full of admiration.

Then what about today? Was she here…

Was it even possible to pick  Qu Xi"s figure out of the ma.s.ses here? Qu Xi was definitely  there. She stood at the very back, watching his free and easy figure. This school wasn"t just Gu Yan"s alma mater; it was also Qu Xi"s. She had followed in Gu Yan"s footsteps and lived in this school for four years. Now, she had finally sobered up and realized that perhaps some goals could only remain goals.

Paying attention to Gu Yan had already become a  bad habit that Qu Xi acquired. She had always thought, One day I"ll make Gu Yan"s heart soften, but that day won"t be today. Thus, she had never managed to make any progress to her goal.

When the lecture was almost complete, Qu Xi silently left. She went to go visit a professor from the university. She met him in the office, and the two of them conversed extremely happily. Professor Zheng asked about Qu Xi"s work circ.u.mstances with great concern. Qi Xi was silent for a moment, only telling him that she had just quit her job.

"Young people should bear some more hardships." Professor Zheng spoke like this, but Qu Xi wouldn"t explain why she had quit her job. After sitting down for awhile longer, Qu Xi wanted to stand up and leave, but she saw a figure walk past the entrance and immediately became foolishly entranced.

Gu Yan didn"t think that he would see Qu Xi here either. He was startled, and an indescribable happiness burst forth in his heart. His lips slightly lifted, and his grave face brightened upon seeing Qu Xi.

Had she been unwilling to meet him… Gu Yan felt a bit resentful. After such a long period of time, did she not even want to see him?

The two people used to be Professor Zheng"s favorite pupils. The teacher happily introduced the two people, and then said to Gu Yan, "This girl is your worshipper. The first day she came to school, she said she wanted to become exactly like Gu Yan."

"Professor." Qu Xi suddenly said, "I no longer think that way."

Gu Yan became startled. He coldly looked at Qu Xi, but saw that there was no show of quick-wittedness in her eyes. Gu Yan felt his heart suddenly burst with pain, just like how he had felt that day when he had dropped Qu Xi off at the bus stop, all alone.

Professor Zheng also slightly started. Right at that moment, some students came in to find him so Professor Zheng went out with them. Only Qu Xi and Gu Yan were left in the office. It was awkward and silent.

She didn"t know how long she had sat down for, but Qu Xi suddenly got up, almost as if she didn"t see anyone in the room. Without another word, she directly turned and left.

Gu Yan didn"t know whether he was feeling angry or pained. Before he realized what he had done, he had already grasped Qu Xi tightly. Qu Xi lowered her head and said, "Mr. Gu, what do you mean by this?"

Gu Yan didn"t know what he meant by this either. His heart internally cursed at himself for being such an unfathomable mystery, but he pretended he was extremely calm, like an elder instructing a student. "Quit your job? Do you think you"re a little kid playing some game? Do you think you can just give up on a job like this?"

Qu Xi was silent for a long time. In the end, she looked up, and looked straight at Gu Yan"s eyes, as she said, "I"ve liked you for six years. I"ve fought for you, with you as my goal, but in the end, I found that I was having to stand on the very tips of my toes. When I reached my hands out, I couldn"t touch you, almost as if you were like a star. Uncle… Mr. Gu, I didn"t let go of my job easily. I let go of my job only because you never knew how important you were to me."

Gu Yan slightly blanked out, but then he heard Qu Xi say, "Mr. Gu, if you don"t like me, then don"t hold on to me." She said, "I will misunderstand." Her calm voice was filled with traces of grief.

Qu Xi pried Gu Yan"s hand off, finger by finger. Only then, did Gu Yan realize how painful his actions had been to her.

When he saw Qu Xi slowly walk away, Gu Yan only felt his heart empty. He softly said, "I like you too… actually, I already started liking you a long time ago."

But by then, you had already given up.

Gu Yan stood alone in the room for awhile, but then he began to grab at his hair, extremely vexed. Then, he walked out.

When he went around the corner, he saw a girl crying with tears and snot running down her face.

Gu Yan"s heart began to jump heavily.

Qu Xi said, "If… if you pursue me, I"ll consider it."

"I"ll pursue you."

Translated by tranzgeek

Edited by Ely

Final translator comments: Ahh the ending of this short story was so sweet. I love how it ends with Gu Yan’s seemingly simple statement- when he really embodies so many beautiful emotions beneath those words. It takes Gu Yan a lot to realize his stubbornness, but when he finally does realize how much he has been hurting both Qu Xi and himself, he finally lets go of his pride. I know Chapter 5 was a tough one to read, so I put it in the same post with Chapter 6. The author is truly too wonderful with her words and the many lessons she inserts into her stories xD.

I hope you guys enjoyed this short story~ Stay tuned for more short stories, when more milestones are reached!