Section 27: If I Do Not Enter Hell

The next day was New Year's Eve. Lu Yuan left early in the morning and quietly went to find Sima again. Lu Ping’an finally made up his mind and called Lu Youyou, telling her that he had already met Sima and that he was not a suitable match for his daughter. He earnestly begged her to find a way to “break up the couple” and, no matter what, to separate them.

Lu Youyou was silent for a long time before reluctantly agreeing to try, though she made no promises of success.

After hanging up, her heart pounded fiercely. She had long realized that Sima and Lu Yuan could never walk the path together, just like double-petaled cherry blossoms that bear no fruit. Lu Ping’an’s attitude confirmed this. With his rich life experience—having tasted more hardships than she had grains of rice—he wouldn’t be mistaken about a person.

She had pondered deeply before understanding why she doubted their match. The problem lay with Sima himself. Due to training, she had recently spent more time with Sima than Lu Yuan had. She noticed that Sima treated life like a game—uncommitted, indifferent, unappreciative, cynical, and irresponsible. Such traits were fatal flaws in a marriage.

She didn’t know why someone so young harbored such an attitude. Clearly, he had reasons to be confident. Like a blazing flame, he attracted moths who would recklessly throw themselves in. If Lu Yuan continued to entangle himself with Sima, he would surely be reduced to ashes.

After the New Year's Eve dinner and watching a bit of the Spring Festival Gala, Lu Youyou did not stay up late to keep vigil; she went to bed early to rest. Tossing and turning, unable to sleep, she got up, drank a cup of warm water, and casually turned on the TV. From a compartment in her suitcase, she pulled out a box of videotapes and skillfully inserted one into the VCR.

In the darkness, her face flickered gently, shifting like a ghost. On the screen, slow-motion replay appeared: a full recording of Sima running the 100-meter dash shirtless—a video she had watched many times before.

The high-speed camera captured the split-second moment of his start. His expression was fierce, muscles taut and contracted, lines smooth and sharp, resembling a marble statue from ancient Greece. His powerful legs kicked off the ground, his body lunged forward—one step, two steps, three steps—like a cheetah chasing a gazelle!

Holding her breath, Lu Youyou stared at his chest and abdominal muscles, feeling dry in the mouth and overcome by waves of anxiety.

She had been lonely for so long. Since her fiancé Zhang Ke’s death, she had lived alone in an empty room, her heart ashen. Yet years later, it was Sima who awakened her.

Zhang Ke was the only son of head coach Zhang Chongqing. Serving as the team doctor for the school’s track and field team, he was four years older than Lu Youyou. He fell in love with her at first sight and pursued her relentlessly despite much criticism, all of which Zhang Chongqing easily suppressed.

He chased Lu Youyou for two full years. Throughout, she remained elusive and kept him at a distance. Only when she felt she had no future in the women’s 100-meter hurdles and planned to switch to coaching did she accept his pursuit.

Their relationship quickly blossomed. To keep it secret, she followed Zhang Ke’s advice and bought a serviced apartment near Northern Zhidi Foreign Languages University. At the time, she was financially strained, and housing prices in Beizhidi City were sky-high, so Zhang Ke actually helped pay for the apartment.

In that modest apartment, they shared a brief period of happiness. The only regret Lu Youyou harbored was that Zhang Ke, a gentle scholar, could not satisfy her in that intimate aspect. But as a woman, she found it hard to speak of such matters. She kept it to herself, not telling anyone—not even Zhang Ke, who remained unaware of her disappointment and restlessness.

Lu Youyou had once believed she would marry Zhang Ke smoothly, live a quiet life as a wife and mother, and peacefully grow old. But a sudden tragedy shattered that plan.

While on a business trip, Zhang Ke’s driver suffered a heart attack, causing the bus to lose control, veer off the highway, and crash into a mountainside, resulting in heavy casualties. It was a natural disaster, not a human fault. Zhang Ke, not wearing a seatbelt, was thrown from the window and died instantly from a broken neck.

After handling the funeral, Lu Youyou was dazed and lay in bed for a week before recovering. To forget her grief, she threw herself into intense training and work—until Sima appeared before her.

At first, Lu Youyou did not realize Sima’s fatal appeal. Out of concern for her cousin, she watched coldly, scrutinizing him with a critical eye and opposing their cohabitation.

But Sima soon proved his excellence—an excellence even Lu Yuan didn’t deserve! Lu Youyou realized this one lonely night while struggling to write her annual summary, dry and uninspired. On a whim, she inserted Sima’s 100-meter dash tape into the VCR, but this time, not for work.

Like being struck by lightning, a tingle ran through her body. Her heart leapt, and all memories of Sima surged in like a tide. She felt herself falling.

If it weren’t for Lu Yuan, things would be much easier. At least, there would be less psychological burden. She would gradually emerge from the shadows of her past and embark on a “sister-younger brother” romance. Although a few years older than Sima, she was confident in her figure and appearance. She did not seek eternal love—only to have once possessed it. She wanted to seize the last moments of youth without regret.

But Sima and Lu Yuan moved too fast. In just a few months, they experienced what other couples might over years, rushing headlong and eventually sleeping together.

For the first time in her life, Lu Youyou tasted jealousy. She knew she had to stop herself before making any more mistakes.

Fate is unpredictable and turns in unexpected ways. Lu Ping’an’s call gave Lu Youyou ample reason. Instinctively, she convinced herself that as a third party, her interference was for Lu Yuan’s own good. A father would never harm his daughter. If they continued their relationship, it would only bring Lu Yuan greater pain.

On this New Year’s Eve, when the whole nation celebrated and families reunited, Lu Youyou made her resolution: If not me to go through hell, then who else? Let her bravely bear this pain!

Since preparations for the National Athletics Championships were underway, Lu Youyou and Sima agreed to meet at Northern Zhidi Foreign Languages University on the fifth day of the new year. They would conduct recovery training together while finalizing their next training plan.

Lu Yuan had originally planned to persuade his parents to accompany Sima back to Beizhidi, but Lu Ping’an refused—how could they return home for the New Year without visiting all their relatives? Leaving on the third day of the new year was out of the question!

Unable to argue, Lu Yuan was downhearted. He apologized to Sima, but this was all anticipated. Sima comforted him, advising him to stay in Changzhou to rest and recharge. He would return to school a few days early, and before classes resumed, they would travel together to Jimo—to feel the sea breeze, drink beer, and eat seafood.

Lu Yuan couldn’t help but smile. Drinking beer by the sea in freezing weather, shivering—what fun was that? But the thought of meeting Sima, wandering hand in hand through an unfamiliar city where they knew no one, was enchanting.

She happily agreed and began planning their trip to Jimo.