Chapter 342: Chapter 341: Feng Yujie Drowns Her Sorrows

Feng Yujie bit her lip. "About what happened back then... are you still mad at me?"

Zheng Guofeng just paused for a moment, then smiled. "No. It’s all in the past."

"Then... can you give me a chance?"

Zheng Guofeng asked, confused, "What?"

"I like you. I have for many years. If you’re still single, can you give me a chance?" Feng Yujie seemed to use all her strength to get the words out. After speaking, she stared at Zheng Guofeng, not even blinking, waiting for his reaction.

Zheng Guofeng fell silent.

After a long while, he finally looked at Feng Yujie. "Xiao Feng, we’ve known each other for so long, so I won’t hide it from you. I’ve always had my own love. Even though she’s no longer here, she’s still alive in my heart. I don’t plan to remarry, and there won’t be anyone else. I want to keep myself whole for her."

The words were cruel. Feng Yujie’s eyes stung terribly. She struggled to suppress her emotions, managed a quiet "Okay" to Zheng Guofeng, and ran off.

After Feng Yujie left, Zheng Guofeng sat down again. He glanced at the box on the table, let out a derisive snort, and looked up at the sky.

He muttered, "Wanyi, look. Even a wreck like me has someone who likes him. It’s a shame... you can’t predict what’s in a person’s heart. Wait for me over there, don’t wander off too far."

No one answered him. Zheng Guofeng sat on the rooftop for a little longer before leaving. The box on the table remained, battered by the wind, looking somewhat desolate.

It was getting close to bedtime, but Feng Yujie still hadn’t returned. Just as Xue Yue was about to get dressed and go look for her, the door slammed open with a BANG, and Feng Yujie stumbled in.

She was unsteady on her feet, clutching a bottle of foreign liquor. It looked like she had already been drinking.

Xue Yue quickly walked over and shut the door behind her. "Sister Feng. Why are you back so late?"

Feng Yujie’s eyes were bloodshot, and her emotions were a mess. It was obvious she had been crying. Xue Yue was shocked; she had never seen Feng Yujie so distraught.

She asked again softly, "Sister Feng, what’s wrong?"

Feng Yujie leaned against the bed and slid to the floor, then took another swig from the bottle.

Xue Yue frowned. Drinking was strictly forbidden at their job, especially while abroad. They had to remain clear-headed at all times. ’Sister Feng is breaking the rules, and she knows it.’

Feng Yujie finally looked at Xue Yue, her voice having lost its usual composure.

"Xue Yue, are you and Zheng Guofeng actually father and daughter?"

Xue Yue was taken aback. Seeing Feng Yujie’s state and hearing her question, she recalled how Feng Yujie had been single for so many years. Everyone always speculated about the reason. ’Could it be related to Uncle Zheng?’

Xue Yue wasn’t sure, but meeting Feng Yujie’s intense gaze, she shook her head. "No, he’s a friend of my mother’s."

Feng Yujie kept staring at Xue Yue, as if trying to determine if she was telling the truth.

Xue Yue nodded. "It’s true. I have no reason to lie to you. At work, everyone mistakes me and Uncle Zheng for father and daughter, but my surname is Xue, and my father’s surname is also Xue."

Only then did Feng Yujie lower her head, and a laugh escaped her lips.

"I confessed to him today."

Xue Yue’s eyes widened slightly as she stared at Feng Yujie in disbelief.

"Hahaha, I mustered all the courage I’ve had in my entire life and finally said it. But he shot me down with just a few words. I didn’t even have the guts to ask anything more. I was afraid of seeing indifference in his eyes, terrified he would blame me for my past heartlessness. So I ran away again."

Xue Yue was a bit dazed. ’So Uncle Zheng rejected her?’

Feng Yujie continued, "I was only twenty-three when I joined the unit, fresh out of school. At the time, Zheng Guofeng was my teacher. Tian Junfeng and I were assigned to him. He was handsome and charming, kind-natured, and never lost his temper. He was very gentle with us newcomers. The others who started with me were all envious. They complained their teachers were strict and always scolding them, but mine wasn’t. I felt so lucky."

"Teacher Zheng was only in his thirties back then. We all assumed he must be married with children. But then we happened to hear a leader from another department say that Teacher Zheng was still single. A lot of the female comrades in the unit had a secret crush on him. At my age, I was just starting to have my first romantic feelings, so it was especially easy to fall for him."

"But the more time I spent with him, the more I realized Teacher Zheng seemed to have something on his mind. He wasn’t as happy as he appeared. His eyes were often gloomy. I didn’t understand. A man like him should have had anything he wanted, so what was there to be sad about? This went on until ’68, when that bastard Tian Junfeng reported Teacher Zheng. We all knew Teacher Zheng had studied abroad, but Tian Junfeng was a student he’d personally mentored, so his words carried particular weight. And then... then Teacher Zheng was taken away."

Xue Yue found it strange and asked, "But wasn’t this Tian Junfeng Uncle Zheng’s student? Why would he report his own teacher? What was in it for him?"

Feng Yujie froze for a second, then grabbed the bottle and took a huge gulp. Liquor trickled from the corner of her mouth, down her chin, and dripped onto her clothes.

Xue Yue narrowed her eyes and ventured a guess, "Tian Junfeng liked you?"

The hand Feng Yujie used to hold the bottle trembled. She admitted, "Yes. He confessed to me, and I rejected him. I told him I already liked someone. Tian Junfeng asked if it was Teacher Zheng. I didn’t answer, but I knew he had already figured it out."

Xue Yue looked at Feng Yujie. "Uncle Zheng was the teacher for both of you. Since people believed what Tian Junfeng said, did you speak up for Uncle Zheng?"

At this, Feng Yujie began to cry, fat tears rolling down her cheeks. She then shook her head.

"N-No. I wanted to, but they said if I spoke up, I might get implicated myself. And then I hesitated. Hahahaha, I actually hesitated. By the time I came to my senses, Teacher... he had already been taken away."

Feng Yujie was crying and laughing at the same time, looking completely unhinged.

Listening to her, Xue Yue felt a chill in her heart. She said nothing and sat down on the edge of the bed.

Feng Yujie said mockingly, "You think I was wrong too, don’t you? My mouth said I liked him, but I just stood by and watched as he was framed by someone else, without saying a word."

Xue Yue didn’t speak, but that was indeed what she was thinking.

Feng Yujie gave a bitter smile. "Forget you, even I look down on myself. Ever since Teacher Zheng was taken away, I’ve been drowning in regret. Why was I so cowardly, so selfish? He was my teacher! And I liked him so much."

Feng Yujie started drinking again. Xue Yue finally couldn’t watch anymore and snatched the bottle from her hand.

"Stop drinking! We have to fly back tomorrow. What will the leadership think if they see you like this?"

Startled by Xue Yue’s sharp tone, Feng Yujie froze for a moment before grabbing Xue Yue’s wrist.

"Teacher Zheng said he has a love who lives on in his heart. Do you know who it is?"