In My Lifetime I Will Only Gamble on You Chapter 3

Hello y’all, sorry for this really late update but I still hope you enjoy! I have just been so busy lately since my family is moving right now and we’re still figuring a lot of that stuff out a month into it. Also I kinda stepped away from the translation world for a year to focus on my studies and getting into college. Now I’m just trying to figure out what I want to do with my life.

Also this new wordpress formatting is so ugh but looks very modern/sleek. Comment below if you’d like to see more short stories in the future!

Chapter 3

One afternoon, a few days after Xu Song’s birthday, Fu Xiaoke had just taken a nap and was trying to wake herself up when the dorm advisor came to inform her that someone outside was looking for her. 

She rushed downstairs, and saw that the person who was looking for her was a very beautiful girl. 

The girl saw her, and gracefully walked over to greet her, “You must be……Fu Xiaoke right? Hello! My name is Ai Tian Tian!”

Fu Xiaoke stared at her, her eyes full of doubt, “Hello…I don’t think I know you…”

As Ai Tian Tian tidied her hair she gave off an extremely mature elegance and power. Fu Xiaoke secretly smacked her lips. 

“It’s okay, I just wanted to come and let you know one thing – Xu Song and I are actually together. It’s not because you’re extremely pretty or he really likes you that Xu Song is hanging around you, but because he made a bet with the guys in his class – a bet to see if he could get a tomboy to wear a skirt!”

Ai Tian Tian had  the face of an angel,  radiating an elegant smile that was so perfect and flawless, yet her face had the power to make Fu Xiaoke shudder all over. 

“Why should I believe what you’re saying? Who are you? Why are you telling me all this?”

Ai Tiantian continued to give off an elegant smile, “You don’t believe me? In fact, if you go ask the people around Xu Song, you’ll be able to determine whether or not I’m telling the truth. To be honest, everyone knows about this- you are the only one unaware of the situation. You were asking who I am? I am Xu Song’s dance partner from childhood, and I’m also his girlfriend. I felt that things were starting to get out of hand and thought that I should inform you of the situation. You should stop this nonsense immediately before it gets too far, before someone gets hurt. No matter what happens, Xu Song will return to my side in the end.” 

Fu Xiaoke tightened her knuckles, forcing herself to smile. 

“Thanks for your words of advice. There won’t be a next time,” No matter how she was feeling, Fu Xiaoke didn’t want to be seen as a joke. “Please directly deliver your words to the man involved. When you seek me out like this, it all seems that your beauty and temperament don’t live up to expectations!” When she finished, she turned to go upstairs. She didn’t want to glance at the girl’s face anymore, perhaps showing an expression of unreconciliation.

Fu Xiaoke put away the long skirt. 

Fu Xiaoke no longer went to the classroom by the stairs for independent study.

Fu Xiaoke started to skip lectures. 

Fu Xiaoke turned off her cell phone. 

Fu Xiaoke no longer answered the dorm phone.

Fu Xiaoke…….Fu Xiaoke no longer wanted anything to do with Xu Song. 

No matter how much she hated the girl, or how uneasy she felt about her, what Tian Tian had said was true – Xu Song did only get close to her because of a bet he made. 

However, Fu Xiaoke didn’t confront Xu Song. No matter how sad she’d become, she just couldn’t do something like that. 

She only sent him a short text, telling him to never contact her ever again. 

She then turned off her phone, hiding from him and never wanting to see him again. 

Not being able to see him didn’t mean she could stop thinking about him though. Everytime she thought of him, she was reminded of the past, and the more she thought about him, the more it pained her heart. 

She had told herself that she would not cry. She was resolute that even if she had to hold back those tears in her eyes for the whole day, she would not let a single one of them fall.

However, two days later, she still found herself trapped in a small classroom with Xu Song.

Her first glance at him made her heart painfully ache. 

His looks were slightly disheveled, his hair messy, with slight stubble visible on his chin. His eyes were bloodshot, and his forehead was creased into a deep frown.

Her nose soured. 

Wasn’t she just a bet to him? Did he really have to give it his all just for a bet, just for a tomboy like her?

She managed to turn her head around, ordering herself to not look at him. 

However, he grabbed her by the cheeks and forced her to look towards him. 

“Why?” He quietly questioned, his voice heavy and husky. 

She thought, perhaps he was hurting a little too, but how much pain could he actually be in? Maybe he was only guilty, maybe he was only bored. Or, maybe all he wanted to do was verify his charms. In any case, it definitely wasn’t because he had true feelings for her. How could a crude girl like her compare to sweet Ai Tiantian? 

She tried hard to make herself smile at him, “I know everything!” She faintly said, as if this whole situation hadn’t brought her any pain, “You tried to get close to me because of a bet you made! You even have a girlfriend!”

Everything, from her words to her attitude to her smile left him extremely annoyed. 

He slammed his fist into the wall behind them. 

“She’s not my girlfriend! She’s just my old dancing partner! She thinks she’s my girlfriend, but she’s not! Xiaoke, you have to believe me!” He impatiently exclaimed as he held her cheeks.

Fu Xiaoke started laughing. 

“Xu Song, the problem isn’t who she is. Whether she’s your girlfriend or not has nothing to do with me. The real problem is that it was all just a bet, a lie, an error that shouldn’t have been made!”

She pried his hands off, one finger at a time, determined to sever everything she had with him.

He slowly regained his grip, one finger at a time, stubborn and impatient.

Fu Xiaoke pushed him hard, “Xu Song, neither of us are kids anymore, this is a classroom. Someone is going to enter soon, so let go of me! We are through!”

However, Xu Song didn’t listen, his hand not letting go of hers. 

Fu Xiaoke felt as if she was going to collapse. 

She stared at Xu Song, and earnestly questioned, “What on earth do you want? What is it that you want?” Tears finally began to roll down from the corner of her eyes, flowing past her nose and into her mouth. 

He too seemed to be able to taste the tears, because he could taste bitterness as it filled his heart.

“Let go of me!” She told Xu Song once again, but he continued to refuse. 

She finally exploded, fiercely pushing him away, loudly shouting: “Xu Song! You can’t bully me like this! You let go of me! Let go!!!”

She loudly screamed as her crying worsened and tears flowed down her face. 

Someone opened the door to the classroom and saw them together. They stood at the doorway, not sure whether they should enter or leave. 

Fu Xiaoke pushed him with all her might, and without turning her head, she ran outside as fast as she could. 

Her tears trailed down behind her body, her heart breaking into millions of pieces. 

She no longer had any strength left to continue to hide her sadness. Even until the end, he was able to easily penetrate her strong disguise. 

Fu Xiaoke felt she had just had a dream. Everything in the dream was so perfect but reality after waking up was so unbearably ugly. 

She warned herself and forced herself to forget Xu Song. She told herself, ‘The sooner you forget him, the sooner this pain will go away.’

Since that day, Xu Song had not bothered her again. 

She thought, perhaps it was because he felt guilty for lying to her and he wanted to make her understand him. But since she was unwilling to understand him, there was no point in pointlessly getting in touch with her.

Fu Xiaoke told herself, Leave it be, don’t worry about it anymore. It’s good for the two of us to forget about each other. 

Eventually, Ning Zhixing came up to talk to her, “I heard earlier today that Xu . . . I mean someone from his class said that he has recently gotten drunk many times, that even the advisors are alarmed! The advisor even said that if he didn’t clean himself up soon, that he would have to be disciplined…”

Lao Da said to her, “Xiaoke, I wanted to tell you that Xu . . . I mean whatever his name is, he stands beneath our window everyday, always staring upwards. The only day he didn’t show up was the second day after the rain…”

Lao Er added on to Lao Da’s words, telling her, “You say he didn’t come that day? That was because he got sick from standing in the rain for so long. Didn’t I have to visit the health clinic for shots over a few days because of my stomach ache? Well, I met him in the health clinic on the second day it rained!”

While they were saying these things to her, Fu Xiaoke  remained silently still, her face revealing a faint smile the entire time. 

However after everyone left, she hid under her blankets. She remained silent, not uttering a single sound, yet her face was covered in tears. 

That person, she felt, was truly an affliction of hers. She had tried to forget him but she could not and that made her sad and hurt. She was at a loss as to how she would get over this. He was truly an affliction that was imprinted in her heart.

In the blink of an eye, it was time for the seniors to graduate from university. 

Before the graduates graduated, the school organized a mega talent show, and required all students to attend no matter what. 

Undoubtedly, Xu Song would perform at this talent show.

Fu Xiaoke wasn’t sure how she felt as she found herself sitting down to watch the performance. 

She felt somewhat timid, yet she also felt excited. 

Ning Zhixin uneasily reminded her, “Xiaoke Xiaoke! The next performance is Xu Song’s! Are you going to be okay? If you don’t think you can handle it, I can wait outside with you until it’s over!”

Fu Xiaoke took one look at her and replied, “It’s fine!” In the auditorium, her voice seemed a bit squeakier than usual. 

Soon, the music began to play. 

That ever so handsome silhouette appeared, and everyone around them sighed in longing. 

Fu Xiaoke’s heart swayed to the rhythm of the music and his elegant dance moves, as it slammed in her chest with every beat. Her heart beat so quickly, so panicky, and so unsteadily, that she couldn’t control it.

It was uncertain as to how she managed to sit through the dance, but the moment the dance ended when he displayed his ending move and the crowd went wild, Fu Xiaoke felt as if she was going to collapse. 

As for him, he stood on the stage, still breathing hard, but he wouldn’t step off of the stage.

Instead of getting off, he walked towards the front of the stage, and borrowed the microphone from the MC up front. He stood on the stage, stared out at the audience, his chest rising up and down as he breathlessly said, “Today, my dance is only for one girl! In the past, I lied to her, and even hurt her badly, but all I want her to know is that I was wrong. I have regretted my actions, I’ve hurt too!  I also want to let her know that my feelings are true!” His confession left the crowd speechless, his voice so sincere that it made everyone touched.

Lastly, he looked down towards the audience, and said in her direction, “Sorry, please forgive me! My feelings are true! Fu Xiaoke, I truly like you!”

The whole audience was in an uproar as everyone unanimously turned to look in Fu Xiaoke’s direction.

Fu Xiaoke covered her mouth and silently cried. 

Xu Song hopped off the stage, taking large strides towards her. 

Reaching the front of her seat, he stopped. 

Everyone held their breaths. The entire room turned quiet again. 

He stared at her. When he opened his mouth to speak, his voice was hoarse, “Xiaoke, my feelings are real! I truly like you! I beg you, please forgive me, okay?”

Fu Xiaoke could no longer resist tearing up, her mouth unable to form words. 

The people waiting beside them grew anxious. As they ran out of patience, they quickly urged her, “Say Yes! Say Yes!”

The sounds of their voices gradually overlapped. The volume escalated as it quickly spreading around the entire auditorium. 

The voices washed over her with a shocking energy, the waves of noise making Fu Xiaoke dizzy and confused.

He stood at the heart of the sound wave, and extended his hand towards her. 

Amidst the tears pouring out of her eyes, she looked at him and asked him a question : “Will you  gamble on another girl in the future?”

He was originally filled with immense anxiety, but he quickly became happy. A smile soon appeared on his face, like a rainbow coming into view after the rain. 

“That won’t happen! In my lifetime, I will only gamble on you!”

At last, Fu Xiaoke reached out her arm, putting her hand into his. 

---

Translated by Amy
TLCed by Geeky (kinda)
Edited by Ely

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