Dimensional Store: Welcome to the Apocalypse Apartment - Chapter 166

Chapter 166

He Jiarui had returned because she wanted to hear this answer from Gu Huaiwei’s own mouth.

She came seeking an answer, already carrying one within her.

“You came to see me before you moved because you already had an answer in your heart, didn’t you?” Gu Huaiwei had simply followed her preferences at the time. “Back then, you didn’t have any better options.”

If she had spoken up then, He Jiarui would have entered her current state much sooner.

No, perhaps she would have aged even faster than she was now.

He Jiarui’s lips trembled slightly as she forced a faint smile. However, that smile carried a hint of self-mockery. “Yes, I had already made my choice back then. I told myself not to doubt it; after all, Ji Xuan would take care of me for the rest of my life.”

Her lowered eyelashes quivered, masking the bitterness in her eyes.

“But once I actually left with him, I realized it was impossible for me not to care about these things.”

He Jiarui was deathly fixated on those details.

“You want everything. No matter which option you choose, you’ll end up regretting it,” Gu Huaiwei said, looking at her calmly, her tone gentle. “You silly girl, it doesn’t matter if an option is good or bad. Once you’ve made a choice, you should grab onto it tightly and never let go.”

“I just hoped that Ji Xuan could take me away with a clean conscience.” A flash of struggle crossed He Jiarui’s face. “Why couldn’t he do that?”

The smile on Gu Huaiwei’s lips turned cold, her tone measured. “Why? Why could Chen Liuxiang only give you Magnetic Value but not meticulous care? Why did Ji Xuan provide you with emotional value, only to use dirty tricks to get you back by his side?”

“Exactly, why?” He Jiarui leaned forward in her seat, desperate to know Gu Huaiwei’s answer.

Gu Huaiwei didn’t answer her directly. Instead, she asked another question. “Why did you come back to find me?”

He Jiarui paused. “Because… I thought we were friends.”

Gu Huaiwei shook her head, speaking with a hint of disappointment. “You didn’t treat me as a friend, nor did you come here to catch up.”

“I didn’t…” He Jiarui tried to explain.

Gu Huaiwei raised a hand, cutting her off. “You’ve made it a habit to want two things from me. You want me to point out the cruel truth, yet you also expect me to give you a placebo.

Miss He, my answer isn’t important to you, and the options aren’t important either. You’re just habitually indecisive. No matter what choice you make, you’ll eventually want to jump back to the path you didn’t take.

It’s too exhausting. Forgive me, but I’m busy with work and cannot afford to play this game of back-and-forth with you.”

Through her interactions with He Jiarui, Gu Huaiwei had discovered her fatal flaw: once she made a choice, she would regret it repeatedly.

She could never remain steadfast in her decisions, always tethered by the ‘what ifs’ of the other possibility.

When she chose Ji Xuan, she doubted whether he had used underhanded means to get her back.

When she stayed with Chen Liuxiang, she was trapped in a loveless daze, unable to extricate herself.

This constant internal tug-of-war was pushing her toward an abyss, yet she remained completely oblivious.

Gu Huaiwei had spoken far too bluntly.

He Jiarui seemed to wilt, her eyes darkening, unwilling to admit that Gu Huaiwei was right.

“It’s not like that…”

He Jiarui had been Gu Huaiwei’s first client, and Gu Huaiwei truly wished for her to live well.

But He Jiarui had played a winning hand terribly.

And now she had run back to ask for her thoughts.

“My thoughts are this: whether you chose to turn a blind eye and move to another city with Ji Xuan, or stayed in Chen Liuxiang’s grand manor, you would have at least had one thing-either emotional value or Magnetic Value.

It is only because you wavered-choosing one while wanting the other, then choosing the other and deciding it wasn’t good enough-that you’ve ended up in this situation.”

Gu Huaiwei had already spoken many truths to He Jiarui.

Originally, He Jiarui could have been the face of the Oasis Matchmaking Agency’s advertisements. Instead, her constant vacillation had turned her into a cautionary tale.

He Jiarui failed to sense the shift in Gu Huaiwei’s mood.

She continued to herself, “Miss Gu, I feel now that I cannot rely on Aliens. I want to stay and work in your shop, to live a different life by relying on myself.”

Truly, old habits die hard.

“…” Gu Huaiwei leaned back against the sofa, covering her eyes with her hand. “I’m sorry, but the Branch Store is already fully staffed.”

“Can’t you give me a chance?” He Jiarui felt that if she had a job, she could surely live a better life.

“In a few days, my final Branch Store will open. We’ll be short a few clerical staff then. You can apply normally. If you meet the requirements, I won’t stop the branch from hiring you. But if you aren’t hired, I won’t help you through the back door.”

Further talk was useless; Gu Huaiwei had said all she needed to say.

He Jiarui eventually left.

When she departed, she folded the towel Gu Huaiwei had given her and placed it on the sofa. She then took her used teacup to the sink and washed it clean.

Her silhouette was no longer young.

Constantly switching options had forced her to pay a heavy price.

Standing by the Heavenly Ladder, He Jiarui looked back at the Oasis Matchmaking Agency. Gu Huaiwei had only seen her to the door and did not follow her out.

Reflecting on the path she had taken, she felt she had truly missed many great opportunities.

She turned back to find Chen Liuxiang.

Chen Liuxiang refused to see her.

She turned back again to find Ji Xuan.

After she had left, Ji Xuan had turned himself in to the authorities.

He Jiarui tried to apply for a job at a Branch Store of the Oasis Matchmaking Agency, but her interview performance was poor, and she was not hired.

She turned back, wanting to see Gu Huaiwei one last time.

But by then, Gu Huaiwei had already departed for the Dawn Alliance.

He Jiarui walked a very, very long road.

This year’s winter was exceptionally cold, and the world was filled with a desolate chill.

Dragging a body aged by a lack of Magnetic Value, He Jiarui curled up in a small alleyway. She died alone in the bitter winter, with no Alien to accompany her and no human to light a long-lasting lamp for her soul.

Before she died, she mailed one last gift to Gu Huaiwei.