In this bustling and noisy city, I, Zhang Hao, once had an enviable opportunity to work for a well-known company overseas. It was an opportunity to start a new life, but I gave it up. Not because I am afraid of the unknown, but because there is someone who ties my heart - Li Ting.
I met Li Ting when I was in college, when she was like a flower blooming in spring, pure and full of vitality. Our love was ordinary but sincere, and I thought we would walk together through every day in the future, the morning of the rising sun and the night of the rising moon.
However, fate always seems to like to play a joke. When I learned about my overseas position, I excitedly shared it with Li Ting and looked forward to our future together. But her reaction was beyond my expectations, she didn't want to leave the city, she didn't want to leave everything she knew. At that moment, I made a decision - I stayed, for love, for her.
It wasn't easy to stay, and I struggled to adapt to my new job and lay the foundation for our future. Li Ting also seemed happy, but her smile gradually hid a hidden worry, and the communication between us became less and less. I thought it was only a temporary difficulty, and as long as we persevered with each other, there would always be a day when it would be overcome.
Until the bad news came, Li Ting was going to marry someone else, a wealthy businessman with richer and status than me.
I don't understand, why did I give up so much for her, but in exchange for such a result? But I knew I had to face the harsh reality.
Li Ting's upcoming wedding to a wealthy businessman has become a hot topic in the city. My friends were all talking, some sympathizing with me, some urging me to let go. But in my heart, Li Ting's shadow is still as clear as ever, and I can't simply leave this relationship behind.
I began to reminisce about our moments, from the first time we met, to the days and nights we walked together. Every memory is like a knife that stabs my heart. I can't help but wonder if I did something wrong or if I didn't give her the life she wanted.
I tried to talk to Li Ting to find out what she really thought. But every time I contacted her, she always avoided my questions. I felt a sense of powerlessness and frustration that I had never felt before. Gradually, I began to accept the fact that Li Ting was no longer my Li Ting, and she had chosen a different path in life.
In the process, I began to reflect on my choices. I have lost so much by giving up my position overseas and staying at home. I've come to realize that love shouldn't be synonymous with self-sacrifice. This experience has made me more mature and more aware of how to value myself.
The day of the wedding is approaching. I knew I would, not to stop anything, but to give myself a chance to put an end to the past, to say goodbye to the past.
On the day of Li Ting's wedding, I wore a neat suit and held a well-prepared red envelope in my hand and stepped into the wedding venue. The lights are shining, the laughter is shining, and everything seems so perfect. I stood quietly in the crowd, but I couldn't take my eyes off Li Ting. She was dressed in a white wedding dress, like a princess in a fairy tale, beautiful and happy.
But in my eyes, there was a hint of melancholy in her smile that was familiar to me. I knew it was a secret she hadn't told anyone, the years we had lived together.
When the time came for the gift, I stepped forward and handed her the red envelope containing 1,314 yuan. 1314, the meaning of a lifetime, is a promise we have made to each other.
Li Ting took the red envelope, her hand trembled slightly, and when she saw the amount, a trace of surprise flashed in her eyes, and then it became complicated. I could feel her inner struggle, and at that moment, it was as if time had stood still.
I smiled at her, and it was a smile of relief, a smile of blessing. I didn't say anything, just silently retreated into the crowd. I know that this is the last communication between us, a silent goodbye.
The night after the wedding, I was alone on the bustling streets. The lights were bright and the crowd was bustling, but in my mind, everything seemed extraordinarily silent. I recalled the moment when Li Ting saw 1314 yuan today, that complicated expression, as if there were a thousand words but insincere.
At that moment, I understood that our story had come to an end. What I gave up for her was not only an overseas position, but also a period of youth and countless possibilities. But now, I feel a lighter than I have ever felt before, as if I had been lifted from a heavy burden.
I know that I will continue to move forward and find my own light in this bustling city. Maybe one day, I will find love again, but this time, I will cherish it more and know how to balance love and self more.
At the end of the story, I want to say to all those who are confused and struggling on the road of love: true love should not be self-sacrifice, but mutual achievement. May everyone find their own happiness.