Chapter 0464

Fang Buxia lay on the bed, a blissful smile on his face.

In the blink of an eye, it was the year of the college entrance exams. By then, Chen Qingtian had already blossomed into a radiant rose at university.

"Qingtian-jie, can I date you once I get into college?"

Chen Qingtian had pondered for a moment before replying, "First, you’d have to confess your feelings, then pursue me, and finally, it’d depend on my mood whether I’d choose you or not."

But no one could have predicted what happened after the exams.

"Qingtian-jie, it’s really a misunderstanding. I don’t know how this happened—I don’t even like this woman."

Chen Qingtian had pointed at Fang Buxia, tears streaming down her face as she sobbed.

"Get out! You liar, you make me sick. I never want to see you again. Stay out of my sight forever."

Fang Buxia was heartbroken. No matter how he explained it, the fact remained—he had woken up in another woman’s bed.

He didn’t understand how it had happened either. After the graduation party, he had drunk too much, and the next thing he knew, he was waking up in a hotel room with his deskmate, Ai Xianbai, lying beside him.

If she had been unattractive, people might have doubted the situation. But Ai Xianbai was stunningly beautiful, with a figure to match—curves in all the right places.

When she woke up, Ai Xianbai simply said they had gotten drunk and booked the room together, assuring him she wouldn’t tell anyone.

Hearing her words, Fang Buxia realized his mistake and immediately ran to the bathroom to vomit.

Yes, he was a man of principles—not just about hygiene, but about love as well.

But as fate would have it, some classmate had spread the news, and even Chen Qingtian heard about it. She stormed into the hotel and confronted them.

Fang Buxia would never forget the look in Chen Qingtian’s eyes that day.

Disbelief. Agony. Despair.

She pointed at him and screamed.

"Don’t flatter yourself into thinking you’re the only one who likes me. If I wanted, I could have ten men at my beck and call."

Fang Buxia tried to explain, reaching out to grab her hand, but Chen Qingtian shoved him away.

"Don’t touch me. You’re filthy now. You disgust me. Never show your face around me again."

Fang Buxia stood frozen, unable to process her words.

He was… filthy?

Chen Qingtian ran off in tears, leaving him in stunned silence.

Ai Xianbai didn’t get what she wanted either. She had hoped to convince him to attend the same university as her, but he refused.

"Even if Qingtian-jie leaves me, I won’t be with you," Fang Buxia had declared.

He returned home, turned on the faucet, and scrubbed himself under the icy water for what felt like an eternity.

The next day, he sought out Chen Qingtian again.

"Jie, I’ve washed myself clean. I’m not dirty. Please don’t leave me."

But Chen Qingtian was still drowning in grief.

"Get lost! If I see you again, I’ll kill myself."

Fang Buxia was terrified. He knew his jie was a woman of her word.

Later, Chen Qingtian blocked him on every platform. Her final message before cutting all ties was:

[Disappear from my sight.]

Fang Buxia left. He knew he could never be redeemed—not after what he had done.

He was tainted.

Unworthy of standing by Chen Qingtian’s side.

To spare her further disgust, he went to study abroad in Japan, hoping academic rigor would numb his pain.

Chen Qingtian, too, lost the only person she had ever loved—a love that ended before it even began.

In Japan, Fang Buxia buried himself in studies and research.

But no matter how busy he was, in the dead of night, his thoughts always drifted back to the girl who had once joked about keeping him.

He was afraid to sleep, yet he couldn’t resist it.

Afraid because his dreams would bring back the girl who called him "filthy."

Unable to resist because only in dreams could he see the girl who haunted his heart.

But in those dreams, Chen Qingtian would always repeat the same words:

"You’re dirty. You disgust me."

So each time he woke in a cold sweat, he would rush to the bathroom and scrub himself raw.

Now, lying on the bed, Fang Buxia’s tears flowed again as memories resurfaced. He abruptly got up and headed to the bathroom.

Under the freezing water, he scrubbed his skin until it burned.

"I’m dirty… Qingtian-jie doesn’t want me anymore… I’m dirty…"

He didn’t know how long he stood there before the cold finally snapped him back to reality. Returning to bed, he teetered between exhaustion and dread—too afraid to sleep, yet longing for the dreams that tormented him.

In the end, he dressed and headed to an old tavern he used to frequent.

Only alcohol could dull his mind now.

The Kyoto Alley Tavern had been around for decades.

Its patrons were mostly older regulars, as the place served traditional liquors and rice wines—nothing trendy enough for the younger crowd.

But a few years ago, two young faces had become regulars. A strikingly handsome boy, slightly younger than the girl beside him, whose smile could melt glaciers.

And a radiant, witty girl, full of laughter.

The old tavern keeper had adored them.

But three years ago, they stopped coming. No explanation.

Later, the old man saw the girl again—on TV, now a superstar.

Just as he was lost in nostalgia, a familiar figure walked through the door.

"What’ll it be?" the old man asked out of habit before freezing in recognition.

"Grandpa, a flask of sake, please."

"Well, well! The big star remembers this old place after three years?"

Chen Qingtian smiled, but the smile was laced with bitterness.

"Sake doesn’t suit you anymore. How about my aged shochu instead?"

After a brief pause, she nodded.

Soon, a flask of shochu arrived, accompanied by two plates of greens, a dish of peanuts, and a warming tray with a flickering flame.

Chen Qingtian accepted it with a faint smile, bypassing the cup and tipping the flask straight to her lips.

So strong.

Who would’ve guessed that the nation’s top actress was a heavy drinker?

The old man watched as she took gulp after gulp, but he wasn’t worried.

First, he knew her tolerance. Second, he wouldn’t serve her a second flask.

"That’s no way to drink. You’re not savoring it—you’re drowning sorrows."

Chen Qingtian gave a wry chuckle. "I know. But this is how I want to drink tonight."

The old man shook his head.

Much later, just as Chen Qingtian was slipping into drunkenness, a stunned young man appeared at the entrance.

"Xia-xia? You’re here." The old man gasped.

He never imagined that after three years, both of them would return to his tavern on the same night.