Who does not deserve it?

"This was her request, and I respect her choice," Shen Manni said softly. "I think she must have left a message for you. I know she couldn't bear to part with you and would definitely give you an explanation. You should listen to it carefully."

"Mm," Lin Qihua replied in a low voice.

Shen Manni sighed and left the room. She still couldn't quite comprehend the situation between the two of them. Ma Xiaoqian had chosen to come to Lin Qihua's side, yet she had chosen to leave. Perhaps she already had this idea in mind back when "The Singer" first began? It only grew stronger over time, and she waited until the grand finals were over to carry it out, simply to avoid affecting Lin Qihua's competitive state.

Shen Manni understood her thoughts to a certain extent. She was a cute yet pitiful girl. In everyone's eyes, she was just an ordinary girl, but the love she hoped to find was so extraordinary. This must have left her in a state of deep contradiction.

She truly wondered what their future would hold. Shen Manni only hoped that neither of them would get hurt. One was the younger boy she regarded as a brother, and the other was the younger sister she cared for. It was genuinely heartbreaking.

Lin Qihua sat there blankly for a while before returning to the inner room and picking up his smart terminal. Sure enough, there was a message waiting for him.

With a trembling heart, he tapped it open. A video popped up, and the face that appeared was none other than Ma Xiaoqian's, calm and tender as ever.

"Qihua," Ma Xiaoqian said softly in the video, "by the time you see this video, I should have already left Xiangzhou. As for where I am going, I won't tell you. There's no need to come look for me, because I have already made up my mind to leave, so as to avoid weakening my resolve if I see you again."

Lin Qihua felt a pang of sorrow.

"You must be wondering why I made such a decision, right?" Ma Xiaoqian continued, a sweet smile blooming on her face. "I still remember how overjoyed I was when we reunited at the Jiangjin University library back then. That reunion I had longed for day and night suddenly appeared right before my eyes. At that moment, I didn't care that I was in a library; I rushed out to talk to you. I was so happy I felt like I could fly. I knew you might not remember me, but I remembered you. Through more than a thousand days and nights in college, I thought of you every single day. Aside from studying, I thought of nothing else. I learned how to dress up, how to become prettier, because I felt that if I didn't try harder and make myself more attractive, even if we met again, you wouldn't remember me."

"Silly girl," Lin Qihua murmured.

"I am silly, aren't I?" Ma Xiaoqian went on. "Since I couldn't see you in person, I joined your fan club and became one of your fans. I didn't talk much, but I constantly kept track of your updates. When you debuted, I was so happy because you were finally going to achieve success, and I was happy for you."

"When your contract was terminated, I was so worried. Would you be heartbroken? Would you be sad? Yet, I believed that you would never be crushed, that you would surely make your way back. Perhaps I should be grateful for that contract termination, because it brought you back to Jiangzhou and Jiangjin University, where we crossed paths and allowed me to fulfill a dream. Seeing the smile on your face set my mind at ease; knowing you wouldn't sink into despair was enough. Those few days were the happiest days of my life, because I finally caught your attention. Seeing the stunned admiration on your face made me so excited that I couldn't sleep. It sounds silly, but I was just that happy."

"Later, when you finally made your comeback, I also had to return to my doctoral studies. We should have had nothing more to do with each other. But the establishment of Morningstar suddenly gave me an impulse to be by your side. Even if we couldn't be together every moment, just being in the same company and breathing the same air would satisfy me. That's why I chose to join Morningstar at the very first opportunity. I never expected that Sister Manni would take a fancy to me and make me your life assistant. It made me feel so happy I almost fainted—I could spend every single day with you. How wonderful that was."

The shyness and blush on Ma Xiaoqian's face made Lin Qihua feel somewhat sorrowful. The more she acted like this, the more painful it was for him.

"I thought I should be content just staying by your side and watching you achieve success after success. But I found that I had become greedy, that I was no longer satisfied," Ma Xiaoqian said, a nostalgic look crossing her face. "When you became an overnight sensation on 'The Singer,' and when you joyfully interacted with other artists on the show, you were so radiant and dazzling that I had to cover my eyes, not daring to look directly at you. At that moment, I felt that even standing by your side, the distance between us was still so vast. Sooner or later, you would become a dazzling superstar, while I could only ever be an assistant, or at most an manager. Normally, I should have been content, but suddenly I felt so unreconciled. I wanted to get more, I wanted to catch your gaze more often, and I wanted to truly stand beside you instead of looking up at you from the audience. Yes, I'm very greedy, right? I had the chance to be your assistant, which should have made me happy and satisfied. Why did I want even more?"

"You and I are so mismatched. Your gaze only occasionally lingered on me. I knew it; even if you didn't say it, I knew. You were grateful to me and appreciated me, but you would never truly like me or fall in love with me, because compared to girls like Zhang Yuxun or Gu Yuhan, I fell too far behind. I could stand by your side, but I could never walk into your heart or make your heart flutter. I refused to reconcile myself to this. I wanted to become better, to become worthy of you. Therefore, I decided to leave you and choose another path in life. Only by doing this would I have the chance to become a girl worthy of you."

"No, that's not true. I am the one who isn't worthy of you, you silly girl!" Lin Qihua covered his face, tears seeping through his fingers. Some things are only understood upon awakening, and some girls are only cherished once they are lost. Lin Qihua had grown accustomed to the days when Ma Xiaoqian was by his side, yet he had never noticed her complex feelings for him. He didn't deny what Ma Xiaoqian had said—he truly had never considered a romantic future with her; compared to her, girls like Gu Yuhan and Zhang Yuxun made a deeper impression on him. But when she was gone, he discovered how deeply reluctant he was to let her go. Was this love? It didn't quite feel like it, yet the reluctance was undeniably real.

"Are you crying?" Ma Xiaoqian looked at Lin Qihua with affectionate pity. "I know your heart might be filled with guilt toward me, but you really don't need to. You are too kind and don't know how to refuse a girl. The days spent by your side were wonderful; they are memories I will never forget. I will carry these memories and warmth with me and live strongly in my new life. I said you don't need to feel guilty, because the purpose of doing this is still to return to your side one day and stand upright and proudly beside you. So, bless me. Wish me success in my new position. Working as your assistant, I could only ever be a minor helper. The position I truly ought to stand in is the one I should have gone to long ago. Trust me, I am no longer the timid Ma Xiaoqian of the past. The half year spent with you has given me tremendous training. Now, facing any problem, I have enough confidence to solve it. I will work hard and strive in my new position. For your sake, I will do my best."

"Lastly," Ma Xiaoqian's eyes brimmed with tears, "Qihua, thank you for taking care of me over the past half year, and thank you for the gift you bought me. I will keep all of this firmly in my heart. I like you, I like you so much. Whether you like me or not, I like you. Let this be my confession. I have finally confessed! Don't tell me whether you like me or not; you just need to know that I like you. Remember that no matter what you are doing or what difficulties you are facing, there is a girl under this sky who likes you and misses you. Work hard! They say you will be the superstar of the future, and I am looking forward to it. The boy I like is definitely the best. Keep going! I will always be your 'Morningstar'."

At the end, she did not forget to give him an encouraging gesture.

The image gradually darkened, Ma Xiaoqian's smile slowly fading away. Her voice seemed to still echo throughout the entire room.

Lin Qihua lay flat on the bed, his face streaming with tears. Ma Xiaoqian's deep and sincere words struck him with a profound sense of shock. He had known about Ma Xiaoqian's affection for him, but he had never imagined that she loved him so deeply.

Why did Ma Xiaoqian leave?

Now he knew.

Just who wasn't worthy of whom?

Ma Xiaoqian said she wasn't worthy of Lin Qihua, so she wanted to become better to be worthy of him.

However, Lin Qihua felt that he was the one unworthy of her. She was such a gentle girl who usually didn't speak much, yet she considered everything and every detail with utmost thoroughness. She was like the air—usually unnoticed, but once the air was gone, one realized just how vital it was. Without her, a person would suffocate.

"Such a silly girl. So silly, so silly."

"Since you have made this choice, then I bless you. I wish you the best in that distant city, that you grow and become even better. I will also work harder, striving toward the goal of becoming a superstar. When we meet again, I hope you will still be smiling just as brightly."

As for matters of the heart, Lin Qihua didn't know. He believed that time would give everyone an answer. Perhaps, in that city, she would meet a better man—a man who would cherish her more and suit her better—because he could not give her what she wanted. He truly was not worthy of her.