Chapter 167

Leng Zexi's eyes were as sharp as torches, as if he could see through everything. He quickly moved in front of Xia Ruoan and blocked him behind him.

He smiled and said to the person in front of him politely and gracefully: "Thank you! Hello, I am Ruoan's husband, and we will have our wedding in a few days."

"I wonder if you have free time? Why not come and have a drink at the wedding and witness our happy moment together." After saying that, Leng Zexi's eyes went straight to the other party, quietly waiting for a response.

Zhou Yiqing's gaze first fell on Leng Zexi, and then slowly moved to Xia Ruoan beside him.

At this time, Xia Ruo'an nodded slightly and began to introduce the two to each other: "Brother Leng, this is Zhou Yiqing, we have been good friends since childhood."

As soon as he finished speaking, Xia Ruo'an turned to look at Zhou Yiqing, his eyes full of expectation and joy, and then said: "Yiqing, do you have any free time recently? Brother Leng and I are going to have our wedding soon, and you can go with Grandpa Wen then."

"After all, we are close friends who grew up together. I would be very happy if you could come to the event in person!"

Zhou Yiqing hesitated for a moment after hearing this, but quickly replied, "Okay, I will definitely be there on time that day."

After getting a positive answer, Xia Ruoan's face broke into a bright smile.

At this moment, Zhou Yiqing noticed that Xia Ruo'an's eyes had been fixed on the fruit tree she had carefully planted. She understood what was going on and said, "The fruit from the tree I planted is sweet. If you want to eat oranges, go pick the one I planted."

"Is it really sweet?" Xia Ruoan asked suspiciously, blinking her big watery eyes.

Zhou Yiqing nodded without hesitation and answered affirmatively, "Sweet." In fact, he was thinking silently in his heart, because he knew you like to eat sweet things.

"Then I'll go over. Can I pick a few more and bring them back for my brothers to try?" Xia Ruoan said softly, somewhat shyly.

Zhou Yiqing smiled and nodded, and responded gently: "Pick them." Then he turned around and got her the basket of oranges.

At this time, Leng Zexi also quickly caught up with Xia Ruo'an and took the initiative to say: "I will pick them, you just stand here obediently and don't move."

"Okay! Then I'll help you find it and you pick it. Brother Leng, look at the one above, it's big and round!" Xia Ruoan said excitedly, pointing at the huge orange above his head.

Leng Zexi raised his head and looked in the direction of her finger, only to see that the orange was bright yellow and indeed very adorable.

As he reached out to pick the orange, he turned to look at Xia Ruoan beside him.

At this moment, she was smiling particularly brightly, and because she had just eaten milk candy, she was still emitting a faint, sweet milky fragrance. This smell drifted gently with the breeze and lingered around Leng Zexi's nose.

Somehow, after Leng Zexi hesitated again and again, he finally couldn't hold back the doubts in his heart and asked, "You and that Zhou Yiqing... are you two on good terms?"

"Zhou Yiqing and I have a pretty good relationship! He came here after I did. And you know what? He is Grandpa Wen's grandson! From elementary school to junior high school, we have always studied in the same class, so naturally, we have a very good relationship with each other."

"However, when he was in high school, his parents divorced, and he followed his father away from this place." Recalling the past years, Xia Ruoan's eyes revealed a deep nostalgia.

"Childhood sweethearts!" Leng Zexi couldn't help but sigh, and his words even revealed a hint of envy and jealousy.

"Actually, that's not entirely true. He and I are not much different in age, and our personalities are compatible, so we can get along well."

"My brothers were busy all day, and I didn't feel comfortable disturbing them all the time, so I spent more time playing with Zhou Yiqing."

As soon as Xia Ruo'an finished speaking, he seemed to suddenly realize something and quickly explained, "Um... don't get me wrong! He and I are just very good friends. You're not jealous of this, are you?"

As soon as the words came out, Xia Ruo'an regretted it instantly, thinking to himself: How could he be jealous of such a thing? I must be thinking too much.

"Yeah, I'm jealous. He was the one who accompanied you at that time. It's a pity that I missed your childhood and adolescence." Leng Zexi looked at her and said.

Xia Ruoan looked at him and said, "When I first met you, I was sixteen years old. It's okay. I will accompany you from now on."

Yes, they will be together for the rest of their lives.

Zhou Yiqing stared quietly at the harmonious scene of the two people getting along in front of him, and an indescribable feeling of loneliness welled up in his heart.

His eyes flickered slightly, as if hiding endless regret and remorse.

If time could go back, if he had not resolutely chosen to leave, then at this moment, would the person standing beside her and relying on her be himself?

His thoughts gradually drifted back to the past, and Zhou Yiqing recalled the moment he first met Xia Ruoan.

At that time, she was still a fair and chubby little girl, like a crystal clear pearl, emitting an irresistible and lovely light.

Among the many kindergarten children he had met in the past, Xia Ruoan was undoubtedly the most unique and cutest.

However, that time was not all good memories for Zhou Yiqing.

At that time, his parents quarreled frequently, and finally his mother cruelly abandoned the young boy at his grandfather's house and asked his grandfather to take care of him.

In this way, Zhou Yiqing was forced to transfer to this strange place. As his parents were away from home for a long time, he became the target of bullying and ridicule by other children, and was often mercilessly ridiculed as a "wild child without parents."

During those lonely and helpless days, only Xia Ruoan extended a warm helping hand to him.

Not only was she willing to play with him, she also often took him back to her home and gave him meticulous care and comfort.

Even when he heard the malicious words from others, the innocent Xia Ruoan believed them firmly and wanted to give his parents to himself, just to make him no longer feel lonely and sad.

Since Zhou Yiqing was old enough to understand, all he could remember were his parents’ quarrels and fights.

Xia Ruoan and her home were what he longed for the most. He originally wanted to leave so that he could protect her, but he didn't expect that he was now one step too late.

To say that I have no regrets is absolutely deceiving myself. The regret in my heart is as surging as the tide.

If I had not chosen to leave, what would the situation be like now?

At this moment, Leng Zexi walked up to Zhou Yiqing with steady steps and asked him for the basket.

Zhou Yiqing handed the basket in his hand to Leng Zexi without hesitation. At the same time, he took out a handful of White Rabbit candies from his pocket and gently placed them in the basket. He slowly said, "I always carry these candies with me because Ruoan loves them so much."

Then, as if he remembered something, he looked straight at Leng Zexi and continued, "Ruo'an, you rarely lose your temper on weekdays, but even if you really get angry, you are actually quite easy to coax."

"It's just that I hope you give her gifts and treat her well from the bottom of your heart, rather than just wanting to make her happy because you did something wrong."

Hearing this, Leng Zexi nodded slightly to show his agreement, and then responded softly: "Thank you."

Zhou Yiqing waved his hand, looked at the other party sincerely, and said with deep emotion: "No need to thank me, I should be the one who should thank you. Looking back on that childhood, if it weren't for Xia Ruo'an's company and warmth, perhaps my world would be shrouded in endless darkness."

Speaking of this, Zhou Yiqing couldn't help but fall into memories, and his thoughts drifted back to those good old days.

After a while, he came back to his senses, and seemed to think about his family's current situation. He sighed and continued, "To be honest, letting go may be the wisest decision for me."

"And I can see that you are really sincere to Ruoan. I have to say that you have good taste. I have met Zhou Mufan before. In comparison, he is not worthy of such an excellent and kind Ruoan. Only someone like you can match him."

"Be nice to Ruoan, otherwise I won't be willing to accept it." Zhou Yiqing finally couldn't help it, reached out and grabbed Leng Zexi's sleeve, saying earnestly.

Leng Zexi was slightly startled when he heard this. He looked at the man in front of him who looked a little lonely, and couldn't help but feel a little sympathy in his heart. Then he nodded slightly to indicate his agreement.

At this moment, the figures of Zhou Mufan, Zhang Kai and the man named Gu Xingchen suddenly flashed through Leng Zexi's mind.

For some reason, compared with them, Zhou Yiqing standing in front of him looked particularly handsome.

And after a closer look, this face looks pretty pleasing to the eye.

Just as the two were silent, a clear voice broke the silence: "What are you doing?"

It turned out to be Wen Rong who came over. She first looked at the slightly strange atmosphere between the two of them with curiosity, and then the corners of her mouth twitched involuntarily.

As if remembering something embarrassing, Wen Rong looked at Leng Zexi with a little embarrassment and said, "Zexi, right? Ruoan is picking oranges over there by himself."

"You should go and have a look. That girl has been a naughty girl since she was young. She especially likes to climb trees and pick fruits. But every time she climbs up a tree, she is afraid of heights and dares not come down. So, I have to trouble you to take care of her."

After hearing this, Leng Zexi showed a faint smile on his face and replied softly, "Okay." Then he turned and walked in the direction where Ruoan was.

Looking at Leng Zexi's back gradually walking away, Wen Rong sighed softly, turned to look at his grandson Zhou Yiqing, his eyes full of pity.

He reached out his hand, gently patted Zhou Yiqing's arm, and consoled her earnestly, "Yiqing, look at it more positively. She even has a child now, and is getting married soon. You and Ruoan are not meant to be together after all."

After saying that, he let out another long sigh.

"Grandpa, I didn't mean anything else. I just told him that Ruoan is a good person and asked him to be nice to Ruoan." Zhou Yiqing looked at him and explained.