Chapter 292 We Part Here

After the restaurant owner explained, the young couple realized that everything that had just happened was arranged by Mr. Xiao.

The two were shocked for a long time before they came to their senses, and then their faces turned pale.

It goes without saying that the cost of those decorations must have been astronomical for the two of them.

Seeing that the two were quite frightened, the restaurant owner quickly added, "Mr. Xiao said that it's all a blessing for you two, and you don't need to pay anything. In addition, this engagement ring is also a gift for you."

The young couple was shocked once again.

After a while, the girl picked up the exquisite diamond ring and said, "Boss... this ring is too valuable, we really can't accept it. Could you please help us return it to Mr. Xiao?"

The restaurant owner shook his head. "No, because I don't actually know Mr. Xiao, and I don't have his contact information. He came to me himself, asking me to set up a proposal scene for him..."

At this point, the boss sighed, "Alas, he was originally planning to propose to his girlfriend, but... it seems there's been a problem. Since Mr. Xiao has given all of this to you two, you should keep it and live a good life together in the future. It won't be a waste of Mr. Xiao's good intentions."

After being persuaded by their boss, the young couple finally accepted it.

It was soon past 2 a.m.

Su Qinglan's attempts to persuade Ye Zhi Qiu ultimately failed, and she could only helplessly agree to the couple's decision to divorce.

The two arrived at Ning Jinli's bedroom and knocked on the door.

"Xiao Li, are you asleep?"

A moment later, the door opened.

Ning Jinli stared at her swollen, red eyes. "I'm not asleep yet."

Su Qinglan said, "Are you hungry? Your mom said she wants to eat the noodles I make. I'll make some for you and your mom. You can both sleep here tonight. If you don't have to, stay a few more days."

Ye Zhi Qiu asked, "Daughter, when I called you before, you said you were going on a date with Qi Di, you two—"

Before she could finish speaking, Ning Jinli's expression suddenly froze.

This reaction startled Ye Zhi Qiu and Su Qing Lan, who hurriedly asked her what was wrong.

Ning Jinli subconsciously patted her pockets before remembering that she had left her phone in the car. She immediately asked, "What time is it?"

Ye Zhi Qiu glanced at her phone. "2:18, daughter, what's wrong?"

"I forgot about the date... I'm going to find him now! You two don't need to wait for me!" Ning Jinli said, turning and running away.

——

It takes about 30 to 40 minutes to drive from Su Qinglan's house to the riverside restaurant where Xiao Qidi and Ning Jinli had arranged to meet.

When Ning Jinli arrived by car, it was already three in the morning.

The night sky was pitch black, thunder rumbled, and a heavy rain began to fall.

The riverside scenic area and commercial street were deserted, with only rows of streetlights and neon lights still on.

Ning Jinli parked her car in front of the riverside restaurant, got out hurriedly, and stood there stunned in front of the closed doors, letting the heavy rain soak her.

She originally planned to use her special ability, along with her sensory link with Xiao Qidi, to open a space-time tunnel to get here, but she found that she couldn't sense him this time.

So she had no choice but to drive here. On the way, she called Xiao Qidi, but his phone was switched off.

Swish—

A bolt of lightning tore through the night.

The light made Ning Jinli's face, already soaked by the rain, appear even paler.

Originally, this was not only her accepting Xiao Qidi's invitation to a date, but also their first official date.

But she was late.

Despite being delayed by a series of unexpected events, she was filled with self-blame at this moment.

What made her even more upset and anxious was that she couldn't contact Xiao Qidi, and for the first time, she couldn't even sense him.

Boom!

A thunderclap sounded.

Ning Jinli stood there blankly, without any reaction.

The rain was getting heavier.

Suddenly a tall figure hurriedly approached, and an umbrella appeared above her head.

She paused for a moment, then slowly turned around.

Upon seeing Xiao Qidi's familiar face, tears instantly welled up in her eyes. "Qidi... I'm sorry, I... I'm late..."

Xiao Qidi was somewhat angry.

This includes giving the decorations he had prepared for his proposal and the engagement ring to that young couple, and the fact that he silently watched Ning Jinli drive over from a distance—all of these are signs that he was angry.

However, he couldn't bear to leave Ning Jinli standing there in the heavy rain, so he came out from the shadows, hugged her tightly, and whispered, "It's okay, I'm still here. You came to keep our appointment, so you're not late."

Ning Jinli wanted to explain to him immediately, but he forgave her without asking any questions. Ning Jinli burst into tears.

She almost thought she was going to lose Xiao Qidi.

"Okay... don't cry." Xiao Qidi wasn't very good at comforting people, so he could only whisper and gently coax her, holding Ning Jinli and stroking her trembling back.

The more considerate and gentle he was, the less Ning Jinli could hold back her tears. Even if she wanted to say something, all she could do was cry.

Xiao Qidi stayed with her like that.

It took her several minutes to finally stop.

"Aren't you crying anymore?" Xiao Qidi smiled and wiped away her tears.

Ning Jinli's eyes were red and swollen. She pouted, gave a soft "hmm," and then buried her head in his chest.

Xiao Qidi stroked her wet hair, a thought suddenly struck him, and said, "Jinli, let's...get married."

Ning Jinli's body trembled violently, and she looked up, asking, "What did you say?"

Xiao Qidi looked into her eyes and said, word by word, "Let's get married. I want to marry you. I've always wanted to."

"You...you're proposing to me?" Ning Jinli's eyes widened.

Xiao Qidi nodded. "Yes, I'm proposing to you."

Ning Jinli's face froze.

A second before receiving this answer, she felt a huge warm current envelop her, which then rushed to her heart, merging with the surprise welling up inside her, giving her an unprecedented feeling of happiness.

But the next second, an invisible pressure, mixed with inexplicable fear, crashed down on him like a tidal wave.

Because she quickly thought of her parents' situation.

The breakdown of her parents' marriage severely impacted her understanding of love and marriage.

Two people who loved each other so much... actually got divorced.

This devastated her.

After the collapse of cognition, what follows is an indescribable fear.

"Jinli?" Xiao Qidi called out when he saw her in a daze.

Ning Jinli shuddered, forcibly suppressing the chaotic thoughts raging in her mind, and forced a smile, saying, "I...I'm not ready yet."

Xiao Qidi's pupils trembled; this answer surprised him greatly.

All this time, it wasn't just wishful thinking on his part; he genuinely felt that not only had he decided on Ning Jinli, but Ning Jinli had decided on him as well.

But……

Why are we getting such an uncertain answer now?

What do you mean, "Not ready yet"?

Xiao Qidi felt a sudden pang in his heart, gritted his teeth, and asked, "What do you mean by 'not prepared'?"

Ning Jinli was in a state of confusion, her eyes looking away. She could feel the pressure from Xiao Qidi without even realizing it. In her haste, she thought of making a joke to ease the atmosphere, so she said, "How can you propose like this? You didn't prepare anything for me, humph."

Under any other circumstances, this joke would be perfectly fine.

But it happened tonight, after Xiao Qidi had prepared everything, only to find she hadn't arrived in time...

Xiao Qidi's pupils contracted involuntarily, and his heart ached more and more, as if a breath was stuck in his chest and choked his throat.

After a two-second silence, his thin lips trembled, and he forced out a few words, uncontrollable and angry, through gritted teeth: "You don't want to marry me, do you?"

"Huh? I..." Ning Jinli was at a loss for words.

Xiao Qidi's eyes lost their light, becoming dark and boundless. "Okay, I understand."

As soon as he finished speaking, he released his grip on Ning Jinli.

Ning Jinli hurriedly grabbed his arm, "Qidi, that's not what I meant, I..."

"What does that mean?" Xiao Qidi's eyes turned cold as he tried his best to suppress the discomfort surging from the depths of his heart.

Ning Jinli lowered her head slightly, "I just... I just need some time to think about some things. I'm... very confused right now. I haven't figured things out yet. I need to calm down."

Xiao Qidi felt like he couldn't breathe.

He clearly wanted to hug the other person again, but instead he coldly said, "Fine, then take your time to think it over and calm down."

After saying that, he brushed Ning Jinli's hand away, shoved the umbrella into her hand, and then turned and left.

"Qi Di!" Ning Jinli shouted, "You...you stop right there!"

Xiao Qidi paused for a moment, but continued walking forward.

Ning Jinli wanted to chase after her, but for a moment she hesitated uncontrollably. Her legs seemed to be made of lead and she was rooted to the spot.

"Xiao Qidi!" Tears welled up in her eyes. "You're not allowed to leave! Stop right there!"

Xiao Qidi clutched his chest, turned his head slightly, and said in an even colder tone, "I'm not going to stop, I'm going to leave, so what?"

Ning Jinli felt as if her heart was being torn apart. She cried and said in anger, "Fine...fine! Go! And don't ever come back! I don't want to see you again!"

Xiao Qidi was also furious, and gritted his teeth, saying, "As you wish! I won't come again, and you shouldn't go to my place anymore! We're parting ways here!"

Whoosh!

A blinding, pale bolt of lightning flashed across the night, as if tearing a massive rift between the two.

A few seconds later, a deafening clap of thunder rang out.

All the streetlights around us short-circuited and went dark, flickering.

When the lights were restored to normal, Xiao Qidi had vanished without a trace...

...

Ning Jinli stood there until dawn.

The heavy rain didn't stop until dawn.

She didn't stop crying until dawn.

Then, she drove back to the city, found a clothing store, bought a clean set of clothes, checked into a hotel, took a shower as if nothing had happened, and went to sleep under the covers.

In the afternoon, she woke up and sat on the bed for a long, long time, her pillow soaked with tears, as if she had just been pulled out of the water.

"Phew... It's okay... It's nothing serious..."

Ning Jinli muttered to herself, pulling herself out of her reverie, got out of bed, changed into her newly bought clothes, and left the hotel.

When she returned to Su Qinglan's house, neither Su Qinglan nor Ye Zhi Qiu noticed anything unusual on her face.

"Daughter, how's your date with Qidi going?" Ye Zhi Qiu asked, leaning closer. "That kid should be settling into life here by now, right? When you're free, invite him over so we can all get together."

Ning Jinli smiled and simply uttered four words, "We broke up."

Clang!

Su Qinglan, who was carrying a plate of fruit, almost tripped and fell, spilling the fruit and plate all over the floor.

"They broke up?!" Ye Zhi Qiu and Su Qing Lan exclaimed in unison.

Su Qinglan still doesn't know Xiao Qidi's true identity, but in her previous chat with Ye Zhi Qiu and Ning Shan, she learned that the two of them were very satisfied with Xiao Qidi. She believed that the two of them were right, so she directly regarded Xiao Qidi as the future son-in-law of the Ning family.

Who knew that such a situation would suddenly come out of Ning Jinli's mouth.

"No... Xiao Li! Didn't you two go on a date last night?" Su Qinglan hurriedly sat down next to Ning Jinli and took her hand. "Did you two have a fight?"

Ning Jinli shook her head, "If we didn't go on a date, then we broke up."

Ye Zhi Qiu was stunned for a while. "What exactly happened? Weren't you two doing fine?"

Ning Jinli looked into Ye Zhiqiu's eyes and said, word by word, "Mom, aren't you and Dad getting a divorce too?"

Ye Zhi Qiu looked embarrassed and was speechless.

Su Qinglan glared at Ye Zhi Qiu with annoyance, "Look! Look! Look! You two have set a really good example! You two..."

Ning Jinli suddenly smiled and put her arm around Su Qinglan's neck with one hand and hooked her arm around Ye Zhi Qiu's shoulder with the other. "Godmother, life is unpredictable, it's okay. As the saying goes, the moon has its phases, and people have their joys and sorrows... Well, you're single, my mom is single, and I'll be single in the future too. The three of us can live single lives for the rest of our lives, isn't that great?"

Ye Zhi Qiu nodded. "Yes, that makes sense."

"What kind of bullshit logic is this!" Su Qinglan rarely swore. "Zhi Qiu! Xiao Li! You two... Ugh... You're making me so angry, my heart is killing me..."

Ye Zhi Qiu and Ning Jin Li were startled. One patted her chest, and the other looked for emergency medicine for her.

After a while of struggling, Su Qinglan was finally calmed down.

“Godmother…” Ning Jinli held her hand and said carefully, “I know you have always cared about me and do everything for my own good, but… even if I break up with someone, even if I don’t have a partner, I can still live my life well, and I can still get together with you, my mom, and my dad from time to time. It won’t affect our lives.”

Ye Zhi Qiu also comforted her, "Sister Qing Lan, to put it bluntly, your marriage brought you disaster. As for Lao Ning and me... no matter how loving we were before, we chose to separate now. So... Xiao Li breaking up, or even if she doesn't get married in the future, may not necessarily be a bad thing."

Su Qinglan sighed, "Sigh... You both have your reasons, and I won't force you. Besides, you two are the same kind of person, and I've realized that I can't argue with you at all."

Ning Jinli stood up and waved her hand, saying, "I hereby announce that to celebrate my regained freedom and to celebrate my parents' peaceful divorce, the three of us will go shopping at the mall for the next three days! Everything is on me!"

Su Qinglan and Ye Zhi Qiu exchanged a glance, then stood up and said:

"Okay, okay, as long as you're happy, we'll all be there for you."

"Since our daughter is paying for everything, Sister Qinglan, let's not be shy. I've had my eye on a new bag for a long time."

Ning Jinli ran happily towards the door, indicating that she would drive.

After Ning Jinli left, Su Qinglan and Ye Zhiqi's expressions became much more serious.

"Zhi Qiu, Xiao Li looks like this... will she be alright?"