Chapter 36: Heartbeats Thirty-six “Can I say good night to you?”…

As she read the words, she naturally imagined his voice in her mind.

He said.

"Are you okay?"

Are you okay...

It was clearly a perfectly normal sentence, but for some reason, Wen Huai burst into tears, his suppressed emotions finally unable to be contained any longer.

The sobbing became louder, and she covered her mouth and huddled in the quilt, trying hard not to make any sound.

But how could she control the grievance in her heart?

...

Five minutes ago.

Xu Youjing returned to the presidential suite without even changing his clothes, and couldn't wait to find Wen Huai.

He typed: [Are you asleep?]

Definitely not asleep.

Moreover, sending such a message at this time seems like harassment.

He deleted them one by one, trying to figure out how to start without being presumptuous.

As hesitating in front of the chat box, he suddenly noticed the change in the remarks column. His annoyance instantly disappeared, and what followed was a joy that he himself had not even noticed.

Aunt Ping had called him after dinner and said Wen Huai seemed down, but didn't want her to notice, so he was trying hard to be cheerful. His cheeks were still a little swollen, and even after treatment, they were noticeable against Wen Huai's fair complexion.

But she deliberately concealed it, and Aunt Ping didn't ask.

So Xu Youjing called Wen Huai before attending the dinner.

On the phone, before he brought it up, she casually mentioned her afternoon, saying she'd slept too much, her face was swollen, she had no energy, and she hadn't even finished the dinner Aunt Ping brought her.

So his opening line became: Are you okay?

I didn't receive a reply, not even a "the other party is typing" message.

Wen Huai lying on the hospital bed didn't give herself much time to vent her emotions. Xu Youjing was still waiting for her reply, and she didn't want to delay even a good chat.

I took a tissue to wipe my nose and tears, and was about to type when the chat page turned into caller ID.

She sniffed and answered the phone, "Hello?"

The heavy nasal sound was very clear. Xu Youjing frowned and asked, "Crying?"

"I watched a very touching TV series." Wen Huai lied calmly, "I was moved."

"What movie?"

"It's a Korean drama." She rarely spoke to him like this. "You wouldn't understand even if I told you."

"Yeah." Xu Youjing was worried and spoke very gently, "Can you tell me about it?"

"good."

Wen Huai took a deep breath, staring at the dark TV screen with his bloodshot eyes, and then he spoke:

"The little girl in the TV show was just eating when her mother suddenly knocked her chopsticks away and scolded her for holding them incorrectly. After she finally got them right, the mother twisted her back and said she wasn't sitting properly."

"It seems that everything she does in front of her mother is wrong. When other children do something wrong, they are comforted by their mothers, but when it comes to her, the situation is completely reversed."

"Gradually, the little girl became less talkative in front of her mother. Later, her mother secretly changed her major and forced her to choose a promising field. She faced bullying in the workplace and developed psychological problems. She didn't tell her father about this, fearing he would worry. She also didn't tell her mother. She didn't tell anyone."

"Many years later, the girl got married, but her mother asked her to go on a blind date for money. After she told her she was married, her mother scolded her harshly. She called her shameless, unfilial, and for marrying a strange man."

At this point, Wen Huai was already sobbing, and the last few words were intermittent, without caring whether Xu Youjing heard it clearly or not.

"Why is she so miserable? Why do other mothers love their children so much? Why is her mother different from others?"

“Not all people are the same.”

Wen Huai paused.

Xu Youjing's voice was too low, like a sharp voice deliberately hidden in the night.

Quietly lifted it up and covered her things.

He said, "Some people aren't born to be parents, and their children aren't the fruit of love. From the moment they're born, their children become shackles that bind them. Restrictions and constraints become the norm. Therefore, they transfer this injustice onto their children. Alienation and indifference may not be suitable for all families, but they certainly apply to some that can't quite be called families."

He was almost extremely rational, and there was no fluctuation in his words.

Wen Huai listened and was unable to speak for a long time.

Grandma told her about Xu Youjing's life experience.

She was now piercing his heart.

"Wen Huai." He called her.

"Um?"

“Don’t make yourself unhappy for someone who doesn’t deserve it.”

She stumbled over her words and forgot what she was about to say. She said stubbornly, "I'm not unhappy. I'm just moved."

"Oh?" Xu Youjing chuckled, picking out the loophole in her words, "But where is the touching plot in the story you just told?"

Wen Huai choked.

She had forgotten about it.

"I haven't even gotten to the touching part yet."

"Yeah, I'm listening."

He was very patient and even imitated her speech.

Wen Huai scratched his head in embarrassment, and finally said, "The touching scene is that the girl's husband is loyal to her until death and never leaves her!"

There was a moment of silence before I heard his voice ringing in my ears: "What's so moving about this?"

Wen Huai frowned: "This is not yet——"

"Isn't this as it should be?"

She paused again.

Noticing her silence, Xu Youjing rubbed the dial with his fingertips.

Thousands of gemstones surrounding the dial emit different lights as you move your fingers.

Like plucking the heartstrings.

"Should I?"

Wen Huai chewed on his words, not knowing what they meant.

"Well." Xu Youjing's voice was deep, "Or do you think I can't do it?"

"...I didn't."

“That means believing I can do it.”

He spoke again:

"I can do that."

It's like a guarantee, but also like he will definitely do it without having to promise.

Wen Huai's tightly pursed lips relaxed, and the corners of his lips unconsciously rose.

Why is there something wrong with this person tonight?

She rubbed her slightly hot face, and before she could say anything, Xu Youjing asked, "Did she hit you today?"

Wen Huai didn't expect that he would react to her so quickly, and she was surprised.

Xu Youjing took it as her acquiescence: "Why didn't you tell me?"

"She's my mother. It's only natural for her to beat me. I can't..." She sighed and tried to change the subject. "By the way, you're so smart. How did you know I was talking about me?"

There was a sigh, followed by silence.

Wen Huai thought she had failed to change the subject, but the next second, the person on the other side continued what she was saying.

"Aunt Ping told me. Your face is so swollen and you still want to hide it? Do you think no one cares about you?"

His words, in the silent darkness, were like brilliant fireworks exploding in the night sky, catching her, who was hiding under the bridge and spying, off guard.

It’s like someone who has been begging for love all his life suddenly gets a firm and strong backing.

Wen Huai didn't dare to respond.

She is afraid.

Afraid that fireworks will fade away quickly.

She was afraid that when the night ended and dawn came, her extravagant dream would be shattered.

She was afraid that the fragments would become a thorn in her well-bandaged heart.

"Why aren't you talking?"

Wen Huai made up an excuse: "I'm a little sleepy."

Xu Youjing had no doubts: "Then light the incense and don't hang up the phone."

Her finger, hovering over the hang-up button, paused.

"Don't hang up?"

"Well, I told you I'll sleep with you." He always managed to touch her heart. "Aren't you scared to be in a strange room by yourself?"

"Does your face still hurt? Have you applied the medicine?"

"Is the door locked?"

He gave his final instructions.

Wen Huai's nose felt sore and he could only answer reluctantly.

"Okay, let's go to sleep."

The only sound in the room disappeared, and the person who should have been asleep stared with clear eyes.

The phone was not hung up, and occasionally the sound of keyboard typing could be heard from the receiver, but it was not loud and was almost inaudible.

For a moment, Wen Huai suddenly wanted to ask him if he liked her.

But she didn't dare.

So cowardly.

Wen Huai closed his eyes in disgust and moved.

Xu Youjing on the other side was very sensitive: "Can't sleep?"

She opened her lips, struggling for a long time but couldn't bring herself to ask. After a long pause, she finally said, "Can I say goodnight to you?"

The fingers tapping on the keyboard paused, and Xu Youjing's first reaction was to recall an ambiguous saying that was popular in high school -

"Say goodnight to the one you love."

"Because when you open it, it means I love you."

After all these years, he suddenly remembered such non-mainstream words. While feeling strange, he quickly came to his senses.

How could Wen Huai...

He heard it clearly in the cafeteria.

He quickly put all this mess behind him and looked at his phone.

"Can."

“…”

Amidst the silence and waiting, a gentle voice finally rang out in the empty room:

"Xu Youjing, good night."

"good evening."

It was not until the sound of even breathing came that the man sitting motionless on the sofa finally responded.

He moved his fingers from the keyboard to the screen where he was on a call and switched pages.

I found Jiang Han, and he typed: [Book me a flight back to North City tonight.]

Jiang Han replied immediately: [There are no trains tonight. The earliest one is at 6:15 tomorrow morning.]

Xu Youjing: [Buy.]

Jiang Han: [But Mr. Xu, you have appointments with several CEOs tomorrow night. I'm afraid you won't get enough rest after all this travel.]

He hadn't even sent out the half-typed "Don't worry" message when he saw a new message from Jiang Han and frowned.

Jiang Han: [Mr. Xu, this is terrible. The hospital called and said that Mr. Sui has suddenly been admitted to the ICU.]

-

When Wen Huai was discharged from the hospital, it was Aunt Ping who came to pick him up.

When she came, Wen Huai asked her to bring the gift with her, and after picking her up, he went to Mingwan Community.

Unfortunately, Lu Zhixue was not at home.

She left the gift and the message and left.

After returning home and taking a shower, she wanted to go back to her room after dinner.

Because I still feel a little nauseous from time to time, I cannot stop taking the Chinese medicine prescribed by the doctor. I have to take it for at least another month to see the effect.

So, she was about to go back to her room, but was called back by Aunt Ping and confronted with the bag of hot Chinese medicine.

Aunt Ping was amused by her wrinkled face and threatened her: "If you don't drink it, it will be difficult to report to Yu Jing when he comes back. It's better to suffer a short pain than a long one. Just close your eyes and swallow it."

When Xu Youjing was mentioned, Wen Huai was a little distracted.

When she woke up this morning, she saw his message and the call was interrupted while they were talking.

September 13, 23:29

J: [I have something to go out for, so I can’t play for now.]

J: [goodnight.jpg]

September 14, 06:18

J: [Are you awake?]

J: [I can’t pick you up from the hospital today. Something urgent has happened.]

J: [Auntie Ping will pick you up. Call me if you need anything.]

September 14, 07:01

A: [Okay.]

07:03

J: [Awake?]

J: [Remember to eat breakfast.]

A: [Okay.]

J: [nods.jpg]

September 14, 14:13

A: [Aunt Ping is here to pick me up.]

A: [Picture]

14:14

J: [Okay, be careful on the road.]

J: [Remember to listen to Aunt Ping.]

A: [nod.jpg]

J: [OK]

Wen Huai flipped through the chat history and realized that the emoticons Xu Youjing used were all saved by her, and he curled his lips.

However, at this time, he would reply quickly almost every time she sent a message.

Is this a full night of sleep?

She wanted to ask him if he had eaten dinner, but she was afraid to disturb him. All she had to do now was to recover quickly and get back to work.

Without thinking any more, he drank the bottle of Chinese medicine.

-

It was already early morning on the 15th when Xu Youjing came out of the hospital. He looked at the empty message column and put away his phone.

Jiang Han walked over and said, "Boss Xu, Director Sui's condition has thankfully stabilized. The bosses who were stood up last night are very concerned and said they know what to do during the summit."

The night was dark and windy, and the treetops along the road held up the heavy sky.

The wind started to blow and Xu Youjing squinted his eyes.

"No."

"Let them throw it the other way."

Jiang Han understood instantly: "I understand."

He glanced at the time: "Mr. Xie's flight is returning to China today, you——"

"It's too late to pick him up." Xu Youjing took the phone, twirled it neatly between his fingers, and after typing quickly, he said, "Go check what time Meilin will be back."

-

Friday.

When Wen Huai woke up, he saw the message from Xu Youjing.

She asked him when he would be back.

Xu Youjing said he was not sure and asked her not to drink alcohol at the wedding.

Wen Huai knew that he had already said that he had something to do today, and she didn't care whether it was to welcome Qiao Mian or not. She didn't want to think about it now and got up to pack up.

When she arrived at the scene, she saw many seniors from high school, and almost all the people at the table she was assigned to were people she knew.

Remove the empty space on the left hand side.

I don’t know whose seat this is, and no one is there even though the wedding is about to start.

At this moment, the phone vibrated.

Wen Huai knew who it was without even looking.

She has gotten used to it these days. Whenever it is time for dinner, Xu Youjing will definitely send her a message.

After unlocking.

As expected.

He asked if the meal was ready.

Wen Huai took a photo and sent it to him: [Not yet.]

The next message came in: [Is everyone here?]

Wen Huai looked around and replied: [Almost. There were too many people and I couldn't see clearly.]

[But there's no one next to me.]

She looked at the intermittent flashing words "The other party is typing" in the notes, staring and waiting, but no message came.

When several acquaintances from the same sect met, it was inevitable that they would talk about the present. Wen Huai was mentioned several times, and it would be rude for Wen Huai to hold his phone and look uninterested. He had no choice but to lock his phone first, not noticing the screen light up again.

“Yes, I am working at the top now.”

"Oh? That's quite a coincidence." A strange man looked over. "I'm in Dongyang. We're actually in the same business. What's your position?"

Wen Huai hesitated when he heard the word "Dongyang", then nodded and responded: "Secretary."

The man instantly became interested and raised his glass towards Wen Huai. "I've heard a lot about you. I'm the project leader from Dongyang. My surname is Lu, and my given name is Yin."

She said calmly but measuredly: "Hello."

Seeing that she didn't even take the cup, Lu Yin then handed over his business card and said, "Secretary Wen, won't you give me a drink?"

"Sorry, I was just discharged from the hospital yesterday and I have to follow the doctor's orders." She took a sip of the juice with a good temper. "Team Leader Lu, please do as you please."

As soon as these words were spoken, senior brothers and sisters who were familiar with Wen Huai came to her aid and helped her out.

I thought that was the end of it, but unexpectedly, during a break in the conversation, the man brought up the topic again: "I heard that Dongyang and Dianfeng will be attending the pre-summit meeting together soon. After all, we are in the same industry, so would it be convenient for us to add each other on WeChat?"

If it were before, Wen Huai would naturally not refuse.

But Dongyang and Dianfeng were secretly competing with each other. At this juncture, she didn't want to cause trouble. So before she could say no, the emcee's microphone rang out in the hall:

"Dear guests, please wait a moment and take a deep breath for five seconds. Our wedding will begin soon!"

As the countdown started on the big screen, the lights in the hall dimmed.

Faintly, Wen Huai heard Lu Yin discussing with the person in the empty seat next to her: "Excuse me, would you mind letting me pass? I'm sitting in the empty seat next to Secretary Wen."

Seeing that the man was about to give up his seat, he saw a big hand pressing on the back of the empty chair next to him.

The gem-encrusted dial on the wrist flashed a brilliant light before the lights completely dimmed.

She heard the familiar voice say:

"This is my seat."