Chapter 94: Cracks (Part 2)

"Lingling?!" Zhao Chen cried out, his voice filled with hurt and immense fear. "You...you're doubting me?! You're doubting me and Gu Qianqian...?!"

He couldn't say any more. The possibility itself was like a red-hot iron, burning his soul so hard that it trembled!

Yu Ling looked at the shattered pain and disbelief in his eyes, and her heart felt like it had been hit by a heavy hammer! She turned her face away abruptly, not daring to look him in the eye again, her voice choked with a barely perceptible sob and confusion:

"I... I don't know! Zhao Chen, I really don't know! That photo is too real! She was so close to you! You... you didn't push her away! You even... look... so 'noble'..."

She was incoherent, her mind and emotions violently torn apart. She believed in Zhao Chen's feelings for her, and she believed in his dislike for Gu Qianqian! But the visual impact and psychological implications of the photo, as well as the humiliation of the word "noble," were like a poisonous sting, deeply penetrating her most vulnerable part!

"I didn't push her away?!" Zhao Chen's voice suddenly rose, as if he had heard a huge joke, with a sharp irony and indignation! He took a sudden step forward and grasped Yu Ling's shoulders tightly with both hands, so hard that she felt a slight pain! He forced her to look up and look directly into his eyes, which were almost bleeding with pain and anger!

"Yu Ling! Look at me!" Zhao Chen's voice was as hoarse as an old bellows, and every word seemed to be squeezed out of his chest, with blood foam.

"What kind of bullshit 'noble' is that?! That's disgusting! That's disgusting! That's the irritation of wanting her to disappear immediately! You only saw that she was close, did you see how clenched my hands were under the table?! Did you see that I didn't even take a sip of the wine in my glass?! Did you see that I felt like even breathing was polluted?!"

He was breathing heavily, his chest heaving violently, his eyes filled with undisguised pain and despair of being doubted by his beloved!

"Last Wednesday! Last Wednesday night!" Zhao Chen stared into Yu Ling's eyes, his voice trembling with excitement. "That wasn't some fucking date! It was that old bastard from the Gu family who, under the guise of discussing an old project, forced me and that crazy fucking guy into the same box!

Less than ten minutes! I was there for less than ten minutes! I didn't even hear what she said! All I could think about was how to get Lin Feng to immediately raise the 'cleaning' level to the highest level!

He became more and more excited as he spoke, and the knuckles of his hands that were holding Yu Ling's shoulders turned pale from the force:

"You think I wanted to stay there?! You think I wanted to see that disgusting face of hers?! I wanted to flip the table and leave right then and there! But that old bastard was holding on to some bullshit favor left by my grandfather! I only sat there patiently for those ten minutes in order to completely sever this relationship! Just ten minutes! Lingling! Only ten minutes!"

Zhao Chen's voice was hoarse, almost collapsing. He suddenly let go of Yu Ling's shoulders and painfully dug his hands into his thick black hair, pulling hard, as if he was enduring great torture:

"I didn't expect... I didn't fucking expect that lunatic would hire someone to secretly film me! And I didn't expect... that you would suspect me because of this..."

He spoke the last few words with great difficulty, his voice trailing off with a heavy, heartbreaking sob.

The restaurant fell into dead silence.

Yu Ling froze in place. The pain in her shoulder where it had been pinched was still there, but her heart hurt even more.

She looked at Zhao Chen's painfully hunched back, his slightly trembling fingers inserted in his hair, and listened to his hoarse and choked accusations... The suspicions and pains aroused by the photos just now were like thin ice in the sun, shattered and melted in an instant!

Huge regret overwhelmed her like a tide!

What was she doing?! She was actually questioning the man who had given everything for her, even exposing his own dark past to appease her, just because of that crazy Gu Qianqian's carefully chosen, malicious candid photos?!

She actually used such a ridiculous word as "noble" to hurt him?! She actually made him look so painful and desperate?!

Her heart felt like it was being tightly grasped by an invisible hand, and the pain was so severe that she could hardly breathe!

"Zhao Chen..." Yu Ling's voice was thick with tears. She stumbled forward, reached out from behind, and tremblingly wrapped her arms around Zhao Chen's thin waist. Her cheek pressed tightly against his warm but slightly trembling back, and tears immediately welled up, soaking the slightly cool fabric of his shirt.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." She apologized over and over again, her voice breaking. "I'm a jerk... I shouldn't have doubted you... I shouldn't have been affected by that lousy photo... I shouldn't have said that... I'm sorry..."

She felt Zhao Chen's body stiffen suddenly under her embrace, and then trembled even more violently. He didn't turn around or speak, but his suppressed breathing seemed to become heavier.

Yu Ling's heart ached even more, and she tightened her arms, as if she wanted to rub him into her body:

"I believe you! Zhao Chen! I really believe you! I was so angry just now! I was so stupid! How could I doubt you... I..." She was incoherent, tears streaming down her face, wetting his back.

It seemed like a century had passed.

Zhao Chen's stiff, tense body finally relaxed very slowly, bit by bit, amidst Yu Ling's tearful apologies and hugs. He slowly lowered his hand from his hair.

Then, extremely slowly, he turned around.

Yu Ling raised her tear-filled face and met his gaze.

He raised his hand, his fingertips trembling slightly as he gently wiped away the tears streaming down Yu Ling's face, drop by drop. His movements were so gentle, so cherishing, as if she were some fragile treasure.

"Don't cry..." His voice was hoarse and nasal, and every word sounded like it was rubbed against sandpaper. "Lingling... don't cry..."

His fingertips were warm, but they couldn't wipe away the tears that kept flowing from her. He looked at her with eyes full of heartache and a kind of cautiousness as if he had lost something and then found it again, as if her doubt just now had almost completely broken him.

"It's my fault..." Yu Ling choked up, tightly grasping his hand that was wiping her tears, and pressed it against her cheek, "I shouldn't have..."

"No." Zhao Chen interrupted her and shook his head, his eyes full of pain and self-blame. "It's my fault. I... didn't handle the garbage properly, letting it splash onto you again and again."

He took a deep breath, trying to calm his surging emotions, and gently stroked her wet cheek with his fingertips. "It's my fault for making you sad and uneasy."

He paused, his eyes becoming more serious, with an almost pious earnestness:

"Lingling, I promise you, this is the last time. Gu Qianqian, the Gu family...all the people and things that might make you unhappy or make you feel wronged..."

His eyes instantly became as sharp as a knife, with an unquestionable determination, "I will clean it up as quickly and thoroughly as possible. I won't let you see even a speck of dust again."

His tone was calm, yet it contained a more frightening power than when he was furious just now.

Seeing the genuine heartache, self-blame, and unwavering determination in his eyes, Yu Ling felt the last shred of darkness washed away by his burning sincerity. She nodded vigorously, but her tears flowed even more fiercely, a mixture of regret and relief.

Zhao Chen looked at her red eyes and nose from crying, his heart aching. He stopped talking, simply stretched out his arms and hugged her tightly, tightly. He held her tightly, as if he wanted to knead her into his own flesh and blood, never to be separated again.

Yu Ling hugged him back tightly, burying her cheek in the warm crook of his neck, greedily breathing in his reassuring scent and feeling the steady, strong heartbeat in his chest.

After an unknown amount of time, Yu Ling's sobs gradually subsided, leaving only faint sniffles. Zhao Chen let go of her slightly, looked down at her red and swollen eyes, and sighed with heartache.

He held her face, gently resting his forehead against hers, nuzzling the tip of his nose against hers. His voice was low and gentle, filled with relief at having survived a disaster: "Are you hungry? Charcoal... Oh no, breakfast is gone."

Yu Ling was amused by his clumsy change of subject and wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. She said with a heavy nasal voice, "I'm hungry... I want to eat something sweet."

"Okay." Zhao Chen responded immediately, his eyes so gentle that they seemed to be dripping with water. "Right away."

He let go of her and turned to walk towards the refrigerator. He opened the door, revealing a dazzling array of ingredients. He didn't even glance at the high-end ingredients, his gaze fixed squarely on the back of the freezer—where he found several boxes of Yu Ling's favorite ice cream brand, which he'd cleared out earlier.

He took out a box of vanilla flavor, another box of chocolate flavor, and then dug out two exquisite glass bowls.

Yu Ling leaned against the cold center island, looking at the man in the expensive shirt with a straight back, who was scooping ice cream balls with great concentration, even a little clumsily.

Huge balls of ice cream were carefully placed in a glass bowl, piled high. Zhao Chen came over with two bowls of ice cream, placing the vanilla bowl in front of Yu Ling and taking the chocolate bowl for himself.

He picked up the spoon and scooped a large spoonful of rich chocolate ice cream from his bowl, but instead of putting it in his own mouth, he passed it to Yu Ling's lips. He looked at her expectantly, with a hint of flattery, like a child trying to make amends after doing something wrong.

"Try this, is it sweet enough?" He lowered his voice and spoke with a hint of caution.

Yu Ling looked at the spoon he held to her lips, and the clumsy yet sincere flattery in his eyes, and her heart softened. She opened her mouth and took in the large spoonful of cold, sweet chocolate ice cream.

The rich sweetness instantly spread across my tongue, with a hint of bitterness that carried all the way to my heart. The cool taste also strangely soothed the heat brought on by the excitement just now.

"Hmm," she narrowed her eyes in satisfaction and nodded vigorously. Her voice was a little nasal, but full of genuine pleasure. "Sweet! Very sweet!"

Zhao Chen looked at her contented smile, the haze in his eyes finally dissipating, and a warm smile of relief lifted his lips. He also scooped a large spoonful of chocolate ice cream from his own bowl and shoved it into his mouth. The cool, sweet taste spread across his mouth, but it wasn't even a fraction as sweet as seeing her smile.

Yu Ling secretly tilted her head to watch Zhao Chen's profile as he diligently ate his ice cream. The sunlight danced on his thick eyelashes, casting a small shadow under his eyes. A small brown chocolate stain stained the corner of his mouth, and combined with his focused yet slightly childish expression, he looked... a little silly.

She couldn't help but stretch out her finger and gently wipe away the chocolate stain at the corner of his mouth.

Zhao Chen paused, then turned his head to look at her. Their eyes met.

Yu Ling's fingertips were still lingering on the corners of his warm lips. She looked into his deep, inquiring eyes, which were so close to her, and suddenly stood on tiptoe.

A gentle kiss with a sweet mixture of vanilla and chocolate fell on the corner of Zhao Chen's mouth - the place she had just wiped clean.

Zhao Chen's body stiffened instantly and his pupils dilated slightly.

Yu Ling stepped back a little, her cheeks slightly red, but her eyes sparkled, with a hint of cunning and incomparable seriousness, she said softly:

"This place... is the sweetest."