Eighty stars

But the expected panic didn't appear. He looked straight ahead and said calmly, "I have something urgent tonight, so I won't be going back."

The old man was furious when he heard this: "Something's wrong, what's wrong? You're never okay. You must come back to me next week!"

"It depends on the situation. I'm hanging up." His voice was still calm, and he didn't even care that the old man had something else to say, and directly cut off the call.

Lin Tang took in the entire scene and raised his eyebrows in surprise for a moment.

At the end, she curled her lips again, and it was indeed different when she got it, but she didn't say anything.

When she reached the riverside, she could already hear the deafening sound of fireworks. Although she couldn't see them clearly, the colorful lights they reflected were still clearly visible in her field of vision.

The car finally stopped on an open grassland. There were not many people here, but the front was open and there was no obstruction. You could still clearly see the continuous fireworks and sky lanterns in the sky.

Lin Tang unbuckled his seatbelt, idly resting his arm on the window, and asked casually, "Didn't we agree to go watch the fireworks? Why are we staying here?"

"You can watch it from here, but there are too many people over there and I don't like being disturbed," he explained.

Just remembering something, he suddenly looked at her, as if asking for her opinion.

After exchanging a glance, Lin Tang smiled softly: "What a coincidence, I don't like it either."

Although it is deserted here, it is still rare to see people selling freshly mixed cocktails on the roadside.

Feng Chibai got out of the car and when he came back he had two special drinks in his hands. Lin Tang's drink was wine, but his was not.

The heater was on inside the car, and outside, fireworks nearly covered the entire sky. Through the gaps, you could faintly see a few Kongming lanterns soaring into the sky, their red paper wrappings inscribed with words, as if making wishes.

Lin Tang stared out the windshield, his mind blank as he took a sip of wine. Fireworks continued to blare, and a voice drifted in from his trance: "Back in Country R, ​​did anyone ask you about us?"

In the corner of his eye, he was staring at him stubbornly.

Lin Tang knew what he was thinking. Since Zhao Yingxun could know it, he couldn't guarantee that Yu Jingming didn't know it.

"I asked," she said frankly, staring ahead. After taking a sip of her wine, she added, "On the night the aurora appeared, I said I took the picture for you."

She tilted her head and met his gaze.

At that time, Yu Jingming knew that the two had not been in contact for a long time, and he had a secret guess in his heart. So when the aurora came, he asked the doubts in his heart.

But at that time, facing him, she seemed to see a hint of different emotions in his eyes, as if as long as she admitted this, another thing would follow.

Did she say she liked me? But she couldn't seem to tell what liking meant.

But at that moment, she chose to conceal it and just replied: "He said he wanted to see the aurora, too."

Suddenly brought up at this moment, she couldn't tell if she was trying to put off Yu Jingming's unclear feelings, or if there was some other reason. But she didn't want to dwell on it anymore, so she changed the subject, "Why are you suddenly thinking about celebrating New Year's Eve? I've never seen you so eager to join in the fun before."

"Because there are people I care about, I want to create some memorable scenes." Feng Chibai looked at her and said.

Lin Tang fell silent, holding the plastic cup in her hand. The coolness clearly stimulated her nerves. She pursed her lips, drank the rest of the wine in one gulp, and then put the cup into the plastic bag.

At this moment, the only thing wrapping her up was the heater in the car.

The noise outside continued, but for some unknown reason, she felt a little sleepy.

The sky lanterns were rising intermittently, time was flowing silently, and in a trance, consciousness gradually faded away.

Feng Chibai noticed this and took off his coat to cover her. With the sound of fireworks, his eyelashes drooped and he whispered, "You can sleep in such a noisy environment? Are you very tired?"

Sorry, I detained you.

Although it was still some time before midnight, he chose to go back.

In the suite.

After he settled Lin Tang in his room, it was pitch black all around him. He leaned against the window and looked at her quietly.

Faint moonlight filtered through the gaps in the curtains. He raised his hand and could barely see the watch on his wrist.

The second hand ticked away until the very last moment, when a soft voice echoed through the silent room: "Lin Tang, the new year has arrived, and you are all I have, so you can't leave."

This time, Jue Lintang did not sleep for long.

In the middle of the night, she opened her eyes drowsily. Although she was not fully conscious, she still realized that this was not her room.

So he quickly sat up and looked around, and a sense of familiarity came over him.

She knew where this was.

The tension in her heart suddenly faded away. She held her head and lowered her eyes aimlessly. Suddenly, she noticed that there was a sachet on the bedside. It was the one she had given.

She subconsciously looked at the bed beside her, but there was no one there.

She got up and walked out of the room. As soon as she turned into the living room, she noticed him standing next to the vase drinking.

Perhaps he noticed the movement here and suddenly looked over here.

In the darkness, the two of them almost looked at each other, but couldn't see each other's faces.

Lin Tang approached him and asked softly, "Why aren't you sleeping yet?"

Feng Chibai put down the wine in his hand: "I'm not sleepy yet."

Remembering something, he explained, "You fell asleep in the car. I don't have the key to your house, so I had to send you back here first."

Lin Tang nodded and hummed. Remembering the conversation between the old man and him in the car, she decided to ask: "Why... don't you go back to the old house?"

"Going back alone?" Feng Chibai sneered, as if mocking himself. "Guess what they'll think. It'll be very troublesome to explain."

"So, you're just afraid of trouble?" About not wanting to get divorced.

"No." Feng Chibai's voice was not loud, but it was resounding. "I'm afraid of losing you completely."

If they pressed him, if he confessed that they had signed a divorce agreement, everyone would tacitly accept their divorce, even if the outcome wasn't final yet. Subtle perceptions would invisibly influence everything, and he didn't want her to be affected, nor did he want to accept the consequences of that influence.

So he could only put it off again and again.

He had no choice.

It was not until this moment that Lin Tang suddenly realized that so much time had passed, but it seemed as if she had just returned home yesterday, so she always selectively avoided this topic.

Her pupils lost focus for a moment, and the floating cloud in her heart slowly sank.

Perhaps she should seriously consider the relationship between them.

*

On the day of resuming work, Lin Tang went to Luo Chen again to discuss the adjustment of the specific plan with Qin Hao in response to the problems that occurred during the research and development process last week.

It doesn't take much thought to know that as long as she comes to Luochen, she will definitely see a person, even if she doesn't go to find him.

As expected.

As soon as she walked out of the conference room, Feng Chibai was sitting in the lounge in the corner, his eyes looking in her direction with purpose.

He curled his lips, his fingertips tapping nonchalantly on the cup in front of him. When she came closer, he looked at her and asked, "Would you like some tea?"

"There are bergamot, lily, jujube kernels and rose petals in here," he said truthfully.

But Lin Tang could immediately understand the meaning. These were the ingredients in the sachet she gave him. He had opened it and studied it carefully.

She pulled out a chair and sat down across from him, saying calmly, "Sorry for the trouble."

"No trouble." He was actually very happy to let Lin Tang trouble him. That at least showed that she trusted him and was willing to keep him in her heart.

After taking the cup of tea handed to him by Feng Chibai, Lin Tang took a sip even though it was steaming. It was not bitter or astringent, and had a light floral fragrance.

She put down the hot cup, crossed her arms and smiled, "I thought President Feng was always very busy, but now it seems that he is quite relaxed."

"Whether I'm free or not depends on who I'm meeting." Feng Chibai looked at her with a smile on his face. "If it's you, I don't mind doing more work and then taking some time off to see you."

As they looked at each other, an untimely ringing of a ringtone broke the silence.

He picked up the phone, and Zhao Yingxun's voice immediately pierced his eardrums: "Hey, Mr. Feng, are you coming to the annual meeting tonight? It's been so many days and there's still no definite news. If you come, I'll make room for you in the lounge, and I'll make sure to treat you well."

Feng Chibai did not turn on the speakerphone, but the voice from the other end still fell clearly into Lin Tang's ears.

Her eyebrows curved slightly, she picked up the cup and took another sip, waiting for his answer.

Feng Chibai knew that she was listening. His ears were absent-mindedly collecting the chatter from the other end, but his eyes were always fixed on Lin Tang, with an inexplicable smile on his face.

After a moment of thought, he said, "Let's go. We've worked together so many times, so naturally I have to support Mr. Zhao's business."

Zhao Yingxun felt awkward after hearing the tone and said with a wry smile, "You're being polite! I'll definitely have someone arrange the largest and most comfortable room for you."

After hanging up the phone, Lin Tang glanced at the time. The tea in the cup was almost cold. She drank it in a few sips, stood up and said, "Since you have something to do, I won't stay any longer."

Just as she was about to leave, she suddenly heard a voice: "The old man will also be attending the Zhao family's annual meeting tonight."

Suddenly remembering what he said two nights ago, she had some guesses in her mind, but she still chose to ask: "So?"

"I hope you can go with me." Feng Chibai said bluntly, "Since we are still husband and wife, can I ask you for a favor?"

Perhaps feeling his words were too weak, he explained, "I think you're well aware that if even the slightest clue is revealed, it will inevitably lead to additional trouble. Luo Chen has been busy lately, and I'm afraid I don't have the energy to explain everything."

Lin Tang remained silent, as if he was weighing the pros and cons.

She took a deep breath for a few seconds before she said, "I'm afraid it's not appropriate for me to just go over like this."

She could still distinguish between Zhao Yingxun's business and the Zhao family's business. She could dress casually at the banquet organized by Zhao Yingxun, and not many people would pay attention.

But the Zhao family's annual meeting was bound to be attended by some important figures. If she continued to go there as she pleased, then in the eyes of outsiders, she would be seen as someone who was there to disrupt the party.

"Don't worry, there's still time." Feng Chibai said confidently.