Chapter 61 I love you, do you want me to hug you?

The Liang family's back garden was well-maintained, with various seasonal flowers planted in different sections blooming in full glory. Even on a dull evening when the sun was about to set, the dim and scattered afterglow could not bend the upright stems of the flowers.

This is a house full of life, but the people inside are lifeless, thanks to the gardener's diligent care.

Ruan Shulan broke off a blue flower. Judging from its shape, it should be a member of the Asteraceae family, but Zhou Jinqin couldn't identify the specific species.

Dark petals fell one by one in her hand, returning to the earth. Ruan Shulan said in a calm tone, "Although I watched Liang Minghe grow up, I always felt that he was still the little boy I remembered, with the same childlike way of thinking. Perhaps it was to avenge his mother, but the person is already dead. What grudges are there to build? If I were him, I would choose to endure it, even for money."

"He will never think like you, so you can never become him." Because of her anger, Zhou Jinqin's previously pale face gradually regained some color. She looked up and stared directly at the petite woman in front of her, her tone unusually angry. "You don't need to spout some high-sounding, self-righteous ideas. From what you said before, I only agree with your self-awareness of selfishness. You are indeed an extremely selfish person."

"Are you here to attack me on behalf of Liang Minghe? To be honest, I have not wronged him at all. I am just enjoying what I deserve in my current position. Neither he nor you, who represent him, have the right to criticize me."

“What about Liang Jiahe? How are you going to deceive yourself?” Zhou Jinqin said. “He wasn’t born with expectations, at least not what Liang Zongqiang expected, so why did you insist on having him?”

Zhou Jinqin seemed somewhat aggressive: "I guess you had expectations when you were pregnant with him. You hoped that his appearance could replace Liang Minghe's position in Liang Zongqiang's heart, so that you could climb higher. But obviously you failed, so you completely disregarded this abandoned child. You insisted on giving birth to him, so shouldn't you take on the responsibility of raising him to adulthood? If you want to say that you have done your best in terms of material things, then can I argue that all these efforts are attributed to Liang Zongqiang, instead of you?"

Such an absolutely indifferent mother-son relationship is not normal. It shouldn't be presented to the child's world as she naively envisioned it in the past. That wouldn't be right, Zhou Jinqin thought.

When faced with criticism, Ruan Shulan was not as indifferent as she claimed; her face darkened, clearly showing how much she cared about the negative comments from the outside world.

Zhou Jinqin heard the muffled gurgling sounds coming from her narrow throat. Perhaps she wanted to refute her with a light, restrained tone after restraint, but Zhou Jinqin didn't want to waste any more useless things on her.

She lifted her foot and walked out without looking back: "Secretary Ruan, it's time."

Outside the courtyard gate, the father and son looked at each other from a distance that was neither too close nor too far.

Liang Minghe spoke calmly, but every word was piercing: "You don't need to go to great lengths to arrange for people around you to test or win me over. It won't change the fact that your image in my heart is completely rotten. I only hate you, and I will only hate you. It has nothing to do with anyone else."

Liang Zongqiang paused for a moment, then spoke again in a terrifyingly low voice: "You've always been a child who clearly distinguishes between likes and dislikes. I know you won't implicate others, I know you'll feel guilty, so..."

“That’s why you’re so disgusting,” Liang Minghe retorted, laying bare the unspoken truths they both knew. “You might underestimate the extent of my hatred for you. Have you ever considered that, at this point, you’ve wronged far more than just that one mound of earth? You’re fickle, your body leaning towards one side, yet you can’t control your wandering, wanton heart. You think you’re a devoted lover for not forgetting your wife, but in the end, you’re nothing more than a barbarian who has cheated on both your mind and body. But you don’t need to feel guilty, after all, in this barbaric era, there’s no need to adhere to human morality and etiquette.”

He uttered cold words with a blank expression, but when he turned to look at Zhou Jinqin, he seemed to have changed his face, wearing a smiling expression and hugging her as if nothing had happened.

Ignoring the scene outside, the two got into the car and drove away without looking back.

In the garage, Liang Minghe bent down to unbuckle Zhou Jinqin's seatbelt. After he finished, he didn't immediately leave, but instead looked at Zhou Jinqin's face from that position and distance.

"What?" Zhou Jinqin looked down at him helplessly.

"Are you unhappy?" Liang Minghe touched her pale cheek. "I'm never going there again."

He knew long ago that she couldn't truly empathize with Ruan Shulan, so he should have abandoned his so-called gentlemanly manners and directly rejected her on her behalf.

Zhou Jinqin tapped the tip of his nose and sighed, "Are you any better than me?"

"Okay, not much better than you." Liang Ming leaned in and lightly touched her lips, then sat up straight and patted his empty thighs. "I want to hug you. Do you want me to hug you?"

Zhou Jinqin certainly wanted to; as she walked out of that flamboyant garden, she longed to fall into a warm, comforting embrace. She nodded, climbed over, and straddled the man's strong thighs.

Liang Minghe placed his large hand on the woman's slender back, pulling her into his warm embrace.

His voice was gentle and persuasive: "My story is nothing new, there's no need to say too much about it. Tell me how you feel, okay?"

“Hmm.” Zhou Jinqin nestled her head deeper into his shoulder and neck. “My mother is a very strong-willed person. She always forces her own ideas on me. Although it is painful, it is undeniable that those actions, as she said, are beneficial to my development. However, I was not happy about it at the time. I just thought that it would be better if my mother were a little more selfish. But today, when I saw Ruan Shulan, I suddenly realized that a selfish and indifferent mother is not what I want at all.”

She asked him, her voice weak, "Xiao He, do you think love becomes more precious when compared?"

Liang Minghe cupped her face and looked into her watery eyes: "If in this relationship in the name of love, your heart is always eroded by most negative emotions such as difficulty, pain, dullness, anxiety, and indignation, then I think that is not love at all, and naturally it is not precious, because true love will not be indifferent, nor will it overstep the boundaries of passion."

Zhou Jinqin asked, "What level constitutes crossing the line?"

"Do you think you love me?" Liang Minghe's eyes were churning with turbulent emotions, but at this moment, they were not filled with reckless lust.

Zhou Jinqin seemed to be deep in thought. After a long while, she nodded seriously: "I think I love you because when I'm with you, my heart is filled with positive emotions such as freedom, joy, comfort, peace, and satisfaction."

Liang Minghe smiled and his eyes softened: "Me too, so I'll tell you that I love you too."

“Your heart is the same as before; it’s unwavering and always here.” He took her hand and placed it over her heart. “But I can feel it.”

Tears fall silently, hot and perhaps crimson, but there's no need to be ashamed of shedding tears, for they represent the pounding of the heart speaking.

Liang Minghe held the woman in his arms even tighter, letting her vulnerability and sensitivity soak his clothes.

It's okay, the tears will stop, and the clothes will dry.

After Zhou Jinqin calmed herself down, Liang Minghe wiped away her remaining tears and coaxed her, asking, "Do you want to go to your grandparents' house tonight?"

Undoubtedly, her maternal grandparents cared for her deeply, and even if this affection stemmed from a love for their grandparents, it cannot be denied that there was happiness she could perceive there.

As dusk fell, the yellow sky was shrouded in a thick, inky darkness. Such a lonely night always makes one yearn to go to a more vibrant place.

Zhou Jinqin nodded: "I want to go."

Without hesitation, the two went home to pack their things for the night and took care of Tuantuan before immediately driving towards the mountainside.

When Grandma saw the two of them, she scolded them, "Why didn't you tell me you were coming? There aren't even two vegetables left in the house."

She complained like this, but couldn't hide the smile on her face.

Liang Ming put his arm around the old lady's shoulder and said with a smile, "What? You're just going to abuse yourself at home with your grandpa if we don't come back?"

Grandma patted him on the shoulder: "You're being cheeky!"

She wanted to say that old people can't eat anymore, but she was afraid of upsetting him, so she didn't say it.

Grandpa took off his apron and brought the freshly stir-fried vegetables to the table: "Luckily, Xiaoqin likes to eat vegetables, and we can grow them at home. Come and try them to see if they're good!"

Despite saying that, the two old people didn't want to deprive Liang Minghe of his food. They didn't have time to make any meat dishes, but they specially ordered a delivery person to pack up some food from the restaurant down the mountain for him.

Zhou Jinqin has to get up early to go down the mountain to work tomorrow, so she can't stay up late. After dinner, her grandmother urged her to take a shower.

"Xiaoming washes the bowls, Xiaoqin, you don't need to worry about it. You're already tired enough from working all day."

Grandma pushed him into the bathroom, but in the end she didn't let Xiaoming wash the dishes. Instead, she took him directly to the yard outside.

She bent down and picked a cluster of lobelia, a herbaceous plant of the Campanulaceae family with small, lovely blue-purple flowers.

Grandma handed the flowers to Liang Minghe, then bent down to look for other plants: "I see Xiaoqin looks unhappy, did you upset her?"

Perhaps due to years of accumulated experience, older people are always adept at capturing the subtle emotions of younger generations.

Liang Minghe shook his head and then nodded: "I wouldn't say so."

If he hadn't taken her to the Liang family, she probably wouldn't have ended up crying so pitifully.

Grandma didn't press for details, only saying, "Whether it's true or not, as a man, you have to bear these feelings. Pick some flowers for her; girls always like that."

Liang Minghe agreed wholeheartedly. He bent over and followed his grandmother outside the vegetable garden to search for those tenacious nocturnal spirits.

The yard was mostly planted with vegetables, and there weren't many kinds of flowers. Including the flowers that hadn't yet been used as vegetables, the two of them were only able to pick two handfuls.

Seeing that his grandmother had tied the bunch of hair in his hand with a separate ribbon, Liang Minghe asked, "Why didn't you tie it together?"

Grandma handed him the flowers: "You pick the flowers for your wife yourself, but this bouquet is for you."

She stood on tiptoe and touched Liang Minghe's face, saying to him in broken Mandarin, "I can feel it, my little Minghe isn't happy either."