Chapter 70 Truth or Dare: Are you sure you want to be in the car?

It was obvious to the naked eye that Lü Jianying was unhappy, but for the first time, she didn't become hysterical. She just sat in her seat with a sullen face and didn't say a word.

This situation is often seen as the calm before the storm, but Liang Minghe was not afraid. He leaned back in his chair, playing with the kitten, and continued talking to himself: "I've always felt that people are like dandelions. As long as there's a gust of wind, they can fly anywhere. Why should we limit ourselves to that narrow piece of land?"

Lu Jianying snorted coldly: "You certainly know how to put it nicely."

"At least it makes people feel comfortable, isn't that good?" Liang Minghe remained noncommittal, a casual smile playing on his lips. "Hard-to-hear honest advice isn't very appealing."

After saying that, he stuffed the cat into his coat, half-zipped it up to reveal the cat's head, and then opened the car door and got out of the car: "As a junior, I naturally can't advise you on anything. Since you're determined to spend the night in the car, then I won't bother you any longer. It's getting late, so you should get some rest."

Hadn't he given enough pointers just now? Yet now he had to use seemingly respectful words to spout a bunch of high-sounding compliments. Lü Jianying couldn't help but laugh to herself, and felt a sense of powerlessness, like she couldn't hold onto a slippery fish.

Lü Jianying's heart wasn't made of iron, and of course she was touched by some of Liang Minghe's words, but deep down, she still didn't really like Liang Minghe. He was too good at using sweet words to bewitch people, and he was a thoroughly cunning fellow.

If he were willing to forever submit to his daughter, that would be fine. But if he had even the slightest disloyalty, he would fly away like a dandelion, as he described. For a dull and honest girl like Zhou Jinqin, it would be absolutely impossible to control him.

But since things had come to this point, Lü Jianying couldn't bring herself to say anything more about forcing a separation. Besides, as Liang Minghe had said, her terrible marital situation truly didn't allow her to offer any insights about love.

The car was temporarily parked in the courtyard in front of an old house. This house has a common old-fashioned layout in the countryside, with the main hall in the middle used for ancestral worship or holding ceremonies such as weddings and birthday celebrations, and the two ends used as living rooms.

Zhou Jinqin lived in the room on the right. Liang Minghe did not go in to sleep, but took the place of the previous boy and stood guard at the door, dozing off with his eyes half-closed, and occasionally teasing the clingy cat in his arms.

Lu Jianying looked away, thinking that perhaps the other party was worried that she might have needs, which was why they were in such a difficult position, trying to please both sides.

Despite both being exhausted from traveling and working without sleep, Liang Minghe's energy was excessively abundant.

In the cold night wind, he slept for only a short while, warming himself with a cat, before getting up as dawn broke. He stayed in his room for a while, then randomly asked an early-rising villager for a ride back to his house on the mountain. On the way down, he drove back to his car, seemingly having tidied himself up and probably fed the well-fed cat. He also brought Zhou Jinqin some clean clothes and simple toiletries.

Of course, Lü Jianying also had a share.

Her feelings were mixed because everything Liang Ming was doing was deviating from the image she had in mind. Not only this carefree man in front of her, but also her husband of thirty years and the child she had raised for over twenty years, it seemed she could never truly judge people.

Zhou Jinqin was awakened by the crowing of roosters outside. She rubbed her still-drowsy head and instinctively leaned towards the other end of the bed, but found nothing.

My husband isn't here, and neither is the cat, so was everything that happened in the dim night just a dream?

As Zhou Jinqin was thinking, she saw Liang Minghe push open the door and walk in. His tall figure stood in front of her bed, and she breathed a sigh of relief, saying softly, "I thought I was dreaming."

Liang Minghe lowered his head and kissed her eyes, the tip of her nose, and her lips...

The fresh, clean scent of aftershave wafted into Zhou Jinqin's nostrils, jolting her groggy mind awake. She frantically pushed against the man's warm chest, saying anxiously, "I'm so dirty."

Last night, the village lost both electricity and water. She simply wiped herself with a towel and felt ashamed in front of Liang Minghe, who was clean and tidy.

Liang Minghe didn't care. He pressed his lips against hers and kissed her again in retaliation before releasing her with a smile: "You didn't say that when you were crying your eyes out on my chest yesterday."

Zhou Jinqin blushed: "That's different..."

"What's different?" Liang Minghe pressed on, "You don't feel so awkward sleeping in Jia Yang's bedroom."

Zhou Jinqin glared at him and said angrily, "This was all out of necessity."

“I know.” Liang Minghe softened his tone and reached out to touch her thin cheek. “I just wanted to tell you that I don’t mind these things.”

He handed her the clothes he had brought down the mountain: "Alright, you must be feeling uncomfortable all dirty like this. The water came back on in the middle of the night, go take a shower first."

After Jia Yang earned some money, his first thought was to renovate his family's old house, but his mother disagreed, determined to save the money for him. The mother and son argued for over half a year before finally compromising and agreeing to at least renovate the interior, including key spaces like the bathroom and kitchen. So, although the house appears dilapidated, it actually has all the necessary smart home features.

Zhou Jinqin quickly finished showering and came out. Liang Minghe borrowed a hairdryer from Feiyue to dry her hair.

He touched her now much longer, fine hair, and amidst the roaring noise, he hesitated before opening his mouth.

"Do you want to see your mother?"

"Huh?" Zhou Jinqin's eyes widened, almost thinking she had misheard.

Liang Minghe turned off the hairdryer and said, "Yesterday morning I went to your mom's shop to peek, but she caught me. I just briefly told her about our recent situation and mentioned that you were hanging out here. That afternoon, the hashtag for mudslides suddenly went viral..."

"So she's here right now?" Zhou Jinqin hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but then stopped herself.

“Yes, she flew here with me.” Liang Minghe nodded. “She said she would travel on the connecting bus, but I thought it would be best to let you know.”

Even if she feels timid, frustrated, or angered again, Zhou Jinqin will not refuse to see her.

Inside the car, the mother and son looked at each other, neither of them speaking.

It wasn't until the village's loudspeaker announced that the shuttle bus would depart in half an hour that Zhou Jinqin finally spoke.

Looking at the mountains and forests that already showed signs of autumn, she said softly, "Mom, I haven't changed at all as I've grown up. I still don't like autumn and winter, and I still feel sad and regretful for the broken fallen leaves. It seems that time has not made my heart stronger."

“I originally believed that I would overcome all obstacles to stand on the operating table, pick up surgical instruments and save lives. I can indeed overcome the bloodshed, but I can’t face death. I am weaker than you think.”

"At that time, I felt that I never wanted to be a doctor again, but in fact, I could not be a doctor anymore. My weak heart simply could not support me to continue to stick to the front line of saving lives."

Lu Jianying kept a cold face, unmoved by genuine sentimentality. The idea that one only realizes the value of something after losing it doesn't apply to her.

"So you think all my previous efforts were in vain, all exploitation, all just me entertaining myself, and that I've wronged you, right?" she questioned loudly.

Zhou Jinqin shook her head: "I am still grateful to you for giving me a solid foundation and more choices and opportunities. I just want to prove to you that life is not a one-way street; there are still many forks in the road for us to choose from."

She raised her head, her resolute eyes fixed on her mother, and said earnestly, "These words are also for you. You've spent most of your life compromising, knowing full well that this path leads to darkness. There's no reason for you to waste the rest of your life on it. You don't have to pin your entire future on me. You can hate killing fish, you can hate my father, you can start a new life for yourself. Really, your life doesn't need to revolve around anyone else. I desperately hope you can become a little more selfish and live for yourself."

This was the first time Zhou Jinqin had communicated with her mother so peacefully since leaving home. She thought she would shed tears of sorrow, but she didn't. In fact, when all the words that had been hidden in her heart were poured out, her heart felt calm and light like never before.

The car rental company's driver arrived, and Lü Jianying joined the group on the bus heading to the city.

Liang Minghe put his arm around Zhou Jinqin's waist and teased her on purpose: "If you want to shed tears, you can borrow my chest."

Zhou Jinqin hugged his waist, rested her head against his chest and shook it, and said in a muffled voice, "I don't want to cry. Actually, I'm quite happy."

"Really? Then eat more for breakfast later." Liang Minghe smiled and lifted the person up a little higher.

The rescue work has been basically completed, and the relevant departments are in charge of the follow-up matters. Reporters have been coming to the village one after another to conduct post-disaster interviews. Apart from some eyewitnesses who felt the pain, they focused their attention precisely on Liang Minghe, who has an outstanding appearance.

Liang Ming was not present at the time of the incident and was unaware of the situation, so he naturally refused. The reporter then turned his attention to Zhou Jinqin and Jia Yang, who were equally good-looking.

Zhou Jinqin wasn't used to doing this kind of thing, and shyly declined.

Having failed in all previous attempts, the reporter turned his attention to Jia Yang, a local resident. Unable to shirk his responsibility to speak out for the village, Jia Yang reluctantly agreed.

During the interview, he did not talk about his own achievements, but only praised the villagers who worked together, thanked the tourists who shared joys and sorrows, and casually mentioned Zhou Jinqin who was working non-stop at the hospital.

Reporter: "So, the doctor the health center director was referring to as working without pay is Ms. Zhou?"

When the camera panned over, Zhou Jinqin could only force a smile: "I'm just doing what I can."

Fortunately, the interview ended quickly, and Zhou Jinqin was able to breathe a sigh of relief.

Jia Yang nodded slightly to her: "I'm sorry, but I just felt that your contributions shouldn't be forgotten, so I couldn't help but mention you."

After the storm, a rainbow appeared in the sky, and as dawn broke, all the secrets told during the night came to light.

Looking at Jia Yang's face, Zhou Jinqin suddenly felt incredibly embarrassed, but she still forced herself to remain calm and exchanged a few casual words with him.

Liang Minghe, who watched the whole thing, had a sour expression, but unusually remained silent, which made Zhou Jinqin uneasy.

The two had returned to the mountain. After repeatedly peeking without getting any feedback, Zhou Jinqin grabbed Liang Minghe's hand as he reached for the car door and whispered, "Although you might be angry if you hear this, I've decided to be honest with you."

She glanced tentatively at Liang Minghe, and continued in a measured tone, "Jia Yang confessed his feelings to me yesterday..."

As if he already knew about this, Liang Minghe remained calm, showing no sign of anger. He simply stared at her and asked, "You rejected him very coldly?"

Zhou Jinqin paused, then murmured, "He shouldn't be indifferent either..."

"Oh, you're very enthusiastic towards him," Liang Minghe said with a half-smile.

He was clearly arguing unreasonably, but Zhou Jinqin couldn't get angry at all. Instead, she felt that he looked pitiful and lovable.

She thought for a moment, then reached out and unbuckled her seatbelt, climbed over the center console, and sat down on Liang Minghe's lap.

She wrapped her arms around the man's neck, blushing as she whispered, "It makes it sound like I'm usually very cold to you."

Liang Minghe lifted her hips, pulling her a few inches closer to his waist and abdomen. He tilted his head and looked at her leisurely: "Really? Miss Zhou, may I ask what you usually do?"

As the thoughts raced through her mind, Zhou Jinqin's ears turned bright red. She remained silent, determined to answer with her actions.

With trembling eyelashes, she bent down to unbutton Liang Ming's shirt, her timid kisses slowly exploring the area as each button was undone.

The soft, delicate lips moved lightly across his skin, seemingly without leaving a trace, but Liang Minghe still couldn't help but let out a muffled groan.

He grabbed Zhou Jinqin's restless hand, which had already reached his waist, and raised an eyebrow at her: "Are you sure you want to stay in the car?"

The palm gripping her wrist was burning hot, almost scorching her skin, and her heart burned with it. Zhou Jinqin kept her head down, not daring to look at the other person. She nodded, her voice barely audible: "Mmm..."

Liang Minghe cupped her flushed face, staring intently into her beautiful, watery eyes, and asked her with amusement, "Aren't you afraid someone will come over now?"

Zhou Jinqin felt like she wanted to disappear into the ground from the teasing, but she still managed to save face. She broke free from the man's hand and continued what she was doing, her murmured tone as cute as if she were encouraging herself: "You said that no one would come here."