Chapter 654 Burning

Shen Zheng did not stay in the living room downstairs, but went directly to the room upstairs. He had not lived in the old house for a long time, but many important things were left here.

Shen Zheng entered the bedroom, walked to the bookcase, squatted down, opened the door, and the safe inside was exposed to the light of day again.

Shen Zheng put his fingerprint on it, and the door of the safe opened with a click. He took out a red velvet box from inside and opened it. The gold and jade rings and bracelets inside came into view.

This is a set of jewelry passed down from three generations of the Shen family. It was previously in his grandmother's hands. The old lady left it to him before she passed away, saying that it was for her future granddaughter-in-law. Over the years, the things have been kept in the safe and Shen Zheng has never taken them out.

He had thought about giving the gift to Cen Sixue after he successfully proposed to her, but they broke up before that stage came, so naturally the gift could not be given to her. Marrying Lu Dai was too sudden, and there was no emotional foundation between them. After the marriage, he was busy dealing with Chen Xun's affairs, so he had no time to think about these things.

It was not until yesterday when they talked about having children that Shen Zheng remembered this set of jewelry. No matter what the relationship between him and Lu Dai was, they were now husband and wife, so the things the old lady left for her granddaughter-in-law should be handed over to her.

Shen Zheng closed the jewelry box and placed it on the table. When he looked at the safe, he caught a glimpse of a small box inside.

He pursed his lips, took out the box, and after opening it, a photo fell lightly to the ground.

Shen Zheng bent down to pick up the photo, holding it in his hand, and saw the two people hugging each other in the photo, smiling brightly - memories flooded into his mind like a tide.

This photo was taken when he and Cen Sixue were in love. They were both in college at the time. She did not go back during the summer vacation, so they traveled for almost a month. This photo was taken on the beach. The two seemed to be playing in the water and were captured by passers-by. The other party sent the photo to them. Cen Sixue liked it very much. When she gave him a birthday present that year, she specially put this photo in the box.

In addition to the photos, the box also contained several gifts given to him by Cen Shixue, including cufflinks, rings, ties, wallets, and a scarf she knitted herself.

Each gift was accompanied by a memory. Chen Zheng stared at them and took a deep breath. It felt like something was blocking his chest, neither going up nor down.

Cen Sixue was the only girlfriend he had dated in all these years. They met and fell in love at the best age, and he only recognized her and never thought of marrying anyone else. He gave her all his passionate feelings, but in the end, she left without saying goodbye - he looked for her for several years, and when she appeared again, she had become Chen Xun's girlfriend and his "second aunt".

For a long time afterwards, Shen Zheng wanted to know very much why Cen Sixue chose Shen Xun. He had tried to ask in various ways, but Cen Sixue always refused to tell him. It was not until Shen Xun was completely sent in that he learned that Cen Sixue's grandfather was the old man's confidant and loyal to him, but in the end he was sent by the Shen family to be a scapegoat and spent the rest of his life in prison. He was unable to clear his grievances until his death.

It was because Cen Sixue knew about this matter that she broke up without saying goodbye. She was with Chen Xun because of the old man - she knew Chen Xun's wolfish ambitions. His obedience to the old man was just a facade. In fact, he wanted to skin him alive.

It is true that Chen Xun and Cen Sixue have a cooperative relationship, but Cen Sixue has no way of playing Chen Xun better. Later, the relationship between them got completely out of control. Although the Shen family was in a mess, her life was not easy either.

Thinking of what Cen Sixue said that day, Shen Zheng's breathing became heavier and heavier.

……never mind.

Shen Zheng closed the box and put it aside, supporting himself on the table with both hands to adjust his breathing.

It was pointless to waste time thinking about something that happened so long ago. It was completely over between him and Cen Sixue. Just like she said that day, they would never have the chance to meet again. His future was tied to Lu Dai.

Cen Sixue's words from that day echoed in his ears, and Shen Zheng laughed at himself.

He maintained this posture for a while to adjust his mood, then picked up the two boxes, walked out of the bedroom and went downstairs.

Shen Zheng put the jewelry box in the car, then took the gift box to the trash can in the yard.

He took out a lighter from his pocket, held the photo in his hand and lit it. The two smiling faces in the photo were gradually engulfed by the flames and finally turned into ashes.

Next is the dark grey scarf.

It was made of wool and after it was lit, the fire burned very fiercely. The flames reflected on his face, making it look a little distorted.

He clearly remembered how surprised he was when he received the scarf. He was even reluctant to wear it and kept it as a treasure.

None of it makes sense now.

Chen Zheng had figured it out long ago. The fate between him and Cen Sixue should have ended there. He was not young anymore and could not do what he did back then, to risk everything for her and make the whole world his enemy. He could understand why she left him without saying goodbye, and he could even understand why she "cooperated" with Shen Xun to take revenge on the old man.

But that’s all.

The gap between them is unbridgeable. Even if the wound heals, the scar will always be there and there is no turning back.

Shen Zheng burned the photos and scarf, threw the remaining gifts into the trash can, and tore the box into pieces.

After dealing with these, Shen Zheng walked out of the old house and got in the car.

He gripped the steering wheel with both hands, took a long breath, and when he lowered his eyes, he saw the red box on the passenger seat.

Regardless of whether he can still fall in love with Lu Dai, now that he has decided to have a child, he should show the necessary sincerity and attitude - he still hopes that his child will grow up in a healthy family.

This health not only refers to the presence of both parents, but also includes the family atmosphere. Shen Zheng also believes that he and Lu Dai can reach an agreement on this point.

They may not be the best for romance, but they are definitely the best for working together.

They need to have a targeted discussion about this matter.

Thinking of this, Chen Zheng picked up his phone and sent a WeChat message to Lu Dai: [What time will you be back tonight? I have something to tell you.]

It took almost an hour for Shen Zheng to reply to the message he sent.

At that time, he had already returned to Shuixie Villa.

Shen Zheng entered the living room, changed his shoes, and just sat down on the sofa and picked up his phone when he saw Lu Dai's reply.

She said: [About eight or nine o'clock.]

Chen Zheng: [Okay, I'll wait for you.]

There was no further response from Lu Dai.

——

Lu Dai and Zhong Qian played outside for a whole day and only separated after dinner.

Lu Dai entered the house carrying a lot of bags and met Shen Zheng who had been waiting in the living room for a long time.

When Shen Zheng saw so many shopping bags in her hands, he immediately stood up and took the bags.

This was something he usually did - he was quite good at it, or rather, he was very good at everything in this marriage, and there was no other problem except that he didn't like her.