Chapter 76 The Hope Ended

However, what made her heart tremble the most was that name, Sheng Tingzhou.

She hesitated for a moment, her finger hovering in mid-air, before finally opening the chat window with him.

The contents of the book made her pause slightly.

From the moment she got home, he sent her a message every half hour.

[Open the door.]

The two words were repeated six times.

Was he standing at the door waiting the whole time?

The image flashed through my mind, so real it sent chills down my spine.

My heart suddenly trembled slightly.

The emotion was indescribable, a mixture of guilt, gratitude, and a hint of warmth she was unwilling to acknowledge.

She bit her lower lip, trying to suppress her surging emotions.

Even through a door, she could feel his presence.

After a long silence, she finally lowered her head, typed two words on her phone, and carefully sent them: 【Thank you.】

In any case, when she was at her most vulnerable and helpless, he appeared at the door with a thermos.

Almost instantly, my phone vibrated.

Sheng Tingzhou replied instantly: 【Give me your house code.】

Song Zhiwei stared blankly at the screen, her brows furrowing slightly.

Completely confused, she typed rapidly: 【What?】

The next second, the other party replied: [Stealing.]

Song Zhiwei: "..."

She couldn't help but roll her eyes, feeling both angry and bewildered.

Her house was completely empty, with only an old sofa and secondhand furniture.

Even the valuable appliances were moved out by the landlord beforehand.

What exactly can he steal?

Despite her many doubts, she ultimately did not ask any further questions.

After hesitating for a moment, I sent the door lock code word for word.

For some reason, she inexplicably believed that he wouldn't actually do anything out of line.

Immediately afterwards, the phone vibrated again.

She looked down and saw that Sheng Tingzhou had sent her a string of numbers without any explanation.

Song Zhiwei paused, stared at the unfamiliar number for a few seconds, and, somewhat confused, simply replied with a question mark.

【？】

Shortly after, Sheng Tingzhou replied: [It's my family's. If your uncle and his family come looking for you, just come and hide at my house.]

As she looked at the sentence, her fingertips paused, and an indescribable bitterness welled up in her heart.

turn out to be……

Did he already think of these things?

Thinking that she might face trouble and that she would have nowhere to go, I prepared a way out for her in advance.

The night wind rustled through the treetops outside the window.

The room was so quiet that only the faint light from the phone screen could be seen.

Upon reading these words, my heart suddenly warmed.

A soft "click" came from outside the door.

She was left alone in the room. She took a deep breath, calmed herself, and reached for her phone.

She scrolled through Jiang Mengxi's messages again.

One after another, the unread messages that had been temporarily ignored popped up, piling up densely in the chat window.

【Zhiwei, where did you go?】

Why aren't you replying to my messages?

【How are you? 】

Want to come over? I'll have hot pot with you!

Hundreds of messages remained unread, all written in anxious tones.

She stared at the screen, her eyes slightly sore, but finally lowered her gaze and carefully typed her reply.

"It's okay, I just fell asleep, I'm feeling better now."

As soon as the message was sent, a "typing is in progress" message popped up at the top of the chat box.

In less than three seconds, Jiang Mengxi replied: 【Aunt Qin was so hurtful today, I'm furious.】

Why did she have to say you got into the Zhou family through connections?

How could someone treat their own daughter like this for the sake of a stepdaughter? It's outrageous!

How could someone treat their own daughter like this for the sake of a stepdaughter?

She closed her eyes, her throat tightening slightly.

How will Zhiwei ever be able to hold her head high in the entertainment industry again?

This made her smile bitterly.

Actually, she was already used to it, used to the feeling of being compared.

This time, however, it hurt especially badly.

Song Zhiwei tugged at the corners of her mouth, revealing a bittersweet yet relieved smile.

I'm used to it, it's really okay.

Jiang Mengxi was heartbroken and made three voice calls in a row, but she silently hung up each time.

Undeterred, my friend sent me another long message:

I know you'll say you're okay, but I know how sad you really are.

You shouldn't have tolerated it, Zhiwei. You owe them nothing.

If you need me, just call me anytime, and I'll be there right away!

After the conversation, her breathing finally calmed down.

She then clicked into her chat history with Zhou Yuze.

Looking through the unread messages, she found that most of them were from people who cared about her, and their tone was so gentle that it was almost cautious.

【Zhiwei, don't take today's events to heart.】

I've already talked to my mother.

Where are you now? Do you need me to come pick you up?

She didn't finish reading it; a wave of exhaustion washed over her.

In the end, she only replied with: "I'm fine now, I've recovered."

She knew that no matter how many kind words the other party said or how much they tried to make amends, they could not erase the humiliation brought by that slap today.

She will never set foot in the Zhou family again.

Zhou Yuce sent several more messages in succession, his tone becoming increasingly anxious.

How are you feeling? Have you been to the hospital?

How are you feeling? Don't bottle it up.

How about changing your environment and taking a few days off? I can help you arrange it.

She didn't want to continue dealing with it, nor did she want to play the role of that gentle and sensible "niece" anymore.

His fingertips paused for a moment, then he finally typed out: "Uncle, I'm sleepy."

She watched quietly, but did not move again.

A long time passed, so long that she thought the conversation would end, before her phone vibrated slightly.

In the end, I only replied with: "Go to sleep."

Perhaps he also understood that some rifts were beyond repair.

Song Zhiwei closed her phone and placed it on the bedside table.

Hot water washed over my body, and steam filled the entire bathroom.

She washed for a long time, until her fingertips turned white and her skin turned slightly red, before turning off the tap.

I changed into soft pajamas, dried my hair, and went back to the bedroom.

I lay down on the bed, covered myself with the blanket, but my mind was a mess, with all sorts of images flashing through my mind.

The pain from the slap gradually faded, and my cheek no longer burned.

But Sheng Tingzhou's kiss became clearer and clearer.

She suddenly grabbed the pillow and pressed it against her face, then yanked it off.

I rolled around on the bed, clutching the blanket, my cheeks burning, my heart racing, trying to shake these images off my mind.

This person can only be her boss.

Don't overthink it.

I shouldn't overthink it.

There must not be a next time.

The next day, she composed herself, concealed her emotions, put on a sharp-tailored suit, and walked into the company building in high heels.

I recently took a leave of absence, and now I have more and more work piling up on my plate.

Song Zhiwei was so busy that she barely had time to drink a sip of water, let alone stop to think about her personal feelings.

Case files, client emails, meeting minutes—all awaited her processing.

After submitting the translation, the next step was to organize the case materials.

A thick stack of international contracts needs to be categorized, and the accompanying notarized documents also need to be checked one by one.

As a newly hired lawyer, you inevitably have to do these trivial and tedious tasks until 5 p.m., and there's still a thick stack of documents on your desk.