Chapter Twenty-Three: Bodhisattva's Karmic Fire

Cheng Qing's expression seemed focused, as if she were reminiscing about the past, but a subtle indifference quietly flowed through her beautiful almond-shaped eyes.

To her, these old things were nothing more than a testament to Lin Tang's past life, a sense of security that she herself had never truly possessed, or perhaps disdained to possess.

Her fingertips unconsciously traced the armrest of the mahogany chair, feeling its slightly cool touch, but her thoughts had already drifted far away.

Until clear footsteps and familiar laughter came from the courtyard.

She adjusted her posture almost instantly. The faint aloofness on her face vanished without a trace, replaced by an expression that mixed deep longing and a touch of sadness. She quickly stood up and headed towards the door, her steps carrying just the right amount of eagerness and joy.

The door was pushed open, and Lin Tang and Chen Kan walked in side by side, still seemingly carrying the faint scent of dust from their busy work at the factory.

Lin Tang had a relaxed smile on her face as she spoke to Chen Kan.

Upon seeing Cheng Qing standing in the living room, Lin Tang's smile faltered slightly, clearly surprised: "Manqing? What brings you here?"

“Sister!” Cheng Qing’s voice was slightly choked with emotion as she quickly stepped forward and affectionately took Lin Tang’s hand. “I…I really missed you, and with what happened at the manor today…I was restless and just wanted to come and see you.”

Her gaze lingered on Lin Tang's face, filled with worry. "Are you alright? Were you frightened?"

Lin Tang smiled gently and patted the back of her hand: "I'm fine." She gestured for Cheng Qing to sit down, "Please sit down! Ah Xiu, pour some tea for Miss Cheng."

"Yes, Madam." Ah Xiu responded and left, her eyes quickly sweeping over Cheng Qing.

Cheng Qing sat down as instructed, her seat facing Chen Kan. She turned to Lin Tang and continued with her concerned words, "Sister is just too strong-willed, she shoulders everything herself." As she spoke, her eyes, like sticky spider silk, gently and persistently clung to Chen Kan beside her.

Chen Kan was just about to take a sip of the tea that Ah Xiu had just served when he felt that seemingly casual yet clearly affectionate gaze from her. His hand holding the tea paused almost imperceptibly.

He recalled the embrace that rainy night, Cheng Qing's cool fragrance and her slight trembling. At that time, he had indeed felt a ripple in his heart, a stirring mixed with sympathy and a man's primal instincts. However, now, when that gaze, carrying the same suggestive meaning, drifted over again, Chen Kan's state of mind was completely different.

During this time, he worked alongside Lin Tang at the Huimin Textile Factory. He witnessed firsthand how she stood tall in adversity, how she calmly strategized, and how she fought for the female workers and secured their livelihoods.

Therefore, when Cheng Qing's affectionate gaze drifted over again, Chen Kan simply raised his eyelids naturally, met her gaze openly, and even gave a polite but distant smile with a slight nod.

His eyes were clear and calm, without a trace of emotion, as if he were looking at an ordinary, even somewhat distant, acquaintance.

He then naturally looked away, as if the glance had been accidental, and focused intently on blowing on the floating leaves in his cup before taking a sip of tea.

For a fleeting moment, Cheng Qing's smile froze, as if a tiny, almost imperceptible crack had appeared in exquisite porcelain. She clearly caught the open calm in Chen Kan's eyes; there was no panic, no evasion, not even a trace of awkwardness caused by her deliberate provocation! Only a bright, indifferent composure!

This composure was more unbearable for her than any disgust or ridicule!

"Why... one is like this, and two are like this too. I'm clearly younger and prettier than Lin Tang..." A voice inside her was cursing and hurling insults, and the image of Sato's greasy body lying on top of her suddenly flashed before her eyes, making her almost vomit. "Only those men who make me want to vomit..."

A venomous fire churned within Cheng Qing's internal organs, making it almost impossible for her to breathe. She gritted her teeth silently, forcibly suppressing the surging jealousy and hatred deep within her heart. No, she couldn't lose her composure. The smile on her face didn't disappear; instead, it softened further, but a deeper chill quietly settled in the depths of her eyes.

Although Cheng Qing was jealous and resentful, the smile on her face was gentle.

"Sister Jintang, I'm so glad you're alright!" Her voice took on a perfectly soft and sweet tone, just like the little girl who used to follow Lin Tang around and timidly call her "sister" many years ago. "Do you remember? When we were little, we loved to play 'house' under the old locust tree in the yard. You always pretended to be the teacher, and I was your little apprentice. Brother Bai Mu would squat next to us and make little figures out of mud, insisting that they were our 'students'."

Lin Tang's fingers, which were holding the teacup, paused slightly. That time, which had been sealed deep in her memory, seemed to slowly emerge with the fragrance of locust blossoms, as Cheng Qing spoke.

"How could I not remember?" Lin Tang's tone softened, and a faint smile appeared on her lips. "Back then, you could never remember the poems I taught you, so Chen Kan made a crooked little figure out of clay and called it 'Mr. Forgetful Words,' which made you chase him all over the yard in anger."

“That’s right!” Cheng Qing immediately chimed in, her tone tinged with reproach, but her gaze drifted toward Chen Kan with a touch of girlish naiveté. “Brother Bai Mu has always loved to tease me since we were little, just like now. He looks respectable, but he’s actually full of bad ideas.”

Listening to Cheng Qing's childish talk, Chen Kan, though still harboring some resentment towards her, naturally tried to smooth things over, saying, "Hey, Gu Manqing, you're wronging me. Back then, you were always distracted in your studies, and this incident helped you remember it better. Otherwise, how could you have mispronounced 'bright moonlight before my bed' as 'frosty moonlight before my bed'?"

"You still dare to say that!" Cheng Qing's cheeks flushed slightly, as if she had really been touched on a childhood embarrassment. She reached out as if to hit Chen Kan, but stopped in mid-air. She just glared at him coquettishly, and then turned to Lin Tang, her tone carrying a hint of dependence, "Sister Jin Tang is the best. She never laughs at me."

Seeing the softening look in Lin Tang's eyes, and then glancing at Cheng Qing's endearing, childlike demeanor, Chen Kan's doubts, fueled by Cheng Qing's earlier instigation, began to waver. Had he truly been overthinking things? Perhaps Cheng Qing was genuinely just clinging to old feelings and wanted to mend their relationship?

He thought to himself, what trouble could a young woman, even if she had some scheming, possibly cause under the watchful eyes of Lin Tang and himself? So he put his mind at ease for the time being and joined in the conversation about childhood memories, deliberately bringing up some of Cheng Qing's embarrassing childhood stories, which made Cheng Qing stomp her feet in protest. The living room was filled with long-lost laughter for a moment.

Ah Xiu listened from the side and, seeing that the atmosphere was harmonious, quietly slipped out to prepare dinner.

As Cheng Qing listened to Chen Kan and Lin Tang recount those fragmented past events, their expressions shifting between shyness and reproach, their performance seamless, as if she were still the innocent and carefree Gu Manqing. Only in moments when no one was watching did she lower her eyelids, concealing a fleeting glint of coldness in her eyes.

Dinner was prepared quickly.

Ah Xiu is from Jiangsu and is skilled at cooking Jiangzhe cuisine, which is naturally on the sweeter side. Today, Lin Tang specifically told Miss Cheng that she likes sweet food, so this dish is even sweeter.

Lin Tang remembered that Manqing loved sweets, so she put a few bites of sweet and sour pork ribs on her plate.

Chen Kan looked at Cheng Qing's bowl piled high with sweet and sour pork ribs and teased her with a smile: "Manqing, when you were little, you always liked to pick the lean ribs when you ate them, saying that 'fatty ones are greasy.' Why do you always pick the fatty ones now?"

Cheng Qing picked up a piece of fatty pork rib, took a small bite, her cheeks flushed slightly, and said coquettishly, "Brother Bai Mu is talking nonsense again! When I was little, I clearly loved eating fatty food the most, but you always said 'the fatty ones are mine' and gave me the lean ones. As a result, I cried and went to Sister Jintang. She bought me roasted sweet potatoes to appease me!"

Lin Tang couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Yes, I remember that day you were holding a roasted sweet potato, eating it until your face was covered in ash, like a little kitten, and you said, 'Sister, this is tastier than ribs.'"

Chen Kan scratched his head and smiled, seemingly embarrassed: "Oh, I remembered it backwards. Manqing has a better memory."

He deliberately reversed the story, but unexpectedly Cheng Qing pointed it out. Looking at Cheng Qing, his doubts lessened somewhat.

After dinner, Chen Kan saw that the two were still talking intimately, and it seemed inconvenient for him, a man, to stand there, so he took his leave.

Lin Tang saw him out. As they reached the door, the two looked at each other, speechless for a moment, unsure of where to begin.

Chen Kan laughed and waved his hand, "It's chilly outside, you go inside first."

Lin Tang nodded and left.

The estrangement from years of separation has now given rise to a deep sense of attachment.

Lin Tang went back to her room. Cheng Qing suppressed her jealousy and couldn't help but say some teasing things. Seeing that Lin Tang's face was flushed, she twisted the hem of her clothes with her fingers and her eyes were bright, just like when she was a child begging for candy: "Sister Jin Tang, can I stay the night? Like when we were little. I haven't slept with you in a long time. I want to talk to you, okay?"

Lin Tang looked into her eyes, remembering how Manqing used to chase after her when they were little, holding up half a piece of candy and saying, "Sister, I saved the sweetest one for you." She remembered Manqing crying when chased by a dog, throwing herself into her arms and crying, "Sister Jintang, protect me!" Those memories were like honey-soaked cotton, wrapping her heart and making her feel soft. She sighed and stroked Cheng Qing's hair: "Alright, then stay here. But... should we send a message to Qiao Yuan? So he doesn't look for you."