Chapter 46 He walked towards her and her parents...

Chapter 46

Wen Yining's apartment complex is too old. Every time she pays her electricity bill, she has to take her electricity card to the property management office and then hand it to the security guard to insert the card into the electrical box downstairs.

On the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, all of China is preparing for the Chinese New Year. Tomorrow is the last day for the property management company to close for the holiday. Fearing that there wouldn't be enough electricity during the holiday, Wen Yining took her electricity card to the property management company to pay the bill on this last day.

The weather has been quite nice these past few days, with warm sunshine and a clear blue sky. However, the weather forecast says this is the last sunny day; after New Year's Eve, there will be a string of rain and snow for the next few days.

Around 9 a.m., Wen Yining leisurely walked to the property management office, bathed in sunlight. After paying the bill, the person returned her card, and she thanked them softly. Suddenly, she heard a young man politely ask from the doorway behind her, "Hello, is this where you pay your electricity bill?"

"Yes." The staff member in front of the computer replied without looking up.

Wen Yining held the card in her hand, turned and left. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that the boy who had asked her the question had already come in. The two were walking towards each other. She seemed to sense something and turned her head. The boy looked to be about the same age as her. He had a scholarly air about him and gave people a pleasant feeling. He was staring at her intently with a look of surprise and joy, as if he had met an acquaintance.

He looks somewhat familiar; it's like I've known him before.

Thinking of this, she paused, then glanced at him again. The boy was tall and thin, wearing a black parka, with a very fair and delicate appearance, and a pair of glasses on his nose.

The more I looked at it, the more familiar it seemed, but I still couldn't place it.

"Wen Yining!" The other person had already called out her name accurately. "What are you doing here?"

"It's you!" Wen Yining smiled, then suddenly remembered that this person was her junior high school classmate. They were in the same class, and he was very quiet and reserved. He was the "bookworm" in the class. The two of them had not communicated at all during the three years of junior high school.

He always ranked behind her in exams, so much so that she still had a vague impression of him, though she had long forgotten his name. She only remembered that her classmates called him "Second Brother," but she couldn't very well call him that...

After catching up, Wen Yining learned that he had come to pay the electricity bill for his grandmother. His grandmother had always lived in this community, several buildings away from hers. She never expected that the two of them had never met before in all these years!

Perhaps it's because he's grown up, but his old classmate's personality is much more outgoing and cheerful than she remembered. He seemed particularly happy, as if the two were old friends who hadn't seen each other for many years. His attitude was close and familiar, and he chatted with her about many things. Wen Yining was also a little happy to see an old friend, but not as excited as him. Not wanting to spoil his mood, she could only accompany him to pay the bill and insert the card, while chatting with him about their old classmates.

Actually, Wen Yining didn't remember much of the long list of names he mentioned. She only had a vague recollection after he explained them to her one by one.

The boy smiled wryly, pushed up his glasses to reveal two small dimples, and looked very handsome and refined. "So you don't remember my name either?"

Wen Yining nodded somewhat awkwardly in acknowledgment.

"Zhang Zhiyang, do you remember now, Grandmaster?"

Wen Yining nodded. "Yes, I remember now."

Zhang Zhiyang looked at her and laughed, "You're still the same as when you were a child."

"Hmm? What was it like?" Wen Yining asked with some curiosity. At the same time, she couldn't help but admire his memory. He remembered his former classmates and events so clearly. It was hard to believe that the introverted and quiet boy he once was was so emotional.

Zhang Zhiyang smiled and said, "Actually, I asked about you from my former classmates when I was in high school."

"ah?"

“I tried to contact you a while ago, but you’ve never attended a class reunion and have no contact with any of our former classmates.”

Upon suddenly learning that a classmate she had never spoken to before was actually "thinking about" her, Wen Yining touched her face, feeling strange. He didn't seem to be looking for revenge for being "perennial runner-up."

However, Zhang Zhiyang's attitude was open and honest, without any ambiguous or flirtatious feeling. In addition, his temperament was so relaxing that Wen Yining did not resist chatting with him.

But she didn't know what to say, so she just smiled.

The two chatted for a few more minutes, exchanged contact information, and Zhang Zhiyang escorted her downstairs before they went their separate ways.

That evening, Zhang Zhiyang sent her a WeChat message asking if she wanted to go out for a walk, but Wen Yining was at her grandmother's house at the time.

Zhang Zhiyang had chatted with her briefly on WeChat several times in the past few days. They hadn't talked much, but they chatted almost every day since they added each other, and his nickname for her had gradually changed from Wen Yining to Yining.

In junior high school, both of them were known for being introverted and quiet in their class. However, they have both grown up now. Wen Yining is no longer as reserved as she was when she was a child and can now chat with people with ease.

Their familiarity with each other progressed rapidly, and they could even joke around with each other.

On New Year's Eve, Zhang Zhiyang sent her a book review during dinner. The two chatted about this and that, about the characters in the book and documentaries. Wen Yining found that Zhang Zhiyang had many similar ideas to hers. The two talked until late at night.

Perhaps it's the sense of ritual that this generation has, but Wen Yining has always been used to going to bed after midnight on this day. However, she was probably too tired these past few days, and she was already very sleepy at 11 o'clock. She said goodnight to Zhang Zhiyang.

Happy New Year, Ningning!

Wen Yining was stunned for a moment when she saw the title. Only one person had ever called her that since she was a child. She wanted to stop Zhang Zhiyang from using that title, but then thought better of it. She replied with a string of firecracker emojis with the New Year's greeting, put down her phone, turned off the light, and prepared to go to sleep.

Although fireworks and firecrackers are strictly prohibited, the sound of fireworks can still be heard from time to time outside, adding a touch of New Year's atmosphere to this otherwise devoid of festive spirit.

Hearing the sounds of fireworks outside, Wen Yining woke up immediately.

Who is this hero calling her at this hour?

It couldn't be Zhang Zhiyang, could it? After all, there's no one else but him.

She rubbed her eyes, picked up her phone curiously, and squinted at the unfamiliar string of numbers on the screen, with the location showing as Beicheng. She paused for a moment.

The train of memories rumbled on, and her heart skipped a beat.

Her first thought was that person, but she immediately dismissed the idea.

How could that be? He should be enjoying the company of a beautiful woman and feeling incredibly successful right now.

She knew him; he was by no means an indecisive or sentimental person.

But besides him, it seems there's no one else with this address number.

Wen Yining muted the phone and stared at the screen for a while. After no one answered, the call ended automatically, and the screen slowly went dark.

Amidst the sounds of fireworks outside, she waited a while longer in the darkness, but the phone never rang again.

She put down her phone and went back to sleep.

Who it is doesn't matter to her anymore.

*

As expected, it started snowing intermittently on the first day of the Lunar New Year, and continued until the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, leaving the ground covered in a thick layer of snow.

Wen Yining doesn't have many relatives, and she's already visited them all. She can now quietly stay home and read in the afternoon.

As she was reading, several clear and cheerful children's voices rang out from downstairs, calling out someone's name. The words were unclear and she couldn't make them out, but Wen Yining didn't pay attention and turned the page without even looking up.

The kids downstairs make all sorts of noises every day during their holidays; I'm used to it.

But gradually, Wen Yining suddenly realized that they seemed to be calling her name. She was startled, got out of bed, put on her shoes, and went to the window. She looked out and saw that the snow had stopped, the sky was still overcast with a bluish hue, and the ground was covered in white. Several little ones were shouting her name at the top of their lungs downstairs, and one of the tall ones was none other than Zhang Zhiyang.

I don't know when he became so familiar with the kids in their neighborhood.

She chuckled, opened the glass, and responded. Zhang Zhiyang looked up, stood in the snow, gave her a clear, sunny smile, and waved.

He seemed to say something, and the children started shouting, "Sister, come down and build a snowman!"

Their voices filled the quiet neighborhood in an instant; with such a commotion, she had no choice but to go down.

Wen Yining changed out of her pajamas and found a pair of thick gloves at home. She opened her phone and found that Zhang Zhiyang had sent her several messages asking her to come downstairs. The latest one said that some kids couldn't wait and dragged him to the backyard property gate, asking her to wait there and find them.

Wen Yining replied with an "okay".

The snow on the ground was thick, crunching underfoot. She walked towards the backyard and could already see their busy figures in the distance.

As I was walking, my phone rang in my pocket.

She took it out, her eyes fell on the screen, and she immediately stopped in the snow.

That number called her again late on New Year's Eve.

Wen Yining looked down at the screen, motionless.

*

The phone sat on the desk, which was so neat and clean it was almost obsessive. The screen was lit up, displaying a number I knew by heart.

Li Changjing leaned back in his seat, looking down at the number on the screen in front of him, while playing with a metal lighter in one hand, the flame dancing nimbly between his fingertips.

I don't know how many times I've unconsciously brought up this interface and just stared at it; it's almost become a habit.

From the day I made that first phone call to her, things started to spiral out of control.

While he was losing control, he also felt an urgent sense of pleasure.

As if possessed, before he could react, the phone was already in his hand, and he was already thinking about making that call...

Li Changjing subconsciously opened the drawer to get cigarettes, but it was empty. Then he remembered that he had quit smoking for two days. He glanced at the number on the screen.

"Feng Yi, give me the cigarette."

Secretary Feng put the documents away and turned around to see this young master acting the same way again, which made her very curious.

"Didn't you quit smoking? Secretary, what level of leader called that made you so cautious?"

Li Changjing nodded, closed the drawer, and threw the lighter directly into the trash can with a loud "bang!"

He waved his hand, "You can go out now, but don't let anyone in."

The door was closed.

Li Changjing reopened the screen, holding the phone in one hand and looking at the number. He loosened his tie with the other hand, stood up, picked up the glass on the table, took a sip of water, put it down, and a few seconds later, picked up the glass again, drank some water, and put it down again.

After a few seconds of silence, he pressed the dial button with a tense face. As the first dial tone sounded, his fingers, which were resting on the back of the seat, unconsciously and anxiously tapped the backrest.

Like a verdict, it seemed like a long time had passed before the dialing stopped and the phone was answered. In that instant, Li Changjing's jawline tightened, and his fingers gripped the chair so tightly that his fingertips turned white.

“Ningning…”

When he called her name again, a thousand emotions surged into his heart, and Li Changjing's voice instantly became hoarse, as if his throat was blocked, and he couldn't speak for a moment.

The torment of the past three months came rushing back in that instant, and he finally admitted defeat.

He missed her more than he realized.

It is said that the first thing to become unfamiliar with someone is their voice. Wen Yining felt that this was true. Listening to Li Changjing's voice, she actually felt that he was already a stranger.

In stark contrast to Li Changjing's complex emotions.

Li Changjing froze instantly.

He had anticipated many of her reactions—anger, resentment, sadness, longing, and all sorts of emotions—but he never expected her to react this way, with a calm yet distant tone.

She actually asked him what was wrong.

The emotion in his eyes instantly darkened, and there was a faint sense of panic, as if he were watching something extremely important slip through his fingers.

He suppressed the feeling, loosened his tie, and spoke again, "It's me. I thought you wouldn't answer the phone. After all, I'm the one who wronged you, so it's understandable that you hate me."

Sure enough, he came to apologize because he felt uneasy. Wen Yining didn't want to hear any of that. "You don't need to feel guilty."

She smiled and told him sincerely, "Actually, I don't hate you anymore. I've matured a lot in the past few months, and I can understand your choice. I don't blame you anymore, really."

Through the glass, one could see the red flag fluttering in the courtyard, and on the glass, the stiff figure of Li Changjing, wearing a black executive jacket, was clearly reflected.

How could she not hate him!

She should scold him; she should feel hatred and excitement!

She shouldn't be speaking in this sentimental tone, as if he were a mountain she had already climbed over and left behind.

Only those who don't care can be so calm.

The veins on the back of Li Changjing's hand bulged, and his voice, at first glance, remained calm, "Ningning, don't talk to me like that. Aren't you very angry? Curse me, I'll listen to whatever you say."

Wen Yining tilted her head. "Does scolding you make you feel less guilty? If you feel uneasy, then don't bother me. I have something to do, I'm hanging up."

"Wen Yining!" He suddenly raised his voice, which, upon closer listening, seemed to tremble slightly.

Wen Yining paused as she hung up the phone, thinking it must be her imagination.

But what he said next made her feel like she was dreaming.

"I regret it."

Li Changjing's voice was extremely calm, as if he were talking about someone else's affairs, but it was also extremely low and hoarse. "I thought I could forget you, marry someone else and have children, but the moment I saw her, I realized that she wasn't you. I asked myself, am I really that unable to leave? I tried to fight against myself and not think about you, but I failed. I went to feed your cat. I miss you so much, I miss you so much."

Wen Yining's mind went blank for a few seconds. His tone was so calm and emotionless that she didn't realize what he meant for the first few seconds.

Once she realized what was happening, she could no longer remain calm. A sense of absurdity made her laugh, but her eyes welled up with tears as she said sadly, "Haven't you had enough fun yet?"

"Whether you mean it sincerely or not doesn't matter anymore, Li Changjing. I won't always be there waiting for you."

There was an instant silence on the phone.

Suddenly, Zhang Zhiyang's voice came from behind, neither too close nor too far, "Ningning!"

Wen Yining subconsciously responded and turned her head.

Seeing that she wasn't coming over, Zhang Zhiyang called out to her as he drew closer, "Ningning."

Li Changjing asked, word by word, "What did that person call you?"

Wen Yining snapped out of her reverie, sniffed, and without answering him, whispered into the phone, "Don't call again."

He hung up the phone after saying that.

Zhang Zhiyang approached. "Are you on the phone?"

Wen Yining lowered her eyes to hide her unusual expression and nodded.

As she was speaking, the phone rang again. She looked up, hesitated for a moment, and said in a hoarse voice, "You go first, I'll be there in a bit."

Seeing her unusual behavior and the unmarked number on her screen, Zhang Zhiyang forced a smile and nodded, "Okay, then hurry over there."

Wen Yining walked a few steps away to answer the call. Her emotions, which had been calm, were stirred up again by Li Changjing's words, making her somewhat resentful of him.

Before he could speak, she took a breath and, almost unable to bear it any longer, gritted her teeth and said, "Whether you mean it sincerely or not doesn't matter, because I don't love you anymore!"

As soon as she finished speaking, all Wen Yining could hear was her own panting and the faint voice of a child in the distance. There was no sound at all on the phone; the world was completely silent.

She thought she had accidentally hung up, so she picked it up to check. The screen showed that she was on a call, but there was no sound from the other end.

After a long pause, Li Changjing's voice came through the phone, saying each word clearly: "Say it again."

Wen Yining thought he didn't believe her, so she coldly repeated, word by word, "I don't love you anymore, Li Changjing, I don't love you anymore, it's absolutely true."

There was another long silence on the other end of the phone, but Li Changjing suddenly laughed, even laughing out loud.

A sudden sense of fear rose in Wen Yining's heart. She didn't dare hang up and decided to wait until he finished laughing to hear what he would say.

Li Changjing laughed in a hoarse voice for a while, then suddenly hung up the phone without saying a word and never called back.

His reaction...

Wen Yining gripped her phone tightly, a strong sense of unease rising within her.

I suppressed my emotions and went over to them to help them build a snowman.

"Ningning, who called you just now?" Zhang Zhiyang asked casually.

"Oh, it's a friend of mine," Wen Yining replied absentmindedly as she shoveled snow.

"Is it a friend you met in Beicheng?"

Wen Yining hummed in agreement, then suddenly remembered something, hesitated for a moment, and said softly, "You should still call me Yining. Calling me Ningning feels awkward..."

A hint of disappointment flashed across the young man's face, but he quickly recovered and smiled without pressuring her, "Alright, Yining."

Wen Yining is no longer a naive and innocent girl. She vaguely senses his feelings, but she no longer has the mood to start a new relationship.

I spent the day in fear and trepidation. Li Changjing never called again. Everything was calm and nothing happened.

Wen Yining felt relieved, secretly cursing herself for being presumptuous and making a fuss over nothing.

The snow began to melt the next day, making the roads slippery. Driving and walking were fine, but cycling was the most difficult.

Wen Qinghua and Liu Jingzhen carried a heavy bag of daily necessities in front, while Wen Yining followed obediently behind, carrying a light bag of things.

Luckily, the supermarket was nearby, so we treated it as a walk. Anyway, it's good to do anything together as a family.

They soon arrived at the entrance of the residential area. Their residential area was an old one, and the road in front of the entrance was definitely not wide. Moreover, parking spaces had been marked on one side, making the already narrow road even narrower. Recently, due to the Chinese New Year, the usually congested parking spaces were actually less crowded.

Wen Yining noticed something out of the corner of her eye, and as if sensing something, she turned her head and caught a glimpse of a very eye-catching black Mercedes-Benz G-Class among a group of low and old cars in the parking space. Its bright, clean, and tall body stood out conspicuously from the crowd.

The wealthy people in their neighborhood have all moved away, leaving behind only those who are not well-off or elderly people. The cars parked there are mostly cheap, dusty little cars.

Feeling inexplicably uneasy, Wen Yining couldn't help but turn her head to look at the license plate again, and her steps suddenly stopped. It was a Beijing license plate.

A strong thought swept over her, and her legs went weak instantly.

No, no, he's not the only person from Beicheng in this world. Maybe he's visiting relatives.

Moreover, for safety reasons, he always drives those two modified bulletproof cars, and this is clearly not one of them.

Wen Yining managed to calm herself down and continued walking forward, but her gaze kept involuntarily turning to stare at the car.

The next second, she watched in disbelief as the car door opened. In that instant, her heart leaped into her throat, and the world seemed to slow down in her mind's eye.

A man, around 27 or 28 years old, got out of the car. It's no exaggeration to say that he was completely out of place in this neighborhood, this environment, and this road. He didn't look like someone from a small city. The moment he got out, it was as if there was some kind of magnetic force; instantly, everyone was looking at him.

Even his parents kept turning to look at him, which seemed odd.

In the small city where Wen Yining lived, where rumors could kill, right at the entrance of her apartment complex, in front of her parents, and in full view of everyone.

He didn't look at anyone else; his goal was clear and definite as he walked towards Wen Yining and her parents.

Author's Note: I haven't dared to look at the comments section for many days. I wrote all night; I didn't slack off, so please don't scold me. [crying][crying][crying]