Chapter 65 I'll send you abroad to study for a few years and then you can come back...

Chapter 65

The night was quiet, and a small, warm yellow lamp cast a comforting glow in the peaceful hospital room. The two embraced quietly, feeling the long-lost tenderness between them.

Li Changjing's pleasant and reassuring scent enveloped her as he wrapped his arms around Wen Yining's waist from behind, pulling her into his embrace and holding her hand.

Neither of them spoke, but they both knew the other was awake.

Wen Yining stared at the hazy scene before her with her eyes open, but being held by Li Changjing made it impossible for her to fall asleep.

Her hand was gently squeezed, and Li Changjing's voice came from above her head, "Aren't you sleepy? Why aren't you sleeping?"

"I have trouble sleeping."

"Are you not used to holding me?"

Wen Yining subconsciously wanted to say no, but stopped herself from speaking.

She remained silent for a long time, and the darkness returned to silence.

After a moment, Li Changjing released her hand, moved his arm away from her waist, and moved it a little further away. His voice came from the darkness as he whispered, "Sleep."

But Wen Yining still couldn't sleep, "Li Changjing..."

"Um?"

Perhaps it was the gentle night that made people involuntarily open their hearts. After tormenting each other for nearly half a year, they were still by each other's side in the end. At this moment, Wen Yining suddenly felt very tired.

Even in her deepest hatred, she always knew that he loved her, loved her very, very much.

The darkness emboldened her, and with her back to Li Changjing, Wen Yining asked hesitantly in a soft voice, "Are you... not angry with me anymore?"

Li Changjing remained silent, and Wen Yining's heart inexplicably tightened.

After a while, he said, "I'm not angry anymore. Seeing you like that today, nothing else matters. As long as you still love me and are still by my side, that's enough."

Wen Yining wanted to turn her head to look at him, but Li Changjing suddenly pressed down on her shoulder, preventing her from moving.

His voice was very calm. "It's my fault for pushing you too hard back then. I was afraid you would fall in love with someone else. I thought that if I kept you by my side, you would eventually calm down, which led to what happened later. It's my fault. You were still a young girl, and I'm so much older than you. Why should I hold a grudge against you?"

Wen Yining felt a sharp pang of sadness.

"Ningning."

"And you, do you still hate me?"

Wen Yining's throat was so tight she couldn't speak, she could only shake her head. In fact, those barriers had long been worn away by time. From the moment she learned of the choice he made for her, her obsession had faded by more than half. The remaining hatred was just an unresolved knot in her heart. It was just that neither of them was willing to back down first.

Li Changjing waited for a while but didn't get a reply. He smiled and didn't ask any further questions.

Hearing Wen Yining's soft inhale, he sat up to get a tissue. In the dim light, he bent down to wipe her tears, speaking in a gentle tone as if coaxing a child, "Little girl, are you crying again?"

Wen Yining took the tissue from his hand and wiped herself haphazardly.

Li Changjing followed her lead, withdrawing his hand. Suddenly, his fingertips felt damp and cold. He looked down in the darkness and saw it was her tear. He gently held it in his palm.

He has never been a person who likes to express his true feelings since he was a child. When he was young, it was because he had no friends. When he grew up, it was because of his environment that he couldn't talk about it. Gradually, he developed a habit of only saying what he decided and never revealing his inner thoughts to others. But over the years, she has been by his side, using tears, breaking up, and sincerity to make him willing to change little by little.

“Ningning, I know you don’t believe I’m really willing to give up, but I won’t regret my choice. Trust me, don’t think about anything else. I won’t pressure you anymore. After you graduate, I’ll meet your aunt and uncle, and after I’ve settled everything here, we’ll get married legitimately.”

"Ningning, let's start over, okay?"

Li Changjing had already let go of her hand, but Wen Yining didn't dare to turn around. Tears streamed down her face in the darkness, her heart felt like it was being torn in two. This was the man she loved. After tormenting each other for half a year, he, who was born to be the center of attention and was so arrogant to the core, bowed down to her. She had to use all her willpower to suppress the urge to nod.

Just thinking about marrying Li Changjing was making her lose control.

But she always remembered him sitting in the huge living room, secretly watching the news with the volume turned down low, and how he bent down to pick up those useless badges one by one.

Two voices tugged at her ears.

Li Changjing was still waiting for her answer.

Wen Yining has always been a soft-hearted person. Once he lowered his head, she could no longer show him coldness, nor could she harden her heart to say the words of rejection. How sad he must be.

There's still a year until graduation, it's not time to make a decision yet... maybe I should say yes... say yes...

Wen Yining turned around and hugged Li Changjing, pinning him down. To avoid crowding her, Li Changjing had already moved to the edge of the bed and hurriedly reached out to carefully protect her from falling.

"Li Changjing, let's spend this year together."

Li Changjing hugged her tightly in return.

*

The next afternoon, Gu Lingling and Jiang Fengqing came to see her.

The two entered happily, but their smiles instantly froze when they saw Li Changjing. After awkwardly exchanging pleasantries with him, they timidly placed the fruit and Wen Yining's computer on the table.

Li Changjing's gaze swept indifferently over the computers and books they had brought. Gu Lingling inexplicably wanted to shrink back, like a country bumpkin who had traveled dozens of miles by donkey cart to the city. She rubbed her hands together, sat on the sofa, and said with a restrained smile, "Hehehe, Wenwen, we've come to see you, hehehe..."

Even though they had met several times, and Li Changjing had always been very gentle with them, they were still a little afraid of him every time they saw him.

Gu Lingling used to rave about how incredibly handsome Li Changjing was in the dorm, watching the videos she made. But after meeting him once, she stopped saying it.

I don't want to see anyone, no matter how handsome they are.

I'm so tired. Forget about dating, just being in the same room with him makes me feel stressed. I don't know how Wen Yining gets along with him.

When Gu Lingling sees Li Changjing now, she can no longer see his good looks; she only treats him with utmost respect and keeps her distance.

Wen Yining glanced at Li Changjing and understood his thoughts. He felt that she had only been in surgery for two days and didn't want her to read.

Seeing Gu Lingling and Jiang Fengqing like this, she found it particularly funny. Of course, she understood what the two of them were thinking. She had heard them complain about each other a lot in the dormitory every day. The two of them were quite arrogant behind Li Changjing's back, standing with their hands on their hips and cursing him out, but they were still cowards when they met him in person.

The three exchanged a knowing glance. Wen Yining tugged at Li Changjing's hand. "Didn't you say you were going home to get our clothes or something? Why don't you go back? They're here taking care of me, and there's a caregiver too. She seems really anxious about being idle."

Although they brought some things over yesterday, they couldn't bring many personal items and didn't dare to touch them carelessly. Wen Yining wasn't wearing a bra, so Li Changjing had to go back to get them.

Li Changjing pretended not to notice the commotion in their eyes, and knowing he was in the way, he nodded and agreed, "Then I'll go home to get my things. Call Auntie if you need anything."

Wen Yining nodded.

The two were immediately overjoyed.

Li Changjing looked at the two of them, nodded slightly, and said in a gentle and polite tone, "Thank you for coming to see Ningning. Please have a seat."

The two instinctively stood up immediately, awkwardly laughing and saying, "No, no, no, you're busy, you're busy."

As soon as Li Changjing left, the two of them breathed a sigh of relief and immediately changed their attitude. Gu Lingling sprawled out on the sofa, picked up the fruit platter in front of her and started eating, asking her if it hurt while she ate.

Jiang Fengqing looked at Wen Yining's wound, which was wrapped tightly in gauze and could not be seen.

"Li Changjing's way of speaking is really annoying. I always thought it was strange, and now I'm more and more certain that he's doing it on purpose. Every time he says something, it's as if he and you are family, and we are outsiders!"

Jiang Fengqing mimicked Li Changjing in a high-pitched, sarcastic tone, "Thank you for coming to see Ningning, pshaw! He was practically nowhere when we met!"

"Exactly!" Gu Lingling rolled her eyes while holding her fork. "I've seen Wenwen naked before he even saw your face. What are you pretending for, you old green tea!"

Wen Yining put this word together with Li Changjing and couldn't help but laugh for a long time.

The best friend probably hates her boyfriend the most; Li Changjing never has a good word to say about her.

Actually, she had noticed this before and had subtly hinted to Li Changjing that she cared about them both and asked him to tone down his possessiveness. He acted as if he didn't understand anything and gently pulled her into his arms, saying, "They take good care of you." But he didn't really listen at all.

Because she often mentioned the two of them to Li Changjing, sometimes on the way back to school he would take her to buy things for them to bring back. At that time, Li Changjing held her hand and said in a light tone, "You have a very good relationship with them."

He was too pretentious back then. He had been doing too much tacit understanding and ambiguity in the system. Every time he didn't say anything, he was secretly very jealous, but he just asked casually. However, Wen Yining was not like those shrewd people around him who were on high alert and trying to please him. At that time, she didn't understand his meaning at all and just smiled and said yes.

Later, when he saw that she didn't understand at all, he started to deliberately show a hint of emotion to her, and only then did Wen Yining try to coax him.

The two stayed for a long time. Li Changjing deliberately gave them time, arriving close to dark. They didn't leave until Li Changjing arrived.

After finishing her meal, Wen Yining finally saw the WeChat message Jiang Fengqing had sent her.

[Yi Ning, although I don't know the exact state of your relationship now, I still want to say that you're very reliable and easygoing with everyone else, even a bit clueless about romance, a real straight woman. People have said before that they couldn't even get the atmosphere to become ambiguous with you. And whenever something happens, you're always the first to offer advice and comfort people. But you're different with him. Haven't you noticed? You become like a girl around him, and the way he looks at you is different from how he looks at others.]

Wen Yining paused for a moment, sat on the hospital bed and read the passage twice. She looked up at Li Changjing, who was standing by the window making a phone call. Sunlight streamed in from outside, and he exuded a noble and upright air. His handsome and delicate profile was dazzlingly white in the sunlight. He noticed her gaze, turned his head to look at her as he spoke, suddenly smiled, walked over with his phone in hand, and patted her head.

*

Wen Yining stayed in the hospital for five days, had her stitches removed two weeks later, was observed for two days, and then hurriedly returned to school at the end of the semester.

Knowing that Li Changjing was definitely worried, Wen Yining would report the situation to him anytime, anywhere, all day long.

Autumn has arrived in the blink of an eye, and the ginkgo leaves are falling one after another. The weather has been very nice these past few days, with clear skies and crisp air, making it a very bright autumn day.

Seniors have almost no classes, and there are very few familiar faces. Everyone has their own choices. Looking at the energetic freshmen, it makes you feel that the campus no longer belongs to them. When Wen Yining carries her books and passes by the freshmen who are undergoing military training, she can't help but stop and take a look. She thinks back to when she first entered university. Four years have flown by in a flash. Every time she does this, she suddenly feels old. Compared to them, she looks old and decrepit.

She suddenly understood the saying: no one stays young forever, but there will always be someone young.

But then she thought about it again, she was not even 22 years old. So many years had passed and she hadn't grown to the age Li Changjing had when they met. She wasn't old at all.

Thinking about it this way makes me feel much better.

Wen Yining turned around with her books in her arms, when she suddenly received a call from an unfamiliar number in Beicheng. She hesitated for a moment, then turned back to her dorm with her books.

As she walked to the door, she suddenly saw two unfamiliar men at the dormitory entrance. The two men were eye-catching because of their unique demeanor and the feeling that seemed familiar. They were clearly not students, nor did they look like ordinary parents.

The phone in her pocket rang again, persistently. Wen Yining answered it and walked towards her dormitory. The person on the other end called out her name clearly, "Miss Wen Yining."

"Hello, this is me. May I ask who you are?"

There was no answer on the phone, but a shadow suddenly fell in front of her. Wen Yining looked up in a daze, and the two men reached out to stop her. One of them was still holding a phone. Obviously, they were the ones who made the call.

The two men told her a name, and Wen Yining froze on the spot. A strong sense of foreboding struck her heart like a thunderbolt without warning.

They were arranged by Li Changjing's grandfather.

The name she had heard her parents talk about when she was little, the face she had seen on TV, the old man who truly deserved the title of "high-ranking and powerful," the one who ruthlessly and easily removed Li Changjing, the true leader of their Li family.

The two men led her to the car, and one of them made a phone call, speaking respectfully for a few moments. Wen Yining suddenly realized that their demeanor was familiar; they had the same air about them as the civilians outside. These two were from the military.

The man handed the phone to Wen Yining.

Completely different from when she met his mother before, Wen Yining was so nervous that her mind went blank. Her palms were sweaty as she took the man's phone, and her tongue seemed to have stopped moving.

The old man's voice sounded just like the ones I'd heard on TV—a slow, gentle tone that suggested a kind and approachable old man. But there was no hint of casualness in his voice; every word carried a weighty weight.

"Xiao Wen, how is your wound healing?"

It's very much like the gentle care that elders show to younger generations.

Wen Yining pursed her lips, her voice trembling slightly, her tone unconsciously filled with utmost respect, "Thank you for your concern, the wound has completely healed."

She looked down and suddenly realized that her legs were shaking uncontrollably without her even noticing.

This is Li Quanguo.

Even though she had known countless times that Li Changjing was a third-generation member of the elite at the top of the North City pyramid, and that his grandfather was Li Quanguo, it was only now that she truly felt it.

"I know everything Qing-ge'er did to you, it's utterly outrageous!"

The slightly heavier tone from the other person made Wen Yining's heart skip a beat. She felt a strong sense of unease and pressure, and her emotions unconsciously followed theirs.

"He's too young and too impulsive. I apologize to you on his behalf."

Wen Yining was no longer a child who couldn't understand the unspoken meaning. Overwhelmed by panic and helplessness, she almost cried, "No, I..."

The other person casually replied, "He's the child I've poured the most effort into, and the child I have the highest hopes for. It's been months, and he still hasn't shown any remorse. Don't be afraid of him. I'll make arrangements for your family and won't let him cause trouble. You can focus on your studies for a few years. Your grades are so good; don't let that interfere with your studies. Come back in a few years when things have settled down, and he'll have lost interest."

As expected, she was to leave...

It seems his grandfather never gave up and was waiting for him to turn back.

With her grandfather personally involved, this time it's a sure thing; her parents will definitely be safe, and she really is going to leave.

She left safely, and he was no longer forced to stay at home, allowing him to resume the life he was meant to have.

It was something she had been striving to achieve for a while, so why was she so afraid and sad when the day finally came?

Leaders at this level never need to explain their actions; they simply demand that others obey their orders.

After hanging up the phone, Wen Yining sat there and even forgot to return the phone to the person.

One of the taller men was carefully scanning the car with something in his hand. After he finished, he scanned the pale-faced Wen Yining, even her hair tie.

The shorter man clicked his tongue. "Is it really necessary? We just checked, there's no locator."

The tall man bent down and swept his fingers across Wen Yining's hair tie, chuckling with an ambiguous tone, "That's not necessarily true. You've heard of that person's reputation, so it's best to be careful."

After checking, there was nothing there. The taller man reached out, "Ms. Wen, please give me your phone."

Wen Yining finally realized what was happening and instinctively handed him her phone. Then she realized it was her phone. Her emotions were in turmoil. She took out her phone and gave it to him, but then realized she had to return someone else's phone to him.

But her phone was covered in the sweat from her palms, so she took out a tissue from her pocket and, with trembling hands, bent down to wipe it.

When she was nervous and excited, her palms would sweat, and Li Changjing would always notice in time and gently wipe the sweat from her face. After this parting, she probably would never have such a moment again in her life, and she might never even see him again...

The dust has settled...

At that time, Li Changjing will get married and have children. He will treat his wife with the same tenderness he showed her, and he will smile gently at other girls, gently touch their hair, and playfully tease them in a childish way.

As she wiped away her tears, large drops fell. She cried out, but tried her best to hold them back, though broken sobs still escaped from her throat.

She was crying so hard, yet she was trying so hard to hold back, which only made her sound more pitiful. The two exchanged a glance, their eyes flashing with sympathy.

The two waited quietly for a while. Seeing that she was trying her best to suppress her emotions, one of them reluctantly handed her a stack of things. "Ms. Wen Yining, these are your ID card and passport. Let's head to the airport now."

It was like a bolt from the blue.

"Now!? You're leaving now?"

"Yes, let's go now."

"Why! Isn't this too hasty! Can we wait a few days, a few days later!" Overwhelmed by a huge sense of reluctance, Wen Yining's urgent voice almost sounded like a plea.

She had just been notified that she had to leave. She thought there would be some time left, maybe a few days later, but she never expected it to be so urgent that she would have to leave Beicheng immediately and go to a foreign land thousands of miles away where she had no relatives or friends!

Her evening classes, her unwashed clothes, her simple and happy life here, and she didn't even get to see Li Changjing one last time!

She had never been so panicked before, as if she had lost her mind. It was as if her soul, her person, her family, her lover, her friends, all her memories of China, and the first 20-odd years of her life had been destroyed in this instant of separation, and then she would face another world completely shattered.

"Please, could you please postpone it for a few days?" Wen Yining's voice choked with emotion.

“No, Miss Wen, this is the order from above. You will definitely slip up. The longer you delay, the worse it will be. You must leave now!” The man looked at her seriously, his tone resolute, leaving no room for leniency.

As he spoke, the short man in the driver's seat started the car. The familiar campus scenery flashed past the car window. The evening sun was shining brightly outside the window, the leaves were scattered all over the ground, and two or three students walked by, laughing and playing together, with simple and bright smiles on their faces.

And this car will take her away from her loved ones and country, to a foreign land.

Suddenly, her phone rang in the hand of the person in the passenger seat. She quickly looked over and saw the caller ID on the screen.

Li Changjing.

Wen Yining, drawing strength from who-knows-where, bent down to grab it, pleading, "Please, at least let me call him to say goodbye! Please!"

He silenced his phone, the ringing stopped instantly, the window was opened, her phone was thrown into the trash can, and then the car sped off again.

Author's Note: I love blizzards so much that I skipped a timeline, please forgive me.