Chapter 69 Chapter 69 Giving you someone who has never had a faith before…

When she was young and vulnerable, easily frightened by wind and rain, she clung to the notion of right and wrong, and to every loss. Now, as she grows up and reaches higher positions, she realizes that those former convictions were largely meaningless.

Whether she has or has, whether she gains or loses, she is still herself.

Of course, she wasn't grateful for the past hardships and losses; she was only grateful for herself for never giving up on herself and for doing everything she could to become better.

Because of this accident, Jin Zhao's relationship with his grandparents and aunt became closer.

Their daily interactions increased, and after her grandparents returned home, they sent her local specialties from Jinjue Town twice.

Jin Zhao did not resist such contact.

Just as she told Meng Yanxi, her grandparents had indeed protected her many times. Whether it was their initial protection at the Jin family or their quiet financial support in England, their acts of kindness in times of need were genuine, and she didn't want to negate everything just because they hadn't protected her once.

After all, only a mother can give perfect love in this world; others are just family, and she can't be so demanding of everyone.

Jin Zhao stopped being greedy when he was very young.

Grandma can get out of bed now and walk around with a cane. Jin Wenyi and her husband are usually busy with work and have neglected to take care of their parents. This accident made her feel very guilty. During the May Day holiday, Jin Wenyi planned to go back to visit her and arranged to meet Jin Zhao on WeChat.

Jin Zhao was lucky this semester. He had no classes after the Wednesday before May Day, and May Day happened to cover the Wednesday after that, so he had a full two weeks of vacation.

At the same time, Wang Nan sent her a WeChat article from a public account.

Wang Nan: [The gardenias in Jinjue Town are in bloom. Teacher Zhaozhao, would you like to go back and admire them?]

Wang Nan visited Jinjue Town during the Spring Festival and upon returning, she persuaded her parents to take over a guesthouse there. She is a typical "mama's girl," who "uses her parents' charm when necessary" and whose parents are in their fifties, which is the age when they should be taking risks.

Because she had established businesses there, Wang Nan would always refer to Jinjue Town as "returning" whenever she talked about it. Knowing that Jin Zhao was a local, she would often invite her to go out with her.

Jin Zhao had already declined twice due to being busy, so she couldn't refuse again this time. Since Jin Wenyi was also making an appointment, she agreed to both.

Meng Yanxi, standing to the side, said sarcastically, "Time management master, Teacher Zhao Zhao."

Meng Yanxi was jealous.

He was going to Singapore at the end of April, and coincidentally, he had a full two-week holiday for May Day. He wanted to take her with him, but someone beat him to it.

Jin Zhao and Jin Wenyi planned to go to their grandparents' house together on May Day. However, Meng Yanxi was not there, and 1119 had been picked up by Luo Heng to play. In order to avoid the travel rush, Jin Zhao bought a high-speed rail ticket three days in advance to go back.

It's worth mentioning that, in order to prevent 1119 from doing anything that would embarrass her again, Jin Zhao gave 1119 a severe training session before Luo Heng took her away. This included, but was not limited to, forcing the cat to sit in front of the computer while writing papers, showing the cat art films, showing the cat Queen Elizabeth II's speeches, etc. She only handed the cat over after confirming that 1119 had been brainwashed and was fully capable of giving Luo Heng a fluent British accent.

The side effect was that when 1119 was picked up, her eyes were vacant and she didn't even turn her head. If cats could post, Jin Zhao might be able to see "the pain of one's family of origin" on Xiaohongshu.

Jin Zhao did not tell his grandparents that he was going back early. He booked a hotel where he would stay and went to Jinjue Temple to offer incense the next day.

Buddha might not grant her wish, but when she was young and lost with nowhere to go, coming here became a habit. She didn't necessarily ask for anything; she just wanted to hear the sound of bells and chimes in the mountains and smell the fragrance of gardenias along the way.

It was afternoon when they came out, and Jin Zhao decided on the spur of the moment to go back to his grandparents' house and have dinner together that evening.

As if by some strange twist of fate, she didn't tell them beforehand. What happened afterward seemed like a divine intervention, allowing her to see things clearly as soon as possible, so that she would no longer deceive herself or pursue the warmth that was neither meant for her nor should have been, like drinking poison to quench her thirst.

The house in the countryside has been renovated. My grandparents worked hard all their lives, and they planted flowers and plants in the yard, which attracted butterflies and bees.

The courtyard gate was ajar. Jin Zhao gently pushed it open and heard Jin Wenhui's voice coming from inside the house.

Jin Zhao stopped in his tracks when he heard his name called.

*

Singapore has a tropical rainforest climate, with summer all year round. However, due to the air conditioning being set too high, it feels like winter indoors, while it is hot and humid outside.

Lu Jingyue disliked this place, but cold-blooded animals seemed to fit in perfectly here. He stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window making a phone call, his shirt rolled up to his elbows, revealing his superior height and sharp muscle lines.

Lu Jingyue sat on the sofa looking at his phone. Meng Yanxi spent most of the time listening to the person on the phone reporting, saying very little. However, Lu Jingyue still keenly grasped the two keywords "Jin Wenhui" and "paternity test".

Meng Yanxi obtained the paternity test results of Jin Wenhui and his son through improper means, but cleverly kept it a secret. He didn't let either party know, but instead arranged for someone to "recklessly" pull out Lin Yao's son's hair at the school. The little boy, unable to hide the pain, cried loudly, and Lin Yao rushed to the school.

What seemed like a move to alert the enemy was actually his usual cold-blooded and cunning tactic. It was as if he had done nothing, yet it was as if he had done everything.

Startling the enemy by stirring up trouble—who's panicking?

Of course, the person with the secret panicked because they felt guilty.

At this point, what would someone with a secret do, fearing that things would be exposed sooner or later?

Plan ahead for yourself. Accumulate wealth, or prepare a backup plan.

"You're really reckless, even when you're trying to harm someone. You're so afraid of hurting them." Lu Jingyue commented.

Meng Yanxi raised her eyelids slightly and said calmly, "You only need to be careful when throwing money at rats, but you don't need to worry about letting the rats kill each other."

As far as he knew, Lin Yao had been squeezing money out of Jin Wenhui for years. Jin Wenhui was in a terrible situation; his business was a complete mess, and his wife and children kept asking him for money, leaving him in a terrible predicament. He was also afraid that his wife would run off with the children if she found out his true financial situation, so he borrowed money to satisfy his mistress, leaving himself heavily in debt.

Lin Yao is shrewd and calculating. On one hand, she secretly saves up a little money, and on the other hand, she has a backup plan for herself. She still hasn't given up on having a child with Jin Wenhui and is currently undergoing in vitro fertilization.

Even the closest of relatives can be distant. Now she thinks Jin Wenhui has become suspicious, and forcing him to give her money will only push him further. When Jin Wenhui can no longer bear it, she can watch the good show of them killing each other.

And his hands were clean from beginning to end.

He didn't do anything. He didn't even leak the results of the paternity test. He just arranged for someone to pull a few strands of the child's hair. But the child was just being reckless. Who knew the child's mother would overthink it?

But what does that have to do with him?

Even if Jin Zhao finds out something in the future, he can't be blamed, since he didn't do anything.

Lu Jingyue sneered: "When the city gate catches fire, the fish in the moat suffer; what's more, when two rats fight? Haven't you thought about who might get hit if the roof beam falls down after the two rats tear down the house?"

Meng Yanxi's expression changed slightly.

*

Jin Zhao never expected that she would witness her family members plotting against her.

Even TV dramas wouldn't dare to portray it like this.

She heard Jin Wenhui say, "Lin Yao still wants to have another daughter and plans to do IVF."

Grandpa said, "A large family is a good thing. If you want it, then take it. How much more do you need?"

Jin Wenhui: "200,000."

Grandpa and Grandma were silent for a moment, then Grandma said, "We don't have that much money left, maybe we can borrow from your sister."

Jin Wenhui: "Over the past few years, I have borrowed several hundred thousand yuan from Wenyi. She still has a son to raise and needs to buy him a house, a car, and a wife."

Grandma: "So what do you mean?"

Jin Wenhui: "Jin Zhao should have money. As far as I know, Sui Shi University provides a settlement allowance, but I don't know if it's a one-time payment."

Grandma remained silent for a long time: "She has been alone all these years, and it has been very hard for her. That money may have been her life-saving money."

Jin Wenhui: "Has Wenyi told you about her boyfriend? With the Meng family's wealth, she can't handle hardship."

Grandma: "That's the Meng family's money, not hers. Besides, asking a guy for money while you're dating him will make people look down on you, and Lingling might not even agree to it."

Jin Wenhui: "How is it that supporting one's parents is something to be looked down upon?"

Grandma: "She has an obligation to support her parents, but she has no obligation to help you support your wife and children."

These words seemed to anger Jin Wenhui, who suddenly raised his voice: "So I raised her for nothing? Don't forget, she is who she is today because I provided her with a good education from a young age!"

Grandma remained silent.

Seeing this, the grandfather tried to smooth things over and ease the tension between the mother and son: "If it's just an emergency, it's not that we can't give it a try. But after this is over, the money must be returned to her."

Jin Wenhui: "It's just an emergency. I've already had the monks at the temple look at it. For the past nine years, I, Jin Wenhui, have been plagued by petty people, but every ten years is a period of great fortune. Once next year is over, my luck will improve, and I'll be able to get the funds back quickly. I'll use this money to pay her back then, and I won't ask her to support me anymore."

Grandma remained silent.

Grandpa thought for a moment and said, "Then we can't let Lingling know that you want this money, and we can't let her know that this money is for Lin Yao to have a baby."

Grandma asked softly, "What if she finds out? How heartbroken she would be?"

Jin Wenhui remained silent for a long time, then suddenly let out a long sigh, his voice filled with despair: "Mom, I really have no other choice. Lin Yao is making a scene at home every day, saying she regrets being with me one minute, and that I've ruined her life the next. My home is in constant turmoil. On the other hand, the debts are exhausting me. I have to pay bank interest, debts to my friends, and pay the salaries of my employees... Do you think I'm not heartbroken as I come here to ask you for this? I, Jin Wenhui, such a proud person, have fallen to this point. It's like a thousand arrows piercing my heart. I really have no other way out, I'm at my wit's end."

Grandma looked at her son, who had aged rapidly in the past few years, and remained silent for a long time.

Jin Zhao stood quietly outside the door, her breathing seemingly rising and becoming incredibly light, her fingers unconsciously gripping the solid wood door frame.

Grandma's silence was like the last straw; it was either pick up or it would completely crush her.

Anyone in this family could betray her, but her grandmother couldn't. She was the person who gave her the most warmth in this family after her mother passed away.

She would rather have never received warmth than have the warmth of the past turn into a sharp blade stabbing her in the back.

Time seemed to have passed for a very, very long time, so long that Jin Zhao felt he was almost suffocating to death.

Finally, she heard her grandmother sigh deeply: "Your father and I still have 100,000 yuan here. You can take it all. As for the remaining 100,000 yuan, I'll ask Lingling for a loan. I'll tell her that I'm injured and need rehabilitation, and it's an emergency loan. I think she'll lend it to me. But you must never let her know that I'm lying to her."

"Smack!"

Jin Zhao's fruit fell to the ground.

The apple tore through the plastic bag and scattered all over the ground. The early summer watermelon shattered, its flesh bursting open in a mess, its juice splashing onto Jin Zhao's skirt.

Jin Zhao stood outside the door, her eyes red, and said softly, "But I already know."

*

Jin Zhao couldn't remember when it started raining. By the time she realized it was raining, the rain was already pouring down. The rain was torrential, and the raindrops were hitting her face hard, making her face and her whole body ache.

Jinjue Town isn't big, and she walked all the way back to the hotel. But it felt like she walked for a very, very long time.

From sixteen to twenty-six years old.

She thought she had grown up and would no longer have the same obsessions as before, clinging to right and wrong, clinging to gains and losses. But in the end, she realized she was wrong.

She remains fixated on right and wrong, and on gaining and losing.

It turns out that deep down, she longed for warmth and affection, and that had never changed.

She thought she was no longer persistent, but that was only because she was numbed by the superficial warmth; she thought she had gained it.

But that kind of warmth never belonged to her, never.

No, perhaps she did belong to it for a brief moment, but she was too far down the list, and at the slightest disturbance, she was shattered into nothingness.

It cannot encounter maternal love, nor the obsession with procreation... but it is also bound by it.

Supporting the elderly, being filial, and repaying kindness.

She returned to the hotel soaked in the heavy rain, and there wasn't a soul on the road.

Perhaps it was because her usual hotel wasn't in the central scenic area, or perhaps it was because the rain was really heavy.

Jin Zhao looked up at the dark clouds in the sky, and the rain was like sand and gravel that had come off its string and was hitting her. She closed her eyes.

The tears in her eyes rolled down to her temples like threads.

The world is so vast, and she is all alone.

This is true now, and it was true in the past.

It always has been.

She was always alone.

She had no family, no allies, and no one to confide in. Over the years, she single-handedly transformed her unspeakable loneliness into an indomitable sword.

She seems to be living a relatively strong life. At least in recent years, she has been healthy in both body and mind, and she has obtained everything she wanted through her own efforts.

But only she knew that at some point, she would suddenly long for a relative, a relative who truly belonged to her, who was connected to her by blood, and who could never be taken away by anyone else.

She pushed open the hotel door in a daze, startling the receptionist.

"Hey, Miss Jin, why did you come back in the rain? Why didn't you wait outside for a while?"

"Crack!"

A thunderclap sounded outside, and a bright flash of lightning pierced the dark sky, casting a pale white streak on Jin Zhao's face.

Another hotel receptionist was startled by the thunder and said, still shaken, "What a huge thunder! It looks like a heavy rain is coming. It's good to come back quickly; it's more dangerous outside. There might even be a landslide."

"Miss Jin, hurry back to your room and change your clothes! You're dripping wet, don't get sick."

"It's not your body that's dripping water, it's like your bag is dripping water... Good heavens! Your bag is full of water!"

Jin Zhao heard the two talking and stared blankly at his bag.

The rain was really heavy; it had already filled her bag, and her phone was soaked.

At the same time, two other guests ran in from outside. They had driven over, but they were also soaked to the bone on their way to the hotel.

*

The wind and rain come earlier in the mountains. At the same time, the rain in Suiyi is still relatively controllable, and even airplanes can land safely.

Meng Yanxi couldn't contact Jin Zhao before boarding the plane, so she immediately turned on her phone as soon as the plane landed.

Jin Zhao did not reply to his message.

He immediately called her again via video.

Video calls, voice messages, phone calls... all of them were unreachable.

Zhuang Yu came to pick him up, and as he took the luggage, he said with a smile, "President Meng is so lucky, you landed on time. It's going to pour rain in half an hour."

"A torrential downpour?" Meng Yanxi.

Zhuang Yu: "Yes, the weather forecast said there would be a severe rainstorm tonight, and I was worried that the plane wouldn't be able to land."

On the bus, Meng Yanxi made several more calls to Jin Zhao, but no one answered.

Jin Zhao has returned to Jinjue Town. I wonder if it rained there.

A new update appeared on WeChat Moments. Meng Yanxi pointed it out, and the latest post was from Wang Nan.

Wang Nan is a counselor, unlike teachers who can take a vacation early. At this moment, she is driving back to Jinjue Town.

The road was already very deep.

Wang Nan casually took a photo and posted it on her WeChat Moments with the caption: "Don't panic when something happens, just post it on WeChat Moments."

Meng Yanxi's brow twitched, and she said to Zhuang Yu, who was driving, "Go to Jinjue Town."

Lu Jingyue, who was looking at her phone, turned to look at him upon hearing this, her eyes filled with "What are you doing now?"

Even Zhuang Yu was taken aback: "Now?"

Meng Yanxi: "Immediately."

Lu Jingyue: "..."

Meng Yanxi turned to look at him, her face a mask of feigned indifference: "Do you want to come along?"

Lu Jingyue: "..."

The car pulled over to the side of the road, then sped away again.

Along the roadside, the scenery was soaked by the light rain, its face numb in the wind.

The rain in Jinjue Town was so heavy that the sound of rain was deafening. As soon as Meng Yanxi's car arrived, the roads in Jinjue Town were closed.

Meng Yanxi couldn't contact Jin Zhao anytime soon, and his heart was pounding with anxiety. Fortunately, he knew which hotel Jin Zhao usually stayed at, so he called. The receptionist said she was in her room, and her phone must have gotten wet on the way back, damaging it.

Meng Yanxi finally breathed a sigh of relief.

It's okay if the phone gets ruined from being submerged, as long as you're alright.

It wasn't until he met Jin Zhao that he realized he was wrong.

Judging from Jin Zhao's appearance, it's hard to say he's alright.

Temperatures have been soaring lately, reaching 30 degrees Celsius at one point in late April. Even after the rain, a dryness lingers in the air. Inside, the air conditioner runs at a low speed, its sound drowned out by the intense rain outside.

Jin Zhao sat on the bed, hugging her knees, wearing only a thin nightgown. The nightgown was deathly white, as was her face, but her eyes were red-rimmed, and tears were still streaming down her face, yet she made no sound.

Meng Yanxi felt as if her heart had been squeezed tightly.

He walked to the bedside, sat down in front of her, and asked very softly, "What's wrong? What happened?"

Jin Zhao raised her tear-filled eyes and stared blankly at him through the tears.

Suddenly, she sobbed and hugged him tightly.

“Meng Yanxi…”

She had only uttered three words when she could no longer control herself and finally burst into tears.

Meng Yanxi had never seen Jin Zhao so vulnerable.

In my memory, she always seemed resilient. No matter how difficult things were, she never showed much emotion, at least not in front of others. I don't know if she was deceiving others or deceiving herself.

This was the first time Meng Yanxi had seen her cry like this, as if she wanted to cry out all the resentment, grievances, and sorrow she had suppressed over the years.

Meng Yanxi hugged her tightly to comfort her.

Later, under his deliberate guidance, Jin Zhao finally told him what had happened, albeit intermittently.

When he heard that she had uncovered the entire process of the Jin family plotting against her, Meng Yanxi felt a sudden, inexplicable pang of pain and self-reproach.

Lu Jingyue's words proved prophetic.

He knocked down the roof beam of the Jin family's house, but accidentally hit the person he cared about most.

“I still gave Grandma the money.” Jin Zhao nestled in his arms, stopped crying, closed her eyes, and tears streamed down her face. “I returned the money she gave me when I was in England.”

She murmured, "If I give it back to her, I'll have neither love nor money left."

“You still have me.” Meng Yanxi kissed her forehead. “I have money.”

Jin Zhao lowered his eyes and remained silent.

Meng Yanxi lifted her chin, making her look directly into his eyes, and solemnly repeated, "Lingling, I have money too."

Jin Zhao's gaze shifted.

Meng Yanxi stared at her with his dark eyes: "Lingling, do you know the complete meaning of this sentence?"

Before the holiday, Jin Zhao took 1119 to the movies, and Meng Yanxi would occasionally join them.

Because he had only recently finished watching it, Jin Zhao still remembered it. It was what Rhett said to Scarlett in "Gone with the Wind" when he proposed to her—"I have money, why don't you marry me? You're going to get married anyway."

Jin Zhao's heart stopped beating, and she stared straight at him.

Meng Yanxi looked straight at her, hooked his fingers under her chin, and as he leaned down to kiss her, he said in a hoarse voice, "Besides money, I can also give you the loyalty of someone who has never had faith before."

...

Outside, the rain was pouring down, as if the sky had been torn open and the rain was pouring down in a disastrous way, like the end of the world.

The two people in the hotel room felt like it was the end of the world.

Landslides and tsunamis, ice and fire, a desperate and reckless entanglement and revelry.

Amidst scalding sweat, Meng Yanxi got up to grab a condom from the bedside table.

Jin Zhao grasped his arm.

His forearm was hot and hard, and her palms were damp and sticky.

He heard her trembling voice whisper, "No need, it's inside."

-----------------------

Author's Note: Little Dumpling is here!

This chapter is now complete. I've added 3,000 words, making it a total of 6,000 words—two chapters combined! And I even moved house during the day today. I'm so amazing!

Note: This is the loyalty of someone who has never had faith. — Jorge Luis Borges