Xia Wan thought for a moment and then fabricated a backstory for Cui Ziqi.
“He’s not a beggar. He used to be an investment banking manager at a company. I was going back to my hometown, so I didn’t want to hold him back any longer and unilaterally announced our breakup. Who knew he would quit his job and come after me?”
Upon hearing this, Xia's mother disapproved and rebuked her:
"You silly child, relationships involve two people. How could you unilaterally dump someone and force them to quit their job?"
"I just didn't want to hold him back."
"We need to discuss it together; your approach is inappropriate."
Xia Wan accepted the criticism.
Xia's father asked, "Where is he from? How many people are in his family?"
“He’s from an orphanage; he has no family, he’s all alone.”
Xia Wan then answered.
The way Xia's parents looked at her changed, their expressions revealing a complex mix of emotions.
It's as if their own daughter is a scumbag, but they also strongly condemn her because of the blood relationship.
Xia Wan endured the gaze that felt like she was being slowly tortured.
Before Xia's mother could speak again, Xia Wan quickly stood up.
"I'll go check on him!"
He then ran towards his bedroom.
Mr. Xia's eyes widened. "Why did you go in when they were changing clothes?"
Xia Wan ignored him and quickly pushed open the door.
Without even knocking, he slipped into the room.
Xia's father wanted to chase after them, but Xia's mother said, "Forget it, nothing will happen at home. Go cook."
Helpless, Xia's father went to the kitchen.
Inside Xia Wan's bedroom, Cui Ziqi had already changed his clothes.
The old white T-shirt and baseball jacket worn by Xia's father made Cui Ziqi's tall and upright figure appear quite stylish.
He stood by Xia Wan's desk, looking at the books on it.
He turned around when he heard the noise coming from the doorway.
"What are you looking at?"
Following Cui Ziqi's gaze, Xia Wan saw the book "The Spoiled Young Master's Daily Pampering" on the desk.
Turning to the last page of the book, she found a small portrait of Cui Ziqi that she had drawn a few days earlier tucked inside.
She quickly stepped forward and closed the book.
Cui Ziqi looked down at her, and after a long while, she managed to utter a sentence, "Xia Wan in the book was written based on your appearance, wasn't she?"
They look exactly alike.
Xia Wan thought he would come after her.
But Cui Ziqi's expression was normal, and there was no anger in his dark eyes, as if he did not have this idea.
She lightly scratched at the pages of the book with her fingertips and asked, "How did you get here?"
"You don't want me to come?"
These words carried a hint of anger.
Xia Wan quickly shook her head, "No, I wanted to ask how you got out? Were you injured?"
She had just smelled the blood on him.
Cui Ziqi lowered his eyes and stared at her, as if trying to etch this reality, so real it was almost unreal, into his mind. His wounds throbbed, but he seemed oblivious to it, pulling Xia Wan close and holding her tightly in his arms.
The girl's warm body and sweet fragrance filled his senses.
Only at this moment did he truly feel as if he were meeting her in person.
"If you try to get rid of me, I'll kill you!"
He spoke with a fierce tone.
Xia Wan, however, faintly detected a tremor in his words.
He was afraid, afraid that she would abandon him again.
Her heart ached, and her throat felt blocked, leaving her speechless for a moment.
But she hugged him back and gently patted his back.
Why would I send you away?
Her voice was choked with sobs.
After thinking for a moment, she said again, "I'm sorry."
Cui Ziqi's heart settled back into place, and he buried his face in the crook of her neck, inhaling her pleasant fragrance.
"I forgive you."
He's already tracked me all the way here, what's there to be angry about?
After they hugged for a while, Xia Wan asked him how he got out.
Cui Ziqi told the truth.
In the world of books.
After Xia Wan died, he went mad and ran to the hospital where Zheng Minghuai was, wanting to kill Zheng Minghuai and destroy the whole world.
His system told him that there was a way for him to go to Xia Wan's world, provided that he gave up everything he had in the book: money and status.
Cui Ziqi was all alone; his money and status were merely gifts from the Cui family, and proof of his struggle to survive in the world of the book.
Without Xia Wan, none of this matters.
He gave everything to Zuo Cheng, but disappeared into the world of the book like an alien.
Xia Wan didn't expect that her earlier joke would come true.
'I wish you could come home with me.'
This seemingly unattainable wish has actually come true.
She looked at Cui Ziqi and asked him a question that Cui Ziqi hadn't expected.
"So, you're currently an unregistered resident?"
Cui Ziqi looked at her with a complicated expression, and silently took out an ID card.
"The system gave it to me, saying it could only give me one ID card."
In other words, there's nothing else.
Xia Wan suddenly realized, "How did you find this place?"
“I saw Fengzhen in your painting before. I asked around and was told that the bus fare here is ten yuan. So I took a job illegally and scraped together the money to come here.”
Working illegally.
No wonder he looked so disheveled when I saw him just now.
Xia Wan tenderly pulled open his clothes, "Let me see where you're hurt?"
Just as she pulled open a corner of her clothes, Cui Ziqi chased after her and kissed her again.
His voice was soft and deep, "It's just a minor injury, it'll heal soon. I miss you."
Xia Wan's eyes reddened, and she hugged him back to return the kiss.
"I miss you too..."
On the breakfast table.
Xia Wan and Cui Ziqi sat on one side, while Xia's parents sat opposite them.
I thought Cui Ziqi would be nervous when she met her parents, but to my surprise, Cui Ziqi was completely calm.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
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