Chapter 93
The window of longing that had been open for years was finally opened.
The two had changed their mindset quite a bit, and conflicts and estrangement arose, as evidenced by Chen Zhoujing's situation.
But Jian Sheng has cast aside the past and only thinks about the present.
She wanted to treat Chen Zhoujing as well as possible, at least to prevent him from being implicated by his family again and from leaving without a word.
She is the kind of person who keeps things to herself, finds it hard to speak out, and rarely takes the initiative.
So when he returned, she didn't take the initiative to find out, assuming that there would be no more contact between them or that a barrier had been erected between them.
But his actions instantly shattered her last remaining illusions.
Knowing his deep remorse stirred up even more emotions within me.
She held him tightly, her voice trembling as she uttered indistinct words: "It wasn't your fault, what happened back then was my fault... I... I want to apologize to you..."
"Don't blame yourself."
Jian Sheng released him and gently pushed against his chest, creating some distance between them.
She could clearly see the tear tracks running down his reddened eyes.
The pent-up emotions surged forth under the atmosphere.
Jian Sheng sniffled, sobbing and unable to speak.
Chen Zhou raised his hand and gently cupped her cheek, rubbing the corner of her eye with his thumb.
"Because he's your father..."
“Jian Qingyao said he pulled out a knife from behind…” Jian Sheng’s voice trailed off, his eyes darkening. “Let me see your back.”
As she was about to raise her hand, Chen Zhoujing grabbed it.
"I dodged what wasn't touched, but his hand..."
Jian Sheng frowned. She had gone back to see Jian Zihua once. Apart from a hand injury and a small cut on his forehead, he was otherwise unharmed. When he left, he was cursing and swearing, taking Chen Zhoujing's money while accusing Jian Sheng of being unfilial, before returning to Jiangzhou.
After a period of calm, he called her again when he was a sophomore at Jian Sheng University, using a number he somehow got, and said he would go to her school if she didn't give him money.
She gave it to him a few times, but Jian Qingyao found out. After that, Jian Zihua never called her again, only sending her warning messages.
Then, after his junior year, Jian Zihua disappeared completely. Jian Sheng would occasionally inquire about him from He Ying and, knowing that he was still alive, stopped caring about him.
She grasped his hand in return and suddenly noticed a faint scar on his forehead.
Jian Sheng's heart skipped a beat.
"How many wounds did you get?" Her hands unconsciously clenched.
The resentment in my heart was also growing wildly.
Chen Zhoujing subconsciously brushed aside a stray strand of hair: "No, this... I made him hit me, to return it to him, he... I hit him on the head too..."
He couldn't continue speaking; the emotions he was caught up in were making him feel terrible.
Jian Sheng had already lost hope in Jian Zihua ever since Zhou Yilian returned to Jeju.
Jian Zihua is a hopeless case, and he's dragging down a whole bunch of people.
But Chen Zhoujing's self-blame made her inexplicably irritable.
She finally spoke the heartless words she had been holding back: "You don't need to blame yourself for a rotten person. His death was just retribution. He had no feelings for me or my mother."
"We have already been extremely tolerant and kind to him."
"If it's because I'm related to him by blood, or because he gave me life, then I have to care about him for the rest of my life because of my father and blood ties, and to tolerate him uncontrollably and accept his disgusting and despicable behavior, especially when he's completely heartless, violent, and so indifferent that he only cares about money, then this will only encourage the bad seeds in his heart to grow stronger."
"Because he is my father, I have never spoken harshly to him. I always go along with him and obey him. Whatever he says goes. I even endure it when he hits me."
"I've been patient for many years, to the point that my offline status has been reduced again and again. All of this combined will only make him more aggressive."
"Calling him father is a nice thing to say. In my eyes, he is no longer a father. He is essentially an immature, irresponsible, and childish adult who only cares about playing by himself."
"My mom is really unlucky."
Jian Sheng paused for a moment, then looked at Chen Zhoujing's face: "Do you think I'm selfish and cold-hearted?"
Chen Zhou stared at her for a long time, so long that Jian Sheng thought he would be disappointed in her, but he smiled and relaxed his expression: "No."
"I wouldn't have done that before, I won't do it now, and I certainly won't do it in the future."
“I blame myself because these things made you feel uncomfortable, and made you feel that there is an insurmountable social and ethical barrier between us.”
"Because I feel that he is your father, I shouldn't lay a hand on him."
But Li Jing was right about one thing: Jian Zihua is not fit to be a father.
He continued, "Because of my impulsive decision to leave without a word and go abroad, leaving behind a mess and without giving you an explanation, I feel very guilty."
"What hurts me is that we could have had a great outcome, but because of my powerlessness, because my youthful ambitions were too high, I was unwilling to accept the feeling of falling from grace, so I ran away from the facts."
“Jian Sheng, at the time, I felt I had no ability or resources to face what seemed like a huge deal to me at that age... So my first thought was that I shouldn’t show up again, because I had caused trouble for you and your family.”
At that time, he had two options.
One option is to compromise, listen to Xu Weining, go abroad, and there will be no future.
Secondly, according to his score of 706, he persuaded Xu Weining to stay and study at Huainan University with Jian Sheng, to make up for her, and to spend his whole life making up for her.
But he could neither convince Xu Weining nor convince his own heart.
This incident, coupled with his utter disappointment in Xu Weining, led him to leave without a word.
But now a third possibility has emerged.
He looked closely at her face and explored the past in her beautiful eyes.
His face remained unchanged. He watched as her red lips parted slightly, and the way she frowned and moved her lips conveyed a familiar feeling to him.
Having been back for so many days, this is the first time I feel a little disoriented.
The melancholy in my heart vanished in that instant.
She said, "This would be a huge blow to anyone."
"But you can't dwell on this point. The argument arose because he used violence against me and you helped me."
"I should thank you; if it weren't for you, I would have died under his stick that day."
"So, don't blame yourself, okay?"
"It's all in the past. Let's not dwell on it anymore, okay?"
Jian Sheng's voice was pleading; she really hoped that Chen Zhoujing wouldn't keep blaming herself for Jian Zihua's matter.
If it weren't for him, she really wouldn't have been able to hold on that day. When Jian Zihua swung the stick at her, she had a momentary impulse to go down and see Zhou Yilian.
Chen Zhou nodded and hugged her tightly.
He lowered his head to the crook of her neck.
For a long, long time.
After they talked it out, Jian Sheng no longer sensed the strong sense of retreat that she had felt when they first met Chen Zhoujing.
We no longer heard him say anything like "I'm sorry" or "I feel guilty."
After delivering the clothes, the two had a meal and talked a lot about what had happened over the past few years.
He was eager to know everything about Jian Sheng.
Jian Sheng granted his wish and told him the basics of the matter.
A light rain began to fall outside the window. Jian Sheng watched the water droplets sliding down the glass and suddenly remembered the gift box he had left in the entryway.
Before she could delve deeper, the phone on the table vibrated.
She opened WeChat and received a notification that someone had added her on WeChat.
There was no introduction, just "I am".
The profile picture is a gray silhouette.
Just as I was about to click "add," a message suddenly popped up on WeChat.
Aunt Yang: "Keep your voice down. I've introduced you to a young man. See if he's added you on WeChat. He's a graduate student at Beilu University and works for a state-owned enterprise with excellent benefits. He owns a car and a house. He's also very handsome and, most importantly, very tall—1.83 meters. Lots of girls are chasing after him. But since you're family, I'm saving the best for you. Get to know him and see how things go."
A graduate student? A young man? Very tall?
Jian Sheng subconsciously looked up and saw Chen Zhoujing leaning back in his chair, leisurely watching her.
Judging from the looks of it, he's been watching her for quite some time.
She put her phone away and did not respond.
"What's wrong?" Chen Zhou asked in surprise.
Jian Sheng's ears burned: "No..."
Chen Zhou narrowed his eyes, not delving into the question, and simply said, "There's an art fair being held in New York next month by a gallery, and that Indonesian collector recommended you last time."
"Really?" Jian Sheng's pupils dilated slightly, and a surge of heat rose in his chest.
“There will be many collectors and artists in the industry, as well as some investors.” He finished with a smile.
The surprise came so suddenly that she was momentarily at a loss for words: "Thank you, Chen Zhoujing."
"You earned this opportunity yourself," Chen Zhou exclaimed. "Those collectors who have seen your work all appreciate it very much."
"And your work that you've consistently posted on foreign social media platforms over the past four or five years has been noticed. Remember to check your email."
"They didn't do it through me, they did it through your work."
“Li Zhun once told me that when I post my work, it often receives a lot of likes from people.”
"This is entirely due to your own abilities, you're welcome."
Jian Sheng was a little excited, but quickly calmed down: "Thank you for your introduction."
She understands that in the current environment, without a platform or resources, even the best works will find it difficult to go viral.
If such an opportunity were to arise, it would be a great avenue for advancement for her.
Just as she was about to say something, her phone rang again; this time it was a phone call.
"You took precautions beforehand." Chen Zhou raised his chin in surprise.
Jian Sheng took the phone.
"Hey, keep it down, can you hear me?"
"I can hear you, Aunt Yang, please speak." Jian Sheng pressed the volume button and turned the volume down a bit.
Aunt Yang asked, "Are you busy right now?"
"No, I'm eating out."
"Oh, then I'll tell you quickly so as not to keep you any longer. Take a look at the message I sent you on WeChat. You came back once before, and some people in the village asked me if I knew you. Look, they saw me walking with you, chatting and laughing. I couldn't very well say I didn't know you, so..."
"So she was thinking of introducing a potential partner to her son. I happened to inquire about it, and the family is wealthy, with a car and a house. Most importantly, the house is in the big city of Jiangzhou, and their son is a graduate student, tall and handsome. I thought, with such good conditions, I should introduce you to him."
"I heard from your aunt that you don't have a boyfriend yet..."
“Yes, Aunt Yang,” Jian interrupted her.
"No need to trouble you, we're eating right now."
After saying that, Aunt Yang still wouldn't give up: "Where is he from? What's his family's financial situation like? What kind of person is the young man? Where does he work? Oh dear, keep it down, I'm not trying to be mean, but the ones you find outside are definitely not as good as the ones back home. The ones I've introduced you to are all top-notch. The people outside aren't good, and they're too far away. You'll definitely come back when you get old, and we people from your hometown definitely know you inside and out..."
“…” Jian Sheng pursed his lips. “Well, Aunt Yang, I’ll tell you when I get back. I’m a little busy right now.”
"You heard what I said. Tell the young man not to be angry. I'm just a straightforward person with no bad intentions. I'm only doing this for your own good. Keep your voice down."
"Okay, let's put everything else aside for now. Just add him on WeChat. It's not like you have any other intentions. You can just be friends."
"Okay, I understand. I'll hang up now."
Jian Sheng hung up the phone and placed it face down on the table.
She awkwardly grinned and listed, "Relatives at home..."
"Okay, I'll take you back," Chen Zhou said in surprise.
"good."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
