Chapter 80 Ignite the Fire: You're With Me, You'll Never Go Wrong
After saying this, Xin Mian hung up the phone without waiting for Zhang Jiandong to speak again.
Sitting next to her, Chi Yu kept his gaze fixed on her.
He heard the entire contents of that phone call.
The man frowned slightly, but gently rubbed her head with his large hand.
With just this simple action, Xinmian's nose suddenly felt sore.
She lowered her eyes and asked, "Chi Yu, am I particularly bad?"
Losing one's temper and lashing out at one's father seems morally reprehensible, regardless of the reason.
Chi Yu pulled her closer to her waist, turning her from sitting sideways to sitting face-up.
Rough fingertips gripped her chin, forcing her to look up.
A warm kiss landed unexpectedly, making a sound, and then quickly moved away.
Just a fleeting touch.
"You'll never go wrong with me."
This sounds like a vague and unrealistic statement, but with Chi Yu's abilities, he certainly has a way to make it a reality.
“I don’t know what happened between you two,” he said, looking at her intently, “but Xin Xiaomian, I have eyes and a heart, and I can tell what kind of person you are, your personality, your temper, and your moral character.”
"You must have your reasons for treating him this way."
He's not a three-year-old who believes everything people say.
He loves her, so naturally he will believe her, no matter what.
What he fears most is...
"Baby, if you feel wronged, you must tell me."
"OK?"
As soon as she finished speaking, tears welled up in Xinmian's eyes, and her vision suddenly blurred.
Tears fell one by one.
“Chi Yu…”
She threw herself into his arms and hugged him.
Chi Yu was taken aback, then hugged her back tightly, pressing his large hand on her shoulder, his voice incredibly gentle, "Why are you crying?"
On his sleeve were small circles from her tears, which had seeped in and blended into the fabric, leaving only faint traces.
Xin Mian sobbed, looking up at him through her blurry, tear-filled eyes, "...You'll stand by me unconditionally, won't you?"
"certainly."
"If I do something wrong, you'll still be on my side, right?"
"certainly."
He wiped away her tears, his tone serious yet relaxed, "Didn't you notice?"
"You have me completely under your thumb."
"...Yeah?"
Xin Mian didn't react.
“Of course,” he kissed her tear-stained eyelids, “baby, we are one.”
"You just need to remember this sentence."
Xinmian was so dizzy from crying that she couldn't think straight at all.
He could tell. “You’re crying now. You can think about what I’m saying more later.”
The man's gaze was deep, and his Adam's apple bobbed slightly. "With me, you can do whatever you want, anytime, anywhere."
Chi Yu sometimes feels incredibly fortunate that in the years before he met her, he hadn't slacked off or lived a life of mediocrity.
That's why he was able to unconditionally support her after meeting her, and he was able to accompany her to do anything she wanted.
Xin Mian cried and laughed incessantly, "When did you become so good at sweet talk..."
Chi Yu brushed her tear-dampened hair behind her ear and sighed inwardly.
Fool.
What kind of sweet talk is that?
She cried for a while, and after calming down, she slowly began to speak, "My parents divorced when I was very young..."
Xinmian's parents divorced when she was in elementary school. The reason for the divorce was not complicated; the couple simply had incompatible personalities.
Xinmian's mother fought hard to gain custody of Xinmian. In order to make things easier for the mother and daughter, Zhang Jiandong voluntarily gave up the marital home, saying that since he was a long-distance driver and often spent the night away from home, it would be a waste to give him the house.
But all other assets were given to Zhang Jiandong.
After the divorce, Xin Mian changed her surname to Xin, taking her mother's surname.
In order to make Xinmian's life better, her mother went from being a housewife to learning how to enter the workforce again.
It was indeed very difficult at first. Her mother often worked overtime and socialized to achieve her sales targets, and drinking was a common occurrence.
Xinmian knew her mother was going through a difficult time, so she was very sensible. She had been practicing drawing since she was a child and also did well in her studies.
I just don't want my mom to worry too much.
However, years of overwork had already taken a toll on her mother's health. One night, after finishing her social engagements, her mother returned home.
Because the place where she was entertaining herself was not far from home, she chose to walk home.
Unexpectedly, he suffered a heart attack halfway there and collapsed on the roadside.
In the dead of summer nights, even the wind carries a sticky heat.
There was no one on the roadside, and her mother had nowhere to turn for help.
When Xinmian woke up in the middle of the night and realized her mother hadn't come home, it was too late to call her.
After the police were notified, they found her mother's body on the roadside a few hundred meters away from the residential area.
Xinmian felt like the sky had fallen. The 14-year-old girl was caught completely off guard and suddenly had to face the death of her loved one.
But after the sadness, life still goes on.
Because her mother passed away and she was still a minor, guardianship and custody naturally fell to Zhang Jiandong.
The summer vacation when Xinmian was 14 years old was the first time she stepped into that unfamiliar "home".
Ge Qiuling was initially quite amiable towards her. Zhang Chenyi was unhappy that a "stranger" had suddenly appeared in her home, but under the reprimands of Zhang Jiandong and Ge Qiuling, she had no choice but to accept it.
Xinmian was still young then and couldn't see through Ge Qiuling's kindness towards her, realizing it was hypocrisy.
However, as she grew up, Ge Qiuling's harshness towards her in life became more and more obvious.
During her period in winter, she deliberately turned off the hot water valve when she showered; she tacitly allowed Zhang Chenyi to break her graphics tablet and laptop; she brought back cheap sanitary napkins in a black plastic bag for her to use; while she was staying at boarding school, she let her cousin from her hometown stay in her room, and Xin Mian even caught him installing a camera on the spot, but Ge Qiuling brushed it off with a few words...
There are many, many more such examples.
She tried to stand up for herself and talked to Zhang Jiandong about it, but Zhang Jiandong would only say—
"Mianmian, be good, be more sensible."
“Dad drives long distances and gets very tired. Aunt Ge takes care of things at home, and she works hard too. Be reasonable and don’t fuss over these little things.”
"Don't make things difficult for Dad, and don't come to me to tattle on him all the time."
She initially had high hopes for Zhang Jiandong, seeing him as her only lifeline, but later became increasingly disappointed in him.
Until one weekend during her senior year, Ge Qiuling called her and insisted that she come home for dinner.
Something seemed amiss, so she became suspicious.
When I got home, I overheard that Zhang Chenyi's grades in junior high school were so bad that he couldn't get into a public high school, and private high schools were too expensive for him to afford.
Ge Qiuling wanted to use her to do someone a favor.
The private high school they had their eye on had a son in his thirties who was unable to find a wife due to his gambling addiction. Ge Qiuling wanted to marry him off to the school so that the two families would become in-laws, and Zhang Chenyi would no longer have to worry about not having a high school to attend.
Xinmian never imagined that human evil could be like this.
She instinctively went to Zhang Jiandong and told him about it.
Zhang Jiandong was indeed very angry when he first heard it and had a big fight with Ge Qiuling. However, the practical problem of Zhang Chenyi going to school was right in front of him. Ge Qiuling cried and said that if he were capable, he wouldn't need to think of such crooked ways.
One sentence was enough to keep Zhang Jiandong rooted to the spot.
In the end, he repeated the same words, offering advice to Xinmian in return—
“Mianmian, your Aunt Ge knows she was wrong, don’t blame her.”
"Dad knows you're the most sensible one. You've always been very understanding. You'll understand Aunt Ge's predicament, won't you?"
"She will definitely not do that again."
"This family can't fall apart, please don't make things difficult for your father."
In that instant, Xin Mian coldly looked at Zhang Jiandong, who was slumped against the wall, and finally stopped having any expectations of him.
After that incident, she went back less and less often, only thinking about graduating as soon as possible and leaving Yuncheng after graduation.
That's why, as soon as I received my graduation certificate, I came to Wangshui Island with my luggage and signed a one-year rental contract.
If she hadn't been with Chi Yu, even if her contract expired next year and she didn't stay on Wangshui Island, she wouldn't have returned to Yuncheng.
Therefore, it's even less likely that I'll go back home for the Chinese New Year.
Xin Mian had never mentioned her family to anyone before; this was the first time.
In the end, she seemed relieved, without the sadness and heartache she had imagined.
But Chi Yu, standing in front of her, had a very unpleasant expression.
The man's handsome face was expressionless, his lips were tightly pressed together, and his eyes were cold and fierce.
She had only seen this expression on his face that night when he hit Li Ruifa.
Xin Mian's heart tightened. She cupped his face in her hands, a smile curving her lips, her dimples appearing faintly. "But I didn't let anyone bully me either."
"I later wrote an anonymous complaint letter to the principal's office about the director who violated the enrollment rules, and he was fired."
"And then there's Ge Qiuling's cousin. I once saw him acting suspiciously at the entrance of the women's restroom in a shopping mall. I shouted 'Catch the pervert!' He was blocked by the people around him and eventually arrested by the police."
She laughed, no longer bothering with people she didn't care about. "See, I'll fight back."
Although she sometimes despised herself for being incompetent and unable to turn Ge Qiuling's life upside down.
Chi Yu stared at her intently, his dark eyes filled with heartache.
So this is what his Mianmian used to live.
So she was lukewarm and hesitant. Even though she had feelings for him, she never dared to take that step. But she didn't want to go against her own will, so she could only passively accept his domineering attitude.
She longed to break free from the "sensible" label her father had attached to her, so that night, drunk, she boldly and passionately wanted to sleep with him.
But when she woke up, she regretted it.
She clearly enjoyed being with him, but never dared to express her true feelings.
Because every expectation and hope she had in the past had been ignored.
She has been betrayed by her closest loved ones and hurt by those she trusted, yet she has still grown into the beautiful woman she is today.
A complex and indescribable emotion welled up in Chi Yu's heart; he felt both relieved and sad.
He was glad he met her, but sad that he didn't meet her sooner.
What's even more heartbreaking is that she used to have to face that malice and indifference alone.
His gaze flickered slightly, and he suddenly gripped her waist tightly, pulling her into his arms and holding her close.
Those strong, powerful arms tightened continuously, as if trying to melt her entire being into their bones and blood.
“Chi Yu…”
"I am here."
He responded in a low voice, and Xin Mian wondered if she had misheard, but she could hear a slight tremor in his deep voice.
"Xin Xiaomian, you've worked hard."
"I'm sorry I didn't come to your side sooner."
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The author's note: The eternal themes of loving someone are heartache and guilt [crying][crying][crying] My heart aches for Mianbao.
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