Chapter 29 - Getting Married: I want you to know I've been looking forward to this for a long time...
The flight was delayed, and Fu Qingli's flight landed in Beicheng close to dusk.
The boss suddenly returned to Beijing. The driver thought there was some important work to arrange and he had to go back to the company. However, as soon as he got in the car, the driver asked him to drive to a residential area outside the Fourth Ring Road.
As the sunset faded, Fu Qingli's face grew increasingly gloomy.
The conversation with Lin Xi stopped at around 8 a.m.
Murmure: [I was in such a rush to leave that I forgot to tell you, a friend is coming from Nanqing today, I need to go buy some congratulations first, I'll probably be out all day.]
Murmure: [We go to a lot of places, so I left Gun Gun at home.]
Ting: [Okay, be careful, let me know when you get home.]
Murmure: [Mmm]
All the way, Gun Gun's words kept echoing in his ears: "Xiao Xi answered the phone early and got up to get ready. Later, a man called, and Gun Gun thought Xiao Xi was very happy, but Gun Gun couldn't understand what they were saying. He only heard Xiao Xi call him something like 'brother.' Not long after hanging up, Xiao Xi went out. She and Xiao Xi said it wasn't convenient for Gun Gun to come with them today, so they told Gun Gun to stay at home, saying they would introduce Gun Gun to new friends tonight!"
In fact, Fu Qingli had a vague guess about what Gun Gun had said.
This speculation made him increasingly agitated, and he would check his watch every few minutes to confirm the time.
Seeing Fu Qingli's actions, the driver assumed he had an appointment and was in a hurry to get there, so he silently sped up and tried to take the least congested route to get there as quickly as possible.
But when he arrived at the destination given by Fu Qingli, he neither got out of the car nor called the person he had arranged to meet.
Sitting in the back seat, he gazed intently at the entrance hall not far away, silent, lost in thought.
As the sky gradually darkened, the streetlights in the neighborhood came on. The elderly residents came out for a stroll after finishing their meals, then went back home to enjoy the air conditioning.
Fu Qingli still did not react.
After hesitating for a long time, the driver finally mustered up the courage to ask, "Mr. Fu, would you like me to buy you some dinner first?"
"No need." Fu Qingli withdrew her gaze, her voice hoarse as if coarse sand was being ground together.
He picked up the bottled water beside him and drank it all in one gulp, only then did his throat feel a little better. "Leave the car here, you go back first, thank you for your hard work."
Seeing Fu Qingli's furrowed brow, the driver didn't dare to say anything more. After a brief farewell, he left the residential area to hail a taxi.
The driver was very lucky tonight. As soon as he stepped out of the community gate, a taxi stopped at the entrance to drop off a passenger.
A man and a woman got out of the taxi, one in front of the other. The man, who had a handsome and rugged appearance, turned around and helped the woman with her shopping bags after getting out of the car.
By the light of the streetlights at the entrance of the residential area, the driver could see that the girl had delicate features and a gentle, soft appearance typical of women from the Jiangnan region. She looked strangely familiar to him, but he couldn't remember where he had seen her before.
He subconsciously glanced at it a few more times, trying to find the slightest clue in his memory.
However, this behavior immediately alerted the man, who immediately turned his sharp gaze toward her.
The driver smiled awkwardly at him, looked away, and quickly got into the taxi and drove off: "Driver, to XX residential area."
The moment the wheels started rolling, he couldn't help but look through the rearview mirror.
A sudden realization dawned on him: no wonder the girl looked familiar! Wasn't she the girl his boss had made him drive around with all day when he went to Jiangcheng all these years?!
Wait, she has a boyfriend?!
What about the boss?!
"Honestly, my mom is something else. I came here mainly for work! Why did she call you so early?" Zhou Leyan weighed the things in her hands and couldn't help but say to Lin Xi, "And you too! Getting up early and running around all day just to buy these things, don't you even care about the weight! What can't you buy in Nanqing? I'll buy whatever my mom needs! Just relax this weekend, she doesn't need anything! Stop worrying about this!"
Despite being scolded by Zhou Leyan, Lin Xi wasn't angry. She wrinkled her nose and retorted, "What I bought and what you bought have different meanings! This is my sentiment!"
Zhou Leyan glanced at her: "I'm very touched that you have this thought! Her biggest worry is that you're living alone in Beicheng and not taking good care of yourself!"
By the light of the neighborhood streetlights, he took another closer look at her face. "But this time it's not bad. Her face looks a bit rounder than last time."
"Huh?" Lin Xi reached up and touched her cheek. "You've really gotten fat?"
These days, Fu Qingli has arranged all three meals for her, with regular times and dishes that suit her taste.
Unlike when I was eating carelessly by myself, my appetite is definitely better than before.
However, since she was still wearing the same size clothes and pants as before, she thought she hadn't gained weight, but her face had actually become rounder.
"You've gained a little weight, but you're not fat." Zhou Leyan couldn't help but nag, "You're already very thin. The doctor said you're too thin. Don't think about losing weight just because you've gained a little weight, or I'll tell my mom that you're not eating properly and have her come to Beicheng to take care of you!"
"No, no, no!" Lin Xi waved her hands repeatedly. "Don't trouble Aunt Yao. I'm eating well and living a good life now. I'm not just going through the motions. You can check for yourself later if you don't believe me!"
"Of course I have to check it carefully! Why are you arguing with us? You just kept the money we gave you, why did you secretly put it back? You don't know how worried my mom was when she saw the bankbook! After deducting your expenses, how much could you save from your previous salary? The cost of living in Beicheng is so high, my mom is worried all the time that you might not have enough money, and that you're squeezing into a basement with other people to save money!"
As Zhou Leyan spoke, she looked around the small house. "Before coming here, I checked and found that this community was built 20 or 30 years ago. I didn't expect the environment and facilities to be so good. The rent must be eight or nine thousand a month, right?"
Lin Xi chuckled, her expression a little smug: "Four thousand. I was lucky at the time. The landlord was a retired teacher. The two elderly people lived in the suburbs and wanted to find long-term tenants to look at the house. He said that if I rented for five years or more, the monthly rent would be half off, so I signed a five-year contract directly."
Zhou Leyan narrowed her eyes warily, somewhat incredulous: "Half price? Such a nice landlord? Have we met? Is it safe?"
"I've never met them in person. They're all through real estate agents. The agent is an acquaintance of the company boss, and many of my colleagues rent from them. It's safe!"
As Lin Xi spoke, she led him into the apartment and onto the elevator.
Unbeknownst to her, a deep gaze had been following them ever since they appeared from a Mercedes-Benz G-Class parked on the side of the road.
Their eyes appear calm and still, but beneath them lies a turbulent undercurrent.
It really was him!
Zhou Leyan, a man who fits the image of the boy next door even better than I do!
Watching the two disappear side by side into the foyer, Fu Qingli picked up her phone several times to turn on the camera, but at the last moment, she was restrained by her last remaining rationality.
Time seemed to drag on endlessly, and after what felt like forever, no one came out.
Fu Qingli gave a wry smile and looked away. Her previously mild craving for cigarettes suddenly became exceptionally strong at this moment.
I rummaged through the storage box and actually found the half-pack of cigarettes I had left behind.
He knocked out a cigarette, lit it with a lighter, and took a deep breath by the still-burning flame.
Perhaps because I hadn't smoked in a long time, the smoke in my lungs caused a sharp pain throughout my body, which finally cleared my tired mind.
But before he could sort out his confusion, someone knocked on the car window from the outside.
The car windows were tinted with privacy film, so people outside couldn't see what was happening inside, but Fu Qingli could see the man outside clearly.
Zhou Leyan smiled righteously and stood by the car, knocking on his car window.
The once carefree and irreverent boy has shed his childish arrogance and grown into a reliable man with a steadfast and composed demeanor.
Fu Qingli took another drag of her cigarette with a brooding expression before pressing the window button without any further emotion.
"Hey bro, can I borrow a light..."
Before Zhou Leyan could finish speaking, the car window rolled down, and he saw the person inside. He couldn't help but show a look of surprise and delight. "Fu Qingli?! You're back in the country?"
Fu Qingli's expression was indifferent, and she let out a soft "hmm" through her nose without any emotional fluctuation.
He pointed to the lighter on the control panel: "Want more?"
"No need, no need." Zhou Leyan waved her hand, her smile genuinely happy. "I just noticed this car looked a bit suspicious, and my professional instincts kicked in, so I came over to check. Seeing that it was you, I'm relieved!"
A car worth five or six million yuan parked in this teachers' apartment complex is already eye-catching, not to mention Fu Qingli's undisguised gaze, which had already caught Zhou Leyan's attention.
Coupled with Lin Xi's seemingly normal yet unreasonable talk of half-price rentals, Zhou Leyan naturally became extra cautious.
Fu Qingli knew that after graduating from university, he returned to Nanqing to follow in his father's footsteps and become a criminal police officer.
He stared gloomily at Zhou Leyan as he smoked, seemingly not intending to start a conversation.
Zhou Leyan didn't mind, pointed up, and asked him with certainty, "So, you arranged Xiaoxi's house, right?"
"Um."
"Is that giant panda upstairs yours too?"
"Um."
"You're amazing!"
Faced with Fu Qingli's indifferent monosyllabic response, Zhou Leyan, whether heartless or genuinely unconcerned, picked up the travel bag she was holding and showed it to Fu Qingli, "We haven't seen each other in a long time, this stuff is a bit heavy, could you please take me to the high-speed rail station? We can catch up on the way, and I'll also give your luxurious car a ride!"
Fu Qingli frowned, a sense of impending doom gathering in her eyes.
Within seconds, he seemed to have suppressed his emotions, his brows relaxed, and he reached out to open the door and get out of the car: "Okay, you can drive there yourself!"
As he spoke, he walked around to the passenger seat.
"Alright!" Zhou Leyan didn't stand on ceremony, threw his bag into the back seat, and got into the driver's seat himself.
As night deepened, the car drove out of the residential area and onto the expressway leading to the high-speed rail station.
Fu Qingli sat in the passenger seat, her eyes slightly closed.
Outside the window, the neon lights on the street cast ever-changing shadows on his face, and the bizarre interplay of light and shadow made the dark circles under his eyes even more noticeable.
Zhou Leyan glanced at Fu Qingli out of the corner of her eye. His shirt and trousers were also noticeably wrinkled, making him look like he had been traveling.
In my memory, Fu Qingli had a slight obsession with cleanliness; she was always clean and tidy whenever we met.
Even after exercising, I have to take a shower before eating, and I even scorn myself for having "spoiled brat syndrome."
Zhou Leyan broke the silence: "Did you just come back from somewhere?"
"Haicheng." Fu Qingli didn't even lift her eyelids, coldly throwing out two words.
Zhou Leyan understood: "Because they knew I was coming?"
Fu Qingli neither responded nor denied it, but simply opened her eyes and looked at him with a gloomy expression.
As if oblivious to his murderous gaze, Zhou Leyan continued to ask the questions he wanted to know: "Are you going back to Beicheng temporarily, or are you going to settle down there in the future? What are your other plans?"
“Look at Xiaoxi, she wants to stay in Beicheng, so we’ll settle there; if she doesn’t want to, then she can settle wherever she likes.”
Fu Qingli's words answered two questions at the same time; his plans for the future were both related to Linxi.
Wherever Lin Xi goes, he goes.
We are determined to win!
He believed Zhou Leyan understood what he meant!
He was prepared for Zhou Leyan to question him, after all, during the years he was absent, it was Zhou Leyan and her son who stayed by Lin Xi's side and accompanied her through the darkest and most gloomy days.
Unexpectedly, Zhou Leyan breathed a sigh of relief as if a huge knot had been untied: "With you here, my mom can rest assured, and she doesn't need to urge me to check on my sister every day to see if she's suffering!"
Younger sister? Is this how Zhou Leyan defines Lin Xi's identity?
Fu Qingli looked surprised and hesitated as she gazed at Zhou Leyan, then said, "You're not..."
"Yes, I like Lin Xi, and I still do." Zhou Leyan admitted frankly and openly. "The reason I fought with you that year was because I was resentful that even though I met her first, the person she liked was you. You should know that."
The Zhou and Lin families live in the residential compound, one on each floor.
When Lin Xi was one year old, her mother passed away. Her father, Lin Fengyuan, was a criminal police officer in the city bureau and could not take care of both his work and family. He also could not find a reliable live-in nanny for the time being.
Zhou Leyan's mother, Yao Wenxiu, couldn't bear to see this and took the initiative to take care of Xiao Linxi, saying that since she was going to stay home to look after Zhou Leyan anyway, she might as well take care of him too.
The two grew up together, but Zhou Leyan was two years older than Lin Xi. He had a carefree personality since childhood, and when he took care of Lin Xi, she would always bump into things or get hurt. Even a simple task like feeding her would make little Lin Xi cry loudly, which earned him a lot of scolding from his mother.
At that time, he found the little girl next door annoying; she had short arms and legs and was very spoiled.
Therefore, he spends all his time going out to play with the children in the family compound, but never takes her with him.
Zhou Leyan was a late bloomer when it came to romance. When he went to college, he heard his roommates discussing the girls they liked, and Lin Xi popped into his mind.
She is a pretty and charming girl next door with an optimistic and cheerful personality. She is usually well-behaved and sensible, but when she does "naughty" things with him, she turns into a quirky and mischievous character.
It took him a long time to realize that he had truly fallen for the girl next door who he had always found annoying.
But at that time, Lin Xi was a junior in high school, and he couldn't let it affect her studies, so he decided to wait.
But before Lin Xi could grow up, she received news that Fu Qingli had transferred to a school in Beicheng and moved into the Lin family home, where they were inseparable.
He comforted himself, telling himself it was okay. He had gotten to know Lin Xi first and spent more time with her, so he definitely had a better chance than Fu Qingli, who had only appeared during the holidays as his "brother".
Finally, Lin Xi went to university. He planned to confess his feelings during the National Day holiday, but he saw Fu Qingli pull Lin Xi, who was frightened by a small snake in the grass, into his arms and gently comfort her by rubbing her head.
Sometimes, a single glance between rivals can ignite a torrent of fury.
Two 22-year-old adults got into a huge fight over something so trivial they can't even remember the details.
Afterwards, the two never mentioned the incident again, and apart from maintaining a slight politeness in front of others, they had no further communication.
"But what's the use of being unwilling? Feelings don't care about who came first."
“Fu Qingli,” Zhou Leyan’s voice was low, but his restraint was still evident, “Actually, when I found out you two broke up, seeing how sad Xiaoxi was, I thought since you didn’t cherish her, I would take her away from you. I would pamper her and love her just like you did. But…”
He suddenly fell silent until the road sign showed the words "North City East Station," at which point he spoke again, but about something else entirely.
“There’s a bottle of perfume on Xiaoxi’s bedside table, the same brand as the gift bag on the back seat of yours. She bought it when she was a junior in college. She was very poor then, but she refused to spend the money my mother gave her, nor did she want to use Uncle Lin’s pension. She lived a very frugal life. Yet she still spent more than a thousand yuan to buy that bottle of perfume. I asked her why, and at first she refused to spend more, but then one time… when she was having a seizure and not very clear-headed, she said it was because the scent was very similar to the one you wear.”
*
After Zhou Leyan left, Fu Qingli took the gift bag from the back seat and took out the perfume, which was still in its original packaging.
Dawn in the Snow Country.
This is a perfume he saw in Linxi's WeChat Moments.
That day she wrote: "[Spending all the money I had to ensure a good night's sleep was totally worth it!]"
When he saw her post on WeChat Moments, he simply assumed she liked the scent of perfume.
So when I saw it in the mall, I just asked the store clerk to pack it up.
Lin Xi has loved things with a fragrance since she was a child.
Every time she hugs herself, she smells her own scent.
He asked her, and she said it had a woody scent of cedar.
At that moment, he only felt her light breath spraying on his neck, making his skin itch, and the sensation spread all the way to his heart.
Looking back now, the salesperson did indeed mention cedar in the top, middle, and base notes of this perfume.
So, during those agonizing sleepless nights, she used them to create illusory dreams, deceiving herself into believing that he was still by her side.
For the first time, he began to doubt Dr. Han's judgment from back then.
If his presence wouldn't upset her or make it harder for her to face her father's death.
He abandoned her alone for six whole years!
Fu Qingli dared not think too deeply. Her slender fingers unconsciously curled and pulled in, crumpling the perfume box and digging into her flesh without her noticing.
He only snapped out of his daze when his phone rang, and looked around blankly before finally finding it in a storage box on the left side of the driver's seat.
He probably left it on the seat when he got off the bus, and Zhou Leyan just casually put it there.
Upon seeing that it was Lin Xi's video, Fu Qingli rubbed her face vigorously, forced a smile to make her expression less stiff, and then answered the phone.
Fortunately, the dim lighting inside the car concealed the sadness and dejection between his brows.
Lin Xi observed his surroundings and, fearing he was busy, cautiously asked in a soft voice, "Are you in the car? Is it convenient for us to talk?"
"Yes, I'm in the car, alone." Seeing Lin Xi's simple and gentle smile, Fu Qingli's gaze softened.
Lin Xi breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed as she explained, "Gungun said you went back to Beicheng during the day, and when I sent you a message you didn't reply to, so I called you."
Fu Qingli checked the records and found that messages had indeed been coming in steadily over the past hour and a half.
Murmure: [I'm home! My friend Zhou Leyan came over today; he's Aunt Yao's son. He's in Beicheng on a business trip and stopped by to see me.]
Murmure: [You've seen the obituary, so you should know that Dad and Uncle Zhou had the accident together. Aunt Yao stayed with me day and night during that time. I went out and bought some things today, and asked Zhou Leyan to take them back to her.]
Murmure: [Gungun said you came to North City? Why didn't you tell me? I just found out.]
Murmure: [So when are you leaving? I'd like to treat you to dinner before you go!]
Seeing the time, Zhou Leyan went downstairs and she sent a text message.
At that time, his attention was focused on Zhou Leyan, and he didn't see the message.
Fu Qingli skipped over her own affair with Zhou Leyan and explained gently, "I suddenly wanted to come back and see you. My flight was delayed, and I didn't arrive until evening. Since you were still outside, I didn't tell you."
"When are you leaving?" Lin Xi asked, noticing him in the car, and suddenly a possibility occurred to her. "Not now, is it?"
His tone of voice was somewhat urgent.
"No, I'm just dropping off a friend at the station." Fu Qingli smiled reassuringly. "I'll stay for two days. Is the meeting tomorrow afternoon? What time does it end?"
"The meet-and-greet ends at 3:30, and we should be able to leave around 4:00. How about I treat you to dinner tonight?"
Fu Qingli nodded: "Okay, I'll pick you up then."
The two had long since lost count of how many meals they had shared at the same table, and during the days they lived together, they had seen each other at their most unkempt.
But this first formal invitation after the reunion always evokes a strange sense of anticipation and longing.
Lin Xi's heart was pounding. After hanging up the phone, she started rummaging through her closet for clothes to wear the next day.
After searching for a long time, I realized that I have been living a very unrefined life in recent years. Apart from a few OL-style suits that I specially prepared to wear on formal occasions, all my clothes are clothes that are easy to move in.
The few dresses I own are not suitable for this season.
In the end, I had no choice but to give up and chose a shirt and jeans.
I was thinking that if I had time at noon, I would buy a set at the World Trade Center shopping mall.
*
The meeting officially began at 1 p.m., and the process went smoothly.
As the interactive activity drew to a close, Lin Xi began quietly assigning tasks to the group members to finish up for the evening.
"Team Leader Lin."
A familiar voice came from behind her, and Lin Xi turned around to greet him: "Team Leader Liu".
The visitor was Liu Hanzhi, the deputy leader of the fourth overseas team. The two teams were responsible for similar sites these days, and Lin Xi had met her a few times, but they were not close.
With a broad smile, Liu Hanzhi handed a rectangular express box to Lin Xi: "Your package, the courier will bring it over too. I'll sign for it for you once I see your name on it."
"Thanks."
Lin Xi took it with a puzzled look, not remembering that she had bought anything and sent it here. Her package address was always the courier station at the teachers' apartment.
However, the package did indeed have her name and the last few digits of her phone number on it.
The order form was clean, without the usual markings made by deliverymen with markers.
The box is very light, and when shaken, you can hear some cards clattering inside.
She wanted to ask about the specifics, but found that Liu Hanzhi had already left quietly.
Knowing that I was here today, could it be that Fu Qingli sent it?
But aren't we supposed to meet later? He just said he's on his way here. Is there anything he can't give you in person?
While fans were still surrounding Bei Nan signing autographs and there was nothing else to do, Lin Xi entrusted Gun Gun to Zhou Qi and took the package to the restroom to see what was inside.
The sealing tape was easy to tear open, allowing you to see what was inside.
Lin Xi's face immediately turned deathly pale. Her hand trembled and she lost her grip, causing the box to fall and the photos inside to spill out and scatter all over the floor.
Lin Xi squatted down to pick it up, but tears fell faster than she could, large drops landing on the photo.
She tried to wipe away the tears, but they fell even more rapidly, blurring the image in the photo and leaving only large patches of blood, which was particularly shocking.
Lin Xi was trembling all over, like a withered leaf that was about to fall and shake in the wind.
My senses were instantly sealed with a layer of wax, isolating me from everything outside, leaving only a sharp scream in my mind, intense yet silent.
Suddenly, a pair of clear red high heels appeared in my blurred vision, more vivid and real than the dried pool of blood.
Lin Xi was so startled that she stepped back, but forgot that she was squatting and sat down on the ground with a thud.
She looked up in alarm. The newcomer was dressed in a festive red dress, with bright red lips curving into a smile that was both dignified and utterly mocking.
Su Yi'an kicked the photo on the ground with her toe, her voice filled with surprise as if she had discovered something amusing: "So you really are mentally ill!"
Lin Xi wanted to speak, but her teeth chattered, and she couldn't utter a complete sentence: "You...this..."
"Yes, this is a gift for you."
Su Yi'an crouched down to be at eye level with Lin Xi, picked up a piece of paper, and waved it in front of her: "I heard that Lin Fengyuan was stabbed more than 20 times before he died, and his intestines were spilling out. The body you saw was probably a disemboweled corpse that had been sewn back up, right?"
“I feel so sorry for you. You were born without a mother and raised by her, and you didn’t even get to see your father one last time before he died. That’s why I specially found these photos of the scene so you can see how tragically your father, Lin Fengyuan, died!”
As Su Yi'an said, Lin Xi saw her father's body in the police station morgue. His body was covered with a blindingly white cloth, revealing only his familiar but bloodless face.
My father had bruises and wounds on his face, but the bloodstains had been wiped clean, and even his hair had been neatly combed by his colleagues.
The only photograph she had ever seen was the one accompanying the obituary in the newspaper, which showed a large pool of dried blood, but no bodies.
However, Su Yi-an provided photos of the scene, which were used by the police as evidence and for their records. Each photo showed the scene in its most authentic form, without any attempt to conceal the blood or wounds.
A pool of dark red blood, dried wounds, and a father who was no longer alive.
Everything was directly stimulating Lin Xi's heart.
Su Yi'an carefully laid out the photos in front of Lin Xi: "Honestly, after reading about your background, I suddenly understand why you covet other people's things every day! You cling to Fu Qingli just because he's nice to you. Your closest parents died tragically, what do you deserve? But if you ask me, they really deserved to die for raising you like this!"
"Smack—"
Su Yi'an was about to say something more when she suddenly felt a burning pain on her face.
She looked incredulously at Lin Xi, who had just been unable to even squat down.
Before she could react, Lin Xi slapped her across the face again.
"You! How dare you hit me?!"
Enraged, Su Yi'an lunged forward, trying to subdue Lin Xi.
Unexpectedly, Lin Xi, who had been trembling and unable to exert any strength, was even faster than her. She tackled Lin Xi to the cold ground, grabbed Lin Xi's hands and pinned them to her sides, and used one leg to pin down Lin Xi's flailing legs.
"You can criticize me, but you can't criticize my parents!"
Lin Xi gritted her teeth and forced out the words.
Her face was extremely gloomy, and her bloodless face looked deathly pale in the cold light of the bathroom.
Su Yi'an had been pampered since childhood and had never suffered such grievances.
She showed no remorse and tried desperately to break free from Lin Xi's control, verbally lashing out, "I told you, what can you do about it? Did I say something wrong? You can't keep anyone. Do you think someone like you can keep Fu Qingli? It won't be long before he abandons you too. You only deserve to stay in a mental hospital and die alone!"
"Ha!" Lin Xi suddenly let out a loud, cold laugh, her gaze suddenly becoming unusually calm and indifferent. "Yes, I have a mental illness! Do you know that mentally ill people who commit murder during an episode are not held criminally responsible? Do you want to try?"
Su Yi'an planned to use this method to trigger Lin Xi's illness, which would both make her disappear from Fu Qingli's sight and make her realize that Lin Xi was not even a normal person and how could she be worthy of him sacrificing so much to be with her.
But she didn't expect Lin Xi, who was suffering from an attack, to unleash such strength. Not only was she unable to struggle, but she was also constantly in danger of losing her life.
Lin Xi's icy gaze, as if she were looking at a dead person, left Su Yi'an with no doubt that she would actually make a move the next second!
A chill ran down Su Yi'an's spine, and all her usual arrogance vanished: "Don't do anything rash! Please don't do anything rash, let's talk this out! Whatever you want, I'll give you anything!"
"Anything is acceptable? Then can you kowtow and apologize to my father?"
Su Yi'an bit her lip tightly and remained silent, refusing to agree to such a humiliating thing.
"Very good!" Lin Xi tightened his grip on her hands, his nails digging into her flesh as if to draw blood.
Su Yi'an winced in pain, knowing that Lin Xi wouldn't let her off easily, so she could only try to calm her down: "Okay! I promise you! Let me go first."
She planned in her mind that she would get up and counterattack when Lin Xi loosened her grip, and with her height advantage, she would definitely be able to subdue her.
Lin Xi gave her no chance at all. She loosened her knees and, from who knows where her petite frame got the strength, pulled her up from the ground with both hands. Then, with a turn of her body, she twisted her hands behind her back.
Su Yi'an was forced into a kneeling position.
Lin Xi pressed her knee down again, preventing Su Yi'an from straightening up.
She still had the energy to reach for her phone in her pocket, turn on the video, and say, "Let's begin!"
*
"Was that person who ran out the Lin Group member?" Li Ru, who was tidying up, suddenly shouted.
The activity ended ten minutes ago, and the group members couldn't find Linxi anywhere, and no one answered when they called her.
Assuming she was busy and unable to answer the phone, everyone proceeded with the finishing touches according to their previous assignments.
Unexpectedly, she suddenly saw a woman dressed and with a figure very similar to Lin Zu, with disheveled hair rushing out from some corner and running frantically, bumping into people without stopping. Judging from her back, she knew that something must have happened to her.
Zhou Qi looked in the direction she was pointing, and Gun Gun, who was at her feet, darted over like an arrow: "Little Stream~"
She wanted to chase after her, but suddenly remembered Fu Qingli's instructions. She took out her phone and called Fu Qingli: "Brother Fu, something happened to my sister-in-law. She just suddenly ran out!"
"Which door? I don't know!" Zhou Qi was on the verge of tears. "Yes, Gun Gun... Gun Gun followed!"
*
Lin Xi felt like a drowning person, struggling desperately with all four limbs, but still surrounded and swallowed by the surging despair.
She kept running forward, wanting to escape all this pain, wanting to run back to the past, back to those carefree days.
No matter when I go home, I always have my father's love and Fu Qingli's company.
But now she doesn't know where she is. No matter where she goes, all she sees is unfamiliarity and loneliness.
Countless people passed by, yet she felt incredibly lonely and helpless.
She was all alone, facing this world shattered by reality.
She had nowhere to go.
Nowhere is home, there is no home anymore.
Finally, Fu Qingli found Linxi at a bus stop two stops away from the World Trade Center.
Under the scorching sun, she sat on the waiting bench, her legs tucked into her chest, her arms tightly wrapped around herself.
Her head was lowered, resting in the crook of her arm, her hair disheveled and covering her face, making it impossible to tell her condition.
Gun Gun anxiously circled around her, and upon seeing Fu Qingli, rushed over, its voice trembling with anxiety and tears: "Fu Qingli, please help Xiaoxi!"
In the sweltering heat of 38 or 39 degrees Celsius, Lin Xi's body trembled incessantly, as if she were both cold and afraid.
Fu Qingli took two steps forward, not caring whether she would frighten her, and opened her arms to embrace her completely: "Xiaoxi, don't be afraid, it's me, Fu Qingli, I'm here."
Lin Xi let him do as he pleased, completely absorbed in her own emotions.
Fu Qingli brushed the hair that was blocking her eyes behind her ear, revealing her tear-filled face. She then noticed that her lips were moving incessantly as she whispered something.
"Xiaoxi, what do you want to say?"
Fu Qingli leaned in close, so close that she could barely make out that Lin Xi said, "I want to go home."
Fu Qingli pressed his forehead against hers, his eyes reddening and shimmering with tiny lights, and coaxed her gently, "Okay, I'll take you home now."
Hearing this, Lin Xi's dazed gaze slowly regained focus. She looked up at him and repeated uncertainly, "Go home?"
"Yes, let's go home. I'll take you home."
Fu Qingli thought that the word "home" could warm her closed-off heart.
Lin Xi suddenly began to struggle violently, reaching out to pull at her hair, her voice filled with despair that broke one's heart: "But I don't have a father anymore, I have no home!"
"I have no home anymore!"
Fu Qingli tightened his grip, holding Lin Xi's slender body tightly to prevent her from losing control and hurting herself: "Xiao Xi, I am Fu Qingli, I am your brother. As long as I'm here, you have a home!"
Lin Xi cried even harder and struggled more violently, pushing him away with both hands, trying to break free from his embrace: "I know you are Fu Qingli, you are not mine. One day you will be with someone else, you will marry her, and you will abandon me again like before."
"I have no home, I can't keep anyone! You will leave me too, and in the end I'll be all alone!"
Fu Qingli had no way of knowing why she suddenly thought that way.
Seeing Lin Xi's heartbroken state, the usually calm man had only one thought in his mind—since she lacked a sense of security so much, he would try his best to give her a sense of security.
Marrying Lin Xi had been part of his future plans for a long time.
"Then let's get married, and be bound together forever, so we'll never have to worry about separating again!"
"marry?"
Lin Xi stopped struggling and looked at the man in front of her in disbelief, unable to believe that he was real.
She reached out to touch his face, but her hand froze halfway down, afraid of waking him up again like before. "Am I dreaming again?"
But in reality, even in her dreams, she never dared to imagine that Fu Qingli would propose to her.
Fu Qingli held her hand and pressed it against her cheek: "It's true. If you're willing, we can go back now to get the household registration book. We can register at the street office near Xuefu Mingyuan. We can still make it if we go now!"
The warmth at her fingertips felt real, yet Fu Qingli's words made her feel like it was all an illusion.
Whether it was true or not, she couldn't bring herself to refuse: "I'm willing!"
How could she not agree?
In those sleepless nights when I couldn't face reality, I relied on that similar smell to deceive myself again and again that he was still there, so that I wouldn't harden my heart and end my life, ending this hopeless and lonely existence.
“Okay, let’s go now.” Fu Qingli took out her phone, her expression resolute. “Xiaoxi, you can stop along the way, but I want you to know that I’ve been looking forward to this day for a long time!”
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