Chapter 1 Chapter 1 She didn't want to be his sister at all...
It was the beginning of winter when we returned to Bac Ninh, but northerners eat dumplings no matter what festival it is, and even the dumpling restaurant in the airport was packed.
Tang Ningyue didn't like dumplings and had no appetite. Before hanging up the fourth call on her phone, she was still using an air cushion to cover the kiss marks on her chest.
Due to limited conditions, she put it down after covering most of it, picked up the phone and finally answered the call for the first time today.
It's fine if it's just a formality to cover up the truth, but even if there is no such trace, it will inevitably become a topic of conversation behind someone's back. As long as your status remains, no matter how many ridiculous things you do, there will always be people praising you. So why waste time on such things?
Men don't have to be a reason, they are never on her list of plans.
"Yue'er, where have you been?" It has been a long time since I heard Wen Xi's voice, and she was still as good at being startled as usual.
"Still at the airport," she replied.
"Then I'll ask Xiao En to pick you up?"
"Xiao En? Who is that?" Tang Ningyue was packing her things, unable to find any information about this person in her memory.
"That handsome guy who sent you a photo before. Didn't he participate in the talent show held by your company before? Have you forgotten?"
Tang Ningyue tried hard to recall, but still had no impression of the person Wen Xi was talking about.
"No," she refused. She had just done it yesterday, and now her thighs still felt a little sore when she walked. "I have other things to do today, maybe next time."
"So are you going home or are you coming to my place to welcome you home?"
Tang Ningyue has always been surrounded by men, so Wen Xi expected to be rejected. Her principle is that fun should not interfere with important matters.
"I..." Tang Ningyue rubbed her lips with her fingers, wiped off the overflowing layer of nude lip gloss, and continued, "I'm going to Aunt Zhou's house first."
She paused, listening to the whistling wind outside the window, and then explained, "I haven't seen you for several years. I have to go see you first when I come back."
"Okay, then be careful on the road and tell Aunt Zhou hello for me."
"Um."
After hanging up the phone, Tang Ningyue carried her suitcase and squeezed out of the crowd. It was almost New Year's Day, and the airport was much busier than usual. Passing by the dumpling restaurant at the entrance, Tang Ningyue subconsciously glanced at it. She almost forgot what dumplings tasted like.
It seemed soft, tender, and warm, and tasted similar to that of a little boy.
When she was at Aunt Zhou's house, dumplings were a must-have during every holiday. But after her grandfather took her to Canada to visit her mother, she stopped eating them. Tang Ningyue saw that such a thoughtful treat must have been made with love, and it was clearly a rarity in her family.
Zhou Su and her mother Xu Lin are completely different people. In the final analysis, they don't need to be the same. After all, Tang Ningyue, the so-called aunt, has nothing to do with their family except for some emotional ties with her grandfather's comrades-in-arms.
Grandpa only helped raise other people's children for a few years, but Zhou Su was more filial than Xu Lin. When Tang Ningyue's grandfather was injured in a car accident and had his bones fractured, Zhou Su was the one who took care of him for several months. Xu Lin said that he was abroad and couldn't take care of him, and he rarely even called.
Even when Xu Lin went abroad to start a business, Zhou Su helped raise the child, and even brought him up until Tang Ningyue became an adult. She had done her best for the Xu family.
Now my grandfather has gone to Canada to find his biological daughter. The whole family is heartless and cold-blooded, and they haven't contacted Zhou Su for several years.
Although Tang Ningyue is not a completely kind person, she still has some conscience. She is quite different from the heartless person that others say she is.
Zhou Su's business has been doing well in recent years. He has found his home again and has the support of his mother's family. The place has changed a lot. It is no longer the old community where Tang Ningyue lived when she was a child. The family has moved into a large flat in the city center.
It turns out that no one can be successful without the help of the Xu family.
Zhou Su was supposed to be back today from his business trip, but his flight was delayed due to heavy snow, so he had to tell Tang Ningyue the password to her new home and let her go upstairs to rest.
Tang Ningyue didn't bother to be polite with her. After all, they were a family when they were young. She even called Zhou Su "Mom" for several years when she was young and ignorant. Although they hadn't seen each other for a few years, they couldn't be said to be strangers. Even if their feelings faded, she could quickly get into the role and put everyone into the script. This was her ability to make a living.
Tang Ningyue's feet were sore from wearing high heels, so she took off her shoes as soon as she entered the door and ran into the room barefoot like she did when she was a child. She vaguely remembered that the floor was always cold at that time and there was no floor heating at home, so Zhou Su always had to chase after her to help her put on her shoes.
On the table was the dinner that Zhou Su had sent. Tang Ningyue had not taken a few bites before Wen Xi called her away again. Zhou Su did not see her. Her former good friends just happened to get together today to meet each other. After the New Year's Day holidays, everyone would be busy again.
But after all, she had to stay at someone else's house, so Tang Ningyue didn't dare drink too much at the party. It was just that her alcohol tolerance had decreased a lot in recent years after living abroad, and she got red in the face after just two glasses.
When she returned to Zhou Su's place, Tang Ningyue could no longer take off her shoes by herself, and could not walk in a straight line. She took two or three steps barefoot and fell headfirst onto the sofa, drowsy.
Tired and dizzy, Tang Ningyue couldn't rest well on the sofa. Half awake and half asleep, she seemed to hear the door opening and closing. She raised her head and glanced at the entrance. She vaguely saw someone changing shoes. The lost energy could not support her to see the appearance of the person clearly. She closed her eyes and lay back down, as if she felt that she was still in Vancouver.
Before she came, she met her blond-haired, blue-eyed boyfriend once. When her boyfriend was going to school, she lay on the bed in a daze, watching him change his clothes and shoes. After he kissed her, she fell asleep again. When she woke up, she went to the airport and deleted all his contact information before leaving.
Even though there are still kiss marks on my neck from where he left them last night.
She never cleans up her mess. Once she loves someone, she loves him. Once she loves him, she loves him. If she doesn't love him, it's a matter of a moment. After that, she will be deaf and blind once, and then the person will completely disappear from her life.
Dealing with things the way a jerk does is always easier than a gentleman's agreement, not to mention that she never labels herself.
"Xiao En?" Tang Ningyue called out towards the door, her mind still on the boy that Wen Xi had repeatedly talked to her about during the dinner.
"How did you find this place?" Tang Ningyue was a little confused and couldn't connect the dots at all. She only remembered Wen Xi saying that Xiao En would come to find her by himself and she didn't need to set aside time specifically because he was not an important person, so there was no need to remember him too clearly.
The man who was changing his shoes at the door paused and stood still at the door. He looked at her for a long time in the weak light, but his mind couldn't retrieve what she should look like now. She should have disappeared from his memory long ago, instead of appearing without warning like this, building the definition of a free life on the scars of others.
There was only one floor lamp on in the living room, and the dim light shone on Tang Ningyue's profile, half of which was hidden in the shadow.
She had red lipstick on her lips, her soft long hair was gathered together, and she was wearing a gentle cinnamon-colored long skirt. Whenever Tang Ningyue appeared, she always had such a non-aggressive and friendly image. No matter how bad the situation was, no one would suspect her, but she was always the instigator.
Li Jinglang heard Zhou Su tell him two weeks ago that his cousin was coming home. Today, Zhou Su called him specifically and asked him to go home early tonight and not leave his cousin alone at home, saying that she was timid and would be scared living alone.
With the help of the light, Li Jinglang glanced at Tang Ningyue who was sleeping soundly on the sofa. He could clearly recognize her face even if it turned into ashes, but he still compared it with the photo Su sent him last week on his phone to confirm that it was her and put the phone away. His behavior of trying to cover up the truth was laughable. He stared at her blankly for a long time with his arms hanging limply at his sides.
The woman in front of him was both familiar and unfamiliar. She had appeared in his dreams countless times. The same scene was always that he cried and begged her not to leave, but she pushed him away harshly.
It's just that time has passed too long, and the person in the dream has become more and more vague. Now I can't face him completely, but the heart-wrenching feeling of crying is still fresh in my memory, and my heart still aches when I think about it now.
But she must have forgotten that none of the promises she made before leaving were fulfilled. She hadn't called him in all these years. Just like the messages he sent that no one responded to, she also deleted him completely as trash.
How could adults take children's affairs seriously? And then they would just treat it as a topic of conversation and laugh it off. No one would be an adult who would take it seriously. Only the parties involved would keep the lingering pain forever and it could never be mentioned again.
Tang Ningyue was still asleep. Li Jinglang took a deep breath, stood in the shadows, holding the cold phone and replied to Zhou Su's message.
Li Jinglang: [She is sleeping.]
Zhou Su: [Remember to remind her to add the new quilt I prepared yesterday. She should cover herself more often. She always catches a cold.]
Li Jinglang: [I understand.]
Zhou Su: [Remember to turn on the night light for her, she's afraid of the dark.]
Li Jinglang didn't reply to her. He lowered his head to glance at Tang Ningyue, who was sleeping with sweat all over her head while hugging his blanket. He didn't see at all that she was afraid of the dark and the cold.
Without paying any more attention to her, Li Jinglang walked past the sofa and turned to leave.
She had just turned halfway to the side when the hem of her sweater brushed against the tips of her fingers, bringing with it a gust of cool breeze and a sweet fragrance. Li Jinglang's hands, which had become too white from not seeing the sun for many years, were grabbed by the man on the sofa. The cat-eye nail polish on her fingers scratched the bulging blood vessels on the back of his hand, making him shiver.
Li Jinglang's eyelids twitched, and the sweet smell seeped in from the gap in his sweater, quickly sweeping over his body and invading his territory. His fingers showed signs of twitching slightly, but she held them tighter, as if in protest.
His palm was very wide, and Tang Ningyue's fingers could not completely cover it, and she could only pinch his fingertips.
"Don't take a shower." She said, climbing up even tighter, "I'm too tired today, let's just do it here, um... it's good as long as we don't have to use that place."
The woman on the sofa had her black hair spread out, and the entire sofa was soaked in her fragrance. Her red lips were half blurred, and the blanket in her arms was also stained with a few light pink streaks. The room was dry and stuffy in winter, and the humidifier was on in the living room, and it seemed that even her body seemed wet.
Li Jinglang could no longer remember what his cousin's family looked like, but he had heard a lot about what happened in the past. His understanding of the Xu family was limited to their coldness and indifference, and their tragic stories. His mother was just raised by the Xu family for a few years, and other than that, they had no relationship with him.
He no longer had any concept of a sister or brother for Tang Ningyue. When she left, he knew that she didn't want to be his sister at all.
Li Jinglang's brows were furrowed, and his deep eye sockets always showed his aggressive power. Now he looked more like a lion ready to strike in the shadows. The veins on his arms were ready, stretching along the winding and swollen muscles, quietly hiding in his sleeves waiting for an opportunity.
The rules of the animal world apply equally to human society. A wild animal chained up in its youth will never attempt to break free as it grows up. Even if it harbors such a thought, it will quickly fade before it can act. It's all just a lot of noise, but little action.
Tang Ningyue's hand was suddenly pulled away, and she leaned back empty-handed. She opened her eyes and became half awake. This time she finally saw the person clearly. The appearance was the same as in her memory, but the outline had changed a lot. The pair of bright eyes made a check mark in her impression.
"Jinglang."
After calling out his name accurately, Tang Ningyue smiled and immediately repelled his hostility.
No matter how strong a lion's bite force is, in the hands of a trainer it is nothing more than a tool for entertainment, and the chain can only be held in the hands of its master forever.
She opened her almond-shaped eyes and watched the man in front of her, his face turning pale and blue, his teeth clenched, and his expression unhappy.
Tang Ningyue's impression of him still remains on his pretty face from childhood. He would pout and get angry if his face was pinched lightly, not to mention being kissed. He was very stingy.
Li Jinglang's face was as gloomy as water, and his downward gaze just happened to sweep across the large red mark on her neck. It was clearly the mark of having had pleasure not long ago, and she had come to someone else's house naked like this.
He looked away expressionlessly, pursing his lips to avoid her gaze.
Tang Ningyue was still in a daze, shaking her head left and right to look him in the eye, mumbling to herself.
"Jinglang, don't you remember me? I'm your older sister. When you were a child, I was..."
Before she could finish her sentence, the bedroom door slammed shut, locking her out.
Tang Ningyue fell weakly on the sofa again, still muttering Li Jinglang, her eyes looking towards the bedroom.
"Why are you still the same as when you were little..."
She pursed her lips and added.
“Just as cute…”
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Click here for the new column article ~ "Leash"
Having a son in his old age, Qiu Mingxia was spoiled too much.
Even when she bullied Rao Mu at home, the elders would turn a blind eye.
"It's just children playing around. Xia Xia is doing this because she likes him."
After hearing such words so many times, Qiu Mingxia became more and more aggressive.
At first, I asked him to carry my schoolbag and bring breakfast for me.
Later, it became that she asked him to keep watch when they were dating in the woods, and he took the blame when she got into trouble. She was really awful to him.
It wasn't until Qiu Mingxia's family arranged a marriage for her that she finally let him go, saying, "You're free now."
-
Rao Mu is a distant relative of Qiu Mingxia who is not related at all.
After both his parents passed away, he always thought that he would not survive this year until he was taken in by Qiu Mingxia's grandfather.
Rao Mu didn't feel that Qiu Mingxia was bad to him. Compared to his previous life in the small town, he was now in heaven.
He deserves to be scolded by her for taking care of her and being nice to her. He said she is very cute.
He was the last one to know that Qiu Mingxia was getting married. When he rushed back, exhausted, she was trying on her wedding dress. She said this might be the last time they met.
"Did the man outside serve you well?"
That was the first time he was so angry, gritting his teeth and wishing he could tear her polite fiancé who was sitting outside to pieces.
"He's been very good to me."
"What a bullshit! I haven't let anyone else serve you in all these years. Does he know that you need me to coax you to sleep at night? Does he know who washed your underwear all these years?"
"Rao Mu!" she exasperated.
Instead of getting angry, he laughed: "Do you still want me to feed you tonight?"
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