Chapter 31 Chapter 31 Adults
Tang Ningyue moved out of home, leaving no trace behind. Her things, her scent, and even the handkerchief she used, all disappeared.
Every time she left, it was like this, as if she had disappeared from the face of the earth.
Li Jinglang stayed in the hospital for nearly ten days after being transferred. He did not return home until the day before New Year's Eve. Tang Ningyue had disappeared without a trace.
Zhou Su said that her new house was in a new building near her company, just a few blocks away. When she passed by her new house on her way back from the hospital, Zhou Su mentioned it. Li Jinglang didn't even move his head, but closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep.
Zhou Su hadn't had a good rest at home for a long time. The New Year's goods were all bought by his aunt on the spur of the moment, but Zhou Su was still very happy. When he returned home in the evening, he tied an apron excitedly and knocked on Li Jinglang's door to call him.
"Jinglang, what would you like to eat tonight?"
When Zhou Su came over, Li Jinglang was squatting on the ground packing his luggage one by one. His movements were slow and his expression was calm. He didn't show any expression at all and kept himself completely hidden.
After staying in the hospital for such a long time, the doctor told Li Jinglang that his sleep condition had improved and his mood had become stable. He could go home for the New Year and the situation would be treated accordingly. Being confined in a space for a long time would not be good for his condition. Zhou Su also agreed.
Li Jinglang did not make any statement about this and allowed himself to be treated like a rag doll, sometimes tied to the bed and sometimes thrown into the car.
"The doctor said you need to eat something light. How about a simple noodle soup tonight? We'll talk tomorrow..."
"I don't want to eat."
"Ah..." Zhou Su didn't expect Li Jinglang to refuse. When she asked him about what to eat and drink, he always said yes and never had any opinions. This was the first time he refuted her in such a long time.
"No...it's okay if you don't want to eat, eat something else. What do you want to eat?" Zhou Su rubbed his hands and continued to ask him.
Li Jinglang has liked this noodle soup since he was a child. It doesn't have much flavor, and Zhou Su can't appreciate it at all. But every time she comes home late, Li Jinglang and Tang Ningyue will sit at the dining table and eat it with relish, and he is very happy every time.
But it is also possible that Tang Ningyue can't do anything else except this.
".....I want to take a shower first." Li Jinglang took out pajamas from a pile of clothes, still with his head lowered. His hair was a little long, covering his eyebrows and eyes, and it was time to trim it.
He stood up and wanted to go to the bathroom, but Zhou Su was still blocking his way. He pursed his lips and spoke.
"Mom, you can make whatever you want. It's okay if you don't want to eat it." He paused, "I don't want to eat noodle soup."
"I don't want banana soup either."
After saying that, Li Jinglang had already pulled the bath towel into the bathroom.
He sat on the edge of the bathtub, gently flipped the metal switch next to it, then released the force and let his arms hang down, his back bent, his whole body in a falling state, not wanting to exert any strength, nor to move.
I am so tired, my whole body is exhausted, even blinking my eyes feels laborious, and even to take a shower I have to be fully prepared before I have the courage to stand up.
When he finally got ready to take a shower, he discovered that the bottle of shower gel on the shelf was gone. It was the one Tang Ningyue had given him. He had told her he liked the smell.
After searching every corner but still finding nothing, Li Jinglang suddenly remembered that Tang Ningyue had left. Before leaving, she would check every corner. If there were any of her things, she would definitely take them away or throw them away, leaving no trace behind.
Just like a criminal suspect cleaning up the scene, be careful everywhere.
But she wasn't too stingy. At least the airplane model she gave him was still in the cabinet. Or maybe she just couldn't find the key to the cabinet...
He actually felt a little relieved. He breathed a sigh of relief and pulled down the cabinet where the towels were kept. He hadn't been home for a long time, so he threw away the old towels and pulled out a few new ones. As he pulled, a balled blanket also came out.
He had hidden it in there a long time ago. He had moved it to the back of the closet and almost forgot about it.
This was the blanket that Tang Ningyue had covered herself with the night she first came, and her underwear was wrapped inside it... Li Jinglang blinked and stopped thinking about the blushing face and beating heart that day.
Li Jinglang pulled it out of the cabinet, stroking the soft blanket, a little absent-minded. He had been using this blanket all his life, and after Tang Ningyue used it once, he never took it out again. Perhaps she had no memory of it, so the mistake occurred.
But this was never hers, he had been using it.
He sneered unconsciously, the corner of his mouth slightly raised, and then quickly retracted it, "Tang Ningyue, you are not that powerful..."
Li Jinglang folded the blanket and put it away again, then started taking a bath with peace of mind.
He had been behaving well in the hospital a few days ago, but he failed the hospital's psychological test and even became worse. The doctor suggested that he be discharged and return to a familiar environment.
Zhou Su was so worried that he couldn't sleep at night. He quietly got up in the middle of the night to check on Li Jinglang several times. Every time he heard the door open, he would close his eyes and pretend to be asleep. When the door closed, he would open his eyes again. This continued until dawn, and the situation became more and more serious.
There was nothing she could do but go along with his wishes and tell him that his condition had stabilized and he could be discharged. She was afraid that if he continued like this, he would really exhaust himself to death.
Zhou Su was in a daze in his bedroom for a long time, and only left his room when she heard the sound of running water in the bathroom. She had always been conservative about his illness in the past, always thinking that it was not a big deal. Now she was really nervous, and after hesitating for a long time in the kitchen, she finally called Tang Ningyue.
He called several times but no one answered. Maybe they were busy. Zhou Su sighed, lowered his arm, and the screen stopped at the address book interface.
"mom."
"ah?"
It was unknown when Li Jinglang came out of the shower, nor how long he stayed at the door. Zhou Su quickly put his phone on the countertop, then awkwardly stuffed it into his apron pocket.
"The pot is boiling..." Li Jinglang strode over, walked past Zhou Su and lifted the lid of the pot, and the surging soup shrank back again.
"Ah...I didn't notice." Zhou Su took the pot lid from his hand, "Let me do it."
"Um..." Zhou Su stirred the soup in the pot with a spoon, hesitant and unable to speak, "Tomorrow is New Year's Eve, should we... ask my sister to come over?"
“.....”
"My sister is alone, she doesn't know how to cook, and she just broke up, she..." Zhou Su pursed her lips. She was afraid that Li Jinglang would be unhappy, and she was also worried that Tang Ningyue would not be able to live well alone. The palms and backs of the hands are all made of flesh, but two pieces of flesh just can't grow well on one hand.
"Does she want to come?" Li Jinglang leaned against the counter, his expression gloomy. "She's so busy and has so many friends. Can she come here?"
"What about you?" Zhou Su didn't look up, still looking down at the swirling water in the pot. "Do you want your sister to come?"
"......" Li Jinglang pressed the tip of his tongue against the roof of his mouth. "Whether I want to or not...what can I change?"
"......" Zhou Su bit his lower lip and wanted to explain, but the words stopped at his lips.
Li Jinglang looked at her and smiled, not taking it seriously.
"Doesn't she want to be my sister?"
"I will."
-
Tang Ningyue was at a social event when Zhou Su called. After a few glasses of strong liquor, she felt hot all over. She wanted to drink, and she drank on her own initiative. Xu Qing was standing next to her, unable to stop her and was getting anxious.
The contract was signed smoothly, thanks only to the foul drinking culture.
When the show was over, Tang Ningyue didn't even have the strength to walk out the door. She felt dizzy and fell directly on the sofa in the hall. When Xu Qing came back after seeing people off, she had already vomited several times. Only two male assistants were standing by, at a loss.
"You guys go first." Xu Qing also held the cup and helped Tang Ningyue rinse her mouth, patting her back gently, without even taking the time to look at others.
"What are you drinking so much for? Are you going to die?"
Tang Ningyue was pulled by him and leaned against his arms. Xu Qing couldn't bear to scold her. No matter how fierce he was, it was always towards others. No matter how she acted, he would still coax her. He owed her in this life.
"Xu Qing also...I broke up." She said, and was about to vomit again.
"We're broken up now." Xu Qing also patted her back, "Is Sheng Shiyang still worth getting drunk for?"
This was the first time in Xu Qing's life that he saw Tang Ningyue get drunk for a man. It was strange, very strange.
"I don't want to break up yet." Tang Ningyue leaned on his shoulder, pouting aggrievedly, "I haven't even used the room I booked or the clothes I bought. Why the hell should we break up? I'm not satisfied yet."
"Then why did you dump me?" Xu Qing's face darkened, but he still hugged her, afraid that she would fall. He had been trained by her over the years and could indulge her without any bottom line.
"I have no choice. I have to end this. I have to break up, otherwise I won't be able to report to my boss." Tang Ningyue sat up straight and put her arms around Xu Qingye's neck to prevent herself from falling. "I'm so annoyed. I bought so many things, but... I didn't use any of them. It was all in vain."
"Is that why you're upset?"
"Hmm..." Tang Ningyue was so drunk that she didn't know what to say.
"You're useless." Xu Qing also poked her forehead, stared at her wet eyelashes, and asked her, "Do you still want to use it?"
"Um...."
Tang Ningyue's cheeks were soft against him, and her chest was warm. Xu Qing couldn't help but tighten his arms and wrap her tightly.
"Can I play with you then?"
"No." Tang Ningyue shook her head and pushed his chest. Without the strength to straighten up, she fell back into his arms. "I don't like old ones."
“.......”
"You little bitch, just play tricks on me."
.....
When Tang Ningyue was sent home, she was almost sober and no longer pestered Xu Qingye. She turned her face away and told him to leave quickly and not to stay in her house.
Xu Qing was also good-tempered. He served her tea and water and covered her with a quilt. Even after being chased away, he still coaxed her with a smile and said that he would pick her up to have New Year's Eve dinner at his place tomorrow.
"No."
Tang Ningyue refused.
"I have to go to Aunt Zhou's house."
"Didn't you have a fight with that kid Jing Lang? Do you still want to go?"
"He's a kid, I won't argue with him."
Tang Ningyue buried her face in the pillow, and had long forgotten about her quarrel with Li Jinglang. She never took these things seriously. When she said that she had quarreled with him so fiercely, it was just a quarrel with her younger brother.
In Li Jinglang's words, she didn't treat him as a human being. She would kiss him when she was happy and beat him when she was unhappy. She treated him as a toy, so it didn't matter what happened and he had no right to speak.
"Then why do you always bully other kids?"
"I like him, that's what it means to like him." Tang Ningyue turned over, "Beating is love, scolding is love..."
"He's not a child anymore, you have to be sensible."
Tang Ningyue finally remembered that he was an adult, not a child anymore, and that she couldn't kiss or hug him whenever she wanted.
Adult...younger brother...
She murmured, her eyes closed, not knowing whether she was still conscious. "You're right... He's an adult... Then I shouldn't have checked out of the hotel."
Tang Ningyue turned over and fell asleep again, mumbling something in her sleep... "Then I should let him play with my new toys with me."
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