Chapter 26 Father is coming
The bright orange Lamborghini outside the window burned Yu Ling's retina like a red-hot iron. Su Wan's gentle words, "There aren't many in the world, so I'll just borrow it," were like a poisoned needle, piercing her heart with a dull pain. She yanked the heavy blackout curtains shut, completely shutting out the glaring orange, as if that would also shut out the unfathomable Zhao Chen.
Darkness instantly engulfed the living room. Yu Ling slid down to the floor, her back against the cold wall. The massive floor-length curtains cast a heavy shadow behind her. She curled up, her forehead resting on her knees, trying to suppress the two images whirling wildly in her mind: her gentle husband in an apron, frying eggs, and the strange man driving a multi-million dollar supercar, coldly deciding the fate of the Gu family over the phone. Which one was real? Or... both? The thought frightened her to the point of chilling her bones.
The soft click of a key turning in the door lock broke the dead silence. The entrance's sensor light flickered on, its warm yellow glow casting a shadow of Zhao Chen's slender figure across the floor. He changed his shoes quietly, as if not wanting to disturb the occupants of the darkness.
"Lingling?" he called out tentatively, his voice strained with a barely perceptible tension. The darkness of the living room made his heart tighten. He fumbled for a floor lamp, its soft light dispelling some of the darkness, clearly illuminating Yu Ling, huddled in the corner. Her thin shoulders trembled slightly, like a frightened little animal, its spines erect, yet with nowhere to escape.
Zhao Chen's heart sank. That SVJ... it had indeed irritated her. He quickly walked over and squatted before her, his eyes level with hers. In the dim light, Yu Ling raised her face, her eyes slightly red, filled with confusion, anger, and a sense of vulnerability after being deeply deceived.
"Whose car is that..." Yu Ling's voice was dry and hoarse, and she asked with suppressed questions, "Whose is it?"
Zhao Chen didn't answer immediately. He reached out, wanting to touch her cheek, but she jerked her head away. His hand froze in mid-air, his fingertips curled up for a moment, and then he slowly withdrew, resting his hand on his knees.
"Azhe's," he repeated in a low voice, his tone as steady as ever. His amber eyes met her scrutinizing gaze calmly. "Lingling, I admit that some things... are not quite what you think." He chose a vague entry point. "But please believe that everything I've said to you, about us, about my feelings for you, is true."
"Different?" Yu Ling's voice suddenly rose, as if she had heard a huge joke, with sharp sarcasm, "Is it the difference between driving a sports car worth tens of millions and squeezing into the subway or bus? Is it the difference between casually buying a three-star Michelin restaurant and carefully budgeting to eat at street stalls? Or... is it the difference between a phone call that can determine the life or death of a company and an ordinary employee working from nine to five?!" She almost shouted the last sentence, and the suspicion, fear and anger of being fooled that had been pent up all night burst out completely.
Zhao Chen's pupils shrank slightly. Did she hear the call? When? He subconsciously wanted to ask, but Yu Ling's near-collapse forced him to suppress the thought. The most urgent task was to comfort her.
"Lingling, calm down." He softened his voice, speaking with a patience that bordered on pleading. "I know you're confused and angry right now. Give me some time. When the opportunity is right, I'll tell you everything, without reservation. But right now..." He paused, his eyes revealing genuine worry and a rare hint of helplessness. "We need to resolve a more pressing issue first."
Yu Ling was stunned by his sudden change of tone. Her anger was like a popped balloon, half deflated, leaving only confusion: "...What?"
Zhao Chen took a deep breath, his tone tinged with helplessness and a headache. "Your parents...just sent me a message. They're...already on the high-speed train. They said they wanted to see us, and it was a spur-of-the-moment decision. They'll be there tomorrow afternoon." (Yu Ling's parents had previously asked her for Zhao Chen's phone number to verify the authenticity of their marriage.)
"What?!" Yu Ling suddenly jumped up from the ground, her vision blacking out from the sudden movement. Zhao Chen's quick grasp on her arm saved her from falling. "Tomorrow afternoon?! Why didn't they tell me in advance?!" Her previous anger was instantly washed away by shock, replaced by overwhelming panic. Her parents were coming! At this critical moment! To see her and her "ordinary employee" husband driving a multi-million dollar sports car?!
"Uncle and aunt said they wanted to give us a surprise." Zhao Chen smiled bitterly, helped her sit down on the sofa, and half-knelt on one knee on the carpet in front of her, looking up at her, lowering his posture, seeking an ally. "Lingling, I know you have a lot of questions and dissatisfactions with me right now. But can we... temporarily truce?" He tilted his head, his eyes sincere, even with a bit of pitiful pleading, "Let's get through this first? At least in front of uncle and aunt, we have to be... well, the way they expect to see us?"
He paused deliberately and emphasized his tone: "A...young couple who live a down-to-earth life."
Yu Ling looked at the handsome yet slightly vulnerable face before her, then at the faint orange glow from downstairs that shone through the gaps in the floor-length curtains behind him (she hadn't drawn them tightly), and she felt a surge of anxiety. Her parents were conservative and pragmatic. If they saw that supercar, and Zhao Chen's unfathomable background... she simply couldn't imagine the scene!
Panic instantly overwhelmed all other emotions. She scratched her hair in frustration. "That car! What should I do with that damn car?! It's parked downstairs! My dad has the sharpest eyes! If he asks..."
"Leave it to me!" Zhao Chen immediately interjected, his expression decisive, his eyes instantly switching from one of weakness to one of calmness and reliability. "I promise it won't be within aunt and uncle's sight before tomorrow afternoon. Lingling, you just need to trust me once, as usual, okay? Just this once, for aunt and uncle's peace of mind."
He held out his hand, palm up, waiting for her response with a solemn promise.
Yu Ling stared at his hands, then at his earnest eyes. The supercar downstairs was like a giant time bomb, and the news of her parents' impending arrival only added fuel to the fire. Anger and suspicion still swirled within her, but at this moment, resolving the impending crisis seemed like her only option. She bit her lower lip, a torment between her conscience and her own. Ultimately, her lingering faith in Zhao Chen's past "problem-solving abilities" (though that trust now felt incredibly ironic) and her panic about her parents' imminent arrival temporarily prevailed.
She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, with a kind of exhaustion and helplessness, she nodded ever so slightly, a temporary truce being reached. She didn't touch Zhao Chen's outstretched hand.
A glint of relief flashed in Zhao Chen's eyes. He quickly withdrew his hand without the slightest embarrassment and immediately entered combat readiness mode. "Alright! Time is running out, let's split up and prepare! Lingling, you'll be responsible for figuring out what vegetables to buy tomorrow and what Uncle and Auntie like to eat. I'll take care of the car and... other places that might need 'camouflage'."
He stood up immediately after he finished speaking, his movements so swift that he seemed like a completely different person. Any hint of weakness and pity he had shown earlier vanished in an instant, replaced by a masterful, strategic acumen. He walked quickly to the study, pulled out his phone, and began dialing, his voice low and rapid.
Yu Ling watched his resolute back, then thought of the priceless "Trouble" downstairs, and felt a deep sense of powerlessness and absurdity wash over her. How much longer would this "ordinary couple" drama last? And Zhao Chen, this enigmatic man, his so-called "right opportunity" and "confession"—when, where, and in what thrilling manner?
The Saturday afternoon sun was languidly warm. Yu Ling stood at the gate of her residential complex, her heart pounding, her fingers unconsciously twisting the corners of her clothes, her eyes fixed on the direction of the taxi.
Next to him, Zhao Chen appeared composed and at ease. He wore light blue jeans, barely washed, and a simple off-white cotton-linen shirt. His sleeves were casually rolled up to his forearms, revealing his sleek wrists. He wore a pair of clean white sneakers, and his whole demeanor was as fresh as a recent graduate. The subtle pressure and the fierce aura he had used to handle the "trouble" the previous night had vanished, leaving only a gentle and harmless presence. Yu Ling's parents had repeatedly requested that they not meet them at the station, so they had no choice but to comply.
"Lingling, don't be nervous." He turned his head and gave Ling a soothing smile. He naturally reached out and tucked a strand of her hair that was messed up by the wind behind her ear. His movements were intimate and natural. "Uncle and aunt will definitely be relieved to see that we are fine."
Yu Ling flinched subconsciously as his warm fingertips touched her ear. She looked up and met his smiling amber eyes. His gaze was clear and open, brimming with sincerity, as if last night's thrilling confrontation and the vanishing orange beast downstairs had never happened. The speed of his expression changing... Yu Ling muttered to herself, but she was also inexplicably moved by his calm, "acting in the role" composure, and her tense nerves relaxed a little.
Just then, a taxi stopped steadily at the entrance of the community.
"Dad! Mom!" Yu Ling immediately went up to them, her voice full of joy, trying hard to hide the uneasiness in her heart.
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