The restaurant we had arranged to visit was located by the largest lake in the area.
The wind was strong on the bridge, blowing Ying Qian's bangs into complete disarray, just as her heart was in turmoil.
Meng Beiyan was bewildered in the wind, utterly bewildered as to why she was unwilling to see her biological father. Seeing her shivering from the cold, he grabbed her hand and tried to pull her into his arms.
Ying Qian broke free; this was one of the few times she resisted.
"Ying Qian, please tell your brother what happened, okay?" Meng Beiyan could no longer remain calm. He was about to go crazy from holding back his emotions, and the desires and resentments in his heart were about to explode.
It felt as if a huge rock was pressing down on his chest, blocking it completely without leaving any gaps.
In any case, he could not tolerate Ying Qian continuing to distance herself from him, neither in their relationship nor in their actual distance!
He roughly grabbed the girl's slender, fair wrist, gripping it tightly without giving her a chance to break free. "Ying Qian, you're almost eighteen. Can you please stop being so willful?"
The word "willful" reminded Ying Qian of the years she spent in the orphanage.
Her eyes were red-rimmed, and she was somewhat stunned. She stiffly turned her head to face Meng Beiyan and asked him absentmindedly, "Do you know why I was sent to the orphanage?"
Meng Beiyan chose to remain silent this time. He truly did not know this story. His hand gradually loosened, and his tired eyes stared unblinkingly at Ying Qian, who seemed capable of handling things on her own.
I can't help but think that she's still just a child who never grew up...
People come and go on the bridge; in this small city, it seems no one cares about the family conflicts on the street. They can only let the anger grow until it reaches its peak.
"Do you think my dad is a good man?" Ying Qian almost shouted, her eyes dry from the wind, tears welling up in them. "He didn't want me to disturb his new life. My little finger was crushed by that woman, do you understand?!"
"You keep saying you feel sorry for me, but in reality, you only believe what you see. You never want to understand how I'm not doing as well as you think without me by my side..."
Upon hearing these words, Meng Beiyan felt that the cold wind, instead of sobering him up, was intoxicating; his vision blurred, probably because the wind was too strong.
He was moved, and he began to feel sad. Would he feel guilty? Probably not.
Ying Qian believed that Meng Beiyan would never feel any guilt towards her. When his mother took him to study abroad, she left without saying goodbye.
Then for several years there was no news at all.
"..."
The world seemed to fall silent after a series of pronouncements; even the wind stopped.
All that remained were the sounds of bustling traffic and scattered pedestrians chatting and laughing in the breeze.
The laughter of the young people echoed in my ears.
"I'm sorry..." Meng Beiyan said with remorse.
Ying Qian shook her head and smiled very softly, "Brother, it seems like I always accept your apologies, even though sometimes it's not what I really want."
"I know." The man's expression was particularly complex in the twilight, his emotions suppressed deep inside. He could only gaze into her eyes, trying to say something.
She glanced at the upscale restaurant across the street, smiled, and said, "It's too cold outside, I'm going back to the hotel."
This reason is mediocre.
Meng Beiyan knew perfectly well that he wouldn't investigate her account of the past; he would choose to believe her unconditionally. He was indeed self-righteous, and sometimes he even deceived himself...
Watching the girl's departing figure.
A thought flashed through his mind: keep her, abandon all social niceties, just want her.
For the rest of my life, I only want her.
Only when her figure disappeared from sight did the illusion truly vanish.
He walked heavily into the restaurant to meet the person Ying Qian hated.
*
Chen Wenzhi booked a room not far from Ying Qian's room.
"Don't watch TV so close, Ying Qian." He pulled the person sitting just ten centimeters in front of the TV to the bedside. "Don't you know how to protect your eyes!"
Ying Qian took off his glasses, looked at them from left to right, and said, "Don't you take care of them either?"
"..."
Chen Wenzhi was speechless, staring intently at the glasses in her hand. Then he realized that he hadn't paid attention to eye health.
"Can you see clearly what number I'm pointing to now?" She shifted her hips back, creating some distance between herself and Chen Wenzhi, and held up three fingers.
Chen Wenzhi's face was filled with a doting smile. "Three."
"Huh?" Ying Qian moved back and leaned against him, saying, "Aren't you nearsighted? How come you can see so clearly?"
Chen Wenzhi gently tapped her forehead and said, "I'm nearsighted, not blind. I just can't see clearly, not that I can't see at all."
Ying Qian reached out and hugged him, snuggling into his arms, pressing her ear against his chest to listen to his heartbeat.
"Thump thump"
"You haven't been feeling well lately, have you? You seem a bit down." Chen Wenzhi put his hand on her back and patted her gently twice. "Why don't you smile?"
She never expected that she would be asked to "smile, okay?"
"Mmm..." Ying Qian's voice choked, her fingertips tracing circles on his body, seemingly unintentionally. "I'm unhappy. I should have known better than to go back to Qincheng..."
"You should really go to your father's wedding," he sighed, sounding somewhat helpless.
"Do you think so too?" Ying Qian looked up, her eyes glistening with tears.
When Chen Wenzhi saw her tearful eyes, his heart tightened. He stroked her cheek and said, "No, I was just making a suggestion. If you don't like it, it's fine if you don't go."
Ying Qian rubbed against his chest a few times, then grabbed his hand that was resting on his chest and began to play with it, letting out a soft "hmm".
His hands were fair and delicate, with distinct knuckles, neatly trimmed nails, and regular lines on his palms.
Ying Qian pried his fingers apart, pulling them back and forward, saying, "Your hands are so beautiful."
"Beautiful hands?" Chen Wenzhi said, "No one has ever complimented me like that before."
"How could that be?" Ying Qian let go of his hand. "So many people like you? Do you know how many people looked at me with malice when we were in Class 3?"
Chen Wenzhi laughed at her, "If you hadn't insisted on being my deskmate and kept bothering me back then, we probably wouldn't have become boyfriend and girlfriend."
Upon hearing this, Ying Qian replied indifferently, "So, you're regretting it?"
Chen Wenzhi said, "I don't regret it. I said this to tell you that I like you very much. This is not your problem, and you should not have to bear the malice."
A warm feeling welled up in Ying Qian's heart.
"Thank you, Chen Wenzhi. I don't want to be separated from you now, I never want to again."
"I never thought about breaking up with you."
Chen Wenzhi said, "From childhood to adulthood, my family taught me to be devoted to one another in relationships. When I'm with you, I'll only be with you."
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