"You've arrived?"
He had a deep, gentle voice, and his complexion was not bad, but he looked a little thin, with moist eyes and bloodshot eyes.
Ying Qian hadn't expected him to turn out this way, and her expression became complicated. Looking at him, she didn't know what to say, and softly replied, "Yes, I'm here."
"I knew you would come." Tears welled up in Tao Hua's eyes, seemingly about to burst forth. Her gaze was fixed on Ying Qian's face, as if Xi Yin were standing right in front of her.
He sat upright on the sofa, his smile turning into one of infatuation the moment he saw Ying Qian.
Shen Yun followed behind Ying Qian, and seeing that the atmosphere was not right, he quickly made an excuse to go back to his room to do his homework.
The huge living room was now empty except for the two people and the bright lights.
"Sit down." Chen Chang stretched out his hand toward the small stool next to the coffee table.
Ying Qian sighed and sat down on the small stool as he asked.
She said bitterly, "Senior, you're too obsessed."
Shen Chang vehemently denied it: "No, not with you."
He didn't think of Ying Qian at all. When he saw her, he didn't think of Ying Qian herself, but only of the lover behind that face.
"I didn't have it for you, but what about Senior Xi Yin?" Ying Qian felt a lump in her throat, but she asked, feigning calmness.
Xi Yin was destined to influence Chen Chang's entire life.
He lowered his eyes in melancholy, his hands gradually creating wrinkles in his trousers, and answered, "Yes."
Ying Qian said helplessly, "Senior, do you think your senior wants to see you like this? You're so worried about her that you can't eat or sleep, and you're even taking sleeping pills to sleep. You're torturing yourself like this. It must break your senior's heart."
If Xi Yin were alive, she wouldn't want to see such melancholy.
"..."
He pursed his lips sadly, nodded, and tears fell onto his black loungewear pants, leaving a wet stain.
“Senior, let’s start a new life.” She frowned, then her voice suddenly softened. “You called me here just to see what I imagined you would look like… Well, I’ll tell you this with this face: I hope you are safe and well, and that you don’t have to feel guilty about the past.”
He leaned back, seemingly trying to hold back his tears so the girl in front of him wouldn't notice. His eyelashes were wet with tears, and he gave a nasal "hmm".
Ying Qian casually pulled out a tissue and handed it to him, saying, "A man doesn't easily shed tears."
The moment she finished speaking, tears welled up like a flood. The night before she left, in the same spot, she said, "A man doesn't easily shed tears."
But at that time, he was smiling, a bright and cheerful smile.
This scene overlapped with my memory, so similar that it made it hard to distinguish between the two.
He tilted his head, as if examining his prey, then his eyes turned bloodshot, his voice hoarse, and he hysterically questioned, "Xi Yin, I don't understand, why? Why did you leave me!"
Ying Qian froze, her hand holding the tissues hanging in mid-air, unsure whether to hand them over.
A moment of hesitation gave Chen Chan a chance to feel melancholy.
Under Ying Qian's puzzled gaze, he suddenly grabbed her shoulders, stared into her clear eyes, and struggled to make out her identity, "You...are...Xi Yin! No...you...you!"
His voice gradually lost its strength, and he gripped Ying Qian's shoulders tightly with both hands.
Ying Qian gasped, turning to stare into the depths of his heart. Enduring the sharp pain in her shoulder, she gritted her teeth and said, "I am Ying Qian, not Xi Yin. Look carefully."
His gaze hesitated for a moment.
The rapid breathing gradually subsided.
My hands slowly regained feeling and let go. The stinging sensation in my shoulders from being gripped was gone, and my melancholy gradually subsided.
"I'm sorry." He withdrew his hand in a look of shock and fear. "I..."
This apology was addressed to the real Ying Qian, not just to Xi Yin, who only exists in memory.
"It's alright." Ying Qian forced a smile. "Senior, you wouldn't want Senior Xi Yin to be sad because of you, would you?"
The words were spoken.
His gaze softened with tenderness and love, and he nodded obediently.
Ying Qian stood up, handed Chen Chang another tissue, and leaned down to say to him, "Wipe your tears."
Chen Chang took the paper, a vague premonition creeping in. He hurriedly grabbed the hem of her clothes as she turned away. "Are you leaving? Are you busy with something lately? Can you..."
Before the words were even finished, the answer was already heard.
"Go on a trip to relax and unwind. You can also try going out and exploring the world's mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas."
Ying Qian felt nothing when she said this. She had never traveled far from home, and sometimes she thought that her life would be permanently confined to two lonely cities.
I have friends and people I love, but I'm still lonely.
She simply fabricated a lie to cover up the ruthless and cruel truth.
She had thought about traveling to relax, but reality prevented her from fulfilling this wish. She had no money and didn't have a single penny on her during the time she lived in the welfare home.
After arriving in S City, she received some pocket money, just like other children. But it would never truly belong to her; the money belonged to Meng Beiyan, her stepsister.
Stepping outside, the corridor was dimly lit.
The phone screen lights up.
The nickname in the contact name still goes around in circles: "brother".
Brother: [Where did you go? I'm home now.]
Ying Qian raised her hand and ran downstairs through the emergency exit without looking back.
I don't know what got into me, but I started running down from the 21st floor.
When she ran back to the entrance of the residential area, Meng Beiyan was already waiting for her, waving at her.
Under the city's smog, all of this seemed unreal.
Beads of sweat trickled down her cheeks and into her collar as she ran across the street and stood in front of Meng Beiyan.
"You went for a run?" Meng Beiyan took out a tissue from his pocket and gently wiped her sweat, not forgetting to nag, "Don't get stuffy wearing so many clothes."
Ying Qian took the tissue from his hand and wiped her face casually a few times.
With his possession taken from him and his palms empty, Meng Beiyan's eyes dimmed as he watched her feigned cleverness with a calm expression through the cold wind.
Unconsciously, the corners of her lips curved into a smile.
"Just to get some exercise, since my health is so poor." She grinned foolishly, her desire to hide something clearly visible.
She still couldn't lie to him.
Meng Beiyan firmly believes this.
He didn't know where she was going, and she didn't want to say, so he didn't interfere. If he wanted to know, he could find out anytime.
Meng Beiyan dragged two suitcases and got into a ride-hailing car with Ying Qian. Their destination was the train station.
It was rare to see Meng Beiyan sitting in the back row.
Ying Qian was quite far away from him.
The location of a normal ride-hailing car is only so big; no matter how much you try to go far, it won't be that far.
"..." Meng Beiyan didn't care much and looked down at the documents on his phone.
Children often shouldn't be spoiled.
Especially someone like Ying Qian who's always getting into arguments.
Ying Qian was also feeling uneasy at this moment.
How should I face all those distant relatives? How should I face my half-brother? And how should I bring up Li Qinqin with Meng Beiyan?
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