Chapter 55 Willingness: "I Do"
55
Meng Yao stood frozen in place, as if all the sounds around her had vanished. She slowly turned her head in disbelief to look at Fang Huaixu beside her.
Fang Huaixu's face turned ugly the moment Lin Tianhai finished speaking. His lips were tightly pressed together, and his eyes met hers with a complicated look, a look of helplessness after being exposed.
Looking at Meng Yao's pale face, Lin Tianhai seemed to have finally found the pleasure of revenge: "Even Professor Anderson was carefully arranged by President Fang. He knew all this all along, and he placed your grandmother in the experimental group while keeping you in the dark! You see clearly, this person has been scheming against you from beginning to end!"
"That's not how it works!"
This was the first time Fang Huaixu had been so agitated. He interrupted Lin Tianhai, took a step forward, looked at her earnestly, and spoke faster: "Let me explain... The recruitment of volunteers for the clinical trial is open and transparent. I only asked your grandmother about it after I saw her sign up herself. She... was very worried that you would object if you knew, that you wouldn't be able to handle the pressure, so we discussed not telling you for the time being."
No wonder Grandma reacted that way... It turns out she had already met Fang Huaixu a long time ago.
No wonder people said he wasn't a sincere person; it turns out he had been hiding it from her all along.
Meng Yao's eyes were filled with indescribable shock and hurt, and disappointment and grievance quickly welled up.
She had been seriously considering it, and once her grandmother's condition was more stable, she would take the initiative to discuss the possibility of her participating in clinical trials with her.
That was the most important person to her. She thought she had finally grown up and could share the burden with her grandmother and make the most difficult decisions, but what was the result?
They conspired to keep her out of the loop, keeping her completely in the dark like a fool.
She took a deep breath, suppressing a sob in her throat, and turned to Lin Tianhai, whose face was full of smugness and expectation, and said coldly, "I'm sorry, I already knew about this."
Lin Tianhai's expression froze.
Meng Yao stopped looking at him, pulled up Fang Huaixu who was still a little dazed, and quickly left.
No matter what, she would never let Lin Tianhai see her make a fool of herself.
It wasn't until there was no one else around that Meng Yao gradually lost her composure.
"sorry……"
Fang Huaixu looked at her, his heart filled with regret and heartache, and tried to explain, "I shouldn't have kept it from you. I just wanted to help you, to give Grandma as many opportunities as possible, but I was afraid you would worry..."
“It’s okay,” Meng Yao interrupted him, covering her eyes, her voice a little hoarse, “I know you mean well.”
But she didn't look like anything was wrong. Meng Yao felt particularly uncomfortable and found it hard to calmly face Fang Huaixu. Just before getting into the car, she suddenly turned around and said, "I'll go back by myself."
Fang Huaixu wanted to say something, but she had already turned and left.
She randomly picked up a small electric scooter on the street, trying to calm herself down.
Fang Huaixu had already given her enough trust, and she was certain that Fang Huaixu had no intention of expiring the experiment maliciously. Moreover, she was also planning to discuss participating in the experiment with her grandmother.
But I always felt a strange, inexplicable sadness in my heart.
Every now and then, eyes would drift over to her. Meng Yao thought it was her imagination, but when she turned her head, she saw in the rearview mirror that Fang Huaixu's conspicuous Bentley was silently following her.
A wave of annoyance washed over her. She felt that his car, like him, was particularly irritating at that moment. Just then, they stopped at a red light, and she stared straight ahead: "I told you I needed to calm down. Don't you think you're being conspicuous?"
Fang Huaixu was stunned for a moment, but Meng Yao drove off without turning her head.
She thought Fang Huaixu would give up, but to her surprise, she saw him in the rearview mirror again a short while later.
This time, however, he somehow managed to grab an electric scooter, and his tall, imposing figure was crammed into that pitiful little scooter, creating an inexplicable sense of incongruity.
Meng Yao was inexplicably amused and speechless, her emotions a mix of speechlessness and complexity.
The two returned home in silence. Meng Yao walked in without looking back, while Fang Huaixu followed closely behind her, like a helpless child.
"I need to calm down," she finally said as she walked into the living room.
He stood beside her like a child awaiting judgment: "I don't want you to deal with this alone."
Meng Yao was speechless for a moment, and he took the opportunity to speak.
"I'm sorry," his voice was low and hoarse, filled with unprecedented sincerity: "I shouldn't have kept this from you with Grandma. I promise you, I will never hide anything from you again, and I promise this will never happen again."
Looking at his sincere expression, Meng Yao couldn't stay angry at all. Her emotions, which had been tense all day, finally exploded at this moment.
But she didn't feel much anger. Instead, she lowered her head, her shoulders gradually trembling. As a single, crystal-clear tear silently slid down, Fang Huaixu panicked instantly. He hurriedly half-squatted down, wanting to wipe her tears but afraid of offending her with his actions. He could only clumsily and carefully comfort her while wiping her tears: "Don't... don't be angry. You can hit me or scold me, just don't make yourself feel bad..."
"...I'm not angry, I'm just really upset and confused."
Meng Yao had never shed tears like this before, despite all the hardships she had faced in the past. But today, her emotions were exceptionally fragile: "I thought I had finally grown up and could stand on my own and shoulder everything... I tried so hard to become strong and protect her... But why did you come up with the idea that she, a sick person, should pretend to be relaxed in front of me?"
She choked back tears, barely able to breathe: "I know you're trying to keep me from worrying, but does keeping quiet stop me from worrying? I hate it, I hate that I'm completely powerless, that I don't know where to get the money, where to find Professor Anderson, that I don't know if this surgery or this medication can save her. But all I want is for her to stay with me, even if it's just a little while, even if there's really no hope, I want to make the most of our last moments together... But why did you come up with the idea of making her, a sick person, act relaxed in front of me? I don't want this kind of sentimentality..."
She shook her head, unable to contain herself: "That's why I can't accept it. Why did you all keep something so important from me? Am I that unreliable? Am I that fragile? I've overcome so many difficulties, haven't I? Why did you keep it from me?"
Fang Huaixu's heart felt like it was being squeezed, the pain unbearable. He softly apologized and explained again and again, mustering his courage to pull her tightly into his arms: "...We didn't belittle you. This was confirmed on our wedding day. At that time, our relationship wasn't very close, and I was aware of the feud between you and the Lin family. Back then, you were unwilling to accept my help directly, so I entrusted Professor Anderson's relationship and joining the experimental group to the Lin family..."
"It was my oversight, it was my fault... I shouldn't have been so presumptuous. I promise you, from now on, no matter what happens, we'll face it together, okay? I'll never hide anything from you again."
In his arms, Meng Yao felt that her grievances and confusion had finally found an outlet. She reached out and quietly hugged him back, burying her face in his neck and letting her tears soak his shirt. Their hearts finally truly came together as they had wished.
As time went by, Fang Huaixu began to pay more attention to her grandmother. At first, Meng Xiangque's attitude remained distant and cautious, but Fang Huaixu's persistence gradually shook her concerns.
Thanks to everyone's efforts, Grandma's treatment is progressing very smoothly.
Meanwhile, Meng Yao's postgraduate entrance exam preparation entered its final sprint stage, and studying late into the night became the norm. Fang Huaixu's study was often lit up until late at night, quietly keeping her company or offering help.
Meng Yao witnessed all of this.
On the day the postgraduate entrance examination results were released, Meng Yao, accompanied by Fang Huaixu, opened the query interface with trembling hands. The moment the words "proposed admission" appeared in her eyes, she was so excited that she almost jumped up.
Almost simultaneously, her phone rang; it was her grandmother's attending physician.
A cheerful voice came from the other end of the phone, informing her that her grandmother's latest comprehensive examination results were extremely satisfactory, and all key indicators had returned to normal and she had fully recovered.
Overwhelmed with joy, Fang Huaixu rushed forward and embraced her tightly, his voice filled with indescribable relief and excitement: "That's wonderful, really wonderful... You deserve this."
He gently patted her back until she calmed down a bit, then tenderly suggested, "Today is such a wonderful day, we must celebrate properly. I've already asked Uncle Zhou to book a restaurant, just the two of us, okay?"
Meng Yao nodded vigorously, her smile incredibly bright.
The restaurant was carefully selected by Fang Huaixu; it has an elegant ambiance, and the window seats offer a panoramic view of the city's dazzling nightscape.
The dishes were served one after another, creating a warm and romantic atmosphere.
Meng Yao was still immersed in great joy, constantly sharing interesting stories and her hopes for the future with Fang Huaixu.
Fang Huaixu listened with a smile the whole time. As dinner was drawing to a close, he suddenly put down his knife and fork, walked solemnly to her, and slowly knelt down on one knee.
Meng Yao was stunned, sensing what was about to happen, and was too surprised to make a sound.
Fang Huaixu dared not say much. His deep eyes looked particularly focused under the light, and the deep affection and seriousness in his eyes were clearly visible.
First of all, congratulations on entering a new chapter in your life. The future will definitely be better and better.
He spoke, his voice lower and softer than usual: "But I have something equally important to confirm with you today."
Meng Yao was so nervous she dared not breathe, and so was Fang Huaixu. After a long pause, as if carefully choosing the most important words, he fixed his gaze on her: "The way we started may not have been unusual, but my feelings for you have nothing to do with any contract."
He took out a sparkling ring from his side, his fingers trembling as he handed it to him, as if to convey his whole heart through this gesture: "I love you."
Brilliant fireworks rose outside the window, their reflection shimmering in his bright, clear eyes: "I want to confirm if I can have a role that allows me to participate in your important future moments. I hope to share all your joys and sorrows... Will you accept my confession?"
Meng Yao could no longer suppress her emotions. Looking at the clear, small reflection of herself in his eyes, she reached out and nodded repeatedly: "I do."
Outside the window, the lights of thousands of homes shone like a galaxy, gently witnessing this perfect moment.
Inside the window, their hands were clasped tightly, their eyes met, and all the past hardships and waiting were transformed into the most solid bridge to the future in their heartfelt confession.
Author's Note: The main story is finished! [Please!] There are some minor conflicts and the much-anticipated "bang bang bang" extra chapter is coming! [Sprinkling flowers] Their fantasies are really different, I'm ready to write like crazy, hehe.
I've been so tired lately that I'm practically delirious from writing [please], so I'll start updating the extra chapters around this Friday [droopy-eared bunny head]. Thank you all for your support!
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