Chapter 7 Pretending it never happened? Meeting again
The night market lights cast dappled shadows on the ground as people came and went, passing by the two of them.
A young couple approached, "Hey handsome, can you sell me this bear? My girlfriend really wants it, I'll pay double the price!"
Zong Linhan glanced at them and handed the bear to Wen Zhiling.
Wen Zhiling was caught off guard and pounced on by the bear. She staggered back two steps as the bear's huge head blocked her view.
They tried to find the person by prying open the bear's shoulders, but Zong Linhan had already disappeared into the crowd.
-
Wen Zhiling waited for a car at the hospital entrance. Across the street was a row of restaurants, and beyond the low-rise buildings, she could see a shopping mall in the distance.
The advertisements on the light boxes feature handsome men and beautiful women, with Zong Linhan, the spokesperson for a watch, occupying the center. The man is handsome with sharp, chiseled features, a departure from his usual gentle on-screen image, showcasing a highly aggressive side.
When the promotional photos were released, they received high praise for their strong contrast and even trended on social media.
Wen Zhiling buried herself in the plush toy, connecting the events of fainting in the afternoon, meeting Zong Linhan, and the fact that today was the last day.
Does her failure to detect Zong Linhan's appearance beforehand mean she spent three years hiding in vain? Did she reconnect with Zong Linhan?
What to do? Nobody gave her a little monster survival manual...
"Hey, little girl, it's you!" an auntie next to her called out.
Wen Zhiling recognized this as Aunt Qiao's caregiver.
"Sister Qiao was complaining this afternoon that I hadn't woken her up this morning. She said it's not easy for me to come all this way, but I told her that I went on a date with Brother Qiao! She immediately smiled, which worked better than surgery!"
Wen Zhiling initially nodded happily, but her smile turned awkward as she listened.
"Oh, by the way, here's something for you. I originally asked Brother Qiao to bring it to you." The aunt hooked her handbag with her left hand, rummaged through her hands with her right, and handed over a business card. "The nurse told me to give this to you."
"Nurse?"
The business card lists information about a private hospital. On the other side, a grand gold-plated logo is visible, surrounded by intertwined vines.
"The nurse said they couldn't treat your problem here and told you to go to this clinic. What's wrong? Is it serious?"
Wen Zhiling thought for a moment, "It's a rather obscure little problem. Did you tell Aunt Qiao about it?"
"No, how could I dare say? I've been a caregiver for several years, so I can't ask around or say anything carelessly! You young people should exercise more, go to the park more often, and take walks more often. Don't sit in front of the computer all day and look at your phone all day. The radiation is huge—hey, my car is here, I can't talk to you anymore!"
The bus made a brief stop and then departed. A gust of wind swept through, ruffling Wen Zhiling's long hair. She brushed her hair aside, staring at the vine pattern, which looked very familiar.
-
A strong sea breeze was blowing, and a white yacht was moored in the harbor. Its lights turned on one by one, and the entire sea shimmered with a faint glow.
As soon as Zong Yue boarded the ship, she was surrounded by a group of friends who congratulated her, "Miss, you're really not being fair! You didn't share such a good thing with us!"
"That's right, you should have told me in advance. I was in such a rush that I didn't have time to prepare a gift."
"This is the last one in the Milan store. It's just a small token of my appreciation. I wish you all the best in your success!"
Zong Yue was suddenly presented with a bundle of gifts, still completely bewildered. "What did I do to congratulate me?"
The friends looked at each other, puzzled. "Didn't you have some good news to share and invite us aboard to celebrate?"
The ship sounded its horn and sailed out of the harbor. Zong Yue smirked, "Wasn't it someone who suddenly wanted to celebrate their birthday and made eight hundred phone calls to bring me here?!"
Three seconds later, Zong Yue realized who might be the culprit and turned to jump into the sea to escape, but was stopped by a group of people.
The yacht's interior is luxurious, with dazzling crystal chandeliers, a pianist and string orchestra working in perfect harmony, and waiters serving cocktails and entertaining guests.
With the clatter of her high heels, Miss Zong strode through the corridor, nearly twisting her ankle in her anger. She shooed away the servant who came to help her, stopped at the door of the lounge at the end of the corridor, and kicked the door open.
"It's finally here." Zong Linhan lazily sank into the sofa, flipping through a book on criminal investigation.
"Didn't you force me to come?!" Zong Yue threw her limited-edition crocodile skin bag at him. "I'm going home to tell my aunt that you bullied me!"
Zong Linhan turned his head away, not even bothering to lift his eyelids. "She was playing mahjong at your house today. Shall I get you a speedboat?"
"You!" Zong Yue, who had been ignored, could no longer bear it and slammed her hand on the table, but after uttering "you" for a long time, she could not get the rest out.
Zong Linhan gave a wink, and a servant brought over a delicious cake, the one Miss Zong loved the most.
When the cake was pushed in front of her, Zong Yue's expression softened.
Zong Linhan said with concern, "Cherish it. We might not be able to eat it when we go to the island in a couple of days."
Zong Yue lost her appetite, clenched her little fists, and was about to be driven mad by him!
Zong Yue: "I'm not going! I don't want to go out with you! I hate you! You'll definitely bully me, and then the whole country will see me lose face!"
"Don't think of me like that. The time I bullied you was so many years ago. Why would I hold a grudge for a lifetime?"
As soon as she finished speaking, waiters outside the door brought in trays in quick succession, on which were displayed limited edition bags that were sold out in Paris, seasonal luxury goods, and the latest clothing and accessories from the recently concluded design week. The decorations on the skirts shimmered under the lights, and Miss Zong's heart fluttered with excitement.
She forced herself to look away from the classic patterned slip dress, and pushed a card towards her with her slender fingers.
Zong Linhan smiled and said, "If Zong Xiaoyue is willing to condescend to come with me, I'll make sure you have all the little gifts you could ever want in your life."
Zong Yue's indomitable spirit was forced to shake like an earthquake.
Zong Linhan pressed his advantage, "Of course, if you don't go, all your cards will be suspended."
Zong Yue: "You're using coercion and bribery! You're resorting to any means necessary! It's disgusting!"
Zong Linhan: "The bags and clothes are innocent, don't take it out on them."
Who took their anger out on you? You're the one who's filthy!
Zong Yue grew up with Zong Linhan and was always surrounded by the frustration of being unable to win arguments or fights. This time, she was tricked onto the ship, and it seemed that they would not let her go until she agreed, and would take her and her friends down with them.
In response, Zong Linhan explained innocently, "You don't answer the phone and you're never home, what can I do?"
Zong Yue launched a barrage of attacks, "Brother, you're too cynical. You deserve to be single. You'll be single forever!"
Zong Linhan's hand, resting on the table, curled slightly. Unusually, he didn't respond immediately. If Zong Yue wasn't mistaken, he even avoided her gaze. Zong Yue was utterly shocked—wow, it actually worked!
"Hey bro, you..."
"Stop changing the subject." Zong Linhan tapped the table with his knuckles, reverting to his usual indifference. "You have to go, whether you like it or not."
After a fierce internal struggle, Zong Yue resolutely resisted the temptation.
Perhaps it was the mention of his girlfriend that made Zong Linhan so irritable and impatient. "The reason for not going?"
Zong Yue bit her lip, and Zong Linhan said sternly, "Speak."
Zong Yue's eyes reddened. "Are you going to investigate Lin Yang's matter... Brother, I think you should let it go."
Zong Yue didn't dare to look up. "They went to Meilan Island, right? That's where Brother Lin Yang last located the place. But my thoughts are the same as Auntie's... Don't think about people who can't come back. The search and rescue team has been searching for so long without any results. Don't let them lose you too."
Zong Linhan said in a cold voice, "Pack your luggage properly, take your things."
Seeing that the idiot was determined to jump into the fire pit and there was no way to pull him back, Zong Yue whispered, "Thank you, brother. I'm grateful to you, brother. You can get lost now."
Zong Linhan stood up, and Zong Yue's tears were about to fall. He touched the top of her head with his warm hand, "I'll be fine. I still have to support Zong Xiaoyue's allowance."
These words sounded like a promise, a guarantee. A bitter feeling stuck in her throat, and Zong Yue pushed him away, saying, "Alright, now get out of here."
Zong Yue was naturally carefree; if she couldn't win, she would just lie down happily. The banquet hall was filled with singing and dancing, and she and her friends had a lively gathering.
The wind was strong on the deck, and the night cast Zong Linhan into shadow. He stood slenderly under the moonlight, silently watching the shimmering waves on the sea.
In just one brief encounter, he was able to describe Wen Zhiling's appearance in great detail. Her beautifully shaped eyes and the dimples that appeared when she spoke.
She was slender, not much different from three years ago, with delicate wrists and soft skin that would leave red marks with the slightest pressure. When she was holding a gun at the night market, her thumb and forefinger were covered in red marks. These ambiguous red marks had appeared on her back, lower back, and inner thighs, marks left only by the closest people in her life.
Her preferences haven't changed much in the past three years; her shopping cart is still filled with shrimp, crab, fish, tomatoes, and low-nutrition soda and potato chips. Her habits are also the same: she wears her long hair down and ties a red string around her left wrist.
Zong Linhan suddenly realized that three years wouldn't change a person much.
A chilling thought entered his mind, forcing him to confront a cruel possibility: perhaps she hadn't liked him very much three years ago.
Otherwise, how could she disappear without a second thought?
The phone rang for a long time before Zong Linhan answered, "What is it?"
The other party was a laboratory staff member. Zong Linhan discovered that his strength was fluctuating, so he went to the laboratory for another checkup.
Taking all factors into consideration, he proposed adding matching for extinct types.
The other party also seemed shocked by the result: "There's a match! Based on the data comparison, it should have been marked three years ago!"
-
Wen Zhiling stood behind the dessert table, picked up a caramel pastry, put it into a packaging bag, and sealed it.
Today's café has a bunny ear theme. She's dressed in a black and white outfit, a high-waisted short skirt, with long, straight legs that are so fair they seem to glow.
The most eye-catching accessory was the matching bunny ear headband, in black and white, long like two antennas stretching straight up to the ceiling. It would easily bend after a few steps, lying limply, and Wen Zhiling had to frequently raise her hand to straighten it.
Greenie had just changed back into her casual clothes and winked, "I bet he'll come looking for your number today."
Wen Zhiling: "Who?"
Green glanced at the side door and said, "They play tower defense games there every day."
A group of boys were playing video games in a four-person seat, and bursts of laughter or cursing would often suddenly erupt, drowning out the soothing and pleasant music.
One of them was facing Wen Zhiling, laughing and joking with his companion as he worked. He glanced at the dessert table, as if he had just casually looked up, but he didn't expect to meet Wen Zhiling's gaze. He immediately lowered his head, and his laughter became even louder, as if he was trying to hide some kind of embarrassment.
However, it's not unusual to be stared at in a coffee shop that advertises itself on its decor, and it doesn't mean anything, so Wen Zhiling didn't pay much attention to it. But she still lingered to look at the group of people for a while longer.
Green: "What, you have an idea now?"
Wen Zhiling's eyes shone with envy, "I also want to play tower defense games there every day."
Greenie was silent for a moment, then asked, "Is that the main point?"
Wen Zhiling: "Isn't that right?"
Green sighed, "When will it be our turn to get rich? When I'm rich, I'll play games all day and have handsome young men bring me coffee and desserts."
The two became obsessed with the idea of getting rich overnight.
Suddenly, Mengmeng, who had just finished get off work, ran back, her nose damp with sweat: "That celebrity from last time is here!!"
Green: "That girl named Qiaoqiao?"
Xiao Meng screamed in a low voice, "Zong Linhan!"
Wen Zhiling almost tore the takeout bag apart.
A note from the author:
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