Chapter 65
The following Friday morning, Chen Zhiyi saw Lin Ting packing her backpack in the living room, stuffing her documents inside. His heart tightened, and he immediately rushed over, grabbing her wrist tightly, a shadow of gloom in his eyes. "Are you going to leave without a word again?"
If it hadn't been discovered in time, would the nightmare from five years ago have repeated itself? How could she be so heartless, abandoning him time and time again without any regard for his feelings? He had given her his whole heart, completely and utterly; how else could he possibly show his deep love for her to keep her?
Thinking of this, she gripped her wrist tighter, her lips trembled slightly, and tears welled up in her eyes.
Lin Ting knew he had misunderstood, and without saying a word, she stretched out her arms and hugged Chen Zhiyi tightly. "I didn't leave without saying a word. Today is Friday, and I wanted to go back to my hometown to visit my mother after get off work. I used to go back about once a month, but this time I haven't been back for two months. I was just about to tell you before I left, but you saw me."
Upon hearing this, Chen Zhiyi's violently pounding heart calmed down, and he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
He opened his arms and looked at Lin Ting, "So you're planning to go back to Pear Town today?"
Lin Ting pursed her lips and nodded seriously.
Why didn't you say so sooner? I could have gone back with you.
"No need, I'll be back tomorrow afternoon. The filming is nearing its end and time is tight. You're a main actor, and missing a day would cause a lot of trouble, so I won't bother you."
Chen Zhiyi was adamant, "No trouble at all. I'll ask the director for leave later and have the coordinator reschedule tomorrow's scenes. I'll tell him I want to go back with you today. I'll wait for you near your company when I get off work."
Lin Ting was about to say something when Chen Zhiyi cut her off, saying, "It's decided." He didn't leave her any room for backtracking.
"What I mean is that you'd better drive a regular car. A Maybach doesn't really fit in with our rural town. The roads are uneven, and if you bump into it, it'll be a disaster."
"Isn't that asking too much? With my current net worth, why would I drive an ordinary car?"
Lin Ting punched his chest. "Tsk, don't give me that."
...
Just before leaving get off work, Lin Ting received a WeChat message from Chen Zhiyi: "Parked in the open-air parking lot of the building across the street, license plate number XXX."
"OK".
As soon as it was time to leave work, Lin Ting grabbed her backpack and disappeared.
Song Xiaolei was so anxious she didn't even have time to say a word to her. She asked, puzzled, "Why are you running so fast? Are you rushing to your wedding?"
Lu Fan tossed his pen into the pen holder, looking nonchalant. "Looks like love really can change a person. Even the workaholic is starting to enjoy life."
Lin Ting moved quickly in hopes of leaving the company before the rush hour, so that no one would notice her. On her way to the building across the street, she kept glancing around to see if she recognized anyone.
As soon as her figure floated into the parking lot, Chen Zhiyi spotted her. He crouched down, following closely behind, his eyes constantly scanning the surroundings, clearly afraid of being seen by others.
If it were someone else, and their boyfriend were a public figure, they would want to announce it to the world to assert their dominance. But she's different. She has to be careful and discreet. In public, she's more like a stranger than a stranger. Even those who have affairs are more open about it than she is.
Chen Zhiyi felt both annoyed and amused, and flashed his hazard lights.
Lin Ting noticed it, the license plate matched, and he quickly ran over.
A black Santana, okay, pretty ordinary.
After opening the car door, sitting in the passenger seat, and fastening his seatbelt, Lin Ting looked around through the glass. The window tint was black, so people outside couldn't see inside, which put Lin Ting completely at ease.
Where did this car come from?
"I had Zhang Ke rent it temporarily."
"Rented?" Lin Ting's eyes widened.
"Otherwise what? None of the people I know drive this kind of car, right? And even if they did, it would be strange for them to ask to borrow it."
Lin Ting shrank her neck and pursed her lips.
Yes, even if I don't want to face it, the fact is that the two of them are currently in different social classes.
Chen Zhiyi realized that his words were inappropriate and was afraid that Lin Ting would misunderstand, so he immediately grabbed her hand that was on her lap. "I have already bought an affordable car and I'm just waiting to complete the formalities. I will accompany you every time you go back to your hometown."
Lin Ting tried her best to suppress the upturned corners of her mouth, put his hand back in its place, and said, "Drive carefully, safety first." She turned to the window and smiled brightly.
"Did you prepare all the things in the back seat?" Lin Ting asked, noticing a row of gifts in the back seat, including various health products, nutritional supplements, and designer clothing and handicrafts.
Lin Ting thought this trip was to do personal shopping.
Chen Zhiyi drove with his eyes fixed on the road ahead. "Yeah, I had Zhang Ke buy it at the last minute."
Wow, being an artist's assistant isn't easy!
"Isn't that too much? My mom lives alone."
"Not much. When I visited your house last time, I didn't prepare anything and even took some local specialties from you. This matter has been bothering me for a long time. I thought I would never have the chance to visit Auntie again. I didn't expect to be able to visit you again. I have to make up for what I did last time and express my gratitude."
Well, Lin Ting couldn't argue with him, and besides, the purchase was already made and couldn't be returned.
The drive from Haishi to Lizhen is not far, only two hours. When the car turned into the town, it was around eight o'clock in the evening, the sky was dark and the bright moon was in the sky.
“The roads in town are all quite narrow. If we were to widen them, we would have to fill in part of the river in front of our house, which would be a huge project. The town government also considered that more people are buying cars now, so they built four parking lots, located in the four directions of east, west, south, and north. Our house is near the one in the north, right there.”
Chen Zhiyi looked in the direction Lin Ting was pointing and, by the light of the car headlights, he could indeed see a wide parking lot with a few cars parked sparsely.
After parking the car, moving all the gifts back became a big problem. Seeing Chen Zhiyi standing there, blinking his clear, innocent eyes, looking completely at a loss, Lin Ting found it particularly funny.
There's an old saying that goes, "lifting a stone only to drop it on one's own foot," which perfectly describes this situation.
"It's alright, we can just make a few more trips," Lin Ting reassured her.
Chen Zhiyi raised his eyebrows and said, "Who do you think you are?" He then stacked the boxes one by one. Although there were many of them, they were all relatively light and not that heavy to carry. Lin Ting, on the other hand, carried the items with straps on her arms.
Under the dark night sky, a man with gift boxes hanging from both arms and another carrying a stack of boxes so high that only his eyes were visible walked side by side along a town lane. The scene was both spectacular and eerie.
As Lin Ting approached the front door of her house, she heard a loud argument coming from inside.
"Lin Qin, you're shameless. You're almost sixty and still acting like a seductress, trying to seduce other people's husbands?"
"Xie Yuling, speak with your conscience. Everyone knows who seduced whose husband back then. I've been avoiding you for so many years, what more do you want from me?"
"That sounds nice, but you've been secretly seeing Qin Qiang all these years, do you think I didn't know? Do you really want me to list out all the hotel names you've stayed at?"
"You, you're making baseless accusations, that's going too far."
Xie Yuling was a despicable woman whom Lin Ting hated to the core. If hitting someone wasn't a crime, Lin Ting would have torn her disgusting face to shreds long ago.
He pushed open the front door with force, and the gift boxes hanging on his arm slammed heavily against the door, making a loud "thump-thump" sound.
As soon as Lin Ting entered the room, she immediately threw down what she was holding, ran angrily to Xie Yuling's side, and forcefully shook off Xie Yuling's hand that was wrapped around Lin Qin's arm. The force was so great that Xie Yuling lost her balance and fell to the ground.
Lin Ting glared at Xie Yuling on the ground, unable to suppress her anger. She wished she could destroy the person in front of her. She clenched her fists and tried to control her emotions. Pointing at Xie Yuling's face, her tone was as cold as ice, "Didn't I tell you not to bother me and my mother anymore? Didn't you listen? Do you really want to experience what it's like to have a black eye and a swollen face? Let me tell you, I'm not afraid of going to jail, as long as you dare."
This woman is like a persistent ghost. It's said that she and Qin Qiang haven't had a good time these past few years, mainly because of their mentally challenged son. He's over ten years old, can't speak, has poor self-care abilities, and makes a mess of the house every day. Xie Yuling, on the other hand, is completely uninvolved in housework and doesn't lift a finger. Qin Qiang has to clean up the house every day after work, leaving him exhausted and miserable.
The more things were like this, the more Qin Qiang would think of Lin Qin's gentleness and thoughtfulness, and Lin Ting's intelligence and obedience. He then deeply realized how terribly wrong he had been back then. But so many years had passed, and there was no going back. Now, he would lose his spirits and become dejected whenever he saw Xie Yuling. Even when Xie Yuling argued with him, he would respond passively.
Therefore, Xie Yuling turned her anger towards Lin Qin, venting her pent-up frustration on her.
They've caused trouble several times, but Lin Ting has caught them each time. Last time, they were given a serious warning, but they still have the nerve and guts to come again.
Xie Yuling snorted contemptuously, got up from the ground, and shamelessly approached Lin Ting with her head held high. "Then go ahead and hit me! If you're so capable, go ahead and hit me! I'd like to see how a well-behaved female college student would hit someone."
Unable to bear it any longer, Lin Ting raised his hand, ready to slap Xie Yuling across the face, but Chen Zhiyi grabbed his arms.
"Lin Ting, calm down."
I can't calm down.
Lin Ting stood there, letting the moonlight bathe her entire body, illuminating her anger and pain so clearly, like an enraged lion, exuding an aura of inviolability.
Chen Zhiyi was not unfamiliar with or repulsed by Lin Ting, but he felt endless heartache for her. He knew the hurt she had suffered from this woman was a wound that would take a lifetime to heal.
Chen Zhiyi held Lin Ting's hands in his right hand and stroked her face with his left, his eyes full of pity. "I know the pain in your heart, but once you hit her, she will no longer be just a perpetrator. She will have the right to sue as a victim. Don't tarnish your precious and pure hands for someone like that, okay?"
Hearing this, Xie Yuling sneered, "Precious and pure hands? That's hilarious. Do you think you're some rich young lady? Give me a break. You're just a little slut who was kicked out of the house by your father, just like your mother."
Lin Qin was furious. She could tolerate any rude or contemptuous words from others, but she couldn't stand the insults directed at Lin Ting. She stomped her feet in frustration and pointed at Xie Yuling, yelling, "Shut up! You crazy woman!"
Chen Zhiyi shielded Lin Ting behind him, saying, "Please leave as soon as possible, or I will call the police. If you continue to verbally abuse me, I will immediately record the conversation and hand it over to my legal team to prosecute you for the crime of verbal abuse."
Upon hearing this, Xie Yuling's heart skipped a beat, and her overbearing arrogance dissipated by more than half. She then looked Chen Zhiyi up and down again.
She's practically brainless in other respects, but she's very knowledgeable about high-end brands. She could tell at a glance that Chen Zhiyi was decked out in luxury goods, and that no one in the surrounding area could match his good looks. He must be from a prestigious family or a newly rich one. Seeing how protective he was of Lin Ting, she couldn't help but feel jealous. He'd climbed the social ladder and become a phoenix.
Her gaze bypassed Chen Zhiyi and fixed on Lin Ting. "Oh, so you've hooked up with a rich guy? It's the fastest way to climb the social ladder at such a young age with some looks to use your body."
These words thoroughly enraged Chen Zhiyi, but he still tried his best to hold back. His good manners did not allow him to utter a curse. The words that came out were almost from his throat, each one filled with extreme anger: "Speak with respect!"
Suddenly, Lin Ting's attitude changed; he burst into loud laughter, but his face was full of contempt and coldness.
"Xie Yuling, karma is a cycle. The evil deeds you've done have all come back to haunt your son. Otherwise, how could you have given birth to a fool? Heaven has taken away his intelligence. If you do more bad things, see if it takes away his life next time."
"Also, you treat Qin Qiang like a treasure. This kind of irresponsible cheating man can cheat once, or a second time, a third time, or even countless times. He has a long road ahead of him. Do you think you can hold onto him for the rest of your life? Believe me, your end will be even worse."
Two bloody killer moves left Xie Yuling utterly defeated and humiliated. Completely disregarding law and morality, she rushed forward to tear Lin Ting apart.
The three of them wrestled together, with Chen Zhiyi tightly protecting Lin Ting and Lin Qin.
Just then, a series of hurried footsteps approached.
"Xie Yuling, stop." Qin Qiang pulled Xie Yuling out. He didn't see her when he got home from get off work. The two had a fight in the morning and parted on bad terms. To be precise, it was Xie Yuling who had a one-sided, hysterical fight. Alarm bells were ringing in his mind, and he guessed that she would come to cause trouble for Lin Qin.
really!
His past mistake of unilaterally betraying Lin Qin made it impossible for him to ever stand up straight in front of her again.
Qin Qiang said guiltily, "I'm sorry, are you all alright?"
Lin Ting couldn't stand his hypocritical act. "Can Qin Qiang control his wife and stop her from appearing in front of my mother again? What kind of man is he if he can't even control his wife? Well, if you were a real man, you wouldn't have done such a lousy thing as cheating on your wife and abandoning your family and daughter."
Lin Qin stopped her: "Xiao Ting, you can't talk to your dad like that."
"Mom, are you still defending him? Hasn't he hurt you enough?" Lin Ting was furious.
Lin Qin turned her face away, tears welling in her eyes.
Qin Qiang met Lin Ting's disgusted gaze and felt heartbroken. He had always hoped to mend his relationship with Lin Ting, but they were drifting further and further apart. He used to think that with time, her hatred for him would lessen, but it only continued to deepen.
"Xiaoting, Dad promises that Aunt Xie will never come again. I'm really sorry for the hurt I caused you today."
Lin Ting kept a straight face and didn't say anything; his apology was worthless in his heart.
Seeing Qin Qiang's remorseful and submissive demeanor towards Lin Qin and her daughter, Xie Yuling was furious. She lashed out again, shaking off his restraints. "Qin Qiang, why do you look so lifeless towards me and my son, but so gentle and considerate towards them? Are they more seductive than me in bed?"
Qin Qiang's patience with Xie Yuling's rude remarks reached its limit, and he raised his hand to slap her.
Xie Yuling's eyes widened. "Qin Qiang, how dare you hit me? Don't forget, you got to where you are today because of my family's support. We can put you in a high position and we can also bring you down."
Indeed, thanks to Xie Yuling's family connections, Qin Qiang has risen rapidly in his career, especially in recent years, and is now the deputy director of the county's finance bureau.
Chen Zhiyi looked at Qin Qiang. Words like "refined," "elegant," and "mature" were not an exaggeration when describing this middle-aged man, but he only felt that the man in front of him was pathetic, hateful, and shameful.
Men who cheat either can't control their lust or do it for their own benefit; he's both. What a scumbag! Chen Zhiyi thought bitterly.
"Mr. Qin, keep your word and take Ms. Xie away from here as soon as possible."
Qin Qiang then noticed that there was another man next to him. Although it was not daytime and he could not see clearly, his face was familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere before.
He didn't remember ever meeting Chen Zhiyi, but he felt that he had seen him in some news report, and he was sure it was a political news report.
Who is this?
Lin retorted, "Who he is is none of your business. Take your wife and leave my house. Please give us back a peaceful night and a peaceful life. You can't repay everything else you owe us, so please do this."
"good!"
Xie Yuling struggled to stay and roll around on the spot, but Qin Qiang forcibly dragged her away by her armpits.
Lin Qin stood not far away, her gaze fixed on the two figures in front of her, her heart filled with complex and unfathomable emotions. The scene was like a sharp blade, cutting into her heart again and again, causing her an indescribable pain.
Even if things are bad, they are husband and wife, and I am the one who was abandoned.
Thinking of this, tears streamed down my face.
Lin Ting could see the reluctance, longing, and pain in her mother's eyes as she looked at Qin Qiang.
How can one easily let go of someone they loved deeply in their youth, or someone they've shared a life with for many years?
But he doesn't deserve it, not at all.
Lin Ting hugged her mother tightly, her voice hoarse, "Mom, let him go, he's not worth it, not worth it at all!"
Lin Qin rested her head on her shoulder, sobbing mournfully.
Chen Zhiyi stood aside and watched quietly, waiting for them to vent their pent-up emotions.
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