Chapter 58 Old Love Letters: "Don't cry, I'm here for you."
Zhou Jinglong stepped forward and hugged her, saying with heartache, "It's all in the past now, Xiaobao, don't cry."
"I'm sorry," Zhou said, her voice trembling with sobs. "I'm sorry, Dad."
“Dad has never blamed you.” Zhou Jinglong took out a tissue and wiped her tears. “Don’t blame yourself. It makes me feel bad too.”
Liu Xianya used her uninjured left hand to pull her to sit down on the edge of the bed and said softly, "Your dad always told me not to tell you because he was afraid you were too young to handle it. Our family has no power or influence, no one speaks up for us, so we can only fight for it ourselves. Xiaobao, please understand your dad."
Zhou Yu wept silently, her lips trembling violently. She nodded forcefully, feeling deeply ashamed of the willful words she had just blurted out.
She always thought she was the most clear-headed person, having taken so long to emerge from the nightmare, unaware that she had always lived in the protective shield her parents had erected for her, and that the pressure and pain they endured were no less than hers.
"Okay, stop crying, it's alright now." Liu Xianya raised her hand and touched her face. "Your eyes are all red from crying."
“I did spend less time with you when you were little, and I was very happy to see that essay,” Zhou Jinglong comforted her. “So don’t think it’s your fault, you didn’t do anything wrong.”
It took Zhou Yu a long time to stop her tears.
She couldn't forgive herself.
She lowered her head and saw Zhou Jinglong sit on the stool by the bed. He said to Liu Xianya, "It's possible that word got out about my meeting with them. This is a warning to me."
Liu Xianya looked worried and asked, "Are those people really trustworthy?"
“I can trust them,” Zhou Jinglong said. “When they framed me, it was several of them who stood up for me, but I couldn’t fight city hall.”
"I'm just afraid..." Liu Xianya hesitated, "that we might end up harming them too."
“They are safer than me.” Zhou Jinglong looked at Zhou Yu and sighed. “I’m most worried about you guys. He can’t do anything to me, someone who’s been to prison. Xiao Bao is still in school, and you work at the hospital.”
The person who caused trouble at the hospital today was sent to the police station. Liu Xianya usually communicates closely with her patients and has met their families before, but this person was a complete stranger; she had never seen him before.
"If all else fails," Liu Xianya said, "I'll just resign."
Zhou Jinglong immediately shook his head: "I'll close the museum for a while to avoid the limelight."
Zhou Yu listened quietly for a long time, then asked in a hoarse voice, "Is there any evidence for the previous frame-up?"
"Yes, there was some manipulation of the financial data by the higher-ups. The person in charge was transferred to another province or city a few years ago. We can start with that person." Zhou Jinglong lowered his voice. "It's just that the higher-ups are putting pressure on us, and they might not give in."
He put it simply, but Zhou Yu knew how difficult it would be to do. She asked, "So, to overturn the case, we need to drag the higher-ups out?"
Zhou Jinglong didn't dare to reply.
This is too crazy; for him now, it's nothing short of a fantasy.
But Zhou Yu knew that this was her father's only wish now, and also her way of atoning for her sins.
“This matter can’t be rushed,” Zhou Jinglong said. “At least let’s wait until Xiaobao graduates from university.”
The series of accidents today instilled fear in Zhou Jinglong, making him hesitant. Now it was just him and Liu Xianya, and he feared Zhou Yu would be next.
He simply didn't dare to take the risk.
Liu Xianya nodded, looked at Zhou Yu, and said, "Xiao Bao, you have quite a bit of savings now. If you still want to pursue a master's degree, how about considering studying abroad?"
Government officials are not allowed to travel abroad; once they cross the border, they are much safer.
Zhou Yu's voice was dry: "And what about you?"
Liu Xianya smiled gently: "I'm in the hospital, what could possibly happen to me?"
Zhou Yu felt that she was just trying to comfort herself. There were many news reports of people being seriously injured or even dying because of medical disputes, so how could she feel at ease?
Zhou Jinglong shared the same concern, saying, "If you go abroad with Xiaobao, you can spend time with her."
"Leave you here alone?" Liu Xianya refused. "You wouldn't even know if something happened."
“If they can’t find my information online, they can’t find me. They’re not that all-powerful; they can’t locate me anytime.” Zhou Jinglong had already thought of his escape route: “I’ll move to a less developed place, not open a shop, but set up a stall and do some small business.”
Liu Xianya still shook her head.
Zhou Jinglong reassured him, "Only when you two are safe can I have no worries."
After a moment of silence, Zhou Jinglong looked at Zhou Yu again and hesitated before asking, "Xiao Bao, how long have you been dating your boyfriend?"
Zhou Yu's heart skipped a beat; she had a premonition of something. She replied, "More than a year."
Zhou Jinglong simply nodded, but Zhou Yu could see the unspoken words in his expression.
As if sensing something, Zhou Yu's phone rang in her pocket. She took it out and saw that it was a photo sent by Chen Jingchi.
Today was the last day of rehearsal for their band. Du Heng took a group photo of everyone before they left, with Chen Jingchi standing in the most prominent position in the middle.
Liu Xianya, who was standing nearby, saw the name, thought of something, and asked, "Is it a flight tomorrow?"
Zhou looked up at her, turned off his phone, and said, "I'm not going. I'll stay and take care of you."
Liu Xianya smiled and said, "No need, your dad's here, you go ahead."
The teahouse was still in a mess, Liu Xianya had been stabbed in the shoulder and couldn't do many things, so she would need to recuperate for a long time. How could Zhou Yu possibly go abroad to play with a clear conscience?
She got up from the bedside and said to the two of them, "I'm going to call him and tell him I'm not going."
Liu Xianya wanted to say something more, but she had already turned and left the ward.
Zhou Yu walked to the window at the end of the corridor and made a voice call to Chen Jingchi, who answered quickly.
"Chen Jingchi." She looked at the birds perched on the telephone pole outside the window and said softly, "There's something I want to tell you."
"Hmm?" He smiled. "Want to see me soon?"
Having finally calmed down, her eyes welled up with tears again upon hearing his words. She bit her lower lip, forcing herself to hold back her tears.
At the point when he is about to depart for his performance, he must not be allowed to notice his unusual emotional state.
“I’m sorry, I can’t go to Seattle with you.” Her voice was strained, and every word was difficult to say. “My mother is in the hospital, and I have to take care of her.”
She knew how important this overseas tour was to him. He had been preparing for so long, and this was his first time going abroad. Not only him, but the company also attached great importance to it.
In the past, she would always sit in the center of the first row closest to the stage at his concerts, but this was the first time she had missed it.
Chen Jingchi didn't respond to her words, pausing for two seconds. In those few seconds, Zhou Yu considered several possibilities: he would be disappointed, he would be sad, he would understand.
But his reaction was completely unexpected.
The laughter in his voice vanished, replaced by worry: "Where are you?"
Zhou Yu was taken aback by his unexpected question. Her tense nerves didn't relax at all. Before she could react, his voice came into her ears again, "I just landed at the airport. I'm coming to find you now. Which hospital are you at?"
She then understood what "see me soon" meant.
She struggled desperately for a long time, but all her efforts were in vain because of his words. She felt warm tears streaming down her cheeks and raised her hand to wipe them away. It felt like there was a wad of water-soaked cotton stuck in her throat, making her feel bloated and unable to breathe.
She didn't dare tell him the hospital address, and took a deep breath before she could barely manage to say, "Let's go to your house."
Chen Jingchi had no objection and said, "Okay."
It takes at least an hour to get back from the airport by car. Zhou Yu composed herself outside and returned to the ward. Liu Xianya and Zhou Jinglong were chatting. She turned her head and noticed Zhou Yu's red eyes, knowing that she had been crying outside again.
Liu Xianya held her hand and persuaded her, "Mom will be taken care of here and will be discharged in a few days. Xiao Chen finally got to go to the United States for a concert, why don't you go with him?"
Zhou Jinglong also chimed in with a few words.
Zhou Yu knew that even if she went, she wouldn't be in a good mood for the next few days. She didn't want to spoil everyone's fun, and she was also worried about her parents.
“I told him not to try to persuade me anymore.” Zhou Yu lowered her gaze, looking at their clasped hands. “I’ll go out to see him later.”
She stayed with Liu Xianya for half an hour, watching her finish her dinner. Before leaving, Liu Xianya told her to go to the restroom to wash her face. After washing her face, Zhou Yu saw in the mirror that her eyes were a little red and swollen, the result of crying twice.
There was no time for her to recover, and it was unavoidable that Chen Jingchi had noticed. She came out of the bathroom and said to Liu Xianya, "I'll come over and keep you company tonight."
"Oh dear, I don't need you!" Liu Xianya said anxiously. "Your dad's here tonight, there's nowhere for you to sleep, go quickly."
Zhou hailed a taxi downstairs and arrived at Chen Jingchi's house about twenty minutes later. She entered the password to get in, but he wasn't there yet. The living room was empty and deserted. The furniture was spotless because someone cleaned it regularly, but in reality, he hadn't been back for almost half a month.
She walked over and sat down on the sofa. Chen Jingchi rarely stayed here, so there was almost no clutter in the house. It looked like a new house showroom. The only things that stood out were a few small boxes containing a few black hair ties and four or five white capsule condoms.
For example, on the coffee table, bathroom sink, bedside table, etc.
The hair tie is used to tie her hair. Chen Jingchi really likes her waist-length hair, and he always ties it up for her by hand before doing anything.
He was always in a hurry and found tearing open the bagged condoms troublesome, so he switched to capsule-shaped ones, which he could easily open with one hand. The cleaning lady had never seen these before and didn't know what they were, but she left them there openly without any embarrassment.
They could empty the box in one meeting, so he asked the aunt to restock it every time she came. Fortunately, the aunt didn't have a strong curiosity and had always thought it was food.
While waiting for him, Zhou Yu was afraid that what happened today would be on the news. She opened Weibo and glanced at it, but she didn't see anything about them. Instead, she saw Chen Jingchi trending on Weibo.
#Chen Jingchi's Ultimate Flash#
Clicking in, I found out that his flight information had been leaked by his fans. He was originally scheduled to fly directly from Jiangbei to Seattle, but he suddenly changed his plans this morning and flew from Jiangbei to Xianhai this afternoon. He will fly from Xianhai to the United States tomorrow.
The comments section was filled with angry reactions from fans.
He really loves her so much [crying emoji]
Who's spreading rumors about them breaking up? I'm crying my eyes out because my sister-in-law rushed back.
Why are fans still reacting so strongly after all this time? They should be used to it by now.
[He specially came back to pick up his sister-in-law to go together. Doesn't he understand the true value of Chen Jingchi's love-struck mind?]
[Chen Jingchi's fan site admins must be devastated [laughing and crying emoji]]
The two haven't worked together for so long, and around the Spring Festival, some netizens posted rumors online that their relationship was on the verge of breaking down. Now, these rumors have been disproven.
Just as Zhou was reading the comments, cheerful music came from the door lock. She suddenly stood up from the sofa and walked to the door. Chen Jingchi pushed the door open and hugged her.
He held her tightly, finally making Zhou Yu feel a sense of warmth and security. She hugged his waist and tilted her head back to kiss him.
Chen Jingchi smiled and pressed his thumb to the corner of her lips: "We'll kiss later."
His assistant, who was carrying the suitcase behind him, blushed and coughed awkwardly, "Then I'll head out first."
His assistant had been with him for over a year, witnessing Chen Jingchi's journey from single to in-laws, yet he remained as innocent as ever. After pushing the suitcase inside, he left without looking back, only to turn back after a few steps and kindly close the door for them.
The entryway light came on, and Chen Jingchi finally saw her reddened eyes. His heart ached suddenly, and he asked in a low voice, "Why are you crying?"
Upon hearing his voice, the sadness that Zhou Yu had been trying so hard to suppress suddenly resurfaced, and she quickly turned her head away, not daring to let him see her.
"Is Auntie's condition very serious?" he asked.
Zhou Yu's voice was slightly hoarse from crying: "The wound is very deep, and it may take a long time to heal."
"If you come to stay with me, will she have anyone to take care of her?"
Zhou Yu felt a pang of pain in her chest. She gritted her teeth and said, "There's a nurse."
Chen Jingchi touched her face, turned her to face him, and looked at her with unfathomable worry in his eyes.
"Don't feel guilty, Zhou Yu. I can tell what's important. There are still many shows to come." He was just glad, "I originally came here today to accompany you on the plane tomorrow, because I was afraid you would be lonely. Luckily, I came."
Otherwise, given her personality, she would most likely be secretly heartbroken and not let him know.
He saw the moisture welling up in her eyes, lowered his head and kissed her eyelids, gently coaxing, "Don't cry, I'm here for you."
Zhou Yu closed her eyes. The more he comforted her, the more her defenses crumbled. Thinking of what her parents had said today, and of their future, a deep sense of reluctance washed over her like a rising tide.
Chen Jingchi patted her back gently and asked, "Have you had dinner?"
She had no appetite at the hospital and didn't eat a single bite of the dinner Zhou Jinglong bought. Seeing her shake her head, Chen Jingchi said, "I haven't eaten either. Want to eat something with me?"
He ordered takeout from the restaurant, and Zhou Yu only drank some porridge. Her mind was filled with too many things, and she didn't have time to process them. After watching Chen Jingchi finish eating and clear the table, she got up, hugged him from behind, and whispered, "I want it."
Although her body hadn't aroused any desire, she frankly expressed her desire to indulge in love and sex, hoping that her brain would activate its automatic repair function when she woke up tomorrow, making her feel better.
Chen Jingchi turned to look at her and asked, "Will you sleep here tonight?"
"Hmm." Zhou Yu couldn't wait any longer and reached out to take off his sweater.
Chen Jingchi picked her up and carried her into the bedroom, their clothes falling off along the way.
She had intended to numb herself with desire, but Chen Jingchi's actions were gentler than ever before. Instead of losing herself in pleasure, the dull, aching pain deep in her heart intensified, spreading throughout her body along her bones and muscles.
She kept asking for it to be faster, harder, as if she were addicted, desperately craving his body.
"Chen Jingchi." She leaned on his shoulder, her voice hoarse as she called his name, and asked, "Can you fuck me until I break?"
Her unusual behavior made Chen Jingchi hesitant to truly join in her craziness. He restrained his strength, placing his hand on her lower back: "I can't bear to."
"How could you have been willing to do that before?" She looked up at him, her wet eyes unfathomable, revealing a hint of madness.
Even though they were doing the most intimate things, Chen Jingchi felt a sense of loss that came from nowhere. He was distracted and thought about his conversation with Zhan Li that morning.
He asked Tan Bei when she would take him to meet her parents.
Zhan Li said there was no way to compare: "We were neighbors in high school, and our parents knew each other."
Then he asked, "Are you going to see Zhou Yu..."
He stopped mid-sentence, suddenly remembering a rumor he had heard about Zhou Yu's father long ago, and dared not continue.
Chen Jingchi guessed that perhaps her father's situation made her feel inferior, which is why she refused his request on New Year's Eve.
He knew nothing about her family situation. He originally thought that he knew Zhou Yu well enough, but after thinking about it carefully, he realized that all his knowledge came from her lyrics.
She's good at hiding her emotions and doesn't easily open up to others, including him; you can only glean a glimpse of her in her lyrics. They haven't collaborated for over half a year now, and during that time, the thing they've done most when they're together is love.
No matter how close they were physically, he could never reach her inner world.
Zhou Yu's voice pulled him back to reality: "You're not concentrating."
She stopped what she was doing and asked, "Don't you want to do it?"
Chen Jingchi held her and switched positions, finally revealing the passionate side she most wanted to see, and lowered his head to bite her lip: "No."
She was able to temporarily forget reality in the happiness he gave her, and eventually fell asleep from exhaustion, unable to remember what time it was.
She slept exceptionally soundly, and had several hazy dreams in which the image of Zhou Jinglong being taken away kept recurring. Those dark scenes were like terrifying eyes, and all her reason was swallowed up by fear.
I was startled awake and covered in cold sweat, unable to tell where I was.
She turned around once her heartbeat returned to normal.
There was nothing around me.
He should be heading to the airport.
Zhou Yu gripped the blanket covering her tightly, overwhelmed by a profound sense of loss and loneliness. She desperately wished this was all a dream, and that he would hold her tightly when she woke up.
Her desire for Chen Jingchi was so strong it was driving her crazy.
She thought she would feel better today, but she didn't expect it to be even more painful and unbearable than last night.
Her phone displayed a message Chen Jingchi had sent her two hours earlier, informing her that he had left. Zhou Yu changed her clothes and left his house as quickly as possible.
On the way, Tan Bei sent her a message.
Tan Bei: [Baby! Which hospital is your mom in?]
Just as Zhou Yu was wondering how to reply, another message popped up.
Tan Bei: [I'll be at Xianhai in half an hour, I'll come with you!]
Zhou Yu stared blankly at the words, his vision beginning to blur.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Thank you so much for the nutrient solution, everyone!!! [heart emoji] [heart emoji]
Reader "...", irrigate with nutrient solution +10
Reader "Yvonne :)" irrigated with nutrient solution +7
Reader "Lily" watered with nutrient solution +5
The reader "believes in decadent romanticism," and has added 1 unit of nutrient solution to their watering solution.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
