Chapter 32 Love is voluntary, no regrets afterward
We arrived at Xiyuan around 7 o'clock, just in time for dinner.
After finishing her meal, Lin Zaoyi went back to her room. She had already sent the photos to Sister Qiao at the airport. How to handle them and how much of a stir they would cause remained to be seen until tomorrow.
I had just settled down on the sofa when the phone rang. It was Tan Zhaojing, and he asked where she was.
It's quite strange, weren't they going back together?
"Xi Garden."
He asked, "Specifically, the room or the backyard?"
She countered, "Did you need something from me?"
"Um."
"Then let's go to the backyard."
In early autumn, the night breeze is refreshing.
Lin Zaoyi had only been sitting in the rattan chair for a few minutes when Tan Zhaojing came over. She subconsciously stood up and asked, "Brother Zhaojing, what's up?"
Tan Zhaojing stopped nearby, "I have a question."
Confuse?
This puzzled Lin Zaoyi. "You, the boss, have doubts?"
Tan Zhaojing looked at her and said, "Are you discriminating against me?"
Lin Zaoyi shook her head. "Absolutely not."
She smiled and said, "Brother Zhaojing, please speak."
However, it was only the beginning that left her with a lingering smile.
He said, "Four months ago, a girl suddenly barged into my private room."
It felt as if an iron rod was hitting my head, and my mind went blank with a 'buzz'.
In the few seconds her brain went blank, her feet instinctively tried to run away, but he anticipated it and grabbed her. "You haven't finished talking yet, where are you going?"
"I...I just remembered I still have a manuscript to write!"
She was so anxious she jumped up and down, yelling, "Let go!"
He relaxed, but blocked her way. The man slowly opened his mouth and said, "Lin Zaoyi, stop pretending. It was you that night."
boom--
After a muffled thud, the world fell silent, except for the ringing in my ears. Time seemed to stand still. A crescent moon hung in the dark sky, now hidden behind the clouds, its tip peeking out.
So lonely, and so scared.
He found out...
what to do……
Tan Zhaojing lifted his eyelids slightly, his gaze falling calmly on the girl's face. The almond-shaped eyes before him were filled with nothing but shock and panic.
So scared.
A faint smile appeared in his eyes. "What's the meaning of not saying anything?"
Lin Zaoyi was teetering on the brink of collapse, feeling that the man was like a lit cigarette butt and she was like a firecracker lying there motionless. As soon as he reached out, she would explode into pieces.
Trying to find her voice, she felt like her throat was being choked, making it difficult to breathe. "I...I don't know what you're saying..."
Tan Zhaojing's eyes suddenly sharpened. "I'm not blind. If you've forgotten, I don't mind talking about the details."
She minds, she doesn't want to!
He could clearly feel the blood gushing beneath his thin skin as he struggled in his death throes, pleading, "It really wasn't me, why don't you go get it checked out..."
"How do you investigate?" he asked casually. "The videos have all been deleted."
"I don't!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he wanted to kill himself. How could his mouth be so fast!
He quickly offered a pretext, saying, "I didn't delete it...no, I didn't mean it was me..."
The man didn't speak, just stared at her. At that moment, even the faintest glance from him could make her feel like she was sitting on pins and needles.
After a long internal struggle, the man finally confessed, "Brother Zhaojing, I'm sorry... I... didn't mean to. That night, I drank something unclean..."
"I didn't covet you, I—"
He abruptly interrupted her, "Is 'sorry' enough?"
Yes, an apology won't do.
She stared blankly at the man before her. In Xi Garden, lanterns were lit everywhere at night, even in the quiet back courtyard.
By the light, she stared intently at the man before her, noble and elegant, like snow on a high mountain, untouchable, yet she had somehow become enamored with him.
She tried to calm herself, but her voice still trembled uncontrollably. "What...do you want?"
In a moment of panic, he thought, "Can I get compensation?"
They'd accept ten times the price of the duck.
He laughed, "I'm short of money."
Zao Yi shook her head.
Tan Zhaojing could lack nothing but money.
Playing the emotional card, she said, "Brother Zhaojing, you're a good person."
"A good person?"
Tan Zhaojing pondered these words, and when he spoke again, his voice was devoid of any warmth, "I'm afraid you've misjudged me."
Lin Zaoyi closed her eyes in despair. She realized that this man was settling scores later.
After maneuvering for so long, she was suddenly exposed without warning, which made her irritable.
It was also clear that the man was teasing her intensely; he probably saw her no differently than a monkey on the mountain.
Thinking about this, my guilt lessened considerably. I tilted my head back, trying my best to look brave, and said, "You didn't refuse that night."
It means we're even.
He suddenly stepped forward, leaned closer, and his warm breath fell on her cheek. "You've begged me, how can I refuse?"
Both their posture and tone were extremely ambiguous.
Lin Zaoyi's face flushed. "It didn't come to that... I did take advantage of you, but in the end..."
Thinking she had just confessed, she accidentally touched the showerhead. The sudden coldness extinguished most of her feelings, and she pushed him away with a start, letting the cold water pour over her.
It must be said that Tan Zhaojing was very gentlemanly. He did not take it any further and even considerately called a female staff member for her. About half an hour later, the private doctor carrying a medicine box knocked on the door and came in.
Out of shame, she kept her head down the whole time, wrapped herself in a bath towel, and pulled down the strands of hair behind her ears to cover her face.
He thought he could cover himself up this way, but little did he know that this was nothing more than burying his head in the sand.
"You really want to go in?"
The man's voice was the same as that night, except that it was gentle and considerate that night, but now it was as bland as cold water.
Not understanding what he meant, she looked at him blankly and asked, "What do you mean, 'go in'...?"
"Lin Zaoyi".
Tan Zhaojing's face was expressionless, but his words were crisp and clear: "To me, it's no different from doing it."
In an instant, her face flushed red, and Lin Zaoyi couldn't hold back any longer, almost shouting, "Then what do you want!"
Tan Zhaojing said calmly, "That's what I'm asking you."
Little did she know, she was about to tell him eight words: "Love is voluntary, and there's no regret afterward!"
I ran past the wicker chair, my steps hurried.
Tan Zhaojing didn't pursue, but his gaze deepened as he followed the past.
The feelings were voluntary, and there was no regret afterward.
She's quite carefree.
Recalling her criteria for choosing a partner in the private room—that she wouldn't consider anyone over three years old—I wonder if she had considered this aspect when she provoked him.
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