Chapter 95 I'll break up... I promise you, I'll break up.
My boyfriend is Zhaojing, right?
In that instant, all of Lin Zaoyi's nerves snapped one by one because of those words, and the fear in her heart surged like a lake rippled by a stone thrown in.
Her lips trembled uncontrollably, and her mind went completely blank.
Mom... Mom knows...
Mingxian stared at her daughter, wanting to question her, but ultimately couldn't bring herself to do it.
"Why Zhaojing of all places?"
"mom…"
Lin Zaoyi's voice and tears fell almost simultaneously, "I'm sorry..."
Mingxian was also distressed; she took several deep breaths, her chest heaving. "How could I have been so foolish!"
Unable to find an excuse to absolve herself, Lin Zaoyi lowered her head, tears streaming down her face.
Having no tissues on her, Mingxian wiped away her daughter's tears with the back of her hand. "Do you like it?"
Lin Zaoyi's damp eyelashes trembled. She didn't know how much she liked him, but she was certain that she liked him.
He nodded instinctively. "I know my relationship with Zhaojing won't last... he's engaged..."
She choked up for a moment, then said, "I'll break up with him when he gets engaged."
Mingxian laughed, but her eyelashes reddened. "You think you're sober? You'll be half dead when we separate!"
“It took me almost two years to get over it. During those two years, I numbed myself with work and didn’t allow myself a moment of leisure. I was afraid that if I had any free time, I would be unable to stop thinking about Uncle Tan. But that’s not the scariest thing. The scariest thing is that I was afraid that I would be a worthless woman and become the woman he kept on the side!”
Moisture once again uncontrollably covered her pupils. Lin Zaoyi was afraid, and she had thought about it, but she still couldn't help but fall for his gentleness.
In a hoarse voice, she asked, "Does...do you want us to break up now?"
Mingxian's only consolation was that the two of them hadn't been together for long, and while there was pain, it wasn't deep.
He touched his daughter's face, "While you're not too deep."
The air fell silent, save for the rustling of leaves in the cool breeze and the sound of sobbing.
Mingxian also cried, as if she had returned to that year, and the heart-wrenching pain she felt still hurts when she thought about it.
She can try it, but her daughter can't, and she can't have it.
“Zaoyi, please listen to your mother just this once, okay? Zhaojing really can’t do it, your Tan family grandfather… he…”
The choked voice in her mother's voice instantly broke Lin Zaoyi's defenses. In a short moment, tears blurred her vision again. "Mom, I know, don't cry..."
Her voice was hoarse, "I'll break up... I promise you, I'll break up!"
...
The phone kept vibrating, but the girl nestled on the sofa seemed not to hear it, staring motionlessly at a certain spot, where all she could see were watery white dots.
Exhausted from crying, she buried herself in the sofa. She only reacted slightly when there was a knock on the door, and at that moment, she noticed her phone vibrating.
Lin Zaoyi didn't answer the phone or open the door. Wiping away her tears, she texted, "Brother Zhaojing, I'm staying at Xiyuan tonight. Go back by yourself."
Tan Zhaojing's voice came from the crack in the door, "Let me in first."
Lin Zaoyi dared not speak, afraid that her voice would betray her. She walked barefoot to the door and turned the lock.
Click—
The sound wasn't loud, but it was particularly crisp in the quiet night.
Tan Zhaojing's pupils contracted involuntarily, and he swallowed hard. "Zaoyi, be good and open the door."
Lin Zaoyi's eyes, which she had been holding back from crying, welled up with tears again. She pressed her back against the wooden door, her fingers tapping on the screen. [Sleepy, so sleepy, goodnight~]
Outside the door, Tan Zhaojing lowered his head and stroked the screen, his brows furrowed in thought. Then, he returned to the room and pulled up the surveillance footage on the computer.
A corner of Xiyuan Garden.
The progress bar rewinds to an hour earlier, and the originally indifferent expression on his face gradually turns cold and indifferent as he sees the girl's tears in the camera.
A sharp, indescribable pain shot through my chest.
The computer went into hibernation mode, the bedroom lights were off, and darkness enveloped everything, trapping Tan Zhaojing in this dimness.
Time flowed slowly, and everything in the room was silent.
After a long while, he finally made a sound.
He opened the drawer, took out cigarettes and a lighter, and went to the balcony.
He lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and exhaled, his eyes fixed intently on the night.
separate?
It's probably too late.
......
The following Monday.
As soon as Lin Zaoyi opened the door, she saw a figure standing two meters away from her room in front of the window with his back to her, so she couldn't see his expression. But just that one figure made her feel so sad that she wanted to cry.
Tan Zhaojing turned around, his eyes gentle, "Were you feeling unwell last night?"
"No," Lin Zaoyi forced a smile, "I'm just quite sleepy."
The sickly hoarseness in her voice was undeniable. Tan Zhaojing didn't look into her eyes. "Go eat."
Mingxian had already eaten breakfast, but she hadn't left the restaurant, deliberately waiting for her daughter. Hearing the noise, she looked up and couldn't deny that the two of them walking together were a pleasing sight, but...
She composed herself, her expression calm, and got up to serve the two of them bowls of porridge. "Zaoyi, we need to hurry today, I have a meeting this morning."
“Aunt Ming,” Tan Zhaojing accepted the bowl handed to her by the elder with both hands, “I’ve come to deliver the morning offerings.”
Mingxian: "It's not on your way."
Tan's father laughed, "Does Zhaojing not know that Zaoyi has resigned? She's working at the main station now."
Tan Zhaojing gave a slight smile. "I know. I've been driving you to work these past few days. I'm used to it."
The father didn't notice the deliberate attempt to flatter in his son's tone; he only felt that his son's actions were thoughtful. "Not bad, he's like an older brother."
Tan Jiani almost choked. What was her brother doing?
Is he afraid others won't know about his affair with Lin Zaoyi?
She glanced nervously at Aunt Ming, but thankfully, her attention was on her phone.
Mingxian stared at the screen, repeatedly closing and opening emails, a deep frown unconsciously settling between her brows.
Lin Zaoyi ate her breakfast mechanically. This bowl of porridge was not for filling her stomach at this moment, but for distracting her emotions.
He swallowed half a bowl of soup in one gulp, then looked at the person in the main seat and said, "Uncle Tan, I plan to move to Xiyuan."
Mr. Tan was taken aback for a moment, then smiled broadly, "That's wonderful!"
He turned to his wife and asked, "What did you mean by 'early morning ritual'?"
Mingxian knew perfectly well that this was her daughter indirectly expressing her determination, not only in work but also in her personal life.
She gave a forced laugh, "I didn't say much, it was all thanks to Jia Ni."
Tan Jiani was quite confused. Just a moment ago she was wondering why Lin Zaoyi would move back, but now she was completely bewildered by Aunt Ming's words. "I didn't do anything."
Aunt Ming said, "At the banquet that day, you helped Zao Yi fight two against three."
"..."
That's completely irrelevant.
Turning his face to the opposite side, he saw Lin Zaoyi with her head down, her eyes lowered, her lips slightly pursed, appearing quite serene.
But she felt something was wrong, something strange.
Unable to resist confirming, "Lin Zaoyi, are you really moving back?"
Are you sure you want to secretly date your brother?
She dared only keep the second half of her sentence to herself, but she believed that Lin Zaoyi would understand.
Lin Zaoyi gave a calm "hmm".
Tan Jiani: "..."
Hmm my foot.
The father, oblivious to the situation, was simply happy. He turned to his son and asked if he wanted to come back and stay.
It was just a symbolic question, with no expectation of anything, but my son answered anyway.
Upon hearing this, a smile immediately appeared at the corner of his eyes. "That would be perfect."
Tan Jiani was quite confused; she couldn't understand how things had developed.
He kicked Lin Zaoyi, but there was no response.
Lin Zaoyi couldn't give a response. The bowl of porridge was almost empty. She put down her spoon and said, "Mom, let's go."
They didn't even dare to glance at him out of the corner of their eye.
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