Chapter 58 [VIP]
Chapter Summary: "Can we start over?"
Upon hearing her words, Xu Tianzhou's expression changed drastically.
Ni Zhenzhen didn't notice the change. She was about to open the app when her hand holding the phone was suddenly grabbed by someone in the car. Perhaps it hurt a lot, Xu Tianzhou grabbed her very tightly, and she instinctively cried out and looked up at him.
Even though his entire face was hidden in the darkness, Ni Zhenzhen was still surprised to find that his already pale face had become even whiter.
A fine layer of sweat beaded on Xu Tianzhou's forehead. He gritted his teeth, his eyes red, his expression a mixture of questioning and pleading, and seemingly tinged with unspeakable grievance: "Do you really have to do this?"
He waited from dawn till dusk, from endless despair to renewed hope, not just to wait for a designated driver.
Ni Zhenzhen's grip on the phone tightened, the pain in her hand feeling like it was piercing her heart. She looked at him for a moment, then said, "Get down."
She was ultimately defeated, utterly humiliated and captivated by his mesmerizing gaze.
Xu Tianzhou got out of the car, and Ni Zhenzhen got into the driver's seat.
After getting in the car, she habitually put her bag on the back seat. Once Xu Tianzhou was seated in the passenger seat, Ni Zhenzhen drove off.
Her hair was tied up, so it couldn't be placed on the pillow. Ni Zhenzhen raised her hand and removed the hair tie, and her long, flowing hair cascaded down, its enchanting fragrance swaying and rippling like ocean waves.
Surrounded by the familiar scent, Xu Tianzhou seemed to feel less uncomfortable.
"Where do you live?" Ni Zhenzhen asked casually, her tone crisp and emotionless, just like any other driver taking orders.
"Still the same place." Xu Tianzhou leaned back in his seat with his eyes closed. His voice was very low, but his very ordinary sentence exploded in Ni Zhenzhen's ears like a thunderclap.
"You haven't moved?" Ni Zhenzhen couldn't believe it. Over the years, she had moved several times as her financial situation improved. With Xu Tianzhou's status and circumstances, how could he still live in that old neighborhood?
"Mmm," Xu Tianzhou replied weakly, supporting his forehead.
So many years have passed. The old man next door who used to watch TV has passed away, and the child who practiced the piano has moved to a school district house. Unlike before, the room is quiet all the time, so quiet that it makes people uneasy.
He kept his eyes closed and said calmly and slowly, "The house we bought is still here."
He neither sold nor rented it out; he just left it there, as if waiting for her to come back at any time.
Mentioning that house, Xu Tianzhou looked even more aggrieved. He smiled and said self-deprecatingly, "I always thought that would be our first real home, but I never expected... we never even lived there for a single day."
Since leaving his hometown at a young age, Xu Tianzhou has drifted in unfamiliar cities for nearly twenty years. He has lived in underground garages, illegal rooftop buildings, school dormitories, and countless hotels, but he has never lived in a house of his own. As a result, even now, his concept of "home" is very vague.
Ni Zhenzhen listened to his story with a calm expression, except that her eyes were a little moist.
The traffic light ahead turned red, so she stopped the car, took out her phone, and opened the navigation. So much time had passed that she couldn't remember the way home.
It turned out that she had done all the work for nothing; she didn't need to recall anything at all. When to go straight and when to turn was all based on her body's instinctive reactions.
While waiting to turn left, Ni Zhenzhen glanced to the side.
So much time has passed, and Xu Tianzhou's headache has not only not improved, but has become increasingly severe. He pressed his hand against his forehead, and although he was trying his best to endure it, he still inadvertently let out a few painful gasps, looking very uncomfortable.
Ni Zhenzhen asked, "Have you seen a doctor?"
"I saw it."
Ni Zhenzhen knew she shouldn't ask so many questions, but she couldn't help herself, "What did the doctor say?"
Xu Tianzhou opened his eyes and turned to look at her in the thick, impenetrable darkness. "You really want to know?"
His gaze was intense, and his tone was even more ardent and passionate. Although there was some distance between them, it was as if he had already leaned in, leaving her nowhere to hide.
Ni Zhenzhen did not answer.
That question wouldn't have crossed any lines even if it had been asked to a stranger, but saying "yes" would have carried a different meaning, and saying "no" would have only made things worse.
Keeping quiet is the best course of action.
However, in that case, she would never know the answer.
Actually, it doesn't matter, Ni Zhenzhen comforted herself. Everyone has minor illnesses and ailments. At his age, it shouldn't be anything serious. Could it be a terminal illness?
The car started moving again, and Ni Zhenzhen focused intently on the road ahead, without saying a word.
Xu Tianzhou also looked away, smiled gently, and said to himself, "You still care about me, don't you?"
Ni Zhenzhen couldn't take it anymore. She poured a basin of cold water over herself and said indifferently, "No."
Xu Tianzhou remained silent, his head, which had been leaning against the back of the seat, slid to one side until it touched the cold, bone-chilling car window.
After an unknown amount of time, just when Ni Zhenzhen thought the matter was over, Xu Tianzhou suddenly said, "It's a brain tumor."
Ni Zhenzhen's breath hitched. A flash of white light seemed to appear before her eyes, and she felt as if she had been swept into a bottomless vortex by a raging storm in an instant. She couldn't believe it, and she didn't want to believe it. She kept praying in her heart that this was just a joke by Xu Tianzhou.
"What did you say?" Ni Zhenzhen looked at him.
As a faint chuckle rang in his ears, Xu Tianzhou said, "I was just kidding."
“…” Ni Zhenzhen breathed a sigh of relief, then held her breath.
The culprit remained completely unaware. Xu Tianzhou's smile deepened, becoming a smile that resembled the triumph of a conspiracy, even though his brows were still furrowed due to the constant pain.
He closed his eyes again and said lazily, "You lied to me first."
She clearly still cared about him, but she insisted on saying "no." He was just being stubborn, which is why he said "brain tumor." As it turns out, he was right; her reaction didn't lie.
Ni Zhenzhen didn't want to say another word. How could he joke about something like this?
Upon arriving at her destination, she quickly parked the car, took her bag from the back seat, and got out without even saying goodbye.
Xu Tianzhou caught up with him, "Have you forgotten what you said?"
"What did you say?"
For eight years, he has been supporting himself with this sentence: "You said that you were afraid that by the time you paid off the money, I would be alone... Now that the money is paid off, I am still alone."
Ni Zhenzhen raised an eyebrow. "How do you know I've paid it off?" A thought that had been lingering in her mind for a long time resurfaced. "It was you, wasn't it?" She had felt something was off for a long time. Regardless of whether she had delayed or not, those people had never pressed her for payment, and their attitude was unusually kind. It turned out that this matter really was related to him.
Xu Tianzhou did not deny it, "I just bought the debt." He didn't want her to worry about the debt, nor did he want her to be in a difficult position because of his help, so he secretly paid back the money and then waited for her to pay him back little by little.
"What about that matter?" Ni Zhenzhen asked.
Two years ago, when she returned home, she found a stranger sitting there. The man was about the same age as her parents, with a stout build, kind eyes, and a somewhat Buddha-like appearance.
Ni's father said, "Call him uncle."
The man said half-jokingly, "I even held you when you were little."
She naturally didn't remember these things, but she learned from their conversation that more than ten years ago, this person had his own company and was an important client of Ni's father when he was doing ticket agency business.
Since he was an important client, he had the right to extend the payment period. At that time, the ticket agency business was declining. In order to keep this client, Mr. Ni was almost willing to take whatever he wanted. As a result, he got deeper and deeper into debt and had to pay a lot of the airfare in advance.
Later, when things were almost unbearable, Mr. Ni tried to get money back, but the other party either claimed to be poor or offered worthless items as payment, and eventually avoided him altogether. By the time he heard from them again, they had already fled to Southeast Asia with their entire family, and Mr. Ni had no choice but to accept his bad luck.
He never imagined the other party would come back, especially with money. With this money, his debt was reduced by half.
The man patted Ni's father on the shoulder and said, "You have no idea how much I've suffered these past years of wandering abroad. I haven't had a single night of peaceful sleep. I'm so sorry. If I pay back the money today, I can die in peace."
The parents were extremely grateful to that person, but Ni Zhenzhen turned around and left the house. She then made a phone call to Xu Tianzhou.
After the call connected, Ni Zhenzhen went straight to the point: "Did you do this?"
"no."
Ni Zhenzhen was almost laughing in exasperation. She retorted, "Do you know what I'm talking about?"
Xu Tianzhou then realized the flaw in his words, but he wasn't embarrassed at all. Instead, he asked in the same tone, "And how do you know what I'm talking about?"
Xu Tianzhou ultimately did not admit it, and Ni Zhenzhen did not find any conclusive evidence, so the matter was left unresolved.
Now, Xu Tianzhou finally admitted that he was involved in the matter, explaining it casually as, "I'm trying to find someone to pay back the money they owe me, is there a problem with that?"
Although that's what he said, Ni Zhenzhen knew very well that this wasn't his responsibility. As for why he did it, Ni Zhenzhen understood perfectly well: what he wanted, she might not be able to give him.
Ni Zhenzhen held her bag in front of her, her gaze lowered in the hazy moonlight.
The night wind rustled through the branches, creating a chaotic sound comparable to a heartbeat, and also ruffled her hair. Ni Zhenzhen reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, letting out a soft sigh, "I don't want to owe you anything."
“You don’t owe me anything, I…” He had also done things to wrong her. She had selflessly helped him when he was most helpless, and he was willing to give her some comfort as much as he could when she was at her lowest point.
Xu Tianzhou asked urgently, "Can we start over?"
"Start over?" Ni Zhenzhen looked up, then smiled, as if she had seen it all, calm and composed. "Xu Tianzhou, how can I fall twice in the same place?"
Xu Tianzhou was speechless. She had finally become the person he had hoped for, no longer being so kind to everyone without reservation, especially him.
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