105. Throwing rag dolls on the street
Before Ling Ling could respond, her phone rang. It was Yu Chuanbei. "What are you doing now?" His voice was strangely cold. "I just finished dinner with Dr. Zhong and the others and was about to take a taxi home," Ling Ling said. "I'm here to pick you up." "Where are you?" "Across the street." Ling Ling searched for him in the dim night, only to see his car flash its hazard lights briefly under the shadow of a streetlight before disappearing. Surprised, Ling Ling took two steps forward. Zhong Mingtong nervously warned her, "Be careful, the road's slippery," but she still slipped and stumbled, but she was fortunately caught by Zhong Mingtong's arm. Ling Ling thanked him and said goodbye. She climbed into Yu Chuanbei's car and tried to roll down the window to wave to Zhong Mingtong, but he spun the wheel sharply, driving her off into the twilight. "What's wrong? You're acting a little strange today," Ling Ling asked, bewildered, after fastening her seatbelt. Yu Chuanbei wanted to confront her about the resentment he'd been holding back for the past two days, but after smelling the alcohol on her, his heart began to refuse to communicate. He kept a sullen face the entire way, and Ling Ling, somewhat disappointed, kept quiet. They made it home together. "Can you just say whatever you want to say? I hate the cold war!" After entering the house, without even changing their shoes, Ling Ling couldn't help but bring it to the surface. "Okay, tell me: what are you and Zhong Mingtong doing?" Yu Chuanbei's tone was sharp, his face pale. Ling Ling was confused by his question: "Me and Doctor Zhong? We are making a promotional video for the hospital. It can't even be considered that we are working together. He was just helping me to make connections. He introduced me to the hospital when I just entered. We chatted for a few words in their conference room before the sample film was released, and then we had dinner together just now. Is there any problem with that?" Yu Chuanbei sneered and said, "Don't tell me you don't know that he is interested in you. You enjoy the ambiguity, right?" "He and I have no behavior or words that cross the line, and don't make it sound so dirty to admire each other!" Ling Ling always felt that she had done her best to be cautious in dealing with her relationship with Zhong Mingtong. She didn't know why Yu Chuanbei wanted to stigmatize her. "I'm not jealous, nor am I angry. Ask yourself, do you have no feelings for him at all? Don't treat me like a fool! Lingling, is it because you have no family and friends now, like a rag doll thrown on the street, that you're so grateful to anyone who takes you home and treats you well?" For the first time in his life, Yu Chuanbei lost control of his emotions. After he uttered these hurtful words, even he was shocked. Lingling stared at his eyes, red with anger, in disbelief. She couldn't...
Before Ling Ling responded, her cell phone rang. It was Yu Chuanbei.
"What are you doing now?" His voice was strangely cold.
"I just finished dinner with Dr. Zhong and others and was about to take a taxi home," said Ling Ling.
"I'm here to pick you up."
"Where are you?"
"Across from you."
Ling Ling searched for his figure in the dim night, but she only saw his car flashing its hazard lights in the shadow of the street lamp before disappearing.
Ling Ling ran forward two steps in surprise. Zhong Mingtong nervously reminded her to "be careful of the slippery road", but she still slipped and stumbled. Fortunately, Zhong Mingtong held her arm.
Ling Ling thanked him and said goodbye.
She got into Yu Chuanbei's car and wanted to roll down the window to wave to Zhong Mingtong, but he turned the wheel sharply and took her straight into the twilight.
"What's wrong? You look a little strange today." Ling Ling fastened her seat belt and asked him in confusion.
Yu Chuanbei originally wanted to question her about some of the resentment that had been pent up in his heart for the past two days, but after smelling the alcohol on her, his heart began to refuse to communicate.
He kept a gloomy face all the way, and Ling Ling also kept silent in a bit of disappointment. They made it home together.
"Can you just say whatever you want to say? I hate the cold war!" After entering the house, the two of them didn't even change their shoes, and Ling Ling couldn't help but make it clear.
"Okay, tell me directly: What are you and Zhong Mingtong doing?" Yu Chuanbei's tone was sharp and his face was pale.
Ling Ling was stunned by his question. "Me and Doctor Zhong? We're making a promotional video for the hospital. It can't even be considered as us working together. He just helped me to connect people. He introduced me to the hospital when I first entered the scene. We chatted for a few minutes in their conference room before the sample video was released. And then we had dinner together just now. Is there anything wrong with that?"
Yu Chuanbei sneered and said, "Don't tell me you don't know he's interested in you. Are you enjoying the ambiguity?"
"He and I have not done anything that crosses the line, and don't make mutual admiration sound so dirty!" Ling Ling always felt that she had done her best to be cautious in handling her relationship with Zhong Mingtong. She didn't know why Yu Chuanbei still wanted to stigmatize her.
"I'm not jealous, nor am I angry. Ask yourself, do you have no feelings for him at all? Don't treat me like a fool! Lingling, is it because you have no relatives or friends now, like a rag doll thrown on the street, that you'll be grateful to anyone who takes you home and treats you well?" This was the first time in his life that Yu Chuanbei lost control of his emotions. After saying these hurtful words, even he was shocked.
Ling Ling looked at his eyes, which were red with anger, in disbelief. She couldn't understand how he could say those words, and she couldn't accept that the man who slept in the same bed with her every day humiliated her like this.
She stepped back in a daze until her back hit the cold iron door. She turned around, unlocked the door, and fled out.
Ling Ling was in a panic and didn't know what to do. She seemed to be running away, trying to escape from those words that were like flying daggers.
The snowy road was too slippery, and she fell hard. There was no pure white snow in the city, and what fell on the concrete was all mud and dirt, including her own.
Cars on the main road are moving at a snail's pace. The fast-paced city is forced to slow down due to congestion, but the noisy honking and cursing are still like alarm bells hanging over people's heads, vainly trying to tell the world that they have urgent matters to attend to every second and cannot slow down.
Ling Ling got up. No one noticed her and no one helped her. It was the best thing.
She felt a tingling pain in her palms and knees. She retreated to the stone steps by the roadside and curled up her body. Finally, she could cry freely in the name of pain!
The roar of car engines drowned out her cries. She cried until she was exhausted and had no more energy to grieve. She stared blankly at the gray road, the filthy smell of exhaust fumes nauseating her. Then she thought of a higher ground, where the air might be fresher.
She walked to the nearest overpass and leaned over the railing, gazing at the myriad lights on either side of the road: mansions, tower blocks, resettlement housing, shantytowns—none of them her home. Despite her heartbreak, Ling Ling never considered suicide. She had always held a firm conviction: even if she lost her limbs, contracted a terminal illness, was universally reviled, or suffered daily torment from her creditors, she would not seek death. In any dire situation, she would fight for a glimmer of hope, clinging to life, finding a chance to recover, and then living vibrantly until her natural death, completely irresistible, arrived.
Whether Yu Chuanbei's words were sincere or just a rant was irrelevant to Ling Ling right now. As long as he said it, she had to accept it. It was undeniable that she was living in his house, just like a guest, so don't blame him for treating her like a rag doll thrown on the street. True love is invincible, even a copper coin can shatter it.
She mentally calculated her savings. Ever since her cousin Ling Lecheng passed away, she no longer had to send money back home, but the money she earned was nowhere near enough for a down payment on a house in Beijing, any kind of house.
She withdrew her gaze in despair and covered her face, which was chapped by the cold wind after crying, with her cold hands.
After Ling Ling ran out, Yu Chuanbei's anger was extinguished like a basin of icy water, leaving behind scar-like ashes. He realized what a serious mistake he had just made. After living in this world for so long, he didn't even know how to apologize for such a stupid mistake.
During this time, he often saw Ling Ling's happy face when she spoke with Zhong Mingtong. Her openness did not reassure him, but instead angered him. From childhood to adulthood, he was smart, hardworking, and came from a good family. All achievements and admiration were easily obtained. As long as he wanted it, no challenge was too great for him.
But after meeting Ling Ling, everything changed. While many men still admired her, she handled these relationships with honesty, courage, and ease, never needing help. She also never fought a battle. Love was, at most, only half of her world, a territory she could cede at any moment. Independent, proud, hardworking, and brilliant, she often acted like she didn't need anyone.
Yu Chuanbei always felt insecure in their relationship. He felt that she was always ready to run and would leave him far behind.
Today, the feeling was particularly strong. He could even foresee her sprinting off, a man more like-minded waiting for her. He felt deeply humiliated. It was as if he had preemptively activated his self-protection mechanism, so, blinded by anger, he chose to initiate the humiliation.
He calmed himself down as quickly as possible, regaining his composure. He then realized that Ling Ling had done nothing wrong! It was snowing outside, so cold and late, where could she go?
He ran out in a hurry, and she didn't answer the phone at all, so he had to look for her everywhere in a panic.
"Ling Ling--" It was Yu Chuanbei's voice. After a lot of effort, he finally found her on the overpass. He slowly approached her, panting.
Ling Ling looked at him, then turned her head to continue looking at the twisting traffic. In her mind, she was still calculating the growth of her income in Tuowu, how long it would take for her to be able to afford the down payment for a house in Beijing, and how long it would take for her to have her own place.
"I'm sorry." Yu Chuanbei said sincerely, but Ling Ling was unmoved.
"Come home with me." He walked up to her and carefully pulled her sleeve, but she felt a pain as if she had been electrocuted.
Only then did he notice that she was covered in mud. She must have fallen hard. He asked her distressedly, "Where are you hurt? I'll take you to the emergency room."
"No, it's not that serious." Ling Ling dodged his concern, turned around calmly, opened the WeChat interface on her phone, and handed it to him: "This is the chat history between me and your female colleague Liu Bingqian. Not long after I moved into your house, she took the initiative to add me on WeChat. I thought she was a client at first, so I accepted. Then she tried to persuade me in every way, saying that you and I were completely unsuitable. I thought this woman was so perverted that she could be used as a psychological case study. I found it interesting, so I never blocked her. Moreover, I don't think she harassed me in any way. She's just a buzzing fly. If I complained about her to you, it would actually increase her status between us, so I never told you.
But a few days ago, she said you treated her to dinner, sent her home, and asked her to ask a relative to help her connect with a project. It sounded like you two were just a glass of wine away from sex. I didn't take it seriously at first because I trusted you and knew your boundaries. But today, after you said those words to me, I thought it was time to tell you about this.
When Yu Chuanbei heard about this for the first time, he felt even more guilty towards her, "I'm sorry, Ling, I'm a bastard. I've been obsessed with you and Zhong Mingtong these days, and I thought, since you used Zhong Mingtong to get the project, I might as well use Liu Bingqian who has been hovering around me. I childishly wanted to take revenge on you in this way... I..." He couldn't go on, he felt that this was the most shameful moment of his life.
"Haha," Ling Ling sneered, "So, we are both equally shameless."
She pulled the phone back from his hand and limped down the overpass.
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