Before Chapter 74, it said, "I want you to be happy more than anyone else."...
When he woke up the next day, Xing Ze was gone.
When Mu Tingyu touched the bed next to her, she was momentarily dazed.
She lay flat on her back for a while to regain her senses, then slowly sat up.
She didn't go to bed early last night; she was quite energetic after drinking and didn't want to sleep so early. In the end, Xing Ze carried her down from the wall, carefully wiped her feet, and then carried her back to her room.
She didn't actually drink much, only about half a bottle, and then put the rest back in with the cork. The basement was cool; it shouldn't spoil overnight.
Taking advantage of her slight intoxication, she pulled Xing Ze aside and talked to him for a long time, making him promise her many things.
......
Under the dim light of the bedside lamp, she found a comfortable spot in Xing Ze's arms, tugged at his clothes, and began her monologue with a long string of clichés.
"Couples should always maintain good communication, open and honest dialogue, and proactively share their needs and feelings. They shouldn't hide things from each other or make unfounded assumptions. Conflicts should be resolved promptly..."
Xing Ze leaned against the headboard, holding her in his arms, playing with a small strand of her hair in his hand.
"...And you must respect the other person's private space and allow them to have their own social life...Are you even listening to me?"
Xing Ze hummed in agreement and asked her, "Did you just check?"
“Yeah, it’s so hard to memorize.” She sighed.
"Then I won't memorize it."
"......."
She turned to look at him, her cheeks still flushed, whether from the lingering effects of the alcohol or from the warmth of his body.
Xing Ze lowered his eyes and asked her, "What's wrong?"
She looked up at him and asked, "You just said you'd agree to anything I asked. Does that include everything?"
"Um."
"You can't go back on your word. You have to do what you said you would do."
Xing Ze looked at her and hummed in response, his voice barely audible.
"Alright then."
She received an affirmative answer, lowered her head, and began to count on her fingers.
While explaining, I spoke to him word by word.
"I want you to promise me that you will never again talk to yourself, never again keep things to yourself, and never again arbitrarily define my thoughts."
"No matter what happens, you must talk to me and discuss it with me."
"They can't be too domineering towards me, they can't control me too much."
Xing Ze had told her "no" so many times and controlled her for so long, now it was finally her turn to take over and be the master.
She thought about it again and said, "They can't interfere too much in my life."
After waiting for a while without receiving a reply, she looked up and asked, "Why aren't you saying anything?"
Xing Ze gently rubbed his fingertips together, and the strands of hair in his hand immediately slipped through his fingers.
He stared intently at the strand of hair and answered her, "Okay."
Mu Tingyu taught him, "You need to look at me and say 'I promise you'."
So the man turned his gaze to her face and said, "I promise you."
Mu Tingyu nodded in satisfaction and then asked him, "Is there anything you want me to do?"
"No."
"...No?" Mu Tingyu asked, somewhat surprised. "I thought you would tell me to behave and not cause trouble or something..."
Xing Ze smiled faintly, "Didn't you tell me to leave you alone?"
"What I meant was, don't control me too much."
Mu Tingyu corrected his word meaning, saying, "Since we're dating, it can't all be me making demands of you; you can make demands of me too. If I can promise you something, I will do it."
"We're discussing this, aren't we?"
Xing Ze simply lowered his eyes and affectionately rubbed her cheek with his fingers.
Mu Tingyu assumed he was thinking, so she patiently watched him and waited for him to speak.
Under the gentle light, the girl looked so beautiful with her head tilted back, her eyes filled with nothing but herself. Xing Ze gently touched the stray hairs on her forehead and slowly began to speak.
"Then, I wish you good health and happiness every day."
......
Mu Tingyu's gaze shifted to the bedside table, where a card lay.
Xing Ze gave it to her last night. After giving it to her, he personally linked the card to her mobile banking and told her the password.
Xing Ze said she didn't have to, but she would feel more confident when going out and would no longer have to worry about not having money.
She was a little stunned when she took the card, and subconsciously asked how much money was in it, "What if I max out your card?"
Xing Ze didn't answer, he just smiled and told her not to worry about it.
She sat there staring at the card for a while longer, then got up and went into the bathroom.
After showering and drying her hair, she browsed through the dressing room and picked out the most presentable-looking white T-shirt to wear.
Since she moved in, all her clothes have gone into Xing Ze's wardrobe, mixed in with his usual clothes and various suits and shirts. The wardrobe is all black and white, making her clothes seem less plain in comparison. Although they are also white, at least they have some small patterns on them.
She looked at the few black T-shirts that looked very familiar, reached out and touched them, then brought them closer to smell them.
What brand is it? It looks like it's made of such good quality.
He's worn it for so long, and it's not worn at all; the collar is still perfectly straight.
Curious, she took out her phone and searched for the brand on the tag inside the collar. The first result was a picture of a product that looked exactly like the garment. She glanced at the price and was immediately shocked.
Good heavens... what kind of T-shirt costs six thousand yuan...?
She immediately removed her paws from the garment, carefully dusted off the dust, and then stared into thought at the five, six, seven, or eight identical black T-shirts in the closet.
She always compares the fabrics and prices of her clothes online, carefully budgeting and trying to find discounts or promotions before buying. So she has no concept of what a 6,000 yuan T-shirt is.
That's a T-shirt, you know. It's only worn out in one summer, and that's about the end of its lifespan. It's not like a down jacket that you can wear for years.
She knew what kind of simple life Xing Ze lived in the village. She had spent two months in the small white building, and if she hadn't been specifically told, she would never have associated him with the word "rich person".
Now I understand.
She shook her head and closed the wardrobe door.
When she came down to the first floor, the maid told her that breakfast was still being prepared. She was about to go to the sunroom to play with Xiaoyu for a while, but the maid stopped her again and said that the young master had sent something over.
She was a little confused, then followed the maid into the living room and saw a bunch of shopping bags on the coffee table.
"........"
She went over and looked through it; everything she bought at the mall that day was there, nothing missing. She was in a hurry to leave then, so she could only ask Jiang Chu to take it back to the studio via WeChat. It seemed that Xing Ze had sent someone to her place again.
only.....
She pointed to the various boxes beside her and asked the maid, "What are these?"
The maid, with her head down, replied, "These were delivered together; they were said to be for Miss's clothes and jewelry."
"Huh?...So many, all of them?"
"Yes."
She opened a few and looked at them, stood there stunned for a few seconds, and then blankly took out her phone to send a message to Xing Ze.
[He wouldn't listen: Why did you buy so many clothes?]
They didn't reply for a while.
[X: It's not much, but I wanted to buy it for you. Wear it if you like.]
Although she didn't know what brands were on those boxes, judging by his spending habits, they certainly wouldn't be cheap.
If she doesn't like it, should she just throw it away?
Since she had nothing better to do, she started unpacking the items one by one. Coincidentally, she saw several pieces of clothing that she had tried on in expensive stores but hadn't been able to bring herself to buy.
These clothes were flawless except for their price. Although they were meant to make a good impression, buying them would definitely be painful, so she hesitated for a long time before giving up. She never expected them to end up in her hands like this.
Just then, a "woof" came from the doorway, and the puppy ran from the hallway into the living room, jumped to her feet, and excitedly circled around.
"Hey? Xiaoyu, what are you doing here?" Mu Tingyu put the clothes in her hand aside, bent down and picked it up.
The maid standing nearby said, "Xiaomin took it out to play."
Just then, a young girl hurried down the corridor, anxiously saying, "Miss, miss, it hasn't wiped its feet yet, and it's worried about getting your clothes dirty!"
Xiaomin is the youngest maid in the family, and her behavior is not as reserved as the others. Sometimes she chats with Mutingyu.
Mu Tingyu waved her hand with a smile: "It's okay, it used to often crawl into the grass and climb on me."
She took the wet wipes from Xiaomin and carefully wiped Xiaoyu's feet.
An older maid standing nearby lowered her voice and scolded, "Be more careful next time."
Xiaomin's soft voice came from behind, as if she had responded.
Mu Tingyu wiped the cloth while wondering to herself.
Aren't their manners a little too...respectful? Like those old-fashioned servants, they bow slightly before speaking, their etiquette impeccable, making her feel somewhat uneasy every time. And it's not just them; every servant in the house is like that.
Remembering that Qian Hong had mentioned they came from the old house, she asked curiously, "How long have you been working at Xing Ze's house?"
The older servant replied, "I am thirty-five years old, and Xiaomin is ten years old."
Ten years? Xiaomin looks about the same age as her, has she been working for that long?
As if seeing the surprised expression on her face, Xiaomin explained, "I grew up in the old house. My mother always worked there, and I took over her job after I came of age."
Mu Tingyu said "Oh," and asked, "Have you met Xing Ze's mother?"
Both of them were taken aback upon hearing this.
"...What's wrong?" Mu Tingyu noticed their strange expressions. "Did his mother pass away a long time ago?"
“Yes,” the maid replied.
Is it... because you're sick?
"......"
The maid bowed to her and said, "I'm sorry, miss, I'm not quite sure either."
Mu Tingyu slowly frowned.
Immediately afterwards, the maid said, "I'll go set the table for Miss," and Xiaomin said, "I'll go water the flowers." The two bowed to her and then walked away, their steps somewhat hurried.
While it is indeed impolite to ask about the deceased, their reaction was clearly too strong, as if they were avoiding the topic altogether.
Is there something that can't be said about this?
She ate breakfast absentmindedly, and since it wasn't prepared by Xing Ze, it was tasteless and she didn't even know how she swallowed it.
After finishing her meal, she went to check out the main gate.
The door was wide open, and the room was brightly lit; there were no servants standing at the door to stop her.
So she went down the steps, out of the iron gate, and wandered around the villa. The area was so green, with layers upon layers of trees, that she didn't dare go too far. She just glanced around, only making out the gates and rooftops of a few houses nearby. The streets were quiet, with hardly anyone around, so she turned back and went home.
On her way back, she ran into Xiaomin coming out. Xiaomin was surprised to see her and greeted her.
Mu Tingyu smiled at her with her eyes crinkling, "Where are you going, Sister Xiaomin?"
"Ah... I'll go sweep the front yard."
Mu Tingyu looked around and said, "It's quite clean. Why did you sweep it?"
"It needs to be scanned every day," Xiaomin explained to her.
"Then let me help you!"
"No, no," Xiaomin quickly stopped her, "Miss, you can't do this kind of thing. I'll get scolded if Aunt Zhu sees it."
"Aunt Zhu? Is that the one who was in the living room just now?"
Xiaomin nodded, knowing that she was approachable and easy to talk to, so she made a "shh" gesture to her.
Mu Tingyu laughed, stepped forward, took her hand, and affectionately led her away from the doorway.
Xiaomin looked at her blankly.
Mu Tingyu pulled her to a secluded corner and emphasized to her first, "Sister Xiaomin, I am a very, very discreet person. No matter what you say or what I hear, I will not reveal a single word."
"Ah..." Xiaomin was completely confused. "I..."
"May I ask why Xing Ze's mother passed away?"
Xiao Min's expression changed, and she waved her hands with some difficulty: "Miss, this..."
"I absolutely won't tell anyone," Mu Tingyu said seriously. "You have to believe me."
"........"
"Oh, of course, if it's really something I can't say, then forget it."
"........"
Xiaomin's expression furrowed: "There's no such rule... it's just that everyone tries to avoid talking about the madam, because the master and young master don't like to hear about it..."
Why?
"Hmm..." She thought for a moment, "I'm not too sure either. I was very young when Madam passed away. I only heard that she had always been in poor health and later passed away from illness. The relationship between Master and Young Master also deteriorated because of this. After I can remember, I rarely saw them speak. Even when they did speak, it was Young Master who was being scolded. Later... Young Master didn't come home much anymore."
"......."
Mu Tingyu opened her mouth.
Xing Ze's family situation sounds pretty bad.
Every family has its own troubles; that's for sure.
Xiaomin told her that this was all she knew, and that she would have to ask the older servants for more details.
So she thanked Xiaomin and sincerely offered to help her with the work, but Xiaomin resolutely invited her back inside.
But before she had taken more than a few steps, she heard the sound of a car engine coming from the doorway.
Thinking it was Xing Ze returning, she turned back and peeked her head out from the doorway.
A red sports car was parked outside the iron gate. It wasn't Xing Ze; the person who got out of the car was...
"—Sister En?"
She looked surprised.
Xing En spotted her immediately, leaned against the car, and greeted her with a smile.
"Hey, little Tingyu, good morning! Want to go out for a big meal with your sister?"
........
-
Xing En drove all the way here and brought the bewildered Mu Tingyu into the city.
Mu Tingyu didn't know when she booked the restaurant—or maybe she didn't even need to book. After driving for two hours, she took her to the top floor of a high-rise building and they ate at a private kitchen restaurant with glass walls overlooking the view. Then she took her to Pingjiang District and sat down at a coffee shop downstairs from Zhongtian Group.
"The cheesecake here is pretty good," Xing En said with a smile, leaning back in her comfortable armchair. "Want to try some?"
Mu Tingyu was still a little dizzy. She picked up a small fork, forked a small piece, and put it in her mouth.
"Mmm," she squinted, "It smells so good, it tastes so good."
"Right?" Xing En propped her head up with a smile. "There are still Portuguese tarts baking, they won't be ready for a while. Portuguese tarts taste best when freshly baked."
Mu Tingyu swallowed the creamy cake in her mouth and quickly said, "There's too much, there's more on the table."
Several exquisite desserts were laid out on the elegant beige tablecloth, but we hadn't had a chance to eat them yet.
"Eat more, you didn't eat much for lunch."
"Sister En," Mu Tingyu called out helplessly, "I just finished breakfast and you brought me out, so I don't feel like I've digested it yet. I really can't eat this much."
“Desserts and main courses aren’t in the same stomach.” Xing En winked at her. “Besides, won’t eating dessert make you feel better?”
"......."
Mu Tingyu suddenly realized something and looked up at her.
Xing En smiled at her with her red lips curving upwards.
"I'm here on someone's behalf, so of course I have to complete the task. But I really want to take you out to play too."
Mu Tingyu glanced at her phone subconsciously, then asked hesitantly, "Is Xing Ze very busy?"
She sent him a message when she left home this morning, but he hasn't replied yet.
Xing En smiled and said, "Oh dear, you even reported to him before going out? Little Tingyu is such a good girl?"
Mu Tingyu's ears turned red. "No... I won't tell him, or he'll get angry again."
After she finished speaking, she felt uneasy. It sounded like she was tattling, and this was someone else's older sister...
Unexpectedly, Xing En said, "Don't worry about him. He's just like that, how could he dare to really get angry with you?"
"......."
Mu Tingyu silently grumbled inwardly.
What is he afraid of? He can be terrifying when he gets angry.
"He can't stand seeing you unhappy. That's why he asked me to take you out for a walk even though he's busy with things at the hospital."
"..." Mu Tingyu asked, her face slightly flushed, "Is he really that busy?"
"It's alright, but I've been busy until quite late lately. There's a lot going on at the hospital." Xing En thought for a moment, "And today the old man called and we argued again. He must be having a headache right now."
Mu Tingyu was taken aback, and after a couple of seconds, she asked, "Xing Ze's father?"
“Yes,” Xing En tapped her cheek lightly with her fingers, looking somewhat helpless, “The old man heard that he had been absent for a few days and immediately called him. These two men, they can’t even exchange a single word without starting to argue.”
After listening, Mu Tingyu hesitated for a moment: "...Does he and his father have a bad relationship?"
“More than that?” Xing En laughed. “They were practically fighting. It was like a war was raging at home every day. It was a living hell.”
"........"
The shepherd clicked his tongue in amazement.
"It's okay, their bad relationship is their problem, don't worry," Xing En comforted her. "Aze won't let you face this kind of pressure. Didn't he tell you this?"
Mu Tingyu bit her lip. "Yes, he doesn't tell me anything."
"That's normal. The father and son have the same personality; they both like to keep quiet and not talk to each other."
Mu Tingyu nodded slowly, then forked another small piece of cake and put it in her mouth.
Seeing her somewhat dejected look, Xing En took the initiative to ask, "What kind of conflict have you two had these past few days?"
"Well, it's not really a conflict," Mu Tingyu scratched her cheek. "It's just... a little misunderstanding."
Xing En laughed, "Tell your sister about it?"
The café wasn't crowded, and the music was soothing, making it a very relaxing environment.
Mu Tingyu rested her hands on the edge of the table, hesitated for a moment, and then slowly spoke.
"...I've never been in a relationship, so I don't know what it's like."
"He... always likes to control me, making me do things according to his ideas, doesn't like me interacting with the opposite sex, is very controlling, and always... always makes decisions for me without consulting me..."
She lowered her head, fiddling with her fingers. "But I don't really like it this way."
After saying that, he looked up at Xing En and, seeing that she didn't speak, quickly added, "But it's all fine, it's just a small misunderstanding. We already talked about it last night, and he promised me that he would restrain himself in the future."
Xing En rested her cheek on her hand, recalling the look on her younger brother's face when she saw him in the yard this morning.
—He doesn't seem like he's already "agreed upon".
It seems even worse than when I first returned to Hangzhou.
She smiled as she watched Mu Tingyu earnestly explain to her.
"Honey, he didn't mean to upset you."
Mu Tingyu responded with a soft "hmm".
"His personality is largely inherited from his father. The old man used to abuse him quite a bit, and it's a good thing he didn't turn out badly."
Mu Tingyu's eyes widened in an instant.
"Abuse, torture?!"
"yes."
Xing En looked at her shocked expression and absentmindedly nodded his chin, as if he was recalling something.
"For example, making him go out in the dead of winter wearing short sleeves and freezing cold, giving him cold showers... making him run around the mountain with weights every day, and punishing him if he didn't come back on time... not giving him money, making him collect plastic bottles to exchange for money for food..."
"I threw away all the little flowers, plants, and dogs he secretly kept, or smashed the model he spent three days building. I didn't allow him to have his own hobbies... I tormented him a lot."
“”
Mu Tingyu felt a chill run down her spine and asked in disbelief, "...Sister En...why? Why did you do this to him?"
"Oh, the old man said he wanted to toughen him up, to teach him to endure things, basically it's all about psychological manipulation. But I think the main reason is..."
Xing En looked at her and slowly said, "Because Dad doesn't like Aze."
"......."
A thought flashed through Mu Tingyu's mind, connecting it to what Xiaomin had said that morning. Her voice trembled slightly as she asked, "...Is...is it related to his mother?"
Xing En raised an eyebrow in surprise and answered her.
"Yes."
“I was about seven or eight years old at the time, so I remember some things.”
“Mom was considered an older mother at the time. She had a difficult labor and severe bleeding when she gave birth to Aze. She almost didn’t make it off the operating table. After she was saved, her health was never good. Dad has always held a grudge about this and doesn’t like Aze very much.”
“Aze was quite mischievous when he was little, unlike now where he’s a quiet person. My mom was a worrier and didn’t want to leave him with a nanny or caregiver; she insisted on raising him herself. Raising a child is very tiring, and her health never got better. No matter how much medicine she took, it didn’t work, and eventually she fell seriously ill.”
"She passed away when Aze was about four or five years old."
“............”
"So, so..." Mu Tingyu's eyes reddened as she listened, "Did his father treat him like this because he felt that he was responsible for his mother's death?"
"Maybe."
Xing En lowered his gaze indifferently, "The old man used to be autocratic in the army, doing whatever he wanted, and no one could persuade him. Saying it was to train his will was really just taking out our anger on him and torturing him in various ways."
“I was young at the time and couldn’t stop him. The servants didn’t dare to stop him either. Aze had suffered a lot under his care. Being beaten and scolded was normal. He would kneel in the study for a whole night.”
"Over time, he stopped talking and became increasingly withdrawn. Eventually, he became like a block of wood. I had to scold him for a long time before he started to show a little more humanity."
“Aze left home after he came of age. By then I had my own company, so I was able to help him out a little so he wouldn’t have to beg for food. But he’s also very hardworking and has made a lot of money in engineering.”
As she spoke, she couldn't help but shake her head.
"Thank goodness he didn't go astray. If he had been forced into developing an antisocial personality, he would have been in real trouble."
“........”
"Oh dear," she suddenly laughed, "Little Tingyu, why are you crying?"
"No... I just..."
Mu Tingyu kept her head bowed, hiding her red-rimmed eyes, but tears streamed down her face uncontrollably. She clutched her chest tightly, choking back sobs, "I...I didn't expect..."
She never imagined that Xing Ze would grow up like this.
She was confused, angry, and even more heartbroken. The thought of what Xing En had just said felt like her heart was being torn to shreds, making it hard to even breathe.
She suddenly remembered that day.
That day on the second floor, when she was suffering from insomnia and overwhelmed with worry because of Lin Yulan, she cried as she poured out her unfortunate experiences to him—
What is he thinking?
What was he thinking when he held her, comforted her, and told her "you can cry loudly" and "you can be yourself with me"?
"......."
—She finally knew what it felt like to have a heart-wrenching pain.
She is in a lot of pain right now.
"......."
Under the blazing sun, traffic flows busily outside the window.
In the quiet and peaceful café with soothing music playing, she felt as if she were immersed in bitterness, gritting her teeth and desperately trying not to cry out.
Xing En handed her a tissue and then watched her quietly.
After a moment, she asked, "Would you like to go and see where Aze works?"
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