Chapter 22 Tears welled up in his eyes. Amidst the intermittent sobs, he understood…
Fortunately, the awkward scene on screen didn't last long, and the movie quickly moved on to another scene.
Xing Ze also looked away, no longer glancing at her.
Mu Tingyu breathed a barely perceptible sigh of relief, rubbed her ears, and rested her head on her knees again.
Her cheeks were getting hotter and hotter; she must be getting tipsy.
I never expected this wine, which smells and tastes sweet, to have such a strong aftereffect. It made me feel drunk even faster than the time I was at Shi Tou's house that day.
She always thought she had a pretty good alcohol tolerance, and she attended quite a few parties when she first started college.
Adult gatherings always involve alcohol, but back then I knew to control my intake and didn't drink those mixed strong liquors, so I never got drunk.
Her thoughts were wandering aimlessly, her eyes fixed on the movie, her gaze somewhat vacant.
I finally transferred all the money today.
Her bank card has a transfer limit, so she can't transfer a large amount at once; she can only transfer it over several days.
Lin Yulan called her many times during that period, as if she was afraid that she would run away. Today, she finally stopped calling.
Lin Yulan is greedy and opportunistic. She can turn her back on people for money, and even when she was in high school, she was already planning to marry her off and collect a dowry.
So before transferring the money, she sent a message stating that it was all her money and that she shouldn't ask for it back.
She kept her art studio a secret from the public, and even sold her paintings under a pseudonym, all to avoid being exploited.
But Lin Yulan still found out. She probably went to great lengths to find out the news from somewhere, and then called without hesitation, not even bothering to pretend, and immediately asked for money.
Mu Tingyu sneered inwardly.
I guess he thinks he's all grown up and wants to fly away, after all, he secretly changed his college application after the results came out, and she's been holding a grudge ever since.
The dream of a dowry has fallen through; how can one not hold a grudge?
She didn't know if Lin Yulan had spent 200,000 yuan on her in the past twenty years, but it was highly unlikely. Because apart from tuition and food, Lin Yulan had never cared about her life or death.
And that's really all she could offer.
This is all the money she has earned since adulthood, from working part-time during college, and from opening an art studio with Jiang Chuhe.
After the treatment, she only had 20,000 yuan left in her account, enough for her to live on for the next period of time.
She wasn't a sucker; she just didn't want to owe them anything.
She didn't want to hear Lin Yulan use the condescending tone of "the kindness of raising children is greater than heaven" to criticize and oppress her, or look at her with disdain as always.
She finally escaped that place that wasn't even a home, not to continue being oppressed.
As soon as she turned 18, she started working hard, saving every penny and secretly hiding every penny, just so she could not wait to leave that dark and hopeless cage.
Everyone says society is cruel, but she thinks it's wonderful.
At least she no longer has to compromise and be subservient to others, stay up all night worrying about getting a little tuition, sleep in a drafty cubicle without a door, live a life with no privacy, and even take a shower with trepidation.
Mu Tingyu tilted her head back and took a sip of wine, feeling the spiciness rising in her throat, and felt extremely refreshed.
It's just that this entanglement is going to continue for who knows how long.
Lin Yulan probably won't give up easily since she didn't get the amount she wanted.
There's no way I'll give her the money anymore. If I block her number, she'll probably come to the art studio. If that causes a scene, it will definitely damage the studio's reputation.
She's fine on her own, but I'm worried about affecting Jiang Chu.
Mu Tingyu's eyes were heavy with gloom. She gripped the glass in her hand tightly and took another sip.
Suddenly, my wrist was grabbed.
Xing Ze bent down, forcefully took the cup from her hand, and frowned at her: "Don't drink like that."
Mu Tingyu pursed her lips, somewhat displeased: "I can drink."
Xing Ze looked at her silently.
Mu Tingyu saw a subtle, helpless indulgence in his eyes, as if he were looking at a stubborn, tantrum-throwing child.
A sudden surge of anger welled up inside her.
She didn't like Xing Ze treating her like a child at all.
She is working hard to grow up.
There wasn't a moment when she didn't want to fly; she was always flying, always leaving.
She traveled to see mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas everywhere, going wherever she felt free. Even with only two hundred yuan left in her pocket, she could still chat and laugh with strangers in front of a magnificent waterfall, without considering that she might end up homeless later.
She pushed herself relentlessly, working hard to earn credits and take on part-time jobs. Even when she was incredibly busy, she would squeeze out time to travel when she had saved up money, and continue working when she ran out of money.
She wanted the world to see her, to see the light she shone from the abyss.
Anyone who sees her will say, "You're living such a wonderful life. You've become the kind of adult I've always imagined."
No one would treat her like a child except him.
As the alcohol gradually took effect, Mu Tingyu, still harboring a sense of defiance, narrowed her eyes and gave a provocative smile: "What's wrong? Afraid I'll get physical with you after I finish drinking?"
She deliberately poked his chest with her finger, stroking it lightly while laughing, and said, "Watch out, I'm a female hooligan."
Upon hearing this, Xing Ze indeed released her wrist.
She maintained her smile, withdrew her hand, and sighed softly, "So scared..."
As soon as she finished speaking, Xing Ze moved even closer, staring straight at her with deep, dark eyes, as if he wanted to see into her heart through her eyes.
Then, as if letting out a soft sigh, she spoke gently.
"You don't have to smile when you're unhappy, but you don't have to in front of me."
Her smile froze at the corners of her mouth.
It took her several seconds to realize what was happening, and she instinctively retorted, "I didn't."
Xing Ze's eyes were filled with indescribable emotions. He raised his hand and covered her eyes.
With most of her vision blocked, she curled up in a ball, hugging her knees, her eyelashes drooping low.
After a while, his voice rang out slowly but clearly: "But your eyes don't lie."
"—It says you are very, very sad right now."
These words struck her like a hammer blow, and her eyelashes trembled uncontrollably.
After the words were spoken, neither of them spoke again, leaving only the intertwined breathing sounds between the two.
This statement is incredibly powerful.
It's like someone walking alone on an ice field for a long time, so long that even the armor has become a part of their body, and one day someone suddenly says to them, "You're too tired."
The ice plains were nothing to fear, and solitude was nothing to be afraid of, but such a simple sentence was enough to make even the most invincible person lose their strength.
Mu Tingyu bit down hard on the soft flesh in her mouth, and her nose began to sting with tears.
How can this person be so thoughtful?
He was so perceptive that he could detect any emotional change in me at a glance.
He clearly is someone who looks so fierce...
Despite being someone who can't say anything nice and isn't gentle, he always manages to do things that really touch her heart.
It made her unable to resist wanting to get closer.
This is a very strange thing.
Her head was spinning, and her vision was fogged up. Mu Tingyu took a deep breath and forced back her tears.
She placed her hands on the back of Xing Ze's hands and rested her head in his hands.
Her palms were dry and warm, carrying a scent that gave her immense peace of mind.
She leaned gently against this warm support and whispered, "Next time I'll close my eyes."
She lowered her voice very softly: "Let me lean on you for a little while, just a little while..."
Xing Ze lowered his eyes, watching her almost dependent actions, and felt a pang of bitterness rise in his heart, as if a thread was being pulled.
He raised his other hand and gently touched her head, speaking in a hoarse voice, "I was thinking of not asking and waiting for you to tell me yourself."
"But now, I can't do it anymore."
He gently stroked the hair, as if soothing the little hedgehog in front of him who was unwilling to surrender.
"Can you tell me what happened?"
I'm very worried about you.
For the past few days, the unusual weariness on her face had been weighing on his mind, making him uncontrollably irritable, yet he was helpless to do anything about it.
Something definitely happened that he doesn't know about; that's for sure.
But he had no experience communicating with girls. If she was unwilling to talk, he didn't even know how to start the conversation. All the knowledge he had accumulated over the past twenty-eight years couldn't be pieced together into a eloquent personality.
He has no patience and can't control his temper. He just accidentally yelled at her, and then regretted it.
But in the past, he wouldn't have wanted to say a word to someone who was ambiguous in attitude and remained silent.
But he just couldn't do anything about her, so he tried to soften his tone and coax her again and again.
This was truly the first time he had ever felt that something could be so difficult.
It was so difficult that you couldn't touch it, you couldn't scold it, and you weren't willing to just walk away; you willingly plunged headlong into it.
Xing Ze sighed helplessly.
But the next second, he suddenly noticed that his palms had become somewhat damp.
He immediately realized what was happening, his hand trembled, and he looked down in a panic.
Mu Tingyu lowered her head and pressed his hand down firmly, preventing him from moving.
Xing Ze had no choice but to call her name in a low voice.
"—Wait a minute, just a minute..."
Her voice had a slight nasal tone.
"Just a moment, I didn't mean to..."
You could tell she was trying hard to steady her voice, but she failed. The last word even sounded like she was crying, making her seem incredibly vulnerable.
Xing Ze froze on the spot, reaching out to touch her face, but then stopped in mid-air.
Tears quickly seeped from the edges of her fingers, running down her cheeks and dripping onto her clothes, breaking into small puddle stains.
She silently shed tears, suppressing her emotions, her hands trembling slightly.
Xing Ze kept wiping her tears, the cool drops falling on his hands felt hotter than any boiling water.
He felt a lump in his throat and his heart ached.
She began to sob uncontrollably, as if she were biting her teeth to keep the sobs from leaking out of her mouth; her crying was careful yet heartbreaking.
Her cheeks were burning hot, the tip of her nose was red, and large tears hung on her delicate white chin, as if she had suffered a great injustice.
Xing Ze couldn't help but reach out and embrace her trembling body, gently stroking her slender neck, and said in a hoarse voice, "It's okay to cry, it's alright to cry out loud."
Mu Tingyu shuddered, her clenched teeth loosened, and she finally couldn't help but sob.
She lowered her head and rested it on Xing Ze's shoulder, gripping the hem of his clothes tightly with her hands.
Xing Ze lowered his eyes, listening to her soft and suppressed sobs, his heart breaking.
He gently stroked her shoulders and neck, repeatedly whispering, "It's alright, it's alright..."
Amidst the intermittent sobs, he understood something.
He has to protect her all the time.
Protect her, know everything about her, and solve all her difficulties.
Instead of seeing her choked back sobs, too afraid to even utter a sound. Nor would he want to watch her cry so bitterly while he could do nothing about it.
This feeling of helplessness is truly awful.
Xing Ze felt the damp heat on her clothes, his expression was heavy, but his movements were very gentle, soothing her again and again.
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