Chapter 64 Dream "Don't cry." He lowered his head and kissed her. ...
"Hey, why do you always act like you're just dropping by whenever you come here?"
Chen Jiadong looked at Xing En, who was chatting with the receptionist, and said speechlessly, "Do you have to talk about everyone in the company, even us in administration?"
"It's nothing, Xiaolin is so cute, what's wrong with me chatting for a bit?" Xing En leaned casually against the marble counter and said with a smile to the receptionist, "You've been working a bit hard lately, you've got dark circles under your eyes, remember to get some rest."
The receptionist blushed slightly and obediently replied, "Thank you, Mr. Xing."
Xing En smiled and gestured with her chin, then glanced at the registration form on the table and casually remarked, "There are quite a few visitors today."
“There aren’t many people on this day,” Chen Jiadong urged her from the side, “Alright, let’s go.”
"What's the rush?" Xing En straightened up. "You have plans for tonight?"
The two walked side by side toward the gate. Upon hearing this, Chen Jiadong rolled his eyes: "I finally helped you win the case, shouldn't you treat me to a meal?"
"Didn't I already pay you?"
"One thing at a time."
"We'll see, I'm busy tonight."
Chen Jiadong clicked his tongue: "Going on a date with some young boy again? I have to say, you two siblings are really something. If we weren't related, I wouldn't be able to get anyone to invite me out, but you two are treating me like a donkey. It's hard to even get a meal from you."
Xing En laughed: "Did Aze ask you for a favor?"
The two opened their umbrellas and walked down the steps. Chen Jiadong had just said "Yeah" when his gaze was drawn to a black car parked at the entrance.
He said in a surprised tone, "--Oh."
Xing En walked to the car, opened the door, and rolled down the window.
The car was completely black, without any unnecessary decorations. The man in the driver's seat wore an ordinary black T-shirt, with deep-set, aloof eyes, and one hand casually rested on the steering wheel.
Chen Jiadong stood by the car window and said to the man with a serious expression, "—Illegal parking, the fine is two thousand."
Before the man could speak, Xing En leaned back in his chair and laughed, "Inflation isn't something you can afford to be this inflated by. If you keep embezzling money on your own, I'll report you to Duan Cheng."
“Go ahead and pay me back.” Chen Jiadong put one hand in his pocket and laughed nonchalantly. “Last time he ran off without paying for the drinks, and I haven’t even asked him for it yet.”
Xing En burst into laughter.
The man in the driver's seat watched them with a calm expression. Chen Jiadong asked him, "Isn't the hospital busy today? Why did you come over?"
"Let's go back to the old house for dinner," the man replied.
"That's strange," Chen Jiadong said. "Haven't been back for eight hundred years, have you? Are you trying to mend your family relationships?"
"Hey, hey, alright, if you say he's throwing a tantrum and not going, I'll be the one getting questioned later." Xing En waved him away, "Let's go, let's go."
"Wait a minute." Chen Jiadong quickly reached out and grabbed the car window.
"What? You want to join our family dinner?"
"No thanks then, I'll get indigestion if I eat with Uncle Xing." Chen Jiadong chuckled, tapped the window frame with his finger, and said to the man in the driver's seat, "Aze, I've found most of the information you wanted, there's just a little bit left to organize, I'll send it to you all at once."
The windshield wipers made a slight noise as they moved; the interior of the car was dimly lit due to the rain.
Xing Ze's face was half-hidden in the shadows. He turned his head to look at him and said calmly, "Okay."
The car window was rolled up, and the black car smoothly drove into the rain. Xing En, sitting in the passenger seat, asked curiously, "What did you make him do?"
"Find some information."
"Who doesn't know it's information?" Xing En said speechlessly. Seeing that he didn't want to talk about it, she changed the subject and asked, "Did you just come from the hospital?"
"without."
"Where did you come from?"
Xing Ze looked straight ahead and said in a calm tone, "Cemetery."
Xing En raised an eyebrow, surprised, and asked, "You went to see Mom?"
"Um."
"...Oh dear, it's so hard to talk to you. I can't even get two words out after half a day," Xing En sighed. "Why do you seem to talk even less since you came back?"
"......."
"—It's just a breakup, isn't it?"
She glanced at him and said disdainfully, "Why do you always have such a long face? Can't you cheer up? It's just a breakup."
"......."
Xing Ze turned his head to look at her and uttered two words indifferently: "No split."
"They still haven't broken up after all this?"
Xing En mocked vehemently, "Didn't they delete you? They even transferred the 20,000 yuan breakup fee directly to your phone. Doesn't that count as a breakup? Hey, didn't I tell you before that relationships are unpredictable? Now look what happened, the breakup's over, and now you're coming back..."
"No points." Xing Ze interrupted her.
The black car slowly came to a stop at the red light. Raindrops on the car window were mottled and distorted, wiped away by the wipers and then quickly gathered again.
His face was illuminated by the red light, and his eyes appeared perfectly calm: "—I did not agree."
“…Fine, fine,” Xing En said dismissively, “then why don’t you go and find Xiao Tingyu? What are you doing acting like a widower?”
"......"
Xing Ze didn't reply and looked ahead again.
Rain washed over the earth, dripping onto the car windows and creating a mist.
He reached out and adjusted something on the center console before slowly speaking.
"...No rush."
......
-
......
The lakeside in the suburbs is shaded by green trees, and the walls along the road are dark red brick walls common in the last century, covered with ivy and mottled moss.
The large black cast-iron gate was tightly shut, but the black car drove in smoothly through a small side door. The guards on duty had respectful and calm expressions, their eyes lowered as they greeted and saw off the people inside the car.
Xing Ze parked the car in front of a red brick building and handed the keys to the maid who came to greet him.
Upon entering, a middle-aged man was sitting on the sofa in the front hall, wearing glasses and reading a newspaper.
Seeing them arrive, he didn't get up, but simply instructed the servant beside him, "Prepare for dinner."
The maid agreed and went inside.
"Dad, don't hold the newspaper so close to your eyes!" Xing En shouted as she walked over and snatched the evening paper from the man's hand. "You're already nearsighted."
With nothing to hold onto, Xing Fangbai had no choice but to lower his hands and rest them on his knees, muttering sullenly, "You brat, you're making a fuss as soon as you get back."
Xing En sat down next to him, folding the newspaper with a rustling sound: "No good deed goes unpunished. Haven't you stopped reading the newspaper in a long time? Why did you suddenly remember to read it today?"
Xing Fangbai coughed and was about to speak when he saw Xing Ze walk over, stop in front of the coffee table, and call out "Dad" to him.
"..." Xing Fangbai glanced at him from head to toe and said in a flat voice, "So you know you're coming back now?"
"......."
"I'm talking to you, why aren't you responding?"
"......."
Seeing that the atmosphere was tense, Xing En quickly stood up and said, "Let's eat first! I'm hungry!"
The three sat down at the dining table, and the simply dressed servant served all the dishes and then quietly withdrew.
Xing Fangbai poured himself a glass of baijiu, tapped the bottle, and said to Xing Ze, "Pour some."
"No, thank you," Xing Ze said. "I have something to do tonight."
"What's the matter?" Xing Fangbai frowned. "Just send someone to drive the car back."
Xing Ze didn't answer, only saying, "Something came up."
Seeing that Xing Fangbai was about to get upset again, Xing En quickly took the bottle and said, "I'll pour it, you can drink with me."
A war without gunpowder was nipped in the bud. Xing Fangbai, with a displeased expression, reached out and picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks.
Xing Ze then picked up his chopsticks and began to eat in silence.
Halfway through the meal, Xing Fangbai spoke again: "How are you adapting?"
Xing Ze lowered his eyes and picked up a shrimp: "It's alright."
Xing Fangbai frowned and habitually lectured him: "You still have a lot to learn, don't be arrogant and complacent."
Xing Ze looked at the shrimp in the bowl and replied indifferently, "Mm."
“You should have come back a long time ago. You’ve wasted so much time,” he sneered. “…You ran off to live in seclusion over a mere little accident. You have no manliness at all. What did I teach you?”
"......"
Xing Ze put down his bowl and looked up at the person opposite him.
With a loud "bang," Xing En slammed his hand on the table: "Alright! Are we going to eat or not?"
As soon as Miss Xing got angry, the two men at the table immediately fell silent and quietly picked up their food.
The meal was finished in an awkward atmosphere. Xing Fangbai wiped his mouth with a napkin and glanced at his son across the table, who was sitting with his eyes down and not saying a word.
This morning, Xing En repeatedly told him on the phone to speak gently to his son and not to argue with him like before. Their relationship had been like this for over twenty years, and he couldn't change it overnight. But since his son hadn't come home for a long time, he decided to be merciful and take the initiative to talk to him.
Let's find a lighter topic," he said, putting down his napkin and clearing his throat.
"By the way, how's your relationship with your ex going? When are you going to bring him home for a meal? If it's a good match, you can get married. You're not getting any younger."
"......."
"......."
A deathly silence fell over the dining table.
Xing En sighed and rubbed his forehead in exasperation. This old man really knew how to bring up the most sensitive topics.
Xing Fangbai looked at the two of them and asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"
"......"
Xing En awkwardly fiddled with the diamond chain on her wrist, unsure how to answer.
Could it be that—haha! Your daughter-in-law gave your son 20,000 yuan as a breakup fee and then ran away! Your son is heartbroken and has been depressed for many days!
"......."
Xing Ze slowly raised his eyes under his questioning gaze and said calmly, "--Let's wait a while."
Upon hearing this, Xing En suddenly turned to look at him. The latter, however, remained calmly looking ahead, ignoring her.
Seeing his calm demeanor, Xing Fangbai had no suspicions: "Alright, you know what you're doing."
"And you," he suddenly changed the subject, turning to Xing En, "when are you planning to get married?"
Xing En: "......."
"You're already in your thirties, it's time to settle down. I think that young man from the Chen family is quite nice, why don't you two give it a try?"
Xing En: "......."
If you didn't know they were related, the father and son would even speak to each other in the exact same tone.
The boy from the Chen family is Chen Jiadong, the one from the building next door, who she grew up with.
Both of them knew what the other was like in private. If you really tried to match them up, let alone Xing En, he would probably be the first to object.
Xing En didn't know why she, at the age of thirty and with a successful career, was still being pressured to get married. With that kind of free time, she would have dated several male college students long ago. Why waste time, energy, and emotions on getting married? Isn't that just a waste of time and energy?
"Don't arrange marriages for me." Xing En declared to the old man with a stern face, "I have money, why would I need to get married like that? You're not allowed to use me for arranged marriages."
"What marriage alliance? I'll let you find a suitable one." Xing Fangbai was both amused and exasperated, but he couldn't do anything about it. He could only wave his hand at her and say, "Alright, alright, do as you please. I can't control you."
None of them were the type to enjoy chatting, and after only a few words, Xing Ze stood up and said he had to leave.
Xing Fangbai didn't seem very happy, but he didn't say anything. He got up and saw them to the door.
The servant had already driven the car to the door. Before leaving, Xing Fangbai stood on the steps, looking down at his son inside the car.
Xing Ze knew he had something to say, as always. So he rolled down the car window and waited quietly for him to begin his lecture.
Xing Fangbai is nearly sixty years old, but he is still as upright as a pine tree, exuding the sharp aura of someone who has long held a high position.
He spoke in a calm voice: "Now that you're back, take responsibility. So many eyes are watching you. If you're going to do something, do it to the best of your ability. Don't play house and make a fool of yourself, bringing shame to the Xing family."
"..." Xing Ze rested one hand on the steering wheel, calmly meeting his gaze. "I know."
Xing Fangbai nodded, indicating that he could leave.
The car window rolled up, and the black car gradually drove into the night until the taillights disappeared into the rain before Xing Fangbai went inside.
An hour later, Xing Ze first took Xing En home, then adjusted the navigation and drove in another direction.
The car was silent, with only the soft female voice from the navigation system echoing in the enclosed space.
"Navigation started, destination: Pingtan Street, Tongcheng District..."
-
With a loud crash, a painting was knocked off the easel.
Mu Tingyu couldn't dodge in time and was hit squarely on the foot, writhing in pain like a tiny shrimp.
"Ouch...it hurts so much..." She took off her white shoes with a pained expression and rubbed her feet vigorously.
What a misfortune! My poor foot, just recovered from a sprain, now has to suffer this undeserved calamity.
Ignoring the dirt on the ground, she sat down and curled up next to the easel.
The studio was dark, with only a sliver of pale yellow light filtering through the crack in the door to the inner room, casting a long line on the floor. That faint light spread across the floor, and one could vaguely make out an empty wine bottle lying on its side.
Her cheeks were flushed, and she stared blankly at her legs, her eyes unfocused.
I'm so tired. My head is spinning too.
She stared blankly for a while, then grabbed the wine bottle next to her, tilted her head back, took a sip, and smacked her lips.
It's sweet.
Luckily, she had the foresight to buy a sweet white wine, so it wouldn't be too bland. She still prefers sweet drinks; white wine and the like are too strong and not suitable for her. This sweet one is just right.
But no matter how sweet it is, it's not as good as osmanthus wine... I want to drink osmanthus wine now...
She rested her chin on her knees, her eyelids slightly red from the alcohol.
After a while, she shakily stood up, slowly moved her feet, and walked towards the bathroom.
She lifted the toilet lid, feeling somewhat dazed.
Wow, I have a really good alcohol tolerance! Did I train myself? I drank a whole bottle and didn't get drunk, I just needed to go to the bathroom.
However, I am feeling a bit dizzy right now...
Her cheeks and eyes were burning hot. She slowly unbuttoned her pants and took them off.
"......."
Wait, what's with this wet feeling...?
"......."
She screamed and quickly leaned over, grabbing a sanitary napkin from a small shelf nearby. Then, she scrambled to the bedroom and pulled out a new pair of pants.
Damn... I forgot my period was due... but it should be around soon...
She hurriedly changed her pants, and after a series of emergency procedures, she became increasingly dizzy.
And for some reason, I didn't feel anything before my period started, but now that I have, the dull pain in my lower abdomen has followed.
"......"
She leaned against the wall to walk out of the room, carefully avoiding the wine bottles and paintings on the ground, picked up the half-empty wine bottle, and hesitated for a moment.
She's lost the bottle stopper somewhere; it'll go bad if we don't drink it.
It's neither iced nor spicy, so drinking a little should be fine, right?
"........"
She pursed her lips and took another sip.
Night had fallen, and the street outside the transparent glass was pitch black. The shops along the street had turned off their lights and closed their doors, and there were no pedestrians on the street.
The rain continued to fall, leaving scattered puddles on the ground that shimmered with a cold light under the faint moonlight.
The studio was pitch black. She stood there clutching the wine bottle, feeling dizzy and uncomfortable all over.
The stomachache was secondary; the main problem was the deep-seated, agonizing, and unbearable discomfort that gnawed at her heart, making it difficult for her to breathe. Darkness seemed to creep in from all directions, enveloping her and making it even harder for her to catch her breath.
It's so stuffy, I want to get some fresh air.
She slowly walked to the door and looked out through the glass. There was nothing on the street except for the rain and the rustling of the plane trees.
Oh, and there's that black car across the street.
That car seemed to have been parked there for about an hour. I guess it figured that since no one was going out in this weather, the traffic police wouldn't be bothered to come here and issue tickets, so it just parked there for the night.
Mu Tingyu figured the car was empty. There had been no sound from that side for so long, the car lights weren't on, and there was no light inside. She couldn't imagine what anyone could be doing sitting in a car on this rainy night; if they'd really been sitting there this long, they'd probably be asleep by now.
Thinking this, she took out her keys from her pocket, unlocked the U-lock on the doorknob, slowly pulled the door open, and squeezed out through the crack.
It was hot and humid outside. The stuffiness wasn't much better than inside, but she inexplicably felt more comfortable.
She took a deep breath and sat down on the small steps outside the door.
Rain dripped from the eaves, and she tucked her legs in and sat down a little further inside, then placed the wine bottle on the ground with a thud.
It rained for a really long time.
She tilted her head, watching the raindrops fall in a daze.
I wonder when the rain will stop. I don't like rain.
She lowered her eyes somewhat dejectedly and hugged her legs with her arms.
A dull ache came in waves from her lower abdomen. She frowned patiently, trying to reason with the painful organ inside her.
"Hello." Mu Tingyu reached out and touched her lower abdomen, and said patiently, "I haven't eaten anything cold or spicy this month, and I haven't done anything reckless like swimming or surfing in the sea—at most, I've just been a little tired and caught a bit of rain. So you'd better be sensible and not make things ugly, as it won't do either of us any good."
Clearly, these words sounded more like a threat, and the pain in my lower abdomen intensified.
“…” She took a deep breath and negotiated, “Okay, okay. Pain is fine, but don’t hurt too much, okay? You can’t take advantage of Xing Ze’s absence to try and kill me with pain. We are one, you know? If it hurts too much, I really will just die right now.”
It indicated it wouldn't listen to explanations, and the pain continued.
"......"
Her face was flushed, and she dazedly hugged her legs, trying to think of something to distract herself.
She hadn't planned on drinking today.
But after finishing her legal consultation in the afternoon, she couldn't resist. After returning to her studio and waiting for Jiang Chu to leave, she closed the door, turned off the lights, and opened a bottle for herself.
According to Jiang Lu's statement, she would have to wait until Lin Yulan asked her for 300,000 yuan before she could lock her up for more than ten years.
She had been racking her brains over this for days, and this was the only solution she had, and it was the dumbest one.
......
She was exhausted and thought to herself.
Where is Xing Ze now?
I saw Sister En this afternoon. Where is he? Has he returned to Hangzhou yet? Or is he still living in the little white building in Shitang Village?
Is he... still angry?
...It's understandable that he's angry. She lied to him like that, so he's bound to be very angry, the kind of anger that can't be appeased no matter what.
Mu Tingyu clutched her stomach, feeling somewhat uncomfortable.
But she had no choice...
With red eyes, she slowly pulled her phone out of her pocket.
Open it, open WeChat, and open your contacts.
She's very familiar with this process and does it almost every night.
There are still no messages in the "new friends" column.
She clicked on it and stared at the dozen or so expired friend requests, almost to the point of self-torture, while inwardly mocking herself.
What are you looking at? Are you thinking he'll forgive you?
He's such a proud person, and she's hurt him so much. Does she still think he'll come looking for her again?
Look, she left him six words, and he returned six words to her. How wonderful, they're even now.
Compared to his six words, her six words seemed too heartless, so heartless that she herself felt that he should not forgive her.
Mu Tingyu reached out and painfully wiped away her tears.
But... but I really... miss him so much...
I can't sleep without him... I've been having insomnia these past few nights, falling asleep very late... I drink alone, I get my period alone, and now she's alone again...
She felt dizzy and lightheaded, and tears kept rolling down her hot eyes, dripping onto her pants and soaking them into dark stains.
She was too weak to do anything but let it flow without wiping it away.
I'm so sad...
I feel terrible all over, so terrible that I want to roll around in pain.
But she's certain she's not this vulnerable when she's normal.
She can rush to catch a flight, drag her aching back and legs on the subway for an hour and a half during rush hour back to her studio, get soaked in the rain the whole way, catch a cold the next day, force herself to submit her work within three days despite feeling unwell, then sleep in a daze for a few days before immediately recovering to her lively and energetic self.
She could also smile nonchalantly at the greetings from Jiang Chu, Shao Yue, and others, saying that she was fine and that it had no effect on her at all.
Only when she couldn't sleep at night would she slowly think about things related to the Little White Building and quietly shed a few tears, but she would be fine the next day.
She comforted herself, saying, "It's okay, what can't be overcome?"
Her body has fully recovered; the discomfort from that night has vanished, her ankle no longer hurts, and she is completely fine. If she doesn't think about it, she can completely pretend that the past two months never happened.
...But I'm so tired.
Perhaps it was because of the alcohol, but whenever she closed her eyes, she saw Xing Ze's face—smiling, not smiling, but mostly helpless, doting, and affectionate.
She was so tired that she couldn't help but want to hug that broad, warm chest, to snuggle in his arms for a while, and to rest for a bit.
She inwardly despised herself, thinking how incredibly fragile she was.
You've always been alone before, experiencing far more grievances and hardships than you are now, yet you persevered, didn't you? You didn't shed a single tear when you left, but now you're constantly shedding them. Who are you trying to impress?
Raindrops pattered on the sycamore leaves, and under the cover of night, she cried incessantly, tears streaming down her face in large drops.
I must look terrible crying right now, with my eyes and face red and tears streaming down my face.
But it doesn't matter, there's no one on the street, she can be sad to her heart's content.
She sobbed softly, wiping away the tears dripping from her chin, then reached for a glass of wine and took a swig.
I'm so sad... I miss him so much, I miss him so much...
Could he forget for a moment that she's a bad person, appear before her now, and offer her a hug? She doesn't need much, just a quick hug would be enough...
She missed that hug so much.
The rain grew louder, and then a soft slamming of a door came from somewhere.
She cried without looking up, wondering who would close the door at this hour—maybe it was just a stray cat accidentally kicking a cardboard box… The stray cat was homeless too, just as pitiful as she was, sitting in the rain like a fool…
—Until a pair of shoes appeared before her eyes.
She was completely drunk and not fully conscious. Before she could react, a hand landed on the top of her head, feeling warm.
Who is it?
She looked up, bewildered.
Like a slow-motion scene in a movie, the person in front of her knelt down and quietly looked her in the eye.
"........"
It took her a long time to react before she finally opened her mouth, stammering, "...Am I... am I that drunk...?"
The man's features were so familiar, as if they were etched into her heart. She couldn't take her eyes off him after just one glance. He was the object of her longing and endless thoughts for several nights.
Is she dreaming...? Is she already asleep...?
Alcohol had clouded her judgment, making it impossible for her to distinguish between reality and dreams. This must be a dream; how could he possibly be here?
But she suddenly became happy, like a child whose wish had come true.
At this moment, all the rationality and composure that only exist during the day were thrown into the abyss of impulsiveness—because it was undoubtedly a dream, and all she wanted now was a hug.
Her eyelashes were wet with tears, and she reached out her hand to him tremblingly, speaking in a soft voice.
"Hug, hug..."
The man didn't speak, but lowered his eyes and reached out to wipe away her tears.
The touch was so familiar and real, a broad and warm palm with calluses.
She sobbed, reaching out to grab his hand and pressing it to her cheek. She looked up at him, her face streaked with tears, straining to open her eyes wide, and pleaded, "Hug me...why won't you hug me..."
Her hand stretched out in mid-air for a while, becoming sore, but it still wasn't caught.
She was extremely upset, feeling that the dream was terrible, and so she started crying loudly.
Then, the man spoke his first words. His voice was hoarse, almost drowned out by the sound of the rain.
He said, "Don't cry."
Her heart felt like it was being squeezed in a hand, and when she squeezed it hard, it dripped out a bitter, sour liquid. She buried her head and cried until she could barely breathe.
The man touched her tear-streaked face, sat down on the steps beside her, and then stroked the back of her neck with his warm palm, as if to encourage her to lift her head.
Her eyes were almost completely blurred with tears as she looked at him with distress.
The rain pattered softly, and all the scenery vanished in an instant, leaving only the magnified face before my eyes.
The man lowered his head and gently kissed her.
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