Chapter 17: She doesn't want to work hard anymore

Ning Lan didn't expect her to be so direct. She tried hard to find a trace of emotion and longing on Mingnan's face, but there was nothing. She only saw calmness and indifference.

It was as if she was not her mother, but just a stranger whom she had met once.

She felt a little uncomfortable, and the words she had prepared changed their meaning when they came to her lips.

"I can't come to see you if I'm fine? Mingnan, I'm your mother!"

Ning Lan's eyes seemed a little hurt, and there was a hint of disappointment in her anger.

Mingnan was indifferent and even found it a little funny. She said nothing and just looked at the other person quietly.

"Where do you live now? It's been a month, and you're not going home yet?" Ning Lan frowned, thinking of the previous photos, and paused for a moment. Then her attitude softened and she coaxed, "It was indeed our fault that we didn't consider it carefully enough before and didn't take care of your feelings. Mommy will apologize to you, okay?"

This was probably the first time in Ning Lan's life that he gave in to someone. When he apologized, his words were stiff and somewhat reluctant.

Just then, the waiter came over to bring milk tea. Mingnan thanked him, and after a moment of silence, he picked up a cup and said to the sunlight, "Look, this ordinary cup of milk tea costs twelve yuan. In your eyes, it should be so cheap that you don't even care about it, right?"

"What's so good about this? If you like it, I'll ask my aunt to make it for you with the best green tea and milk. It tastes just as good as the ones here, and it's cleaner and healthier."

Ning Lan thought she was missing the comfortable life at home, and she felt happy and hopeful.

However, Mingnan shook his head.

"No, it's different." She put down the milk tea, stroked the wall of the cup with her fingertips, and said softly, "What Auntie cooked is not the taste I have been craving for more than ten years."

"What do you mean by more than ten years?" Ning Lan was puzzled.

Mingnan looked at her and said calmly, "When I first saw someone drinking milk tea, I was curious about its taste, but my father was a gambler and he controlled all the money in the family. My mother and I had difficulty eating, and milk tea was a luxury that we could not even think of. Every time I passed by a milk tea shop on my way to school, I would speed up my pace and dare not take a second look."

"Later, I dropped out of school and started working. I was able to earn some money and thought I could finally buy myself a cup of milk tea. But then I got a call from the hospital saying my mother was sick and needed a lot of money."

"It doesn't cost a lot of money, actually." Mingnan laughed at himself. "For an ordinary family, they can save a little and make up the money, but for our family, the tens of thousands of yuan for medical expenses is all we have. So I gave up the idea and saved the money to buy medicine for my mother."

Ning Lan's eyes trembled, and her hands on the table clenched unconsciously. She wanted to say something, but under Mingnan's gaze, she couldn't open her mouth.

Before Mingnan returned home, she had someone look up some information about him, but she only took a quick look and knew the general idea. She didn't know the details and had never thought about understanding them, so this was the first time she faced Mingnan's past directly.

Having lived a life of luxury since childhood, she could not imagine what kind of life Mingnan was talking about. Why couldn't he even afford a cup of milk tea for more than ten yuan?

"The money for a cup of milk tea doesn't really affect anything, but I just couldn't bear to spend it. It wasn't until my mother passed away and I had nothing to worry about in this world that I finally bought myself my first cup of milk tea. You know, when I drank it for the first time, I actually thought it was bitter!"

Her eyes were bright and full of wonder.

It's like someone in the abyss seeing the light for the first time, with a kind of tragic and unconscious innocence.

But the more this happens, the more embarrassed one becomes.

Ning Lan's lips trembled as she continued to ask, "Did it go bad?"

"No, it was because at that time I realized that my parents were not my parents, and I shouldn't have lived such a miserable life." Mingnan turned his head to look at the pedestrians coming and going outside the window, his voice as light as a feather.

"That day I specifically ordered full sugar milk tea, hoping to get some sweet comfort, but the more I drank, the more bitter it became, and it was hard to swallow. If I didn't know anything, I might have just accepted my fate, but now that I know, how can I accept it?"

She suddenly turned her head and looked at Ning Lan, "So I came to find you. I want to go back to my home."

Ning Lan couldn't bear her gaze, and couldn't help but lowered his head, muttering: "Don't say it... Nan Nan, don't say it..."

"Why don't you tell me?" Ming Nan smiled. "You came to me just to talk, right? It's a good opportunity for us to make things clear all at once."

"Before I came to you, I didn't think so much. I just wanted to have a family. But after I came here, I saw how you doted on Huai Shu. I felt very unbalanced. Why are you so cold to me? I am obviously your daughter."

"Now I understand." Mingnan took a deep breath and said with relief: "The feelings between people are mutual. Even if there is a blood relationship, it takes time and effort to cultivate deep feelings. I, a daughter who suddenly appeared, want to share your love. It is simply unrealistic."

"No - it's not like that, don't say that, Mingnan..." Ning Lan reached out to hold Mingnan's hand, but Mingnan dodged.

She was stunned for a moment, then she thought of something and took out the card from her bag and handed it to her, "Here is two million in pocket money. Buy yourself some clothes when the season changes. If you don't have enough, ask us for it. And this."

She took out a bunch of keys and pushed them over. "This is an unused villa of ours. No one has lived in it. Now it's been renamed in your name. It's yours from now on. This is our compensation to you."

"I know these are nothing, but I still hope you can accept them. It will make us feel better. Please don't refuse -"

Mingnan glanced at the card and key, reached out to take them, and looked at her in confusion, "Why should I refuse?"

Ning Lan: “Ah?”

"You owe me these." Mingnan put the things into the bag in front of her and said, "You have the obligation and responsibility to support me."

"What happened to you last time?" Ning Lan looked at her in a daze.

Mingnan said a little embarrassedly, "I left in a hurry last time and forgot about it. I couldn't go back to get it later, so I thought I'd forget it."

Ning Lan: “…”

205: [6.]

"Now that we've come to this, you should be clear about my attitude. I won't go back. From now on, I will have nothing to do with the Ming family. Goodbye."

Mingnan picked up the milk tea and was about to pay the bill. Ning Lan felt like something was missing in her heart and quickly stopped her: "Nannan, can you give us another chance to compensate you?"

Mingnan lowered his eyes and looked at her arm holding his. The hand was well-maintained, and was even more delicate and smoother than her own.

She laughed briefly, raised her hand and brushed her away gently but firmly, "Not good."

"So-called love, when I wanted it, you were unwilling to give it to me. Now that you are willing to give it to me, I don't want it anymore."

"A mistake is a mistake, and there is no way to make up for it."

After saying that, she turned around to pay the bill, bagged her milk tea and left without looking back.

No more glances from Ning Lan.

Ning Lan dropped his hand suddenly, and his whole body felt cold.

Maybe she was really wrong this time.

Realizing this, she felt a sudden pain in her heart.

The pain came suddenly and without warning, and instantly swept through her whole body.

Finally, she couldn't control her tears and turned her head to look out the window.