Almost as soon as Tang Ning heard about the change in Lu Chen's favorability towards him, she raised an eyebrow.
As nine o'clock approached, the streets began to quiet down. The black car drove quietly, and because the curtains were not drawn, the neon lights along the street slanted in and fell directly on Tang Ning's face, making her already stunningly beautiful face even more breathtaking.
Catching a glimpse of this stunning scene out of the corner of his eye, Xu Sinian lowered his eyes slightly, his lips seemingly wanting to curl up, but in the end he only pursed them slightly.
"Boom—"
Unexpectedly, at that moment, a thunderclap suddenly exploded outside the car.
Tang Ning, who had always been afraid of thundery days since childhood, was startled and instinctively hid in Xu Sinian's arms.
Xu Sinian immediately reached out and hugged Tang Ning tightly, while gently patting her back repeatedly.
"Don't be afraid, Ningning, it's alright, don't be afraid..."
The man kept offering these words of comfort.
As expected, the second clap of thunder did not sound again. Tang Ning tentatively opened her tightly closed eyes, and the next second she met Xu Sinian's worried eyes.
Tang Ning, held in his arms, looked at the man with gentle concern in her eyes at first, then as if she had thought of something, her gaze gradually cooled until it became calm and peaceful.
Then he released his arms from Tang Ning. Since he was already like this, Tang Ning naturally couldn't stay in his arms any longer. After a slight pause, she sat up straight.
For the rest of the journey, the car was unusually quiet.
The silence was broken only slightly when the car arrived at the entrance of the Xu family's small building.
Following behind Xu Sinian, who was pushing her wheelchair forward, Tang Ning noticed that Ah Sheng, who was driving them, did not seem to intend to come in with them. He just looked at Xu Sinian and her back with a hesitant expression and let out a deep sigh.
Unlike usual, the Xu family's house was dark and quiet, with the lights on early in the morning, waiting for their return.
It was as if the usually bustling Xu family mansion was completely deserted today.
Just then, Tang Ning noticed that Xu Sinian, who was walking ahead, was unable to get over the slope, perhaps because he was recovering from a serious illness or because the slope ahead was too steep. No matter how hard he tried, his wheelchair just couldn't get over it.
Seeing this, Tang Ning quickly stepped forward, "I'll do it."
Before she could finish speaking, Xu Sinian's clear voice rang out, "No need, I can do it myself."
The man's voice carried a clear and firm refusal, making Tang Ning hesitant to go forward. In the end, she could only watch as he exerted force again and again, until even the veins on the back of his hand bulged out, before finally overcoming the obstacle and walking forward without looking back.
Tang Ning stared blankly at his back for a long time before biting her lip and following him.
After Xu Sinian entered the room, Tang Ning realized that her premonition was correct. None of the Xu family's servants were there, and the room was dark and quiet.
Her belongings had all been packed away and placed aside in a wooden box, and her favorite handbag was also placed in the alley.
With just one glance, Tang Ning's eyes widened in surprise, but she hadn't had a chance to say anything yet.
Xu Sinian, who entered the room before her, began to explain, "Before you left this morning, I asked Xu Ma and the others to help you pack your things. The larger, heavier items, because we were worried that your mother and younger siblings would worry, have all been sent to the small house you bought earlier. Only these are left..."
Upon hearing these words, Tang Ning's eyes instantly turned red.
“Xu Sinian…”
If Tang Ning were cold and ruthless, it would be fine, but the moment her eyes reddened, Xu Sinian's carefully cultivated calm mood for a peaceful parting collapsed instantly. In the end, he had to clench his fists tightly to steady himself and keep his voice as calm as possible.
"It's thundering again outside. Looks like there'll be a heavy rain tonight. Let's hurry before it rains... Do you need me to have Ah Sheng and the others drive you? But if they do, they can probably only take you to the Tang family's place and your little house outside. I haven't checked where he is. Maybe you can tell Ah Sheng and the others the address after you get in the car..."
The man had already arranged everything he could. If Tang Ning wanted to leave, he only hoped that the two of them could at least leave with dignity.
"Xu Sinian, I..."
He really didn't want to hear Tang Ning's words, afraid that he would soften, feel bad, and do something he would regret.
Xu Sinian interrupted Tang Ning directly, "Alright, actually, the one who's in the wrong is me. If it weren't for me five years ago, the two of you wouldn't have broken up. It's understandable that you hate me, and that Lu Chen hates me. Now that he's back, it's perfectly normal for you to choose to leave me..."
The man's lips curled up slightly as he forced himself to look directly at Tang Ning.
At this moment, Tang Ning's expression began to turn sad. "No, it's not like that. For the past five years, I know you've always cared about me and taken care of me. You've tried your best to make me happy, even happier. If I really want to hold a grudge, it's because I've been rather willful and capricious, it's me..."
Tang Ning could no longer speak.
"I'm sorry, Xu Sinian, I owe you. I'll owe you for the rest of my life. I'm so sorry. Even if I can't find happiness for the rest of my life, it's my own fault. I deserve to be like this for the rest of my life..."
"Enough, I said enough, cough cough cough..."
Before Tang Ning could even utter the remaining curses, Xu Sinian immediately interrupted her. He fully imagined that such a vicious vow would come true for Tang Ning. Even if she left him, he still hoped that she could live well, be happy, and live freely. At least that would make him feel that his letting go was worthwhile. If Tang Ning was not doing well, he would rather be resented by her than not keep her firmly by his side.
However, due to the intense emotional fluctuations, Xu Sinian, whose health was already poor, couldn't hold it in and started coughing violently. He coughed again and again, unable to suppress it at all, and his pale face turned flushed red from coughing.
"Xu Sinian, how are you?"
Seeing this, Tang Ning anxiously tried to step forward, but as soon as she got to the man's side, he avoided her.
Seeing that he was still coughing, Tang Ning immediately went to the dining room, poured him a cup of hot water, and brought it over.
"Drink some hot water, drinking some hot water will definitely make you feel better..."
As they were talking, Tang Ning was about to bring the water to Xu Sinian's lips, but at that moment Xu Sinian's cough had finally subsided, and he turned his head away from Tang Ning's water.
"I know my own body. You can leave now..."
“But you’re coughing so badly, and your face is so red. I want to check your forehead temperature to see if you have a fever. Ah Sheng said you’ve been getting a fever at night these past few days. You’ve gotten much better since I came back three days ago, but you’re like this now…”
Tang Ning kept rambling on and on, and even wanted to reach out and feel the temperature on his forehead.
Unable to bear it any longer, Xu Sinian coughed and raised his hand to slap her hand away. However, he used too much force, causing Tang Ning to lose her grip on the glass. With a crisp crack, the glass fell to the ground, and even the back of Tang Ning's hand was burned red.
"hiss."
Tang Ning gasped in shock.
Seeing this, Xu Sinian became anxious. He had already placed his hand on the wheelchair, but then let go of it and coldly spoke.
"What exactly do you want? Was I not clear enough? Or did my attitude give you some wrong impression? If you're not clear, I can make it clearer to you now. Tang Ning, I, Xu Sinian, am only giving you this one chance. If you hesitate any longer, I might change my mind. You know my personality; I must get what I want, and I'll do whatever it takes. Saying I'd keep you here is useless, not even if Lu Chen or his father, Marshal Lu, came. So, think it over carefully. Do you still want to care about someone like me without a firm resolve? Because if you give me even the slightest bit of hope, I'll bite you immediately and never let go..."
Xu Sinian said this with a mix of threat and seriousness.
His words successfully froze Tang Ning's hand in mid-air. She suddenly looked up at Xu Sinian, and tears immediately fell down her cheeks.
As she shed tears, Xu Sinian's eyes also reddened uncontrollably, but he awkwardly avoided her gaze and gripped the wheelchair tightly.
"Don't worry, Ah Sheng and the others are outside. I'll call them if anything happens. You don't need to worry about them. Go now, Miss Tang Ning. Please leave immediately."
As soon as he finished speaking, Xu Sinian pushed his wheelchair, turned his back, closed his eyes, and refused to look back.
"Then... take good care of yourself from now on, don't suffer on your own like before. If you feel unwell anywhere, tell Ah Sheng and the others immediately. Take your medicine properly, get plenty of rest, and remember, you will definitely be able to stand up again. Don't give up on treatment."
"I... I'll be leaving now, Xu Sinian..."
Tang Ning's voice came through intermittently.
"Um……"
The man didn't turn around, but gave a low reply.
Seeing this, Tang Ning slowly turned around and walked out.
Hearing Tang Ning's footsteps, Xu Sinian opened his eyes. His gaze remained fixed on an oil painting not far away, until the smiling girl in the painting gradually blurred in his eyes.
Soon, Tang Ning's footsteps could no longer be heard.
Just then, another clap of thunder came from outside, followed by a torrential downpour.
Upon hearing the sound, Xu Sinian immediately turned his head in a panic. He was thinking that Tang Ning had just left and must not have brought an umbrella. Because she had suffered too much as a child, her body had always been weak and she could not stand the cold. If she caught a cold, she would definitely get sick and then she would not be able to eat anything.
Thinking of this, Xu Sinian disregarded everything else, grabbed the large umbrella by the door, and struggled to push his wheelchair out to chase after them, but unexpectedly, he still tripped and fell on the slope at the door. In his haste, he actually tumbled off the wheelchair.
Thunder rumbled, and large raindrops pattered down.
The raindrops fell on Xu Sinian's face and body as he lay on the ground. The man had tried his best, but he still couldn't get back into his wheelchair, let alone bring Tang Ning an umbrella...
Perhaps the rain gave him courage, for Xu Sinian's tears finally mingled with the raindrops on his face and fell, his eyes turning red.
Yes, he couldn't hold on any longer.
He couldn't bear to part with her, he just couldn't bear to part with her.
He wished she could just stay by his side forever, without caring about anything else. He didn't even need her to do anything; he just wanted to be able to see her when he was tired, when he missed her, or when he wanted to see her...
In the rain, Xu Sinian's fingers tightened rapidly.
But it probably won't happen again.
Tang Ning...
Xu Sinian's current favorability rating: 95.
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