Chapter 26 How could she not understand?
I like this person purely out of instinct.
She smiled brightly, her cheeks puffed out like a little squirrel that had stolen some candy.
Zhou Yuze was stunned for a moment, then laughed.
Years later, that sentence is still clearly etched in his memory.
He later learned that it was the first time she had ever met someone who looked like "family."
Before this, she was all alone.
He moved from one relative's house to another, enduring cold looks and bullying.
Upon hearing this, Song Zhiwei felt a pang of sorrow in her heart.
Her eyes felt slightly warm, and she blinked hard to suppress the moisture.
Yes, that little girl who was always bullied has grown up now.
No more need to hide in a corner and secretly wipe away tears.
They no longer lower themselves to fight for a meal.
She has her own job and her own place to live.
They even gained the courage to say "no".
The older brother who had always protected her finally had someone he wanted to protect.
She forced a smile and stepped away from his embrace.
"Then I won't see you off."
Her voice was a little hoarse, and she tried her best to make her tone sound natural.
"Um."
He seemed to understand her feelings and said nothing more.
She simply nodded and turned to walk towards the elevator.
Song Zhiwei stood at the door, watching the elevator doors slowly close.
I only breathed a sigh of relief after it was completely shut off.
Just as she was about to turn around and go back into the house, a sarcastic remark suddenly came from behind her.
"Oh, what a coincidence to witness such a touching scene."
The voice was cold and detached, carrying an undisguised sarcasm.
Like an icicle, it suddenly pierced through the lingering warmth of the moment.
Her heart suddenly tightened.
Turning around, I bumped right into a pair of eyes filled with mockery.
Those eyes were long and deep, with a cold gaze, like cold stars in a winter night.
When their eyes met, the other person not only didn't look away, but instead curled up the corners of their lips, revealing a cryptic smile.
She was taken aback, and blurted it out.
"You were following me?"
His voice trembled slightly, tinged with shock and anger.
"Who are you? Do you think I have time to watch you?"
The man scoffed, his tone dismissive.
Moonlight streamed in through the stairwell window, falling on half of his face and outlining his cold, stern features.
Sheng Tingzhou slowly walked towards her.
His eyes remained fixed on her.
It was as if they were admiring her helplessness, or as if they were confirming something.
Song Zhiwei looked at the man approaching step by step, her voice a little tight.
"Then why are you here?"
She didn't know what he was there for.
The only certainty is that Sheng Tingzhou's presence has never brought peace.
The man took a long stride, his steps steady and powerful.
The soles of the shoes made a soft, muffled sound as they gently struck the ground.
Finally, it stopped in front of her.
"Attorney Song, did you buy this building?"
Song Zhiwei was slightly taken aback, and subconsciously pursed her dry lips.
My fingers involuntarily curled up slightly.
She shook her head.
"no."
How could she possibly afford even a square meter of this place?
"If he can come, why can't I?"
Sheng Tingzhou parted his thin lips slightly, his tone casual.
He raised an eyebrow, then suddenly seemed to have thought of something and chuckled softly.
"Oh right, I forgot, your relationship with him is quite special."
"You were hugging so tightly just now, tsk tsk, so intimate. If Miss Qiao knew, she'd be heartbroken."
Song Zhiwei frowned sharply.
It felt like something had stabbed my heart.
She raised her head, looked directly into Sheng Tingzhou's eyes, and her voice suddenly turned cold.
"President Sheng, although you are my superior, you have no right to talk to me like that. He and I are just family, nothing more."
Sheng Tingzhou raised his eyebrows with amusement.
"So, you don't like him?"
This question pierced the deepest corner of Song Zhiwei's heart like a needle.
Her throat tightened, as if gripped by an invisible hand.
Breathing became difficult.
She paused for a moment, then slowly raised her eyes and looked into those cold and scrutinizing eyes.
His voice trembled slightly, yet he spoke each word clearly.
"I do like him. But I've never crossed any lines."
“From the first day I was brought into the Zhou family when I was ten years old, he was the only person who was kind to me. I am not pretty, not smart, I don’t know how to please the old lady, and I don’t know how to make Qin Yunshu happy. But only he carried me to the hospital when I had a fever, and silently picked up my books that were scattered on the ground when I was scolded and couldn’t lift my head.”
She bit her lip, tears welling up in her eyes.
"So what if I like him? Is that wrong?"
A sudden surge of inexplicable grievance welled up inside me.
It was so heavy it was almost suffocating.
Five years ago, it was simply because he wrote in his diary, "I'm a little scared. What should I do if he marries someone else?"
The old lady of the Zhou family was furious on the spot.
He pointed at her and cursed, "Shameless, despicable, a disgrace to the Zhou family!"
Even her biological mother stood aside, her eyes red, saying that she "did not deserve to be a member of the Zhou family."
No one asked her how she had been all these years, no one cared whether she was in pain.
No one was willing to listen to a single explanation from her.
They packed her up and sent her abroad in just three days, and then cut off all contact with her.
Even if she likes Zhou Yuze, so what?
From a young age, Qin Yunshu never gave her a second glance.
The Zhou siblings frequently mocked, shoved, and verbally humiliated her.
The old lady always had a cold face when she saw her.
It was like looking at an outsider who shouldn't exist.
Only Zhou Yuze.
He was the only one who knelt down to bandage her knee when it was scraped and bleeding.
Only when she was locked in the basement and crying all night did he climb over the wall and carry her out;
He was the only light in her life during the darkest years.
Who wouldn't be tempted in that situation?
Sheng Tingzhou looked at her quietly.
Looking at the surging emotions in her eyes, and at her stubborn refusal to show weakness.
His lips twitched almost imperceptibly.
The voice was still as cold as ice, but it wasn't as aggressive as before.
"It's not wrong to like him."
"Unfortunately, it's impossible for you two."
Song Zhiwei shuddered, as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her head.
She looked up, her voice rising uncontrollably.
"I don't need you to remind me!"
"I'm not stupid, how could I not understand?"
Of course she understands.
A man like Zhou Yuze comes from a distinguished family and is very charming.
Standing in the center of a crowd, you are born to be admired.
He could marry a daughter of a prominent family, or walk down the aisle with a woman of power and wealth.
The only person I can't be with is her.
He couldn't be with her, the one the Zhou family considered a burden and who had been abandoned by his own mother.
There is even the slightest possibility that it goes beyond kinship.
"OK."
Sheng Tingzhou's face darkened, his eyes revealing a complex and unreadable emotion.
He didn't say anything more, but simply turned away in silence.
He pulled his phone out of his suit pocket and quickly unlocked the screen with his fingertips.
With a soft "beep", the electronic door lock opened.
He lifted his leg and walked in without hesitation.
Song Zhiwei stood there blankly.
Sheng Tingzhou...
Does she live across from her?
How is that possible?
The young master of the prestigious Sheng family, the head of the Sheng Group, and a rising star in the business world of Shengjing.
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