Chapter 136 Crossing the Boundary
Zhou Zhuoye smiled and gently patted her shoulder.
“You raised me since I was a child. In my heart, you have always been my mother. Your smile makes me feel at ease.”
Xie Lingling smiled and felt a warm glow in her heart as he coaxed her.
She looked at the young man in front of her, her eyes filled with affection and relief.
From childhood to adulthood, Zhou Zhuoye has always been sensible and obedient, never causing her any worry like other children.
The two talked for a while, and the tea got cold, and the sky outside the window gradually darkened.
Only one warm yellow floor lamp was on in the living room, casting soft shadows.
In this quiet atmosphere, Zhou Zhuoye slowly began to speak.
"Auntie, I'm a little short on cash lately... Could you lend me some money first?"
"How many?"
Xie Lingling did not answer immediately.
Five million.
Xie Lingling was stunned, and almost dropped the teacup in her hand.
Five million?
That's no small amount.
Her monthly household expenses are at most a little over a million.
This includes all property expenses, servants, car maintenance, and social obligations.
Lending out five million at once is almost equivalent to her working capital for nearly half a year.
"Why do you need so much?"
Zhou Zhuoye lowered his head and rubbed his nose, looking somewhat embarrassed.
"I recently started dating a girl who's an artist in the industry, so I couldn't give her a shabby gift. I gave her several limited-edition bags, which cost over two million yuan in total. Later, I bought two cars, one for her and one for myself..."
As a result, the money wasn't readily available.
He spoke casually, but Xie Lingling's heart tightened.
Seeing that Xie Lingling's expression was not quite right, he quickly added another sentence.
"If you find this difficult, then forget it. I'll think of another way. I can also borrow some money from my friends."
Upon hearing this, Xie Lingling immediately sat up straight.
"Don't talk nonsense! You're our child now. If you have any difficulties, who else can you turn to if not your aunt? As for the money, your aunt will find a way to help you. Just wait two days, and I will definitely raise the money."
The worry on Zhou Zhuoye's face vanished instantly, and his eyes lit up.
"Really? Thank you so much! I knew you were the kindest person to me in the world. I'll pay you back as soon as I get the money from my project."
Xie Lingling suddenly remembered what Song Zhiwei had said at the hospital last time.
That day, her face was pale and her eyes were dim, but as she held her hand, she whispered something.
“The son you raised bullied me a lot when we were kids.”
She didn't pay attention at the time, thinking it was just children playing around.
But now that I think about it, I feel like there's more to his words than meets the eye.
She hesitated for a moment, her fingers unconsciously stroking the rim of the glass, before finally asking the question.
"Zhuoye, tell your aunt the truth... Did you always bully Zhiwei before?"
Zhou Zhuoye was stunned, his hand frozen in mid-air.
He subconsciously touched the back of his head, his eyes darting around, and his tone became somewhat weak.
"Zhiwei...what did she say to you?"
"She mentioned it once at the hospital last time."
Xie Lingling stared at him, her gaze gentle.
His heart skipped a beat, thinking that what happened in the car that day had given him away.
That night, he deliberately parked his car on the road that Song Zhiwei would inevitably take home.
He rolled down the car window and made sarcastic remarks to her, and even had someone record a video of it.
He had always thought no one had seen it. Could it be that she told Xie Lingling?
His mind raced as he began to devise a way to smooth things over.
Then Xie Lingling continued, "I'm asking you, when you were little, did you and Xiaolu really bully her together?"
Hearing this, he finally felt relieved.
It turns out that it wasn't something that happened in the car that was exposed, but rather old grievances that were brought up again.
He breathed a sigh of relief, his shoulders relaxed, and he forced a genuine smile onto his face.
“Auntie, as you know, when you first came here, Xiaolu and I were still young and didn’t understand anything.”
“Back then, we both had a prejudice against you, and the same against Zhiwei. We felt that she was an outsider who had taken away Dad’s love, and we felt unbalanced.”
He sighed, his voice lowering.
"When I saw that she wasn't feeling well at school and her face was pale, I couldn't help but say a few sarcastic things in class, like 'faking illness to gain sympathy' and 'it's so fake'..."
As he spoke, he lowered his eyes, seemingly reflecting on his actions.
“But things are different now, Auntie,” he looked up, his eyes sincere. “You see, Xiaolu and I have grown up, and we get along well with you. In my heart, Zhiwei is no different from my own sister. How could I possibly bully her again? I’m too busy protecting her.”
Xie Lingling's brows relaxed slightly upon hearing this.
His tense expression gradually softened.
“I’m relieved that you think that way. Actually, Zhiwei isn’t a bad person, it’s just that she’s been holding a grudge about what happened when she was little, and it breaks my heart to see her like that.”
Zhou Zhuoye struck while the iron was hot.
"Regarding what happened when we were kids, how about you get everyone together sometime and I apologize to her in person? I know I was impulsive back then and didn't consider her feelings. I've felt guilty about it all these years."
Upon hearing this, Xie Lingling smiled with satisfaction and nodded gently.
"Zhuoye is still the most sensible one. The fact that you took the initiative to bring it up shows that you are aware of the situation and have a sense of responsibility."
She paused, then looked at him with gentle eyes.
"If he can really admit his mistake in person, Zhiwei's anger should dissipate. The relationship between mother and daughter might be able to recover. After all, blood is thicker than water, and there's no such thing as a lasting grudge."
——
In the afternoon, after finishing her meal, Song Zhiwei lazily settled on the sofa to watch TV.
The setting sun casts its rays through the window, its afterglow spilling onto the carpet.
She curled up, hugging a cushion, her expression somewhat vacant.
I've switched channels again and again, but I still can't seem to get interested.
Sheng Tingzhou walked over and stood next to the sofa.
"I need to go to Chengyu Technology again to sign the contract. It will take about half an hour round trip."
Song Zhiwei turned her head, looked away from the screen, and quietly glanced at him.
"Okay, go ahead. Be careful on the road."
"If you can't wait to go out and have fun, the driver downstairs is always on standby, and you can leave anytime."
"Um."
"Or...you can wait for me to come back?"
"Um?"
She paused for a moment, turned her head, looked up at him, her eyes full of confusion.
"I'll come back and go out with you."
Which one to choose?
She met his unfathomable eyes, her heart skipped a beat for no apparent reason, hesitated for a few seconds, and whispered, "Then... I'll wait for you to come back."
Why are you thinking such nonsense?
Does she really think of herself as his wife?
We are merely partners, nothing more.
As soon as Sheng Tingzhou left, she immediately took out her phone, her fingers tightening slightly, and quickly opened WeChat to send a message to Jiang Mengxi.
[Mengxi, I'm going back tomorrow.]
Jiang Mengxi was painting on the canvas, her palette a mixture of blue and gray.
Her phone rang, and she glanced at it. Seeing that it was a message from Song Zhiwei, she immediately made a video call.
"Zhiwei, how did it go? Did you and Sheng Tingzhou make any progress during your two days on the business trip?"
She asked impatiently as soon as the call connected.
Song Zhiwei pursed her lips, her eyes flickering slightly.
Today is the deadline, and her mind is in complete turmoil.
What kind of answer does she want?
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