A trick of fate
"Is it really okay for me to be like this?"
Chen Nanxing tugged at his sleeves nervously, his big eyes filled with anxiety.
Ji Chuan was setting up a tripod. Chen Nanxing said there was no need to shoot this. Ji Chuan replied that he wanted to record this important moment. Chen Nanxing then asked why Ji Chuan's camera was full of photos and videos of her. Ji Chuan replied that every moment of Chen Nanxing's life was an important moment in his eyes and worth recording.
Chen Nanxing: “…”
She stopped talking and let Ji Chuan tinker with it on his own.
To explain why Chen Nanxing was so nervous, we have to start from yesterday.
In the study yesterday.
When Ji Chuan blurted out whether he could meet his parents, Chen Nanxing froze for a moment, and she pulled her hand away from Ji Chuan awkwardly.
"Xiao Ji, this is too fast."
Ji Chuan realized that she wanted to escape again, so he hugged Chen Nanxing's waist and rubbed his head against Chen Nanxing's neck.
"How is it fast? Not fast at all. I've liked you for a long time."
"I'm much older than you. Your parents won't be happy to see me."
Chen Nanxing struggled to regain his sanity from Ji Chuan's magical attack.
Ji Chuan refused to give in and vowed to get Chen Nanxing's consent:
"You don't have to worry about the age difference. My mom is much older than my dad, and they get along very happily. My dad always told me since I was a kid that a woman who is three years older than her husband will bring him wealth, so I should look for a wife who is older than me."
Chen Nanxing still insisted: "No matter which elder sees my current physical condition, they will be dissatisfied."
Ji Chuan is not someone who gives up easily: "Nanxing, I want more people to remember you. You are so good, I want you to live in the memory of more people."
At the same time, Ji Chuan also knew how to soften Chen Nanxing's heart. He held Chen Nanxing's hand, placed it on his lips and kissed him closely and closely.
"Is it okay? Nanxing...baby, is it okay?"
When it comes to persistence, Ji Chuan is definitely no match for Chen Nanxing, but because of the age difference, the older person will always be more tolerant of the younger one.
Chen Nanxing persisted for a long time and Ji Chuan also gave up, but when Chen Nanxing saw Ji Chuan's depressed expression, he relented and agreed to him, so the current scene happened.
Ji Chuan finally set up his camera. Seeing the rare nervousness on Chen Nanxing's face, he ran over and looked Chen Nanxing carefully, and then praised him highly.
"No problem at all, it's perfect."
Chen Nanxing seems to have conflicts with his elders. From his biological parents to his adoptive parents to Lin's father and mother, Chen Nanxing is always seen as bad by those people.
From this, Chen Nanxing inferred that she was probably the type not liked by her elders.
So Chen Nanxing is very nervous now.
Seeing that Chen Nanxing didn't laugh when he said this, Ji Chuan quickly put away his playful thoughts and comforted Chen Nanxing:
"Don't be nervous. We're not doing anything, just having a meal together. We're really compatible. My mother's last name is Chen, and she's from Zhaofeng, just like you. She'll definitely like you."
Chen Nanxing was a little comforted, but still very nervous.
In order to ease the tension, Ji Chuan decided to take Chen Nanxing out for a walk.
"Would you like to go grocery shopping with me today?"
Although Ji Chuan was asking, there was a hint of certainty in his tone, so he took out the wheelchair he bought when Chen Nanxing sprained his ankle last time.
At that time, Chen Nanxing suddenly fell ill and left many things in the mountain, not to mention the wheelchair which was so big.
The reason it can appear here now is thanks to Ji Chuan's special trip to that lawless place.
"Why did you bring this up again?"
Chen Nanxing was shocked by Ji Chuan's ability to act.
Ji Chuan knocked on the back of the chair, motioning Chen Nanxing to sit on it, but Chen Nanxing declined modestly.
"I'm fine now, I don't need to sit on this anymore."
"I'm going to buy groceries nearby today. I won't drive. Walking is tiring."
Ji Chuan didn't want Chen Nanxing to eat more, even if it was bitter, including walking.
“…”
Chen Nanxing was not used to being held like this, so she held the back of the wheelchair and pushed it aside.
"It's just a few steps. I'm not tired."
Seeing that she really didn't want to sit, Ji Chuan didn't insist. He put a sun-protective jacket on Chen Nanxing and took Chen Nanxing out.
Ji Chuan has lived in Licheng since he was a child and is an expert at cooking seafood. During such an important festival, Ji Chuan decided to cook a few of his signature dishes.
Chen Nanxing took a cooking class specifically for Lin Shanglu, and she was a pretty good cook. She volunteered to cook a few dishes, but Ji Chuan said she didn't need to go into the kitchen. If Chen Nanxing really wanted to show her appreciation, she could just serve the dishes when his parents came.
Chen Nanxing was helpless, but felt that she should show some appreciation, so she discussed with Ji Chuan that she could go to the hotel and order a few dishes. This way, she could reduce Ji Chuan's workload and show her appreciation as well.
Ji Chuan happily agreed, having the best of both worlds.
So now they just need to buy some seafood.
It was already late when the two of them came back from buying vegetables. Ji Chuan rushed into the kitchen with the vegetables. Chen Nanxing wanted to go up and help, but was pushed out by Ji Chuan every time.
So the rental house presented a scene where Ji Chuan was busy in the kitchen and Chen Nanxing was sitting in the living room doing nothing.
At around 11:30 in the morning, the doorbell rang for the second time. The first time it was the hotel delivery staff.
Ji Chuan was just placing the prepared seafood in a beautiful bowl. When he heard the doorbell, he called out, "Nanxing, could you open the door for me? My parents might be here."
Chen Nanxing knew it even without him saying it. She responded, straightened her clothes, took a deep breath and walked towards the door.
The door opened.
There were four people standing outside the door: an elderly couple and a pair of lively young twin girls.
The middle-aged man was tall and looked very similar to Ji Chuan. When Chen Nanxing set her eyes on the quiet middle-aged woman standing next to the man, the blood in her body froze in an instant.
Chen Nanxing had imagined countless scenes of meeting Ji Chuan's parents, but she never expected that standing behind the door was the past that she had tried her entire life to forget.
This woman is Chen Jing, her adoptive mother.
Time seems to flow backwards at this moment.
Chen Nanxing felt dizzy and those dark scenes flashed before his eyes.
The door her adoptive father "accidentally" pushed open while she was taking a shower, the "intimate" touch on the sofa, the awkward moment her adoptive mother suddenly pushed the door open while she was struggling in the study...
"Is it you?"
Chen Jing's eyes were as sharp as a knife as she looked Chen Nanxing up and down, her voice revealing undisguised surprise and displeasure.
Chen Nanxing froze in place, his throat tight and unable to utter a word.
The fear of huddling in a corner under someone else's roof, the washing all night long after being touched by her adoptive father, the shame of having nowhere to hide under the shocked gaze of her adoptive mother - all the wounds that she thought had been healed by time were torn open at this moment, and blood was dripping.
Go, go quickly, get out of here!
Chen Nanxing's mind was blank, with only the thought of escaping lingering in his mind.
"Dad, Mom, are you here?"
Ji Chuan walked out of the kitchen carrying carefully cooked food with a cheerful voice, but when he saw the scene in front of the door, his smile froze.
Chen Nanxing's face was pale, his body was shaking slightly, and his eyes were empty as if he was watching a horror movie.
His stepmother Chen Jing had the kind of polite and distant expression on her face that he was very familiar with, the one she showed when facing someone she didn't like.
"You... know each other?"
Ji Chuan keenly realized that something was wrong. He put down the plate he was holding on the dining table, wiped his hands on his apron, and walked behind Chen Nanxing.
Her son, daughter, and husband were all here. Chen Jing forced a stiff smile: "It happened many years ago. I didn't expect to see Nanxing here."
She deliberately emphasized the three words "unexpectedly", which was very meaningful.
Chen Nanxing was so sensitive that she could no longer hold back. She obeyed her strongest desire, pushed aside the four people blocking the door, and rushed out.
"Nanxing!"
Ji Chuan rushed out almost instantly, without even having time to change his shoes.
His cries were blocked by the heavy elevator doors. The corridor was empty, with only the elevator down number ticking, indicating that Chen Nanxing had left by elevator.
"Ogawa."
Chen Jing's voice was not a sharp rebuke, but rather a customary, gentle clarity, but like an invisible wall.
"Don't chase them yet."
Ji Chuan's footsteps came to an abrupt halt in the corridor.
Chen Nanxing's figure had disappeared behind the elevator door, and behind him was his adoptive mother who took good care of him.
Ji Chuan's father also spoke up to dissuade Ji Chuan at this time: "Xiao Chuan, listen to your mother, go in and listen to what your mother says first."
He turned around suddenly and looked behind him.
His father stood by and sighed silently, while his twin sisters exchanged uneasily glances.
His stepmother looked at him with worry and concern in her eyes, but deeper inside was a calmness that Ji Chuan was familiar with, a calmness that was difficult to shake once a decision was made.
This expression is exactly the same as Chen Nanxing's.
Ji Chuan suddenly realized something, and an incredible guess suddenly emerged in his mind.
"Mom, you and Nanxing, you..."
The two sisters were confused, and Chen Jing nodded, confirming Ji Chuan's guess.
"Yes, she is my former adopted daughter Qiao Nanxing, now she should be called Chen Nanxing, so Xiaochuan, I don't agree with you two being together."
This news was undoubtedly a huge blow to Ji Chuan, but he still remembered his identity. He was Chen Nanxing's boyfriend. He couldn't just let the emotionally broken Chen Nanxing run away.
At the same time, he didn't want to respond to the topic of his stepmother separating them.
"Mom, Nanxing is not in good condition, I have to go..."
Ji Chuan's voice was filled with urgent pleading.
Seeing that he was still standing at the stairs as if he was about to leave, Chen Jing took a few steps forward to pull Ji Chuan towards the door. Her voice was still gentle, but it was as heavy as a piece of jade wrapped in velvet.
"Xiaochuan, Mom understands how you feel. But chasing her now won't solve any problems. I know her. She was like this when she was in our house. She's quite introverted and not easy to open up to. Chasing her rashly like this won't help."
She sighed softly, and her breath carried a kind of understanding that came from someone who had seen all the world.
"She needs to calm down, and so do you. This child is very thoughtful and is used to hiding herself when encountering problems. This is exactly the same as before."
There was no obvious disparagement in her words, and there was even a hint of understanding. However, she attributed Chen Nanxing's reaction to his inherent character, lightly erasing any possible hurt from her.
Ji Chuan looked at his stepmother's gentle yet distant face, and a chill ran down his spine. He suddenly realized that compared to a fierce conflict, this gentle decision based on understanding was more powerless to refute and more chilling.
His heart was torn between two completely different forces: on one side was the figure of his lover's collapse and escape, and on the other side was his mother's gentle but firm resistance.
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