0028 Jiang Shi (4)
The basement of Songhan Residence is a wine cellar, where Wanqi Fuze has always kept wine. That's not important; what's important is that there's an exit in the wine cellar that allows He Lingling to sneak out without going through the main entrance.
But she searched everywhere she could think of—in Wanqi Fuze's closet, in his study, and in other places—but couldn't find the key to the basement.
She anxiously stamped her feet in the room, looked around, and finally fixed her gaze on the second-floor windowsill.
Ten minutes ago, she received a fragrant text message saying that Wanqi Fuze wanted to meet with Shen Yan.
She knew that Wanqi Fuze was a steady and reliable person, and with a leadership reshuffle coming up soon, he wouldn't do anything out of line in the current tense situation. But she still didn't want to put her brother Ayan in any potential danger.
Therefore, she had to escape.
The bedroom is on the second floor. The floor isn't too high, but it's not easy to jump down barefoot.
He Lingling opened the window, and her eyes were greeted by a verdant landscape. The pines covering the mountains and fields were as serene and picturesque as a painting.
Climbing the wall were vine-like green plants with serrated leaves. They weren't intentionally cultivated; they were seeds that had somehow taken root there. Wanqi Fuze didn't have them removed; instead, he installed trellises on the wall to guide the plants' growth.
He Lingling initially mocked him for being pretentious, but later, as the trees grew denser, Songhan Residence no longer appeared monotonous from the outside; in fact, it was quite beautiful and blended seamlessly with the surrounding scenery.
You can't deny it; besides being smart, this person also has a good sense of aesthetics.
He Lingling took a liking to the climbing frame in front of her, which would be perfect for her to use as leverage to jump down.
She tied her hair up, rolled up her sleeves, put on a pair of canvas shoes, and climbed over the windowsill.
To her surprise, the pothos was covered in tiny thorns. The moment she touched it, she felt an unbearable itch as countless tiny thorns pierced her palms and the backs of her hands.
Since he was already injured, he decided to take the plunge, slide down the climbing frame for two meters, and then jump down.
He Lingling glanced at her bright red palm, knowing that more challenges awaited her. Songhan Residence was located halfway up the mountain, and since she had sneaked out, she couldn't go to the garage to get her car. Moreover, it wouldn't be easy to hail a taxi in the several kilometers of desolate mountains surrounding Songhan Residence.
Having no other option, she had to walk outside.
Zheng Long's car was parked not far away. He watched the petite figure walking with a limp, took a short video, and sent it to Wan Qifuze.
In truth, Wanqi Fuze had no intention of confining her to Songhan Residence. The gates of Songhan Residence were wide open, and even if He Lingling swaggered out, who could stop her? He had taken those casual remarks he made that day seriously.
Wanqi couldn't help but chuckle as she watched the sullen figure stomping her feet on the roadside stones as she descended the mountain. After all these years, she still had the same childlike spirit as when they first met.
He glanced at Du Fenfang and Shen Yan, who had just arrived not far away, and understood her purpose.
This time, he called Zheng Long directly and asked him to help find a taxi to take her to the vicinity of Sishifang. He also instructed Zheng Long to keep a close eye on her and pay attention to her safety.
After he finished speaking, Zheng Long didn't reply. There was some noise on the other end of the phone, then the sound of a car starting up came from behind.
Zheng Long hung up the phone and sent a short text message.
"No need, the person is already in my car."
He Lingling believed that when someone's luck gets really bad, heaven will give them a taste of good fortune. She never expected that she would see an old Santana parked on the side of the road not far from where she had left home.
She knocked on the car window and saw a middle-aged man who looked rather strong. He Lingling felt that he looked familiar, but she didn't care too much. She just smiled and told him that she hoped he could take her to the city.
Seeing that Zheng Long's expression was a bit off, she realized that she had indeed been a bit rash. She quickly changed her mind and said that this part of the road was fine, as long as they got to a place with transportation, it would be easy for her to go anywhere else.
The person in front of her still didn't respond. Zheng Longsheng was strong and muscular, with dark skin, and a scar on his brow from his early years in the army gave him a serious and tough look, making him seem unapproachable. He Lingling was a little intimidated, telling herself that if she couldn't get a ride, so be it; at most, she would have to wait a while, and there would eventually be another car. Just as she was about to give up, Zheng Longsheng suddenly opened the car door and told her, "Get in."
Lingling was delighted and loudly replied, "Thank you, big brother," before nimbly climbing into the car.
He Lingling has always been a very outgoing person who loves making friends. Especially when facing this seemingly "fierce" but actually kind-hearted older brother, she felt compelled to chat. So the entire car ride was filled with He Lingling's cheerful laughter.
Zheng Long hadn't expected He Lingling to be such a lively person. Although he shouldn't have much interaction with her because of his status, he still couldn't help but laugh out loud several times because of the never-stopping little mouth in the back seat.
He seemed to understand why Zhiwen said that Wanqi Fuze had only had this one person by his side all these years.
Wanqi's personality is calm and composed, which is the complete opposite of this person.
Born into such a strict and large family, one must have longed for more liveliness around them.
He instinctively reached into his jacket pocket for a cigarette, then remembered He Lingling was sitting in the back seat. He pulled out a cigarette and waved it behind him. "Mind?"
He Lingling readily replied, "Please, do as you please!"
He chuckled and put the cigarette in his mouth.
The half-hour drive passed quickly because He Lingling kept talking. Zheng Long parked the car at a bar not far from Sishifang.
He Lingling saw the place and quickly took out money to give it to him, but he waved his hand and said, "I don't do this kind of work. I just happened to be here on business." Meaning he wouldn't accept the money.
He Lingling declined for a while, then pointed to the bar and said, "I'm in a hurry to leave. Didn't you say you wanted to make friends? I'll give you a ride for free."
Hearing this, He Lingling smiled and pointed to the cigarette in his mouth, "Then brother, smoke less, it's not good for your health." As she spoke, she still stuffed the money into the car window, "A friend will reimburse you for gas."
Without waiting for Zheng Long to refuse, he turned around and waved goodbye.
Zheng Long smiled and stubbed out his cigarette.
The location of Sishifang is not easy to find. Wanqi Fuze had brought her here twice, but she has always had a terrible sense of direction and could not remember the winding paths.
She took out her phone to call Fenfang. She had been delayed on the road for so long, and she wondered if Wanqi Fuze had met with Brother Ayan, or what his purpose was in looking for Brother Ayan.
But nothing good could come of it. She was worried about what Wanqi would use to threaten Shenyan. Ironically, Wanqi Fuze was unaware that Shenyan was getting engaged to Fenfang. And what he feared most was that she and her brother Shenyan would never be together again.
A sudden pain appeared in my chest.
She lowered her head and pressed her sore eyes. When she looked up again, she was surprised to find Shen Yan sitting in a wheelchair not far in front of her.
Thank goodness, he didn't seem to be hurt.
She breathed a sigh of relief, finally able to relax after being tense the whole way.
She felt she had to show her smile to Brother Ayan—the one whose name caused her heartache whenever she thought of him.
She knew she had endured for a long time, unable to see him and forced to stay with the person who hurt him for seven years. She rarely returned to D province, but even when she did, she dared not take more than a few steps toward the Shen family to see his face, for fear of angering Wanqi Fuze and ruining all her efforts. Even when he came to B city for a check-up on his injury, she only saw him briefly.
He had to constantly remind himself to hide him even deeper, not only to make Wanqi Fuze forget him, but also to make himself forget. Because remembering him brought back bloody wounds and unbearable pain.
Later, when Du Fenfang told her about his marriage, she still had to endure it. She couldn't ask him, she couldn't tell him that she had secretly loved him for so many years. Who could she complain to about the person she had sacrificed her youth to protect falling in love with someone else? She could only shed tears in the dead of night.
All these years, she has only endured through patience. She has even waited until Wanqi Fuze said he was willing to let her leave.
Now that she was certain of his safety, she knew she should continue to be patient. She knew she should pretend nothing had happened, and that their meeting was just a coincidence. She didn't want her brother, Ah Yan, to be exposed to anything sordid.
If what Wanqi Fuze said is true, then she only needs to endure for another year.
In fact, she had already slightly raised the corners of her mouth and put on the mask.
But when she heard Shen Yan call her "Lingling" in his familiar and warm voice, her tears almost instantly streamed down her face.
Her heart was ripped open by that call, and countless grievances poured out like a flood.
She turned her back and wiped away her tears haphazardly.
She had to hold back, she thought, breathing softly to encourage herself.
When Shen Yan saw her crying, he turned his wheelchair around and came to her. He saw that He Lingling's eyes were red, but she still managed to force a smile for him. He felt an overwhelming pang of heartache.
The two "I'm fine"s overlapped.
No one saw Du Fenfang standing not far away for a long time before silently leaving.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com