Chapter 146 It's painful
She just kept pleading stubbornly, "Just one meeting... I just want to know the truth... Otherwise, I won't die in peace... Please, Zhiyi..."
Nan Zhiyi felt both heartache and helplessness: "Then... what do you want me to do?"
Zhao Yaqin raised her tear-filled face: "I found out... Zhou Zhengping took leave to visit his family and came back to attend tomorrow's wedding."
Could you...could you talk to Zhou Anping and ask him to...find a way to get Li Weidong out? It won't be long...just to that little park nearby...just a quick meeting, a few words...please..."
She pinned all her hopes on this last sliver of possibility.
Looking at Zhao Yaqin's distracted and pleading appearance, Nan Zhiyi couldn't bring herself to refuse.
“Okay, I’ll wait with you for Anping to get off work. But Yaqin, you have to promise me that no matter what the outcome, after you meet... you have to try to let go, okay?”
Zhao Yaqin nodded repeatedly, tears welling up in her eyes again.
The two then went to the Gu family's courtyard to wait.
Nan Zhiyi sat on a chair by the stone table, but Zhao Yaqin couldn't sit still at all. She paced back and forth in the courtyard, her eyes constantly glancing towards the direction of the Zhou family's gate. Every time a figure moved in the distance, she would walk a few steps to the gate and look out.
As dusk fell, Zhou Anping finally appeared.
Zhao Yaqin saw her from afar and waved vigorously at her, her movements urgent.
Zhou Anping approached and saw Zhao Yaqin at the courtyard gate. He was startled by her haggard appearance and her eyes swollen like peaches: "Sister Yaqin? What happened to you...?"
She walked into the courtyard.
"Let's talk inside." Nan Zhiyi stood up and gestured for them to come into the living room.
In the living room, Nan Zhiyi succinctly explained Zhao Yaqin's purpose and her pain.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Anping's anger flared up instantly. He slammed his hand on the sofa armrest, his face turning red with rage.
"Li Weidong is a real scoundrel! He usually seems like a respectable and honest person, but he does all sorts of despicable things! He's ruined Sister Yaqin like this! We have to find him and get to the bottom of this! How could he just get married like that without even giving an explanation?!"
Zhou Anping's fiery temper and outspoken nature were exactly what Nan Zhiyi had expected. She couldn't help but rub her forehead and tug at Zhou Anping's sleeve: "Anping, keep your voice down! Don't be so impulsive. The matter between the two of them is complicated, and their parents..."
However, Zhou Anping's anger and support gave Zhao Yaqin a glimmer of warmth and strength in her despair.
As if she had found an ally, she grabbed Zhou Anping's hand and said urgently, "Anping, thank you! I won't bother him anymore, I just want to get to the bottom of this... Once I understand, I'll give up..."
Zhou Anping gripped her cold hand tightly, his voice filled with righteous indignation: "Yes! We must find out! We're not afraid to get entangled with scum like him! Leave it to me! I'm going to find my brother right now! I'll have him call Li Weidong out!"
Although Nan Zhiyi was worried, seeing that things had come to this point, she could only instruct, "Anping, when you go to talk to Zhengping, be sure to avoid people and make sure no one else hears you."
Zhou Anping nodded emphatically and patted his chest: "Zhiyi, don't worry, I know what's important! I promise to keep it a secret!"
After saying that, she turned around in a hurry and walked quickly towards her home.
The Zhou family courtyard was quiet.
Zhou Anping went straight to the study.
Sure enough, my brother was inside.
After he returned from leave, he temporarily set up a cot in his study.
At this moment, he was sitting blankly at his desk, staring blankly at the gradually dimming light outside the window. His whole being was shrouded in a gray and silent atmosphere, just as his mother had said, he was lifeless.
Meanwhile, Lu Linlang at home completely disregarded her husband's condition. With the child in her belly as her support, she felt utterly indifferent towards Zhou Zhengping.
Seeing his brother like this, Zhou Anping felt a pang of sadness in his heart.
She walked over quietly and whispered about Zhao Yaqin's wish to see Li Weidong one last time.
After listening, Zhou Zhengping frowned, his face showing strong disapproval: "Nonsense... He's getting married tomorrow, what's the point of meeting now? Besides making Yaqin even more upset, what can it change? Why bother?"
Zhou Anping had anticipated his brother's response and earnestly pleaded, "Brother! Please help her! Sister Yaqin is so pitiful, she's on the verge of collapse!"
She just wanted to get to the bottom of things face-to-face, to die knowing the truth! It'll only be a short while, in the nearby park. I'll talk and leave immediately, it won't cause any trouble or delays! Please, brother…”
Looking into his sister's pleading eyes, Zhou Zhengping recalled Zhao Yaqin's past cheerful and enthusiastic demeanor, and then compared it to his own stagnant marriage...
He sighed heavily and said in a low voice, "...Never mind. What time? Where?"
Zhou Anping was overjoyed and quickly lowered his voice, saying, "Eight o'clock tonight, at the pavilion on the east side of the small park behind our compound. It's quiet and not crowded. Brother, please be careful and don't let anyone see us, especially..."
She gestured towards the bedroom.
Zhou Zhengping nodded wearily.
Zhou Anping instructed, "You take Li Weidong first, and I'll go with Sister Yaqin later. If the four of us are seen by chance, we can say it was just a coincidence and we were chatting, so it won't seem too abrupt."
"good."
After making the arrangements, Zhou Anping quietly left the study and quickly returned to the Gu family courtyard.
She lowered her voice as she met the expectant yet nervous gazes of Shang Nanzhi and Zhao Yaqin: "It's settled, I've arranged it with my brother. We'll meet at the pavilion on the east side of the small park behind here at eight o'clock tonight."
Upon hearing this, Nan Zhiyi felt a little relieved and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
After dark, the area is less populated and more secluded than during the day, making it less likely for mistakes to occur.
She looked at Zhao Yaqin.
Zhao Yaqin was restless, her eyes darting around, completely unable to calm down.
Seeing her like this, Zhou Anping felt bad too. He went over and sat down next to her, awkwardly patting her back to comfort her, "Sister Yaqin, don't be too nervous, it's okay, I'll be with you then."
Nan Zhiyi got up and went to the kitchen. She whispered to Aunt Wu, "Aunt Wu, Anping and Yaqin are having dinner at home tonight. Could you please cook more rice and add another dish?"
Aunt Wu readily agreed, "Oh, great! It just so happens that we bought a lot of groceries today."
Although she was curious about the strange expressions on the two girls' faces, especially Director Zhao's daughter, who looked like she had lost her soul, she didn't pry into the affairs of her master's family.
The atmosphere at the dinner table was unusually somber.
Nan Zhiyi and Zhou Anping were a little better off, and were able to eat a few bites.
Zhao Yaqin, on the other hand, couldn't eat at all. She poked at the rice in her bowl with her chopsticks for a long time but didn't eat more than a few grains. Her eyes were staring blankly at a certain spot.
Aunt Wu couldn't help but urge, "You three sisters, eat a little something! Health is the foundation of everything. You can't do anything if you're starving. Especially Zhiyi, you need to eat more."
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