cardiac arrest
As the clock neared the end of the workday, the subtle tapping of fingers on the keyboard in the Shuiyue Gallery director's office gradually died down. Wen Lingyi was about to pack up when her phone suddenly lit up, revealing a new message. The sender was Su Qing.
Ever since their last unpleasant encounter in Lanyue Bay, Su Qing hadn't contacted her again. Even at the family banquet where they had to meet later, Su Qing had completely dropped her pretense, too lazy to play the role of a harmonious and close sister-in-law.
Both of them were proud and neither of them was willing to bow their heads and give in. Therefore, Wen Lingyi was a little surprised to receive Su Qing's message at this moment.
But she was more annoyed with Su Qing for meddling in her affairs. After all, they had a deep emotional foundation for so many years. If the other party was willing to take the initiative to offer a way out, she would not be unable to follow suit.
In the final analysis, Wen Lingyi knew in her heart that Su Qing's sharp and harsh words were most likely meant for her own good.
In some cases, those involved are often confused, while those who are on the sidelines can see things more clearly. She was not completely oblivious to Su Qing's reminders and warnings.
But in her idealized expectation of love, when one person musters all the courage and is sincere enough, the other person should also put aside all concerns and choose to run towards each other without reservation.
She was confident that she would not fall into the same pit twice.
More than four years had passed since the Zhu Yang incident, enough time for her to become more mature, calm, and rational. She felt that she had developed a good eye for people and didn't understand why Su Qing refused to trust her judgment this time.
He clicked on the dialog box with Su Qing with his fingertips. The other party's tone at the beginning sounded like a cautious gesture of goodwill, actively sending out a signal of seeking peace.
Su.Q: "Lingyi, are you free tonight? Let's have something to eat together? I have something I want to talk to you in person."
Eat? Wen Lingyi subconsciously wanted to refuse. She had already promised Zhou Jianxing that she would go to her house for dinner tonight.
Her taste buds and stomach seemed to be becoming more and more accustomed to and attached to the simple dishes with the taste of home cooked by the little fool.
But Su Qing said she had something to discuss? What could it be? Was it about Zhu Yang again?
A sense of caution rose in her heart. Wen Lingyi decided to test it out first.
Shuiyue Gallery - Wen Lingyi: "If it's about Zhu Yang, then there's no need. I've lost all interest in anything about her, so please don't say anything."
Su.Q: "It's not her business."
Shuiyue Gallery - Wen Lingyi: "I have an appointment tonight. If you really need something, come to my office and talk right here."
·
It didn't take long before the office door was pushed open. Su Qing walked in with a complicated expression on her face.
Wen Lingyi stood up and took a bottle of soda water from the small refrigerator next to her. She unscrewed it, poured it into a glass, and pushed it onto the table in front of Su Qing. Bubbles rose and burst slightly.
Her eyes immediately fell on the brown paper bag tightly held in Su Qing's hand. The bag looked ordinary, but at this moment, it was like a Pandora's box waiting to be opened, silently emitting a disturbing aura of danger.
Wen Lingyi frowned unconsciously, unable to guess what Su Qing wanted to do this time.
"Lingyi." Su Qing lowered her head and symbolically took a sip of the sparkling water in the cup, but her eyes quickly raised and glanced at Wen Lingyi with hesitation and worry.
She placed the file bag on the table between them, her fingertips tapping the edge of the bag unconsciously and anxiously. "You...you have to promise me one thing first. No matter what you see later, try to stay calm and don't get angry."
When Wen Lingyi heard this, she instinctively leaned back, crossed her arms over her chest, and put on a typical defensive posture, her brows furrowed even tighter. "That's enough, Su Qing. I have an appointment and don't have much time. If it's nothing really important, I think I can leave first."
"Whatever's in there," she said, her eyes sweeping over the file bag, her tone filled with obvious impatience and resistance, "I'm not interested in reading it. Why do you always have to find things to upset me? Seeing me in pain makes you happy, right?"
As she spoke, she grabbed the phone on the table in annoyance and made a gesture to get up and leave.
"Wen Lingyi! Is it useful to deceive yourself?" Su Qing stretched out her hand suddenly and grabbed Wen Lingyi's wrist tightly. The force was so strong that it even hurt Wen Lingyi's wrist bones, preventing her from leaving.
"Oh, when I told you about the Zhu Yang incident, weren't you also refusing to believe it?"
"For her, you even slapped me. Have you forgotten all this?" Su Qing's tone was filled with sharp sarcasm. "Do you have to wait until you see the coffin before you cry, and until you hit the wall before you turn back?"
"Back when Zhu Yang and that man checked into a hotel, I dragged you along to catch them in the act..."
"We called the police and lied that someone was selling P in the room. What happened? What were you thinking when he took out the marriage certificate?"
With every word Su Qing said, the color drained from Wen Lingyi's face, and his expression became uglier and uglier.
Wen Lingyi smoked so much that every detail of that past event was engraved in his lungs, and he would never forget it for the rest of his life. There was no need for Su Qing to remind or emphasize it at this moment.
"So?" Wen Lingyi raised her eyes, her gaze fixed on Su Qing, her tone mocking, "After going through so much trouble, what exactly do you want to say? There's no need to play dumb with me. After all, you're my best friend. When will I not listen to you?"
She spoke the last few words very slowly.
"Sit down first and let's talk." Su Qing looked at her, her tone softened, and she let go of her hand.
Wen Lingyi walked back to her seat with extreme impatience, sat down heavily, and deliberately leaned back against the back of the chair. Every cell in her body was instinctively resisting the unpleasant conversation that might happen next.
"Promise me first," Su Qing looked at her worriedly, her fingers repeatedly stroking the seal of the file bag. She hesitated and struggled for a long time, as if she couldn't bear to open it. "No matter what you see, don't be angry with me. I just... don't want you to get hurt again."
Wen Lingyi closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and nodded, her voice dry: "Okay, I promise you. I won't be angry."
After receiving this assurance, Su Qing made up her mind. Finally, with trembling hands, she tore open the seal of the file bag, took out a stack of photos from it, and spread them out on the table in front of Wen Lingyi.
The photo has high pixels and clearly captures a man's profile and back, as well as the figure beside him that Wen Lingyi is extremely familiar with.
Zhou Jianxing.
They walked in and out of a festively decorated wedding company together, and were also seen together at a well-known jewelry chain store. The photo's lower right corner clearly indicated the time it was taken: it was taken around the time Zhou Jianxing moved out of Lanyue Bay.
My heart sank suddenly, as if I had suddenly fallen into an ice cave.
"You sent someone to follow Zhou Jianxing?" Wen Lingyi's voice suddenly rose, filled with incredible shock and anger. "Su Qing! Are you crazy?! Tell me, what exactly do you want to say by taking these photos?"
Although deep down in her heart, turbulent waves were surging uncontrollably and the worst guesses were emerging, she still refuted them firmly.
"The clerk at that jewelry store privately told the person I sent to inquire that..." Su Qing lowered her eyelashes, not daring to look at Wen Lingyi's gaze, which was as cold and hard as a frozen lake. Her voice became increasingly quiet, almost inaudible, "They went together to choose an engagement ring."
"If you don't believe me, I can take you to that store right now and ask the teller to verify it in person."
There was no need for Su Qing to make up such a thing.
The office fell into a deathly silence. A few seconds later, Wen Lingyi suddenly twitched the corners of her mouth, revealing an extremely strange smile that showed no emotion. Her expression was eerily calm, as if those shocking photos had not affected her in the slightest.
"Thank you for the reminder." Her voice was steady and even sounded cheerful. "You're truly my best friend. If you didn't help me like this all the time, I really don't know what I would do."
She bit the last two words "best friend" so hard that they were almost squeezed out from between her teeth.
After saying that, Wen Lingyi stood up suddenly, and the chair legs made a harsh sound when rubbing against the ground. She didn't even look at Su Qing, and slammed the door and walked out. The loud noise echoed in the empty corridor.
·
On the way to Magnolia Garden, Wen Lingyi did not choose the shortest route, but drove around the outskirts of the city for a long time without any destination.
The car window was lowered and strong wind rushed into the car, blowing her long hair wildly and hitting her face.
Her ears were filled with a constant buzzing, making it impossible to hear anything. Her hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, her knuckles turning bluish-white from the strain, and her gaze fixed blankly on the road ahead, which stretched and then vanished.
Deep down, a faint voice was still struggling. Perhaps, perhaps there was some misunderstanding. She still wanted to hear Zhou Jianxing's explanation in person.
The phone screen lit up again and again, and the notification sounds and vibrations of WeChat messages followed one after another. Without looking, I knew that it was most likely an inquiry from Zhou Jianxing.
But Wen Lingyi didn't even have the desire to turn her head to look. At one moment, she even had a strong urge to grab her cell phone and throw it out of the window to make all these annoying noises disappear completely.
In the end, she drove the car to the downstairs of the familiar old community.
I dragged my heavy steps upstairs and pushed open the door. The room was filled with the familiar, warm aroma of food, and several exquisite home-cooked dishes were already laid on the table.
When Zhou Jianxing saw her, he seemed to be relieved immediately.
Wen Lingyi walked straight to the dining table and sat down without saying a word, her eyes sweeping over the dishes on the table: sweet and sour pork ribs, Kung Pao chicken, and mapo tofu. These were all the dishes she had casually mentioned to Zhou Jianxing that she wanted to eat when she had a cold and a poor appetite a while ago.
However, at this moment, seeing these delicious dishes, her stomach suddenly churned, and a strong feeling of nausea rushed into her throat. Not to mention picking up her chopsticks to eat, even the smell of the greasy smell made her feel nauseous.
The physiological reaction was faster than the rational suppression. In the end, Wen Lingyi couldn't hold it in any longer. She turned sideways and retched violently into the plastic bag-lined trash can beside the table.
Because he hadn't eaten anything, he couldn't vomit anything out, only the sour bile burning his throat.
"Sister Wen!" Zhou Jianxing was startled by the sudden situation. He quickly put down what he was holding and walked over to her. He reached out his hand worriedly, wanting to gently stroke her back. "What's wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell?"
She sensed something was amiss the moment Wen Lingyi walked in. She was unusually silent, her face frighteningly pale. All her messages fell on deaf ears, and her calls went unanswered. When she returned, she refused to speak to her.
Now I'm vomiting right away.
This is all so abnormal.
"Don't touch me." Wen Lingyi retched uncomfortably and twisted her body violently, avoiding Zhou Jianxing's soothing touch with extreme resistance and even disgust.
The strong feeling of nausea made her not even want to say a word to Zhou Jianxing, because the other person's existence itself was the source of her physical discomfort.
Zhou Jianxing's outstretched hand remained frozen in mid-air, awkwardly frozen. After a few seconds, she slowly and silently withdrew it. Her fingertips were cold.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
