Chapter 40 I'm sorry
After Xia Zhen finished showering and came out of the bathroom, she took a carton of milk from the refrigerator. She had just taken a sip of the ice-cold milk when she saw Aunt Fang leaning against the door, looking mysterious. She asked curiously, "Aunt Fang, what are you doing?"
Aunt Fang whispered, "I think I heard some noise coming from the other side."
Xia Zhen hurried over, "What's that noise?"
"I don't know. It sounded like the man in their family was cursing and swearing. I heard they have a child with health problems. Could it be that they had some kind of conflict because of that child?"
Xia Zhen quickly picked up her phone from the sofa, opened the game interface, and saw that the boy sitting on the corner of the bed had put down his book, hugged her with his arms, and buried his head in his knees.
Scars were clearly visible on his arm.
Xia Zhen immediately wanted to rush out, but her rationality quickly returned; she couldn't just rush over like that!
A few minutes later, there was a knock on the Lu family's door.
The knocking started once, then started again, as if the person would keep knocking as long as no one answered.
Lu Huiming and Hao Hui came out of that small room.
Lu Huiming cursed, "Who is knocking on the door so late at night!"
Hao Hui comforted her, saying, "Alright, tone it down. Don't let others spread any unpleasant rumors, or you'll embarrass Xiao Ci."
Lu Huiming then composed himself.
Hao Hui opened the door and saw a pretty young girl. She asked in surprise, "Who are you?"
"Hello, Auntie!" Xia Zhen smiled brightly. She was wearing a white dress, which made her look even more pure and beautiful, and it was easy for her to win people's favor. "I moved to the opposite side of the street not long ago. My name is Xia Zhen. I was busy organizing my things before, and I only just remembered to visit you now. Please don't mind. Also, this is a gift I prepared for you. Please take good care of me in the future."
Hao Hui took the bag from the girl. She glanced at it briefly, but it seemed to contain many good things. She smiled and said, "You're too kind. We're neighbors, so of course we should help each other out in the future."
Hao Hui already knew that someone had moved in across the street. She would often check on Aunt Fang when she went grocery shopping, but she never expected that such a beautiful girl would be living in the house across the street.
Xia Zhen feigned curiosity and asked, "Aren't Lu Jin and Lu Ci home today?"
Lu Huiming, who had walked over a step later, asked, "You still recognize them?"
"Yes, we know each other. We go to the same school. Lu Jin and I are classmates. I've also met Lu Ci a few times. Auntie, Uncle, Lu Ci is such a nice person. Nobody in our school has a bad word to say about Lu Ci."
When talking about their proud child, Lu Huiming and Hao Hui's smiles became much more genuine.
Hao Hui said, "Lu Jin is not feeling well and has already rested. Xiao Ci went to tutor her classmates and hasn't come back yet. These two kids didn't even tell us that the new neighbor is also a student at their school."
"Meow……"
Hearing the cat meowing, Xia Zhen looked in the direction from which the meowing came, feigning curiosity.
Lu Huiming and Hao Hui's expressions became somewhat unnatural.
Xia Zhen didn't mention that she wanted to see the cat, but instead smiled and said, "That must be the cat that Lu Ci mentioned raising. Many people in our school know that Lu Ci is very kind. I heard that he picked up a cat and took it home to raise it well. Even the teachers praised him."
Lu Huiming gave a dry laugh. "Really?"
Hao Hui was much calmer than Lu Huiming. She chimed in, "That's just how our Xiaoci is. She can't help but help take care of any suffering little animals she sees. She's just too kind."
"Good people will be rewarded." Xia Zhen raised the corners of her lips. "Maybe this little cat can even bring good luck."
What good luck?
Lu Huiming was about to swear, but he managed to hold back in time. Just then, his phone rang. He answered the call, and after a moment, he exclaimed in surprise, "What? Okay, okay, I understand!"
Hao Hui looked at Lu Huiming's exaggerated expression and asked, "What's wrong?"
Lu Huiming hung up the phone and said happily, "The company said they made a mistake before. Not only am I not going to be laid off, but I'll also get a promotion and a raise!"
Hao Hui exclaimed excitedly, "That's wonderful!"
Xia Zhen stood at the door, smiling but saying nothing.
The dimly lit room was in a mess, with books and a wheelchair scattered haphazardly on the floor, a stark contrast to the bustling scene outside.
"Meow?" The little white cat licked the boy's hand, not understanding why he didn't go out, even though the girl was right not far away.
Lu Jin sat in the corner, stretching out his scarred arm to stroke the kitten's head. Half of his face was still marked with red marks, a shocking sight, yet he smiled gently, "We can't go out."
He'll scare her if he does that.
He didn't want to make her cry.
The little white kitten nuzzled against the boy's palm, as if comforting him.
"I'm still too weak, aren't I?"
The little white cat meowed softly twice, seemingly responding to his question.
His voice was low and hoarse, "We can't rush things, Xiaobai, we can't rush things..."
Some things just have to be done slowly.
After seeing the guests off, Lu Huiming excitedly took out a can of beer and sat in the living room to enjoy it, while Hao Hui took ice and a towel into Lu Jin's room.
She looked at the boy sitting helplessly in the corner, a look of pity on her face.
Now she seems to have remembered that she also has the identity of a mother.
Hao Hui squatted down beside him, applied ice to the wounds on his face, and said softly, "Don't blame your father. He was in a bad mood because of work. You're all grown up now, and you know how hard it is to support a family. He was under a lot of pressure and couldn't control himself."
The way she speaks so softly now truly makes her a good mother.
Hao Hui said, "Your dad said he doesn't object to keeping this cat anymore, so don't hold a grudge against him, okay?"
Lu Jin said, "Okay."
Hao Hui smiled with relief, "I knew you were a good kid."
In the dark room, she didn't notice the sarcasm hidden in the boy's calm eyes.
At two o'clock in the morning, everyone in the Lu family was already asleep. Even Lu Ci, who returned in the middle of the night, didn't have the energy to ask Lu Jin what news he had found out about Xia Zhen. He went into his room and went to sleep.
It was during this quiet moment that Lu Jin left the Lu family.
He saw the girl sitting at the entrance of the building and called her softly, "Zhenzhen."
Xia Zhen turned around, and tears uncontrollably streamed down her already red eyes.
Lu Jin's heart tightened, and he reached out his hand to her, "Come here."
She stood up, ran over, and bumped into his arms.
Lu Jin pulled the girl onto his lap, one arm encircling her soft body, the other covering the back of her head. Her wet face was pressed tightly against his chest, and she could hear his strong heartbeat, but she couldn't stop sobbing.
The scalding tears burned his entire heart.
The boy lowered his head and kissed the top of her head. "I'm sorry."
She looked up, her eyes blurry with tears, "Why are you apologizing to me?"
"I made you cry."
He kissed the corner of her eye, his throat dry.
The boy, who hadn't even flinched during the beatings, was now pale with pain, as if his very soul was being torn apart.
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