Chapter 27 It's Over Between Her and Him
Chapter 27
It seemed to be raining again outside the window; the sound of the rain pattering in came through the French windows.
Wen Yining took a breath and closed her eyes, hot tears sliding down her cheeks. "Mr. Li, the house and the money, are you planning to keep me as your mistress?"
The tone was calm, the voice quiet and choked with sobs, but the words were sharp and unkind, especially coming from someone who was usually understanding and gentle. They were even more piercing than if spoken by someone else, and would hurt even more.
Li Changjing stopped.
After saying this, Wen Yining could no longer contain the surging emotions in her heart. She stood up, abruptly shook off Li Changjing's hand, and took a few steps back to distance herself from him.
With a "bang," Li Changjing was pushed by her, and his fingers slammed hard into the white porcelain bowl on the table. The bowl tilted and fell to the ground with a "crash," shattering into several pieces, with small shards of porcelain flying everywhere.
The expression on Li Changjing's face slowly disappeared. He sat motionless in the chair, looking up at her.
When he's gentle, he can be so gentle that he can overwhelm you, giving you the illusion of deep affection and tenderness. But once he loses his expression, the coldness deep in his bones will be revealed.
This was the first time Li Changjing had looked at her like this since they had known each other for so long.
Her heart grew colder and colder under his gaze. Wen Yining curled her lips into a self-deprecating smile, and tears streamed down her face as she did so.
"gentlemen!"
The bodyguard quickly pushed the door open and entered. He was stunned to see two people standing and sitting in front of him, with an odd atmosphere in the room and broken porcelain bowls scattered on the floor.
Li Changjing didn't look at him, and coldly said, "Get out!"
The bodyguard immediately closed the door, and the atmosphere in the room became tense again.
Li Changjing looked at Wen Yining.
The little girl was very tall but very thin. Her slender and frail body stood stubbornly straight, and a hideous scar covered her thin, pale wrist.
Her pale face was wet with tears. Her beautiful eyes, which used to look at him with a dependent smile, were now filled with tears as she looked at him. The tears obscured all her emotions, and there was no need to see clearly, because the tears already said everything.
I felt inexplicably stifled, and that feeling of unease dissipated.
Li Changjing sighed, unsure whether to acknowledge him or himself. He stood up, looked at her, and explained in a softer tone, "Ningning, I'm not that unworthy. If I truly considered you my lover, the price wouldn't be this low."
He gave a self-deprecating smile. "I was worried about my girlfriend and wanted to help her out, but I was afraid you'd misunderstand, so I carefully chose this amount and even went to see the house myself. In the end, it was all for nothing. Ningning, do you know how few people would talk to me like this?"
The first time I tried to please someone without any ulterior motive, I ended up doing a lot of work but getting no appreciation. I was scolded and then had to stand up and coax her.
Li Changjing had never realized before that he could be so good-tempered.
He went down the steps to coax her, but Wen Yining didn't want to go down. She was rarely this stubborn, and she would never be this stubborn with someone she cared about. But now it was because she cared about him that she was being so stubborn.
She looked up at Li Changjing and spoke clearly, word by word, in a choked voice, "But in your eyes, I silently took your money and then tacitly maintained a calm facade. Do you really think I'm such a hypocritical and money-grubbing person?"
Li Changjing watched as Wen Yining returned to the same question, her expression stubborn and unwilling to give up.
Li Changjing took off his glasses, pinched his brow, put them back on, sighed, and patiently explained again, "I've never thought of you as a money-loving person. That's why I only dared to transfer you such a small amount of money. We're boyfriend and girlfriend. It's not normal for me to give you money and expect you to accept it."
Before they were officially in a relationship, he knew she wouldn't accept it.
But now that they're boyfriend and girlfriend, she knows that this amount of money means nothing to him.
He just didn't expect her to react so strongly to the rejection.
“They are different.”
Wen Yining shook her head, tears streaming down her face, "For two people with such a huge gap between them, the line between being kept and being in a relationship is too blurry. I work hard every day, I have my own principles and my own self-respect. I have never thought about taking your money, I have never thought about taking anyone's money. I thought you should understand me..."
As she spoke, she seemed to lose all her strength and slowly squatted down, her voice choked with sobs, "I know this money is nothing to you, but it's a lot to me. I can't just accept it without a second thought. I know you must think I'm being coy and pretentious, arguing over such a small amount of money, but I have my own principles..."
Li Changjing watched as Wen Yining squatted on the ground, speaking to him in a tearful voice like an injured child. She was very tall, but squatting on the ground, she was just a thin, small bundle. Tears streamed down her face, one by one hitting the floor.
My heart felt like it had been hit hard.
This unfamiliar yet intense feeling made him involuntarily frown, and his throat felt as if something was blocking it, making it difficult to breathe.
Her tears became unbearable for him.
Li Changjing still remembers what she looked like when they first met—restrained, stubborn, and strong.
But he suddenly realized that she had been crying frequently ever since she met him.
Li Changjing walked over quietly, as if afraid of startling her, and stopped three steps away from her. The usually aloof and indifferent young master Li knelt on one knee and squatted down to look Wen Yining in the eye.
This was the first time Wen Yining had seen Li Changjing with this attitude. He was gentle and earnest, almost to the point of being humble, no longer speaking to her from a distance as before, wearing a mask. This attitude wasn't unusual for others, but it was truly rare to see it in him.
But she was still very sad, with an endless sense of desolation. The rain was pouring outside the window, and her heart and the world seemed to have entered autumn together.
She looked up at him and said, "See? That's why we're not a good match. A little money that's easy for you is a problem for me."
"If two people who are so incompatible continue like this, they will both get very tired."
Li Changjing immediately understood what she meant, "Ningning, are you willing to break up with me?"
Wen Yining looked away.
Li Changjing's eyes crinkled into a smile, but there was no laughter in them. He gently told her, "Even if you're willing to part with me, I can't bear to part with you."
Wen Yining understood what he said.
He can't break up with me.
Her mind was a mess, and she had no energy left to waste on this matter. Wen Yining took a breath, wiped her tears haphazardly with the back of her hand, took out her phone from her pocket, opened the text message, and copied the bank card number again.
When Li Changjing saw her screen, he coaxed her like a child, "It was my fault. Let's forgive it this time and not do it again, okay?"
Wen Yining did not answer him.
She quickly opened her mobile banking app, and as she did so, tears from her fingers stained the screen.
Enter your card number and password.
After Wen Yining finished doing all this, she looked up at him and said, "I've already turned back."
Her voice, low and resolute with a nasal tone, said: "There will be no next time, and there will be no this time either."
Li Changjing slowly raised his eyes from the tear on the screen and, for the first time, seriously looked at Wen Yining.
He looked at her for a long time.
She nodded, her eyes gentle yet earnest as she asked, "Ningning, may I wipe your tears?"
*
They should be considered to have made up. Li Changjing explained and apologized so humbly, and she felt that she shouldn't be so petty, but she still felt sullen, with too many words and emotions still stuck in her heart.
Wen Yining watched as Li Changjing patiently washed her hands, avoiding the scars on her wrists, and then lowered his head slightly to dry his own hands. From her angle, he looked down, revealing slightly upturned eyes, a straight nose, and a delicate, smooth jawline.
Li Changjing is really a very handsome man.
But right now, she doesn't really want to see him.
There was a knock on the door.
Li Changjing put down the towel. "Come in."
The bodyguard pushed open the door, glanced at the room, and then came in, whispering a few words in Li Changjing's ear.
Wen Yining turned her face away.
After saying that, the bodyguard straightened up and said, "Young Master Fang saw me here and guessed that you were inside. He wanted to come in, but I stopped him."
Li Changjing nodded, "Understood."
The bodyguard went outside.
Wen Yining said with a nasal tone, "If you have something to do, go ahead and do it. I should go back too."
Li Changjing turned around to pour water. "It's alright. An elder happened to be next door and saw me here."
He placed the water in front of her, bent down and patted her head. "I'll go say hello and be right back. Then I'll take you back to school to get your luggage."
Wen Yining remained silent.
Seeing her like this, Li Changjing paused for a moment.
He went outside and stood in the corridor, then made a phone call to Fang Qi.
Fang Qi said he was downstairs.
"Then come up here by yourself, don't bring anyone else."
Fang Qi laughed. "What? You want to meet me in secret?"
As Li Changjing approached the private room, he stopped at the corner, took out a cigarette and put it back in, then flicked open the lighter cap with his fingers and put it back in, briefly explaining what had just happened.
This kind of thing should have been a source of amusement, but hearing it from Li Changjing, Fang Qi only felt strange, not amused. He was speechless for a moment, and after a long silence, he said, "This little girl looks soft and delicate, but she's actually quite strong."
Li Changjing looked downstairs and twitched the corner of his mouth when he heard those words.
He's much tougher than that idiot Li Dongyuan.
Fang Qi added, "But that's too foolish. In today's society, this kind of integrity is no longer fashionable. You'll suffer for it in the future."
Li Changjing extinguished the lighter, not refuting Fang Qi's words. "She's still young, a girl who hasn't entered society yet. It's normal for her to have youthful idealism. She'll grow out of it. Stop talking nonsense. Come up here yourself. I'm going out for a bit. She's a bit of a thinker and tends to overthink when she's alone."
Fang Qi was only halfway through his sentence when Li Changjing, not having time to listen to what he was going to say next, hung up the phone immediately.
*
Wen Yining was sitting in the room, lost in thought, when the door was suddenly opened from the outside.
She turned her head to look, but before she could see who had come in through the half-open door, she heard Fang Qi's ever-carefree and nonchalant tone, "Let me see which sister is inside?"
The next second, the door was fully opened, and Fang Qi appeared from behind it with a smile on his face. Behind him were four or five other people, all of whom looked unfamiliar. They might not have seen them before, or they might have seen them before but had forgotten.
Apart from Fang Qi, she felt indifferent towards Li Changjing's group of friends after what happened last time, and she didn't really want to see them now. But since they were already inside, she couldn't very well stand up and leave.
Wen Yining smiled at them, then looked away, staring at the ground, not wanting anyone to see the traces of her crying.
Without Wen Yining saying a word, Fang Qi alone could liven up the atmosphere. He sat down next to Wen Yining, turned his head to look at her face, and said, "Oh, who is this pretty girl? Isn't this Juanjuan? It's been a long time since we last met."
One of them chuckled, "Old Fang, can you please stop acting like a thug? This is the first time we've met her, don't let people think we're like you."
Another voice said, "Why do you always call her 'Sister Curly'? Why would anyone call someone 'Curly'?"
Wen Yining lowered her head, holding the cup. The intense emotions she had just experienced had exhausted her. She wanted to say a few words politely, but she couldn't muster any energy.
"That's her stage name, the one she used to work part-time at JS," Fang Qi explained as he stood up, poured himself a glass of water.
The man, used to being a spoiled rich kid, naturally didn't take his friend's little girl seriously. Seeing that she kept her head down and didn't speak, he was a little annoyed and deliberately asked, "What does your dad do? Surely not. Are there still people doing part-time jobs while studying these days? That was in the 80s."
Someone clicked their tongue, seemingly feeling that her pride had been hurt, and nudged the person who asked the question, "Why are you asking such a silly question? Why bring up something you shouldn't ask? You're just like a spoiled young master."
Fang Qi lowered his head, seemingly forgetting Li Changjing's words, and remained silent.
Wen Yining's groggy mind cleared, and she turned to look at the person.
The man was wearing what appeared to be a T-shirt with a large luxury brand print on the chest. He was holding a glass of wine brought from another private room and looked at her casually. Only after realizing what was happening did he say "Oh," and then said, "Now that you're with Li Changjing, you don't have to work so hard anymore."
As Wen Yining looked at the group of people in front of her, suddenly, the fog that had been shrouding her for some time dissipated in an instant. That thick fog had isolated her from the world, making her live as if she were in a vacuum, her feet not touching the ground. She became unlike herself, lost her subjectivity, and could not see herself or find herself.
Suddenly, she woke up.
Looking at the group of people in front of her, she suddenly lost all patience and became very impatient.
She had been very careful, afraid of offending the group of princelings and high-ranking officials' children in front of her, not because she was afraid of their power, but because she was afraid of causing trouble for herself and her family.
But today, the emotions I've been suppressing for so long suddenly just burst forth.
Wen Yining suddenly put down her cup and stood up, looking at the person who had just asked the question and said, "My dad used to be the chief supervisor of a construction site. He offended the construction company because he refused to sign off on a shoddy project and was retaliated against. He was blacklisted by the entire industry and the designer had to pay him a large sum of money. My mom had just given birth to me when she fell into the river in late autumn while trying to pull a neighbor who was contemplating suicide. She developed a chronic illness, so she retired early."
The people on the sofa were stunned by her behavior, wondering what she meant.
After Wen Yining finished speaking, before they could say anything, she looked at someone and said, "I have never felt that there is anything shameful about my family or my parents. My parents and my relatives are all so good."
“You may think my father’s actions are not good at all, even ridiculous and idiotic, that he would end up like this for a little bit of unnecessary morality and conscience, but I don’t think so.”
Wen Yining felt that she was actually venting, but she couldn't help it.
In truth, she looked down on these people. They were all seemingly glamorous, but in reality, they were shallow and empty, wasting their time and being dissolute playboys who did not fulfill their duties.
"Is it true that the mainstream ideology is to laugh at poverty but not prostitution, that profit is more important than morality and conscience, and that those who uphold morality are ridiculed and looked down upon? Is this ideology correct? I refuse to believe it!"
"In this society, the standard for being 'presentable' is success and fame, but that's society's definition, not mine. Everyone has their own choices, and I think my morality, my sense of self, and my personality are much more important than personal gain."
"Those who brazenly and proudly proclaim that they are the ones who are truly 'unworthy' in my eyes."
It looks like something fell to the ground.
In the large room, several people looked up at her in complete silence.
"And another thing," Wen Yining looked at them, "I have never taken a single penny from Li Changjing."
Having said that, Wen Yining felt there was nothing more to say to this group of people. Ignoring their expressions, she turned around, stood up, and walked out. As she turned around, Li Changjing was standing at the door watching her, with a black metal lighter at his feet.
His expression and gaze were somber, and he looked down at her with an expression and gaze he had never shown before.
Wen Yining lowered her eyes, walked past him expressionlessly, and strode out.
They broke up.
The author says: "I have never felt that there is anything shameful about my family or my parents. My parents and my relatives are all so good."
This quote came from Pang Zhongwang. I was amazed when I heard it back then and have remembered it ever since.
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