Chapter 26 The conjoined branches slapped him from above.
Stumbling into the bathroom, Lan Jia looked around anxiously, rushed to the toilet, knelt down in front of it, and began to dry heave.
She curled up like a shrimp, her stomach churning violently, waves of food surging up, her internal organs contracting sharply in a concerted rejection reaction. Then, with a loud "vomit," like a floodgate being opened, she vomited up all the cold food she had just eaten, along with the bowl of spicy hot pot from the evening.
Strands of her hair slipped down her shoulders, only to be caught by a hand. Meng Cenjun knelt behind her, gently patting her back to help her breathe, "Take it slow."
Lan Jia clung tightly to the edge of the toilet, hunching over as she continued to vomit.
Meng Cenjun released her hand, but his gaze remained fixed on her, noticing the thin spine exposed as she bent over.
Too thin.
The skin was stretched to its limit, as if it would be pierced by the protruding knuckles at any moment.
He couldn't help but recall many years ago when he took Lan Jia to see an old doctor.
He muttered to him privately at that time: "With such a weak constitution, it will be hard to keep him."
How could I not keep them? How could I possibly not keep them?
He refused to believe it and desperately sought out renowned doctors to save her.
I've taken such good care of her all these years, but that's all I've managed to keep her alive until now.
As for the rest... he never does them well.
Always wrong.
Lan Jia was still vomiting bile. Seeing her discomfort, he instinctively wanted to touch her back, but then he remembered that their conflict was not yet resolved and she might not be willing to let him touch her, so he withdrew his hand.
Meng Cenjun stood up and went out like a gust of wind.
At this moment, Lan Jia also struggled to lift her head, her whole body limp, and it was unclear whether she had even vomited bile.
She lowered the toilet seat, pressed the button, and a stimulating flushing sound rang out, washing away the filth.
It's clean now, and all the heavy burdens are gone.
Meng Cenjun returned quickly, and Lan Jia turned her head to meet his gaze as he half-squatted down.
After what had just happened, both of them looked terrible, especially Meng Cenjun, who looked as if she wasn't the one who had just vomited violently.
His eyes were deep, fixed on her, yet a hint of tenderness was subtly revealed as he looked at her with a vulnerable and gentle gaze, handing her a cup of freshly poured warm water.
Lan Jia looked back at him, wiped her lips with the back of her hand, and, feeling weak and sore, moved her limbs to stand up shakily.
Meng Cenjun looked up at her and almost coaxed her, "Drink some water to soothe your throat."
Lan Jialin, with a stern face, suddenly snapped and knocked the water glass to the ground.
The glass shattered on the ground, shards flying everywhere with a loud, crisp sound.
What is this? A sweet treat after the fact? What about all the suffering she endured? She doesn't want it!
Seeing her making a fuss, Meng Cenjun didn't get angry or say anything. She seemed to be suppressing something, and stared at her with her eyes fixedly.
Even after all this, there's still no reaction? His perpetually rational and calm demeanor only makes her seem like a madwoman.
He always thought she was being unreasonable and didn't take her seriously.
Lan Jia gritted her teeth, tears welling up in her eyes, but her heart suddenly hardened. She raised her arm, creating a sharp gust of wind, and slapped him from above.
My palms were stunned by the shock.
The air became quiet.
Meng Cenjun turned her head slightly, and her always meticulously styled hair fell down, covering half of her eyes.
An unbelievable scene.
She hit the brother who had raised her for ten years.
The wicked son who goes against the tide.
Lan Jia's chest heaved violently, but she didn't feel like she was out of her mind at all. She was doing it on purpose; she was perfectly lucid.
I still remember when I was little, my nanny would take me to piano lessons. It was so boring! During breaks, I'd sneak off to the park. Lots of kids were playing on the slides, and as we lined up, someone deliberately harassed her. It was a chubby older boy, his nostrils flailing towards her with a disdainful look: "Hey, you stick figure, you're blocking my way." What happened next? She straddled him in the sandpit and beat him. It seemed that with a fierce determination, one gains boundless strength; her angry fists swung wildly, leaving him utterly defenseless.
The nanny rushed over midway, horrified, and pulled her up in shock. Her hair was disheveled, she was covered in mud and sand, filthy like a stray cat, yet she was delighted, triumphantly telling the nanny, "I won!" The nanny grimly grunted, carefully examining her, afraid of taking responsibility. Then she heard her mutter, "How could I have raised such a little girl? A wild beast in a princess dress."
She still remembers it to this day.
Of course, he only won that one time.
When she got home, she received a severe scolding, not because she was wrong to hit someone, but because they were afraid something might happen to her. She was born after her mother had lost one child and went through great hardship to give birth to her, so she was exceptionally pampered and spoiled to an extreme degree.
It's probably from that time that my mindset became distorted.
She has always acted simply: if she's wronged, she'll retaliate a hundredfold, a thousandfold, regardless of the consequences. Whoever causes her pain, she'll make sure they experience the same agony, without any regard for sentimentality.
She's still the same now, wearing a bloated human skin on the outside, but inside she's still the wild beast she was as a child. Aunt Ming often looks at her, smiling, but also murmuring with a hint of worry, "Why do you always seem like you'll never grow up?" She knows she thinks she's immature.
The previous generation failed to provide her with proper upbringing, and Meng Cenjun went to extremes in correcting her. She was a fruit he had confined within a mold, destined to grow only according to his ideal shape, never to grow up.
But the beast within her was swelling to the point of bursting. Illuminated by thousands of candlelight, the monstrous shadows on the walls, towering almost to burst through the roof, howled and bared their fangs, "Charge out! Charge out!"
But another voice screamed, "Help me! Help me! I don't want to become like this!"
Her cruel and resolute trampling on his bottom line and crushing his dignity was also a silent plea.
The wild beasts are running wild, the train is derailing, and Lanca is out of control.
Take care of me... I've become so bad, aren't you going to take care of me?
Help me...
Meng Cenjun turned her head stiffly, her eyes filled with an indescribable, moist, and warm look, while her chest heaved noticeably, becoming increasingly rapid.
In the midst of their almost anxious gazes meeting, he parted his lips slightly, as if wanting to say something. His body swayed unsteadily, trying to lean forward, but biting his cheek until his eyes were bloodshot, he still couldn't utter a word.
Lan Jia's tears streamed down her face, but her anger surged higher and higher. Gathering her strength, she raised her hand and slapped him again.
This time he finally moved, grabbing her wrist and squeezing it tightly like an iron clamp.
She struggled angrily, but couldn't break free. Suddenly losing her composure, she pounded wildly with her other fist, and the raindrops fell in a furious downpour.
Meng Cenjun groaned and suddenly pulled her with all his might. Lan Jia, weak and about to collapse, fell straight into his arms. He caught her steadily, catching her thin body and all her crumbling emotions.
Lan Jia felt an incredibly strong embrace tightening terrifyingly, like a gold prospector who had stumbled into a dragon's cave, clutching countless treasures in his hands, afraid they would slip away, greedily and frantically squeezing them tighter and tighter, until they seemed to drip with juice.
She gasped for breath, not wanting to be outdone, her movements even more ferocious than his. Two wildly growing thorny vines coiled tightly around him, carrying a forceful, destructive intent. She clung to his neck as if struggling to climb a hot, dangerous, and precarious volcano, her fear and panic causing her hands and feet to become entangled around him.
He felt the same way; a terrifying fear gripped him. He pressed his large hand firmly against the back of her head, roughly and violently pulling her into his arms, distorting her face until it looked as if it were about to break.
They are like a DNA double helix, two strands of maltose glistening and intertwined in winter, tens of thousands of intertwined branches growing day and night.
Both of them fell to the floor, barely able to lean against the hard wall, disheveled, embarrassed, and filthy, yet reluctant to part, they embraced each other.
Her whole body ached, as if her joints were dislocated, making creaking sounds. But strangely, Lan Jia felt an unprecedented sense of fullness and swelling, as if a complex and intricate puzzle had finally found its perfect piece.
They seem to be able to experience love only through pain.
After suddenly realizing this.
Lan Jia suddenly burst into tears.
Hearing her cry, his eyes also stung. After what seemed like an eternity, he finally spoke in a hoarse voice, calling out to her, "Lan Jia."
She was still sobbing, burying her tear-streaked face in the crook of his neck.
He caught her instinctive movement and tenderly stroked the top of her head. "Do you know how worried I was about you?"
She sniffed but didn't respond.
He knew she was still upset and angry.
Meng Cenjun closed her eyes in anguish, "I'm sorry."
"I was wrong before..."
"I'm sorry, Lan Jia, it's because I've never known how to be a good older brother that I've hurt you."
The conversation in the tea room really put him in a tight spot. It seemed like the first time he had ever felt such a strong sense of crisis. He was desperate and completely flustered.
How long can Lan Jia stay by his side?
He didn't want to waste any more time with her.
Even though it was the first time in his life that he had to bow his head, he was only willing to bow his head to her.
Meng Cenjun nodded slightly, his fingers sliding down to touch the skin of her neck.
"I promise you, I will try to change."
"A family also requires careful management. Let's work together, okay?"
"Lan Jia." He paused for a moment, then tentatively and cautiously asked her:
"Do you... still want to live with me?"
Author's Note: Bro! Finally! To! Take! Action!
It should be sweet in the short term [milk tea]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com