Chapter 25 Vomit it up and eat it all up.
Lan Jia took the phone heavily, seemingly trying to hide something, and her voice was low.
"Hello."
Hearing her speak, there was a few seconds of silence on the other end, as if they had just escaped a disaster and felt relieved. They didn't know what to say, feeling like they had a fishbone stuck in their throat.
During the silent moment, her chest trembled, and as if in a hallucination, Meng Cenjun's light breaths seemed to penetrate her ears.
Then I heard his almost calm voice: "Where are you? I'll have Zuo Tai come pick you up."
To Lan Jia's surprise, he didn't confront her.
Or perhaps they were worried about the fact that there were other people around her, and that it was someone else's phone call, so they wanted to leave her some leeway?
Although Meng Cenjun was old-fashioned, he would never embarrass his daughter in front of outsiders. As an old-fashioned parent, he always adhered to the idea of educating his daughter behind closed doors.
Lan Jia shivered, then became irritated. Why was she so afraid of him? It was ridiculous to always be so afraid of him.
The rebellious spirit that had been extinguished by reason was stirring again. With the emperor far away, there was no way he could catch her in the next second. Lan Jia couldn't help but be stubborn, refusing to back down verbally, and simply said, "I don't know." She had never been good with directions, so she genuinely didn't know.
“Okay.” He wasn’t annoyed, and patiently said, “Give the phone to the person next to you and have him give me the address.”
Lan Jia's fingers were clenched, and she didn't move. "I don't want to go home right now."
I don't want to argue with him, I don't want to face trouble, and I don't want to bear the consequences of my little act of willfulness tonight.
There was silence on the other end of the phone.
Perhaps they are suppressing their anger.
She guessed.
He took a while to reply, speaking slowly and softly, as if in resignation, "Then don't stay out too late, call Zuo Tai if you need to." Finally, he added, "I'll wait for you."
He hung up as soon as he finished speaking, as if he was afraid she would say something else that would refuse her.
Lan Jiahui's face darkened, her mood becoming even more depressed, and she lost all interest in having fun.
She returned the phone to Song Qingqu, but read a complex sense of sympathy in his eyes.
"What are you going to do now?"
She looked confused and conflicted, saying, "I don't know."
It seems she's been stuck in this contradictory phase, mired in conflict, unable to let go of either side, wanting both, almost going crazy.
Song Qingqu put down his chopsticks and said seriously, "At this moment, you must have something you want most. Think about it patiently."
"No one is stuck in a decision their whole life. You always have to move forward. Didn't you do a great job just now?"
Lan Jia lowered her eyes, her heart heavy, fearing that it was another trap set by Meng Cenjun's gentle words to lure her back.
Song Qingqu gave her a deep look. “Any choice requires bearing the consequences, but as long as it’s what you truly want, it’s worth it.”
"Lan Jia, there's nothing that can't be solved." Seeing her wavering, he coaxed her gently, "You have the ability, and you're not lacking in courage, are you?"
Indeed, having tasted the sweetness of adventure tonight, she was now unstoppable. Whatever comes, she can handle it.
Lan Jia suddenly felt a surge of strength, like a warrior about to enter the arena, and her eyes regained their sparkle. "Qingqu, thank you." She packed up her belongings and said to him lightly, "I've decided to go back." To go back and face everything she should have faced long ago.
Song Qingqu smiled and nodded in affirmation.
"I'll see you out."
The two waited at the alley entrance for a while, and Zuo Tai arrived quickly.
He got out and opened the car door for her, nodding and calling her, "Miss." Always professional, meticulous, and solemn, he showed none of this in front of Lan Jia, despite having just caused a huge uproar over finding someone.
She turned to the car window and smiled apologetically at Song Qingqu: "I said I'd treat you, but you ended up paying."
He stood beneath a cluster of blooming trumpet vines, their blossoms vibrant red, his features handsome and refined. He gently comforted her, saying, "It's a special case, it's alright. There will be plenty of opportunities to have dinner together in the future."
“Perhaps next time, you can take me to your favorite restaurant,” he gazed at her, “to your world.”
Lan Jia nodded and smiled in agreement.
Zuo Tai watched silently, then glanced at him strangely when he heard Lan Jia say "let's go," and quickly looked away.
The car started and drove onto the wide road. Song Qingqu watched it go until the conspicuous consecutive license plate disappeared. A smile appeared on his lips as he turned and walked into the dark alley, into a place devoid of light.
The car was quiet. Lan Jia's phone finally charged and turned on, and message notifications and missed calls flooded in, almost bursting the small rectangular screen.
She scrolled for ages before finally reaching the bottom. Everyone there was someone she knew; even Jingwei had sent her a lot of messages. Meng Cenjun told her? How did he get her number? Had he gone to all the people around her? Thinking of the past, Lan Jia couldn't help but feel melancholic again, a mocking thought running through her mind: What difficulty could this possibly be for him? Hadn't he done it countless times?
Seeing this series of heavy, concerned messages, Lan Jia felt suffocated and simply turned off the screen, refusing to reply to any of them.
However, not long after, the buzzing vibration started again.
Qiao Zimu called.
Lan Jia paused for a moment, then decided to accept.
"Hello." Her voice was a little hoarse.
The person on the other end seemed to have sensed something and asked somewhat cautiously, "How are you?"
"Yes, I'm on my way home."
"Then I'm relieved." He breathed a sigh of relief. "Lan Jia, you scared me to death."
"My brother spoke to you?" It was almost a certainty. "Sorry."
"Don't say such things!" he said, feigning anger. "We are the strongest alliance."
Unfortunately, the person involved was unaware of his hidden thoughts and smiled emotionlessly: "I'm afraid he'll be rude to you."
"Are you scared?" he asked seriously.
A car headlight flashed past the window, briefly illuminating her somewhat pale face. Lan Jia held her phone and said, trying to sound casual, "Don't be afraid."
"Let's talk this out, don't fight." Qiao Zimu pondered for a moment, then added, "If all else fails, I'll stay with you. I have several properties outside, so you can escape reality for a while."
Lan Jia was thoroughly amused. "It's not like I have nowhere to go."
"I just want you to know that I've always been there for you."
Her hands were icy cold, but his voice was warm, coming through the receiver and bringing her a sense of comfort.
"Thank you, Xiao Qiao."
"I don't want to run away this time." Even though she had no idea what awaited her.
"Well then, I wish you good luck."
"goodbye."
The phone call ended, and the car had just arrived at the deserted Anfeng Road, her precarious home.
I opened the door and stood in the entryway. The house was dark and unusually quiet, with a sense of impending storm.
Lan Jia fumbled for the light and turned it on, then wearily took off her shoes and wandered around the living room aimlessly.
She knew Meng Cenjun was upstairs; he had said he was waiting for her.
Lan Jia paced back and forth, forcing herself to prepare herself as quickly as possible. Feeling anxious and thirsty, she decided to go find some water first.
Upon entering the dining room, the lights came on, and I noticed that there were still things left on the table. I wondered if the servants had stopped doing their work.
As I got closer and looked more closely, I suddenly felt a little lost, and my eyes gradually welled up with tears.
The table of dishes remained untouched, and a set of bowls and chopsticks was neatly arranged, as if waiting for someone to arrive.
Unfortunately, it had long since cooled down, and he never got to see anyone, completely betrayed.
Lan Jia suddenly felt as if her heart weighed a ton, making her unsteady and causing her to plummet straight down.
She tried her best to hold back her tears, but they were about to fall again. She blinked hard and pulled back the chair to sit down.
She was the only one in the empty dining room. The chandelier cast a warm light, but it was still cold and lonely.
Lan Jia held the bowl, picked up a piece of fish and ate it. Her mouth was cold and fishy. She tried to swallow, but it felt like there was a crumpled piece of newspaper stuck in her throat, and she couldn't swallow it.
As if self-destructing, she swallowed her tears desperately, which burst forth in all directions.
I picked up another piece of green vegetable with my chopsticks. It was moist and slippery, like a clump of seaweed that had just been pulled up. It was salty and fishy, and it went straight into my mouth and spread down my throat.
Lan Jia felt a spasm in her stomach, frowned, and paused for a moment before mechanically continuing to stuff food into her mouth.
I picked at every dish, my cheeks bulging, until I couldn't taste anything anymore. I didn't even know what I was doing. All I could think about was eating it all up, finishing it all, and then I would feel better.
Her eyes were so sore she could barely see, her hands were shaking, and the ribs kept falling from her mouth. Her face was warm, and Lan Jia angrily wiped away her tears. She grabbed the ribs and tried to put them in her mouth, but suddenly gagged. She quickly covered her mouth, and the strong acid reflux slowly subsided.
With blurred vision, she looked incredulously at her sauce-covered hands, feeling as if they were some kind of terrifying beast. She choked back sobs and finally broke down in tears.
While crying, she grabbed her chopsticks and continued to eat from the messy plate of food, like a madwoman wandering the streets.
Footsteps came downstairs, paused, and walked towards the dining room.
Meng Cenjun, standing not far away, was horrified to see this scene. His brows immediately hardened with anger, and he strode over to snatch her chopsticks.
Stop eating!
Lan Jia was startled by his shout, her mind went blank, but she instinctively tried to grab the chopsticks back. She reached out, her mouth stuffed full, and could only utter incoherent syllables, begging him to give them back.
Seeing that she was about to try to take it again, Meng Cenjun simply threw her heavily to the ground and gritted her teeth, saying, "Did you hear me?"
Lan Jia panicked, not knowing what to do. She glanced at him anxiously and helplessly reached into the plate.
He was so angry he was practically blinded. He grabbed her wrist tightly and pulled her up from her seat like he was lifting a rabbit.
Lan Jia was so dizzy from being pulled that when she stood up, her stomach felt like it was about to burst. After churning, a strong acid surged up her throat. Her face contorted in pain, and she felt like she was about to lose control. She took a few quick steps and rushed to the bathroom.
Seeing this, Meng Cenjun immediately followed.
Author's note: The next chapter should be sweet, with significant progress in the relationship between the two.
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