They entered the living room on the second floor, where a new gray and white New Zealand wool rug lay by the floor-to-ceiling windows. On the low table were coffee and a few snacks, with colorful cushions scattered around. The windows sloped steeply, like blue seawater cascading down. Through the blue glass, one could see the public garden of South Ridge. City A had a pleasant climate, and even in winter, the grass was still lush, and clusters of azaleas were more beautiful than the last. The sunlight was excellent today, casting a faint golden hue into the room. Xiao Hui, with her hair loose, leaned against the window, a red halo around her head from the sun. Zhou Yuqian lay on his side, his head on her lap, eyes closed, basking in the sun, occasionally stretching his legs—
“I told you not to move, didn’t I?” Xiao Hui pulled back her hand, throwing the cotton swab into the ashtray, replacing it with a new one. She blew into his ear again, warning, “Don’t move anymore, okay?”
“Uh-huh!” A nasal hum, he found a cushion to rest his hand on, obediently still. Xiao Hui inserted the cotton swab into his ear, gently twirling it, discarding the dirty swab for a new one, repeating the process without any sign of impatience.
“We don’t have fireworks or firecrackers here, right?”
“Uh-huh!”
“Then let’s go buy some this afternoon!” She blew hard into his ear.
Zhou Yuqian felt a cool sensation in his ear, very comfortable. He reached up, touched her face, and said, “Isn’t that something small Li can handle?”
“I want to go buy them myself! I can choose what I want to play with!”
“Troublesome!” He lowered his hand, and after a while, when there was no movement at his ear, he opened his eyes. The sunlight was blinding, and he vaguely saw her fair face looking a bit darker. He closed his eyes in compromise. “Alright, have it your way! But no firecrackers, they’re too dangerous!”
“Got it!” Just as she was about to continue, the phone on the table rang. She picked it up and said, “It’s Ouyang calling!” Seeing him nod, she flipped open the phone and placed it to his ear.
Xiao Hui listened as he casually discussed employee holidays or work matters, feeling bored, she combed through his hair. Zhou Yuqian, while laughing and chatting with Ouyang, grabbed her hand, squeezing it in his palm, completely at ease. After nearly two minutes, he suddenly gripped her hand tighter, sat up, and opened his eyes.
“When did she go to see that old man? … Three days ago? You’re just telling me now? And how did Cheng Lan tell her where he was? … Forget it, Ouyang, I don’t have time for your explanations.” He glanced at Xiao Hui, his voice thunderous with anger. “This isn’t as simple as you think. If anything goes wrong, you better be prepared to shut down the restaurant and send Jie back to the Northeast! And Cheng Lan too!”
With a loud “bang,” he threw the phone to the window corner, took a deep breath, and then said to Xiao Hui, “Quick, call your dad and ask what Li Yueqin told him!”
In the hospital room, the same pale golden sunlight filled the room. Lai Ru Yun asked again, “What do you want from me?”
Zhang Zong Xiang lowered his head, looked around, coughed dryly, his expression struggling, his hands nervously stuffed into his pockets, clenching tightly, remembering the beautiful woman’s words—Although I’m divorced, I can still sue your son! Her previous actions were illegal—Do you think my husband will help your family? Do you know how much he has? If I sue your son, he’ll make sure the lawyer argues that your son seduced him first—Don’t believe me? Go ask the restaurant staff how much the boss here has? My husband’s assets are at least ten times that, think about how many people he has—I’ll reconcile with my husband, tell her to leave quickly—She only listens to her paralyzed mother? Then you get her paralyzed mother to persuade her to leave. If she leaves now, I’ll still give you a million for settling in. If she doesn’t, I have evidence, and you can prepare for your son to go to jail.
His head felt like it had been hit hard. Through squinted eyes, he looked at Lai Ru Yun and said something nonsensical, “Xiao Hui has broken the law! But how is this breaking the law?”
“What?” This time, Lai Ru Yun heard clearly but was unwilling to believe what she had heard. She raised her voice, “What’s wrong with Xiao Hui?”
“Nothing… nothing!” Zhang Zong Xiang realized he couldn’t say it. His right hand reached into his shirt, touching the one-million-yuan check. If he didn’t speak, the check would have to be returned, and Xiao Hui would go to jail. How could she compete with those wealthy people?
“Will you tell me or not?” Seeing him sweating profusely, Lai Ru Yun had a very bad feeling, strong enough to tighten her heart. She unconsciously raised her voice, threatening sharply, “Will you tell me or not? If you don’t, you and your family can get out of my house. Do you think because I’m paralyzed, I can’t do anything to you? Have you forgotten I still have two brothers? Haven’t you had enough from over twenty years ago?” Zhang Zongxiang, though thick-skinned, always felt humiliated when recalling the time over twenty years ago when he was beaten and left in the nude. With a million yuan in his pocket, he found the courage to retort: “Fine, I won’t stay! You think you’re so righteous? Look at how you’ve raised your child, becoming someone else’s mistress for years, and now her husband’s wife is even threatening to sue her!” Little Yu, standing by the door, hurriedly tossed the fruit onto the sofa and ran to the hallway to make a call. The phone slipped from her ear onto the carpet, and Lai Hui felt a sharp pain in her heart, clutching her chest as she bent over in agony. To endure the pain, she bit her lip and clutched her pajamas tightly. Zhou Yuqian quickly supported her, patting her chest to help her breathe. He knew the situation was dire, feeling more anxious than ever, realizing that this matter wouldn’t end peacefully. The person in her arms—suddenly, he hugged her tightly, his face against hers, his arms clutching her frail body as if he wanted to crush her into his chest, uttering a fragile, almost unbelievable plea: “Don’t leave me!” However, the person in his embrace was lost in her own fear, hearing nothing, not even noticing she was being held, only wanting to curl up and vanish into the ground. She was selfishly thinking of ending it all rather than facing her heartbroken mother. But fate always returned her to reason and courage at the right time; fear was fleeting. As the pain in her heart subsided, the intense sunlight pierced her eyes, making them tear up. Tears were a sign that she needed to be strong again. Wiping her tears, she staggered into the bedroom, shedding her robe for a sweater. The rough texture of the sweater’s fabric was both itchy and painful, but she couldn’t care less. Grabbing a coat, she rushed to the elevator. Zhou Yuqian, having changed, followed and grabbed her, saying, “I’ll go with you.” She forcefully shook off his hand, stepped back, and yelled at him, “What for? To be evidence? Proof for my mom that I am that kind of person?” He tried to reach for her again, but she evaded him, leaving him with an outstretched hand, pleading, “Don’t hate me!” She gave a bitter smile, “I don’t hate you; I only hate myself! I’ve been dreading this day for years. I know the truth can’t be hidden forever, but why now? Why these few days?” She paused, realizing she shouldn’t waste time talking now, and entered the elevator without looking back. Zhou Yuqian followed, despite her resistance, embracing her and whispering, “Trust me! Just this once!”
