Blooming Roses

The voice on the other end was undoubtedly Dai Xinyan’s. Since Dai Xinyan was hospitalized, Lin Mengmeng had become all too familiar with her voice because each time, she could insert herself into Lin Mengmeng and Shao Tingyu’s life, bringing considerable distress. Suppressing her discomfort, Lin Mengmeng took a deep breath, “Miss Dai, I don’t understand what you mean by that.” “Ms. Lin, don’t pretend with me. You were the one who suggested going abroad with Shao Tingyu, weren’t you?” Dai Xinyan’s voice was sharp and piercing. Lin Mengmeng frowned in annoyance, “Yes, but what does that have to do with Miss Dai?” “Are you two still considered husband and wife?” She sneered coldly, “Ms. Lin, didn’t Tingyu mention divorce to you before? But after you got sick, you made him give up on the divorce and take you abroad. Don’t you think that’s too selfish?” Dai Xinyan’s cold voice was full of disdain, nothing like her sweet demeanor in front of Shao Tingyu. Lin Mengmeng’s hand holding the phone trembled slightly, “That’s a matter between husband and wife.” “But have you ever considered if Tingyu sees you as his wife? Even if you love him, you can’t use your illness to bind him, can you?” The harsh words pierced straight into Lin Mengmeng’s heart, causing her expression to stiffen momentarily. She heard Dai Xinyan, feigning kindness, say, “Miss Lin, since you’re ill, wouldn’t it be better to stay in the hospital for long-term treatment? By locking Shao Tingyu’s phone number and making him block me, don’t you think you’ve gone too far?” “If you really like Tingyu, you should choose to let go!” At this, Lin Mengmeng understood clearly: “Miss Dai, do you think Shao Tingyu blocked your number because of me?” “Isn’t that so?” Dai Xinyan responded coldly. “What wouldn’t you do to be with Tingyu now?” With her temper flaring, Dai Xinyan was beyond reasoning. Lin Mengmeng knew that explaining was futile. Instead, she mocked along: “If you think it’s me, I won’t deny it. At least in Shao Tingyu’s heart, it seems he cares more about me.” Without giving Dai Xinyan a chance to retort, she hung up and blocked her. This was the first time Lin Mengmeng had retorted so sharply. What she didn’t expect was that this was also the first time Shao Tingyu would overhear her saying such things. “Who were you just talking to on the phone?” Lin Mengmeng, who had just ended the call, hadn’t even caught her breath when she heard this question from a distance. Her breath hitched, and she looked up in surprise to see Shao Tingyu approaching with an inscrutable expression. “Tingyu, what did you say…?” Lin Mengmeng quickly tucked her phone into her pocket, hiding the tension in her eyes. “I was just talking to a colleague; they were asking when I’d be back.” However, after all these years together, how could Shao Tingyu not see through Lin Mengmeng’s lie? He handed her the takeout food, the corners of his lips slightly curving. “Actually, I heard everything I was supposed to. I just wanted to see if you would lie.” Lin Mengmeng’s face filled with embarrassment as she lowered her head and silently ate the snacks. “Was it Dai Xinyan?” Shao Tingyu sat down beside Lin Mengmeng, leaning back comfortably. Lin Mengmeng choked on her food. Shao Tingyu, with a smile in his eyes, teased, “You said those things to my ex-girlfriend, aren’t you afraid I’ll get mad?” This comment made Lin Mengmeng pause. Perhaps she took the relationship between Dai Xinyan and Shao Tingyu too seriously, so hearing the words ‘ex-girlfriend’ made her overthink. “Do you care about her now?” she asked. Shao Tingyu’s smile faded: “If I really cared about her, I wouldn’t have blocked her.” “Tingyu, I’m really scared being with you.” Chapter 25: Protection “Why?” Shao Tingyu sat up straight, looking at her earnestly. Lin Mengmeng lowered her gaze, her voice ethereal and elusive: “There’s no emotional bond between us, just what you consider duty and obligation. Maybe one day, you’ll realize these aren’t necessary for you, and then would you choose to go back?” Shao Tingyu’s eyes flickered with emotion, but he stood up and extended his hand to her: “Don’t you want to see the cherry blossoms? We should get going.” He deliberately avoided the topic, which Lin Mengmeng could sense. Perhaps sometimes, addressing the topic directly doesn’t yield the desired results, so it’s better to keep it inside. Realizing this, Lin Mengmeng hid her loneliness and took the hand Shao Tingyu offered. “Alright.” With a tug, he pulled her into an embrace. As Lin Mengmeng leaned in, a faint fragrance filled his senses, stirring something within him. He blinked awkwardly before leading Lin Mengmeng into the crowd. The shadowy figures moved before their eyes, but suddenly, there was a loud shout from behind! “Make way, make way!” A group of unruly students on electric scooters burst onto the scene, causing chaos in the marketplace. Lin Mengmeng hadn’t been paying attention to what was behind her, and with her weakened body, she relied on Shao Tingyu for support. She was thrown backward by the sudden impact, landing on someone. Even Shao Tingyu was caught off guard. Lin Mengmeng only heard a scream from behind! The crowd quickly dispersed around where she had fallen. “Lin Mengmeng!” Shao Tingyu’s expression changed as he hurried over to help her up. Fortunately, when she fell, there was someone to cushion her fall, and she wasn’t hurt. However, the woman beneath her, now pinned down by Lin Mengmeng, cried out in pain. “Who’s that! Don’t you have eyes? Can’t you watch where you’re going?” The woman spoke fluent Chinese, and then a bespectacled, scholarly man helped her up. He looked at her with concern: “Are you hurt, Lulu?” “What do you think?” she complained, her arms and legs scraped. Lin Mengmeng hadn’t expected to encounter a fellow countrywoman abroad and cause her injury. Feeling guilty, she stepped forward: “I’m sorry, are you okay? Let me take you to the hospital.” But the woman brushed off Lin Mengmeng’s hand dismissively: “Is ‘sorry’ useful? Try being pinned down by me! I finally found time to come see the cherry blossoms with my boyfriend, and now this bad luck!” The man beside her was at a loss on how to mediate, and Lin Mengmeng knew she was at fault, so she just listened to the woman’s complaints with her head bowed. After several insults directed at Lin Mengmeng, Shao Tingyu could no longer bear it. He stepped forward and said, “Miss, if you don’t mind, I’ll go buy some medicine to help you dress your wounds.” The woman, still angry, turned to Shao Tingyu, hesitated for a moment, and then softened her tone: “Can you dress wounds…?” Before she could finish, Shao Tingyu continued, “Don’t worry, I’m a doctor. It was my wife who collided with you first, so I take full responsibility for your injuries. Since you don’t want to walk, rest here, and I’ll go get the medicine.” Having been a doctor for so many years, Shao Tingyu had ample patience and gentleness with patients. With his words, the woman’s anger subsided, and she was helped to a long bench by the man. Lin Mengmeng stood by the bench, watching the couple sit down, feeling too awkward to join them. Seeing Shao Tingyu about to leave, she grabbed his sleeve: “I’ll go with you to buy the medicine.” But Shao Tingyu didn’t notice Lin Mengmeng’s emotions, he just sat her down next to the woman and softly consoled, “If you can’t walk, don’t force yourself. Sit with them for a while, I’ll be back soon.” Chapter 26: The Venomous Tongue Lin Mengmeng knew Shao Tingyu was considering her health, so she didn’t want to say it outright: “Then come back early.” Shao Tingyu nodded, turned around, and was immediately swallowed by the crowd… The atmosphere became eerily silent. Without Shao Tingyu by her side, Lin Mengmeng sat very awkwardly, feeling empty inside, without any sense of security. Coupled with the cold glances from the woman beside her, she found it even harder to speak.