Hui was about to call again, but Ye Zhi stopped him and whispered, “Let me go in and take a look.”
He gently pushed open the door. Compared to the simplicity outside, this room was much more urban in style. It had wooden floors, painted walls, and a large, beautiful bed, as well as an obviously new wardrobe. There was also a mosquito net hanging over the bed, and a lump under the quilt indicated that although Qing Qing heard the noise, he had no intention of getting up.
Ye Zhi walked closer, feeling a strange mix of emotions. He stared at the lump for a while before speaking. “Didn’t you say you were going to open a milk tea shop when you returned to your hometown?”
His voice was not loud, but it was enough for everyone inside and outside the room to hear.
The lump trembled slightly, and after almost a minute, it suddenly lifted, revealing two friends meeting under such strange circumstances.
Perhaps for the first time since returning, Qing Qing’s emotions were so high that his parents were happy and relieved. They all went to prepare a hearty lunch together. Ye Zhi placed the gifts on the table and began answering Qing Qing’s string of questions. “It’s not that he wronged me. I cheated, so we divorced and I left the central city. Coming here wasn’t intentional. I just bought a random ticket and boarded the ship. I was supposed to get off halfway, but I felt like I hadn’t gone far enough, so I just kept going until I finally found out this was the destination.”
Qing Qing grabbed Ye Zhi’s hand, his thin, fair face breaking into a smile. “That proves we’re destined to meet! Even in such circumstances!” He quickly realized what Ye Zhi’s words implied. “You? You cheated?”
Ye Zhi nodded gently. “I cheated.”
Qing Qing quickly asked, “Who was it? How could you cheat? Weren’t you in love with Er Shao? Did you get caught cheating? Did he hurt you? Er Shao is so fierce.”
He had a lot of questions he wanted to ask, momentarily pushing his own sadness aside.
Ye Zhi took a sip of warm water, unsure which question to answer first. In the end, he shook his head. “He didn’t hurt me.”
Huo Youcheng was more rational than he had anticipated, which was something he hadn’t expected. He thought that with Huo Youcheng’s personality, he would face crazy retaliation, and this inappropriate marriage would continue under his coercion. He had many ways to make Ye Zhi’s life miserable. Compared to that, the current handling was relatively gentle.
But there was still anguish in his heart.
Yet, the thought of being able to leave and Huo Youqiao continuing on his bright path made Ye Zhi feel relieved.
To have a period of joy and to have the love of that man, he considered himself very lucky.
“As for who the other person is… can I not tell you?” Ye Zhi didn’t want to say it. The more people who knew, the more risk there was for Huo Youqiao.
Qing Qing hurriedly said, “Of course, it’s your privacy. I won’t ask anymore.”
Ye Zhi breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn’t good at refusing, and if Qing Qing wanted to pry further, he didn’t know what to do.
“What about you? Why did you come back? When did you come back?”
Asked these questions, Qing Qing’s expression turned desolate again, his beautiful eyes slowly filling with tears. After a while, he sobbed, “He didn’t want me… What choice did I have but to come back?”
His identity would never be accepted by the Cheng family, and even Cheng Yanzhou himself had no intention of marrying him. Although they usually called each other “wife” and “baby” so sweetly, when it came to making a choice, Cheng Yanzhou remained rational.
“He’s getting engaged. His fiancée is the woman he went on a blind date with last time. He even told me he was willing to support me as his secret lover. It’s outrageous, he’s really outrageous, how could he do this… I’m willing to provide sexual services for money, but I’m not willing to be a home wrecker, so I came back…” Qing Qing cried softly, speaking softly, afraid of being heard by the parents outside.
This outcome was already predetermined, and Ye Zhi didn’t know how to comfort him. He could only pat his head.
“My original plan was great. With money, I could buy a lot of things, open a shop, and let my family live a wealthy life. But now that I’ve reached this point, I realized how sad I am. I don’t have the mood to do those things at all. I just want to curl up in bed and sleep well… But I can’t sleep. I feel so uncomfortable thinking about him. He’s clearly not good enough, why can’t I let go of him…” Qing Qing bit his lower lip, almost drawing blood. “If I hadn’t tried so hard, I might have agreed to his conditions.”
“But I can’t do that, I absolutely can’t…”
Finally finding a place to express his sadness, Qing Qing cried for a while, but he seemed much better than before. When Yu came to call them for lunch, he even agreed to get out of bed.
