books44 Chapter 314: Confession, Openness
Chapter 314: Confession, Openness
Chapter 314: Confession, Openness
Lu Yu patted her head, comforting her and telling her not to worry too much. Shen Bin said to Zhao Ning'er, "I will marry you." Upon hearing this, both Ji Meiqing and Lu Yu looked at Shen Bin with some surprise. Ji Meiqing had always thought that Shen Bin and Zhao Ning'er were just putting on an act to appease Wu Changcai.
But now that Shen Bin has said something like this, the whole situation seems increasingly elusive and unpredictable. Shen Bin, looking troubled, found a place to sit down and picked up a cup from the table to drink his tea in silence.
Unable to contain her curiosity, Ji Meiqing sat down and asked, "Were you and Ning'er really engaged?" She stared at Shen Bin, trying to find some clue on his face, wondering if he was just joking. However, Shen Bin remained silent. Before Ji Meiqing could press further, Zhao Ning'er said, "Sister Ji, please don't ask Young Master Shen anymore. We have no engagement; it was just an act." Ji Meiqing listened while watching Shen Bin, growing anxious at his lack of response.
“Miss Zhao, I wasn’t lying when I said I would marry you,” Shen Bin said calmly. Zhao Ning’er, standing there, looked at Shen Bin with some confusion. She didn’t know why Shen Bin wanted to marry her. Was it a joke, or out of pity or sympathy? If it was the former, she would be very happy, but if it was the latter, she felt as insignificant as a weed on the ground, at the mercy of slander and trampling.
“Young Master Shen, you don’t need to wrong yourself. Ning’er is unlucky,” Zhao Ning’er said, biting her lip to keep her voice from trembling.
“Miss Zhao, if I marry you, you will still be free. But if it's Wu Chang, you will only suffer a fate worse than death,” Shen Bin said, putting down his cup and darkening his eyes.
Upon hearing his answer, Ji Meiqing instantly understood. It turned out that Shen Bin had said he wanted to marry Ning'er so that she wouldn't be bullied by that scoundrel Wu Chang. Thinking about it, Ji Meiqing couldn't help but sigh that although Shen Bin was usually refined and scholarly, he was a true man of iron will and courage.
Zhao Ning'er looked at Shen Bin with great gratitude and said, "Thank you, Young Master Shen. I will never forget your kindness."
Rongcheng.
Several days passed, and Li Ming continued doing the same things as before: getting up, eating, and going to work at the factory every day. He felt a pang of sadness, remembering how Rouge used to always be with him, but now he was alone. He saw a woman in the distance; her back view resembled Rouge's, and she couldn't hide her excitement. He jogged over and patted her on the shoulder. The woman turned around, and Li Ming realized it wasn't Rouge. He quickly said, "Sorry, I've mistaken you for someone else."
Then he awkwardly returned to the brewery. After Ji Meiqing left, he handled all the brewery's production and daily chores by himself. Now the brewery is quite large, with many employees. Li Ming's life is quite leisurely now. He sits alone at the entrance of the brewery, looking at the trees and flowers outside, and he doesn't mind when birds land on his head.
Looking at the distant mountains, my eyes felt tired and dizzy, so I leaned against the door and fell asleep.
After an unknown amount of time, Li Ming felt a chill and opened his blurry eyes.
A light drizzle had started outside, the raindrops wetting the trees. The flowers swayed precariously in the rain. The scent of earth was invigorating. Li Ming watched the rain gradually intensify, accompanied by a hazy mist. In the misty fog, he saw a familiar figure, indistinct in the mist. He ran through the rain, wanting to embrace that figure, but his efforts were in vain.
Then his eyes searched elsewhere, trying to find that familiar figure, but to no avail. Li Ming stood helplessly in the rain, hearing only the patter of the rain, as if all other sounds were irrelevant to him.
The people in the factory saw Li Ming standing in the rain and didn't know why. One of them ran over with an oil-paper umbrella, gave him the big one, and said, "Li Ming, what's wrong? It's pouring rain, why are you standing in the rain?" As he spoke, he touched Li Ming's forehead, wondering if he had a fever.
Li Ming pushed the man away, stood silently in the rain with his head down, and the man looked at him suspiciously. Before he could say anything, Li Ming ran off a short distance away. The man stood there, shook his head, and said, "Another lovesick fool."
Li Ming ran all the way, not caring that his clothes were soaked by the rain or the mud on his feet. His clothes and hair were drenched, but he didn't think of running away. Instead, his determination to find Yan Zhi only strengthened.
He didn't know how long he had run, but he finally saw where Yan Zhi lived. He knocked on the door, but there was no response. He called out, "Yan Zhi, Yan Zhi, open the door." He called several times, but still couldn't see Yan Zhi. He felt a little disappointed, wondering if she hadn't forgiven him.
He stood at the door, racking his brains, trying to figure out what to do. He thought that if Rouge was inside, even if she was angry, she wouldn't ignore him. Had something happened? Was she thinking of doing something rash because of him? No, no, but why was she silent inside? The more he thought about it, the more anxious he became. He couldn't bear to think any further and simply burst through the door.
Li Ming burst through the door and went straight in. The room was empty, and Li Ming felt a jolt in his heart. He tried his best to control his temper and quickly searched each room for the person he had been longing for day and night.
After searching for a while, Li Ming found Rouge in a room. She was asleep in front of her dressing table, her hair disheveled and no longer tidy or clean as usual. Li Ming walked over slowly, afraid that he would see someone else who wasn't Rouge.
He slowly approached the figure and saw a familiar face. He brushed aside the stray hairs that covered her face. He noticed that Rouge's face had lost its former rosy glow, replaced by a sallow, lifeless complexion. Her hair was disheveled, and she wore no makeup, her face bare. Li Ming looked at her with a pang of heartache, regretting his past words. He wanted to make amends, but he didn't know if it would be too late.
Rouge woke up sometime earlier, opened her eyes, and looked at the person in front of her. Seeing it was Li Ming, she muttered, "Brother Li Ming? Impossible, it must be a dream again." She then went back to sleep. Li Ming, seeing Rouge like this, felt a little happy, because he was a part of her dreams. He also felt a little sad; Rouge's lack of self-care was all because of him.
Rouge, who had just fallen asleep, suddenly raised her head again, rubbed her eyes, looked at Li Ming, and then screamed, "Ah!! Brother Li Ming, it really is you! Get out, get out!" As she spoke, she searched for a comb on the dressing table, hastily combing her hair and looking for rouge and face powder.
Li Ming, unable to bear watching any longer, grabbed her hand and said, "Why do you care so much?" Upon hearing Li Ming's words, Yan Zhi stopped what she was doing.
Seeing Li Ming at a loss, she wanted to say something, but didn't know what to say or what she wanted to say. However, looking into Li Ming's eyes, she felt that she had so much to say to him, but it was all stuck in her heart and she couldn't say it.
"Over time, I realized that my feelings for Mei Qing were merely dependence, not love," Li Ming said, pulling Yan Zhi into a tight embrace. Li Ming felt the emptiness in his heart instantly fill, and his heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settle. Hearing Li Ming's words, Yan Zhi, for some reason, smiled happily, but tears still streamed down her face, soaking Li Ming's shoulder. She then realized that Li Ming was already drenched in sweat.