I always want to find a sunny day to end this exhausting life.
But they lacked the courage to go all in.
After Shen Hui hung up the phone, she saw the elegantly dressed lady walking towards her, her high heels clicking loudly on the ground.
Shen Hui met her gaze with neither humility nor arrogance.
"Are you Shen Hui?" the other person asked.
Shen Hui nodded: "It's me."
"I am Zhao Xuning's mother." The other person introduced herself: "Did you know she's trending on social media?"
“I just heard about it,” Shen Hui replied.
Her tone was indifferent; she didn't give Zhao Xuning's mother a friendly look, remaining cold and aloof.
Zhao's mother was taken aback. She was already angry, but her tone of voice provoked her even more.
"You want her to kowtow every single step up three thousand steps? Are you crazy?" Zhao's mother said angrily. "From childhood to adulthood, when has she ever knelt down except when she worships ancestors during festivals? She's been through so much trouble just dating you, it's almost killed her. What happened to my once spirited daughter? Isn't this enough? Are you trying to torture her to death?!"
Upon hearing this, Shen Hui glanced at her indifferently and said in a softer voice, "She did it voluntarily."
"Would she have done this if it weren't for you?" Zhao's mother said coldly. "She's gone crazy ever since we met. You've driven her almost insane."
Shen Hui smiled slightly, wondering who had changed her over the years.
It turns out that the high and mighty second young lady of the Shen family, who looked down on everyone, once became timid and submissive because of Zhao Xuning.
Shen Hui's smile widened, and she said nonchalantly, "Whatever."
They all went crazy together.
We're bound together for life, let's go crazy.
Zhao's mother's eyes widened in anger. She raised her hand to slap her, but her arm was grabbed by someone, and a clear, youthful voice rang out: "Are you crazy?"
A tall figure immediately blocked Shen Hui's path, completely obscuring her.
"Ayan," Shen Hui called him softly.
Sweating profusely from running, Shen Siyan frowned and stared coldly at the person opposite her. "No one has ever hit my sister in my life. If you really lay a hand on her, I don't care who you are, you'll lose this arm."
When Liang Shi arrived, he happened to hear this sentence.
Then, Shen Siyan said, "I don't care how crazy your Zhao Xuning is, but the girls in our Shen family are all raised with love and care. Try touching a single finger of hers."
Zhao's mother was taken aback, then laughed angrily: "What a boastful tone."
"If you don't believe me, you can try." Shen Siyan stared at her coldly: "Has the Zhao family's business been a bit off lately? Has the cooperation with Hejing fallen through?"
Zhao's mother was taken aback: "How did you know?"
Shen Siyan curled her lips into a cold smile: "Of course I did it."
Upon hearing this, Shen Hui pinched his arm. "Ayan, stop talking."
Shen Siyan patted her hand reassuringly, "Second sister, it's alright, don't be afraid."
Shen Hui frowned slightly.
Shen Siyan looked at Zhao's mother and continued, "This is just a small punishment. If it were my eldest sister or my father standing here today, the Zhao family could really expect to go bankrupt. The Zhao family will pay the price for how you treated my second sister."
Zhao's mother frowned: "Who are you?"
Seeing that they were about to start arguing, Liang Shi immediately stepped forward and called out, "Chen Hui."
It stood directly between Zhao's mother and Shen Siyan.
Shen Siyan frowned slightly, but said nothing.
Liang Shi looked at Zhao's mother and said gently, "Auntie, I am Zhao Xuning's friend. This is her choice. You... let's wait for her quietly."
The implication was—don't cause trouble, Zhao Xuning doesn't want to see that.
The person I managed to win back after taking three thousand steps and bowing deeply, don't let her mother ruin it with just a few words here.
Even a little devil would shed tears upon hearing this.
Liang Shi could only help Zhao Xuning minimize the damage.
Zhao's mother was unwilling, but she knew her daughter's situation, so she sent someone to find Zhao Xuning. Shen Hui and Shen Siyan took the cable car up the mountain.
Liang Shi walked up the steps.
Walking is faster than her taking one step and bowing at a time, but Zhao Xuning is also quite fast and has already completed half of the journey.
Liang Shi also had a hard time pursuing her.
When they caught up, Zhao Xuning had a bruise on her forehead, her lips were cracked, and her face was pale. Two bodyguards in black were trying to persuade her to go down, but Zhao Xuning told them to get lost and insisted on climbing the mountain with perfect form.
Liang Shi couldn't say anything, but handed her a bottle of water when she stood up.
Zhao Xuning closed his eyes briefly, sweat dripping from his forehead, and continued upwards.
Chapter 175
Mountain top.
The dim sunset disappeared behind the mountains, and the lush green mountains had a touch of spring vitality. Huichang Temple was bustling with worshippers, and tourists still came and went in an endless stream, but most of them were coming down the mountain.
The entrance with its three thousand steps was deserted and desolate compared to the cable car entrance.
As dusk settles, the city lights illuminate the entire city in an instant, creating dappled patterns of light below the mountain. A casual glance reveals the city's tallest building.
Shen Siyan stood firmly behind Shen Hui, while Shen Hui stood with her back to the streetlight, hands in her pockets, her figure desolate.
A short while later, Shen Hui headed towards the three thousand steps.
"Second Sister," Shen Siyan called from behind her, "Where are you going?"
Shen Hui didn't even turn her head: "Atone for my sins."
Shen Hui continued walking down the path with unwavering determination, her white sneakers quickly becoming covered in dust.
Shen Siyan didn't dare to go past her, much less stop her; she could only silently follow behind her.
There were only the two of them on this road, and they could hear the sound of the wind blowing through the treetops, both lively and lonely.
Perhaps all paths in this world are the same, full of difficulties and hardships.
But there are thousands of ways to walk.
Shen Hui didn't know what she was feeling as she walked down the three thousand steps; every step she took felt heavy.
I don't know how long I walked, but some of the streetlights around me were broken, and it was pitch black so I couldn't see the road.
Shen Siyan turned on her flashlight behind her, illuminating the way ahead for her.
She stopped in her tracks only when she heard the sound of her knees hitting the ground and her head slamming heavily against the stone steps.
She and Zhao Xuning were separated by more than a dozen stone steps, but Zhao Xuning seemed not to see her, focusing only on the next stone step ahead.
Zhao Xuning's expression was as cold as ever. She was covered in dirt, and her white coat had been crumpled up and thrown to Liang Shi beside her. Two buttons on her white shirt were undone, and the sleeves were rolled up. Her face was pale, large beads of sweat dripped from her forehead, and her lips were bloodless.
This was probably the first time Shen Hui had seen Zhao Xuning in such a disheveled state.
It's very different from what I remember.
Even when she suffered a miscarriage in a car accident, Zhao Xuning only teared up at her bedside.
Later, when she argued with her sister at the hospital, she only shouted a few times at the top of her lungs.
But I never imagined that I would see Zhao Xuning like this one day.
It was just a angry outburst, a release of years of pent-up resentment when she came running over.
Unexpectedly, Zhao Xuning actually did it.
She said she would climb the three thousand steps, one step at a time, and that meant one step at a time, not a single step could be faked.
This is Zhao Xuning.
The resilient Zhao Xuning.
Shen Hui stood there, her vision blurry. Shen Siyan handed her a piece of paper, but Shen Hui instinctively turned her back and wiped away her tears. "I got sand in my eyes."
But there is no wind now.
The spring breeze, having understood the romance, stopped blowing.
It adds warmth to this cold night.
Even if the spring breeze is gone, chaos will still ensue.
For example, a person's mind and spirit.
Shen Hui closed her eyes and walked steadily toward Zhao Xuning. Just as Zhao Xuning was about to kneel down, she reached out and grabbed her, her slender body supporting all of Zhao Xuning's weight.
Zhao Xuning looked up and chuckled when she saw it was her, but the pain from the twitching of her lips made her gasp.
Zhao Xuning's voice was hoarse: "Why are you here?"
"Do you want to go again?" Shen Hui asked.
Zhao Xuning nodded: "I agree."
“You can break the engagement,” Shen Hui said. “I’m not getting engaged.”
Zhao Xuning stared at her for a while, then chuckled, "Why are you crying again?"
Shen Hui opened her mouth, but for a moment she didn't know what to say.
Zhao Xuning took a handkerchief out of his shirt pocket and handed it to her: "My hands are dirty, wipe them yourself."
Shen Hui let out a soft breath: "Didn't you say you would never kneel on the three thousand steps?"
“People change.” Zhao Xuning raised his hand and glanced at his watch. “It’s already 1,789. We still need 999 more.”
As she spoke, she turned her face away and coughed, her face turning red, which added a touch of color to her complexion.
Liang Shi immediately handed him some water.
Zhao Xuning had two gray marks on his knees, which looked like they were about to be worn through.