"elder sister..."
"Bang!"
Lin Zhi slammed the door of the cubicle shut, and then the sound of the flushing water drowned out her sobs.
Jiang Lai was heartbroken and kept pulling on the door, trying to get Lin Zhi to open it.
"Sister, open the door, I'll take you to the hospital!"
The only response she received was the water filling the tank and Lin Zhi's suppressed sobs.
Lin Zhi didn't want Jiang Lai to see her like this, didn't want her to know about her shameful family background, but most importantly, she didn't know how to face Jiang Lai.
A bird soaring in the sky and a monster hiding in the shadows of the deep sea. In order to be accepted by people and to be with the pure bird, the monster puts on the skin of a dolphin and disguises herself as a kind and gentle dolphin. But the bird eventually discovers that she is not a kind dolphin, but a monster.
But Lin Zhi didn't know that Jiang Lai never loved her because of her disguise. Jiang Lai loved Lin Zhi as a person, completely and utterly, from beginning to end.
Knowing her past and her heartache, so what? Jiang Lai will only feel sorry for her and want to protect her even more.
"Sister," Jiang Lai murmured, "You have me, I will always be by your side."
Time seemed to stand still, and the air became so thin that it was hard to breathe.
After a long pause, a voice came from inside: "I am not perfect. I am not the gentle person that everyone talks about. I am not kind. I even... wanted to kill my father. I once wanted them all to die."
The two faced each other, but were separated by a door. Jiang Lai couldn't see Lin Zhi's face, but that face was already imprinted in her heart.
“But you didn’t do it. You even kept spending money to support Lin Feng, even though he is the son of those two people. You did nothing wrong. Even if you go to hell, it will be them. Even though you are not perfect or gentle, I still want to pursue you and protect you. Please... give me a chance.”
Her hands, hanging by her sides, clenched into fists. Something brushed against her cheek, and Jiang Lai raised her hand to wipe it, staring blankly at the dampness on the back of her hand.
The door suddenly opened, and Jiang Lai felt as if a ray of light had entered her life. She opened her arms and hugged the person tightly, wishing she could pull her into her embrace.
"Welcome home," Jiang Lai said. "Thank you for not giving up on me."
"Jiang Lai, she's not worth it."
"Fool, from the first moment I saw you, I was destined to fall for you. I was the one who barged into your life first, and whether it was worth it is for me to decide."
--------------------
Author's Note:
Lin Zhi's inner turmoil was completely exposed to Jiang Lai; this is love!
Chapter 53
Lin Zhi never imagined that there would be such a person in her life who would still love her even after knowing her true nature and her terrible family background, and would still tell her - you are kind.
Is she truly kind?
She never considered herself kind. If she were truly kind, how could she have let Lin Feng lie in a hospital bed for so many years, and how could she have repeatedly looked at her sleeping father, wanting to stab him in the chest with a sharp knife in her hand?
One thought can drive you mad.
Lin Zhi teetered between being a decent human being and being insane, but thankfully she escaped this disgusting family.
Jiang Lai wanted to take Lin Zhi to the hospital, but the woman was reluctant to seek medical help and kept putting it off until her complexion improved.
"Are you sure you don't need to go to the hospital?" Jiang Lai was still worried.
Lin Zhi waved her hand, leaned against Jiang Lai's chest, and closed her eyes to rest. She was too tired to speak.
Jiang Lai looked at the person in her arms with heartache, and sent a message to Nan Moxi with one hand, telling them to finish eating and leave first, without waiting for her.
Nan Moxi knew she shouldn't bother them now, so she simply replied: [Be careful.]
Lin Zhi didn't want others to see her like this, so Jiang Lai borrowed an empty private room from a restaurant waiter to wait until Lin Zhi recovered before leaving.
While Lin Zhi was resting, Jiang Lai went over the matter in her mind.
From the conversation between Lin Zhi and her mother, Jiang Lai gleaned an important piece of information: the reason why Lin Zhi cannot accept being touched by a man is all thanks to her father.
He was having sex with his mistress at home, and his daughter watched the whole thing.
Good heavens... No wonder Lin Zhi felt disgusted; even Jiang Lai felt nauseous after putting herself in her father's shoes.
What's most disgusting is that mistress. She caused Lin Zhi so much harm, yet she still took it for granted that she could ask Lin Zhi for money to treat her son's illness, and even wanted Lin Zhi's bone marrow.
Thinking this way, Jiang Lai felt a burning hatred in her teeth. She suddenly understood what Lin Zhi meant when she was a child.
Afraid of Dad? You mean afraid of killing Dad, right...?
"Sigh..." Jiang Lai's head ached. She wasn't sure if she could help Lin Zhi. Without her parents' help, she was nothing.
Lin Zhi felt the rise and fall of her chest, and the man sighed heavily.
"Jiang Lai." Lin Zhi sat up straight, her emotions calming down. "Let's go back. I'm tired."
"good."
Back at the hotel, Lin Zhi took out her computer to review the documents sent by the planning team, and then held a video conference.
Jiang Lai couldn't help, so she could only sit to the side. She was a little sleepy, and her eyelids kept drooping. Jiang Lai drank two cans of coffee to wake herself up.
An hour later, Lin Zhi finished the meeting and picked up her phone to book a plane ticket.
Jiang Lai leaned closer and asked, "Leaving tomorrow?"
"Well, we've been out for so long, it's time to go back."
Lin Zhi looked through the flight information, chose a suitable time, paid the bill, and then got up to pack her luggage.
Jiang Lai quickly helped her pack her cosmetics and clothes, neatly placing them into the suitcase.
Jiang Lai said apologetically, "I'm sorry."
Why should I say sorry?
"I can't go back with you."
Jiang Lai's gaze was clear and unambiguous; Lin Zhi could tell that she was genuinely sad, simply because she couldn't go back with her.
Lin Zhi gently ruffled Jiang Lai's hair and said softly, "Lai Lai, this is my business, you don't need to do this."
"I said I would stay with you, but I broke my promise."
Lin Zhi's heart fluttered. She pursed her lips and said, "Jiang Lai, I'll give you my answer when we meet next time. Let me handle this matter myself."
Answer...
Jiang Lai suddenly looked up, her lips slightly parted, suppressing her excitement: "The answer you gave is..."
"I want to be with you, Jiang Lai, but I don't want to be with you carrying all these burdens."
"But I..."
"Don't say you don't mind." Lin Zhi interrupted her, her eyes filled with tears: "I mind."
Having waited so long, Jiang Lai wouldn't mind a few more days. It wasn't a question of when she could be with Lin Zhi; she just wanted to tell Lin Zhi...
I never cared about your past; I only want your future.
She couldn't say these words aloud; she kept them to herself until late at night, when Lin Zhi was fast asleep in her arms, and only then did she look Lin Zhi in the eye.
"Sister, I missed your past, but I want to have your future."
In her sleep, Lin Zhi's brows were furrowed, and the frail woman curled up in a ball, seeking warmth. Jiang Lai pulled her into his arms and fell asleep with a heavy heart full of love.
The next day, dawn broke.
Lin Zhi got up to wash up, and when she came back, the person on the bed was still sleeping. It seemed that he had gone to bed very late last night.
She walked over quietly, bent down and kissed the man's forehead, lingering there for a long time.
She changed her flight, moving the time from the afternoon to the morning. She was afraid that she would be scared when Jiang Lai came to see her off, scared of facing it alone, and even more afraid that she would selfishly ask Jiang Lai to go back with her.
Jiang Lai would do it, but Lin Zhi couldn't. Jiang Lai still had work to do, and this roadshow with the crew was a good opportunity for her to gain exposure. If she missed it, it would be a rare opportunity, and she might even let down Yu Wei's high regard for her.
The airport announcements were playing boarding information. Lin Zhi checked her luggage in and walked into the security checkpoint with her ticket in hand.
As Lin Zhi boarded the shuttle bus, she watched the plane bound for City A get closer and closer.
The phone in her pocket rang. The cheerful ringtone was one Jiang Lai had set for herself, and Lin Zhi knew it was her without even looking.
Lin Zhi didn't answer and turned off her phone.
Once I get off the plane and leave S City, there will be no chance for regret.
In the hotel, a mechanical female voice came from the phone; the other party's phone was already switched off.
Jiang Lai irritably tossed her phone aside, lay back on the bed, and tried to clear her mind. Although she was awake, her mind was still not clear.
She got dumped? That shouldn't be happening...
Jiang Lai simply stopped thinking about it, got up to wash up, and channeled her grief into her appetite, eating ten steamed buns and a carton of milk for breakfast.
It was almost noon when Lin Zhi got off the plane. When she turned on her phone, there was no message from Jiang Lai. Lin Zhi was a little disappointed, but then she thought that the child was probably angry.
Lin Zhi didn't have time to eat; she drove straight home after getting off the plane.
As she entered the building, she could hear two women arguing from one floor away. Lin Zhi heard her mother's grief-stricken cries and ran upstairs as fast as she could, skipping two floors at a time.
The door was wide open, and the house was in a mess. Wang Chunmei was kneeling on the floor, while her mother sat in a chair, sobbing and looking much older.
"Wang Chunmei!" Lin Zhi shouted, rushing in and pushing her down to shield her mother: "What exactly are you trying to do!"
When Wang Chunmei saw Lin Zhi, she suddenly remembered the promise she made with Jiang Lai that day. She crawled on the ground, picked up the bank cards scattered all over the place, and fled like a thief, ignoring Lin Zhi's calls.
After Wang Chunmei left, Lin Zhi went to the kitchen to pour a glass of water for her mother and placed it in front of her. She squatted down and looked at her mother's gray hair with heartache, feeling very sad.
"Mom, what's she doing here?"
Exhausted, Lin's mother said weakly, "They've come to ask for your father's bone marrow!"
Lin Zhi showed little reaction to her father, simply replying, "Oh, where is he?"
Lin's mother avoided eye contact and looked to the side: "She overheard our phone call yesterday... and fainted from anger. She's lying in her bedroom now."
"Oh, he can't hear it because it's so loud outside?" Lin Zhi bent down, picked up the shards of glass from the ground, wrapped them in a tissue, and threw them into the trash can.
Lin's mother said, "He insisted on going to the hospital, and I couldn't stop him, so I tied him up."
"Then I'll go see him," Lin Zhi said, and walked towards the master bedroom.