The little girl nuzzled her face against his chest and called out to him affectionately.
Zong Jinghao was helplessly enjoying spoiling her.
Lin Xichen stood at the door and watched his father and sister in the living room. He had wanted to say something but decided not to, turning and going out of the room.
He had put together the puzzle pieces from his Secret Base book. It consisted of several thousand pieces of small bits, and it had taken him one and a half days to complete it. He had wanted to call them to come and take a look at it. But in the end, he decided against it.
“Xichen, have you completed your Secret Base?” Lin Ruixi shouted when she caught sight of her brother’s back.
Lin Xichen answered moodily, “Yes.”
“Can Daddy and I take a look at it?”
Lin Xichen stiffened and paused his steps. “Of course.”
Lin Ruixi pulled Zong Jinghao and walked over. The assembled pieces of Secret Base had taken up a big part of the room.
Every piece had been put together with diligence.
“Wow.” The little girl’s eyes widened in amazement. She had not expected it to be this spectacular.
The small pieces of plastics were pieced together into an amazing assembly; it looked just like the scene that was being shown on the TV.
She couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration.
Upon seeing his sister in awe, Lin Xichen lifted his chin in pride. He felt proud of his handiwork.
“Xichen, you did a great job.” Lin Ruixi hugged Lin Xichen and kissed him. “How come you are so good in this?”
Lin Xichen laughed at her show of admiration before he said, “It’s actually very simple. I can teach you next time.”
“Thank you, Xichen.” Lin Ruixi smiled and turned around to study the Secret Base. She reached out her small hand to touch a few of the pieces, feeling that her brother was awesome.
She was amazed at how quickly he had put together this pile of plastic pieces.
Zong Jinghao stood in front of the Secret Base with one hand in his pocket, and the other hand touching his son’s piece of work. An adult would need at least two days to complete this. He was completely amazed at his son’s speed.
Unconsciously, the corners of his lips curled into a smile as he glanced at his son’s face. His heart burst with pride at how clever his son was.
How can I not be proud of him?
On the other side of things, Lin Xinyan sent Zhuang Zijin back to prison. If she were to be diagnosed with an illness, she would be allowed to come out for treatment. But before that, she was not allowed to be outside. It would look bad on Shen Peichuan if they took too long to return to prison. After all, he was the one who had arranged for all of these.
“Mom, I’ll come and visit you more often,” Lin Xinyan said hoarsely.
She thought she was strong enough not to show any emotions in front of Zhuang Zijin, but she was wrong.
It was hard for her to conceal her emotions.
Especially when she had to watch her own mother go to prison.
Her grief was a heavy load to bear.
She couldn’t mask the sorrow on her face.
Zhuang Zijin stroked her daughter’s hair and said softly, “I’m happy to see you doing well. Don’t feel sad for me. This is the path I’ve chosen, so this is the consequence I have to bear. It was selfish of me to not consider your feelings.”
Lin Xinyan turned her head, not daring to look at her mother as she was afraid she might cry.
“Yan, can you promise me one thing?”
Lin Xinyan lowered her head and wiped the corner of her eyes before lifting her head. “What’s that?”
“Live a happy life with Zong Jinghao and raise the two children well. I’m at ease upon seeing how well he treats you.”
Lin Xinyan sniffled. “I will.”
Zong Jinghao did treat her well. Her current life was something she had never thought of before.
She had never thought that she would fall in love with a man one day.
One of the surprises in life was that you never knew the kind of person you will meet in your future.
“Give me a call whenever you want to come over,” Shen Peichuan said.
A country had its state laws; a family also needed family rules.
All he could do was to take good care of Zhuang Zijin. That would make things easier for Lin Xinyan.
Lin Xinyan nodded.
Zhuang Zijin bid farewell to Lin Xinyan and said, “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine here. I’ll feel uneasy if I were to be out there.”
Lin Xinyan did not move as she watched her mother being taken away.
As she walked along the corridor, Zhuang Zijin’s back looked thin. The setting sun cast a shadow on her frail figure through the windows.
Lin Xinyan watched her mother disappear little by little out of her sight.
It was as though she may never see Zhuang Zijin again if the woman were to disappear.
Lin Xinyan suddenly shouted, “Mom!”
Zhuang Zijin turned around and smiled at her.
Lin Xinyan pursed her lips and said, “Take care of yourself. I’ll come and see you often.”
Zhuang Zijin responded, “Okay.”
Shen Peichuan then guided Zhuang Zijin back in and arranged for someone to look after her.
He walked out after the arrangements were done and saw Lin Xinyan still standing in the hall. She was leaning against the wall with her head bowed, looking dejected. Shen Peichuan quickly walked over to her.
He did not know how to comfort her, so he asked, “Are you okay?”
Lin Xinyan lifted her head. “Do you have time? Care to join me for a drink?”
Shen Peichuan thought for a second and answered, “Sure.”
She was heavy-hearted, thinking she might feel better if she were to get drunk and sleep it off. It was better than keeping it inside.
Shen Peichuan said, “I’ll drive.”
Lin Xinyan passed him the car keys, and both of them walked out.
Shen Peichuan opened the car door for Lin Xinyan. Once she got into the car, he walked over to the other side and got into the driver’s seat. He started the car before he turned to her.
“Where are we going?” Shen Peichuan asked.
Lin Xinyan leaned her head on the window with her eyes half-closed, feeling glum. “I’ll let you choose a place, preferably somewhere quiet.”
“Alright.” Shen Peichuan had a quiet place in mind.
He drove steadily, and after about ten minutes, the car stopped outside of a bar.
Shen Peichuan often visited this bar, and this place definitely met Lin Xinyan’s requirement for a quiet place.
He led Lin Xinyan into the bar and asked for a bottle of wine that he had opened earlier.
Once he had arranged for Lin Xinyan to be seated, he excused himself to go to the washroom. Then, he walked out of the door and took out his phone. He hesitated for a while, wondering if he should give Zong Jinghao a call.
He thought of informing Zong Jinghao that Lin Xinyan was feeling down and that he should come to take her home.
But he was worried that Lin Xinyan might not be happy if he were to tattletale to Zong Jinghao.
After much deliberation, he decided to call Zong Jinghao and inform him. Otherwise, he would not know how to explain to Zong Jinghao if she were to drink too much.
He swiped his phone’s screen to find Zong Jinghao’s number. Just as he was about to make the call, he heard someone calling his name.
“Peichuan?”
Shen Peichuan lifted his head and saw Su Zhan walking towards him.
“It’s really you. And here I thought I saw the wrong person. Are you here for a drink?” Su Zhan was holding a document folder in his hand. He had not taken up lawsuits for quite some time. But since Qin Ya left, he had started to take up lawsuits again. Apart from working in the company, he stayed home to take care of his grandmother. Sometimes he would come out for a drink when he was missing Qin Ya.
Coincidently, today was the day he had decided to come here for a drink.
He put his arm around Shen Peichuan’s neck and said, “Come on, let’s have a drink together.”
Shen Peichuan looked at him. “I’m afraid we can’t do that.”
Su Zhan’s eyes widened. “Who else is here?”
