The wind outside bellowed loudly as the tree branches rattled. They creaked and formed many shadows against the glass window.
The clock was ticking away on the wall.
After some time, Lin Xinyan’s legs felt numb while her body turned slightly hot. Zong Jinghao carried her upstairs and placed her on the bed. She felt groggy as she recalled herself getting drenched in the rain during the day. Actually, she had felt a little chilly after the incident but did not bother about it.
However, she was now feeling cold even when she was lying under the covers.
She vaguely heard someone say, “Go to sleep.”
Opening her eyes, she looked at him worriedly. “What about you?”
Lin Xinyan was not well-rested during the past few days; she was very exhausted today. Thus, even though she did not receive a response, she still quickly drifted off.
A loud thunder woke her up in the night.
The room was dark; only a warm yellow light glowed by the bedside. It was pouring heavily in the night. She caught sight of the raindrops against her glass window that was tightly shut.
There was no one beside her as the sheets were neat. Instead, only the side she slept on was wrinkled. It meant Zong Jinghao had not lain down at all. She got up and headed towards the study as she recalled Zong Jinghao’s reaction earlier. When she entered the study downstairs, it was empty. She could only hear the sound of the rain.
Lin Xinyan searched the entire villa but no avail.
In the end, she decided to knock on Shen Peichuan’s door in desperation. The man was awakened by the thunder as well and hadn’t fallen back asleep.
He opened the door as soon as he heard someone knocking and saw Lin Xinyan standing by his door. “He’s gone,” she said anxiously.
Shen Peichuan frowned. “What?”
Zong Jinghao has disappeared?
“Give me a second. Let me put something on.” Shen Peichuan turned and closed the door.
Lin Xinyan looked out from the living room. It was pitch black outside as it was raining and the sky was dark. She opened the door and a gush of cold wind swept inside. Lin Xinyan shivered in the cold as she stepped into the garage in slippers. She realized a car was missing and found out that Zong Jinghao had gone out.
Shen Peichuan frowned when he saw Lin Xinyan in thin clothing and said, “Although the weather is getting warmer, it does get cold when it rains. You should put on something warmer before we start searching for him.”
Lin Xinyan turned to look at him. “I think I know where he went.”
That made things easier. Shen Peichuan urged her to wear something warm before they head out. She felt slightly dizzy and assumed it was because her body was feeling feverish. However, she quickly shrugged off the thought as finding Zong Jinghao was the priority at that moment.
She put on a jacket and changed her shoes as Shen Peichuan ushered her into the car with an umbrella.
“Let’s go the Qing garden.”
Shen Peichuan looked sideways at her but said nothing before heading in that direction.
The night of B City was covered with raging rain across the entire city.
A dark figure stood by the cordierite brick steps in Qing Garden. The scent of the chrysanthemums had blended with the rain, evoking a sense of sorrow.
A man stood before the lonely tombstone, silently staring at the picture.
The first time he met her was when Zong Qifeng brought her home. At that time, he believed that she was the reason he had lost his mom. Hence, he smashed the teacup that the maid handed him on the ground. The cup shattered into pieces while hot tea spilled everywhere. But she did not reprimand him for being unreasonable. Instead, she rushed to his side to check if he was injured.
He thought the woman was so pretentious at that moment and that she was so great at pretending to be as nervous and caring as his biological mom.
When he finally realized she was indeed his mother, he did not call her ‘mom’. He could not take the initiative to do so even though she was right before him.
It was because he blamed and resented her for not revealing the truth to him. Because of her decision, he had to live resentment for many years.
After he listened to her words, he suddenly realized that his grievances, hatred, and inability to accept were nothing in comparison to her sacrifices for him.
She was imprisoned for six years; her best years and youth had gone to waste. Moreover, she gave up the family business of the Cheng family only to stay by his side.
She could have left selfishly and found someone else to live a peaceful life together. Yet, if you desired so much to be with me that you gave up the Cheng family without hesitation, why were you willing to leave me now?
Cheng Yuxiu, you are cruel to me as always.
He fell to the ground, his knees slamming hard on the rain-drenched ground. There was so much that he wanted to say, yet he could not bring himself to say anything. Instead, he bowed as his forehead touched the cold ground and rain pummeled against his body.
The pouring rain became heavier as if God were too shedding tears at this moment.
Water trickled down his face endlessly. Yet, no one could tell if it was the rain or his tears. A trace of hatred flashed past his cold eyes that were filled with pain.
Lin Xinyan walked over with an umbrella and stood beside him, shielding him from the rain. She stood there without a word and looked down at Cheng Yuxiu’s photo as well.
I will stand by his side. I’m determined to get to the bottom of this and punish the person who had murdered this woman!
Mom, I promise you that I will take good care of him and protect our children.
“Jinghao, let’s go home.” Lin Xinyan bent over and said softly.
She brushed her fingers across his cold and hard face before saying, “We have so much to do next; we have to catch the person who did this.”
She understood that the sense of hatred toward the culprit who had harmed Cheng Yuxiu was the only thing that could carry him through this grief. It was the only way for him to overcome this.
He reached out to hug her and hummed softly.
The rain raged all night until the next day. Zong Jinghao had left early; Lin Xinyan knew he had gone off to investigate the car incident.
She took care of the children as they ate breakfast. They had grown to be well-behaved children. Hence, she did not have to do much. They were able to eat, wash hands, and wipe after themselves independently.
She hugged and rubbed their heads before saying, “What obedient children you are! You’ll grow up in no time.”
When Lin Ruixi spotted her brother, Lin Xichen, hugging Lin Xinyan, she too hugged her mother.
Aunt Yu walked over after she cleared the dining table and said, “It’s time to prepare you for elementary school. Let’s do some reading and writing, kids.”
“Go ahead,” Lin Xinyan urged the kids.
Lin Xinyan watched their tiny but straight figures; she remembered the time when they were born. They were so tiny, yet they were all grown up in a blink of an eye. She stroked her belly as she could feel the little one. Lowering her head, she whispered, “You have to be a good baby, alright? Your grandmother gave up her life for yours.”
She had felt a little feverish since yesterday, but she kept it to herself because she did not want to worry Zong Jinghao. However, now that he was not home, she decided to visit the hospital with a bodyguard and requested the driver to get the car ready.
Due to her prominent identity, her checkup was through the priority lane. Her comprehensive checkup was done by the doctor who treated her initially. The fetus was in good condition, but Lin Xinyan herself was slightly feverish, which had caused the fetus’ heartbeat to increase.
It was not appropriate for her to consume any medication according to her current condition. Therefore, the doctor advised her to apply a physical cooling method to lower her temperature. This method would effectively ease her symptoms.
“I didn’t expect you to recover so quickly. Anyways, keep it up. You’re doing great,” the doctor added.
Lin Xinyan thanked the doctor and left.
When she was about to get in the car, she spotted a familiar figure standing in the hospital park.
She stopped and stared for a couple of seconds before the familiar figure turned and she saw the face.
Her eyes narrowed instantly. Zong Jinghao mentioned that Zhuang Zijin’s report was no big deal and she is still serving her prison sentence. Why would she be here in a hospital gown? What’s going on?
