Song Yaxin parked the car by the roadside upon reaching the entrance of the villa. She did not get out of the car right away. Winding down the window, she glanced in the direction of the villa. She noticed that Su Zhan was not in B City and Zong Jinghao was not as nervous as before.
Has he given up, or is there more to this?
Her grip on the steering wheel tightened as she contemplated the endless possibilities.
In the end, she still could not figure out the core of the problem. She decided to look for Lin Xinyan and Zong Jinghao instead. After turning off the engine, she threw the car keys into her bag, got off, and headed toward the villa.
She rang the doorbell.
Aunt Yu answered the door not long after. “Who are you looking for?” she asked.
“I’m looking for Mr. Zong and his wife. Are they around?” Song Yaxin asked.
“Please wait here. I’ll go notify them.” Aunt Yu did not let her in since she had never seen Song Yaxin before. Besides, Zong Jinghao had clearly instructed her not to let strangers into the house.
Zong Yanxi had not fully recovered from the traumatic incident, and Zong Jinghao was afraid that her emotions might be affected by the presence of strangers in the house.
“Sure, could you please hurry up? It’s quite hot outside,” Song Yaxin said.
Aunt Yu nodded. Before closing the door, she asked, “How do I address you, Miss?”
“My last name is Song. I’m Song Yaxin.”
“Okay.” Aunt Yu closed the door and headed upstairs.
Only Lin Xinyan and Zong Yanxi were home. Zong Qifeng and Cheng Yuwen had brought Zong Yanchen out, while Zong Jinghao was away to tend to Aunt Wang’s matters as she had gotten hurt while on the job.
Inside the bedroom, Zong Yanxi did not say anything when she burrowed herself in Lin Xinyan’s embrace. She clutched at Lin Xinyan’s collar as if she were afraid that Lin Xinyan might disappear.
She would clutch onto Lin Xinyan after she had fallen asleep; even then, she would wake up from her sleep multiple times at night.
The little girl was plagued by anxiety.
Aunt Yu opened the door gently as she was afraid of waking the little one. She whispered, “Has Ruixi fallen asleep?”
Lin Xinyan answered, “No.”
Aunt Yu whispered again, “A lady with the surname Song is waiting for you downstairs. Do you know her? Should I let her in?”
Lin Xinyan had been feeling quite sluggish these days. First, she was worried about Shen Peichuan’s safety. Now, she was also worried that Zong Yanxi might not be able to move on from the traumatic incident. Besides, it was only normal for her to feel tired easily as she had entered her last trimester.
The surname, Song, did not ring a bell to Lin Xinyan. She lay in bed with her arm feeling quite numb as Zong Yanxi was leaning on it. She adjusted her body a little as she asked, “Did she mention why she’s here?”
Aunt Yu shook her head. “She only mentioned that she’s here to meet the two of you.”
“Just say that it’s inconvenient for me to receive guests right now.”
“Okay. I will ask her to leave,” Aunt Yu replied.
Lin Xinyan nodded. When Aunt Yu was about to head out of the room, Lin Xinyan asked, “Did she mention her name?”
“Her name is Song Yaxin.”
Song Yaxin? Isn’t she Shen Peichuan’s girlfriend? Lin Xinyan massaged her temples. Why is she here, though?
It’s not so nice to ask Shen Peichuan’s girlfriend to leave.
“Aunt Yu, let her in.”
Lin Xinyan sat up on the bed. Aunt Yu noticed that it was quite a struggle for her to pick up Zong Yanxi, so she stepped forward to offer a helping hand. However, Zong Yanxi circled her arms around Lin Xinyan’s neck as soon as Aunt Yu touched her, evidently afraid that Lin Xinyan would let her go.
Lin Xinyan patted her daughter’s back and soothed her. “Good girl, Mommy is not leaving. Could you loosen your grip? It’s hard for Mommy to breathe.”
Zong Yanxi let go a little but edged herself even closer to Lin Xinyan. She was afraid that Aunt Yu might pick her up.
Lin Xinyan ran her fingers through her daughter’s hair. She knew her daughter was just trying to protect herself and it was imperative for her to make her daughter feel safe. “Aunt Yu, why don’t you head downstairs first? I’ll go downstairs later.”
Aunt Yu nodded.
Lin Xinyan patted her daughter on her back. “It’s all over now. Nothing bad is going to happen again.”
Zong Yanxi did not reply and continued to wrap her arms around her mother’s neck. Lin Xinyan kissed her forehead. “There’s a guest downstairs. Do you want Mommy to take you downstairs?”
Zong Yanxi kept mum and stayed still in her mother’s arms.
Lin Xinyan patted her daughter’s head. She picked up her daughter by circling around her waist. As she rose, Lin Xinyan realized that her daughter had gained considerable weight. She supported her belly as she walked toward the stairs. Afraid that she might lose her balance, she put one hand around her daughter’s waist as she placed her other hand on the handrail.
Song Yaxin was already inside the house. She approached Lin Xinyan to help when she noticed that the latter was struggling. “Ruixi, your mommy is pregnant and it’s not so convenient for her to carry you. Why don’t you let me carry you?”
As she reached out to take Zong Yanxi, Lin Xinyan said, “It’s okay. She doesn’t like being hugged by anyone else…”
Zong Yanxi had already burst into tears before she could finish her sentence.
Song Yaxin retracted her hands right away.
Aunt Yu was in the kitchen preparing a drink for Song Yaxin. When she heard the noise, she rushed out of the kitchen. “What’s the matter?”
Song Yaxin felt rather awkward. She just wanted to help Lin Xinyan.
“I didn’t know she would cry,” Song Yaxin explained.
Aunt Yu cast a glance at her. She reached out to steady Lin Xinyan, “You’d better be careful.”
Lin Xinyan patted her daughter and comforted Song Yaxin at the same time, “She is in shock and doesn’t want others to touch her.”
“I see.” Song Yaxin followed Lin Xinyan to the sofa.
Lin Xinyan placed her daughter on her lap and looked in Song Yaxin’s direction. “What brings you here today?”
“I haven’t seen Su Zhan these two days. I wonder where he’s been?” Song Yaxin asked.
When Su Zhan went to meet Shen Peichuan, he had already mentioned that he did not tell the Song family he had found Shen Peichuan. Su Zhan had also asked Lin Xinyan and Zong Jinghao not to say anything.
Su Zhan said Song Yaxin and Shen Peichuan were not a good match for each other.
While Lin Xinyan felt quite bad for hiding the truth from Song Yaxin, she had a hunch that Su Zhan had his reasons for doing so. If Song Yaxin truly loved Shen Peichuan, she would be able to wait for him for a month or two.
I think Su Zhan wants to test Song Yaxin’s sincerity toward Shen Peichuan.
Lin Xinyan felt a pang of guilt for lying to Song Yaxin. However, she could not break her promise to Su Zhan.
“Didn’t he go looking for Shen Peichuan?” Lin Xinyan lowered her gaze when she spoke.
She patted her daughter as a way of escaping Song Yaxin’s scrutinizing gaze.
Su Zhan went looking for Shen Peichuan?
So my guess is wrong? Are they still looking for Shen Peichuan? Are they just widening the area of their search? Is that why I cannot find Su Zhan?
But why does Lin Xinyan seem like she’s avoiding me?
What is there to hide if Su Zhan is indeed looking for Shen Peichuan?
Song Yaxin lowered her head. “I know you guys must be thinking that I’m not a good match for Shen Peichuan. I know it’s because I’ve been married, but I really do like him. I’ve made a mistake in the past because I’ve been blinded. It’s really a pleasant surprise when he could still accept me for who I am. I really can’t sleep well now that I have no idea where he is. I think you are well aware of what kind of person Peichuan is.”
“I know. He’s really a dependable person,” Lin Xinyan replied.
“Now I’m really lost. I don’t know what to do. Could you give me an idea on what to do?” Song Yaxin grabbed Lin Xinyan’s hands. “My mother asks me to give him up but I really don’t want to. Whether he’s alive or dead, I want to see him.”
