Between men, many things need not be said.
Even though Shu Tinglan was stubborn, she had to leave the city. The next day, on her way to the law firm, she saw that black car again, following her nonchalantly. When she deliberately slowed down to wait for them, the black car also drove slowly up and paralleled her. The two people in the front row, driver and passenger seat, smiled ominously at her, full of provocation.
The rear window of the car was rolled down halfway, revealing half of the black-clad man inside. His side profile was cold and intimidating.
At this time, a piercing roar of motorcycles came from behind the black car. Yi Muyang, dressed in all black with a helmet, rode his motorcycle at full speed.
Originally, the black car was following Shu Tinglan’s car. Now, it had turned into a race between the black car and a motorcycle. The motorcycle nimbly weaved through traffic, while the black car refused to be outdone, staying close behind.
Shu Tinglan’s car drove safely and smoothly towards the law firm.
All the way, her palms were sweating. The three people in the black car had a sinister aura that sent shivers down her spine. While they only brushed past each other before, the ruthlessness and warning in their eyes set off alarm bells in her heart.
She turned the car around and headed home. Although there was Aunt Liu and Zhuo Yu’an, who still hadn’t left, she couldn’t help but worry. When she drove to the building, she unexpectedly saw Yi Muyang, who had just been speeding on the road, leaning against his motorcycle with a helmet in his hand, looking at her. His face was extremely grim, and his expression held anger.
Since they’d been together, he had never looked at her like that.
“Are you satisfied with putting yourself in danger?”
He hated that she hadn’t left the city even after he made it so clear last night. What if Gan An caught her?
Shu Tinglan stood still and explained.
“I’m just about to go to the law firm and resign from my position with Mr. Sun.”
Yi Muyang’s expression froze, he said nothing more. He turned and got onto his motorcycle, put on his helmet, and roared away. Earlier, in order to lure Gan An and the others away, he had ridden a motorcycle. The wound on his foot had cracked open, bleeding slightly. He didn’t dare stay any longer, afraid that the blood would drip out and worry her.
Shu Tinglan saw a drop of blood where he had just been standing, tears welling up. She shouted towards his howling retreating figure.
“Yi Muyang, I will return to Senzhou. You need to be careful.”
Exhausted, life is like grinding for levels, one after another, never-ending.
The city was her starting point, a haven she had always relied on. Since the day she arrived, she had made up her mind to put down roots here, never expecting that one day she would have to leave in such a humiliating manner, not even having time to say goodbye to Lawyer Sun or Mrs. Shi, let alone explain the reason behind it all.
Aunt Liu didn’t know what had happened. She was temporarily assigned by Ah Chang to bring the children, and she developed feelings for them in the process. Now, she could only silently cry and help pack up the children’s things one by one.
Mrs. Fu sighed after hearing Aunt Liu’s report while traveling abroad. “After all, Aoyang doesn’t have that kind of luck. Let us wish them well.”
Even though her heart believed that Shu Tinglan was returning to Senzhou to reunite with Zhuo Yu’an, she didn’t harbor any resentment. She sincerely offered her blessings.
The two little children were oblivious, unaware that their lives were about to undergo a massive change. They thought they were simply going on a business trip with their mother. Shuxiao Nian had a tiny bit of doubt, but it vanished because she was so excited about being able to go on the trip with her mother.
This house, decorated by her own hands, there’s nothing she can take with her. She felt a pang of sadness. This house held too many tears and laughter. Her children were born here, she healed here, there were just so many memories. Even more than the house she had in the suburbs of Senzhou.
Zuo Yu’an comforted
“Let’s come back after everything is settled.”
She didn’t speak, she just handed the key to Aunt Liu.
“Please help me coordinate with the landlord for the handover. This apartment was rented for five years, and there is still one year left on the lease. Let’s see how the landlord wants to handle the settlement.”
Zhuo Yu’an and Aunt Liu were both stunned. They had always thought it was her house, but they didn’t expect it to be rented.
Of course it’s rented, she doesn’t have the money to buy a house. When she divorced and left Senzhou, she didn’t have much savings to begin with, and later when her mother fell ill, she spent almost all of her savings.
After arriving in the city, when her work just started, her meager salary was only enough for basic living. Later, after the children were born, she took any case to make money, running almost day and night, her salary increased, but after paying rent and the cost of a babysitter, there was little left.
So she kept renting a place. Luckily, in order to have a stable living environment, she signed a five-year lease agreement at the beginning. The rent has never gone up, and her landlord, seeing how hard she was having it, never made things difficult for her.
I don’t want to bring up the past, I live a comfortable life working with my own hands and renting a place.
Her nonchalant words pierced through Zhu Yu’s heart like a knife. He had always lived a life of abundance, having little concept of money. It was just a number to him. Over time, he developed a certain “how can you not eat the meat and rice” attitude towards money, never once considering that she would be struggling financially or that someone could be driven to their limit by poverty. He was simply too affluent to comprehend such concepts.
He and she were like Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. She was at the bottom, struggling to meet basic survival needs like food, shelter, and transportation. While he stood at the top, seeking love, respect, and self-actualization. The man at the top looked down and criticized those at the bottom: “Why don’t you keep up with me? Why won’t you love me?”
Shu Tinglan had already given the keys to Aunt Liu, and was leading the two little ones out of the house. Zhuo Yu’an ran forward and, before getting in the car, gave the three of them a tight hug, whispering
“Thank you for your hard work.” Thousands of words couldn’t express it better than these three.
When they arrived at the airport, Xiaoxin came to see off Lawyer Shu. Seeing the two little kids, she cried uncontrollably. Lawyer Shu was her master, and although he was strict with her on a daily basis, he had put in his best effort to guide her. No matter what, she couldn’t bear to see him leave. Her heart felt empty, and she didn’t even know how to proceed with her future career path.
“Don’t cry, when I stabilize things in Senzhou, if you still want to follow me, you’re always welcome.” Shu Tinglan himself wasn’t in a good mood and didn’t have the heart to comfort Xiao Xin, but what he said was true.
“Mm-hmm”
Xiaoxin looked at the two adorable children, who she had watched grow up. She felt a pang of sadness for a moment, so she squatted down and said to them.
“You guys should listen to Mommy when you get there, and don’t forget about Sister Xiaoxin.”
The two children nodded obediently.