"Dad! Look at Jiang Ruolan, she's getting worse! How dare she talk to me like that! She really deserves to be struck by lightning!" Jiang Bingqing gritted her teeth in anger. "What a disgusting woman, trying to pretend to be so proud and clean!"
"Why is Zihao so protective of her?" Zhan Lian suddenly asked her daughter beside her in a low voice.
Jiang Bingqing snorted unhappily. "Who knows if she's up to some tricks. Her trump cards are limitless!"
"Are you done?" Jiang Guanyu suddenly turned around and looked at Zhan Lian coldly and with dissatisfaction in his eyes. Then, he looked at Jiang Bingqing's unwilling expression and said, "What happened seven years ago during the Spring Festival? When I got home from Beijing, Ruolan was on the verge of death. Even if you didn't like her, even if I didn't care for her much, she had endured it for so many years. What had happened that made her run away so decisively?! Is there something you guys are hiding from me?!"
Jiang Bingqing smiled nonchalantly. "Dad, look at what you're saying. I don't think there's anything wrong with it. Jiang Ruolan's rebellion period wasn't over back then, and she was stubborn, so–"
"I can turn a blind eye to the things you did to Ruolan all those years ago, but the matter now has to do with the Xian Family. You should know the consequences!" Jiang Guanyu frowned and shouted. "Tell me the truth! What exactly had happened?"
Seeing that Jiang Guanyu actually scolded his daughter, Zhan Lian immediately said in a low voice in dissatisfaction, "Alright, enough. With so many people around, I wonder if you'll save some face for your own daughter!"
"Face? My face has been completely ruined by this damned girl today! How dare you say that to me!" Jiang Guanyu was fuming. He immediately turned around and left.
"Dad! Why are you mad at me? It's that little slut, Jiang Ruolan… "
Before Jiang Bingqing could finish her sentence, Jiang Guanyu had already climbed the stairs and walked out.
Jiang Bingqing's eyes were filled with anger. Still, when she saw that Jiang Guanyu was really angry, she could only mutter to Zhan Lian, "Mom..dad, he …"
"We'll talk about it when we get home." Apparently, Zhan Lian had been angered by the fact that her nephew was so protective of an outsider. She shifted her gaze to the outside of the door. Her gaze was sharp and piercing.
****
Jiang Ruolan did not know where she was going, nor did she know where her destination was. She was led by a warm hand, and when she regained her senses, she suddenly stopped and pulled her hand away from that warm hand.
Xian Zihao turned around and saw Jiang Ruolan standing under the street light with a lowered head. He sighed, "Jiang Ruolan, if you want to cry, then cry. There's no one here. You don't have to pretend to be so tough anymore."
Jiang Ruolan did not move as she stared at the empty spot on the other side of the road. "Do you want me to cry just because you think I'm sad? What's the use of crying? What can be solved? Could it be that if I cry, the heavens will let me be reborn and let me choose my parents again? Let me avoid those miserable and ridiculous lives that I've led for the past seventeen years?"
Just as Jiang Ruolan turned around, she felt the back of her head being lightly pressed by a hand, and she was completely caught off guard by Xian Zihao's embrace. She was startled.
Jiang Ruolan immediately raised her hand to push him away, but her wrist was immediately grabbed by Xian Zihao, and he held it down.
The distinct and elegant scent of him alone was still lingering in her nostrils. Xian Zihao's voice carried a faint sigh. "Does it hurt?"
It seemed that after being separated for so many years, Jiang Bingqing's method of grabbing people had become more powerful. Jiang Ruolan hadn't noticed it earlier, but right now, she felt pain on her wrist.
Jiang Bingqing was so ruthless.
Jiang Ruolan lowered her sleeves to cover her purplish skin. "It doesn't hurt."
When she raised her head, she saw Xian Zihao's unhappy face and his slightly wrinkled brows. She was stunned for a moment.
Jiang Ruolan immediately turned her face away. Xian Zihao abruptly grabbed her waist to prevent her from escaping. He lowered his eyes and looked at her. "Instead keep your guard on me, you should do that to the Jiang Family. Be strong for them to see, not for me."
Xian Zihao's gentle voice carried a bit of heartache and comfort as he sighed and whispered into Jiang Ruolan's ear, "When you're tired, you can put down those strong barriers. If you don't want to cry in front of others, you can cry in my arms."
It was an irresistible embrace, warm and full of his own freshness, solidly only for her.
When a person was facing these kinds of injuries, they would be stubborn to the point of not letting a single tear fall. However, when someone comforted them, their wall would definitely collapse, and Jiang Ruolan was no exception.
Xian Zihao's hands gently caressed Jiang Ruolan's back. He kissed her forehead gently.
Have you ever tried the feeling that when you are used to being alone to support the sky that belongs only to you, when no one is sympathetic, when no one is pitiful to you; then suddenly there is someone who enters your life with a quiet and calm yet resolute attitude, gentle and pure as a fresh spring, quietly embracing you, giving you a shoulder, giving you a hug, and telling you if you want to cry, you can cry in his arm.
Have you ever felt that feeling? That kind of warm feeling that Jiang Ruolan never dreamed of at all.
'Xian Zihao, I think I will never regret marrying you.'
This kind of gentle redemption is enough for her to live a life of warmth.
When Jiang Ruolan had cried enough, she left Xian Zihao's embrace.
Xian Zihao suddenly raised his hand and rubbed her nose, then her chin and looked at her reddened eyes.
He then wiped the dry tears that still hung at the corner of her eyes, and with a frown and a sigh. "Tell me, what happened at the Jiang Family back then? How can you pretend like nothing happened when your wrist was swollen."
Xian Zihao's expression was as calm as usual. He brushed Jiang Ruolan's messy hair that covered her forehead and cheeks.
His voice was getting softer as he looked at her patiently.
Jiang Ruolan always felt ashamed of herself, but at this moment, when she was surrounded by Xian Zihao's gentle and meticulous care, she felt that there was no escape for her.
She raised her red eyes and looked at the gentle man in front of her. Her voice hoarse and heavy as she said, "I've cried enough, thank you for lending me shoulders."
With that, she turned away quickly, shielding her face and nose from the tears with her arm.
Xian Zihao suddenly tightened his grip and pulled Jiang Ruolan back to where she stood with ease. With a frown, he asked, "What are you running for?"
"I am not running." Jiang Ruolan lowered her head and continued to cover her red nose and face. Because she had been crying for a while, her nasal voice was now apparent.
"Raise your head and look at me."
Jiang Ruolan kept her head down, unmoving.
Xian Zihao sighed, "Jiang Ruolan, I never thought you were a coward."
Jiang Ruolan raised her head to look at him with a helpless expression. She let go of the arm that was covering her face and just stared at Xian Zihao with her red eyes. "What are you trying to say? I'm already like this and you still have the mood to mock me?!"
