After Zhuang Ning excused herself to go to the bathroom, she stood in the bathroom as she tried to make sense of her inexplicable discomfort. She felt that Guan Tang’s house was very strange; even the bathroom was strange. Unfortunately, she could not put her fingers on what exactly it was that made her feel strange and uncomfortable.
Zhuang Ning carefully recalled the layout of the living room when she noticed a pool of water under her feet. Water was slowly seeping out of the cracks at the bottom of the wall. Shocked, she squatted down to study the wall.
‘This wall should be connected to the extremely long wall in the living room. Is there a room behind this wall?’
Zhuang Ning reached out to knock on the wall and was shocked when she heard a hollow noise. However, after a moment, she thought it was not strange for there to be a secret room; everyone had their own secrets, after all.
As she looked at the puddle of water, she wondered to herself again, ‘Did someone intentionally create this puddle of water or is it just a leakage?’
Soon enough, her heart skipped a beat when she noticed the water seemed to carry what seemed like a trace of blood.
At this moment, Guan Tang knocked on the door and asked, “Zhuang Ning, are you done?”
Zhuang Ning hurriedly answered, “Yes, yes.”
Zhuang Ning looked around before she filled a small water scoop with water before splashing waster against the crack in the wall, washing the water that carried a trace of blood away. Then, she deliberately dropped the basin and exclaimed, “Ah! I accidentally dropped the bucket of water.”
When Zhuang Ning opened the door, she said to Guan Tang apologetically, “I’m sorry. I spilled water on the floor.
Guan Tang immediately said, “It’s okay. It’s not a big deal.” When she walked in and saw the mess, she asked, “What happened?”
Zhuang Ning picked up the water scoop from the ground and said, “I saw your water scoop. It’s really unique. The patterns inside are really beautiful. Where did you buy it? I dropped it earlier when I picked it up to have a closer look. Hurry up and see if it’s broken.”
Guan Tang seemed pleased that Zhuang Ning liked her choice of decorations. “It’s nice, right? If you like it, I’ll bring you to the place I bought it.”
Zhuang Ning pointed at the puddle of water on the ground and said, “Sorry for causing a mess.”
Guan Tang pulled Zhuang Ning out and said, “Don’t worry. The cleaner will clean it up.”
As Zhuang Ning walked out, she briefly turned to look at the wall again.
After Guan Tang pulled Zhuang Ning to the couch, she asked kindly, “What do you think? I’ve been talking to you for so long. Have you thought it through?”
Zhuang Ning feigned an enlightened expression and nodded. “I have. Guan Tang, thank you! You’re right. I’ll ask Ye Cheng to meet when I return.”
Guan Tang sighed in relief. “That’s right. You must have faith in your relationship. After all, this concerns your lifelong happiness. However, I admit I have my selfish reasons as well. I hope that you and Ye Cheng will be able to stay together and not let Yin Jia have what she wants.”
Guan Tang was rather smart. To admit her selfishness now would make most people trust her even more.
As expected, Zhuang Ning said, “Guan Tang, don’t say that. I’m very grateful to you. Initially, I told myself that I would not bother with Ye Cheng ever again. However, after listening to you, I finally understood that there’s no reason for me to give up on my feelings for someone else’s sake! I’ll definitely ask Ye Cheng if he still has me in his heart. If… If his feelings for me are real, then, I… I definitely won’t give up!”
Zhuang Ning looked determined as she spoke.
Guan Tang smiled and patted Zhuang Ning’s hand encouragingly. “That’s right. If it’s inconvenient for both of you to meet outside in the future, you can always come to my house. No one will be able to guess that both of you are meeting here.”
When Zhuang Ning’s face lit up upon hearing these words, a sense of accomplishment flooded Guan Tang’s heart.
