CH 28.1

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It was already 4pm when they arrived at the Zhong family. Liang Yin looked at this familiar place through the car’s window with ripples in her eyes.

Since she moved here with her maternal grandma when she was 15, Zhong family has been a frequent place for her. Her maternal grandma and Old Madam Zhong were bosom friends. With no dependents in their advanced age, they agreed to live together. Old Madam Zhong has no children of her own, while maternal grandma only left with a granddaughter, hence she had stayed here vacation after vacation, and even had her own room in the Zhong family.

But she never thought she could still come back. It might not be easy to become ‘Mrs. Zhong’ from ‘the Zhong family’s little sister’, but it’s really too difficult to return to be ‘the Zhong family’s little sister’ from ‘Mrs. Zhong’.

Zhong Mingzhen drove all the way to the door and stopped. Someone came to open the door and was momentarily surprised to see her getting off, but quickly called out with a smile, “Mrs. Zhong is back.” They naturally knew about the divorce between the Mr. and the Mrs, but they still called out ‘Mrs.’ seeing them coming back together.

Zhong Mingzhen didn’t inform them that they would be back.

They are all Zhong family’s veteran staff, who had watched Liang Yin grow up and watched her marry into the Zhong family, so their feelings are profoundly deep all these years.

Liang Yin smiled with a bowed head without any response.

The chauffeur had parked the car by the side too. He got out of the car and opened the trunk again. On the way, they had gone back to the hotel to pack and naturally knew what was inside. Zhong Mingzhen walked over to help him with the luggage. Seeing the bag on the side, he turned around again and asked, “Do you want to take this up too?”

Liang Yin had also followed over and saw what was in his hand. Taking it, she said, “I’ll do it myself.”

It was the bag filled with snacks that Zhou Jianchen bought for her.

Taking a quick glance at it, Zhong Mingzhen paid no heed – she didn’t seem to snack as far as he could remember.

The chauffeur had walked in with the luggage. Zhong Mingzhen turned around and said, “Let’s go.”

Xiao Tian had already taken over the bag in her hand, so Liang Yin followed.

When they got inside, Old Madam of the Zhong family had already come out to greet them in her wheelchair, “Yinyin is back!” She spoke with an obvious pleasant surprise on her face. A kindly old lady who is gracefully poised and composed, she is over 70 this year. She fell from the stairs a few years ago and is wheelchair bound afterwards whenever the weather turns cold.

Liang Yin called out ‘Grandma’ and handed over the gift in her hand. The gift was bought when she came back. She picked a hundreds of thousands jewel-encrusted pearl brooch in a friend’s jewelry store and Zhong Mingzhen eventually swiped the card.

Accepting the gift, Zhong family’s Old Madam then turned around to instruct the servant, “Hurry, hurry, have Wu Ma prepare a few more dishes and make what Yinyin likes!” After saying that, she grasped her hand again, “It’s good that you’re back, it’s good that you’re back.”

Since Zhong Mingzhen didn’t inform her, she thought they wouldn’t come back this year.

Liang Yin’s heart felt somewhat heavy as she listened.

“Let’s go in and talk.” Zhong Mingzhen opened his mouth again from behind.

The servant hurriedly pushed Old Madam Zhong towards the living room with Liang Yin following behind too.

All the way, the servants called her ‘Mrs.’ when they saw her, but Liang Yin still didn’t acknowledge.

Dinner was soon ready. A table full of dishes and only four people were seated. Old Madam Zhong sat on the main seat with Zhong Mingzhen and Liang Yin seated on either side, and Xiao Tian sat beside Liang Yin. Xiao Tian felt somewhat reserved but the old lady just greeted her enthusiastically and Liang Yin took the serving chopsticks to serve her some dishes.

Although Xiao Tian is an assistant, she is also a guest once she arrives here while she herself is a guest too.

The dishes on the table were very sumptuous, all of which were her favorite. Eating it, Liang Yin’ felt even more unpleasant.

Everyone went about their business again after dinner. Xiao Tian was taken to the guest room and Zhong Mingzhen had also gone upstairs while Liang Yin stayed behind in the small living room to chat with Old Madam.

A blanket covered Old Madam’s legs and there was compassion in her eyes, “Yinyin, can’t you just remarry Mingzhen?”

Liang Yin merely lowered and shook her head.

Looking at her, Old Madam just sighed heavily.

She already knew the ‘inside story’ of their divorce, and this was just a fluke question. Mingzhen had never brought the one named Qiao Shan back, but this time he purposely rushed back from abroad to go worship with her, so she just thought, perhaps there was still a slight possibility. She, however, also knew how much Zhong Mingzhen liked the girl named Qiao Shan back then and it was indeed impossible for them to really get back together.

Old Madam had met Qiao Shan. It was many many years ago. She came once with his friends. She didn’t like such a girl, who was too restless and too impetuous, but Mingzhen liked her, so she could only smile to express her welcome.

She has been in the Zhong family for decades, and seems calmly poised but it is merely decorum.

She knew that the entire Zhong family would be at the mercy of Zhong Mingzhen in the future thus she could only go along without defying. The family’s first branch had driven out the second branch and although she was later tolerated, she after all was not related. She had taken care of Zhong Mingzhen for several years and his temperament was eventually not something she could control.

In those years, it was not without her own selfish motives that she treated Liang Yin kindly. She has no son, hence no foundation in the Zhong family. If she could let Liang Yin marry into the Zhong family, she somewhat would have someone to rely on. She is so good-looking and arouses fondness just by looking at her, so perhaps she could catch Zhong Mingzhen’s attention, and she has no other family members apart from a maternal grandma.

She got what she wanted later, in which she never revealed much and felt the happiest.

But now, everything has fallen through.

Old Madam Zhong was rather perplexed. She started with selfish motives, but after all these years, how can there be no genuine feelings?

After a while, Old Madam Zhong went back to her room. She is, after all, old. Although she has lived in clover, in the end, she is not like ordinary people. Liang Yin sent her back to her room and helped her settle down before she went out.

“Mrs. The room has been tidied up.” Outside the door, the servant was already in wait.

Liang Yin nodded and followed her upstairs. Old Madam Zhong’s legs were inconvenient, so she has lived downstairs since then, but her room was upstairs.

It was already half past eight and it was quiet upstairs. In fact, the Zhong family has always been quiet. The Zhong family’s house is huge but there are really too few people.

Father Zhong moved out long ago since he didn’t get along well with the Old Master. When he retired later, he simply moved abroad to recuperate and Mother Zhong naturally followed too; Zhong Jianian doesn’t live here, and after Father Zhong left, he rarely came back too.

The Zhong family’s house is huge, but it’s really too deserted.

If they don’t come back, apart from the servants, Old Madam is the only one here.

Going up and all the way down the aisle, the servant stopped in front of the door on the right. She opened it, turned around and asked, “Mrs, should I prepare the hot water for you?”

Liang Yin looked, but paused.

What the servant opened was Zhong Mingzhen’s room, which later was their bedroom.

Liang Yin didn’t move forward. The servant might have forgotten the fact that she was no longer the Zhong family’s Mrs, but she still remembered. Coming up, she wanted to go back to the room where she used to live.

Her room is still ahead.

Seeing her stopping there, the servant only replied, “This was arranged by the Young Master just now. He said to let you stay here.”

Liang Yin was stunned hearing that.

At this moment, the door of another room next to the aisle opened and Zhong Mingzhen walked out. His footsteps halted instantly seeing them but he quickly closed the door and walked over.

This is his study and he was just handling some matters inside.

“Young Master, Mrs. I’ll go down first then.” Seeing this, the servant spoke. Although they were divorced, she didn’t know what actually happened and it’s still better to let them resolve certain matters themselves.

Zhong Mingzhen acceded and Liang Yin watched him approach without speaking.

Zhong Mingzhen had changed to night wear with a pair of glasses on the bridge of his nose. He looked a little tired, but soon returned to normalcy.

He rarely puts his glasses on, only when he is particularly tired and needs to work.

He took the flight back once he got the news. Since there was no direct flight, he still had to transfer twice and arrived at Rongcheng in the early hours of the morning. He went to the cemetery after only a few hours rest and then drove several hours back here.

Looking at him, Liang Yin’s gaze wavered a little. She liked the way he looked with the glasses on because this made her feel that their distance was not too far.

Zhong Mingzhen had stopped in front of her and spoke again, “You just stay here tonight.”

Lowering her head, Liang Yin replied after a pause, “No need.” She knew why he did it, he was afraid of embarrassing her.

Zhong Mingzhen looked at her, as if he had something to say, but in the end he just lowered his eyes and added, “Your things are placed inside for you.”

Following which he added, “Go to bed early.”

With that, he turned around and went downstairs.

Liang Yin’s heart trembled looking at his back. She turned her head and sure enough, her things were already in the bedroom.

When the servant brought her luggage up, she was taken to the living room but he came upstairs together. She didn’t notice at that time, but now, he must have instructed this matter …

Walking into the room, nothing has changed inside. It is the same as it should be. Her heart however was even heavier looking at it.

It was here she had that one time with him 5 years ago.

And that one time also happened on this day.

The day before Grandma’s birthday.

If she had been more resolute at that time, if nothing happened at that time …

Taking a deep breath, the rims of Liang Yin’s eyes reddened a little, but in the end she just walked to the table, took her things and exited the room.

Zhong Mingzhen wanted to give her dignity, but they are already divorced.

She took her stuff to the room that originally belonged to her. She opened the door and pressed the intercom.

Chen Ma answered very quickly and Liang Yin just spoke softly, “Chen Ma, trouble you to come up to help me tidy up my room in a short while.”

Chen Ma was cleaning up the living room. She was rather stunned hearing the call and turned to look at Zhong Mingzhen who was on the side. Zhong Mingzhen, however, just finished the water in the cup without saying anything.

Except his eyes turned silent for a moment.

The room was quickly tidied up, and Chen Ma retreated and closed the door again.

Taking out the contents of her suitcase, Liang Yin felt emptiness in her heart but calm.

At this moment, the phone screen lit up and it was Zhou Jianchen who sent a WeChat message.

“Finally called it a day and I’m exhausted.”

Browsing up, there were several more.

“As soon as you left, it snowed here.” In the photo, snowflakes drifted in the sky.

“I saw the weather forecast in Rongcheng, it’s below zero today ah and it’s raining too, so don’t catch a chill.” __ This was at 10 am.

“Have you eaten yet? I forgot to tell you, there’s something called buttermilk thin crisps in the bag. I heard my talent agent talk about it. It’s delicious, you can try it.” __ This was at noon.

“Once you leave, the progress slows down significantly.” __ This was at 3 pm.

“Old Du said he misses you.” __ This was 6 pm.

“I miss you too.” __ This was right after that.

Browsing through one by one, there was a smile on Liang Yin’s lips but also tears in her eyes.

She had switched to mute mode today and hadn’t looked at it at all, thus she had not responded.

She opened the bag which was still full of stuff on the side. He told her to take it with her to snack on the trip, but she didn’t have the habit of snacking, so she just kept it.

Taking out one by one, everything was inside, bread, cookies, cakes, potato chips, beef jerky, yogurt, milk, drinks … and even a box of chocolate and a box of candies.

He seems to treat her like a little girl, and would buy her everything she wants to eat.

Liang Yin’s tears couldn’t help trickling down. Since her father’s death, no one has spoiled her so much and so like a kid. Buying her cakes, candy and all the things other kids like to eat.

“Are you asleep?” Zhou Jianchen sent another message again.

Picking up her cellphone, Liang Yin finally replied, “Not yet.”