Lin Chu stopped ma.s.saging, but she lowered her head to kiss him on the forehead. Her hands caressed his scalp gently through his hair. It was another sort of comforting feeling.
The bedroom was especially quite tonight. Only their breathing could be heard. Yan Beicheng"s breathing was deep and slow. Lin Chu thought he had fallen asleep.
He suddenly said quietly, "That man next to her tonight is called Lu Zhenghang."
Lin Chu"s eyelashes flickered. She had been so focused on Yan Beicheng that she did not give it any thought. Now that she looked back at what happened at the Red Roof, Yan Beicheng had referred to the young man next to Jiang Changdai as "Mr. Lu". Jiang Changdai had also intimately called him "Zhenghang".
Lin Chu was slightly agitated, "He"s from the Lu family?"
"He"s Lu Weining"s older brother, he"s one year older than she is," Yan Beicheng replied coldly. There was no emotion in his voice.
The thought of Jiang Changdai trying her best to get into Lu Zhenting"s good books by treating his son and daughter better than her biological children while Yan Beicheng, her son, was treated like garbage made Lin Chu feel so much heartache for him.
She bent over and lowered her head, planting a soft kiss on the corner of his eye, "Let"s not think about them anymore."
"I"m okay. I just feel disgusted seeing her with the Lu family. So disgusted," Yan Beicheng said in a hoa.r.s.e voice.
Lin Chu hugged him sadly. She could not understand what Jiang Changdai was thinking and understood her actions even less.
Yan Beicheng was such a good man; how could anyone stand to treat him this way?
Yan Beicheng paused and said quietly, "Lu Zhenghang looks very much alike Lu Zhenting."
Lin Chu understood what he was trying to say. It was because of this that he especially hated Lu Zhenghang.
This could very well be the reason why Jiang Changdai treated Lu Zhenghang so well like he was the apple of her eye, much more enthusiastic and gentler than how she treated Lu Weining.
"I"ll stop thinking about them," Yan Beicheng breathed out a sigh. The warm breath spread on her abdomen.
His warm breath could be felt through her thin pajamas. It was like a warm little hug on her abdomen which tickled the same time.
"Besides b.u.mping into Miss Jiang and Lu Zhenghang at the entrance of the Red Roof, I"ve had a really good time," Yan Beicheng said quietly. His voice was gentle. All his initial stress, helplessness, and rage had disappeared.
Lin Chu caressed his hair lightly as she let allowed him to hug her while curled up. "Stop thinking about them. I"ve been happy every single day because I"m married to you. And because they made you sad, I hate them. Yan Beicheng, your every emotion affects me and pulls me in every direction you are headed. When you"re happy, I"m happy; when you"re sad, I will feel even sadder. Yan Beicheng, let"s stop making me sad, won"t you? Stop thinking about things and people that make you sad. They"re not worth it, and they"re not qualified to do so. Think about something that makes you happy, think about your real family. Those who love you would want you to be happy. We should ignore people like Jiang Changdai. She would not feel anything if you are unhappy, she wouldn"t even be aware of your feelings. For the sake of those who love you, for your own sake as well, don"t let them affect you."
Yan Beicheng was still lying on her lap. He hugged her even tighter as he buried his face into her soft tummy, slightly pressing it in.
"Yan Beicheng, we will have children one day. We"ll have sons and daughters. We"ll treat our children well, we"ll be good parents." Lin Chu hugged him back tightly.
"Yes, I won"t ignore them because of work. I"ll bring them out to have fun and help them with their studies. You"ll treat them well too. You"ll love them so much. What we did not have and lacking, we"ll give them to our children," Yan Beicheng said gently.
"Yes, we will!" Lin Chu nodded confidently.
"Don"t worry, I won"t be sad, and I won"t think about it too much," Yan Beicheng flipped over as he continued using her lap as a pillow. He raised his arms as his slender fingers gently caressed her soft, silky face.
He saw the look of worry that was still in Lin Chu"s eyes. It warmed Yan Beicheng"s heart like it was being heated by a little sun.
His lips curved into a warm smile as he slowly slid his fingers, which were touching her face softly, from gently pinching her delicate ears, to her soft, silky hair, and it, at last, moved towards the back of her neck.
He pressed on it gently and Lin Chu complied by lowered her head to imprint her lips on his.
Yan Beicheng gently kissed her and said quietly as his lips were on hers, "I"m not sad. With you by my side, I"ll always be happy. So, please be happy with me."
"I will," Lin Chu replied softly.
It was Sunday today. Lin Chu was driving to the orphanage.
Yan Beicheng had to go outstation on Friday, but it was not long. He will be back on Monday. Yu Zi had returned on Thursday, two days earlier than she had planned. She had picked up Yan Ningbai on Thursday night itself.
Without his friend, Mo Jingxi was especially missing his friends at the orphanage.
Mo Jingxi was always surrounded by friends from the moment he could remember. There was no lack of playmates around him, which made his life rowdy with never a lonely moment.
This was why he could not stand the loneliness.
Lin Chu had no choice but to get Shao Huai to pick up Mo Jingxi on Friday after school and take him back to the orphanage immediately.
Lin Chu had visited the old mansion on Sat.u.r.day and came to visit the orphanage on Sunday. She wanted to see if there was anything she could help out with as well.
The car Yan Beicheng had gotten for her was a Mini Cooper. Yan Beicheng had felt that a smaller car would suit a woman better. It would be easier for her to drive and navigate it. The biggest headache for a woman when it came to driving was parking the car.
It would be difficult to park a large car properly. Yan Beicheng had witnessed many people moving in and out of a parking s.p.a.ce numerous times just to park a car. During these situations, eight or nine out of ten drivers were women.
So, he got Lin Chu a small car. It would be easier for her to park as well.
Yan Beicheng had thought everything through. When they both have children and need to bring them out for fun, he would drive. The Grand Cherokee would be perfect.
If he was not around and Lin Chu needed to take the children out, a Mini Cooper would not be too small. Even if she did her shopping, the interior would be s.p.a.cious enough.
The car may look small from the outside, but there was ample s.p.a.ce inside.
The car was sent to her office by Yan Beicheng on Friday while he was on his way to the airport.
Lin Chu was in the middle of work when Yan Beicheng asked her to come to the first floor.
Yan Beicheng did not say much. He just pushed the key to Lin Chu and said, "I"m not going to be home. Get Shao Huai to take you wherever you want to go. If you feel it"s inconvenient, just drive yourself with this. Shao Huai has taken the car home and parked it in the garage. He will pick you up this afternoon, you don"t need to drive yourself home."
Lin Chu"s eyes widened in surprise as she got tongue-tied. For a moment, she did not know what to say, "Why did you think of getting me a car?"
Yan Beicheng smiled. He could not help himself whenever he saw her. When she stood dumbfounded with her eyes widened in front of him, he had to raise his hands to pinch her lightly on the cheeks.
Her gentle cheek was pinched out of shape by him. Her pretty face became funny-looking in an instant.
When he let go of his hand, he left a pinkish mark on her cheek.
Lin Chu gave him a reproachful glance as she rubbed her face.
Yan Beicheng knew she had delicate skin, which made it easy to leave a mark. In reality, it did not hurt nor wounded at all. He knew how much strength he used on her but looking at her red face made him feel guilty. He blamed himself for being too rash and not withholding enough strength.
"I go outstation quite often. When I"m not home, I don"t want it to be inconvenient for you to go out. I know you don"t like to always get Shao Huai to drive you. It would be more convenient for you to drive yourself. When I"m not around, feel free to drive anywhere you want. Just remember one thing, drive slow and carefully. Safety first," Yan Beicheng said as he squeezed her hands.
Lin Chu smiled as she nodded and accepted the keys.
"Is this considered my wedding gift?" Lin Chu asked smilingly.
Yan Beicheng could not help laughing. It did look that way with the timing of the purchase.
He had ordered the car before they got their marriage license. But he nodded anyway, "It seems that way."
Lin Chu blinked and smiled as she said, "If you have given this to me before we got married, it would feel like you"re keeping me as a mistress!"
Yan Beicheng was taken aback and did not know how to react. If they were not in public, he would have smacked her in the a.s.s.
Now, all he could do was squeeze her hand, "What nonsense are you spouting?!"
Lin Chu laughed lightly and suddenly looked left and right a few times.
Yan Beicheng thought her actions looked strange. Lin Chu was trying to make sure no one was paying attention to this corner because she quickly tip-toed and gave him a quick kiss on the lips and moved away hurriedly.
Yan Beicheng watched her soulfully, he did not care if they were in public. He had never been shy about this and he picked her by the waist and into his arms as he lowered his head to cover her lips with his. He swept her up into a deep kiss.
Then, Yan Beicheng had to quickly let go of her, "I need to leave now. I"ll be back on Monday. Be a good girl and wait for me at home."
He sounded like he was coaxing a child.
Lin Chu pouted as she said, "You don"t need to worry about me at home. You"re the one that should be taking good care of yourself out there. Don"t hurt your stomach and aggravate your gastric. Smoke less if you can and drink less. Remember to have your meal on time."
"Okay."
Lin Chu could not help laughing at the memory of Friday. There was a warm smile on her face and an aura of bliss emanating from her. It felt so real.
When she got off the car and locked the door, she was still covered with that bright s.h.i.+ne of happiness. It was especially piercing to the eyes.
Lin Chu"s heart was filled with Yan Beicheng, but as she was very familiar with the way to the orphanage and could find her way even with her eyes closed, she was able to do both at the same time. She was thinking about giving Yan Beicheng a call when she got home tonight and ask how was he doing today and if he had taken good care of himself.
This was the Lin Chu that Cheng Ziming saw. She looked happy and her face was bright with colors. It was like it lit up own its own and was especially dazzling.
The brightness she exuded was a light that he did not like.
He was the one that dumped her, he was the one that should be living the good life. They did not enjoy the same prestige and had a huge gap between them in terms of status and wealth. She should be the one that looked up to him, she was the one who could never catch up to him.
But now, everything had been turned. He had dumped her, but she was the one who would never look back at him because there was an even more outstanding Yan Beicheng.
With a man like Yan Beicheng, anyone with a functioning brain would never look at another man!
They were not at such different places in their lives. Their wealth status was indeed at different ends, but it was him that could never catch up to her. As she moved higher up the ladder, he could only watch her from below without any hope of reaching to where she was.
Lin Chu"s life and her circle of friends was something he could not imagine any more.
For people like Qi Chengzhi and Chu Zhaoyang, he could never have the chance to meet them, much less talk to them. But Lin Chu was not friends with them.
It was a circle of friends that he could never in his wildest dreams be a part of.
As he watched Lin Chu, Cheng Ziming"s handsome face became slightly twisted.
Lin Chu had not seen him at all. She had walked right past him as she looked straight ahead.
Cheng Ziming was beginning to wonder if Lin Chu pretended not to see him or did not plan to acknowledge him.
As his old and new grievances came boiling up inside of him, Cheng Ziming grabbed Lin Chu"s arm to stop her.
His grip on her was heavy. Lin Chu felt pain and frowned as she came back to Earth. She did not expect the person in front of her to be Cheng Ziming.
If she had not seen him together with Xu Jiaojiao at Sheng Yue, she would have forgotten about this person. She knew he was too afraid to continue hara.s.sing her, but she had not expected for him to be doing this again so soon.
As she watched his handsome face twisted into an ugliness, she saw that Cheng Ziming now had the look of a cunning businessman, it made one feel uneasy. It was like a white wall that has been covered in grey dust, thick snow that had been splashed with dirt.
"What do you want?! Let go of me!" Lin Chu used her purse to hit him in the face the moment he grabbed on to her.
Lin Chu had always loved big purses because she could put many things inside of them like a magic pocket. That was why her purse was heavy. It hit Cheng Ziming on the head with a loud bang and hurt Cheng Ziming so bad that he nearly cried.
What exactly was in them?! It felt like it was filled with lead!
Cheng Ziming had to let go of Lin Chu. This was the main street and even though there were not many people around the orphanage, Cheng Ziming still did not want to attract anyone"s attention.
He rubbed his head as he endured the pain while looking at Lin Chu.
He had no idea when did the relations.h.i.+p between him and Lin Chu turned this way. The way Lin Chu was looking at him was filled with disgust. They had once dated for four years and knew each other inside and out.
Lin Chu was such an obedient, gentle girl who always listened to him. She was always good to him. Every time she looked at him, her eyes were filled with love.
But now, besides disgust and impatience in her eyes, there was nothing else.
"Lin Chu, you don"t need to be so antagonistic towards me," Cheng Ziming said as he looked at Lin Chu with mixed emotions.
"We are living in two straight lines. There"s nowhere do we cross each other"s path in life or at work. We"re not disturbing each other on anything. Why can"t we just talk nicely and be friends?"
Lin Chu looked at him sarcastically. Based on what he had done to her, he still had the gall to want to be friends with her?
Even if she agreed to it, Xu Moyan would never agree.
Xu Moyan had been humiliated plenty because of Cheng Ziming. She would not allow Xu Moyan to be unhappy over Cheng Ziming.
"What do you want from me? If you"re here just to tell me these words, then you can leave," Lin Chu said coldly and turned to walk away.
This was the entrance of the orphanage. Lin Chu knew this was her territory and was not afraid of what Cheng Ziming might do.
"You"ve seen everything that day, haven"t you?!" Cheng Ziming saw that Lin Chu was about to leave. He did not dare to do much so he quickly said what he needed to say.
Lin Chu paused. She turned around with a raised eyebrow, "Which day?"
Cheng Ziming"s lower jaws tensed up. When he had left Sheng Yue that day, he wanted to see Lin Chu. But Lin Chu was always sticking to Yan Beicheng. Besides being at work, she was always with him.
He had waited so long for this opportunity for Lin Chu to be out on her own. Cheng Ziming was afraid that if Lin Chu left, he would never find another chance.
He did not want this to drag on for too long.
"You know which day it was. Tuesday afternoon at Sheng Yu, when I was having lunch with a female colleague," Cheng Ziming said tensely when he saw that Lin Chu was not interested to say anything. The only thing he could do was to be frank about it.
"Since you were only having a meal with your female colleague, what is there to say to me?" Lin Chu replied sardonically.
She was feeling grateful that Cheng Ziming had cheated on her and dumped her. She was able to see his true colors because of this.
A man who could marry Lin Yuwen for money could very well find a mistress because Lin Yuwen could not have any children.
She could even guess Cheng Ziming"s plans. Lin Mao was no longer like it was before. While it still commanded some respect, it was not in an ideal situation.
No one may know that but with Yan Beicheng around, she was well-aware of what was happening.
Even though she had stopped keeping in touch with the Lin family, Yan Beicheng was still worried that the Lin family would create trouble for her. So, he was always keeping up to date on Lin Mao"s latest situation.
Lin Mao had suffered a lot because of his initial attack, but even without Yan Beicheng interfering, Lin Mao was still in a bad situation.
Lin Chu guessed that Cheng Ziming was planning to take over Lin Mao completely and kick Lin Yuwen out of the picture with no remorse. He would have children with another woman so that the Cheng family would have a descendant.
She was not sure if that woman would be Xu Jiaojiao. Judging by Cheng Ziming"s personality, he would be too busy playing the field the moment he got rich. He would be changing female partners by the minute and in the end, possibly arrange for a rich girl"s hand in marriage.
"I hope you don"t misunderstand and not spout nonsense to anyone. That was just my colleague. I brought her along that afternoon to meet a client for a business meeting," Cheng Ziming said.
Lin Chu snorted condescendingly and said, "I"ve no interest in sharing with anyone on who you mingle with. It"s all none of my business anyway. There"s no need for me to stick my nose in any of your business. As for your working relations.h.i.+p with others, or whatever relations.h.i.+p it is that you have, I have no interest in finding out. It"s for yourself to know. Cheng Ziming, there is no longer anything between us, which is why I have no intention of finding out anything about your personal life. I don"t even have the patience to make guesses, investigate or even gossip about it. You never seem to understand that. Since we have nothing between us, why should I get involved or talk about your matters? If I didn"t b.u.mp into you that day, I would have forgotten you even existed. Since seeing you that day, I"ve never really thought about you. You didn"t need to come all the way here to see me about it."
Cheng Ziming did not want to continue feeling like a loser. He could see that Lin Chu did not care about the matter. It did not bother her whether he was dead or alive. It just made him angrier.
"Well, it better be that way," was all Cheng Ziming could say.
Lin Chu snorted with laughter, "I don"t have a great relations.h.i.+p with Lin Yuwen, so I won"t be saying anything to her if that"s what you"re worried about. Do whatever both of you like. If she did find out in the future, it wouldn"t be because of me."
"Chu Chu!" The orphanage door opened, and a few little heads bobbed out with Mo Jingxi leading them.
He knew that Lin Chu was visiting the orphanage today, so he had been looking out the window to catch her coming when he saw Lin Chu being hara.s.sed by a man.
Even though Lin Chu could not be his bride in the future, Mo Jingxi had now treated Lin Chu as his future mother-in-law. He would not allow Lin Chu to be bullied.
Besides, even though he did not want to admit it, he had personally accepted Yan Beicheng. Besides Yan Beicheng, he could not accept Lin Chu with another man.
So, Mo Jingxi got together s.h.i.+ Tou and a few other friends, and called out loudly, "Someone is bullying Chu Chu out there!"
The little boys banded together and followed him as they ran out.
When they arrived at the courtyard, Mo Jingxi saw Cheng Ziming and found him familiar. After running for a few more steps, he suddenly remembered him. This was that bad man he had met when he followed Yan Ningbai to the courthouse!