Just then, Fang Qianqian walked over, looking at Ling Yiran in contempt and said, “Sister Xu, why are you talking to her? She’s been to jail! She’s taken a human’s life!”"Qianqian, we're all colleagues. Why do you have to say that? Besides, Yiran went to jail because she wasn't driving carefully..."Sister Xu had barely finished speaking when Fang Qianqian interrupted her. "But the person she killed was Hao Meiyu. Sister Xu, do you know who Hao Meiyu is? She's Hao Yimeng's sister! I was wondering why Hao Yimeng wanted so many of our colleagues to look for a non-existent ring. It was because she was targeting Ling Yiran and we were all dragged into it.""But didn't she also apologize and compensate us?" Sister Xu asked.Fang Qianqian's expression was unpleasant and she was clearly not pleased with Sister Xu standing up for Ling Yiran. She had been the one who had leaked the news of Ling Yiran's imprisonment.She had accidentally come across Ling Yiran speaking to Xiao Ziqi and Hao
—Ling Yiran returned to the rental apartment at night. Just as she was having dinner with Yi Jinli, someone knocked at the door.Ling Yiran was startled. "I never usually have visitors. Could it be that my father, stepmother, and sister are here?!"But when she opened the door, she was surprised to see Guo Xinli standing outside.Guo Xinli was wearing a black cotton shirt and his face was slightly red. He looked at Ling Yiran and spoke rather uneasily, "I..." He had barely opened his mouth when he noticed Yi Jinli, who had walked over to stand behind Ling Yiran, and he stopped suddenly as if he was hesitating.Yi Jinli studied the man standing outside the house. "I remember this man. He's Ling Yiran's colleague from the Sanitation Service Center and he seems to have feelings for her.""Why are you here? Are you looking for Sister?" Yi Jinli asked."I... I have some business to discuss with Yiran privately," Guo Xinli said with a flushed face, then he glanced at Ling Yiran and a
"Sister, do you like that man because he said those things?" he murmured and asked. There was a hint of jealousy in his eyes that even he was unaware of.His scent permeated her senses and the close distance made her at a loss over what to do. An instinctual sense of crisis was emerging within her. "It feels like if I give the wrong answer, in the next moment a ferocious beast will violently pounce on me and snap my neck."Oh God, what am I thinking?!"Ling Yiran laughed at herself internally at the idea that had just crossed her mind. "The person before me is Jin. He's not some dangerous character.""I don't like Guo Xinli," she replied. "I can only apologize to him for his feelings for me."Her reply improved his mood immediately. He stared at her and asked, "Sister, do you really not like that man?""Why would I lie to you?" she retorted. "Ever since I got out of jail, I've never even considered the idea of falling in love with someone. Love is a feeling that is too burdensome
"Even in the past, it was already such a difficult task being able to find a job to provide for myself.""But you can't waste your years doing this job. How can you find a good husband like this?!" The biggest concern for people like Sister Xu was marriage. "Guo doesn't seem to mind your past. Are you sure you don't want to consider it? Honest men like Guo are rare nowadays.""No, it's impossible for me and him," Ling Yiran replied.Sister Xu hesitated before asking, "Yiran, do you think that Guo is of a lower class because he's just a driver? After all, your ex-boyfriend was...""Sister Xu!" Ling Yiran interrupted her and said, "I don't think that. It's just... I've been through so much, I'm not in the mood to fall in love.""Oh, you child!" Sister Xu let out a sigh. "You should know that if you really don't marry and stay by yourself, you might not feel it that much now, but when you're old with no children around you... it's going to be a kind of loneliness that no one can endu
Back then, he had just gotten off work and had noticed her squatting by the roadside. She had been continuously comforting a young girl who was bawling. She had sung and jumped, making all sorts of funny poses as if she did not care at all about the strange glances coming from the surrounding crowd.Ultimately, she had succeeded and the young girl had stopped crying.Then, she had bought a bun for the little girl to eat on the spot. She called the police and waited there, intending to see if the little girl's family would come looking for her.In the end, the police and the little girl's family had come over. The girl's parents had taken out several hundred yuan and wanted to stuff them into her hands as a symbol of their appreciation, but she had just shaken her head with a laugh, not accepting a single penny from them.When the parents had left with the little girl in their arms, she had stood studying the backs of the family with a content smile.At that time, Guo Xinli had fel
"So, you were holding onto Guo Xinli while getting it on with another man!" Fang Qianqian's voice suddenly sounded out.Ling Yiran felt a headache coming on. The world seemed never to lack people like Fang Qianqian.Yi Jinli turned around and looked coldly at the mediocre and cheap-looking woman behind them.There was a flash of surprise in Fang Qianqian's eyes when she saw Yi Jinli. This man was even more handsome than the male leads in TV series.Although the other party's bangs were a little long, it made her feel that if he was to take good care of his hairstyle and change his clothes, he could definitely push the male stars out of their spots on the ranking tables.Fang Qianqian was immediately jealous. "Why does Ling Yiran deserve all of this? Not only is she liked by Guo, but she also has such a handsome man accompanying her!"She suddenly raised the corners of her mouth and showed a vicious smile. "Are you Ling Yiran's friend? You probably don't know that she has been in
In the past, she and her law firm colleagues had often come here to have a meal after work. For her at that time, eating here was like having a work meal.But now, it had become a luxurious event that could only be enjoyed every once a while."That's pretty good. Sis, you can do the ordering later." Yi Jinli cleanly interrupted her thoughts.Ling Yiran ordered all the cheaper dishes, with the most expensive one being a shrimp dish, which was 48 yuan. The total price of all the dishes came to 178 yuan.Although it wasn't a lot of money, it was already the most expensive meal Ling Yiran had had for a while.That was despite the fact that Yi Jinli kept trying to persuade her to order a little more. "Sis, I have money."However, Ling Yiran still said, "This is enough. Even if it's for a good meal, there's no need to order too much."After a while, the waiter served the dishes, and they started to eat. The dishes here were naturally much better than the simple ones they usually ate.
Ling Yiran raised her head slightly and looked to her side. Then, she heaved a sigh of relief. She looked up at Yi Jinli and said, "Have you paid the bill?""Mhm, I have.""Then let's go," she said, picking up her bag and walking out of the store with him as if she was running away from something."What's wrong? Are you hiding from something?" he asked.Her footsteps paused, and an obscure look flashed across her face. "My former colleagues came here to eat too, I... I don't want them to see me."She said with a self-deprecating smile, "It's ridiculous, isn't it? In fact, they all know what I've been through and they probably can guess how miserable I must be right now, but I still don't want to see them face to face."She didn't want to see the sympathy in their eyes. She didn't want to see their pity.In the past, being a lawyer was something she had wanted to devote her entire life to. But now, although her colleagues were still doing that job, it was no longer a profession s
He clenched his jaw and felt his teeth ache. 'Yeah, she’s broken up with me. She has every right to find a new boyfriend, but... the thought of her smiling at another man, and kissing and hugging him makes me uncomfortable.’ Gu Lichen could not help feeling irritated."You can't find one! Do you think you can find another man like me to love when you love me so much?" he said.Zhong Keke retorted with a slightly red face, "You... You're too confident. Who are you to say I can't find one? I love you now, but I can slowly get over you. Besides, I don't need to find a man like you in the future. I just need to find an ordinary man with a good personality who treats me well! I’ll give him all my heart, and he’ll do the same!"It was more like she was telling herself that.'Yes, I can move on from him. I can do it!'However, her words seemed to have provoked him as he turned the steering wheel sharply, slammed on the brakes, and pulled over at the roadside.She was thrown forward and
The fact Zhong Keke accepted was that she feared she would love him more and more!When Yi Jinli and Gu Lichen returned to the ward, Ling Yiran was still chatting with Zhong Keke about the children, not only the new baby but also the triplets."Alright, Lichen and I are going home first. Yiran, have a good rest. I'll visit you and the baby again next time," Zhong Keke said and got up after seeing the exhaustion on Ling Yiran's face.Ling Yiran replied, "Okay. I'll let you meet my triplets next time.""Sure."After Zhong Keke and Gu Lichen left, Yi Jinli lay on Ling Yiran's bed and said, "If you're sleepy, sleep first. The doctor said you need more rest."Ling Yiran said, "I'm a little sleepy, but I had a nice chat with Keke today. Jin, you know what? I think it's great that Lichen has fallen in love with Keke. Keke's a wonderful woman, and Lichen has finally found his happily ever after."She said as she slowly closed her eyes and fell asleep.Looking at his wife's sleeping fac
"Thank you! It's a good painting, and I like it very much. I didn't expect you to draw my daughter like that.""I saw the baby when I came to the hospital that day, so I remembered," said Zhong Keke."I heard from Jin that you and Lichen both came to the hospital that day. I didn't scare you, did I?" said Ling Yiran.Zhong Keke smiled softly, "All that matters is that you're safe. Being alive is better than anything."The two women chatted while the two men looked at each other. Then, Yi Jinli said, "Lichen, let's go get some air."The two men got up and walked out of the ward.Zhong Keke looked uneasily at the ward door.Ling Yiran said, "They’ll be back soon. Don't worry. My Jin won't kidnap Lichen."Zhong Keke smiled, knowing that Yi Jinli probably had not told Ling Yiran about what happened that day."By the way, how are you and Lichen's relationship? Does he treat you well?" Ling Yiran asked."He treats me well." It was true. He treated her well. He would give her everyt
He and Song Qingyao were not even friends."You don't have to explain this to me," said Zhong Keke. They had broken up, and she did not need these explanations.Besides, she knew better than anyone that he had always been in love with Yiran.Thinking of Yiran, Zhong Keke said, "I want to go to the hospital to see Yiran. Can I?" The last time she visited Yiran, Yiran was still unconscious, so she wanted to check on her.Hesitation flashed across Gu Lichen's face."Don't worry. I won't say anything to trigger Yiran. I’ll still pretend to be your girlfriend in front of Yiran. If Yiran asks you, you can say we're doing quite well. When Yiran has recovered, I can make an excuse to say we've broken up. Of course, I can take all the blame. For example, I thought being with you attracted too much attention, or I couldn’t get used to being with you, or I had fallen for someone else—"Before she could finish speaking, she was suddenly pulled into a wide embrace.His hands held her tightly
Zhou Xinmian: [I said you were living with Gu Lichen now. Then they said nothing and left readily.]"..."Zhou Xinmian: [Did you block their phone numbers? They said you're not answering your phone.]Zhong Keke: [Yeah.]She should have blocked her uncle's family's phone numbers long ago. Even blocking them now was considered late!Zhou Xinmian: [Well done! But didn’t they try calling you using another phone number?]Zhong Keke: [They did. But as soon as they spoke and I heard their voices, I hung up and blocked their phone numbers.]In other words, she did not give them a chance to talk.She did not want to listen to what they had to say anyway. They had worn out the last of her affection.Zhou Xinmian: [Have you made up your mind this time?]Zhong Keke: [I’ll just consider that my grandparents only gave birth to my father!]In other words, she no longer considered her uncle and his family her family!Zhou Xinmian: [You should have done that long ago! They told me Gu Lichen
It was why he had said such things at the time to keep the woman from leaving!"Maybe I've liked you since then." It probably started earlier than he thought.Zhong Keke's eyes watered as tears were about to pour out. She raised her hands and covered her eyes, "Gu Lichen, stop telling me such things!"Such things would only make her waver when her resolution was hard-won. Did he know how much determination and perseverance it took her to ask for a break-up and keep her distance from him to stop loving him when she loved him so much?Though her hands shielded her eyes, they could not stop the tears.His fingers pulled her hands away. "Alright, I'll stop. I'll stop talking. Don't cry."Her tears had always left him flustered.He hugged her and coaxed her. The indifference in his phoenix eyes had become affection.Zhong Keke finally stopped crying, but she still sniffled occasionally.Holding a tissue, Gu Lichen carefully wiped the tears from her face. After a moment, he said,
"Do you care about me?" She smiled bitterly. "That word isn’t only something you say but..." She did not continue speaking after a pause.However, he already knew what she was going to say.Gu Lichen turned pale. He knew that the incident at the comic fiesta was something that bothered her.He was the one who caused it!"Also, I think we'd better talk about the possibility of me getting pregnant!" she said."Okay, go ahead," he said as he asked the others in the living room to leave."Will you insist that I have the baby if I get pregnant?" she asked, looking at him."If you’re pregnant, I don't want to lose the baby," he said. He had never longed for children even though his parents had always wanted grandchildren, even if it was out of wedlock.However, such ideas had never occurred to him.Now, he wanted to have the baby because they would be... his baby with Keke!"Even if I don't want the baby, are you still going to stop me from having an abortion?" she asked.He was s
Even though he did not love her, she still thought she was a better candidate than Zhong Keke.However, to her disappointment, the way Gu Lichen looked at her was still icy."I'm not interested in you. The Song family you're so proud of will no longer exist in Shen City a year later. Perhaps the Song family can keep some things if you start planning now. Otherwise, you'll have nothing left."With that said, Gu Lichen left the ward, leaving Song Qingyao standing where she was in a daze.Other than reluctance, resentment, and jealousy, there was more shock and fear on her face.'Does Lichen intend to eradicate the Song family within a year? Is... Is he going that far for Zhong Keke? He doesn't love Zhong Keke, right? Why is he doing it? Why?' Unfortunately, no one could give her the answer.Gu Lichen walked out of the hospital and got into the car. He slowly closed his eyes as Song Qingyao's last words flashed through his mind.'It doesn't matter... even if I don't love her?'Kek
Song Qingyao's heart sank. Sure enough, he could find out anything he wanted to."Why did you do it?" Gu Lichen said coldly.Song Qingyao suddenly laughed. "You're asking me why? Gu Lichen, I’ve loved you for so many years. What do you think?""I wouldn't love you even if Zhong Keke didn't exist. If I wanted to fall for you, I would have done so from the beginning," said Gu Lichen.Song Qingyao's mouth was full of bitterness. She knew that!However, knowing was one thing. Her being reluctant and unwilling to accept it was a different matter!She shouted, "Why did you choose Zhong Keke? You love Ling Yiran because Ling Yiran saved your life when you were a child. What about Zhong Keke? Why her?"She accepted losing to Ling Yiran because she had never saved Lichen's life.However, how could she accept losing to Zhong Keke? "Because she's the one who saved me from the messy relationship," replied Gu Lichen."What do you mean?" Song Qingyao was puzzled.Instead of explaining, he