After Breaking Up With the Scheming Bad Woman 7

Chapter 7: But the Hand Holding Hers Showed No Sign of Letting Go.

Chu Wantang was drowsy, her voice still laced with weariness. When she said the word “others,” she didn’t emphasize it.

But to Huai Xing, it still sounded pointed. Her fingertips hesitated on the screen. For a rare moment, she didn’t immediately follow Chu Wantang’s words. But just before she could type out “Auntie Wen and her family aren’t others,” she heard Chu Wantang say gently, “It’ll be the middle of the night by the time we get to Yuncheng, Xiao Xing.”

“Mm, that’s true. It would be too much trouble.” Huai Xing no longer hesitated and sent her reply.

Wen Ruyu insisted a couple more times, but seeing that she couldn’t persuade Huai Xing, she set a specific time to meet the next day: [I won’t join you at the cemetery tomorrow morning. You and your mom have a lot of private things to talk about. I’ll prepare lunch for you and Miss Chu at home. You must come.]

[I’ve learned several new dishes. Ah Yi says they’re delicious.]

Huai Xing smiled faintly and typed: [Okay, Auntie Wen.]

After finishing the chat, Huai Xing turned off her phone.

The person leaning on her shoulder had pulled back right after she had declined the offer, continuing to rest her head on the U-shaped pillow with her eyes closed.

“Jiejie,” Huai Xing said in a low voice, “we’re having lunch at Auntie Wen’s tomorrow. I’ve already agreed.”

Over the past few years, Chu Wantang had met Wen Ruyu’s family and had meals with them a few times, so they weren’t complete strangers.

But they were definitely not close either.

Chu Wantang’s brow lifted slightly. “Mm.” She opened her eyes again to look at Huai Xing, as if she had just remembered to ask, “Has Wen Shiwei returned to the country?”

Huai Xing didn’t even need to think, answering directly, “Not yet.”

Wen Shiwei was Wen Ruyu’s eldest daughter, three years older than Huai Xing. She was currently pursuing her master’s degree in Germany, suffering the “hardship” of studying. She often worried about not being able to graduate and would vent to Huai Xing. In addition, she would message Huai Xing to complain about how terrible the food there was, asking for pictures of Huai Xing’s daily meals to “quench her thirst by looking at plums.”

Harboring her own little secret, all the food pictures Huai Xing sent were of meals she had eaten with Chu Wantang.

No one knew about her secret love, but the photos would serve as proof for her. Occasionally, when she scrolled back through her chat history with Wen Shiwei and saw those pictures, she couldn’t help but smile.

Even if it was as sisters, she had still spent another wonderful day with Chu Wantang.

Even now, the memory made her smile. The light and shadows from outside danced on her face, as if they were rejoicing with her.

Beside her, Chu Wantang lifted her eyelids and looked at her expression. A shadow fell over her own face.

A few seconds later, she slowly closed her eyes again, trying to hide all her emotions.

But, is Huai Xing this happy because she’s thinking of Wen Shiwei? Or… is it the situation Tu Zhaoyu mentioned?

…

It was already eleven-thirty at night when the plane landed in Yuncheng.

Yuncheng was in the south, and the climate was much better than Jingcheng’s. But it was early spring, and the chill hadn’t completely receded, so the temperature was still low at night.

Nearly fifty minutes later, the car finally stopped in front of the Junling Hotel.

Huai Xing was already so sleepy she could barely keep her eyes open. Even though Chu Wantang had bought first-class tickets, she just couldn’t sleep well on planes; she preferred the feel of a bed.

After checking in, she held her bag in one hand and pulled Chu Wantang’s wrist with the other. Her steps were a bit heavy, and after entering the elevator, she was a little unsteady on her feet.

Chu Wantang, pulling the suitcase, turned to look at her, freed her own wrist, and instead took hold of her hand.

Huai Xing’s sleepiness instantly dissipated a little as she stared at their blurry reflections in the elevator doors.

The elevator doors opened. Chu Wantang pulled the suitcase with her other hand, the wheels making little noise on the expensive carpet. She looked straight ahead, her lips pressed together lightly.

But the hand holding hers showed no sign of letting go.

After a few breaths, they entered the suite.

The Junling Hotel was a luxury hotel with high-end decor and a spatial layout that was both open and private. As soon as you entered, you could see the landmark building framed by the window.

But it was too late, and they were in no mood to admire the night view.

Chu Wantang opened the suitcase, took out Huai Xing’s undergarments and toiletry bag, and instructed, “Just wash up quickly and go to sleep. We’ll get up at eight-thirty.” She tilted her head up, looked at the girl’s exhausted face, and paused. “Nine at the latest.”

Huai Xing replied, “Okay.”

The suite had a master and a guest bedroom, and two bathrooms.

Before long, Huai Xing had changed into her pajamas and was lying in bed in the guest room.

But the sensation of Chu Wantang holding her hand was so clear that even a shower hadn’t diminished it in the slightest.

She turned over and, by the light of the table lamp, stared at the right hand that had been held. Her knuckles couldn’t help but curve slightly, mimicking the shape from before, but this time, all she touched was air.

After staring for a while, sleepiness finally found her again. She fell asleep slowly, clutching the jade comb.

When she woke up, she was no longer greeted by gloomy rain, but by sunshine.

The weather in Yuncheng was also much better than in Jingcheng. Coupled with the suite’s excellent location, the sunlight streamed in without restraint.

Huai Xing changed into a plain outfit—a white blouse and black pants, without any jewelry.

When she came out of the guest room, Chu Wantang had also changed. The only difference was that she was wearing a black blouse.

Their eyes met. Huai Xing opened her mouth. “Jiejie.”

“Let’s have breakfast.” Chu Wantang glanced at her watch. The all-black outfit seemed to make her expression look sterner. “It’s a half-hour drive to the cemetery.”

Huai Xing picked up her bag and nodded obediently. “Okay.”

At nearly nine-thirty, they left the parking garage, carrying white chrysanthemums and fruit, and entered the cemetery.

The cemetery was surrounded by lush green trees, the atmosphere quiet and solemn.

When the gentle breeze blew, a faint floral scent drifted through the air. Clusters of flowers swayed gently, carrying with them the sound of weeping, which fell upon everyone’s ears.

This was destined not to be a happy place.

Huai Xing held the flowers, her eyes having been red since the car ride over. By the time she reached her mother’s grave, a layer of tears had already gathered in her eyes.

Wen Ruyu and Huai Zhao had been close, so she often came here to clean. Compared to the seemingly unvisited graves nearby, her mother’s was very clean.

But Huai Xing still knelt down and used a tool to clear the few fallen leaves and dust from around her mother’s tombstone.

Chu Wantang put down the fruit and didn’t move, instead standing to the side, her lashes lowered as she silently watched the girl’s sorrowful state.

A fragile doll.

“Mom…” Huai Xing reached out again to caress Huai Zhao’s photo.

She didn’t want to cry in front of her mother. Just as she was about to wipe her tears with her sleeve, a tissue was handed to her from the side.

Chu Wantang: “Wipe them.”

Huai Xing took it, first wiping her own tears, then taking out the letter she had prepared from her bag. She read the contents she had written in advance to her mother, detailing her life over the past year.

“Mom, I graduated from university smoothly. Everyone was crying on the night of graduation, but I was smiling, because studying is so hard… I sent the graduation photo to your WeChat. Remember to check it and see how brightly I’m smiling.

“I didn’t eat any particularly amazing food this year, so I feel like the two pounds I gained were a bit of a waste. But I’ve been going to the gym, isn’t that great? I’ll keep exercising regularly, so don’t worry.

“After the New Year, I started working at Jiejie’s company. The atmosphere is great, and my superiors are very caring. Jiejie said I was looking for hardship where there is none, but I feel much more fulfilled. Maybe I won’t think so once I get that so-called ‘office drone vibe’…

“I haven’t neglected my violin. I’m going to play at a friend’s wedding soon…”

…

Under the blue sky and white clouds, Huai Xing’s shadow pooled on the ground, her hair swaying with the wind.

She read slowly, taking several deep breaths in between.

After finishing the few pages, she carefully put them away and smiled at the beautiful woman in the photo. “Mom, I’m doing very well. I have my sister, I have family, I have friends. When you see this from heaven, will you be happy for me?”

At this point, she turned her head to look at Chu Wantang, blinked her eyes, and said, “Jiejie, quickly help me prove that everything I said is true.”

Chu Wantang looked down at her, then shifted her gaze to the tombstone, but she didn’t prove it for her as the girl had expected.

Instead, she parted her lips lightly and said, “Auntie Huai, Xiao Xing has broken the promise between us. What should I do?”

The weather seemed to turn turbulent in an instant. A strong wind blew, and the leaves rustled.

Huai Xing didn’t pretend not to know what “promise” she was talking about. She forced herself to remain calm and denied it. “Jiejie, I haven’t.”

“You haven’t?” Chu Wantang bent down beside her, her tone rising, her disbelief obvious. Her gaze was locked on her, unwilling to miss any detail of her expression.

Huai Xing met her gaze, feeling herself surrounded by a sense of pressure. She couldn’t help but swallow nervously.

Has Chu Wantang discovered my feelings…

The moment that thought appeared, she felt a chill run through her entire body.

She parted her lips, shook her head again, and firmly repeated her previous answer. “I haven’t.”

If she admitted it, everything would be over.

Chu Wantang pointed at the tombstone, her expression somewhat cold. “Then swear to Auntie Huai. Swear that you don’t have any improper thoughts.”

“I swear.”

Huai Xing knelt up straight, her shoulders slumping. She even made the gesture of an oath and said to the tombstone, word by word, “Mom, you be the witness. I don’t have any improper thoughts.”

I’m sorry, Mom. I lied.

My feelings are buried deep in the earth, never to bloom, never to see the light of day.

Hearing this, Chu Wantang’s breath hitched slightly.

But the next second, Huai Xing’s tears fell straight down, splashing on the ground, one after another.

It was clearly a beautiful day, but a localized downpour was happening here.

She looked at Chu Wantang through blurry, tear-filled eyes, but could only see a vague outline.

Chu Wantang was taken aback. She raised her hand and wiped away the tears with her fingertips, but she seemed to enjoy her sorrowful appearance.

Looking at the crystal-clear tears on her fingertips, Chu Wantang’s lips curled up. She coaxed, “Why are you crying, Xiao Xing? I believe what you said.”

The scene was just like that day six years ago, but Huai Xing’s tense nerves did not relax. She pressed her shoulder against Chu Wantang’s and clutched the woman’s black blouse.

All her grievances had built up, but they could only be transformed into a single sentence: “Chu Wantang, I really haven’t…”