Cheng Ziyang remained silent for a long time, just staring at her steadily.
Under his gaze, Dong Xin Yan’s voice gradually diminished until it was silent, and even her head slowly drooped, avoiding his gaze.
She knew...she was doing a terrible job.
No matter how good the acting skills, in front of someone you love, they simply...have no effect.
A lie that can be seen through with just one glance.
Cheng Ziyang and Dong Xin Yan met at eighteen, and they’ve been in a relationship for almost six years, thoroughly familiar with each other. He could sense something was wrong with her through every look, every expression, even the hesitance in her tone. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novel_fіre.net
Today, from Yuan Shen, the packed suitcase, to the marks on her neck that seemed like kiss marks, and now her unnatural demeanor, everything hinted that Dong Xin Yan was hiding something from him.
For a moment, he wanted to ask, but he could also see that she didn’t want to talk and was afraid he would ask.
So, in the end, he didn’t ask.
If she doesn’t want to talk, if she doesn’t want him to know, he can act like he knows nothing, can refrain from asking.
When she’s ready to talk, she will.
After a while, Cheng Ziyang called her name, "Xinxin."
Dong Xin Yan gently bit her lower lip, her head still lowered, and responded softly with "Mm?"
Cheng Ziyang looked at her dark head, sighed lightly, then extended his hand to gently stroke her head, smiling, "If you have work, go ahead, but make sure to take good care of yourself."
Just such a simple sentence, a sudden surge of sourness rushed up Dong Xin Yan’s nose.
Ziyang clearly saw something was wrong with her, yet he chose to respect her, trust her, didn’t ask anything, didn’t say anything...
"And, Xinxin, I’m back now. I will always be by your side. No matter what happens, you have me, okay?"
His voice, as gentle and indulgent as ever, always her most solid support, made the sourness in her nose rush to her eyes, quickly forming a mist.
She opened her mouth, suddenly wanting to tell him everything, to share all her grievances and sorrow from this time.
But her lips moved without being able to make a sound.
She didn’t want Ziyang to bear these pains, didn’t want him to face these embarrassments, so she decided to bury it all. After all...it’s already in the past, right?
Dong Xin Yan tightly clenched her hands, took a deep breath, forcibly held back her tears, then managed to squeeze out a smile, raised her head, and said to Cheng Ziyang, "Mm, I know. You too, make sure to take good care of yourself these days."
After a pause, Dong Xin Yan urged, "Hurry and go, or it might snow heavily later, and your mother must be waiting impatiently."
"Alright." Cheng Ziyang leaned in and kissed Dong Xin Yan’s forehead, "Good night, Xinxin."
After Cheng Ziyang left, Dong Xin Yan closed the door, leaned her back against the door panel, her heart heavy and stifled, extremely uncomfortable.
She originally thought that after the deal was done, her life could return to normal.
But...reality is never as beautiful as she imagined.
Dong Xin Yan tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep. It wasn’t until dawn that she dozed off, and when she awoke, it was already midday.