Nanxi waved her hand to signal she was okay.
The man wasn’t reassured, "Miss, are you really okay?"
Nanxi shook her head, "I’m really fine..."
She had barely finished her sentence when a stronger wave of nausea hit her.
The man’s girlfriend, noticing Nanxi’s beauty and her boyfriend’s unusual concern, sensed a red alert and immediately tried to drag her boyfriend away. "She said she’s fine. Let’s hurry in, or we won’t get a seat!"
The man frowned at her words, reluctantly yielded, and followed his girlfriend inside.
Nanxi leaned against the wall and took several deep breaths. The absence of the smell of KFC was a welcome relief.
Afterwards, she moved towards Uncle Zhang’s car across the street.
Uncle Zhang had already opened the car door and was waiting for her. Nanxi apologized before getting into the car.
"Sister-in-law, you’re back!"
Lu Qingtian was eating skewers. Upon seeing Nanxi, he instantly charmed up, handed her a skewer, and said, "Sister-in-law, I bought this while waiting for you. It’s delicious, give it a try!"
Smelling the barbecue, Nanxi felt chillingly nauseous again and covered her mouth, as if she was going to throw up.
Lu Qingtian was surprised, "Sister-in-law, what’s wrong?"
Nanxi opened her mouth, intending to say "I’m fine," but the nausea in her stomach prevented her from speaking.
"Young lady, are you not feeling well? Shall I take you to the hospital?" Uncle Zhang asked worriedly.
Nanxi didn’t speak but looked as if she were about to vomit. Seeing her discomfort, Uncle Zhang said no more and immediately swerved the car towards the nearest hospital.
The atmosphere in the Li Family residence was distinctly serious at this time.
Especially following the conversation between Li Weihuan and Lu Yinchu, everyone fell silent.
The old gentleman slowly broke the silence, his sharp eyes focused on his great-grandson and grandson. "So you’re saying Yinchu met Nanxi first, unsuspectingly, Weihuan met Nanxi and they dated for six years. After breaking up, unknowingly, Nanxi met Yinchu again and they got married?"
"Yes, grandfather." Lu Yinchu nodded. "But there’s one thing I need to clarify. Although Nanxi dated Weihuan for six years, nothing inappropriate happened between them. Nanxi is a well-behaved girl who acts with principles. As her husband, I know better than anyone how pure she is!"
Li Weihuan, sitting nearby, slightly clenched his fingers on his lap.
The old gentleman glanced at his grandson and then his great-grandson, asking, "Weihuan, what about you? What do you have to say?"
Li Weihuan bit his lip, "Great-grandfather, everything Yinchu said is true. Indeed, Nanxi and I dated for six years, four years of which were long-distance. We were innocent and naive during our two years in college. I never touched Nanxi. We... were pure."
His great-grandfather narrowed his eyes, "That’s not very convincing."
"Indeed! Anyone would find it incredible! But just because it’s incredible doesn’t mean it isn’t possible!" Li Weihuan responded, "Great-grandfather, do you remember me suddenly returning to China half a year ago while still having unfinished studies abroad? Do you want to know why I came back?"
"Weihuan!" Qi Qun paled, trying to stop him.
"It was because of a girl my mother introduced to me named, Ren Linlin, who I sent to look for me abroad..."
"Nonsense! When did I order Ren Linlin to find you abroad? Weihuan, how could you falsely accuse me ? I’m your mother!"
Li Weihuan sneered, "If you didn’t send her, how could she suddenly go abroad to find me? How would she know which school I was in? Which dormitory I was living in? What was my dormitory’s telephone number?"
"..." Qi Qun bit her lip, her face as white as the snow.
Li Weihuan continued, "Ren Linlin came overseas and wouldn’t leave me alone. When she noticed I was ignoring her, she cozied up to my dorm mates. One day, she suddenly told me she decided to give up on me, was planning to go back home, and wanted to invite everyone from the dormitory for a farewell dinner. I thought she had finally understood, so I agreed. But that night, she purposely got me drunk. Under the influence, she led me to believe we had done something unspeakable..."
Li Weihuan continued, "I was angry then. I was certain I did nothing to her - I felt nothing. To prove my innocence, I went to the hospital for a check-up. Though the doctor said some things couldn’t be verified with medical science, after I described my feelings, he assured me that those were not symptoms of someone who had done that, especially for the first time..."
Li Weihuan added, "Great-grandfather, indeed, I was with Nanxi, and there was a point when I loved her very much. But I knew she didn’t love me. She was with me because I was the one who helped her in her most difficult time! She felt gratitude, moved, and appreciation for me! Moreover, as Yinchu said, she’s a good girl. When my mother strongly objected to our relationship because of her family background, she encouraged me to work hard to touch my mother’s heart with our best efforts so she would approve our relationship. Otherwise, she would never irresponsibly give herself to me! She often advised me not to quarrel with my mother, to be polite to my sister, to care more about my father, to stop fighting, and to mature soon, so I could accomplish something in my own right..."
Li Weihuan lowered his head. His eyes became slightly red as he said, "Great-grandfather, Nanxi is such a good and kind girl. You’ve known her for so long and should be quite clear about that! You’ve experienced all walks of life and met so many people, so you should be able to judge a person’s character! You should also be able to tell whether I’m lying or not!"
"Moreover, Nanxi only got together with Yinchu after breaking up with me. She wasn’t aware of the relationship between Yinchu and me back then. Nanxi and Yinchu truly love each other. Their reunion after years of separation is a kind of fate. Please, great-grandfather, bless them and don’t blame them. If someone is to blame, it should be me... it’s all my fault! I knew Nanxi’s heart wasn’t with me, yet I held onto her for six years. I knew I couldn’t give Nanxi happiness but was reluctant to let her go. I hurt Nanxi and Yinchu. Great-grandfather, I beg you, don’t blame them, don’t blame them..."
While speaking, Li Weihuan knelt in front of his great-grandfather, his tears flowing freely, falling drop by drop onto his great-grandfather’s leg.
Watching his great-grandson, the old gentleman sighed and closed his eyes in a pained silence.