"I want to go home." Surprising Xin Yi, Cheng Luiying declared, ’I’m almost certain my mom is looking for me.’
"Even after everything she’s done, will you go back to her?" Xin Yi is was aware of the truth. She fully confessed to him.
*Flashback*
"What do you want me to say? My mom told me she’ll leave if I didn’t end our relationship." She cried out in frustration through her tears, ’That doesn’t sound logical at all!’
All the actions of her mom over the last five years returned quickly, despite all her attempts to push them out of memory.
She mulled over how quickly her mother had changed. One moment, her mom loved her; the next, it was as if that love never existed, and she found herself helpless.
She naively presumed obeying her mother’s silly demand might regain her affection, but soon recognized it was a dumb notion.
’What did she do?’ asked Xin Yi, as his face grew more stern.
He warned, ’Answer me, Cheng Luiying, or I’ll take you home and stop bothering with you.’
Nervously, she swallowed hard. Trusting that he meant what he said, she revealed the truth to him.
With tears brimming in her beautiful eyes, she sobbed, "My mom, I have." Recalling what she had gone through caused her to feel turmoil in her heart.
With a gentler expression, Xin Yi moved nearer to the bed and said, ’No need to be scared, I’m right here.’ She calmed herself with deep breaths, and he said, ’Just tell me what I need to know.’
"My mother was absolutely thrilled when we began dating, but over time her feelings changed," Cheng Luiying reflected with a distant look in her eyes as she recounted the past.
"She often lashed out at me over trivial matters. I initially suspected the stress of managing the company caused it, but it wasn’t."
"She behaved differently with my siblings compared to me, making me worry that I’d upset her somehow," Cheng Luiying’s fists gripped tightly onto the bedspread.
"When she made that choice, wanting her love, I broke up with you, and then she announced my engagement despite me not being engaged."
Cheng Luiying sobbed in his arms and spoke, ’I was and still am heartbroken by my mom’s choice. Despite all my attempts, I’m unable to hate her, and this deepens my hurt.’
End of the flashback
’I just can’t stay away from her, can I?’ she murmured with a wry smile.
She chuckled dryly and said, ’Even if I want to go, my mom restricts my movements; I can’t follow through with any of my plans.’
Her mom’s actions have become increasingly troubling over the last five years. No matter how hard she tried, she could never figure out what she had done wrong.
Many people might feel jealous of her standing as Young Miss of the Cheng’s, yet she alone understands that her family ostracizes her.
She always treaded carefully at home. The beloved siblings she grew up with also abandoned her, leaving her feeling hollow.
Xin Yi declared confidently, ’I’ll accompany you home. No one will dare to act up with me around.’
"Do you intend to take my life early?" Her voice broke into a dry chuckle.
Xin Yi stared at her, clearly confused.
"They will find more reason to torture me if you return home with me. I know you despise me, but I beg you, don’t push me to my grave so quickly," she muttered.
"What makes you think I detest you? I felt heartbroken, but I have never hated you, and I never will," he exclaimed loudly.
A look of astonishment filled Cheng Luiying’s eyes as she stared at him. He didn’t harbor any hate for her.
Xin Yi gazed at her, awkwardly clearing his throat. It looked like he recognized his words.
"Indeed, when I attempted to detest you, my sentiments wouldn’t let me," he admitted, sharing his most private thought.
"You don’t actually hate me, but even if you don’t, you should still blame me. I did not take your feelings into account back then. I didn’t inform you, but I let my emotions control me. You should absolutely hold me responsible."
She quickly offered an explanation. She would feel less guilty if he blamed her for it.
Xin Yi fixed a profound gaze on her. He understood her completely. She goes to great lengths to hide her feelings, making sure no one can read her thoughts.
Her greatest shortcoming was clear in this detail. His love for her was boundless. His eyes brightened with excitement as a new idea emerged.
He smiled, but Cheng Luiying found it creepy. She had a hunch he was planning something, and the thought unsettled her. She couldn’t figure out what that might be.
Furthermore, she understood it probably wouldn’t benefit her.
"What are you thinking about?" she demanded, panting with her rising and falling chest, hinting that something intense was approaching.
He softly called out, "Yingying," making her shudder lightly as her hair stood on end.
"Yes," she answered hesitantly.
"You want to impress me, don’t you?" He looked into her eyes, and she nodded quickly.
’Damn it,’ she said internally. What made her respond so fast?
He said mysteriously, ’To make things right with me, be at the Civil Affairs Bureau.’
"With my mom holding on to the family register, there’s no way I’ll be able to..." She suddenly fell silent when she met his gaze.
He smiled broadly, clearly enjoying what she said.
’You tricked me!’ she shouted in shock.
"I only mentioned being at the agency; you’re the one who kept going on about the family register." He made it obvious that he didn’t want to accept the blame.
"Am I at fault for this? They marry at the bureau, just like in the novels I read," she stated, lowering her head shyly.
’Why did she make such a foolish mistake?’ She pondered over her actions and questioned herself.
"They process divorces at the bureau too, but rest assured, I won’t request one, nor will you," he promised.
Her mouth hung open in shock. Was this his way of proposing? Does this approach seem acceptable?