Chapter 172: The Feeling of Heartache

Taking the elevator into the Xiyuan Restaurant, Nanrong Wanqing, Nanrong Hao, and Su Lin, led by the waiter, headed straight to the private room they had reserved in advance.

Today was Su Lin’s birthday, a rare occasion to celebrate. In addition to her family, she had also invited quite a few classmates with whom she had good relationships. As for Zhong Wei and his security team, they were arranged in an adjacent private room, allowing them to provide protection at any moment without disturbing the celebration.

At this moment, Nanrong Hao was pushing the wheelchair, closely following behind Su Lin.

Ever since entering the restaurant, Nanrong Wanqing’s gaze had been searching for Ling Chen. However, the occupied tables in the hall were shielded by screens, making it impossible to see anyone.

With no other choice, Nanrong Wanqing had to give up looking.

Just then, as the trio was passing a screen, Nanrong Wanqing suddenly called out to Nanrong Hao.

"Sister, what’s wrong?"

Nanrong Wanqing did not answer, her beautiful eyes fixed on the screen beside her, as if she were listening to something.

"Xiaozhu, let’s not talk about those things. What will happen in the future is uncertain; what we need to do is cherish the present."

Behind the screen, Ling Chen raised his wine glass, smiling. "To be honest, I’m really happy that you were willing to accept my invitation tonight. I hope you can temporarily forget those unpleasant things and truly enjoy tonight’s dinner."

Zhu Xiaozhu lifted her head, gazing directly into Ling Chen’s deep and clear eyes, and mustered her courage to say, "Ling Chen, we’ve known each other for quite some time and been through quite a few things. I don’t want to deny my own thoughts. Among the men I’ve met, besides my elder brother, you’re the only one who doesn’t repel me."

"Xiaozhu, I won’t hide it from you; actually, I..."

"You don’t have to say it." Zhu Xiaozhu’s face reddened slightly. "I understand your feelings; Little Hua already told me."

Xiaozhu? Zhu Xiaozhu!

So he was on a date with Zhu Xiaozhu.

Hearing Ling Chen and Zhu Xiaozhu’s voices from behind the screen, Nanrong Wanqing suddenly froze, her eyes expressing a complex emotion.

His date turned out to be Zhu Xiaozhu.

For some reason, at that moment, her heart felt a piercing pain, as if being pricked by a needle, and her smooth, delicate cheeks paled slightly.

These past days, she had tried to let down her guard and status, and made an effort to interact with him. Anyone with even a slight bit of understanding could see her intentions through her actions.

In her heart, she always viewed herself as a traditional woman and hoped for a lifelong commitment.

Ling Chen had saved her life several times, and they had even shared intimate physical contact. No matter how she thought about it, she had to admit that Ling Chen had left a deep impression in her heart.

The days she spent with Ling Chen, however brief, had made her happy. To her, this seemed like a good beginning.

Moreover, that night at the movie theater, Ling Chen had taken the initiative to hold her hand. As a man making such a gesture, as a woman, she understood the meaning behind it.

That night, she had difficulty sleeping, tossing and turning as she thought over many things. If the two of them could continue to interact like this, then maybe this man could be her choice.

But now, hearing the conversation between Ling Chen and Zhu Xiaozhu, the future she had envisioned crumbled.

It wasn’t hard to tell from Zhu Xiaozhu’s words that she also had feelings for Ling Chen, and it seemed that Ling Chen reciprocated those feelings.

She wasn’t a narrow-minded person; she wouldn’t quibble over past incidents. But if Ling Chen had revealed his feelings to her that night at the movie theater, why would he still entangle with another woman?

What made her even more distressed was that the other woman was Zhu Xiaozhu.

Men are fickle; that statement is certainly true.

She smiled self-deprecatingly; she had trusted him too much, originally thinking his feelings for her were sincere. Now it turns out all of it was a lie.

"Sister..." Watching the changing expressions on Nanrong Wanqing’s face, Nanrong Hao couldn’t help but ask, "Are you feeling unwell?"

"I’m fine. Let’s go; we shouldn’t delay Lin’s birthday party."

Nanrong Wanqing’s tone was cool and indifferent, but that stunningly beautiful face of hers had a touch of coldness to it, as if she had returned to the previous ice-cold, impassive Nanrong Wanqing.

Sensing her subtle change, Nanrong Hao felt a bit strange but still held back from asking. He knew his sister’s character well; she rarely shared her inner feelings, thus asking would be in vain.

After Nanrong Hao had pushed the wheelchair away, Ling Chen suddenly peeked out from behind the screen, glancing around with confusion in his eyes.

Just now, while chatting with Zhu Xiaozhu, he overheard someone outside calling ’Sister.’ The voice was very familiar, seemingly that of Nanrong Hao’s, but there was no one outside the screen—inadvertently he had heard wrong?

Closing the screen again, Ling Chen looked at Zhu Xiaozhu sitting across the table and asked, "Xiaozhu, what did Little Hua tell you?"

"Aren’t you aware of everything?"

Uhh...

Scratching his head with a smile, Ling Chen muttered to himself, Little Hua, that girl is so whimsical, who knows what she’s been saying.

After finishing a candlelit dinner and spending time chatting, when Ling Chen and Zhu Xiaozhu left the Xiyuan Restaurant, it was almost nine o’clock.

Driving Zhu Xiaozhu to the Martial Arts Academy, Ling Chen got out of the car and accompanied her inside.

As they reached the door, Zhu Xiaozhu suddenly turned around, her gaze hesitant while looking at Ling Chen’s sharply defined face.

Seeing this, Ling Chen smiled with a grin. "What is it? Just say whatever you want to say."

"I... don’t be angry after I say it."

"Don’t worry, I’m not that petty."

Zhu Xiaozhu said softly, "Thank you for the dinner, but... my attendance tonight doesn’t imply anything."

"What do you mean?"

"Actually, I was hoping that tonight’s dinner might help clear up the misunderstanding between you and my brother. But now it seems that it was just my wishful thinking. Ling Chen, I don’t mean anything else; it’s just... I don’t know how to make a decision. Please give me some time to think it over properly. Is that okay?"

Ling Chen nodded; he understood the complexity of Zhu Xiaozhu’s feelings at the moment. Asking her to make a decision right away would be difficult.

"Don’t take this matter too much to heart. I know you did it for the sake of my wellbeing and your brother’s, but we should resolve our issues by ourselves. I don’t want you to get involved. Regardless of the decision you make, I will respect it."

"Thank you."

"What is there to thank? Alright, it’s getting late; you should head back and rest, and convey my regards to Mr. He."

Watching Zhu Xiaozhu’s figure disappearing into the room, Ling Chen couldn’t help but sigh, feeling somewhat gloomy.

Why did Zhu Xiaozhu have to be Zhu Hong’s younger sister? It was truly headache-inducing.

If he were to confront Zhu Hong in the future, how should he face Zhu Xiaozhu?