Chapter 20: Xin'er's Brave Confession
1928 Words
Mingyu Group Headquarters, 120th floor.
In Zhou Minghao's ten-million-yuan office, the eight-figure Ming Dynasty blue-and-white porcelain vase had become a pile of worthless shards.
His handsome face, twisted by towering rage like a demon crawling out of hell, was frantically roaring into the phone, issuing orders to have Zhang Tianyou torn to pieces.
And the center of this storm, Zhang Tianyou himself, was at that very moment leisurely sitting at a roadside food stall.
In front of him, a greasy folding table; beneath him, a red plastic stool.
On the table were several plates of freshly cooked crayfish, a plate of stir-fried clams with chili, and a few bottles of iced beer.
The air was thick with the aroma of cumin and chili, mixed with the lively noise of the crowd, full of the**** of ordinary life.
This was the human world Zhang Tianyou was familiar with.
"Boss! Two more beers!"
Lin Tao's perpetually unchanged tech-geek face was now flushed an unnatural red from excitement and alcohol. He held up his empty bottle, yelling at the stall owner, his voice nearly cracking.
He was ecstatic.
From being won over by Zhang Tianyou's few words yesterday, to witnessing his boss's god-like maneuvers today, making the lofty Mingyu Group dance in the palm of his hand.
Lin Tao felt like his twenty-plus years of life had been wasted.
What is vision?
What is strategy?
*This* is what** warfare is supposed to be!
The way he looked at Zhang Tianyou now wasn't as a boss anymore; it was as a god, a living idol, a benefactor who gave him a new life. His boss was simply the GOAT!
Zhang Tianyou ignored him, calmly peeling a crayfish, then placing the plumpest, most succulent piece of meat into the bowl of the girl sitting across from him.
Su Xin'er sat opposite him, her small face flushed, not knowing where to put her hands.
She had originally wanted to treat Tianyou ge to a meal, to thank him for saving her life last night.
But instead, Tianyou ge had brought her to this food stall and also invited his new colleague, Lin Tao, saying it was to celebrate the successful completion of the company's first deal.
She looked at the small mountain of shrimp meat in her bowl, her heart feeling both sweet and warm.
"Tianyou ge, you eat too. Don't just peel them for me," she said softly, her voice as sweet and soft as cotton candy.
"It's okay, you eat more. You're too thin."
Zhang Tianyou smiled, feeling better than he had since his rebirth.
The Flash Delivery scheme had ended perfectly.
That fool Zhou Minghao had spent five million for a lesson and, in the process, handed over his first batch of startup capital and a top-tier technical team.
This feeling was even better than making a hundred million in his past life!
Now, with his key player Lin Tao by his side and the girl he loved beside him, this was truly the time to enjoy life's pleasures!
[Zhou Minghao is probably furiously smashing things in his office right now, isn't he?]
[Go ahead, smash, smash away. It's all ill-gotten gains anyway, no loss.]
[Your anger right now doesn't even compare to a fraction of the suffering I endured in my past life.]
[Just wait. This is only the first appetizer.]
[Next, I'll make you, step by step, give back double everything you stole from others!]
This inner monologue of Zhang Tianyou's, filled with vengeful satisfaction, pierced like icy daggers across dozens of kilometers into the heart of another woman.
Wang Wanru was alone, driving her black Bentley, wandering aimlessly through the streets of Haicheng like a lonely ghost.
She didn't dare go home.
She was afraid of seeing her father's disappointed face.
She didn't dare go back to the company.
She was afraid of seeing the probing looks from her subordinates.
Even less could she go to Zhou Minghao.
Just thinking about that** face made her nauseous.
Zhang Tianyou's crystal-clear inner voice had become her only, and cruelest, companion at this moment.
She listened to him celebrating victory, listened to him declaring war on Zhou Minghao, and listened to his undisguised tenderness towards that girl named Xin'er.
Her car, without her realizing it, had driven to the riverside.
She parked by the road, watching the lively scene at the food stall in the distance, her eyes reddening again.
He was celebrating his victory.
And his victory was built on the crushing defeat of another man.
One was her nominal husband.
One was the "white moonlight" she had once loved.
How ironic.
After several rounds of drinks, Lin Tao was completely drunk, his tongue thick, slumped over the table, rambling incoherently about his grand visions for the future world of AI.
Zhang Tianyou ignored him, quietly accompanying Xin'er, chatting idly.
They talked about funny stories from school, about dreams for the future.
The atmosphere, catalyzed by alcohol and the night, became a little**.
"Xin'er," Zhang Tianyou looked at her and suddenly spoke, "what are your plans next?"
Su Xin'er was startled, and the light in her eyes immediately dimmed.
What plans could she have?
Her mother's surgery fees were still a distant hope, and she still owed Tianyou ge a huge debt of two hundred thousand.
Her only thought now was to work like crazy, earn money, and pay off the debt.
As for studies, dreams... those were luxuries.
Watching the light fade from her eyes, Zhang Tianyou's heart clenched.
He didn't press further, just said gently, "After dinner, let's go for a walk by the river."
After dinner.
Lin Tao had completely blacked out, so Zhang Tianyou had to call a designated driver to take him back to the hotel first.
Then, he took Xin'er for a stroll along the riverside path.
The river breeze blew, carrying a cool moisture. On the opposite bank was Haicheng's most prosperous financial district. The neon lights of skyscrapers illuminated the entire night sky, reflected in the river, shattering into a sparkling expanse of light.
Beautiful, yet unreal.
They walked side by side, neither speaking, the atmosphere quiet and pleasant.
Su Xin'er kept her head down, secretly stealing glances at the man beside her from the corner of her eye.
His profile, under the shifting lights, looked so steady, so reassuring.
From his god-like appearance last night to his confident maneuvering today, this man, who in her memory was just a gentle and kind older brother, had somehow become so strong, so... dazzling.
So dazzling that it made her feel a little inferior, yet unable to resist wanting to get closer.
She knew they were from different worlds.
He was an eagle soaring in the sky, and she was just an ant on the ground, scrambling for survival.
But...
But she really, really liked him.
This feeling had quietly taken root in her heart since the first time he helped her out of a jam in university. After the life-and-death ordeal last night and the warm companionship this evening, this seed could no longer be suppressed. It was about to break through the soil, to face that impossible light, and bloom~~~
Su Xin'er stopped walking.
She took a deep breath, as if summoning all her strength.
Zhang Tianyou noticed she had stopped and halted too, turning back with a puzzled look. "What's wrong?"
Against the dazzling riverside lights, the girl's face flickered between light and shadow.
Her eyes were moist, yet shone with astonishing brightness.
She looked at him with a courage that threw caution to the wind, an almost tragic bravery, her voice trembling yet incredibly clear:
"Tianyou ge..."
"I... I like you."
*Whoosh.*
Zhang Tianyou's mind went blank for a moment.
The girl's confession, like a pebble thrown into a lake, sent ripples across the frozen surface of his heart, a surface long sealed by thoughts of revenge.
He looked at her, at her eyes filled with nervousness, anxiety, and desperate hope.
He knew how much courage it took for this proud girl to say those words.
"I know I'm not good enough for you."
Seeing he didn't speak, Su Xin'er thought he was going to reject her. Tears burst forth instantly (╥﹏╥). Her voice choked with sobs, she spoke incoherently:
"I don't want anything, I don't want your money, I don't want you to do anything for me."
"I just want... I just want to stay by your side."
"Even if it's just making tea or bringing water, even if it's just being an insignificant little assistant, as long as I can see you every day, that's enough for me."
"Please, Tianyou ge, don't send me away..."
The girl's tearful plea carried a heartbreaking humility.
Zhang Tianyou's heart clenched tightly.
He couldn't hold back anymore. He reached out and gently, with a gesture of utmost care, touched her head.
Her hair was soft, carrying the faint scent of cheap shampoo, yet it inexplicably calmed him.
"Silly girl."
He sighed, his voice filled with a tenderness and** he hadn't even realized he possessed, a tenderness that couldn't be dissolved.
"Xin'er, thank you."
He looked into her eyes, speaking with complete honesty:
"I understand your feelings. Being liked by a good girl like you is an honor for me."
"But before I've dealt with certain things, I can't give you any promises."
"That wouldn't be fair to you."
And all of this – this romantic scene under the shimmering lights, the handsome man and beautiful girl gazing deeply at each other, like something out of an idol drama – was perfectly, without missing a single frame, witnessed by the woman in the black Bentley not far away.
Wang Wanru watched Zhang Tianyou reach out, using a tenderness she had never seen before, to stroke another girl's hair.
She watched that girl confess to him tearfully.
She couldn't hear what they were saying.
But she could hear that more*****.
That most*****, coming from the depths of Zhang Tianyou's heart!
[Xin'er, you silly girl.]
[How could I not want you?]
[Half of my rebirth is for revenge, the other half is for you!]
[It's just... right now, I'm still stuck with this disgusting identity of 'Wang Wanru's husband.' I can't hold you back in this ambiguous situation.]
[Wait for me.]
[Once I finish the divorce procedures with that woman Wang Wanru, once I've cleared away all the obstacles.]
[Once I'm divorced, I'll pursue you openly and honorably.]
[Then, I'll give you the most spectacular confession the world has ever seen. I'll let everyone know that you, Su Xin'er, are the only woman I, Zhang Tianyou, want to protect in this life!]
BOOM!!!!!!
When this final thought, filled with love and promise, struck Wang Wanru's mind like a final judgment,
she felt her world completely crumble.
All sound, all light, vanished in an instant.
Before her eyes, only darkness remained.
In her ears, only the mournful cry of her own heart, shattering piece by piece.
She finally understood. She had lost.
Lost so completely, so ridiculously.
She had thought that by not divorcing him, she could keep him tied to her.
She was wrong.
All she had tied down was a shell.
His soul, his love, his everything, had long been given to another woman.
And she, with her own hands, had pushed the only man who ever truly loved her further and further away, until he was beyond reach.
- Writer
