The realization of what might have happened in her previous life was a tremendous shock to Meng Ting.
Looking at the cold-faced youth before her, Meng Ting suddenly didn’t know if being with him was right or wrong.
She remained silent, but this moment of shock and hesitation was enough for his sensitivity and insecurity to shatter everything. Jiang Ren let go of her.
He pressed his lips tightly together. Many onlookers were watching, but none dared to approach.
His hands in his pockets trembled slightly.
Before coming to H City, Jiang Ren had brought medication to control his emotions. However, when his fingers touched the pill bottle, he didn’t dare to take them in front of her.
Imperfect, physically ill, mentally ill. He wasn’t whole in any aspect.
“Jiang Ren…” Meng Ting sensed his sudden calmness as if his previous hysteria had been just her imagination. Everyone around was looking at them. Jiang Ren stood a few steps away, staring at her, his eyes colder than the night.
She didn’t care about the future anymore. At this moment, she even softened her breath: “I’ve never not wanted you. If you give yourself to me, I’ll take you.”
“I can’t afford to give.”
He turned and left. The crowd parted as he walked through, then subtly watched the young man’s abnormal leg. Human curiosity is just that strong – an ordinary young man exuding coldness, a beautiful and innocent young woman.
Gao Yi, concerned, drove over. He was originally in H City responsible for promoting the seaside villas, and incidentally looking after Young Master Jiang.
Gao Yi was clear in his mind that no matter how powerful Wen Rui became in Junyang, his final boss would be Young Master Jiang.
Seeing Jiang Ren approach, he quickly opened the car door to let him in.
Jiang Ren didn’t refuse. He got in and, with trembling hands, took out a pill and tossed it into his mouth.
Gao Yi saw this and asked, “Do you need to go to the hospital, Young Master Jiang?”
“No need. Let’s go.”
Meng Ting chased to the front of the car, but it had already driven away.
A little girl holding a bouquet came up to Meng Ting. She had two pigtails and wasn’t particularly pretty or cute. Due to the dry cold of winter, she was still out selling flowers, with two obvious patches of high-altitude redness on her face.
“Big sister, this is for you.”
“Thank you.” Meng Ting crouched down and accepted the roses from her hands. She gave the girl all the money she had left.
“No need, the big brother already gave a lot.”
The little girl ran off after speaking, her small arms and legs moving surprisingly fast.
The big brother gave a lot of money, enough to buy new cotton jackets for herself and her mother.
The words “big brother” made Meng Ting lower her gaze to look at the flowers in her hand.
The second little boy was timid, holding an aquarium with two goldfish: “For big sister.”
“Also from the big brother?”
The little boy couldn’t lie. He sniffled shyly and nodded.
The third little boy was noticeably more lively and a couple of years older. He gave her a blue dolphin toy and made a funny face.
His two front teeth showed when he smiled: “Happy birthday.”
Meng Ting hugged the little blue dolphin tightly, realizing he had been with her for a long time.
Her mind was in turmoil now, needing to calm down.
When Meng Ting returned home, Shu Zhitong had already prepared dinner and bought a small cake. Although they couldn’t afford a grand celebration for Meng Ting’s birthday, he had put a lot of thought into it.
Shu Yang was there too, and he had prepared a gift – a pair of ballet shoes bought with the money he earned from his last competition.
The questions Meng Ting wanted to ask got stuck in her throat. Seeing the smiling faces of her family, she could only decide to ask about Shu Lan’s situation tomorrow.
“Ting Ting, make a wish quick. The three wishes you make on your 18th birthday are the most effective.”
Meng Ting closed her eyes and made three wishes.
Dad Shu was very emotional: “Time flies, you’ve all grown up so fast. Next month, Shu Yang will come of age too. Dad is getting old.”
“Dad, you’re still in good health. Don’t say such things on sister’s birthday.”
“Alright, alright.”
After the family finished dinner, Meng Ting changed the water for the goldfish and put them in her room.
She also placed the blue dolphin toy by her bedside.
Jiang Ren was older than her. When he was eighteen, she didn’t like him – it was when she hated him the most.
Today, guessing the truth for the first time made Meng Ting panic.
However, now as she watched the two goldfish – one red, one black – swimming intimately in the fish tank, she calmed down. Her young man carried the most dazzling light in the world. If she didn’t want him, even God would be disappointed.
In the previous life, Jiang Ren killed people because he thought she was dead. As long as she stayed with him properly, such things wouldn’t happen.
As for whether Jiang Ren’s leg could recover or not, it didn’t matter. If he could heal, that would be best. If he couldn’t, she would feel heartache but wouldn’t mind.
After all, that was an injury she should have suffered. He was her hero.
But where in the city was her hero now? She couldn’t find him anywhere.
Meng Ting made up her mind, and her heart suddenly felt clear. The next day, before Dad Shu went to work, Meng Ting asked about Shu Lan’s situation.
“Earlier, the police said they found 500,000 yuan in cash in Shu Lan’s bag. Did Shu Lan say who gave her that money?”
Dad Shu’s chopsticks paused. He hated that instigator in his heart – no father would willingly believe in his daughter’s malice.
“Xiao Lan said it was a man called Zong Lin. The police arrested him for instigation and sentenced him.”
But Meng Ting knew this sentence was too light. It wasn’t just arson, it was attempted murder.
She hadn’t opened the door at that time because there was an iron chain outside. However, when the police investigated, they didn’t find the chain, saying it might have been an illusion she had in her panic during the fire.
It wasn’t an illusion. Someone was trying to harm her, and that person had quietly removed the evidence.
Moreover, Meng Ting had never heard the name Zong Lin. She remembered that in her previous life, Jiang Ren had killed Wen Rui. So this person was most likely Wen Rui’s scapegoat.
Seeing Meng Ting lost in thought, Shu Zhitong asked her, “Why are you asking about this today?”
“It’s nothing, Dad Shu. I’m off to school.”
“Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. You still need to relax in your senior year.”
Meng Ting agreed and changed her shoes to leave.
The countdown to the college entrance exam in the upper right corner of the classroom was decreasing day by day. A serious atmosphere permeated the entire senior grade building of No. 7 High School.
Zhao Nuanchen knew yesterday was Meng Ting’s 18th birthday. She had already given her gift in advance. However, this morning, she secretly brought her phone.
“Ting Ting,” she whispered after the lunch break, “I want to show you something.”
Zhao Nuanchen’s eyes were excited, her secretive manner making Meng Ting feel it probably wasn’t something good.
After all the classmates had left, Zhao Nuanchen took out her newly bought phone, sat with Meng Ting, and gave her an earbud.
Meng Ting looked at the screen.
On the screen was a naked red-haired boy and a girl with large breasts, slim waist, and a perky bottom.
They were rolling around together.
The key point was, that this was an anime.
Boy: “Little minx, I love you to death.”
Girl moaned: “Then be gentle, okay?”
Zhao Nuanchen’s face was flushed red: “How is it? How is it?”
Meng Ting’s face was also bright red: “…”
“We’re all adults now. I’ve been thinking I must give my best friend this kind of coming-of-age gift.”
Meng Ting felt she didn’t need this kind of coming-of-age gift. The mosaic-covered anime wasn’t very explicit, just the dialogue was just a bit hard to describe – it was a gimmick to attract attention.
However, the faces of the two naive girls were redder than each other, with Zhao Nuanchen having to pretend to be experienced while feeling embarrassed.
Meng Ting: “You bought a phone to watch this?”
“This is interesting, isn’t it? Food and color, nature also.”
Zhao Nuanchen was also embarrassed and turned off her phone.
She was a curious soul: “I read in novels that boys at this age have very strong sexual desires. Is that true?”
Meng Ting: “…”
To be honest, she didn’t know either, but why was Zhao Nuanchen shyly discussing this kind of question with her? It made her brain, which was originally troubled and confused by Jiang Ren’s situation, become completely flushed with blood.
In the classroom, the countdown to the college entrance exam showed “158” days. It was already less than half a year away.
“Your ex-boyfriend Jiang Ren, is he… colorful?”
This question suddenly reminded her of the first day of tutoring when he did push-ups to hide his tent.
Meng Ting abruptly stood up, her face almost dripping blood: “Zhao Nuanchen!”
Zhao Nuanchen: “…” She felt embarrassed for accidentally asking her most curious question.
Zhao Nuanchen didn’t know that Jiang Ren had returned over the past half year. In her simple world, Jiang Ren was just a heartless, unfaithful scumbag.
It would be best if Ting Ting forgot about him.
That student Huo Yifeng, who got early admission, came to see Ting Ting every month during breaks. He was handsome, from a good family, and most importantly, had no messy romantic entanglements. Zhao Nuanchen was afraid that the little fairy Ting Ting might be deeply hurt by her previous relationship, so she thought it wouldn’t be bad if Ting Ting accepted Huo Yifeng.
However, for No. 7 High School, even one early romance was quite extravagant.
Jiang Ren was already an exception in Meng Ting’s life.
It turns out half a year is quite long – over a hundred days have made all those in the know think that Jiang Ren was already Meng Ting’s ex-boyfriend.
It was like this for Zhao Nuanchen, it was like this for He Junming and others, and in Jiang Ren’s heart, he must have thought so too.
Meng Ting wanted to say that he wasn’t an ex-boyfriend, he had never been in the past.
However, facing Zhao Nuanchen with her flushed face from the erotic anime, she blushed and packed her schoolbag, walking out.
Property prices were set to rise next year. The seaside villas in H City had been advertised, but there was no rush to sell. Someone with foresight must have known that after the New Year, the house prices would increase significantly.
Meng Ting looked at the deep blue sea, sunshine, and beach on the large electronic screen, with beautiful small villas. She smiled, pressing her lips together. If he didn’t mind that she was poor, what right did she have to think he wasn’t good enough?
How did Jiang Ren become so insecure?
When you love someone, in your heart they are perfect in a thousand ways. Even their flaws become virtues.
She thought she knew where to find Jiang Ren now. She was about to take the college entrance exam and couldn’t go to B City, but if Jiang Ren was still around, he would be near the real estate in H City.
Meng Ting didn’t hesitate. After school in the afternoon, she went to the sales office of the seaside villas.
The salesperson saw that she was a student and probably couldn’t afford a villa, but out of professional courtesy, still smiled and asked if she needed anything.
“I’m looking for Jiang Ren.”
Everyone in Junyang knew who Young Master Jiang was.
The salesperson looked at her fair and beautiful face, somewhat hesitant.
Should he tell her that Young Master Jiang was still in H City?
“If it’s inconvenient when you see him next time, please give this to him.”
A small blue star was placed in her palm.
The salesperson agreed with a smile.
Meng Ting didn’t know if the little star had reached Jiang Ren’s hands. She folded one every day, and after school, she would go to the area near An Hai-Ting and give the paper star to the salesperson.
When she came, she wasn’t sad. She smiled, her big eyes curving, melting people’s hearts.
It was only later, when the salesperson helplessly opened both palms to show her nearly thirty stars, that her big eyes dimmed a little.
Had he not come, or had he not wanted them?
On the thirty-third day, even after work hours, the salesperson couldn’t wait for the adorable fairy-like girl.
The sea waves rolled against the shore as a young man in a black coat walked in from outside, treading through the night.
His pupils were pitch black, and he walked very slowly. As soon as he entered, the entire sales department fell silent. Everyone had heard that Jiang Ren used to have a rebellious personality, and now he was very cold, but either way, he wasn’t easy to get along with.
He reached out his hand.
The salesperson shook his head, saying carefully, “She didn’t come today.”
The young man lowered his eyes, his outstretched hand clenching into a fist.