Rebirth: Pampered by My Children and Husband - Chapter 53

Chapter 53: Chapter 53: It’s All Ji Zeqiu’s Fault

Ting Yang hung his head low for a while, then, as if he remembered something, suddenly lifted his head and pulled up her sleeves.

Seeing the gauze nearly wrapping her arms tightly, his eyes turned red again.

“You lied to me!” Ting Yang’s pupils trembled, both shocked and hurt.

The amount of gauze on her body was like it was being sold by the pound—if it was just a fall, how could it be so severe?

Could it be… there were injuries elsewhere?

Thinking this, Ting Yang immediately lifted her tightly covered collar and saw the same type of gauze on her neck, then he began to lift the hem of her clothes.

Lin Xu hurriedly grabbed his hand in a panic, exclaiming, “Wait! Don’t strip off my clothes!”

The nanny nearby was also startled and quickly turned to go back to her room, fearing she might see something inappropriate.

These two were too bold—she was still there, and they were already impatient to strip.

As an outsider, it wasn’t her place to meddle in their affairs. Shaking her head, the nanny went into the room.

A moment later she picked up her cellphone, hesitating whether she should report to Ji Zeqiu.

In the living room.

Hearing Lin Xu’s urging, Ting Yang realized it was not appropriate and quickly let go, his cheeks flushing as he stammered, “I… I just wanted to see if you were hurt anywhere else…”

“It’s gone, there really aren’t any more injuries,” Lin Xu said with a helpless smile, tidying her disheveled clothes.

Ting Yang didn’t believe her words, his eerie eyes staring intensely at her, making Lin Xu feel even more guilty.

“Are you hungry? The nanny just made some chicken soup. Let’s eat together,” she said with a forced laugh, trying to change the subject.

“…” Ting Yang didn’t speak.

Lin Xu also slowly dropped her smile, standing obediently as if she were the child being scolded by a parent.

“What exactly happened to these injuries? Don’t lie to me!” Ting Yang asked again.

Knowing she couldn’t hide it any longer, Lin Xu had to tell him the truth.

When he heard that Lin Xu had fallen off the cliff along with Ji Zeqiu, his eyes turned bloodshot and even his breathing became labored.

His chest heaved violently, as if he couldn’t catch his breath, his breathing rough as his hands tightened around her wrists, causing Lin Xu to cry out in pain.

Lin Xu noticed his distress and stepped forward to embrace him, gently patting his back, “It’s okay, it’s okay. Look, I’m fine now, don’t worry.”

Her voice was soft, like a spring breeze brushing against the face.

As if afraid she would disappear, Ting Yang hugged her tightly, his throat catching with a barely noticeable choke, “From now on, you mustn’t hide anything from me.”

If she were to encounter danger again and he remained as unaware as he had been twenty years ago, unable to even see her one last time.

What would he do…

“I’m sorry, I just didn’t want you to worry.” Lin Xu sighed, realizing she still ended up making him worry.

Ting Yang couldn’t bear to blame her, but he still had to scold Ji Zeqiu, “It’s all because of that useless Ji Zeqiu.”

It was bad enough that he hadn’t protected their mother but to even have their mother protect him in return.

Absolutely useless.

Lin Xu smiled faintly, knowing Ting Yang just needed to vent his frustration, so she let him curse.

After Ting Yang had cursed a few times, he suddenly became aware of Ji Zeqiu’s unreliability, then he said to Lin Xu, “Don’t stay here anymore, I’ll take you home.”

“Huh?” Lin Xu was taken aback.

Ji Tingyang led her towards the door but realized she was standing stiff in her spot, not showing any sign of wanting to walk with him.

His grip on her palm froze.

Didn’t she want to go back with him because she liked Ji Zeqiu more?

Ji Tingyang hadn’t thought of Wen Li for a long time, but now he suddenly remembered her.

In the beginning, Wen Li only had him by her side, but somehow, gradually, many people began to appear around her, and she no longer paid attention to him, her eyes seemingly able to hold only Xiao Yu.

Eventually, she left his side.

Was his mother also going to stop liking him like Wen Li and leave him?

He started to worry that the warmth he had barely obtained from Lin Xu would slip away, even making breathing difficult.

Ji Tingyang’s breathing halted for a moment, his mind flashing with the idea of forcefully taking Lin Xu back home, trapping her in the villa.

Would his mother then belong only to him forever, and not even Ji Zeqiu or his sister could take her away?

He would take good care of her in the villa, he wouldn’t let her get hurt like Ji Zeqiu did, she wouldn’t have any problems, so she wouldn’t leave him again.

Various dark thoughts sprouted in some corner of his heart, entwining and enveloping him like vines, urging him to do so…

Suddenly, a pair of warm small hands touched his skin, bringing back his thoughts.

Lin Xu held his cheeks with her hands, “Stop thinking nonsense, mom will always like you.”

Ji Tingyang looked downwards, his tone somewhat indistinctly aggrieved, “Then why won’t you go home with me…”

“Because the project at the company isn’t finished yet, aren’t you still waiting for Ji Zeqiu’s endorsement? So, I’m staying here because of you.”

“Think about it, if I don’t stay, and if Ji’s situation becomes difficult again, aren’t you going to work overtime night after night? How heartbroken would I be?”

“And wouldn’t the company lose a lot of money, and wouldn’t your money become less? In that case, how would you support me? Wouldn’t you disregard your health and desperately try to make money?”

“So, I’m staying here because I care about you!” Lin Xu bluffed her way through.

The Ji Tingyang who usually commanded the business world, continuously scheming through project collaborations, sly and sharp, at this moment didn’t doubt Lin Xu’s words, and was pacified by her.

The little flowers wilting on his head suddenly straightened their backs, as if warmed by the sunlight, blossoming especially brilliantly.

The corners of Ji Tingyang’s lips uncontrollably curled upwards.

He didn’t realize he was so easy to appease.

Lin Xu smiled, “Alright, come over for lunch together.”

He had just refused to have dinner with him, and unexpectedly now, they were having lunch together at Ji Zeqiu’s house.

During the night.

Ji Tingyang once again dreamt of the scene at Lin Xu’s funeral twenty years ago.

His sight was filled with somber, understated black and white, Ji Zeqiu’s crying echoed in his ears, and his sister, still in swaddling clothes, influenced by the atmosphere, cried out unknowingly.

Ji Tingyang felt an immense heaviness in his chest, as if a massive stone had fallen, making it hard for him to breathe.

His forehead was covered in cold sweat, and he suddenly opened his eyes.

He stared blankly at the ceiling, for a long time, then picked up the cell phone from the bedside table, flipping out a photo from the gallery.

Ji Tingyang looked nervously and seriously at the camera, Lin Xu snuggled up by his cheek, beaming.

This was taken today with Lin Xu.

He stared at the photo for a long while, until the unease dissipated, and then he closed his eyes and fell back asleep.