Xiang Wan sat down, cradled Lu Mingzhe’s head, and let him rest on her lap, avoiding eye contact.
After asking a few words about dinner, Xiang Wan changed the subject.
“Grandma called me today.”
“Oh, has it been a few days since she last called? Is she still in good health?”
Xiang Wan sighed, saying she didn’t know.
“She’s the type who only shares good news and hides the bad, never telling the truth. I can feel she misses me a lot, but she just won’t say it. I suspect she might be feeling unwell somewhere.”
Lu Mingzhe lifted his head from her hands, his face full of concern.
“That’s very possible. She’s probably afraid of bothering you, so she doesn’t dare to say if she’s uncomfortable. Then how do you still have the mood to eat?”
“I called my cousin to check on her, and she said it’s nothing serious, but I’m still a bit worried. Since it’s not too busy these days, I plan to take leave and go back to see her.”
“It’s Xiang Yang’s birthday in a couple of days, and I might not be able to make it, so I’m celebrating it for him early today.”
Lu Mingzhe realized it then.
“But you don’t have to leave me alone at home, do you? Celebrating his birthday early, having one more person would make it more festive.”
Xiang Wan pushed his head down, gently running her fingers through his hair to massage his scalp.
“I told you, this is the first time my brother and I have had a meal alone in so many years.”
“After all, it’s his 20th birthday, it has to be a bit special. You can’t be everywhere.”
Lu Mingzhe nestled against her stomach, smiling contentedly.
“Only this one time can be special, no more after this. From now on, you have to take me everywhere you go.”
Xiang Wan said yes.
“I’m going back to my hometown tomorrow and will probably stay for a few days. You should return the apartment to your friend.”
“You go stay at your brother’s place, and I’ll have Xiang Yang stay at school.”
Lu Mingzhe lifted his head again. “Why are we doing this?”
Xiang Wan said, “Lately, I haven’t been feeling secure, and I’ve been staying in someone else’s house for free every day.”
“Xiang Yang has dorms at school, it’s not like he can’t stay there. When I get back, I’ll go to your brother’s place with you. Otherwise, it feels so awkward to keep doing this.”
Lu Mingzhe lay back down.
“No need, anyway, he hasn’t started selling it yet. Besides, the Zhan Corporation is huge, does it lack one apartment from you?”
“Whether they lack it or not is their business, whether we take advantage of it is ours. Can’t one just be so shameless?”
“Okay, okay.”
Lu Mingzhe didn’t dare to argue with her, not wanting to upset her.
“I’ll listen to my wife, I’ll listen to everything my wife says. Do you want me to go back with you? After all, you’re pregnant now, what if Grandma has something going on…”
Xiang Wan gently patted him.
“I think you just don’t want to go to work, always finding excuses to go out and have fun.”
“Xiang Yang can’t earn money, and I have a lot of things to deal with. I’ll have to support the family in the future. If we don’t work, will we eat the wind?”
Lu Mingzhe hugged her waist, gently rubbing his face against her stomach.
“But I don’t want to be separated from you. I want to hold you all the time.”
Xiang Wan didn’t reply to his words, her hand gently stroking his face as her eyes were fixed on the computer screen.
Since she decided to seal her heart and lock away her love, such words no longer stirred any ripples within her.
The next day, Lu Mingzhe wanted to see her off at the airport, but Xiang Wan said it wasn’t necessary.
“The flight isn’t until after ten, I’ll sleep a bit longer. You should go to work quickly.”
After Lu Mingzhe left, she took her packed luggage to the car and drove to the second-hand market.
Two hundred and twenty thousand, transfer the money, handle the paperwork.
She sent Xiang Yang her last message.
“I’ll block your phone and WeChat later. The money is in this card, and the password is your birthday. I’ll contact you again after some time.”
“Study hard, delete your chat history, and remember what I told you.”
Back home, her grandmother was very happy to see her.
Xiang Wan appeased her, saying she had opened a new studio in Hangzhou, was too busy, had no time to take care of her life, and was pregnant, hoping her grandmother would come and help her.
She asked her to cook for her, clean the house, and help take care of the child once it was born.
Upon hearing that she was pregnant and asking her to help with the child, her grandmother became very excited.
“My goodness, how far along are you? Why didn’t you tell Grandma sooner?”
“Your little Lu hasn’t even had the wedding yet and you’re having a child. Won’t his parents make fun of you?”
“Just got pregnant.”
Xiang Wan didn’t want to say too much. “Just come with me. Work is too busy over there, and I have to leave tomorrow. I can’t be away for too long.”
Grandma decided to pack her things and leave with her tomorrow.
In the evening, as the grandmother and granddaughter sat in the yard chatting, Tang Haichao called Xiang Wan.
He asked if she had returned to her hometown.
“Yes. I plan to go to Hangzhou tomorrow.”
“How will you go? By plane?”
Xiang Wan subconsciously asked, “What else?”
“Taking other cars is too slow, and changing trains back and forth is troublesome. Grandma is old and it’s inconvenient.”
Tang Haichao reminded her.
“I advise you not to take a plane, nor a high-speed train or any train. Don’t take anything that might expose your whereabouts.”
“Think about it. Leaving without a word with their child. How could such a proud man bear it when he finds out?”
“Their family has connections, and it’s easy for them to track your itinerary. If you take these, what’s the difference from not leaving at all?”
Xiang Wan’s heart skipped a beat, and she finally realized.
“Then what should I do?”
“I’ll send someone to drive and pick you up. We’ll take the highway to Hangzhou and won’t expose your whereabouts.”
“And you said before that you haven’t been abroad, right? Take this opportunity to get your passport at home. It might be inconvenient to come back later, so prepare more documents, just in case.”
“Actually, it’s just for convenience when the child grows up and we take her out to play.”
Admittedly, Tang Haichao’s meticulousness was on a completely different level than her own.
Xiang Wan followed his advice, and the next day she and her grandmother applied for passports for several countries, and then waited for his people to pick them up.
It was her first time in Hangzhou, and it was overwhelmingly large. She had no destination and didn’t know where to settle down.
Fortunately, Tang Haichao had made arrangements in advance and had already rented an apartment for her to move into first.
Xiang Wan didn’t understand.
“How did you manage to arrange everything here so perfectly?”
“Did you start preparing from the moment I said I was going to leave Nancheng?”
He told her truthfully, “It wasn’t for you, I was preparing for myself.”
“Nancheng’s real estate market is basically saturated, and interior design has become increasingly difficult in recent years.”
“After the incident a few days ago, I had already planned to leave here.”
“Hangzhou is a newly developed tier-one city with a large youth population, suitable for starting a business. When you said you were going to Hangzhou, it coincided with my own thoughts, and I was quite excited.”
Xiang Wan didn’t quite believe his words and said directly.
“Tang Haichao, you know, I’ve never had that kind of feeling for you.”
“And, I don’t have the energy or spirit for that right now. I don’t want you to waste your time and energy on me.”
Tang Haichao smiled.
“Don’t worry. Honestly, it’s really not for you.”