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墨書 Inktalez
I explained to my parents that I was recently staying at a hotel, not at the home of Wang Xu, and they urged me to go to the hotel to pack my things and move in.
Thinking about it, it's probably better this way. Since it's already like this, I might as well stay at my own place. Facing the cold, impersonal hotel room every night is quite uncomfortable.
Most of my things have been moved back home, and since the hotel room is empty and unused, I temporarily don't want to contact Lu Ming, so I went to the front desk to ask if I could check out.
Leaving the room empty feels wasteful, and wastefulness is shameful.
After hearing my request, the front desk staff apologetically explained, "I'm sorry, miss, but only the guest who booked the room can check out."
That makes sense; the room charges must have been deducted from Lu Ming's card. Just bringing the room key over wouldn't allow me to check out. Discarding the idea of checking out, I casually asked, "How long has this room been booked?"
I was just trying to calculate how much Lu Ming had spent on the room, but when the front desk checked and reported back with the duration, I was genuinely shocked.
"You mean this room was booked over a month ago?!"
The time they provided coincided exactly with when I started staying at the hotel. During that period, Lu Ming had given me the room key, saying it was for backup. He emphasized that if someone needed to stay, I could give up the spot.
Lu Ming's statement made it hard not to think that he had prepared the room well in advance. If that's true, it’s quite a coincidence.
"Yes, miss. The room was booked by Mr. Lu on the 23rd."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
On my way home from the hotel, I kept thinking about Lu Ming. His behavior has always been strange; he has his quirks. But for some reason, this particular incident stuck with me. By the time I got home, I was still puzzled.
Just then, I saw my mom preparing a fish in the kitchen. When she saw me come in, she quickly wiped her hands on her apron and pulled me toward my room.
“Zhuang Jun, come here and take a look.”
I walked into the room and saw a new air conditioner hanging on the wall. My mom handed me the remote control and urged me to try it out.
“Your old air conditioner was too outdated. I happened to see a sale on air conditioners while shopping for groceries today, and I saved over five hundred yuan. It’s so cold now, using an electric blanket too much isn’t good for your health. You should try it and see if it works well.”
Holding the new air conditioner remote my mom handed me, I suddenly remembered the massager and quilt I prepared for my grandmother. Thinking about how I had once tried to please her made me feel guilty about my parents.
In the days since I returned home, my parents have treated me like a princess again, just like when I was little. I had talked with my dad in the study about my divorce from Wang Xu, but I still wanted to handle it myself.
This was a bitter fruit I had sown, causing them negative effects. In the end, I wanted to deal with it on my own; I didn’t want them to worry about me all day long.
It was already wrong that I couldn’t let them enjoy their later years in peace; I certainly didn’t want to add to their troubles.
After our talk, my dad said he would respect my wishes and repeatedly reminded me that home is still there, family is still there, and that I have support and confidence.
Miao Miao returned because Wang Nan informed me. On the phone, he sighed deeply and said, “The main reason she’s back this time is to settle scores with me.”
Hearing Wang Nan say this naturally reminded me of what happened at Lu Ming’s place some time ago. Wang Nan must have known about it then but chose to side with Lu Ming and didn’t tell Miao Miao, which led to this day of “settling scores.”
However, I didn’t blame Wang Nan much. Perhaps back then and even now, I was just his girlfriend's friend in his eyes. But Lu Ming was different; he was Wang Nan's good brother, just as Miao Miao would always treat me much better than she would treat Lu Ming.
Miao Miao's return washed away some of my worries. With slightly clearer emotions, I sat in Wang Nan's car on the way to pick up Miao Miao, chatting casually with him.
I don’t know who brought it up first, but after mentioning Lu Ming, Wang Nan asked me, “Did Lu Ming ever mention his ex-wife to you?”
I shook my head and then nodded: “He said he saw a therapist because of his divorce.”
Wang Nan seemed surprised by my answer and turned his head slightly to look at me a few times: “Didn’t he mention anything else?”
"Well." In my memories, there shouldn't be any mention of "not interested."
"Heh heh, Lu Ming was seriously ill for a while, receiving IVs and medication every day, undergoing various observations, and even had some self-harming behavior. So he might have been quite worried about your situation during that time, which is why..."
"Wang Nan." I rudely interrupted him in a low voice.
"You go ahead." He politely urged me to continue.
"How he was before or after has nothing to do with me. I was just helping him pick up and drop off Lu Shuang during that time. Some things he endured himself and found difficult, so he wanted to help me avoid them. This kind of goodwill, to be honest, shouldn't it also require my consent?"
I still didn't know what changes my life would undergo if it weren't for that period of "confinement," along with Gu Xiang's daily contact during this time. But those decisions should be made by me alone.
Whether to live or die is a very personal matter.
"Yeah, that makes sense. That kid Lu Ming really hasn't thought about anyone else; he suddenly thought of it once and used the wrong approach."
Although Wang Nan expressed agreement, he was still speaking on Lu Ming's behalf. It had been over ten days since I last saw Lu Ming, and I thought that would be the end of it. Hearing Wang Nan bring him up again made me uncomfortable.
Fortunately, we had arrived at the airport. By the time Wang Nan and I reached the waiting area, we had stopped exchanging words. Until Miao Miao came through the aisle pushing a suitcase, her bright eyes scanning around. Eventually, she spotted us and ran over without hiding her excitement, throwing her arms around me.
"Zhuang Jun, Zhuang Jun, I've really missed you!" Miao Miao rested her head on my shoulder, hugging me tightly with excitement. I also enjoyed this moment of slightly suffocating joy.
I missed her; she was such a good girl.
"Sorry..."
I had planned to apologize to Miao Miao when I saw her, but before I could say anything, she released me and angrily pushed Wang Nan beside her.
Wang Nan stumbled slightly but honestly accepted Miao Miao's anger.
"Alright, Wang Nan, I've only been gone for a few days and you've already grown wings, helping your brother bully my sister. It seems you don't plan on being with me anymore. I, Mu Miaomiao, am telling you today: it's over!"
Before this, Wang Nan had mentioned that he sensed how angry Miao Miao would be, but seeing her in reality made his expression quite grim.
"Can you stop throwing around the word 'breakup'? I've already explained the reasons to you."
"Explanation? Was that really an explanation? Why didn't you tell me earlier? You waited until I was about to come back to say something. You're really heartless for keeping this from me for so long."
Miao Miao's tone was harsh as she scolded Wang Nan. He shot me a pleading look for help. I didn't want Miao Miao to be so angry right after returning, so I spent a long time trying to mediate until her anger subsided.
"Fine, let's not waste time here," Miao Miao said, frowning as she looked at me with concern. "It's all Wang Nan's fault for not telling me sooner. By the time I found out, it was too late. Let's talk in the car."
"Okay."
But when Miao Miao said 'in the car,' she meant a taxi. She absolutely refused to ride with Wang Nan and wouldn't let him follow us either, so Wang Nan's car trailed behind us the whole way, which felt quite strange.
In the taxi, I briefly shared my experiences from the past few days with Miao Miao. She gasped in shock several times, gripping my hand tightly before loosening her hold again, her brows furrowed and her expression serious.
I thought that Miao Miao's return was somewhat selfish; it gave me a sense of support again. Her problem-solving skills were better than mine, and her ideas were broader. Discussing things with her was definitely better than brooding alone.
"I really didn't expect you to go through so much, Zhuang Jun. You're such a fool," she said sympathetically, taking my hand and placing it on her lap while gently rubbing my hand with her other hand.
"So has Wang Xu reached out to you in these past few days?"
"No," I shook my head. "If he didn't know about Deng Xiaomei bringing over the clay pot, he probably wouldn't have taken so long to contact me."
"Yeah, that's very likely." Miao Miao pondered for a moment before suggesting, "Since our previous plans have been disrupted, we need to try again one by one. Since this Deng Xiaomei has the audacity to come knocking on our door, let's deal with her first."
Hearing Miao Miao speak so resolutely as if it wasn't my issue made me chuckle as I teased her, "You've just come back; you should rest at home for a few days first."
Miao Miao shook her head, "No need, I'm feeling great. It's just that Shate is really tough; I'm almost at the point where I can't face anyone."
Looking closely at Miao Miao's face, it was a bit rougher than before. She had a good foundation and looked great with light makeup, and now she wasn't too far off. Once she returns and takes care of herself, she'll be fine again.
"You, why do you make things so hard for yourself? Isn't there still Wang Nan?"
I could see how deeply Wang Nan loved Miao Miao. It was a sincere and profound love, different from Wang Xu. A hint of sorrow flashed across Miao Miao's face as she sighed with a bitter smile, "It's precisely because of Wang Nan that I'm willing to endure this hardship. At least I have some confidence."
Miao Miao's current situation was better than mine but still not good. Her ordinary family background didn't impress Wang Nan's family. Her efforts to hustle around were also aimed at gaining some confidence.
These matters she casually mentioned to me were certainly not things she had brought up with Wang Nan. I could see the determination and passion in her.
"Miao Miao, it's nice to meet you."
Mu Miaomiao smiled brightly at me, "Nice to meet you too."
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