Chapter Thirteen: "Wait for My Return, and I Will Marry You"

"Xiao Zhen, I'm sorry..." Cheng Yun Ting gently held Leng Zhen's hand, gazing at her.

Leng Zhen's face was deathly pale, her wrists marred with scars she'd inflicted upon herself. She had just taken sleeping pills and lay down to rest.

Cheng Yun Ting kissed her forehead tenderly and carefully bandaged her wrists.

For a moment, Cheng Yun Ting felt an urge to lose himself, but Xiao Zhen was gravely ill, and it seemed impossible. Besides, he was about to leave for England. If she were to become pregnant now, what would that mean?

He couldn't be so selfish, wanting Xiao Zhen to stay by his side forever. She had family, friends... many who cared for her. She wasn't someone who belonged to just one person.

Perhaps, he truly was a fool.

"Xiao Zhen, your stomach is weak—avoid spicy foods. Take care of yourself. Don't rely only on sleeping pills; they're bad for your health." Gently, he wiped her body. "You little heartless thing, don't forget me and fall into another man's arms. And don't hurt yourself; it pains me."

With reddened eyes, Cheng Yun Ting rambled on for a long time, all about how Xiao Zhen should take care of herself.

"Xiao Zhen, wait for me, will you? When I return, I'll marry you." He kissed her forehead one last time, slipped a ring onto her finger, and then reluctantly left.

After Cheng Yun Ting departed, Leng Zhen opened her eyes. In truth, she hadn't slept at all but had been awake the entire time.

The sleeping pills no longer worked for her; none of the sedatives on the market could bring her rest anymore...

She watched Cheng Yun Ting's departing figure and murmured to herself, "Why... if he can't bear to leave me, why does he have to go?"

Her eyes grew red, tears slipping down unnoticed. Suddenly, she felt so tired, unwilling to keep going...

But then Cheng Yun Ting's words—"Wait for me, I'll marry you"—echoed in her mind, and she set aside that thought.

She suddenly sat up, rummaged through the cabinet for something, but found nothing and lay back down.

She gripped the pillow fiercely, tearing the pillowcase. Whether it was poor quality or something else, she couldn't tell...

...

Qin Xiao Nan, after seeing Cheng Yun Ting off, returned to check on Leng Zhen and witnessed this scene. He quickly asked someone to bring her medicine, calmed her, and laid her flat on the bed.

By now, Leng Zhen's quilt was stained with blood. Her eyes remained red, as if she felt no pain at all...

Qin Xiao Nan, heart aching, tended to her wounds, and called over the Qin brothers, all except Qin Cheng.

Leng Zhen never complained of pain throughout. Since the age of ten, sleeping pills, anesthetics, and all such medicines had ceased to affect her.

She remained silent, gazing out at the night beyond the window, lost in thought.

After treating her wounds, Qin Xiao Nan quietly left. There was nothing he could say to make her feel better. Only Leng Zhen herself could find a way through.

Leng Zhen watched the night outside, recalling moments with Cheng Yun Ting. It seemed... they had first met at night.

Her tears fell once again, uncontrollable, her sobs wracking her body.

Perhaps the collapse of adults happens in an instant. He was her light, and with the light gone, only darkness remained.

PS: Ah! I'm stuck! Sob sob, my heart aches for Xiao Zhen—how could Cheng Yun Ting, that unfilial son, abandon her like this!

Well, that's it for now. Tomorrow Cheng Yun Ting returns home, and then the two will meet again. As for how... you'll have to guess!

The next chapter will cover what happened in the four months, laying the groundwork for their reunion.

I really don't know how to write it; I'm seriously stuck. This is a soon-to-be bald little writer.

Alright, see you later~