Chapter Fifty-Two: Four Years Later

A constant unease gnawed at Cheng Yunting’s heart. Suddenly, he lifted his head and gazed out the window. The plane that Leng Zheng had just boarded was already disappearing into the sky…

He glanced at his phone and saw the message Leng Zheng had sent him.

“Xiao Zheng!” He shot to his feet and walked over to the transparent glass window. The whole room reverberated with his heart-wrenching cry, “Xiao Zheng!”

Shen Dongleng hurried over, trying to help Cheng Yunting into his wheelchair, but Cheng Yunting refused. He stood there rigidly, staring at the departing plane with unwavering eyes.

“Yunting!” Suddenly, Cheng Yunting collapsed…

When he awoke again, it was already the third day. He stared blankly at the ceiling, dazed for a long while.

His girl… was no longer by his side. She had left him once more…

…

A year after Leng Zheng arrived in S City, she announced her official debut as a singer and her entry into the entertainment industry. Meanwhile, the Qin and Su families released a statement on their official microblogs, declaring Qin Xinqi’s return to the public eye.

Rumors began circulating that Leng Zheng and Qin Xinqi were the same person, and that Leng Zheng had given birth out of wedlock, but these stories eventually faded away.

Qin Xinqi made her presence felt in S City’s business circle, overturning the established order and sending a clear message: even after years of absence, she was still as formidable as ever.

In the two months following Leng Zheng’s departure, Cheng Yunting spent his days drowning himself in alcohol at bars, frequently drinking until he wound up in the emergency room.

Six months after Leng Zheng left, he returned to the business world, turning the capital upside down. He was paving the way for his girl. If she were to return to the capital, he would not allow any family to stand in her way.

Leng Zheng carried her pregnancy to term and gave birth to twins. During labor, she faintly heard Cheng Yunting’s voice. She thought it was a hallucination, not knowing that Cheng Yunting had been waiting outside the delivery room the whole time. Only after making sure she was safe and seeing the two children did he finally leave.

Leng Zheng named the boy Qin Yiting and the girl Qin Anxin.

When Cheng Yunting heard these names, he was overwhelmed with the urge to go to S City to see Leng Zheng, but he lost his nerve. Now was not the time…

Qin Xinqi longed for Cheng Yunting. She yearned for a peaceful home.

Cheng Yunting often secretly bought tickets to the shows Leng Zheng participated in, watching her from the audience, unable to approach. The danger surrounding him was too great; he didn’t want her to be anywhere near it.

When Leng Zheng first arrived in S City, she shut herself off from the world, speaking only to Chu Yuxiu and no one else. Night after night, she called out Cheng Yunting’s name in her dreams.

Chu Yuxiu could only watch her with aching heart. Why was fate so cruel to two people who loved each other so deeply? They should have been married by now—why force them apart?

Leng Zheng suffered from constant morning sickness. Even a little porridge would make her vomit, and she couldn’t stand the slightest oily or fishy smell.

Everyone said that pregnant women gain dozens of pounds, but Leng Zheng only grew thinner and more haggard.

Once his influence in the capital was secured, Cheng Yunting took action against Du Ruoyan, forcing her to confess everything. Afterward, he went abroad for treatment on his leg. A year later, he returned to the capital and resumed his work.

He often used work to numb himself, but he could never stop thinking about her…

Four years later…

“Mama, what are you looking at?” Qin Anxin sat atop the suitcase, gazing up at Leng Zheng.

“It’s nothing. It’s just… it’s been such a long time since I was here.” Leng Zheng shook her head, smiled, and gently stroked Qin Anxin’s hair.

Many women, after having children, lose their figure or begin to look older, but Leng Zheng looked as if she had just entered university.

Both Qin Anxin and Qin Yiting looked up at her with puzzled eyes.

Qin Anxin’s chubby cheeks were especially adorable, making one want to reach out and pinch them. When she smiled, two dimples appeared—just like Leng Zheng’s when she was young—making everyone who saw her instantly fond.

Qin Yiting, on the other hand, had inherited Cheng Yunting’s features. He was like a miniature version of Cheng Yunting, except his eyes were the same fox-like shape as Leng Zheng’s.

“Big Brother…”

“Welcome back, Xiao Zheng.”