to face her, his eyes were as red as those of a rabbit! He approached her, and she flinched back in fear."You... What are you going to do" Her voice was hoarse from crying, so pitiful.He raised an eye...Go home.
Splat!
These two words were like a bolt from the blue in Lin Meng's mind, leaving her completely stunned!
Go home!
She's actually going home!
It's her time to go home now!
She had been looking forward to it so much, but when the time finally came, she needed someone to remind her!
"Lin Meng!" the woman smiled, a hint of doubt in her slightly raised lips.
Lin Meng stared blankly at the woman's smiling face, feeling like her own face was probably ugly and ridiculous right now. She had completely forgotten that she was supposed to go home; she had even forgotten that their contract time was only one week!
"Are you alright!"
The woman's gentle concern only further exposed Lin Meng's embarrassment.
"I... I'm fine!"
Her face must have been ashen, her lips trembling slightly as she spoke these words that seemed to vanish into the wind.
“I... I'm going to wash my face!” he said, his voice trembling. He was desperate to get away from the woman and afraid she would misunderstand or laugh at him. He quickly added, “I... I haven't washed up yet. I... I'll go wash my face!”
The woman nodded. "Go ahead, take your time, I'll help you tidy up first!"
Lin Meng forced a smile and hurried away to the bathroom, slamming the door shut. Finally, she had a private space to hide in. Her legs felt like jelly, threatening to give way beneath her. She leaned against the door, slowly sliding down until she was sitting on the cold, smooth tiles. The chill of the ceramic pierced through her silk nightgown and sent shivers down her spine.
She let out a choked cry, staring blankly at the mostly white objects before her. Her eyes suddenly felt hot and prickled with tears, then blurred instantly. It was as if a forbidden spell had been broken, and translucent tears slid down her cheeks in an instant.
She -- is leaving!
He had someone escort her away, and then they went their separate ways, never to see each other again!
There was no prelude, no sign whatsoever. He left without a word! While she was still blissfully unaware, floating in those unknown clouds, he simply withdrew, clean and decisive. And then, she tumbled from the sky with one foot, not shattering into pieces, but her heart felt like it was being ripped apart.
The large mirror reflected her face, a mere palm-sized visage, yet streaming with tears. She looked at herself in the mirror, pale and haggard, with disheveled black hair and tear-stained cheeks, as if abandoned or deeply wronged. Dressed in white, she appeared lost and broken, like neither human nor ghost.
Suddenly, he started laughing.
"Lin Meng, what are you doing! Why are you crying! You're free now, you can go. Why are you crying You should be happy, why are you crying..."
Criticizing herself, she climbed up from the ground. She roughly wiped the tears off her face, trying hard to suppress the sourness welling up in her heart. She reached out to grab her toothbrush, squeezed some toothpaste, and slowly brushed her teeth, washed her face, slowly letting the bitterness settle...
When she came, it was too humiliating. At least when she left, she should have been a little more graceful.
In the mirror, I see myself, my tears wiped away, my face clean. My hair, once tousled, is now neatly combed. I look good, if only those red and swollen eyes weren't so obvious.
She puckered her lips at her reflection in the mirror, practicing how to smile naturally.
Pushing open the bathroom door, the poised woman had in these few short minutes tidied her belongings. On one side lay the travel bag she'd brought. Seeing Lin Meng come out, she gave her a quick smile.
Lin Meng was taken aback, looking at the neatly folded clothes. Shirts were shirts, pants were pants, skirts were skirts, stacked one on top of the other, like a silent hint, or perhaps a satire.
Her heart tightened, then tightened again. She plastered on a smile she'd rehearsed and flashed it back at the woman. They each took a set upstairs and went to change in the bathroom. Holding their old clothes, she looked at the confident and generous woman and apologized sheepishly: "I'm sorry, these clothes haven't been washed yet. I'll wash them when I get back and send this set back to you too."
She had originally worn that outfit, but it was already tattered and torn apart by Rong Ling's abuse. It had long been discarded, so she helplessly "borrowed" the clothes Rong Ling bought for her!
The woman understood the meaning behind Lin Meng's words and suddenly laughed, happily but not wildly. "Lin Meng, these clothes are all yours. I just helped you tidy them up, there's nothing to return."
Saying that, he began to pack the clothes into his suitcase.
Lin Meng was stunned, her eyes blurring again. How foolish she was, since she had left, how could she possibly still be connected to him, let alone see him again! He was such a capable person, once he decided to break things off, he would do it cleanly and completely, leaving no chance for them to meet again!
Seeing the woman there bow her head and tidy up, Lin Meng suddenly raised his head, forcing the mist of tears back into his eyes, and then hurried forward to take the work from Miao Qing's hands.
"I'll do it!" I'll take care of my own clothes, and tidy up myself.
Miao Qing smiled faintly and stepped back.
Lin Meng stuffed piles of clothes into her travel bag, including the ones she had been holding and hadn't had time to wash.
With a "snap," the travel bag was zipped up. Lin Meng knew, she was leaving. Her hand trembled slightly, then quickly clenched, gripping the strap of the travel bag. She looked up at Miao Qing, pretending to be nonchalant. "Leaving now"
Miao Qing nodded, deliberately pretending not to see the redness in Lin Meng's eyes. She took the lead and walked out first, with Lin Meng following behind. On the glass tea table in the living room, that touch of green with white lily-of-the-valley drifted into Lin Meng's eyes, her heart ached, and her steps became difficult. She wanted to pretend she didn't see it, but several times she couldn't help but turn her head to look at it, finally stopping just as she was about to cross the living room.
"Miao... Miao Qing!"
The woman stopped her steps and turned to look at her.
Lin Meng pointed at the lily of the valley on the coffee table. "I want to take it!"
Miao Qing narrowed her eyes slightly.
Lin Meng hurriedly explained. "This is... a gift from someone else!"
The pain in her heart left her without the courage to even utter his name, afraid that if she did, she would lose control and shed tears of vulnerability and weakness before this carefree and decisive woman.
Miao Qing nodded, "Let me get it for you!"
She pretended to go hug the pot of lilies-of-the-valley, but Lin Meng rushed past her.
"I can do it!"
Holding a lavender plant in one hand and luggage in the other, she seemed small but still managed to carry everything.
As they stepped out, a hotel staff member responsible for cleaning the room was already waiting at the door. Dressed in white, their appearance radiated an unusual cleanliness and tidiness. The woman, seemingly the supervisor, nodded towards Miao Qing, then led her group into the room. Lin Meng guessed that this luxurious presidential suite must have been thoroughly cleaned in the shortest possible time, clean to the point where it seemed like no one had ever lived there before, and all traces she had left behind were erased!
It turns out, it wasn't just the clothes in this travel bag that were erased!
I stumbled out of the elevator and through the Jade Embroidered Hotel's doors. A sliver of setting sun broke through the clouds and shone on me, momentarily blinding me. I squinted, feeling a sharp, aching pain in my eyes!
The hotel's staff member quickly brought Miao Qing's car. Miao Qing took the keys. "Come on, I'll drive you home!"
Lin Meng shook her head and slowly took a step back.
Miao Qing raised an eyebrow.
Lin Meng tried her best to perk up the corner of her mouth and smiled, "No trouble, I'll take the car home!"
Miao Qing frowned. "Rong Shao ordered me to send you home, please don't make things difficult for me!"
Lin Meng clutched the travel bag strap tightly, her chin raised slightly as she gazed up at Miao Qing, who was half a head taller than her. Her eyes, on the verge of breaking, held an unwavering determination that was impossible to miss.
"Thank you for your kindness, but—I insist on leaving myself. Please—don't make things difficult for me!"
Let his people see her off like this, he might be well-intentioned, but she simply couldn't bear his kindness! She pretended to be strong and didn't want to collapse in front of his people!
Miao Qing took a deep look at Lin Meng, who seemed on the verge of collapse, and slowly lowered her eyelids. She murmured in a near sigh, "Well then!"
Lin Meng slowly lowered her head. “Thank you!”
Turning, she took her steps one by one, slowly leaving the Jade Pavilion behind.
This book is first published on this website, please do not reprint!y, her eyes like black grapes soaked in water, gazing at him with panic and despair, silently pleading for his departure.The unruly hand started to rapidly pull away, she was about to let out a breath...