DXXZL - 72

The winter night was bitterly cold, and a chilling wind seemed to pierce Jiang Tu’s heart. He gripped her shoulders, his voice stiff as he asked, “What did you just say?”

He couldn’t believe what he had heard.

Zhu Xingyao bit her lip and repeated firmly, “I said... if we get married, I don’t want...”

“Not that part,” Jiang Tu cut her off sharply. His fingers tightened on her shoulders as he stared deeply into her eyes. “The last part—what did you say after that? What do you want to do?”

Zhu Xingyao winced from the pain of his grip. Looking at his stern face, she suddenly found herself unable to speak.

Jiang Tu took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. He recalled her reaction in the hospital earlier and what she had just said. After a few seconds of silence, he turned and opened the car door, gently pushing her inside. He started the engine, turned on the heater, then returned to the backseat, lifting her onto his lap so they faced each other. His voice was low and gentle in the dim interior of the car. “Why are you saying this now? Were you scared by what happened earlier?”

Zhu Xingyao lowered her lashes and nodded slightly.

Jiang Tu remembered their senior year of high school when their Chinese teacher’s adorable daughter occasionally visited the school. During gym class, Zhu Xingyao and Li Xixi would play with her. He had always assumed she liked children.

The car was dark, but his gaze burned brightly. His voice softened further. “In the future, whatever you want or don’t want, you can tell me. I can’t promise I’ll be able to fulfill everything, but I’ll do my best. But you have to promise me one thing—you must never mention breaking up again. Not wanting children isn’t a big deal. From the very beginning, all I’ve ever wanted is you. I thought you already knew that.”

The words “breaking up” felt like a knife to his heart.

Zhu Xingyao’s heart trembled. Her eyes instantly reddened.

What regrets had Jiang Tu experienced in his life? In the beginning, it was missing the freshman welcome party, unsigned love letters, unspoken feelings, and the dashed dreams of the college entrance exam that pushed him further away from her...

He had once thought he would never have another chance with Zhu Xingyao. But now, here she was in his arms. What else could he possibly regret?

Jiang Tu lifted her chin and kissed the corner of her mouth. “No regrets.”

Without you, that would be the greatest regret of my life.

At three o’clock in the morning, Zhu Xingyao woke with a gasp from a nightmare. She had dreamed of Chen Yi and Jiang Yue again—a nightmare she hadn’t had in over two months. Turning on the bedside lamp, she sat still for a while before getting out of bed to pour herself a glass of water.

After such nightmares, she often couldn’t fall back asleep.

The next day, Saturday, Zhu Xingyao didn’t get up until after ten o’clock. Ding Yu reheated breakfast for her and, noticing her pale expression, asked sympathetically, “Did you have a nightmare last night?”

Zhu Xingyao held her cup of milk and murmured, “Mm.”

Ding Yu ruffled her hair and sighed. “What time is Jiang Tu coming over this afternoon?”

Zhu Xingyao replied, “I told him five o’clock.”

Ding Yu nodded and asked, “What does he like to eat? I’ll let Aunt Zhang know.”

Zhu Xingyao thought for a moment. “He’s not picky. He likes fish and beef.”

Later, Zhu Xingyao sat down on the living room sofa. She looked at Zhu Yunping and Ding Yu. “Mom, Dad, I’ve already talked to Jiang Tu. If we get married, we won’t have children, and he agreed.”

Zhu Yunping and Ding Yu exchanged glances. Zhu Yunping sighed. “Xingyao, there are some things you should tell him.”

Zhu Xingyao looked at him. “Dad, you don’t understand Jiang Tu. If he finds out, he’ll feel guilty and blame himself. I don’t want him to suffer.” She smiled faintly. “Anyway, when he comes this afternoon, don’t make things difficult for him, okay?”

Zhu Yunping huffed. “When did I say anything? You’re even giving me preemptive warnings now.”

Ding Yu looked at her. “You’ve only been dating for a short time, and you’re already talking about marriage?”

“I’m afraid he might not accept it, so I’m telling him in advance,” Zhu Xingyao said earnestly. “Besides, we’re not going to break up. Marriage is inevitable, isn’t it?”

She had never thought much about marriage before, but with Jiang Tu, she felt it didn’t matter whether it happened sooner or later.

She was willing.

At five o’clock in the afternoon, Jiang Tu’s car pulled into the Zhu family courtyard. Zhu Xingyao stood waiting for him. As Jiang Tu got out of the car and looked at her face, he noticed the exhaustion in her eyes and frowned. “Didn’t you sleep well last night?”

Zhu Xingyao blinked. “I’m nervous because you’re meeting my parents!”

Jiang Tu chuckled. “If anyone should be nervous, it’s me. Why are you nervous?”

“You wouldn’t understand,” Zhu Xingyao muttered.

Jiang Tu retrieved the gifts he had prepared from the trunk. Zhu Xingyao glanced at them and couldn’t help but smile. “Tu Ge, why did you buy so many things?”

“It’s proper etiquette,” Jiang Tu said, closing the trunk and looking down at her.

Zhu Xingyao stepped forward and looped her arm through his, whispering, “You don’t need to be nervous. Mom asked me this morning what you like to eat. They won’t make things difficult for you.”

This wasn’t Jiang Tu’s first visit to Zhu Xingyao’s home, but this time was different, and he was indeed nervous. When they entered, Ding Yu greeted him warmly, taking the gifts from his hands. “Go sit in the living room for a bit. Your uncle is handling some work in the study.”

Jiang Tu smiled. “Alright, thank you, Auntie.”

Ding Yu looked at Zhu Xingyao. “If you’re bored, you can show him your room.”

“Okay!” Zhu Xingyao said happily. She tugged at a slightly stunned Jiang Tu. “Let’s go upstairs. I’ll show you pictures of me when I was little.”

Two months later, Jiang Tu once again entered Zhu Xingyao’s room. The bedsheet and carpet had been changed, and underfloor heating made the temperature comfortable. Jiang Tu removed his coat and looked at her. “Didn’t you say you’d show me pictures of yourself as a child?”

“There aren’t any photo albums in my room. My mom keeps them in the living room cabinet. I tricked you into coming upstairs,” Zhu Xingyao said as she placed his coat on the sofa. Suddenly remembering something, she opened a drawer and pulled out a stack of love letters. Smiling at him, she said, “Look, I found the love letters.”

Jiang Tu was startled. “Where did you find them?”

“In the attic. I asked my mom to help me look for them.” Zhu Xingyao suddenly became curious. “Where did you gather all those cello-patterned cards?”

Jiang Tu pulled her close and smiled softly. “I collected them gradually. Whenever I saw one, I bought it.”

Zhu Xingyao imagined young Jiang Tu collecting those cards and felt a pang of sorrow. Just as she reached out to hug him, Zhu Yunping’s voice came from downstairs. “Has Jiang Tu arrived yet?”

“He’s here, in Xingyao’s room,” Ding Yu called back.

Zhu Yunping snorted. This boy had guts.

Jiang Tu glanced at Zhu Xingyao. “Shall we go downstairs?”

Zhu Xingyao put the love letters back in the drawer and went downstairs with Jiang Tu. When they reached the living room, Jiang Tu greeted Zhu Yunping. Leaning casually on the sofa, Zhu Yunping looked up at him. “Sit down. No need to be formal.”

Jiang Tu and Zhu Xingyao sat on the sofa. Zhu Yunping glanced at them and spoke to Jiang Tu. “Your story with Xingyao has been written into a book and caused quite a stir. We have no objections to your relationship.”

Jiang Tu was momentarily taken aback. He hadn’t expected Lin Jiayu’s book to serve this purpose.

Zhu Yunping continued. “How is your father… doing these days?”

The Jiang family had fallen apart because of Jiang Jinhui. Though Jiang Tu had long since taken control of his own life, Zhu Yunping still needed to inquire about certain matters. After all, Jiang Jinhui was Jiang Tu’s father.

Zhu Xingyao quickly interjected, “Dad!” Jiang Tu placed a hand on hers and looked at Zhu Yunping. “That incident affected both him and me deeply. Although he rarely gambles anymore these days, our relationship can’t be repaired. All that remains is an inseverable blood tie. Uncle, please rest assured—I’m no longer a teenager. Those events won’t affect me anymore, and they certainly won’t affect Xingyao.”

Zhu Xingyao looked up at him, then at Zhu Yunping. “Dad…”

Zhu Yunping fell silent for a moment, then dropped the subject. “That’s good.”

The dinner was much more relaxed than Jiang Tu had anticipated. As he left the Zhu residence, he still couldn’t quite believe it—had he really passed their approval so easily? Zhu Xingyao stood by his car, looking up at him. “What are you thinking about?”

Jiang Tu gazed at her, a hint of a smile in his eyes. “Nothing much. I just suddenly remembered my birthday ten years ago. You played the cello for me at the barbecue restaurant. I actually made a wish that day.”

“What was it? Was it about me?” Zhu Xingyao instinctively asked.

Jiang Tu hummed affirmatively. He wrapped his arms around her waist. “I wished that by the time I turned twenty-eight, I’d still receive a gift from you.”

It was already December, and in just over a month, it would be January 19th. Zhu Xingyao knew how precious that birthday gift had been to him back then. Smiling, she asked, “So what do you want for your twenty-eighth birthday?”

Jiang Tu looked at her, his voice soft. “I want you.”

Zhu Xingyao froze, her face flushing red. She hadn’t expected Jiang Tu to be so direct. Lowering her head, she muttered, “You… Tu Ge, you’re becoming more and more improper! How can you say such things outright? Are you trying to prepare me in advance?”

Jiang Tu paused, realizing his words had been ambiguous. What he meant was that he wanted to propose to her. Call it eagerness or even cunning, but he wanted to ask her to marry him on his birthday.

He believed Zhu Xingyao wouldn’t refuse him.

Jiang Tu cupped her burning cheeks and chuckled softly, offering no explanation.

He was still laughing!

Zhu Xingyao’s face turned even redder. She pushed his hands away, shoved him lightly, and glared. “Hurry up and leave!”

She turned to run but stopped at the gate, turning back to look at him.

She watched until his car disappeared from view.

After Waiting for Stars was released, Zhu Xingyao’s popularity surged again. Work offers poured in—advertisements, scripts, and even variety shows. Scripts and variety shows were out of the question, but Hua Ling carefully selected a few endorsements, one of which paired her with Li Xixi.

Over the phone, Hua Ling said, “We’ll sign the contract when you return from Dubai.”

Mid-December, Zhu Xingyao was invited by an orchestra she had previously collaborated with to perform in Dubai. She would depart in two days. Each time she went on tour, she packed a lot of things. Two suitcases were nearly ready.

“Alright,” Zhu Xingyao said into the phone. After hanging up, she thought for a moment, rummaged through a drawer, and tucked two pill bottles into her suitcase.

The incident at the hospital, when Ding Xiang’s wife fainted on her, had shaken her deeply. Her sleep had worsened recently, and she was plagued by nightmares almost every night. To avoid affecting her performance, she decided to bring the medication.

Two days later, before boarding her flight, Zhu Xingyao sent a WeChat message to Jiang Tu.

Jiang Tu replied, “Video call me when you reach the hotel.”

Zhu Xingyao arrived at the hotel at eleven o’clock at night. Xiao Kui and Xiao Tian carried her luggage into the room. Xiao Tian went to buy food, while Xiao Kui began unpacking. Zhu Xingyao took out her phone and initiated a video call with Jiang Tu.

After a few seconds, the call connected.

There was a four-hour time difference between Dubai and China. It was seven o’clock in the evening, and Jiang Tu was still in his office. This was Zhu Xingyao’s first time seeing his workplace, and she was excited. “Tu Ge, turn around and show me your office.”

Jiang Tu chuckled and lifted his phone. Just then, Xiao Kui, who was kneeling by the bed unpacking, exclaimed, “Xingyao, why… did you bring this medicine again? Haven’t you stopped taking it for a long time?”

Zhu Xingyao’s expression changed, and she hastily turned the camera away.

Jiang Tu froze, his brow furrowing. “What medicine?”

Zhu Xingyao forced a smile. “It’s nothing… just some supplements.”

Jiang Tu stared at her face intently. “Supplements for what?”

Xiao Kui realized she might have said something wrong. She quickly set the pill bottle down, looking flustered.

Zhu Xingyao fell silent. She wasn’t good at lying, especially under Jiang Tu’s persistent questioning. Lowering her eyes, she said, “It’s really nothing… just some vitamins.”

Jiang Tu’s gaze remained fixed on her poorly executed lie. After a pause, he picked up his phone. “Didn’t you want to see my office?”

“Oh, yes!” Zhu Xingyao quickly responded, inwardly relieved.

After ending the call, Jiang Tu stood by the floor-to-ceiling window. Suddenly, he realized he might have overlooked something. Zhu Yunping had asked him, “Can you accept and tolerate any of her requests or flaws?” At the time, he had thought, what kind of requests or flaws could Zhu Xingyao possibly have?

Her extreme reaction at the hospital that night—and the questions she had asked him.

Looking back now, none of it seemed right.

Jiang Tu pressed his lips together tightly. He picked up his phone and called Zhu Yunping. “Uncle, is there something wrong with Xingyao’s health?”

Zhu Yunping paused. “Why do you ask?”

Jiang Tu’s voice was tense. “That day, she told me she doesn’t want to have children if we get married and asked if I minded. I don’t mind, but I want to know—is there something wrong with her? Is there an issue with her health?”

After a few seconds, Zhu Yunping sighed. “Her body is fine, but her mental health isn’t. I always thought keeping this from you wasn’t ideal, but Xingyao insisted we not tell you because she didn’t want you to feel guilty or blame yourself. Come over. Let’s talk.”