Face the consequences of your own actions

Lin Wanwan had been in her room for nearly two hours.

Lin Jing knocked on the door once in the middle of that time.

"Wanwan, dinner's ready. Want to come out and eat?"

A long pause, then Lin Wanwan's voice came through.

"Mom, I'm not hungry."

Lin Jing stood at the door, holding a small bowl of soup, her heart aching.

This girl had always been easy to cheer up.

When she was little, she'd have fights with Chen Zhi, crying her eyes out, but as soon as he showed up at the door with a grilled sausage and called her name, she'd wipe her tears and run out.

But today was different.

She didn't even want to hear the name "Chen Zhi."

Lin Jing set the soup on the living room coffee table and turned into the kitchen.

Lin Shuxian was washing vegetables inside. Seeing her expression, he lowered his voice.

"Still hasn't come out?"

"No."

Lin Jing slammed the spatula down on the stove, her voice crackling with anger. "It must be that kid Chen Zhi's fault."

Lin Shuxian stopped what he was doing.

"Don't jump to conclusions."

"I know my own daughter, don't I?" Lin Jing turned to look at him. "When she heard his name, she flinched. If you tell me it's not about Chen Zhi, who's going to believe that?"

Lin Shuxian was silent for a moment.

His impression of Chen Zhi had always been good.

They'd been neighbors for twenty years, and he'd watched Chen Zhi grow up.

That kid had always been a bit wild, but when it came to Lin Wanwan, he was truly devoted.

But lately, the changes in Chen Zhi were too big.

College in Beijing, founding a company, a net worth of billions, his press conference trending nationwide.

A nineteen-year-old boy suddenly standing at that level—how many temptations would come his way? Lin Shuxian knew all too well.

"Should I go next door and ask?" Lin Jing suddenly spoke.

Lin Shuxian frowned immediately.

"If you go now, Old Chen and Guifang will be so embarrassed."

"Embarrassed?" Lin Jing let out a bitter laugh. "My daughter is crying like this, and I'm supposed to worry about their embarrassment?"

Lin Shuxian dried his hands and walked over to her.

"Don't make a fuss yet. Wanwan doesn't want to talk now, which means she still wants to keep some dignity. If you go directly to ask, it'll only make things harder on her."

Lin Jing's eyes reddened.

"She's my only daughter."

"I know."

"Her dream since she was little was to sing. In high school, she'd study music theory until two in the morning. And now she suddenly says she wants to take a year off. Do you think that's a small thing?"

Lin Shuxian didn't answer.

It really wasn't a small thing.

A singer on the rise, suddenly stepping back for a year—the cost behind that was huge.

Resources would be cut off.

Her popularity would drop.

All her previous efforts might go down the drain.

The more Lin Jing thought about it, the worse she felt. She picked up her phone and headed to the balcony.

"Guifang, it's me."

Next door, at the Chen family home.

Zhang Guifang had just finished washing the dishes when she heard Lin Jing's voice. She answered with a smile.

"Sister Jing, did Wanwan get home? I heard she was back in Jiangcheng this morning."

There were a few seconds of silence on the other end.

Lin Jing's voice carried a trace of anger.

"Guifang, I want to ask you something. Don't hide it from me."

Zhang Guifang's hand, still holding the dishrag, froze.

"What's wrong?"

"Is Chen Zhi and Wanwan fighting?"

Zhang Guifang's heart sank.

The moment she'd been dreading had arrived.

She glanced at the living room.

Chen Jun was sitting on the sofa watching TV. Hearing this, he even put down the remote.

Zhang Guifang took her phone into the bedroom and closed the door.

"Sister Jing, about the kids... I'm not really sure."

"Guifang, how many years have we been neighbors?" Lin Jing's voice trembled, born from the ache for her child. "Wanwan just came back crying so hard she couldn't speak clearly. She said she was tired and would rest for a year. She's not even singing anymore."

Zhang Guifang didn't know how to explain.

She loved Lin Wanwan too.

That girl had called her "Auntie Zhang" since she was little, and every holiday she'd come running over to pay New Year's respects.

Zhang Guifang had always hoped that when the two kids graduated from college, everything would go smoothly, and there'd be a wedding.

Who could have guessed that that scoundrel Chen Zhi would stir up such a mess in Beijing?

"Sister Jing, don't worry yet."

"How can I not worry?" Lin Jing's voice rose, then she forced it down, afraid her daughter might hear. "Guifang, is Chen Zhi seeing someone else?"

Zhang Guifang closed her eyes.

She didn't know how to face her decades-long close friend and neighbor.

If she said no, it was a lie.

If she said yes, no one could predict what would happen to their relationship.

And on top of that, she was furious herself.

Why should she, the mother, be caught in the crossfire over the mess Chen Zhi had made?

"Sister Jing, I need to ask him about this."

Lin Jing took a deep breath.

"Guifang, I'm not calling to fight with you. I just want to know what my daughter has been through."

"I understand."

"She won't say anything, but I can't just pretend as her mother."

After hanging up, Zhang Guifang stood in the bedroom for half a minute.

Chen Jun pushed the door open.

"Was that Lin Jing?"

Zhang Guifang gripped her phone tightly.

"Wanwan is back and wants to quit the entertainment industry for a year. That bastard son of yours probably got found out."

Chen Jun's expression darkened.

"Is it that serious?"

"Your son's doing!"

Zhang Guifang immediately dialed Chen Zhi's number.

Beijing, Wangu Academy.

Chen Zhi had just been hung up on by Su Man, sitting on the sofa in a daze.

His phone buzzed again.

Seeing "Mom" on the screen, his scalp went numb.

He braced himself and answered.

"Mom."

"Chen Zhi."

Zhang Guifang rarely used his full name.

"Now tell me the truth. What's going on with Wanwan?"

Chen Zhi was silent.

Hearing his silence, Zhang Guifang's anger flared.

"Don't play dead with me! Lin Jing just called—Wanwan came home crying like that, and she's not even singing anymore. What did you do to her?"

Chen Zhi rubbed his forehead.

"Mom, I'll handle this."

"You handle it?" Zhang Guifang's voice shook with rage. "You said you'd handle it last time in Jiangcheng. And what was the result? You left that girl Pei Ningxue alone in the house, forcing her to drag her suitcase out in the middle of the night. Now you've driven Wanwan to quit her career."

"What exactly do you want?"

Chen Zhi couldn't talk back.

"Mom..."

"Don't call me Mom."

Zhang Guifang cut him off directly. "I raised you, not to go out there and ruin other people's daughters. Wanwan is a girl I watched grow up. When she was little, I'd ache from just seeing her take a fall. And now you've made her cry like this. How am I supposed to face Lin Jing?"

Chen Zhi switched the phone to his other hand.

"I'll come back to Jiangcheng tomorrow."

"Your leg—can you even manage that?"

"I have to, no matter what."

Chen Zhi continued, "I'll explain things to Wanwan and apologize to Uncle Lin and Aunt Lin."

"Explain what?" Zhang Guifang laughed coldly. "Explain that you have another girlfriend in Beijing? Explain how you broke your leg? Explain how your company is worth billions, but when it comes to feelings, you can't even give someone the truth?"

Zhang Guifang took a breath, her tone less harsh.

"Chen Zhi, I'm not trying to force you to make a choice. You're grown now, your wings are strong. I can't control you anymore."

She paused for two seconds.

"But don't make a girl love you while feeling like a complete joke."

Chen Zhi was silent for a long time.

Zhang Guifang's final words were blunt.

"If you're coming back, come back. Don't sneak around, and don't play your little tricks. Your Aunt Lin isn't stupid."

“This is something you did yourself. Face it sooner rather than later. What’s the point of running away?”

The call ended.

Chen Zhi leaned back on the sofa, stared at the ceiling for a few seconds, then immediately opened the flight booking app.

The last flight to Jiangcheng that day was already gone.

High-speed rail was even less practical.

His leg was in a cast, his ribs hadn’t healed yet, and the trip could cost him half his life.

Chen Zhi called Dai Dali directly.

The line was noisy on Dai Dali’s end, like he was working overtime at the office.

“Boss Chen, what’s up?”

“Help me arrange a private jet. I need to fly to Jiangcheng tonight.”

Dai Dali froze.

“Huh? Tonight?”

“The sooner, the better.”

“No, Boss Chen, are you seriously flying with your body like this? Didn’t the doctor say—”

“The doctor also said I’d better never fall in love in this life. Did I listen?”

Dai Dali was speechless.

“Alright, I’ll make the calls.”

Chen Zhi hung up, grabbed his crutches, and managed to stand. He had just moved to the bedroom door when the doorbell rang.

He thought it was building management, so he hobbled over slowly to open the door.

Standing outside was Li Zhiyi.

She was holding a thermal food container in one hand and a bag of medicine in the other.

When she saw Chen Zhi leaning on his crutches at the door, she frowned instinctively.

“Why are you walking around on your own?”

Chen Zhi stepped aside to let her in.

“How come you’re here? Weren’t you coming tomorrow?”

Li Zhiyi set the things down on the dining table and moved skillfully to support him.

“You haven’t eaten dinner.”

“How did you know?”

“I made soup this afternoon. You didn’t touch it.”

Chen Zhi glanced at the coffee table.

The thermal container was still sitting there untouched.

Li Zhiyi helped him sit down without asking too many questions. She first poured the soup, then laid out his medicine in the right doses.

She did all this in silence.

Chen Zhi watched her profile and suddenly felt a pang of guilt.

“Zhiyi.”

“Hmm?”

“I’m going back to Jiangcheng tonight.”

Li Zhiyi’s hand paused for a moment.

She quickly continued putting the spoon into the bowl.

“Is it because of Wanwan?”

Chen Zhi didn’t hide it from her.

“She quit the entertainment industry. She went home.”

Li Zhiyi nodded gently.

“You should go back.”

Chen Zhi was stunned.

Li Zhiyi pushed the soup over to him.

“If you don’t go, she’ll keep waiting. If she can’t see you, she’ll feel even worse.”

Chen Zhi looked at her.

“You’re not angry?”

Li Zhiyi lowered her head, her voice soft.

“Being angry doesn’t help anyway.”

That made him pause, unsure how to respond.

Li Zhiyi looked up at his cast.

“How are you going to get to the airport by yourself? How will you get on and off the plane? How will you get back to the apartment?”

“I’ll have Dai Dali send someone.”

“Outsiders won’t know how to handle your injuries.”

“Then what do we do?”

Li Zhiyi was silent for a moment.

“I’ll go with you.”

Chen Zhi almost choked on his soup.

“No way.”

Li Zhiyi, as if she had expected that answer, spoke calmly.

“I won’t meet her, and I won’t go to your home. I’ll just take you to Jiangcheng, book you a hotel, and take care of you until you meet her and afterward.”

“That’s too unfair to you.”

Li Zhiyi looked up, her tone steady.

“The day you asked me to stay, I already knew it wouldn’t be easy.”

Chen Zhi tightened his grip on the spoon.

Li Zhiyi placed the medicine beside his hand.

“Drink the soup first. You can barely stand, and you’re still thinking about making someone feel better. At least don’t collapse on the way.”

Chen Zhi wanted to make a joke to lighten the mood, but the words died in his throat.

He lowered his head and finished the soup.

Li Zhiyi pulled out her phone and started looking up wheelchair check-in, special airport assistance lanes, and how long to wait between painkillers.

Dai Dali called back quickly.

“Brother Zhi, I’ve got it sorted. Takeoff is at 1:30 a.m. from Daxing’s business terminal. You’ll land in Jiangcheng around 3-something.”

“Good.”

“Should I send a driver and a medical assistant to pick you up?”

Chen Zhi glanced at Li Zhiyi.

“No, just arrange a business van downstairs. And have someone pick us up in Jiangcheng.”

Dai Dali hesitated.

“Boss Chen, are you sure you’re okay?”

Chen Zhi laughed dryly.

“Just keep the company running. Handle things while I’m gone.”

“Understood, Brother Zhi. Handle your love triangle. I’ll watch the corporate front for you.”

Chen Zhi swore under his breath.

“Get lost.”

When he hung up, Li Zhiyi had already brought out a jacket.

“Wear this. It’ll be cold on the plane.”

Chen Zhi took the coat, then suddenly spoke.

“Zhiyi, you don’t have to be this understanding all the time.”

Li Zhiyi packed the medicine into a bag.

“Then what should I do?”

Chen Zhi didn’t answer.

She stopped what she was doing, her voice still gentle.

“I’m not going to force you. But that doesn’t mean I don’t hurt.”

Chen Zhi looked at her.

Li Zhiyi avoided his gaze, zipped the bag shut.

“Go make things right with Wanwan first.”

At 1:20 a.m.

Chen Zhi was wheeled into the business jet cabin in a wheelchair.

Li Zhiyi stayed by his side the entire time, communicating with airport staff, making sure his cast was positioned properly, and placing a cushion behind his back.

Watching her bustle around, he couldn’t help but speak.

“Lawyer Li, if you ever stop practicing law, you could start a high-end care company and take it public.”

Li Zhiyi handed him a cup of water.

“Want to invest, Boss Chen?”

“Invest. Absolutely.”

“Then make sure you survive first.”

Chen Zhi let out a surprised laugh, but it hurt his ribs, making him gasp.

Li Zhiyi quickly steadied him.

“Don’t laugh.”

“You’re getting really good at talking back.”

“Learned from you.”

After the plane took off, the cabin grew quiet.

Chen Zhi closed his eyes to rest, but his phone buzzed again.

It was a text from an unknown number.

[Heard you’re flying back to Jiangcheng tonight? Broken leg and all, you’re asking for it. Hope it kills you.]

Chen Zhi stared at the message, quickly guessing who it was.

He replied.

[Honey, is that concern I hear?]

The reply came instantly.

[Get lost.]

Chen Zhi smirked.

The next second, another text popped up.

[Don’t actually kill yourself over this. No one’s coming to collect your corpse.]

Chen Zhi looked at the screen for a moment, then typed four words in response.

[Wait for me.]

Three hours later, the business jet landed in Jiangcheng.

Outside the airport, the business van Dai Dali had arranged was already waiting.

Li Zhiyi helped Chen Zhi into the car. The driver asked where to go.

Chen Zhi gave the address of the old neighborhood.

As the van drove into the familiar area, the sky was still dark.

One of the lights by the stairwell was broken. Chen Zhi sat in the wheelchair while Li Zhiyi pushed him up to the entrance.

He looked up at the familiar window.

Lin Wanwan’s room was lit.

She hadn’t slept yet.

Chen Zhi was about to tell Li Zhiyi to push him inside when the door suddenly opened from within.

Lin Jing came out, holding a bag of trash.

The moment she saw Chen Zhi in the wheelchair, and then Li Zhiyi standing behind him, her face changed instantly.

Chen Zhi hesitated before speaking.

“Aunt Lin…”

Lin Jing stared at him for several long seconds before finally speaking.

“Chen Zhi, tell me honestly.”

“Back in Beijing, was Wanwan the only one, or were you seeing other people?”