frightfiction Chapter 1498 A Deep and Complex Emotion
Chapter 1498 A Deep and Complex Emotion
It seemed like things should have stopped there, but today they've come full circle.
"Xin'ai, calm down, let go, okay?"
Zhuang Shiyuan tried to pull Bai Xin'ai's hand away because her shout had drawn the attention of passersby.
In today's society, whether you're a celebrity or not, as long as you have some gossip to share, passersby will take pictures or videos of you and post them on the internet. The speed and impact of this spread are no less than media exposure.
Bai Xin'ai shook her head and even pounced on him to hug him tightly.
"Please give me another chance, okay? I've learned my lesson and changed for the better. I can be a good wife and mother, and I can raise our son very well. You've met Huihui; he's very well-behaved and sensible. You've met him, Shiyuan, that's our son..."
Bai Xin'ai's hands were pulled away by Zhuang Shiyuan, so she simply wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him tightly, and buried her face in the crook of his neck.
"I'm begging you like this, why can't you even look at me? You can accept someone like Miss Mu, why can't you accept me? Shiyuan, I've really changed. Believe me, I've truly reformed. I swear I won't have a bad temper anymore, I won't make you worry about cleaning up my messes anymore. I swear I've turned over a new leaf. Please give me another chance."
Zhuang Shiyuan frowned. Young men and women hugging and cuddling on the street was already very eye-catching, and now a lot of people had gathered around.
"Come with me." Zhuang Shiyuan pulled her towards the residential area, but Bai Xin'ai still refused to let go. Only after being pulled along like this for several steps did she finally let go and allow Zhuang Shiyuan to drag her into the residential area.
There were fewer people in the community, but some people still kept casting their gazes at them, much to Zhuang Shiyuan's dismay.
"Won't you invite me to your place for a visit?" Bai Xin'ai asked softly.
Zhuang Shiyuan thought for a moment. He realized that there were some things he needed to clarify with her, and standing here was indeed not a good place to have a conversation.
"Alright, come with me." Zhuang Shiyuan walked ahead, and Bai Xin'ai quickly followed behind, a triumphant smile on her face. She knew he wouldn't be so heartless as to abandon her; he wasn't that kind of person.
Go upstairs and into the house.
Dr. Lin's house was quite spacious, with four bedrooms, two living rooms, and an enlarged balcony. It was originally intended for the whole family to live there, but his parents refused to move, saying they were used to their old place and this house would become Dr. Lin's residence alone. The original four bedrooms were converted into three, making the living room more spacious and the bedrooms considerably larger. The guest bedroom in the three bedrooms was converted into a study, and the other two bedrooms became Dr. Lin's master bedroom and a secondary bedroom for entertaining friends.
Because the living room is spacious enough, it has become a gym for the past few months and is also the best place for Zhuang Shiyuan to rehabilitate.
"It's so spacious, it's really nice." Bai Xin'ai was a little surprised when he entered the living room and saw the mechanized setup, but he quickly realized that he was doing rehabilitation.
Zhuang Shiyuan didn't make any unnecessary movements. After closing the door, he poured Bai Xin'ai a glass of water, handed it to her, and said, "Sit down, let's have a good talk."
Bai Xinai obediently sat down, drank water politely, then put down the cup and looked at Zhuang Shiyuan with tender affection.
Zhuang Shiyuan didn't waste any words and went straight to the point, "Xin'ai, I hope you can understand that I have no romantic feelings for you. The only reason I agreed to that agreement was because of your parents' request."
“Brother Shiyuan, if you don’t like me, why would you want me?” Bai Xin’ai retorted. “Huihui is your son, that’s for sure. We can do a paternity test.”
“New love…” Zhuang Shiyuan sighed and pressed his forehead. “Perhaps it’s Shijue’s. He and I were originally twin brothers…”
"Shiyuan, do you really hate me that much?" Bai Xin'ai suddenly looked at him pleadingly, her voice trembling with tears.
Zhuang Shiyuan shook his head. "I don't hate you. I regret my impulsiveness back then, which made things so complicated. If I had held back that night, we wouldn't be in this awkward situation of three people in one place today."
“How could it be a three-person affair? Why should we care about others?” Bai Xin’ai shook her head in denial; in her eyes, there was only him.
Zhuang Shiyuan sighed, "You can ignore the kindness and feelings Shijue has for you, but I can't..."
"Shiyuan, Zhuang Shijue has no feelings for me at all. He just habitually takes your things. Perhaps he wants to get your attention, so Zhuang deliberately targets me. His feelings for me are not what you think. I know very well whether there are any real feelings or how many. So, between us, Zhuang Shijue is not a problem at all." Bai Xin'ai interrupted Zhuang Shiyuan again in a hurry.
Although it was a bit disorganized, the meaning was clear.
Zhuang Shijue actually deeply respected his elder brother Zhuang Shiyuan. Bai Xin'ai wasn't exaggerating. For Zhuang Shiyuan, there was nothing Zhuang Shijue wouldn't do.
In his youth, Zhuang Shijue often took cold showers and blew out the night air in the middle of the night to get his older brother's attention. But he found that getting sick was not a wise move, because his older brother was not a doctor. At most, he would visit him after school, say a few words to him, and then go off to do his homework or study. The two brothers actually spent less time together than usual.
Zhuang Shijue was born mischievous, but his older brother was born to be a role model and exemplar. Therefore, he could never gain his older brother's approval in anything he did, and for a long time, Zhuang Shijue's belief was to gain his older brother's approval.
But as they grew older, the eldest brother became more and more outstanding, more and more mature and sensible, and the charisma of a leader he exuded grew stronger and stronger. Zhuang Shijue, on the other hand, was still unwilling to follow the rules, only wanted to skip classes, only wanted to play, and was fine with anything as long as he was not in school.
Bai Xin'ai was rebellious during her adolescence, but she studied at home, and the evaluations of her tutor and school teachers were worlds apart. Therefore, Bai Xin'ai could get excellent scores on her tests if she worked hard. Zhuang Shijue, however, was different. He genuinely didn't know how to learn and didn't want to. Sitting in the classroom, his head would ache as soon as the teacher started lecturing. It wasn't directed at any particular teacher; he had no grudge against any teacher and wouldn't resort to such methods to target them.
What else can he do if he can't concentrate in class? He skips class, so he never shows up in the classroom.
Zhuang Shijue became increasingly rebellious and drifted further and further away from his older brother, thinking that by making one mistake after another, his older brother would pay more attention to him, care about him, and ask him why he did what he did.
That was how it started, but later, as Zhuang Shijue became more and more unconventional, his elder brother failed to pay more attention to him as expected, and the relationship between the two became increasingly strained.
It's not entirely true that Zhuang Shiyuan helped Zhuang Shijue acquire the Chen Palace. In fact, Zhuang Shijue had already negotiated with Uncle Shi San about it, but he gave the credit to Zhuang Shiyuan, making himself owe his elder brother a favor.
In reality, Zhuang Shiyuan had only signed a document on behalf of Zhuang Shijue. If someone else had signed it, the Chen Palace would still belong to Zhuang Shijue. But Zhuang Shijue didn't mind doing so; he was more than happy to owe his elder brother something.
As outstanding as Zhuang Shiyuan is, so terrible as Zhuang Shijue is.
Bai Xin'ai's loud voice startled Zhuang Shiyuan for three seconds before he finally spoke up: "Shijue is more suitable for you than me, Xin'ai, I have no feelings for you."
"Do you know what? Your dear younger brother has been staying at my place for quite some time now, trying to stop me from seeing you. He saw me before I even met you. Shiyuan, I thought I'd be the first one to see you, but he showed up instead. Do you know what he said? He wants to marry me, haha... How outrageous, isn't it?"
Bai Xin'ai laughed mockingly, "You've all been fooled by Zhuang Shijue. He doesn't like me at all. He only sees me as one of his many lovers, and he doesn't have much other feeling for me. He only noticed me because of you. You can observe for yourself if you don't believe me. He might also feel the same way about Miss Mu... I'm sure Miss Mu isn't his type."
“But because of you, he will naturally focus his attention on the people you care about, and over time, he will mistakenly believe his own feelings. His purpose is actually just to get your attention. He is just a childish brat, a little monkey who has never grown up.” Bai Xin’ai said in a row, leaving Zhuang Shiyuan speechless.
Zhuang Shiyuan didn't know if Zhuang Shijue had any unusual feelings for Mu Ning, but what he remembered at this moment was that he had thrown a knife at Zhuang Shijue in a fit of rage, and the usually arrogant and conceited Zhuang Shijue had actually just smiled and endured it. This incident left a deep impression on Zhuang Shiyuan because it was very unexpected.
However, "it's ridiculous to attribute all of this to Spyker's brotherly feelings for me."
“You’ve experienced the hardships of being from a prestigious family. As the youngest child, he never received any affection from others. Your father was so stern; when was he ever patient or gentle with you? You are the eldest brother, so you can’t understand your place in your younger siblings’ hearts. Your father is like a god, unattainable. Can you say you’ve ever experienced so-called 'fatherly love'? But it’s different for your elder brother. The eldest brother is like a father. Zhuang Shijue respects you as much as he respects our father,” Bai Xin’ai said slowly.
Some things she had noticed long ago, while others she only realized now when they were brought up.
"So he pays attention to everything about you. You have no idea how many things he's done for you behind your back, this time, even including marrying me. In his heart..."
"How did he manage to bribe you?" Zhuang Shiyuan suddenly asked in a cold voice.
"..."
Bai Xin'ai didn't react for a moment, staring at Zhuang Shiyuan speechlessly, somewhat bewildered. He didn't continue speaking after he finished speaking, and Bai Xin'ai slowly came to her senses, feeling both angry and surprised.
"You actually doubt that everything I'm saying is a lie..."
"Isn't this the story he and you had prepared beforehand?" Zhuang Shiyuan smiled gently, looking at her with refined manners.
Women are natural orators. If he hadn't already found out what happened, he would have actually believed Bai Xin'ai's words.
"Shiyuan!" Bai Xin'ai's voice was filled with helpless anxiety.
He actually... he actually didn't believe her!