Chapter 115: Chen Zijin

Zhong Lan’s tone was sharp, but she didn’t hang up the phone; after exchanging glances with Chen Xiaomi, she walked into the kitchen.

The living room phone kept ringing; Chen Zitong, who was closer to the door, turned to look inside.

“Oh, what are Mom and Aunt doing? Why isn’t anyone answering the phone?”

Saying this, Chen Zitong got up and entered the house, grabbing the receiver and calling out: “Hello? Who’s this?”

“Chen Zitong?”

The two sisters’ voices sounded similar but slightly different; however, due to the poor quality and static of phones back then, Li Heng couldn’t be sure.

“It’s me. Who are you? Wait—you’re Li Heng?”

At first Chen Zitong hadn’t noticed, but when she realized it was Li Heng’s voice, she was stunned.

“Yes, it’s me. Is your sister home?” Li Heng cut straight to the point, no time for small talk.

“My sister—”

Chen Zitong glanced outside, then toward the kitchen, and suddenly understood why Aunt and Mom hadn’t answered—the caller was Li Heng. Her heart twisted.

“Is your sister home?” Li Heng asked again after waiting a moment without reply.

“Yes, she’s home! Wait a second, I’ll go call her.”

This time, Chen Zitong gave a clear answer, set the receiver down on the coffee table, then dashed over to Chen Zijin’s side:

“Sis, phone call.”

Chen Zijin asked casually: “Who’s it from?”

Yesterday she’d spoken to Song Yu; this morning Mai Sui had called. Who was it now?

Suddenly, a figure flashed through Chen Zijin’s mind—he’d said he’d come to Jingcheng to visit her during summer vacation. Without waiting for her sister to name him, she hurried inside.

“Ugh! What’s the big deal? I hadn’t even said it was Li Heng yet!” Chen Zitong stamped her foot in frustration, having hoped to squeeze some pocket money out of it.

Curious, she crept closer, eager to eavesdrop on what her sister and Li Heng would say.

“Hello?” Picking up the receiver, Chen Zijin’s heart pounded wildly, inexplicably tense.

“Zijin?” Li Heng asked.

“Mm.” Hearing the voice she’d longed for, Chen Zijin smiled, but her voice trembled with emotion, nearly choked.

Li Heng said: “I’ve arrived in Jingcheng. Are you free now? I want to see you.”

Chen Zijin paused, suppressing her joy: “Where are you?”

Li Heng gave the address.

Chen Zijin knew the place—it wasn’t far from the alley where her family lived, less than ten minutes’ walk. “Alright, wait for me.”

“Mm. Be careful.”

“I will. Don’t worry.”

After ending the call, Chen Zijin’s emotions remained unsettled—joy, happiness, and a touch of anxiety.

It had been a year. Was he still the same man?

Would he still feel the same way about her?

This past year had been agonizing—for love, for battling her family, and for worrying about Xiao Han and Song Yu.

With her right hand pressed to her chest, Chen Zijin stood still for a long while before snapping back to reality. She glanced at her sneaky sister, then hurried to her room.

Chen Zitong followed to the door, gently pushing it open a crack to peer inside.

After a while, Chen Xiaomi appeared at the kitchen doorway, hearing no movement outside, and beckoned to Chen Zitong, who was spying.

Chen Zitong tiptoed over. “Aunt.”

Then, seeing Zhong Lan beside her, she added: “Mom.”

Chen Xiaomi asked: “Was that Li Heng on the phone just now?”

Chen Zitong hesitated, then, under Zhong Lan’s fierce gaze, nodded vigorously.

Chen Xiaomi asked again: “What’s your sister doing?”

Chen Zitong whispered: “Sis just took a shower and is picking out clothes in her room.”

“Shower? Didn’t she just shower this morning?”

Chen Xiaomi asked: “Is she going to meet Li Heng?”

Chen Zitong blinked.

Hearing this, Zhong Lan couldn’t hold back: “Where’s that little brat?”

Chen Zitong blinked again.

Zhong Lan raised an eyebrow: “Do you want your allowance this month or not?”

Chen Zitong lowered her head: “I didn’t hear clearly.”

Zhong Lan narrowed her eyes: “Go back to your room and do your homework. No going out this month.”

Chen Zitong shot up, protesting: “Mom! This is dictatorship! I’m going to report you at your workplace!”

Zhong Lan turned and grabbed a broom, furious: “Try saying that again?!”

Chen Xiaomi stepped in to mediate, blocking the broom in her sister-in-law’s hand, and said to Chen Zitong: “What’s this? Since Li Heng became a famous writer, you’ve switched sides?”

Chen Zitong retorted: “I haven’t! Sis gives me way more money than Mom does.”

Chen Xiaomi chuckled, pulled ten yuan from her pocket, and handed it over: “Where’s Li Heng?”

Chen Zitong’s eyes lit up. She snatched the money, stuffed it in her pocket, and gave the address.

Chen Xiaomi exchanged a glance with her sister-in-law, then told her niece: “It’s not far. Go follow them later.”

Chen Zitong held out her hand.

Zhong Lan, furious, raised the broom again as if to strike.

Chen Xiaomi blocked her again: “Finish the task first. I’ll give you another ten yuan when you come back.”

“That’s more like it. I’m off then—I’ll wait by the hotel entrance like a hunter waiting for prey.” With that, Chen Zitong dashed out.

Zhong Lan said: “You’re spoiling her.”

Chen Xiaomi shrugged: “Both girls are beautiful. They need to be raised with luxury to withstand outside temptations.”

The word “temptation” struck Zhong Lan like a blow—she couldn’t help but recall Li Heng, that scoundrel who’d been penniless back then, yet still managed to lure her well-raised daughter into bed.

Soon after, Chen Zijin emerged from her bedroom wearing a light blue floral dress, greeted her mother and aunt, then left, beaming.

Zhong Lan stared fixedly at her daughter’s back, heart heavy: “She never wears this expensive dress. Today she’s wearing it out.”

Chen Xiaomi asked: “Sister-in-law, what should we do?”

Zhong Lan was now fired up: “I’m going to confront that little brat.”

Chen Xiaomi asked: “Meeting him is easy—but what will you say to him? What will you even say?”

The question silenced Zhong Lan.

In the past, meeting Li Heng had only ever led to two outcomes:

Either she’d argue with him, continuing to crush their relationship in bitter resentment.

Or she’d accept him, relenting and letting them be together.

The thought of allowing Li Heng and her daughter to be together made Zhong Lan’s pride ache more than death itself.

But if she tried to break them up, given her eldest daughter’s current stance, she might just run away with that boy.

Chen Xiaomi felt the same as her sister-in-law. She picked up the receiver: “I’ll ask Big Brother.”

Zhong Lan didn’t stop her. In the past, Li Heng had been as insignificant as an ant in her eyes—she’d crushed him outright, forbidding any contact with her daughter.

But now, her feelings were complicated. Asking her husband seemed like the right thing to do.

“Dong dong.”

The phone rang twice, then connected: “Hello.”

“Big Brother, it’s me.”

“Xiaomi, calling at this hour? What’s up?”

“Brother, Li Heng’s come to Jingcheng. Just now, Zijin left to meet him.” Chen Xiaomi cut straight to the point, explaining everything and voicing her concerns.

After she finished, there was long silence on the line. Then, finally: “Zijin is an adult now, about to enter university. We must respect her to some degree.”

Chen Xiaomi asked: “What if Zijin doesn’t come home tonight?”

Chen Gaoyuan paused, then said: “She won’t.”

Chen Xiaomi pressed: “Zijin left after showering and wearing a new dress. The meeting place is a hotel. What if they don’t come out for hours?”

Her words were gentle, but as experienced adults, her brother and sister-in-law understood perfectly.

Chen Gaoyuan fell silent, picked up his cigarette and lighter, lit one, and inhaled deeply several times before speaking: “Trust Zijin.”

His words meant nothing—purely meant to soothe the two women.

A year ago, penniless Li Heng had dared to take Chen Zijin to bed.

Today, after achieving fame and success, wouldn’t he dare?

Besides, they were young, passionate, and hadn’t seen each other for so long. If sparks flew now, anything could happen.

This was precisely what troubled Zhong Lan most.

Afraid her sister-in-law would explode, Chen Xiaomi added: “Alright, let’s wait and see how things go.”

As she spoke, a voice echoed inside Chen Xiaomi: You’ve changed.

Since returning from Shaoshi No.1 High School, she’d noticed herself slowly changing—sometimes even feeling inexplicably irritable.

After ending the call, Chen Xiaomi turned to comfort Zhong Lan: “Sister-in-law, don’t rush. Wait until Zijin comes back.”

Zhong Lan said nothing, her face dark.

Hotel.

“Thump! Thump! Thump!”

A knock at the door pulled Li Heng back from his thoughts.

He had been sitting in his chair, imagining the novel he would write next, and had slipped unknowingly into deep immersion.

“Thump! Thump! Thump!”

When the second knock came, Li Heng rose and swiftly opened the door.

As he had hoped, he saw the figure he had longed for—Chen Zijin.

Her features were elegant, her aura serene; her hair, still damp from her bath, clung softly to her neck and shoulders, catching the slanting western sunlight, each strand glowing with a halo of rainbow hues.

She wore a sky-blue floral dress, paired with blue-and-white sneakers, her bare feet pale and slender, gleaming like porcelain.

Reborn, seeing once more the youthful beauty before him, Li Heng’s mind filled with words like earthly scrolls, countless lifetimes, mist-like dreams.

It felt so unreal.

He whispered softly: “You’re here. I’ve been waiting for you.”

His voice was quiet, yet heavy with emotion—like a dusk bell or morning gong to Chen Zijin’s ears.

In an instant, her nervousness vanished; in its place, delight lit her exquisite oval face. She gazed at him, her jade-lipped mouth lush and tempting, her sultry eyes meeting his warm smile perfectly.

Their eyes locked—she looked at him, he looked at her—as if the world had shifted, and they stood together in the starry void, silent, utterly still.

In that moment, Jingcheng vanished, the hotel vanished, worries vanished—all of it disappeared. In their eyes, nothing else existed but each other.

At last, after standing motionless like a statue, Li Heng moved. He reached out, seized the woman outside, drew her into the room with a full embrace, tiptoed slightly, and the door shut behind them as if guided by sight.

As the man leaned in to kiss her, Chen Zijin, having had no intimate contact in a year, instinctively hesitated, wanting to hold back.

But the next second, faced with his sincere emotion, remembering all their sweet moments beneath moon and flowers, she stopped hesitating—firmly rooted in place, unflinching, her eyes growing brighter, clearer, more expectant.

When his lips touched hers, Chen Zijin shuddered as if struck by lightning—pleasure surged from her lips, flooding every inch of her body with an indescribable wonder.

It was truly wonderful.

Entering that ineffable world, Chen Zijin let go completely, wrapping her arms around him, kissing him passionately in tender embrace.

Crimson and blue intertwined

Long, lingering entanglement

At last, breathless, they pulled apart. Li Heng cradled her face, kissed her once, and said:

“A year apart—you’ve grown so thin.”

Chen Zijin tilted her head slightly, her voice soft with affection: “Because I missed you.”

Li Heng sighed, pulling her tightly again: “Before I came, I had so much to say to you—but seeing you now, I’ve forgotten it all. I’ve made you suffer.”

Chen Zijin simply smiled brightly at him, content, saying nothing.

Li Heng asked quietly: “Does your family know you’re here?”

“Mm.”

Chen Zijin nodded, then smiled: “Probably got a little shadow trailing me.”

Li Heng understood instantly: “Your sister?”

Chen Zijin nodded with a grin: “She’s a money-grubber.”

Li Heng pulled a wad of cash from his pocket: “Can you bribe her the other way?”

Chen Zijin shook her head: “No need to waste money. Since I came, I’m not afraid of them. Besides—”

She buried her face in his chest and whispered: “Besides, I’ve already been yours. If they won’t have me, I’ll follow you.”

To have a wife like this—what more could a man ask? Li Heng tucked the money away and held her: “I feel ashamed.”

Hearing his words, sensing his emotions, Chen Zijin lifted her head and kissed him—on the lips—deeply asking: “Do you remember last summer?”

“Of course. How could I forget?”

“What happened? Tell me.”

“You became my woman.”

“You didn’t trick me—I gave myself willingly. And then?”

“The night you left Shangwan Village for Jingcheng, around four in the morning, you wrapped a stone in paper and threw it at my second-floor window.”

“On the paper it said: I’ll wait for you. I’ll wait forever. No matter what, you must come find me!”

Hearing him recite word-for-word the note she had once written, Chen Zijin broke down—tears streamed down her face. She threw her arms around his neck and cried out:

“Li Heng, I love you!”

“I love you too!”

“I’ve bathed. Carry me to bed.”

“But… it’s daytime. And your family—”

“I don’t care. I want them to know—we’re inseparable!”

“Alright!”

Li Heng’s heart surged. He strode forward, yanked the curtains shut, forgot all caution, turned to her, reached out, pulled her into his arms once more, and kissed her deeply.

They say separation makes reunion sweeter than a new marriage.

After a year apart, Chen Zijin’s longing had built up day by day—now, meeting her beloved, all her emotion reached a new peak.

As he pressed deeper, entwined more fiercely, she did not resist—she welcomed him like the ocean, responding with open arms, clinging tightly to him, sighing with the fulfillment of a long-held dream.

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(End of Chapter)