CHAPTER 306: CHAPTER 296 THE MISSION OF THIS LIFE

She and Ronggui had been unable to contact anyone from the Zeng Family, but they couldn’t wait any longer.

Ronggui and Tu Hengsha stood in the garage, feeling the piercing cold; this place was no longer suitable for living.

At this moment, the property management suggested temporarily moving Granny to their break room.

It was not a long-term solution, but at least it would allow the elderly woman to leave this icy place and warm up.

The neighbors were all warm-hearted people, quickly lending a hand to help. Some packed things, some carried Granny, and one kind neighbor even brought over some lightly used bedding for her. Particularly, the lady from before, she simply gathered a few women to give Granny a bath, dried her hair, and only then sent her to the property break room.

In the break room, the heating was warm and cozy. Bathed and lying on the bed, Granny was clean and refreshed, looking much more alert. Her cloudy eyes welled with tears; her lips trembled as she breathed.

With such a busy morning, Su Ronggui finally got in touch with the Second Son of the Zeng Family, who said he would come back at three in the afternoon.

The property management’s work meal came along, and they shared a portion with Granny. After eating, she seemed lethargic, and after taking her medicine, she slept.

The break room was well heated, the quilt soft. Granny, asleep, was no longer the image of someone shivering under a tattered coat in the garage.

Having temporarily settled Granny, the two still had empty stomachs, so Ronggui and she headed to a nearby small restaurant.

"What would you like to eat?" He handed the menu to her.

She imagined herself stiffening her face, saying, "No, thanks," or throwing down the menu and leaving to find her own place to eat—so pretentious and childish of a scene.

After a silence, she said, "Anything."

Then she heard him speak to the waiter with a gentle voice, ordering.

"If there’s warm water, please switch ours to warm," he said, handing the menu back to the waiter.

The two glasses of water on the table were indeed cold.

The waiter brought hot water, and she stared at the cup, lost in thought, as his voice sounded again, "Cut all the shots with me in them from today’s shoot."

As he talked about work with her, she couldn’t ignore him, but she merely responded with a faint "Mm."

Cutting them was a bit of a waste, actually. Some of his shots were the warmest parts of the segment, especially that old photo, which could spin off into a touching story. If he was willing, it could be hyped up, maybe even earning a "Most Heartwarming Journalist" gimmick, as netizens lately liked to label things the "most beautiful." He could use "most handsome."

Next, he began making phone calls. Who he was calling, she didn’t know. She heard him say "Yiting," a lawyer he arranged to have dinner with that evening.

Why was he contacting a lawyer?

She drank her water in silence.

Once he finished his call, a silence fell between them.

The small restaurant wasn’t doing good business, with only a couple of tables occupied, and the silence was a bit uncomfortable. Of course, the silence itself wasn’t the discomfort—it was his gaze.

Even as she lowered her head to drink water, her sixth sense told her she was being watched, constantly watched.

She took small sips, finishing the whole glass of water, making it impossible to merely bite the rim to extend the charade, so she had to put the cup down. When she raised her head, sure enough, she saw him staring at her, a deeply intangible something churning in his dark pupils. She couldn’t decipher what it was in one glance and looked away.

Still feeling uneasy, she simply took out her phone to play with.

Casually scrolling through Weibo, a green message popped up from Mr. Su...

A long paragraph read: I used to have a quite narrow understanding of the issue of who between couples should die first. I thought wishing the other to go first was out of pity for them, to spare them from enduring loneliness and longing. But what I witnessed today shook my soul. If you live to become like Granny after I’m gone, I might turn into an evil spirit and break the cosmic cycle. Except for myself, I cannot entrust you to anyone—not even our children—who can’t guarantee they won’t become like Zeng Da or Zeng Er when they grow up. So I must walk in front of you, care for you myself, with every cloth and meal, and see you off at the end, only then can I consider my mission fulfilled in this life.

Initially skimming line by line, but in the end, she returned to read it word by word.

If she claimed she felt nothing in her heart, it would be false. She wasn’t heartless; she genuinely loved him, only...

She didn’t reply by typing but looked directly at him, "Isn’t it funny? Husband and wife? Lovers? Which of these relations are we? I’m Tu, you’re Xu, no, Su. We have nothing to do with each other, so why should you bother about my life and death? Whether I die before or after has nothing to do with you! Because you’re not my whoever! My children’s filial piety has even less to do with you! Their father can discipline them if needed! You better stay underground, keep your evil spirit, or shattering soul to yourself, don’t come out and scare people! As for your so-called mission, don’t force it on me, I can’t bear it!"

His eyes initially held a gentle glow, but as she launched her tirade, she watched as the softness in his eyes dimmed and ultimately extinguished.

His eyelids lowered, hiding the contents of his eyes...

A dish brought by the waiter interrupted this dialogue that wouldn’t have progressed further anyway, and the remainder of the time was devoted to eating, both using the clinking sounds of chopsticks to dispel the awkward silence. The difference was, he ate slowly and calmly, while she devoured like a storm.

Watching her, he set down his chopsticks, refilled her water glass, and ladled a bowl of soup into her bowl, placing them both within her reach. Then, without speaking, he resumed eating his meal.

Predictably, she choked. Whether drinking water or soup, he had anticipated it. Looking at the glass and bowl he had prepared, she had no choice...

When choking, does someone need the waiter to bring another cup? Such an embarrassing scene would be a joke in certain eyes; it was better to drink the water he poured with poise...

After a gulping session, a tissue appeared in front of her.

This time she had a choice and took one herself.

He withdrew his hand, a bland expression, and tone, "I know you’re angry with me, but there’s no need to take it out on the food. Eat slowly; choking isn’t worth it."

"You’ve got a big face, haven’t you? Which eye saw that I’m angry with yo—"

She didn’t finish the sentence before he motioned, "Check, please."

The waiter came over, and Ronggui looked at her, "Considering how much you despise me, I thought you’d reject my treating you to a meal... So, should I pay instead?"

"..." This person was indeed shameless! She hadn’t intended for him to treat! She stiffened her face, "We’ll split the bill!"

He nodded, scanned to pay, then handed her the receipt.

This implied... he wanted her to cover half?

Her voluntarily offering to pay half, and him requiring her to pay half, were two completely different things!

She stiffened her face, transferred half the amount to him.