CHAPTER 264: CHAPTER 251: FINGERS INTERTWINED

"If she doesn’t want it, then send it every day, send different things, until she accepts it!"

Susan He said.

The assistant looked a bit troubled but quickly agreed.

As the assistant exited, He Bainian was knocking and coming in, Susan He looked up at him, her gaze unusually soft.

"I have reviewed the development report of your studio in City J, overall..."

"Aunt..." Before Susan He could finish, He Bainian suddenly interrupted.

"I want to return to New York." Soon, He Bainian expressed what he hadn’t finished saying.

Susan He looked at him like this, her expression gradually turning cold.

"This is your persistence? You insisted on returning to City J under so much pressure from your uncles, and I supported you. But now... you’re telling me you want to go back to New York?" Susan He asked seriously, leaning back in the leather seat, word by word.

"Aunt, I want to go back to New York to spend more time with Nuoxin."

He Bainian’s gaze fell into the distance, and the wounds on his hands had already started scabbing.

The inconveniences in life seemed to constantly remind him of what had happened before.

"You like Zhenxin..." Suddenly, Susan He spoke.

He Bainian did not expect Susan He to suddenly mention this, so he just looked up at her.

"Aunt, with all due respect, I don’t quite like what you’re thinking about right now!"

"Do you know what I’m thinking?" Susan He asked.

"Aunt, I respect you and hope you can respect my feelings."

He Bainian could vaguely guess what his aunt’s intention was in bringing up this matter at such a time, and in fact, he really didn’t like it.

"Bainian, I don’t like Li Yanan. In my view, you and Zhenxin are more suita..."

"Aunt..."

He Bainian stood up, with an indescribable weariness on his handsome face.

"I am not good enough for her." From the moment he unconditionally chose to protect Nuoxin, he was no longer good enough for her.

"Bainian?" For the first time, Susan He saw such a deep and defeated expression on his face.

"I have something to do, I’m leaving now..."

After speaking, He Bainian left the room without turning his head...

In the morgue.

Li Chengze stood alone in front of the freezer.

Li Yingying could no longer endure any further shock.

After fainting and being sent to the hospital, the doctor told him she already showed signs of a stroke, and if it happened again...

She might very likely be paralyzed.

"Ready?" The person guarding the body spoke as if accustomed to life and death, with no inflection in their voice.

"Ready." Li Chengze said.

When the freezer door was slowly pulled open from the outside, Li Chengze’s brow twitched.

In fact, someone soaked in water for too long is impossible to distinguish, even staying in a freezer, the smell is too terrifying!

So unrecognizable, no one could identify them.

"Sign and claim after the DNA results come out."

After that, the freezer was pushed back in.

After leaving the morgue, Li Chengze smoked a whole pack before stopping.

As the Spring Festival approached, the atmosphere everywhere was one of harmony, only he felt completely cold.

— Li Chengze.

Suddenly, as if hearing someone call him, Li Yanan turned around in a daze.

No one.

Snuffing out the last cigarette, he suddenly really wanted to see Tu Haohao...

Outside the ICU.

Li Chengze returned here again, his mindset already completely different from the beginning.

He was no longer the unpromising young master of the Li Family, his hostility had long dissipated, and he no longer associated with past unruly friends.

The Li Family was finished, but life must continue.

He was not an immediate family member, the doctor would not let him visit Tu Haohao.

Li Chengze wanted to say something, but when the words reached his lips, he chose silence.

In fact, just as the doctor had said.

He really had no right to see her.

Leaning against the wall, Li Chengze was very tired, a weariness that seeped from his bones.

— But...

— I really like you.

Originally, he thought she would often appear in his dreams.

But ever since that time, he hadn’t seen Tu Haohao in his dreams.

Li Chengze often found himself suddenly lost in thought.

Recalling the girl who followed him, silent but always smiling whenever he turned back.

The automatic doors outside the ICU suddenly opened.

A young nurse came out, her expression somewhat delicate, walking towards Li Chengze.

"Here, a photo." Usually, phones weren’t allowed in the ICU; the young nurse had technically violated the rules doing so.

"Thank you." Li Chengze rushed forward.

But when he lowered his head to see the person on the screen...

For a long time, he didn’t move.

The young nurse looked up at Li Chengze, seeing his hand clutching his phone trembling violently.

"Is she... okay?" Li Chengze’s voice matched his hand, his thumb slowly brushing the screen.

"Are there any critical patients okay in the ICU?"

Li Chengze didn’t speak, just kept his head down.

Perhaps she was too nervous, the nurse had taken a blurry photo. Even so, this was the first time Li Chengze had seen Tu Haohao since the incident...

"Earlier you said that I was just cheap, so tell me, during this time, did you really... not have even the slightest feeling for me?"

"Even just a little? Li Chengze, answer me!"

Li Chengze’s eyes were intensely red, especially when seeing Tu Haohao so emaciated.

"No! No! Not at all!"

"I never liked you, Tu Haohao!"

Before the New Year holidays, Li Yanan instructed finance to give every employee of T.N.C Group a large bonus.

The reason it was called a large bonus was that the amount was quite considerable.

Even the cleaning department was treated the same.

And this move by Li Yanan caused quite a stir in the industry, with mixed reviews.

No matter what, New Year’s Eve came in the blink of an eye.

The day before New Year’s Eve, Li Yanan took Lin Zhenxin to the mall.

One had to admit, buying New Year’s goods was a novel experience for Li Yanan.

The two, like children, bought more and more, until even the trunk couldn’t fit everything, filling up the back seats too.

Returning home, they naturally were scolded by Aunt Xu for wasting money.

In contrast, Lin Zhenxin and Li Yanan exchanged smiles...

Then Lin Zhenxin ran with a charming smile to Aunt Xu, said Happy New Year to curry favor, and made Aunt Xu show a helplessly compromising expression.

It was evident that Aunt Xu really treated them as her own children.

The next morning, it was New Year’s Eve.

Li Yanan was awakened early by the sound of firecrackers outside.

As for Lin Zhenxin, nestled in his arms like a rabbit, her breathing even against his neck.

Li Yanan rarely felt playful, reaching out to pinch her tiny nose.

After a few tries, he finally woke Lin Zhenxin.

"Mmm..." Opening her eyes, she immediately saw that familiar chiseled face.

"Aunt Xu has already started busying outside."

Last night Xun Chen called, saying he would visit tonight, plus Yao Lemon, today would surely be lively.

"Hug..." Clearly, Lin Zhenxin hadn’t fully awoken, groggily opening her arms to hug Li Yanan.

"Just five more minutes..." She mumbled with her eyes closed, burying her face in his neck, not moving at all.

Li Yanan allowed her to slack off in bed.

Despite knowing that this five minutes was merely symbolic, possibly meaning fifty minutes or perhaps five hours...

He was still willing to indulge her.

However, Li Yanan did need to get up.

Aunt Xu was practically half a mother to him, and he wouldn’t let her handle everything alone.

"You keep sleeping, I’ll go help Aunt Xu," he whispered in Lin Zhenxin’s ear, unsure if she heard him.

As Li Yanan propped himself up on his elbow, the next second, Lin Zhenxin’s hand pulled him by the neck, "Happy New Year, Uncle Li..."

Hmm, it seemed she was getting increasingly addicted to this affectionate title.

The room was spotlessly clean, even the floor-to-ceiling windows were crystal clear.

The table was neatly arranged with melon seeds, candy, chocolates, and more, while the news channel endlessly broadcasted special New Year programs.

Lin Zhenxin had purposely dressed her grandmother in a festive red Tang suit.

Even Aunt Xu, rarely seen, had changed into a red cheongsam. Lin Zhenxin didn’t expect Aunt Xu to have such a good figure, with a whole gentle and fresh aura.

In contrast, Li Yanan, in a black turtleneck sweater, seemed all the more grim and cold.

"What’s wrong?" Li Yanan, being directed by Aunt Xu to paste couplets, asked when he saw Lin Zhenxin looking at him.

Lin Zhenxin walked over and stood shoulder to shoulder with him, watching Li Yanan easily paste the couplets on either side of the doorframe, unable to resist giving him a pat on the behind.

"..." Li Yanan turned his head to look at her.

"My husband is awesome!" Lin Zhenxin couldn’t help but give him a thumbs up.

Li Yanan moved his gaze away expressionlessly, yet within Lin Zhenxin’s view, she could clearly see the curve of his lips rising.

Obviously pleased with her compliment.

"When are you picking up your friend?" Clearly, Li Yanan was still thinking about this matter.

"After ten-thirty, she can’t get up that early."

Holding an apple, Lin Zhenxin had brought it to her lips, but then paused, offering it to him instead.

"You eat first!" Lin Zhenxin said.

Li Yanan wasn’t particularly fond of fruits, yet under Lin Zhenxin’s insistence, he still took a bite first.

"Wishing you safety year after year!" Seeing him take a bite, Lin Zhenxin smiled and finally spoke.

The sweet and sour taste of the apple spread in his mouth, yet Li Yanan didn’t move, just looked down at her smiling face.

His deep gaze seemed endless.

Not knowing how long had passed, he slowly extended his hand, resting it on her head, gently rubbing it back and forth!

"Wishing you safety year after year!"

Li Yanan had the driver pick up Yao Lemon at ten-thirty.

Upon hearing that Lin Zhenxin’s friend was also coming, Aunt Xu wasn’t troubled but instead very happy.

She continuously asked Lin Zhenxin about Yao Lemon’s tastes and habits, fearing she might cook something Yao Lemon didn’t like.