43: Chapter 43: He Was Isolated by Her on the Opposite Side_1 43: Chapter 43: He Was Isolated by Her on the Opposite Side_1 The night was as dark as ink, West Street closed early, and at this time, many shops were already shut.
There were few pedestrians about, giving the scene a slightly desolate feel.
The man in the car gazed out the window with an apathetic look, his thin lips tightly pressed together, emanating a sense of chilling arrogance.
âShe seems to have a good impression of you!â came a cold voice, shattering the silence inside the car.
It was Lu Yinchu.
Mo Yan cleared his throat awkwardly, âMr.
Lu, thatâs one joke I canât afford to make!â
The manâs eyes twinkled with amusement as he responded nonchalantly, âShe is always grateful to those who help her.
Apparently, I am now isolated as an adversary in her eyesâ¦â
Mo Yan pursed his lips, seeing the man partially close his eyes, though the smile on his lips never faded!
â¦
Nanxi walked up to her uncleâs house and checked the time before knocking on the door.
At this hour, her uncle should still be awake!
After pressing the doorbell, Nanxi took a sniff of herself, noticing the smell of smoke.
She thought back to Lu Yinchu smoking in the car and frowned at the recollection: she didnât find the smell so off-putting at the time, but now, she found it quite disagreeableâ¦
However, if her uncle were to ask about it, she would just tell the truth.
There was nothing to hide!
Finally, the door was opened.
Just as Nanxi was about to call out to her uncle, she was momentarily stunned by the appearance of the person who opened the door.
It was not Liang Youquan, butâ¦
Xu Mei?!
Nanxi froze at the doorway, as did the woman standing thereâ¦
âHello, Aunt Xu!â Eventually, it was Nanxi who finally broke the silence.
Xu Mei muttered something under her breath, quickly motioning for Nanxi to come inside.
Nanxi walked in feeling uncomfortable, but couldnât shake an unsettling feeling:Xu Mei is moving in already?
That means, Xu Mei and my uncleâ¦
Whilst Nanxiâs mind was filled with speculation, Xu Mei began to speak.
More precisely, she began to explain.
Xu Mei said, âYour uncle received a call this afternoon and had to attend a Cultural and Arts Expo in the neighboring city.
He didnât have enough time to notify you and Qiaoqiao in advance, fearing it might disturb your studies and work.
He asked me to look after grandma in the meantimeâ¦â
Xu Mei looked a bit embarrassed, âBut rest assured, both your uncle and I are mature adults.
Iâm not trying to prove anything by doing this.
Itâs just a simple act of kindness, especially since I get along so well with the old lady!â
Hearing this, Nanxi relaxed slightly, offering a polite smile.
âAunt Xu, donât misunderstand.
I have nothing against itâ¦
Moreover, Iâm grateful that youâre helping to take care of my grandmother!â
â¦
That night, Nanxi lay in bed contemplating whether to call Qiaoqiao about Xu Meiâs surprise arrival.
Eventually, she decided to keep it a secret.
Although Qiaoqiao had given her consent for their uncle to remarry, she still needed time to fully accept it!
The fierce opposition Qiaoqiao showed when their uncle sold the front-house indicated that deep down, she was still resistant to the idea.
Nanxi didnât want Qiaoqiao to be upset!
But she also couldnât hide the fact that their uncle was gone to attend the expoâ¦
Nanxi frowned, eventually deciding to stay at the Liang familyâs home before her uncle returned.
This way, if Qiaoqiao asked later, she could always say she was the one taking care of grandma in these couple of days!
If Qiaoqiao came back, she could even pretend that Xu Mei was just a guest visiting the grandmotherâ¦
Thankfully, Qiaoqiao rarely stayed at home overnight, often leaving after dinner at most!
With that thought, Nanxi found peace of mind.
Spending time with her grandmother was a way to fulfill the duty of filial piety on behalf of her mother, and it felt really good!
However, what Nanxi did not expect was that the next morning, Qiaoqiao rushed back to the Liangâs house.
At that point, Xu Mei, wearing an apron, was busy in the kitchenâ¦
Butâ¦..
Because Nanxi was in the midst of freshening up and didnât have a chance to come out in time, it was Xu Mei who personally opened the door for Liang Qiaoqiaoâ¦.
When Nanxi saw Xu Qian and Liang Qiaoqiao standing at the door, gazing at each other in disbelief, she instantly felt a sense of melancholy, as if âdoom was imminentââ¦.
â¦
âGive me five minutes to explain what exactly happened?â
In order not to spoil their grandmotherâs mood, everyone at the breakfast table maintained cheerful conversation.
It was lively, but Nanxi was having a hard time swallowing her food.
Finally, after breakfast, Liang Qiaoqiao asked Nanxi to accompany her to the supermarket to buy some things.
Once they stepped out of the small community, Qiaoqiao demanded an explanation right away.
Nanxi took a deep breath, then another.
She felt there was no way to lie about this, so she told the truth, albeit with a few embellishments.
Nanxi said, âUncle left in such a hurry yesterday that I planned to take care of grandmother by myself.
But it happened that Aunt Xu came to visit grandmother.
As you saw, grandmother likes Aunt Xu very much, so she stayed over last nightâ¦.â
Liang Qiaoqiao didnât say anything, leaving Nanxi unsure about her thoughts.
When she first came to this city four years ago, Nanxi was a timid and innocent 18-year-old.
She was somewhat timid around Liang Qiaoqiao, careful not to anger her cousin!
However, after spending some time together, she realized that Liang Qiaoqiao was really nice to her.
She bought her clothes, took her shopping and out to eatâ¦.
Deep down, she liked Liang Qiaoqiao as if she were her own sister!
If she were forced to choose between Aunt Xu and Liang Qiaoqiao, she would choose Liang Qiaoqiao without hesitation!
âNever mindâ¦â Liang Qiaoqiao sighed, a hint of helplessness in her voice, âSince grandmother likes her, and the old man doesnât seem to dislike her, what else can I sayâ¦.â
Despite her words, Nanxi still caught a glimpse of loss in Liang Qiaoqiaoâs eyesâ¦.
The two of them bought some groceries at the supermarket, mostly vegetables that their grandmother liked.
Liang Qiaoqiao mentioned, âActually, grandmotherâs favorite food was the dishes my mother made.
After my mother passed away, grandma had anorexia for a long time and eventually fell illâ¦.
I donât remember clearly how she recovered.
Anyway, she gradually got better, probably she came to terms with reality as time passed.â
After finishing her sentence, Liang Qiaoqiao sighed, âSometimes I wonder how long those who pass away can stay in our hearts?
I hope itâs forever, but Iâm afraid it will result in the living personâs efforts being in vain; I hope itâs brief, but I fear that one day I too will be forgotten just as quicklyâ¦.â
She looked at Nanxi and gave a weak smile, âDonât you think my thoughts are contradictory?â
Nanxi shook her head.
She understood Liang Qiaoqiao.
There were some melancholic feelings hidden in Liang Qiaoqiaoâs heart.
She rarely showed them, but that didnât mean they didnât exist!
Born into the world, who could completely detach themselves from worldly matters and keep their eyes unclouded by lifeâs turmoils?
It was hard, almost impossible!
Time wore away our innocence, and smoothed out our tenacity.
We were all being pulled forward by the flow of time.
All we could do was force ourselves to accept and somehow seek pleasure within this acceptance.
By the time they returned to the Liang Family home, Xu Mei was engaged in a conversation with their grandmother.
The soft atmosphere was filled with sunlight streaming in through the window and roses blooming on the balcony.
It all seemed tranquil and beautiful.
Nanxi furrowed her brow and glanced sideways at Liang Qiaoqiao.
As she did, she saw Qiaoqiao get up and walk towards the balcony.
Nanxi wanted to stop her, but it was too late!
Xu Mei stood up with an awkward smile and called out to Qiaoqiao and Nanxiâ¦.
Liang Qiaoqiao had a friendly expression, giving no hint of what she might be thinking.
Then, she pulled Xu Mei by the hand and asked her to sit down.
Xu Mei looked slightly taken aback, and so did Nanxi.
Then, Liang Qiaoqiao started to speak with an amiable smile.
She said, âAunt Xu, you know, my father rarely goes out and Iâm rarely at home.
Nanxi will be graduating soon, she has a lot of things to take care of at school and job hunting leaves her with little time.
So, if itâs possible, I have an unceremonious requestâ¦.â