This novel was something Wen Zhao had written just for fun. A friend who had seen the original manuscript once gave it the critique: “What a great outline that allows readers to fill in the details themselves.”
In such a skeletal story, Wen Zhao had spent an exhaustive amount of ink describing Zheng Miaoning. It was specifically because she wanted to create a character like Zheng Miaoning that Wen Zhao had stepped into a genre she was entirely unskilled in, writing a story that was, by all accounts, unqualified.
Wen Zhao had spent a long time contemplating what kind of eyes Zheng Miaoning should have. And now, being stared at intently by Zheng Miaoning with those shimmering, pleading eyes, Wen Zhao finally remembered what she had written when she first put pen to paper: She has a pair of eyes that no one can refuse.
Wen Zhao remained silent. Her logic told her to refuse, but her heartbeat and her brain were screaming at her to agree.
Don’t make her sad.
But the consequence of not making her sad now was that she would only be even more miserable later. Wen Zhao took a deep breath, just about to refuse.
“I’ll take your silence as permission.” Zheng Miaoning, sensing her hesitation, simply made the choice for her, tucking her arm into Wen Zhao’s and leading her forward.
…It was too late to refuse now.
Wen Zhao despised her own indecisiveness; she was like a mother who held no authority over her child. Making Zheng Miaoning happy and blessed was the entire meaning of her existence in this world.
Avoiding eye contact, Wen Zhao let her gaze fall upon the fingers wrapped around her wrist. She didn’t say anything to spoil the mood and boarded the Ferris wheel with her.
The staff pressed the switch, and the massive wheel began to rotate slowly. As they gradually left the ground, a surge of immense panic rose within Wen Zhao. She was terrified of the feeling of weightlessness.
Unsure if Zheng Miaoning was also afraid, Wen Zhao did not let it show. She had to be a mother capable of shielding her child from the wind and rain. Holding onto that conviction, she gradually managed to ignore the sensation of falling.
When they reached the highest point, the Ferris wheel stopped. They were at least twenty meters above the ground. Between Wen Zhao and Zheng Miaoning sat a small table—something Zheng Miaoning had specifically requested to be added.
At this moment, however, Zheng Miaoning secretly regretted the move. Had she known, she would have just unceremoniously eaten out of a lunchbox; anything was better than being this far apart from Wen Zhao.
Wen Zhao had been staring out the window. “Do you like the view from up high?”
Wen Zhao turned her head, only to have her chin caught unexpectedly by Zheng Miaoning’s hand. She didn’t speak, simply looking back at her.
“I like it very much. Are you hungry? Let’s eat.” Raising her hand to grip Zheng Miaoning’s wrist, Wen Zhao broke free from the restraint and began unwrapping the utensils.
Regardless of the circumstances, since Zheng Miaoning had prepared this with care, Wen Zhao would say she liked it. Seeing that Wen Zhao’s attention had returned to her, Zheng Miaoning curled her lips in satisfaction, focusing intently on the figure of Wen Zhao busying herself for her sake.
Zheng Miaoning wished time would freeze at this moment, letting the image of each other in their eyes be captured for eternity.
“Was the timing calculated so precisely?” Steam began to mist up the small space. Wen Zhao’s eyes carried a hint of a smile. “When you ran to the orphanage, you looked like a madwoman. I thought it was a spur-of-the-moment thing, but it turns out you had everything arranged.”
Taking the small bowl of soup Wen Zhao handed her, Zheng Miaoning lifted her chin. “You’ve been avoiding me constantly. That means the nature of any private meeting I can get with you has changed. Of course, I had to prepare thoroughly.”
Wen Zhao’s smile faltered. She picked up a shrimp dumpling to hide her expression.
Back in Yu Xin’s office, Wen Zhao had eaten quite a few snacks with her, so there wasn’t much room left in her stomach. After eating a few meat wontons, she set down her chopsticks.
Zheng Miaoning, however, seemed truly hungry. Sitting across from Wen Zhao, she didn’t worry much about her etiquette and ate quite quickly.
“Maybe eat a little slower. I have to leave once we’re done,” Wen Zhao said, tearing a paper napkin in half and giving one piece to Zheng Miaoning.
Hearing this, Zheng Miaoning put down her chopsticks aggrievedly. “Oh.” When she picked them up again, she chewed every bite dozens of times before swallowing.
“They say if lovers kiss at the peak of a Ferris wheel, they can be together forever,” Zheng Miaoning said out of the blue.
Wen Zhao nodded. “It’s a possibility. But I am your mother.”
Zheng Miaoning fell silent again. After a long while, she suddenly asked, “Will you leave Qin Zhuyu? Please?”
Wen Zhao wasn’t surprised. She nodded. “Mhm.”
“Will you stay by my side? Please?”
Wen Zhao was silent for a few seconds before asking, “Are you full?”
The reason Zheng Miaoning wants to run away whenever she encounters conflict is probably because she has a mother like me, Wen Zhao thought. She didn’t want to see Zheng Miaoning cry while she was eating.
She also knew that no matter when Zheng Miaoning learned of her decision, she would be heartbroken. Wen Zhao constantly warned herself not to listen to her, not to get close to her anymore.
But how could an emotion that could be easily suppressed ever be called love?
“Let’s talk after dinner. No matter what it is, wait until we finish this meal, okay?” Wen Zhao’s soft gaze fell on Zheng Miaoning’s face. She looked at her as if trying to engrave her features into her memory.
Four years ago, at their first meeting, it only took one glance for Wen Zhao to recognize her. Just now, after Zheng Miaoning spoke, Wen Zhao’s heart had softened instantly.
She hadn’t seen Zheng Miaoning’s childhood, yet she regularly helped out at the orphanage and participated in the growth of the children in the Doudou class. Wen Zhao couldn’t help but feel that she owed Zheng Miaoning too much.
Hearing Wen Zhao reply using her own words, an underlying sense of unease rose in Zheng Miaoning. She sat up straight, covered the lunchbox lid, and forced a smile. “I’m finished. We can talk now.”
Wen Zhao’s left hand, resting on her lap, instinctively clenched and then relaxed. She stood up and swept the trash into the bin. “Let’s wait a little longer.”
“Why do we have to wait?!” Zheng Miaoning questioned, confused.
She had never been treated this way by Wen Zhao. It had only been two years; why had such a massive change occurred?
“You said it yourself—you are the person who loves me most in this world. In this world, you only love me. Why aren’t you even willing to stay by my side now?”
Zheng Miaoning was breaking down. She hugged Wen Zhao’s waist from behind, burying her face against the small of Wen Zhao’s back and weeping.
Wen Zhao froze.
Those words—Wen Zhao had said them over and over again when Zheng Miaoning doubted her origins. She had said them, she had lived them, and not a single word had been a lie.
A source of heat pressed against her lower back. Within the cramped space, the temperature seemed to rise, and the air turned scalding, burning Wen Zhao’s eyes until they ached.
“Are you blaming me for not telling you in advance when I went abroad? Or are you angry about our previous argument? Mom, Sister Zhao, tell me. I can apologize for anything. Just don’t treat me like this. Don’t do this.”
Wen Zhao always had a response for Zheng Miaoning, and a timely one at that. So even just ten-odd seconds of silence was enough to make Zheng Miaoning panic.
Wen Zhao closed her eyes tightly, her hands gripping the lining of her coat pockets. Only by doing this could she restrain herself from turning around, from reaching out to hold her and comfort her.
Even if Zheng Miaoning still didn’t realize it, Wen Zhao could be hurt too. She felt the pain as well. The wounding words Zheng Miaoning had spoken were forgotten by the speaker, but Wen Zhao still remembered them.
“The reason I stayed with you today is… because I kept telling myself that farewells should have a sense of ceremony. I wanted to say a proper goodbye to you.”
Wen Zhao tilted her head back, tears sliding from the corners of her eyes into her hair. Her soft, hanging tresses brushed against Zheng Miaoning’s cheek, as if embracing her in another way.
“Ningning, perhaps I was wrong from the very beginning. I shouldn’t have approached you, shouldn’t have crossed paths with you, and even more, I shouldn’t have indulged us again and again, delaying my departure.”
“I truly love you. I love you so, so much. More than you can perceive, more than you can imagine.”
“So, I am ending all of this. After tonight, I won’t see you again. Forget me. There is a better future waiting for you.”
As she spoke, the Ferris wheel began to move again.
“Why—”
The scenery outside shifted. Wen Zhao released the signal transmitter in her hand and turned to embrace Zheng Miaoning, keeping her from speaking until the electric doors opened.
The moment the Ferris wheel came to a steady halt, Wen Zhao let go of Zheng Miaoning decisively, grabbed her bag, and ran out.
Qin Zhuyu, who had arranged a time with her, had already arrived.
Hearing the sound of Zheng Miaoning’s footsteps chasing after her, Wen Zhao took Qin Zhuyu’s hand and leaned affectionately against her shoulder.
Qin Zhuyu had originally intended to throw a tantrum, but seeing that Wen Zhao’s eyes were still red and that there was a formidable young lady behind them, she held her tongue. She grabbed Wen Zhao’s hand back and led her to her car.
“Been discussing the teaching progress with the eldest Miss Zheng?” Sitting in the car, Qin Zhuyu couldn’t help but make a snide remark.
Wen Zhao’s voice was low. “It was an accident.”
“An accident…” And that’s all you’re giving me?
“There are ten days left until the contract expires. To make it up to you, I’ll stay at the Qin residence for these ten days and go to class with you.” This would minimize the chance of seeing Zheng Miaoning.
From Wen Zhao’s observation, Zheng Miaoning seemed to dislike Qin Zhuyu quite a bit—likely a shadow left over from being rejected by her in H City.
Qin Zhuyu huffed a couple of times but didn’t say anything more. She was surprisingly easy to talk to today, which made Wen Zhao glance at her in surprise.
Sensing the gaze, Qin Zhuyu curled her lip. “What? Actually, I kind of understand her. If I found out later that you followed someone else… Ugh, anyway, you’re sitting right here by my side now, and she has to drive home all by herself!”
“So you’re not arguing with her today because you understand her?”
Actually, Wen Zhao’s original plan was to leave Zheng Miaoning in a daze, then let Qin Zhuyu take over the argument so she could slip away.
“…That’s not exactly it,” Qin Zhuyu said in a small voice, her eyes darting around.
She had heard from classmates that several children from prominent families in B City had recently met with “accidents”—either broken legs or fractured arms. It was rare for children from such families to get hurt, given they were surrounded by servants and bodyguards.
Yet, so many had been injured at once. Some busybodies even made a spreadsheet, trying to find a common link in their movements to explain why they all met with misfortune.
Qin Zhuyu had taken a peek at it out of curiosity. Those people were all “top-tier” second-generation socialites, and they shared many connections. What Qin Zhuyu noticed first was that they had all attended a wine tasting party organized by Miss Li a year and a half ago.
Qin Zhuyu had a deep impression of that party.
In high school, although Wen Zhao was a bit too good to Zheng Miaoning, since Zheng Miaoning never showed any rejection and allowed Wen Zhao to stay by her side, the general campus opinion was friendly. People just remarked that Wen Zhao was lucky to have climbed so high.
As Zheng Miaoning went abroad and Wen Zhao frequently visited the Qin family, people had stopped talking about their relationship. But after that wine party, nasty rumors about everything regarding Wen Zhao spread through the entire social circle.
Then, Qin Zhuyu remembered what Wen Zhao had told her: Unless absolutely necessary, I don’t suggest you try to provoke Miss Zheng.
It was only today that Qin Zhuyu realized what Wen Zhao meant by those words.