The meal didn’t last long.
Tang Ning had been howling about wanting meat, but her appetite was actually very small. The lingering effects of the concussion hadn’t fully passed; she could only handle light, bland food.
Her father watched her take a few bites before switching to nibbling on the apple pie. His heart ached so much he wanted to scoop her up and rub her like a baby: “Is your head really okay? Why did something like this happen?”
Tang Ning answered honestly: “I don’t know either…”
“The other driver was drunk. Ningning’s car couldn’t dodge in time and crashed.” Jiang Linye spoke unhurriedly, setting down his chopsticks. “I had people look into it. It really was just an accident.”
He paused slightly, then added: “I just contacted doctors overseas. We’ll arrange a full re-examination for Ningning.”
Her father glanced up at him, sighed, and turned his gaze back to Tang Ning: “Scars don’t matter. As long as there are no lasting effects, that’s fine.”
Jiang Linye said nothing. He silently lifted his eyes to look at her.
But Tang Ning herself didn’t seem too bothered right now. After drinking congee for dinner and eating the apple pie, she suddenly wanted milk.
The housekeeper was new—she’d never seen her before. Tang Ning waved to call her over but opened her mouth and realized she didn’t know the woman’s name.
“What do you need?” Jiang Linye noticed and simply stood up. “I’ll get it for you.”
Tang Ning blinked. Suddenly she felt he was being unusually attentive today: “Milk.”
Jiang Linye didn’t reply—just gave a faint nod and walked into the kitchen.
Her father’s small house had a Chinese-style layout. A wooden screen divided the kitchen from the dining area. Once he was gone, her dad immediately leaned in close: “You haven’t come back in so long. Do you miss Dad?”
“Super much.” She’d lost five years of memories—it really felt like she hadn’t been home in forever.
“Then why don’t you just stay in the south and not go back?” Her father hinted wildly. “Let Little Jiang go home alone. He has a plane anyway—he can fly down any night he misses you.”
“But…” Tang Ning didn’t immediately spot anything wrong with the suggestion. She paused, then reacted with a helpless laugh. “Dad, I’m already married. Can you stop treating me like I’m still in high school and trying to keep me locked up?”
“Even married, you’re still my little cub.” Her father gently stroked her soft hair. “How are things between you and Little Jiang right now?”
“Well…” She wasn’t sure if her father knew about the amnesia. “Same as always, I guess.”
“Same as always.” Her father thought for a moment, then said seriously: “Ningning, Dad may not have as much money as before, but I’m still quite wealthy. If you’re unhappy, you can come back anytime. Jobs and husbands—both can be replaced.”
Tang Ning froze.
It sounded so tragic. She had no idea what her father had heard. Her eyes suddenly stung: “No, Dad, I’m doing fine. The company and home are both…”
The next second, Jiang Linye stepped back in precisely at that moment.
He set the cup down from above with cool detachment, pulled out the chair, and sat back in his original spot.
Pouring milk didn’t take that long. Tang Ning touched the glass—it was warm.
Her father: “The company and home are both what?”
Tang Ning: “Both fine.”
She bullshitted smoothly: “My company is very stable. My relationship with Jiang… my husband is also very stable.”
Jiang Linye said nothing, but when she looked over, he obligingly tugged the corner of his mouth in a skin-deep, mirthless smile.
He’d just stood expressionlessly behind the screen and listened to the entire conversation. He could have stayed longer, but the moment her father said “husbands can be replaced,” his patience evaporated.
He didn’t want to hear Tang Ning’s answer—no matter what it was.
“I see.” Her father deliberately asked, “So when are you two planning to have kids?”
Tang Ning nearly choked on her milk: “?”
“Your career and relationship are both stable now. It’s about time…”
“No no no, my company is unstable—terrible, actually.” Tang Ning immediately straightened up. “Just a few days ago it hit hot search for ‘murdering pets for profit.’ Tons of people are demanding refunds and calling me a shameless, heartless capitalist.”
Jiang Linye: “…”
Seeing her father look over, he volunteered: “There was an issue, but it’s not too serious. I’m helping Ningning investigate.”
Topic successfully diverted. Tang Ning finished her entire glass of milk and immediately wanted to escape: “I’m going out for a walk.”
Jiang Linye reminded her quietly: “Don’t go near the water at night.”
Tang Ning gave a vague “Mm” and scampered off, tail wagging like a little fox.
She answered so half-heartedly—who knew if she actually listened…
Jiang Linye sat there, inexplicably picking up the milk glass she’d just drunk from. Traces of milk still clung to the inner rim. He remembered how she’d unconsciously licked her lips earlier—she really did look more like a guilty tabby cat.
He wanted to kiss her.
The cup. Or her. Either one.
“Let’s go.” The next second, her father stood up without surprise. “We’ll go for a walk too.”
This time of year, the south felt a little colder.
The sky was ink-black. Night wind scattered the tree shadows. A few sparse stars clustered around a cold moon.
Tang Ning wandered into the courtyard with her invisible big tail wagging. The grill on the lawn hadn’t been cleared yet. Raw meat and vegetables sat outside, separated from the cooked food and carefully covered with glass domes.
She leaned over, wanting to sneak a skewer of barbecue.
Before she could grab one, a laugh came from behind: “Miss, didn’t get enough at dinner?”
Tang Ning jolted guiltily and whipped around.
Under the soft lamplight stood a tall, sturdy older man—dark-skinned, grinning with a mouthful of white teeth.
Tang Ning: “A… a little.”
The uncle laughed again: “The meat’s been out all night—not fresh anymore. I’ll go get some new stuff to grill for you.”
There were many new staff in the house; Tang Ning had no memory of them. But this dark-skinned uncle felt oddly familiar.
Curious, she asked: “Uncle, are you the new family cook?”
The dark uncle blinked: “I’m Old Mr. Tang’s caregiver. Been with him for five years. You don’t remember me?”
“I…” Tang Ning’s face heated. She really didn’t. “I had a car accident a while back. I forgot a lot of things.”
“Ah, how did that happen?” The uncle asked with concern. “Was it serious?”
Old Mr. Tang had a minor stroke and was hospitalized five years ago. That’s when this uncle first met her. The daughter of the Tang family took such devoted care of her father—he’d always had a very good impression of this girl.
“It’s not serious, not serious at all.” Tang Ning deliberately lifted her head and gave an embarrassed, shy smile. “I just forgot about Uncle, which is pretty embarrassing.”
“What’s there to be embarrassed about?” The dark-skinned uncle asked warmly. “Did Miss come back with Mr. Jiang?”
“Mhm.” Tang Ning paused, then pretended to be troubled. “But I also forgot that I married him.”
“No problem, forgetting is fine.” The uncle was clearly a straightforward guy. He laughed. “Mr. Jiang is a good man. He’ll stay with you until you remember.”
A good man?
Tang Ning dragged out a long, disdainful “Ewww” in her heart.
Noticing her hesitation, the uncle smiled and volunteered a memory: “Back when Old Mr. Tang was hospitalized, all those things—contacting caregivers, inviting specialists, running around handling this and that—weren’t they all personally taken care of by him? And the medical bills, my caregiving fees… all those琐碎 little things were handled by him too.”
Tang Ning froze slightly.
“And just now in the dining room, I saw you two.” Suddenly remembering something, the uncle turned to her with a grin. “You don’t fight anymore. Not fighting is pretty good.”
Tang Ning’s eyes instantly lit up with green light at the key information: “Did I used to fight with him a lot?”
“Mm… I only ever witnessed it once.”
“In the hospital?”
“Yeah, right after Old Mr. Tang’s surgery.” The uncle said, “At that time you two seemed to be planning the wedding. I heard Mr. Jiang say you were moving it up a bit—once Old Mr. Tang recovered, it would line up perfectly… But I don’t know why, you suddenly started arguing in the corridor.”
Tang Ning was curious: “And then?”
“Then he dragged you away. I was worried something would happen, so I followed. I saw him standing in the stairwell, wiping your tears for you.”
“I…” Tang Ning opened her mouth to say something, but in her mind, the scene he described suddenly shifted from blurry to sharp.
It was like a key had been inserted. Tiny fragments pieced themselves together bit by bit.
Awakening this very, very brief memory.
She and Jiang Linye had exploded into an argument. He grabbed her wrist with a cold face and dragged her out of the hospital corridor.
She was mortified and tried to break free: “Let go a little… you’re hurting me!”
But Jiang Linye had no intention of loosening his grip. He pulled her all the way to the stairwell before pinning her against the wall.
Using his natural height advantage, he loomed over her, fingers gripping her chin, breath close—and very dangerous.
“Last night’s drinking bill with someone else—I haven’t settled that with you yet, and now you want to postpone the wedding again.” His voice was very low, adopting a reasonable tone, yet leaving no room for argument. “If everything always went your way, your father’s company wouldn’t have had cash-flow problems. You wouldn’t be suffering like this right now, would you? Hmm?”
“What bill do you have to settle? What about Sheng Xinglai?” Tang Ning snapped back at him. “I go out with a girl and you still want to control me? We’re not even married yet… mmph—”
She didn’t finish. He gripped her chin and kissed her.
The kiss wasn’t particularly forceful—he only symbolically bit her lip, then asked with a mix of pleasure and cruelty:
“Tang Ning, if your father—lying in that hospital bed—knew that both you and your shares now belong to me—”
“Do you think he’d be so furious he’d never wake up?”
Jiang Linye accompanied Tang Ning’s father for a walk around the house, then returned to the courtyard.
Crossing the central courtyard, the night wind brushed against his face. Even in the south, autumn and winter winds carried moisture. He hadn’t worn enough when he came out; now he felt a chill, but his mind grew clearer.
Old Mr. Tang’s health really wasn’t good anymore. That stroke five years ago hadn’t completely broken him, but his entire spirit had declined sharply.
He talked to him about the company, about recent products, about the projects in his hands.
Yet he could no longer say with commanding presence: “Do you want to study abroad or start a business? I can fund whatever amount you need. But Jiang Linye—stay away from my daughter.”
Now he would stop every few steps to rest, and like a pale, weary father, he would entrust him: “If you still want to be with Ningning, treat her well. And if one day you let go, figure things out, and don’t want to be with her anymore… don’t tell her. Come tell me. I’ll go pick her up and bring her home.”
Standing under the eaves, Jiang Linye suddenly felt irritated.
For no reason, he remembered high-school boys secretly smoking in the bathroom—clouds of haze swirling, never quite stamped out.
He’d always been overly restrained. Now his thoughts wandered wildly. He wondered if cigarettes and alcohol really could make a person happier.
But the irritation was quickly dispersed.
Because the next second, rounding the courtyard corner, he saw Tang Ning lying back on a rattan lounge chair.
She looked like a salted fish, face mask on, completely still. Her arms dangled. In front of her was the pond; the housekeeper had thoughtfully covered her with a blanket.
“Tang Ning.” When her father wasn’t around, Jiang Linye switched back to her full name. His brows furrowed slightly as he walked over quickly. “What’s the temperature outside? Why are you lying here?”
No response. Getting closer, he realized she’d fallen asleep again.
He had no idea how long the face mask had been on. Imagining her waking up and screaming, Jiang Linye sighed and reached out to peel it off.
Her delicate features were revealed bit by bit.
Mingli City had a big day-night temperature difference. Moonlight looked cold and clear. Garden path lights cast soft, fluffy halos in the darkness.
Tang Ning’s head was tilted, buried in the blanket. On the small table beside her sat a half-drunk bottle of Ramune soda—strong orange flavor drifting faintly on the wind.
Jiang Linye stood up and checked: no alcohol, no seafood. Only then did he sit down beside her.
“Dinner was congee, then a glass of milk, and now you’re out here in the cold wind drinking soda.” He looked at her and asked softly, “Aren’t you afraid of stomach pain?”
Tang Ning slept deeply, unmoving.
The wind came off the pond, blowing her fine bangs across her forehead. Jiang Linye reached out to brush them away, chuckling: “Why are you always sleeping?”
Sleeping at the company, sleeping at home, sleeping on the plane, sleeping off the plane…
She really did need another brain check—he was worried about other lingering effects. But what came out of his mouth was: “…Or maybe you just don’t want to see me.”
Tang Ning still didn’t react.
She seemed to be dreaming. Whatever it was, her delicate brows furrowed slightly.
Jiang Linye still wanted to kiss her. Seeing her frown reminded him of certain moments in bed, and he wanted it even more.
He stretched out his arms and lifted her up.
Tang Ning responded instinctively in her sleep, wrapping her thin arms around him and making a tiny, baby-like sound: “Mmm…”
Jiang Linye lowered his head to touch her forehead. He heard her murmur softly: “Jiang Linye…”
Jiang Linye froze, stunned in place.
The next second, Tang Ning looked a little irritated, frowning and whining:
“Jian Wei, Jian Wei, quick…”
“Quick—smash his mouth for me…”