His shoulders were broad and sturdy.
No matter how hard she leaned against him, he wouldn't fall.
Moreover, feeling his warmth gave her such a sense of grounding and security.
When she was little, she loved going up the mountain with her grandfather to gather herbs. Whenever she got tired, the two of them would sit back-to-back and rest. Her small frame loved leaning against her grandfather's solid back.
As far back as she could remember, Chu Juejue had abandoned her. She grew up with her grandparents and mother. She had never leaned on her father's shoulder, only her grandfather's.
She had always looked up to her grandfather as her idol—his medical skills were superb, and the pills he concocted had miraculous effects. But it was precisely his extraordinary skill in pill-making that brought disaster upon him.
Ever since her grandfather was gone, she had never leaned on a man's shoulder again. She could no longer feel that kind of steady, safe support. Even in college, she only ever held Ye Xi's hand—
Now, leaning on Nangong Yehen's shoulder, she had found back that sense of security her grandfather had given her. Yet, her heart was filled with bitterness, and she wanted to cry.
She missed her grandfather, her grandmother, and her mother so much. Recalling that merciless fire, her body trembled.
Nangong Yehen frowned, tilting his head to look at her.
He could only see her full forehead, not her expression, but he could feel her sorrow. It was as if he knew what she was thinking, what she was afraid of.
He held her tighter, his tone light and even a little teasing. "Chu Lingzhi, I'm being pretty good to you, and you're moved?"
"Nangong Yehen, I'm not in a great mood. Don't provoke me," Chu Lingzhi said, her voice choked with tears.
Chu Junyu came over with a glass of water and froze at the sound of her voice.
Mom was crying?
Why was she crying out of nowhere?
He stood there, hesitated for a moment, and ultimately turned back. He felt this wasn't the time to disturb them.
As he walked out of the room, he was startled to find Ouyang Ruobing and Nangong Yichen standing there.
Chu Junyu glanced at them, then looked back at Nangong Yehen and the others. From where they stood, they could see their backs—leaning on each other, like a devoted couple sharing hardships and joys.
Chu Junyu looked up at Ouyang Ruobing.
Her gaze was sorrowfully fixed on Nangong Yehen, filled with despair.
Chu Junyu's lips moved as if to say something, but in the end, he chose to stay silent. He looked at Nangong Yichen, his expression seeming to say: You'd better comfort your mom.
Nangong Yichen tugged at Ouyang Ruobing's sleeve, snapping her out of her grief.
"Mom, let's go," he said softly.
Ouyang Ruobing forced a smile and followed Chu Junyu downstairs.
Once downstairs, Ouyang Ruobing and Nangong Yichen strolled slowly through the garden.
"Mom, Nangong won't change his mind about you anymore," Nangong said, looking at Ouyang Ruobing.
Ouyang Ruobing gave a bitter smile. "Yes, he's completely lost the feelings he had for me back then."
"Back then, Dad was good to you because he hadn't met Lingzhi yet."
Ouyang Ruobing thought to herself, maybe that was true.
Although she was the first girlfriend he publicly acknowledged, he never said she would be his wife. Today, she heard him say that Chu Lingzhi was fit to be his wife, fit to be the lady of the Nangong family.
What he felt for her might not have been love.
Now, what he felt for her was only hatred.
That hatred might not stem from her leaving him back then, but from her tampering with his sperm bank.