After Breaking the Ice-Beauty's Heart - Chapter 21

Chapter 21: Perhaps The Sunlight Also Had A Healing Power.

After leaving Song Yuli’s car, Zhou Nianzhi walked toward her house, glancing at her phone from time to time.

She was anxious.

It must be because of the heat.

Zhou Nianzhi waved her hand to fan herself. The June temperature was extremely high. She looked up at the sun, her eyes squinting from the bright light. It was high noon, and walking in the scorching sun meant even the breeze felt like hot air.

Her home was a bit out of the way; she had to circle around a bit after entering the city. She didn’t want Song Yuli to have to drive for so long and then get lost sending her home, so she had them stop a little further away, somewhere between their two houses.

After walking for a while, a notification popped up on her phone.

It was Song Yuli accepting her friend request.

Zhou Nianzhi stopped, standing still as she looked at the message that appeared after she was successfully added. She immediately transferred the calculated amount to Song Yuli.

The other side quickly received it.

And then, nothing else happened.

Zhou Nianzhi grumbled to herself, “She takes the money and forgets the person,” while her curiosity got the better of her, and she clicked on Song Yuli’s profile picture.

It was a picture of a snow-capped mountain.

The vast white snow covered the mountaintop, glistening in the rising sun. The golden light was dazzling and captivating, making one marvel at the wonders of nature.

Then she looked at Song Yuli’s username.

“Litchi”

A magnificent picture of a snow-capped mountain paired with the username “Litchi” was truly amusing.

After looking at Song Yuli’s profile picture, Zhou Nianzhi suddenly felt a lot cooler. The weather didn’t seem so stifling anymore. Since that was the case, she would look at it a bit longer.

Her hand, which was about to click on the picture, trembled.

“You poked ‘Litchi’ and said ‘your partner Zhi Zhi is so cute.'”

Oh, great. The temperature that had just dropped immediately soared.

Zhou Nianzhi felt her face turn redder than a tomato, and the heat radiating from her body could rival the sun’s.

Panicked, she quickly sent a message: “I tapped it by accident, and also, why haven’t you changed it yet?”

Ugh, the more she explained, the more awkward it got. The more she said, the more mistakes she made, so it was better to say nothing at all.

She lowered her head and walked a couple of steps, trying to distract herself.

It didn’t work.

Zhou Nianzhi tilted her head back, squinting up at the sky.

Hey, God, can we rewind time a little?

Of course not.

Since things had come to this, it was better to go home quickly, grab her things, and then leave tomorrow.

The thought that Song Yuli was still her neighbor made her feel frantic. She had no idea how she was going to face her.

After a frantic walk, she finally arrived at a place that was both incredibly familiar and yet completely foreign—

Zhou Nianzhi’s old home.

But it wasn’t anymore.

The moment the memories rushed back, even her recent embarrassment was washed away, leaving only fear and palpitations. The tide and the gale swept over her once more, and she could only stand still.

She remembered what her mother had said, that the man wasn’t home right now. So she swallowed, let out a long breath, took the key out of her bag, and tried to open the door.

Two “clicks.”

The door opened.

When Zhou Nianzhi pulled the key out, her hand was still trembling, her entire body shaking uncontrollably. Even her teeth were chattering along with her heartbeat.

She took a step and walked inside.

She looked around. No one.

Zhou Nianzhi relaxed a lot, but she couldn’t let her guard down completely. She immediately turned to look for her parents’ wedding photo and all the precious memories of her father that she hadn’t had a chance to take before.

These were her mother’s keepsakes.

Zhou Nianzhi had to take these things back.

Fortunately, everything she was looking for was still in its place, and she was done retrieving them in a short time. Not daring to linger, Zhou Nianzhi turned to walk outside.

But just as she reached the door and was about to open it,

The door was pushed open by someone else.

The nauseating face appeared in front of Zhou Nianzhi unexpectedly, and she had no way to retreat. The nausea in her stomach made her speechless. If her eyes weren’t useful, she would have thrown away the pair that had just seen this man.

“Isn’t this Zhi Zhi! I called you last time, but you didn’t answer. Why are you here now?”

Oh.

Zhou Nianzhi wanted to get rid of her ears too.

The man’s eyebrows were curved, and he smiled sincerely and honestly. The wrinkles that were squeezed out looked to Zhou Nianzhi like wriggling maggots, covering his entire hypocritical face.

The glasses on his nose were a symbol of culture from that era. In reality, the ruthlessness hidden in those eyes was completely covered by the lenses. Perhaps the glasses weren’t a sign of his education, but a tool to conceal his desires.

“Zhi Zhi, why aren’t you talking?” The man took a step forward, smiling. “I’m your Big Uncle. You don’t recognize me anymore?”

Zhou Nianzhi stared at him, putting the disgust in her stomach away for a moment. After controlling her trembling body, she grit her teeth and replied, “I recognize you. How could I ever forget you?”

She definitely recognized the Big Uncle in front of her, Zhou Chengqi.

Her nails, digging deep into her palms, wanted to tear away his fake, kind face so others could see his true nature, to expose the filthy soul beneath that well-decorated shell.

In the countless nights wrapped in nightmares, it was this man who pushed her down, making her fall into an endless abyss, into an unseen darkness.

Zhou Chengqi still had that friendly smile. He looked around Zhou Nianzhi, then looked around the room. “Where’s your mother? Where’s Ning Ning?”

“You are not allowed to call her ‘Ning Ning’!” Zhou Nianzhi’s voice was hoarse as she yelled and roared, trying to turn the tide. “She will never appear before you again!”

The corner of Zhou Chengqi’s mouth twitched, and a flash of anger appeared in his eyes. He saw the wedding photo in Zhou Nianzhi’s hands, and his smile instantly disappeared. “What’s that? Zhi Zhi, let Big Uncle have a look.”

See? Beneath that docile exterior, a ferocious beast came rushing out, its sharp claws poised to strike.

Zhou Nianzhi was quick. Before he could snatch the wedding photo, she dodged to the side, avoiding the beast’s bite, and started running down the stairs.

She kept running.

She was trying to run toward the light.

But Zhou Chengqi, enraged and full of bestial fury, had no intention of letting her go easily. He closed the door and followed Zhou Nianzhi’s footsteps.

Humans cannot outrun monsters.

“Zhi Zhi, run slower. Don’t fall.”

Listen to how gentle his words were, as if he really cared about Zhou Nianzhi.

If she could just get through this dark and narrow path, Zhou Nianzhi would be out.

But Zhou Chengqi grabbed her arm firmly in the dark corner at the bottom of the apartment building.

What was more terrifying and desperate than struggling in vain was—

Hope was right in front of her, but she couldn’t grasp it.

“Zhi Zhi, quickly, tell me where Ning Ning is?” Zhou Chengqi’s left cheek twitched as he continued to speak. “Ning Ning is still angry with me, isn’t she? Tell her that as long as she agrees to marry me, I won’t hit her again…”

Zhou Nianzhi struggled with all her might to shake off his arm, and she said angrily, “Dream on!”

That single sentence completely enraged Zhou Chengqi.

Unexpectedly, Zhou Chengqi suddenly let go of Zhou Nianzhi’s hand. She lost her balance and fell heavily to the ground, scraping off some skin. The wedding photo and her father’s things also fell. She ignored her pain and tried to reach out to get them back.

Zhou Chengqi quietly stepped on her hand. His shoe pressed down on her entire palm, and the pain connected to her heart, making her tears fall.

“Ah, if Ning Ning doesn’t want to come back, then she can just continue to be called a ‘homewrecker’ and never come back,” Zhou Chengqi said with a laugh, his tone light and his face still looking kind.

He was always like this.

In front of outsiders, he was always a warm-hearted, helpful, kind, and honest man who cared deeply for his family.

Everyone knew that he loved his deceased wife very much. After she passed, he never remarried, even without any children. Everyone praised him for his loyalty, believing his wife had married a good man.

Therefore, Sheng Ning’s cries for help were unheard.

Sheng Ning’s accusations were believed by no one.

They only believed that everything was just Sheng Ning’s imagination.

The power of gossip was frightening.

With just a few words, all the blame was placed on the woman.

“Homewrecker,” “dirty,” “shameless.”

Such filthy words shattered Sheng Ning’s heart.

Her cries were drowned in spittle.

And the real devil stood in the sunlight, wearing a human skin, watching everything with cold eyes, his hypocritical mouth spitting out disgusting words: “Cheng Gang is gone. Just marry me, Ning Ning. You’ve seen it. No one will believe you. It’s better if you just marry me.”

At this moment, although the pain was stabbing her heart, Zhou Nianzhi still struggled to get her parents’ wedding photo back, just as Sheng Ning had struggled to break free from the devil’s grip that year.

“You really are Ning Ning’s daughter, you have the same personality as Ning Ning,” Zhou Chengqi said, his gaze following hers. He also bent down, trying to grab the wedding photo first.

Zhou Nianzhi saw his filthy hand about to touch the picture frame. She couldn’t breathe and felt like she was suffocating.

“Zhi Zhi.”

In moments of despair, people often see illusions.

Look, Zhou Nianzhi actually saw Grandma.

Zhou Chengqi heard the voice, turned his head, and let go of her foot. He was all smiles and waved. “Oh, you’re here? Your body seems even more spry than before.”

“Chengqi, you’re here too,” Grandma said, her back hunched. She grinned, showing her few remaining teeth, and waved back. “It’s so dark I didn’t even see you.”

The corner of Zhou Chengqi’s mouth twitched, but he maintained his enthusiastic demeanor. “Did you come out to buy things today? Can you carry it? Do you need me to help?”

Grandma held up the vegetables in her hand. “I can still carry these… Oh my, why did Zhi Zhi fall down?”

Probably because she saw the old woman walking over, Zhou Chengqi had to keep up his act. He bent down and offered to help her up.

Zhou Nianzhi waved her hand, pushing his outstretched hand away. She took the opportunity to pick up the things that had fallen on the ground and limped toward Grandma.

She finally walked toward the light she was meant to go to.

Standing beside Grandma, she bent down and brushed the dust from her clothes. Standing up straight, she turned her head and looked coldly at Zhou Chengqi, who was still standing in the darkness, like he was a rat that couldn’t crawl out of the gutter.

She raised the things in her hand, raised an eyebrow, and gave a slight, crooked smile.

The thought of Zhou Chengqi’s trembling hand when he had tried to help her up made her feel a little amused.

One day, the light will pierce through the darkness.

And the devil’s deeds will be known to the world.

Wait, Zhou Nianzhi squinted her eyes, taking a closer look. She felt like there was someone else standing behind Zhou Chengqi.

“Oh, my dear Zhi Zhi, does it hurt?” Grandma’s words brought Zhou Nianzhi back.

She looked at Grandma, and the heartache in her yellowed eyes seemed ready to overflow. Her gaze landed on Zhou Nianzhi’s arm, and her aged hand hovered over the wound, not daring to touch it for fear of hurting the girl.

Zhou Nianzhi bit her lower lip, afraid that a stray tear would fall and make the person who loved her feel bad.

Perhaps the sunlight also had a healing power.

She shook her head and smiled at Grandma. “It doesn’t hurt.”