Pursuing Her Best Friend after Confession Failed

Chapter 469 - 182: Mother-in-law’s Call, Goodbye to Zhong Tingyue_4

"Mom, why are you preparing so many dishes for just the two of us?"

Gu Lanxin stroked Zhong Tingyue’s head. Seeing her haggard face and her eyes, red and swollen from crying, she explained tenderly, "Little Moon, look at the state you’re in. You need to eat more and build up your strength. You absolutely can’t let your body break down. I only have you for a daughter. If your health collapses, who could I rely on for the rest of my life?"

Zhong Tingyue’s expression grew somber. Hearing the deep concern in her mother’s voice, she forced a smile, hugged Gu Lanxin from behind, and pretended to be cheerful. "Mom, I’m fine. I’m much better now; you don’t have to worry."

Gu Lanxin nodded. "Little Moon, it’s good that you can truly move on. Matters of the heart can’t always be perfect; you have to be more open-minded."

"Take me and your father, that unfaithful man. We were on and off for years from the time we met until you were born, but didn’t we end up together in the end? Even though we don’t have any official standing, we still live well, don’t we?

"At the very least, he provides for us and lets us spend freely. When he has time, he comes to keep us company. I’m much happier than those women who work themselves to death, have no money, and are in unhappy relationships."

Confronted with Gu Lanxin’s worldview, Zhong Tingyue could only remain silent. She couldn’t make choices for her mother; if this was how her mother could live happily, perhaps that should be enough.

However, she couldn’t help but recall the words she’d secretly overheard her father say during her first year of high school, and a profound sadness for her mother welled up inside her.

Mother is still being kept in the dark, believing that heartless man treasures and cares for them so much. She has no idea he’s long been prepared to abandon me, his illegitimate daughter by his mistress, in exchange for wealth and status...

Zhong Tingyue forced a smile and replied, "Mom, I’m grown up now. I understand."

Gu Lanxin smiled. "Good, as long as you understand. I just want you to be happy. I miss the way you used to be; I don’t like seeing you like this."

As they were speaking, the doorbell suddenly rang.

Gu Lanxin’s heart stirred; she guessed it must be Li Yuan.

"Little Moon, go get the door."

Puzzled, Zhong Tingyue left the kitchen and walked to the front door. When she opened it, she saw Li Yuan standing there, smiling and holding a large bouquet of red roses.

「It had been three days since he had last seen her.」

Li Yuan looked at Zhong Tingyue intently, and his heart clenched. Her willow-leaf eyebrows were as charming as ever, but her once-sparkling, crescent-moon eyes had lost their light. They were now red and swollen, and her haggard face was pale and bloodless, giving her the fragile appearance of a convalescent beauty.

While Li Yuan was taking in her appearance, Zhong Tingyue saw who it was. Meeting his gaze, she flinched, her body trembling as she suddenly understood why her mother had cooked so many dishes.

It’s because we have another guest tonight. No, it would be more accurate to say the master of this house is here. My mother and I... we’re the real guests.

Zhong Tingyue lowered her head and silently tried to turn away, but Li Yuan reached out and grasped her hand. She glanced up at him, then quickly looked down again, allowing him to keep holding her hand.

Li Yuan kicked the door shut, led her into the living room with her hand held tightly in his, and placed the bouquet of 99 multicolored roses, along with a diamond necklace and a diamond ring, on the coffee table.

Gazing affectionately at her cheeks, he sighed and asked softly, "Little Moon, have you been all right lately?"

Zhong Tingyue just murmured a soft, "Hmm." She appeared calm on the surface, but the sweat on her palms betrayed her inner turmoil.

Seeing her still react this way towards him, Li Yuan felt a pang of disappointment. This wasn’t the outcome he wanted. Having been reborn, he could have lived a carefree and unrestrained life, but these recent relationship issues had left him feeling exhausted. That was why he had played that game with Qi Siyu in the university student entrepreneurship office that afternoon.

Wasn’t that, in its own way, a method of relieving stress?

Li Yuan held her small hand and, still smiling, changed the subject. "Little Moon, I’ve already chosen the location for the milk tea shop. All that’s left is the renovation. If you have time, I’d like you to help oversee it."

At the mention of the milk tea shop, a flicker of light returned to Zhong Tingyue’s eyes. She stole a glance at Li Yuan’s profile before quickly looking away.

"Hmm!"

Seeing this, Li Yuan felt a renewed sense of motivation and continued, "Little Moon, have you thought of a name for the brand, like we discussed? I came up with a few, but I’m not satisfied with any of them."

"This is our milk tea shop, so I’m entrusting the important task of naming it to you," he said. "We agreed on this before, so you can’t go back on your word now, okay?"

As Li Yuan spoke about the brand name, the light in Zhong Tingyue’s eyes grew brighter, and a wave of emotion washed over her.

He didn’t forget our promise. He wasn’t lying to me; he’s still thinking about opening a milk tea company for me...

With a mixture of feelings, Zhong Tingyue looked at Li Yuan and said softly, "I’m not good at naming things either. You should do it."

Li Yuan moved closer until he was nearly pressed against her. He could feel her body trembling slightly, but she didn’t pull away, allowing him to stay near.

He felt a surge of excitement. This meant she was struggling internally, not simply giving up. As long as she wasn’t determined to let go, if he just spent more time with her and had some assists from her mother, the subtle influence would most likely lead her to tacitly accept their relationship. Then everything would fall into place.

His thoughts turned to her roommates. Besides her mother, he could also try to get Ding Shanshan and Xu Tingrou on his side. He wouldn’t ask them to speak well of him; it would be enough if they just didn’t badmouth him to Zhong Tingyue and constantly pressure her to break up.

He was well aware of how formidable a creature a ’bestie’ could be, sometimes wielding even more influence than parents and family.

Li Yuan reined in his racing thoughts. He took her small hand in his, his lips curving into a slight smile. "Little Moon, I’m terrible at naming things, so I’m leaving it to you. I trust your taste and judgment."

Seeing the look of complete trust on his face, Zhong Tingyue let out a small laugh but immediately regained her composure and replied coolly with a single, "Hmm!"

Li Yuan breathed a huge, internal sigh of relief. Now that she had agreed, he had the milk tea shop as an excuse to talk to her every day. He refused to believe he couldn’t win her back.

Pursuing a stranger from scratch and winning back your girlfriend were two completely different levels of difficulty—as different as heaven and earth.

"Little Moon, besides the brand name, I’ve also gathered some information on different types of milk tea on the market. We can look them over together later. That includes all the raw ingredients. We’ll need to discuss whether we should produce them ourselves or source them from a supplier..."

Li Yuan continued to chat enthusiastically about the milk tea brand. As he spoke, he discreetly reached out and gently wrapped an arm around Zhong Tingyue’s shoulders. He gave her shoulder a little squeeze and then gently stroked her head.

Zhong Tingyue’s body trembled slightly at his intimate actions. She glanced at him from the corner of her eye before quickly looking away, quietly enjoying the contact.

Before she knew it, a faint blush had crept onto her pale, flawless face.