Chapter 79 Song Ni Finds Happiness
Tang Qin Yun's arrival instantly livened up the atmosphere. Song Ni, suddenly transformed, stopped clinging to Tan Zheng and began to playfully mingle with everyone. They played drinking games, guessing games, and drank until they were merry. Song Ni excelled at all of them. Although Song Jing knew she could be restless and often went out to have fun, he never imagined she could be this way when she did. So wild.
As the brother who had watched her grow up, Song Jing naturally sensed something amiss. He glanced at Tan Zheng, who stood nearby, taking a deep drag of his cigarette and draining his wine. His eyes were filled with a sorrow as deep as the sea. They had been fine just moments ago; what had happened between them now? Song Jing looked back at Song Ni, who was enthusiastically playing a guessing game. After winning several rounds, she finally lost. With a bold flourish, she tilted her head back and downed the penalty drink.
The wind that night seemed to favor Song Ni exceptionally, lifting her long hair to reveal her slender, fair neck. She looked like a deity descended to earth, indulging in unrestrained freedom. So beautiful, so captivating. Tan Zheng stood there, smoking and drinking, his gaze fixed on the smile at the corner of her lips. The little girl's smile had always been bold and bright, but this time, such a beautiful smile felt utterly powerless. It was because of him.
The cigarette burned close to its end, and the strong wind quickly dispersed the smoke. Yet, the man's eyes were filled with bloodshot veins. In the past, Tan Zheng believed he would never find happiness, so he never harbored any expectations. He treated life with indifference and accepted the guilt he carried as a matter of course. Even when his family pressured him into marriage, he felt a contractual marriage was perfectly suitable for him.
But his blind date was Song Ni. From the moment he found her somewhat interesting, and that encounter years ago... he should have known it couldn't be a simple marriage of convenience. Things unfolded as he expected, but his mindset had changed. Naturally, he could no longer approach his future marital life with his past attitude. He didn't know if he deserved happiness, or if he should be happy. But Song Ni deserved to be happy. The past... it was time to make a clean break.
Unable to bear looking at Song Ni's somewhat dazzling smile any longer, Tan Zheng took advantage of the group playing games and walked to the tree near the cliff's edge. This mountaintop had not yet been developed for tourism, and not even basic safety railings had been installed. The sky had completely darkened. Standing on the mountaintop, one was struck by the immense height and the vastness of the sky, and the profound depth of the night. The wind on the mountaintop was strong; anyone standing at the edge of the cliff would feel as if they might be blown off.
Tan Zheng stood beneath the tree, one hand in his pocket, the other holding a cigarette. The red tip of the cigarette was insignificant in the vast darkness of the night, yet it drew the eye. His figure was tall and broad; a man who should have been arrogant and unbridled, but now he exuded a sense of melancholy.
Song Ni should have been angry with him. Growing up, no one had ever offered her such sweetness only to cruelly slap her away. Her interactions with him in the past few days had led her to believe there had been a change between them, only to discover that the supposed change was merely her own wishful thinking. She was so proud; how could she ever compromise her feelings? Yet, even while playing games and drinking, she couldn't stop her gaze from drifting towards him.
In the morning, after he woke up, he stood at the door watching her put on makeup, domineeringly draping a thin blanket over her. He, usually confident, had looked in the mirror several times before leaving. When they were queuing, if she wanted milk and there was only cold milk, he would snatch it away after she took a sip to moisten her lips. He had even taken her phone to take their second photo together. These were all small things, but precisely because they were small things, they seemed exceptionally novel when done by someone like Tan Zheng.
She had thought Tan Zheng treated her differently, and indeed he did. But she was mistaken in attributing this difference to feelings. Thus, fueled by alcohol, she began to test the waters. The answer she received was a cold, "You're drunk."
She truly felt drunk now. She, who was so proud and unrestrained, never compromising her emotions, was agonizing over this man, Tan Zheng, becoming so unlike herself. Song Ni let out a cold laugh, abandoning these convoluted thoughts. She tilted her head back and emptied the glass of wine. But she was the winner of this round.
Cheng Ling was more perceptive than the others. Seeing Song Jing's slight frown, then looking at Tan Zheng standing in the distance, and Song Ni's peculiar way of drinking, he instantly formed a guess. Had the couple, who were so sweet just moments ago, gotten into a fight? As Song Ni's friend for over a decade, Cheng Ling understood her well. Her current state was clearly one of lovesickness, and the problem lay with Tan Zheng.
Perhaps it was his intuition as a psychologist, but he thought of the man in America. Xi Jin Jiang... once another prominent figure in the racing world, the only one who could be compared to Tan Zheng, but a racing accident had ended his career. If they were merely friends, even close friends, Tan Zheng would have no reason to go to such lengths.
Unable to figure it out, Cheng Ling stopped thinking and directly walked up to Tan Zheng. "Senior Brother Chang mentioned that his condition has been very stable lately, and he should be able to arrange to return to the country in two months."
The man, who had been silently smoking, finally stirred upon hearing this. Seeing this reaction, Cheng Ling raised an eyebrow. It seemed his guess was correct. Cheng Ling then sat down under the tree, looked up at the standing Tan Zheng, and invited, "Shall we sit and chat?"
Tan Zheng looked down, saw the knowing look in Cheng Ling's eyes, and extinguished his cigarette. He disliked chatting, and he disliked dissecting himself with outsiders, especially since Cheng Ling was a psychologist. But he was indeed perplexed. So, he sat down.
Conversations between men were never hesitant. As soon as Tan Zheng sat down, Cheng Ling spoke, "Have you ever considered that it's not just your friend who needs psychological help?" Xi Jin Jiang suffered from psychological issues due to his physical disability, but psychological illnesses have many other causes. The more powerful and strong-willed a man is, the more he tends to suppress his emotions, attempting to process them alone. However, some emotions cannot be resolved by the person dealing with them on their own.
He didn't know what had happened between Tan Zheng and Xi Jin Jiang, but he was certain that Tan Zheng carried a heavy burden. Cheng Ling's question was direct and sharp. Even Tan Zheng found it somewhat abrupt. What was abrupt was not Cheng Ling's lack of propriety, but that he was the first person to suggest that Tan Zheng needed external help to resolve his emotions. Even Lu Fang only occasionally offered advice.
Perhaps it was out of professional ethics as a psychologist, or perhaps as Song Ni's good friend, out of concern. Tan Zheng took another cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and took a deep drag. He didn't know where to begin. Cheng Ling smiled understandingly. It was indeed difficult for a man like Tan Zheng to open up.
"Ni Ni is strong-willed. The more difficult a challenge, the less she will back down, even if she faces setbacks. But this is only if the person or thing is compelling enough to attract her. Once she realizes that continuing to persevere is meaningless, she will abandon it without hesitation." Cheng Ling only knew that Song Ni's attention to Tan Zheng stemmed from curiosity.
After a long silence, Tan Zheng finally spoke, "When he returns to the country, the matter will naturally be resolved."
Hearing this, Cheng Ling understood. The root cause was indeed Xi Jin Jiang. But judging by Tan Zheng's words... didn't that mean if Xi Jin Jiang didn't recover, he wouldn't either? Thinking this, Cheng Ling frowned and looked back at Song Ni, who was still drinking. The road ahead was long and arduous.
(End of this chapter)