52. Sudden Turn for the Worse

Half an hour later, the traffic police and insurance personnel arrived.

"What happened here?" A young traffic officer walked over and asked.

Yang Yang stood up first and reached out to Tong Zhenzhen, intending to help her up.

Perhaps from sitting with her knees bent for too long, as Tong Zhenzhen stood up, her legs went numb, and losing her balance, she pitched forward.

Fortunately, Yang Yang was quick-witted and caught her in his arms.

Tong Zhenzhen's face flushed crimson. What was wrong with her today? She kept being so clumsy.

"Ha, with a crash like this, don't tell me you two are crashing into a romance," the young traffic officer joked when he saw the two of them embracing.

An accidental event, seen through biased eyes, yielded a completely different effect.

Not far away in the shadows, another car was parked by the roadside.

The car window was rolled down, and camera flashes went off continuously.

After taking the pictures, the phone was lowered, revealing a woman's face—Mo Chuchu.

Mo Chuchu wore a sinister smile. She never expected to bump into such a wonderful spectacle on her way home; heaven truly was helping her.

It seemed that plan could be put into motion very soon.

After the formalities were settled, Yang Yang asked Tong Zhenzhen with concern, "Will you be alright driving back by yourself?"

"I'm fine, totally fine. I'm completely sober now," Tong Zhenzhen shook her head vigorously. "Once your car is repaired and the estimate is out, call me! Insurance will cover it anyway. Oh, right, are you free tomorrow? I'd like to treat you to dinner to make amends. Is that alright?"

"Alright!" Yang Yang readily agreed. He watched as Tong Zhenzhen drove away.

Tong Zhenzhen, you must be enduring a lot of pain, aren't you? Connecting this with what he had seen and heard at the Jun family residence today, plus the fact that when he tried calling the car's owner, Jun Lengche, earlier, the man's phone had been turned off, Yang Yang felt a surge of sympathy for Tong Zhenzhen. Because he had caught glimpses of the sorrow she inadvertently revealed.

Hmph, Jun family, is this how you always bully people? A resolute light flashed in his clear eyes. Some scores simply had to be settled.

Upon returning home, Tong Zhenzhen soaked in the bathtub, continuing to reason with herself and lay out the facts, trying to push down the overwhelming sorrow. This inexplicable emotional entanglement had almost cost her her life; how could she not cut it off completely?

After struggling for a long time, she finally calmed down. She returned to the guest room, took out the glass marble, and held it up to the light, watching the prismatic colors shift within it.

May all this bad luck fade away soon. Praying and praying, her consciousness gradually blurred as she drifted off to sleep.

Jun Lengche did not return home until the early hours of the morning.

He had spent a long time at the hospital comforting Lin Mujin, promising that he would definitely help her fight for custody of Yingchu.

Only after receiving his promise did Lin Mujin fall into a deep sleep.

Only then did he leave the hospital.

At that moment, leaning against the sofa in the living room, shrouded in darkness, he relaxed and began to ponder this sudden turn of events.

The impact of this matter was simply too great.

He actually had a daughter!

And his daughter had been calling another man "Daddy" for over three years!

Back then, even if his family had forced Lin Mujin to leave him, why didn't she come to find him? Was she that lacking in confidence regarding their relationship?

In truth, it was Lin Mujin who had initally approached him back then. He felt that this quiet woman wasn't annoying, and since Tong Zhenzhen was already with Long Tianyu, he had settled for accepting her.

Although Lin Mujin's departure back then had troubled him, as time passed, he had long since let go of that shallow relationship. But the child? Could he just let that go?

For some reason, he recalled what Li Ming had once said: Lin Mujin was like a vine, needing to cling to a giant tree in order to survive. Tong Zhenzhen, on the other hand, was like a cypress tree, growing freely and strongly in the sunshine. Only a cypress tree was worthy of his cold pine.

At the time, he had scoffed at the remark, but thinking about it now, it seemed to make some sense.

If it had been Tong Zhenzhen facing his family's opposition, she definitely would have fought back rather than walking away in silence, right?

He was also surprised that at a juncture like this, he would still be thinking of Tong Zhenzhen.

However, he knew that regardless of his current feelings for Lin Mujin, he had to fight for this child; she could no longer call Long Tianyang "Father"—that man didn't deserve it!

After thinking things through carefully, he had formed a clear strategy in his mind.

Having processed the problems brought by Lin Mujin, he began to consider how to appease Tong Zhenzhen.

Earlier at the hospital, he had heard the commotion at the door and noticed Tong Zhenzhen's hurried retreating figure. This realization had left him somewhat troubled. There were already numerous misunderstandings between him and the little girl, and now another issue had piled on top—especially one concerning him having a daughter. He feared the little girl wouldn't be able to accept it.

Yet at that moment, he needed to verify what Lin Mujin had told him; he had no way of chasing after the little girl to explain.

Now, he needed to properly communicate with the little girl.

Before that, he decided to take a shower first.

With that, he stood up and walked to the balcony, intending to grab a sun-dried bath towel.

A blue and black checkered handkerchief fluttered on the drying rack.

This—was—not his!

Whose man was this?!

Acting as if possessed, he aggressively ripped the handkerchief down, clutched it in his fist, and marched straight toward the guest room.

"Tong Zhenzhen! Whose is this?!" He yanked the soundly sleeping Tong Zhenzhen upright.

What the hell?! What the hell?! Not letting people sleep in the middle of the night! Tong Zhenzhen was too drowsy to even keep her eyelids open. The feeling of being woken up abruptly was truly awful; her entire body felt weak and her head heavy.

"Stop shouting, are you mental?!" Yet the pain shooting through her arm forced her to crack open her eyes.

In the darkness, she saw two ghostly, furious eyes and an object shaking before her face. Damn it, Jun Lengche, this is going too far! Are you launching a psychological warfare campaign of sleep deprivation?

Her sleepiness was instantly driven away by anger. "You beast!" She widened her eyes, glaring like a night-hunting cat.

"Tell me, whose man's handkerchief is this?!" His eyes blazed with fire.

A handkerchief? She snatched it right out of his hand. "It's Yang Yang's. So what?"

"Good, good, very good," he said through gritted teeth, speaking with harsh emphasis.

What was going on? His expression looked just like a husband catching his wife cheating in a TV drama.

"Even if it's good, it's nothing compared to you! You even have a daughter now! What is this compared to that? I just got into a car accident and someone handed me a handkerchief. Who are you putting on that expression for? I honestly don't get how there can be someone in this world who twists right and wrong like you!" In her agitation, even vulgarities slipped out.

Seemingly, the one who should be catching her cheating was her, right?!

She glared with wide eyes, attacking like a machine gun. "You did shady things behind the scenes and assumed everyone else is just like you? Why splash dirty water on me just to maintain your perfect image when we get divorced? Military Doctor Jun! You beast!"

Despite sounding like a shrew cursing on the street, tears still stubbornly streamed down her face.

How much more was he going to torment her? Jun Lengche!

Jun Lengche hadn't expected Tong Zhenzhen to unleash a barrage of fierce curses right off the bat, even dragging in his ancestors.

However, from her rapid-fire rant, he quickly seized upon the key point—she had been in a car accident!

A car accident, she had actually gotten into a car accident! Had he almost lost her?

"Shut up!" he roared, completely drowning out her voice.

What now? Was he going to hit her? Had anger gotten the better of him? Tong Zhenzhen's eardrums buzzed from his thunderous shout, and every muscle in her body tensed up. What should she do? She certainly couldn't beat him in a fight.

To her surprise, his next sentence plummeted like a roller coaster plunging from a peak, "Are you injured?"

Cough, cough, she choked on her own saliva.

This guy's mood shifted way too fast!

"I'm fine, I... I just rear-ended someone," she blinked foolishly.

"Thank goodness~" He let out a long sigh of relief, pulling her into his embrace, kissing her hair, and murmuring with muffled grievance, "Why didn't you call me?"

Wrapped tightly in his arms, the blazing inferno of her anger was doused as if by a torrential downpour, leaving only wisps of smoke. "Your phone was turned off."

"It's my fault. I won't get a divorce." His mumbled words sounded in her ears, yet they were exceptionally clear.

What was he saying?

She couldn't believe her ears. "You don't want your daughter anymore?"

"I do! But I won't let go of you." Like a sulking child, he pulled her even tighter. "I'm tired, go to sleep."

This was his true thought; he had never intended to end this marriage.

Could she believe him? Even if she did, what of it? A deep sense of powerlessness welled up in the bottom of Tong Zhenzhen's heart.

He held her tightly, collapsing onto the bed, pressing his lips together and closing his eyes.

Could the plot possibly develop in a way more bizarre than this?

Whether out of sheer exhaustion or because the steady rhythm of his heartbeat acted as a lullaby, as her anger temporarily subsided, sleepiness washed over her, and she too closed her eyes.

Quiet returned to the room once more.

Nothing else mattered; only the person in his arms was real. After a moment, he opened his eyes, looking at her peacefully sleeping face.

Her tear tracks had not yet dried, her delicate face was relaxed, her long eyelashes cast shadows, and her lips remained slightly pouted as if in protest. This was his wife, the person he had chosen.

He lifted her, gently placing her back beneath the covers, hurried to take a quick shower, and then slipped back into bed.

Pulling her close, pressing against that warm skin so there was no space left between them, he licked away the tear stains on her face and held her as they drifted off to sleep.

Sleeping together was indeed best. He fell asleep with a sense of peace.

The next morning, Tong Zhenzhen woke up first. Opening her eyes, she was greeted by his chiseled, handsome face. Unlike when he was awake and guarded with a cold facade, his features were soft now, sleeping soundly like an infant.

The sunlight filtering through the window cast a golden rim over his face, turning the fine peach fuzz into a pale, golden hue, making him look exceptionally cute.

Unconsciously, her hand reached out to touch his face, her heart harboring an irrepressible fantasy: how wonderful it would be if he could always be like this, how wonderful it would be if he fell in love with her.

Her index finger brushed across his full, ruddy lips—they were soft and springy. How wonderful it would be if sweet words were to spill from them?

Just as she tried to retract her finger, he abruptly caught it.

He was awake! For some reason, she felt a wave of bashfulness, like a caught pickpocket, and she snapped her head away. "Let go of my hand!"

"Not letting go!" Holding her index finger, he rolled over on top of her, propping himself up with his legs straddling her sides.

Gosh, she had no idea where she was supposed to look.

This exhibitionist, why didn't he sleep in clothes?

Before her, his muscular torso was laid bare without reservation.

Her skin, rested and restored, emitted a faint, soft glow in the sunlight. Her cheeks flushed with a tender pink, and her eyes gleamed like crystal.

What? Why was her lip... torn? He leaned down, extending the tip of his tongue to lightly lick the wound, then gently pecked it with his lips, revealing a tenderness that knew no bounds.