Chapter 148: Chapter 148: Just Play With Him As a Substitute

Upon seeing Lin Xu’s swollen lips, Ji Tingyang’s eyes shifted from a serene calm to an icy and predatory chill, with tumultuous waves brewing deep within his gaze as his grip on her wrist suddenly tightened.

He didn’t need to guess; Ji Tingyang already knew whom she had met with that day.

“What, what’s wrong?” Lin Xu’s wrist hurt so much that she hissed in pain.

Ji Tingyang’s aura grew heavy as he wanted to expose her lies.

He wanted to see her panic and then apologize to him, promising she would never meet Xie Changyan again…

His lips parted slightly, the words he wanted to say revolving in his throat, over and over. Although he knew he should call her out, when he saw Lin Xu’s clear and pure eyes brimming with a smile, curving like a crescent moon, he swallowed back the words that reached his throat.

He adjusted his breathing, closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, the gloom in his eyes had slowly retracted.

“It’s nothing,” Ji Tingyang let go of her hand and said indifferently, “It’s very late now, hurry back to the bedroom to rest.”

Lin Xu seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, her tense nerves relaxing as she wished him good night and hurried back to the bedroom.

Ji Tingyang watched her ascend the stairs, pursing his lips.

For the past twenty years, Ji Tingyang’s sleep had never been good.

Most of the time, he would dream of Lin Xu, dream of her growing up with him, but each time he awoke and realized it was all false, his heart felt as if it had been hollowed out, empty and echoing.

He also became resistant to falling asleep, resistant to dreaming…

Ever since Lin Xu was reborn, Ji Tingyang’s sleep had improved significantly.

At least when he dreamed of Lin Xu leaving him, he could tell himself that this time, his mother was truly by his side.

However, that night, Ji Tingyang lay in bed once again, plagued by insomnia.

His thoughts tangled like hemp rope, unable to find peace for a long time.

The next day, Ji Tingyang slept in, something that was completely out of the ordinary for him.

He looked at the time, which was nearing noon, and fell silent.

In the past few days, his mother had come up with all kinds of excuses to slip out and see Xie Changyan, and now that he had overslept, without his intervention, perhaps his mother had already left the house.

A faint frost seemed to cover his dull cheeks as he rubbed his weary nose bridge and went downstairs, his gaze casually sweeping over the couch before freezing.

Lin Xu was earnestly trimming flower branches, arranging the bloom in the vase on the table into an eye-pleasing and exquisite design.

Today… she had not left the house.

Perhaps hearing the noise at the staircase, Lin Xu’s attention shifted from arranging flowers, and she looked up.

Upon seeing him, Lin Xu exclaimed in surprise, her furrowed brows laced with concern, “Why are the dark circles under your eyes so severe, didn’t you sleep well last night?”

Ji Tingyang approached and sat down beside Lin Xu, silently resting his head on her shoulder.

Inhaling the warm scent mixed with the fragrance of flowers from her body, the restlessness in his heart seemed to gradually subside.

“What’s the matter, did you work late yesterday?” Lin Xu rubbed his head, “Do you want to go back to sleep for a while?”

Ji Tingyang’s voice was somewhat muffled, “No need.”

“Are you in a bad mood?” Lin Xu seemed to notice a pattern; every time he was feeling down, he always liked to lean silently on her shoulder.

Like a little animal, always seeking a sense of security in the comfort of his mother’s embrace.

“Do you miss father?” Ji Tingyang suddenly asked.

“Of course, I do,” Lin Xu was taken aback, her words rearranging themselves in her heart, preparing to tell him once more about Xie Changyan, “Actually…”

“So that’s why you are with Xie Changyan?” Ji Tingyang questioned.

Lin Xu looked embarrassed, “How did you know…”

She thought she had hidden it well.

“Are you using Xie Changyan as a substitute for father because he resembles father somewhat?” Ji Tingyang, who had thought about it all night, seemed to have found the answer.

It must be so.

Otherwise, with how much mother and father loved each other, how could she suddenly take a liking to someone else.

Lin Xu’s face stiffened for a moment, never expecting Ji Tingyang’s imagination to be so wild.

Lin Xu didn’t speak, and Ji Tingyang took her silence as an admission.

He lifted his head, his eyes showing a glimmer of struggle and then resignedly said, “You can play along with him as a substitute, but you can’t really be with him.”

Lin Xu couldn’t help but cry and laugh, tapping his head, “What are you talking about? He is your father, even though I don’t know why he doesn’t remember us and couldn’t prove that ‘blood relation’, but believe me, I would never mistake your father!”

“Oh.” Ji Tingyang pursed his lips and nodded in response.

It was unclear whether he truly believed her or was just humoring Lin Xu with his reply.

“Anyway…” Ji Tingyang’s voice was downcast, “you promised me that we would always be together in the future, that you wouldn’t leave because of him.”

He clutched Lin Xu’s hand tightly, the sourness churning in his stomach somewhat unbearable.

Their relationship had already lacked twenty years, and they had to make up for all the coming days.

Lin Xu smiled faintly, “We will always be together as a family in the future, of course.”

“And will you always love me…” His gaze flickered, his voice very light.

“Our Ting Yang is so good, of course Mom loves you,” Lin Xu said jokingly, “I was the one who changed your diapers and coaxed you to sleep, if I didn’t love you, I would have left you to a nanny a long time ago.”

Ji Tingyang’s ears reddened, he stuttered, “That’s all from when I was a child, I’ve grown up now.”

Mother liked him when he was a child, but what about now?

Could it be that he hadn’t grown into the person mother had hoped for, and as a result, she was disappointed in him, even her love had diminished?

Now that he thought about it, hadn’t mother once said she hoped he would grow up to be a scientist?

The more he thought about it, the lower Ji Tingyang’s mood sank.

Lin Xu knew, perhaps it was because the three children lacked love in their childhood that they felt insecure so often.

All she could do was tell him over and over, “Don’t overthink it, just remember that whether you’re seven, twenty-seven, or forty-seven, I will love you just the same.”

Ji Tingyang nodded, and the restlessness at the bottom of his heart finally eased somewhat.

——

On Monday morning, the sunshine rose slowly.@@novelbin@@

Unlike the workers’ resentment and dejection towards Monday, Xie Changyan’s mood was extremely good all morning.

Even when an employee made a mistake at work, he was particularly forgiving and generous.

“Is there some happy event today, President Xie’s mood is so good?”

“I don’t know, but what I do know is, if there’s any work mishap, now’s the time to come clean to President Xie; you might even get a special pardon.”

“That makes sense, I’ll go later!”

The subordinates whispered among themselves.

However, this great mood was destroyed in an instant with a phone call from Su Linzhou.

“Are you sure she said she’s going to divorce Ji Tingyang today? But how come I still see her and Ji Tingyang together, laughing and talking?”