Wang Manni Says He Ran

Afterward, Liang Zhengxian held Wang Manni as they lay in bed.

"Manni."

"Mm?"

He opened his mouth, but swallowed the words before they could escape. He couldn't stand it anymore, he didn't want to see that disgusting face again.

"Let's go grocery shopping and cook, I'm a bit hungry."

"Okay." Wang Manni sweetly agreed.

The two tidied up, went grocery shopping, and cooked, their affection flowing.

This night was their last dance, Liang Zhengxian was especially unrestrained.

The next day, Liang Zhengxian drove the car he had previously given to Wang Manni, sending her off to work happily.

Afterward, he contacted a used car dealer, intending to sell the car. However, because he was in a hurry, he had to accept a significantly lower price, which pained Liang Zhengxian.

But compared to his deep-seated pride, he felt losing some money was better.

He returned to Wang Manni's rental apartment, packed his things, and left without a backward glance.

He bought a plane ticket for the soonest flight to the UK. He held British nationality there, and he would feel much more at ease.

After a flurry of activity, the plane took off in the afternoon.

Liang Zhengxian left, carrying his bone-deep hatred for Wang Yan, his uncertainty about the future, and his shattered pride. He left without a word.

He knew Wang Manni would fly into a hysterical rage, cursing him from birth to death.

But what did it matter? She was just a passerby.

When Wang Yan received the news, he was quite surprised.

He had initially thought that after getting rid of Zhao Jingyu and taking down the Liang family, given Liang Zhengxian's character, he would very likely marry Wang Manni.

But he never expected Liang Zhengxian to do no such thing, and instead, unable to bear the blow and pressure, he ran away.

Wang Yan couldn't help but reflect; he had been too presumptuous, overlooking the complexity of people.

Just like Chen Yu, who he had arranged to be so promiscuous, would still return to help Zhong Xiaoqin? Like Liang Zhengxian, who had fallen so low, still possessed his own pride?

What could he say? That Liang Zhengxian, that scoundrel, played with women, played with emotions, played with human nature, yet was still a good person with a conscience and a bottom line? That Chen Yu, knowing Zhong Xiaoqin was entangled with that "Sunshine Boy" but still stepped in to help, a devoted good man wanting to reconcile?

Wang Yan thought about it. Since Wang Manni had escaped this ordeal, he wouldn't bother her anymore. It was her good fortune. After all, they had interacted three times, and he had dealt with her quite thoroughly.

In fact, Wang Yan's actions were simply a matter of disdain. If she hadn't put on a show in front of him, Wang Yan wouldn't have bothered with her. After all, there were so many women, old and young, and she was just one of them. He'd just stir things up casually; if she was useless, she was useless, no need to target her specifically.

Liang Zhengxian was different. He had already found him displeasing, and then he had the audacity to act tough. Who else would he deal with if not him? Wang Yan hadn't intended to completely destroy him; otherwise, would hiding abroad be effective? It all depended on how tough Liang Zhengxian's fate was. If he was tough, he might even rise again, but considering Liang Zhengxian's current flight, his spirit was completely broken, and Wang Yan doubted he could recover. If he wasn't tough, then he deserved it, left to fend for himself.

As for Zhong Xiaoqin and Zhong Xiaoyang, they were insignificant. It all depended on Chen Yu himself; he had done all he could, and now it was up to him.

"What's wrong?" Gu Jia, standing beside him, asked curiously as Wang Yan stared blankly after glancing at his phone.

"Ah, nothing, just thinking about some things. It's not a big deal. Are the things packed?"

Gu Jia nodded. "Yes, it's all done."

Wang Yan turned to Xu Ziyan and said, "Ziyan, are the things you're bringing for the children there ready?"

"Oh, they were ready yesterday. Let's go, Dad, I can't wait."

"Alright, then we're off."

Xu Ziyan hopped along, shouting loudly, "Oh yeah, we're off, we're off!"

Finishing, he noticed Gu Jia wasn't moving and wasn't keeping in formation, feeling something was missing. He pouted at Gu Jia and said, "Mom..."

Gu Jia, torn between laughter and tears by Xu Ziyan's antics, said helplessly, "Okay, okay, let's go, let's go."

Wang Yan carried a large suitcase in each hand, Gu Jia carried a slightly smaller one, and Xu Ziyan carried a large bag on his own. The family of three happily embarked on another journey.

Gu Jia had mentioned wanting to go to Henglu Village a while ago, and Wang Yan had agreed.

There was a flu going around recently, and although Xu Ziyan had a good constitution, Gu Jia was still worried. She took a leave of absence for Xu Ziyan and decided to take him along.

They were taking the RV again this time, not for sightseeing, as they had seen enough last time. The main reason was for convenience on the road, to be more relaxed, and to rest comfortably when tired.

When Wang Manni returned home from work, Liang Zhengxian was nowhere to be seen.

As she changed her shoes, she found it a bit strange that a pair of shoes was missing. But she didn't overthink it, as Liang Zhengxian had been giving her the impression of being very busy lately.

However, after walking around the apartment for a while, she realized something was wrong. Most of Liang Zhengxian's belongings were gone.

Wang Manni thought of something, her heart fluttering with panic. She fumbled in her bag for her phone and called him directly.

"Sorry, the number you have dialed is switched off..."

Hearing the voice from the phone, she hung up and opened WeChat.

Liang Zhengxian was at the top of her contacts. Her fingers trembled slightly as she typed a message.

The message was sent, but after waiting for a long time, there was no reply. It was like a stone dropped into the ocean.

When Liang Zhengxian left, he had deactivated his SIM card and stopped using WeChat. He didn't want to contact anyone he knew from his past life, and besides, they didn't think highly of him, and he couldn't reach them anyway.

Wang Manni, unwilling to accept it, repeatedly called and sent messages. She even used other numbers to send messages and make calls.

All that effort, all for naught. In the end, it was all for nothing.

Slumping to the ground, the tears that had been building up finally fell from Wang Manni's eyes as she sobbed uncontrollably.

They hadn't had any arguments recently; they'd been sweet and loving every day. She couldn't understand why Liang Zhengxian had left without a word. Weren't things fine this morning? How could he have just disappeared?

Wang Manni's mind began to play a movie, from their first meeting on the cruise ship to the moment he vanished. Scene after scene replayed in her head.

Her long-held wish beckoned to her, then vanished in an instant. She wanted to grasp it, but didn't know where or how to reach for it.

She was heartbroken, sad, and hysterical.

She stood up and began to smash and break things around her, tearing at whatever she could find to vent her frustration, crying and cursing Liang Zhengxian.

Did she miss Liang Zhengxian? Of course. People aren't made of stone; how could anyone be heartless? Even losing a beloved cat or dog would make someone cry for a while and take time to adjust. Let alone Liang Zhengxian, who slept in her bed every night.

She'd smashed and broken enough; the room was almost ruined, and she was exhausted.

Perhaps she was thirsty after all that exertion, so Wang Manni got up and grabbed a bottle of alcohol.

She took a swig, thought about things, and then continued to cry. Eventually, she fell asleep on the floor, unsure when it happened.

The next day, the sun was high in the sky.

Waking up with a hangover, Wang Manni felt unwell. She had a fever.

After her grief, she'd drunk so much and then slept on the floor all night. Even with a blanket, it was inevitable that the chill would seep into her body.

She sent a message to her manager, asking for a few days off. She had no intention of going to work right now.

She didn't get up, just continued to sleep in a daze.

Meanwhile, Jiang Chen also thought of Wang Manni. Ever since they met again, he'd send her greetings whenever he had the chance, and Wang Manni would politely respond. Whether it was him trying to win her over or not, receiving a reply from the person he cared about was perhaps his only small joy lately?

Today, Jiang Chen sent his usual greeting, but after waiting for a long time without a reply, he started to worry that something might have happened to Wang Manni.

He called, but she didn't answer. He texted, but she didn't reply.

Unable to bear the worry any longer, Jiang Chen went to Wang Manni's workplace.

"Hello, sir, how may I help you?" the person at the door politely asked.

"Oh, excuse me, I'm looking for Wang Manni."

"Ah, Manni-jie is on leave today." The person suppressed their curiosity and didn't pry.

"Do you happen to know where she lives?"

"I'm sorry, I really don't know."

"Okay, sorry to bother you. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Please take care."

Jiang Chen wandered around outside for a bit and then remembered Zhong Xiaoqin. He'd heard last time that she worked in property management here.

He quickly went to find Zhong Xiaoqin, hoping to get some information about Wang Manni.

Zhong Xiaoqin had her name cleared and had also brought glory to her company. After all, the company could now flaunt awards and accolades, and further promote its corporate culture, thanks to Zhong Xiaoqin's outstanding contribution.

So, when Zhong Xiaoqin returned today, she was met with flowers and applause from colleagues and superiors, as well as praise and recognition.

As long as she didn't think about those two troublesome men, Zhong Xiaoqin's mood was excellent.

While she was happily working on a spreadsheet, she heard a colleague say someone was looking for her.

She walked out curiously and saw Jiang Chen standing there.

"Ah, it's you. What's up?"

Seeing Zhong Xiaoqin, Jiang Chen quickly stepped forward and asked, "Do you know anything about Manni? I can't reach her and I'm worried something's happened."

"What? Wait a minute, I'll call her." Zhong Xiaoqin took out her phone and quickly called Wang Manni, then sent a message.

The result was the same: the phone was off, and there was no reply to the message.

Zhong Xiaoqin also started to worry. "I know where she lives. Wait here, I'll ask for leave."

Her supervisor, upon learning the reason, readily granted her leave. Firstly, it was normal to show some consideration after her recent performance, and secondly, it was a matter of human decency, which the supervisor understood.

The two of them quickly hailed a taxi and headed to Wang Manni's place.

"Bang, bang, bang!" "Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong!"

They rang the doorbell repeatedly and knocked on the door.

Wang Manni, who was sleeping soundly inside, finally heard the commotion. She struggled to get up and went to the Gate of Opening, letting them in.

"Why are you two here together?" Seeing Jiang Chen and Zhong Xiaoqin arrive together, Wang Manni was very confused.

"I..." Jiang Chen opened his mouth to speak.

Zhong Xiaoqin spoke first, " Jiang Chen was worried about you and couldn't reach you, so he found me, and then we came over."

She then looked at Wang Manni and continued, "Manni, what's wrong? Your complexion is so bad. Weren't you fine yesterday? And why is the room so messy?"

Without waiting for Wang Manni to answer, Zhong Xiaoqin reached out and touched her forehead. "Zhong Xiaoqin exclaimed, "Whoa, you're so hot? Have you taken any medicine?"

Wang Manni glanced at Jiang Chen and shook her head.

"You should go lie down," Wang Manni said, helping Wang Manni back into bed.

Seeing Wang Manni's miserable state, Jiang Chen felt awful. Being interrupted when he wanted to speak also felt awful. He shook his head helplessly.

He then poured a glass of water and handed it to Zhong Xiaoqin, rummaging through the messy room for medicine.

"What happened, Manni?" Zhong Xiaoqin asked, handing the water to Wang Manni.

Wang Manni took a sip, moistening her cracked lips, and croaked, "Liang Zhengxian ran off."

"Ran off? Left without a word?"

Wang Manni nodded.

"Why? You were so happy talking about him before. How could he just leave?"

"I want to know too. He was gone when I got home from work yesterday, and I couldn't reach him."

"No news at all?"

"None!"

"No warning signs?"

"None!"

Zhong Xiaoqin also asked, puzzled, "Why would he do that?"

Wang Manni chuckled self-deprecatingly, "Who knows?"

Seeing that Wang Manni wasn't in the right state, Zhong Xiaoqin stopped talking. "Okay, okay. Jiang Chen, did you find the medicine?"

"Just found it. What a coincidence, right?" He loosened his clenched fist and quickly handed the medicine over, letting Wang Manni take it.

Zhong Xiaoqin covered Wang Manni with the blanket, telling her to rest well.

"You tidy up. I'll go buy some groceries. She looks like she hasn't eaten," Zhong Xiaoqin said and went out.

Jiang Chen responded, suppressing his anger towards Liang Zhengxian and his heartache for Wang Manni, and continued to silently clean up.

He had heard the entire conversation between the two women.

The woman he couldn't stop thinking about, the one who left without a word after she was done with her... anyone would feel bad.

But what could he do? He could only silently clean the room.

Zhong Xiaoqin returned with groceries, and Jiang Chen had almost finished cleaning. Together, they cooked a few dishes.

They woke the groggy Wang Manni, and the three of them ate. Given Wang Manni's condition, they didn't make small talk and ate in silence.

After checking on Wang Manni again, Zhong Xiaoqin left.

Her mother had called, asking her to come to the hospital.

After Zhong Xiaoqin left, Jiang Chen washed and tidied up the dishes again.

He went into the bedroom and stared at the sleeping Wang Manni for a long time, his expression complex.

Finally, he sighed and left.

"Bang."

Hearing the door close, Wang Manni opened her eyes and stared blankly at the ceiling, lost in thought.

Zhong Xiaoqin arrived at the hospital to find a strange atmosphere in the ward.

Chen Yu lay on the bed, silent. Chen Xu leaned against the bed, looking at the elderly couple with a hint of hostility.

The elderly couple looked at their two sons with disappointment.

Seeing Zhong Xiaoqin enter, all four pairs of eyes fixed on her.

Startled by their stares, Zhong Xiaoqin asked, confused, "What's wrong? Why are you all looking at me like that?"

Zhong Xiaoqin's father spoke first. "This afternoon, on our way back from your aunt's place, we ran into some neighbors downstairs. They said your personal information was leaked online a while ago. You're divorced. Your mother argued with them, saying it was impossible, but then they showed the evidence."

He took out his phone, found the photos, and handed them to Zhong Xiaoqin. "Look at this. It's all written here. Your mother almost had a hypertensive crisis. Luckily, she controlled it. She just took her medicine and came straight here."

"So, this matter needs to be clarified today. What exactly is going on?"

Zhong Xiaoqin's mother chimed in, addressing Chen Yu. "Chen Yu, tell Mom the truth. Did you find someone else?"

Before Chen Yu could speak, Chen Xu exploded. He sat up abruptly, ready to speak. He knew everything. Besides, his brother's in-laws were always critical of him, and they had a lot of complaints about his mother. He used to tolerate it, but he wouldn't indulge them anymore.

"Chen Xu, stay put!" Chen Yu shouted, stopping Chen Xu.

Chen Xu opened his mouth to speak, but Chen Yu's glare silenced him. He let out a resentful huff and stopped talking.

The elderly couple was also taken aback by Chen Xu's strong reaction. Zhong Xiaoqin's mother was about to reprimand Chen Xu, but her husband, being more rational, held her back. They were here to solve the problem, not cause more trouble.

Seeing that the elderly couple had calmed down, Chen Yu said, "Mom, it's really not because of that." Although Chen Yu felt some resentment, he had called them Dad and Mom for years and still respected them.

"Then is it because of the child?"

"No, that's not it either."

"Then there's no big problem. Zhong Xiaoqin is spoiled by us and a bit willful. But when a couple lives together, they quarrel and make up. What can't be discussed that leads to divorce?"

Zhong Xiaoqin could move out, which meant she had figured out what she wanted. She said, "Mom, don't ask anymore. I'll tell you."

"We divorced because of incompatible personalities. I wanted some romance in my life, but Chen Yu was always stagnant."

"I wanted a child, but Chen Yu didn't want one deep down."

"Chen Yu, we got married back then just for the sake of getting married, right?"

Chen Yu remained silent.

Zhong Xiaoqin continued, "Dad, Mom, I got married for you guys back then. Now, we're doing this for ourselves. We just want to live our own lives well and don't want to live for anyone else anymore."

"So, you don't need to persuade us. There's no turning back on this matter. We are divorced."

Zhong Xiaoqin's parents fell silent. Chen Yu looked at Zhong Xiaoqin seriously, while Chen Xu gritted his teeth, holding back his words.

After a moment of silence.

"You're grown now, I can't control you anymore. Alright, Chen Yu, take care of your injuries. We're leaving," Zhong Xiaoqin's father said.

He then left with Zhong Xiaoqin's mother, who was looking distressed.

Zhong Xiaoqin and Chen Yu made eye contact, neither speaking. She then turned and followed them.

Seeing everyone leave, Chen Xu, who had been holding back for a long time, exploded, "No, brother, they..."

"Shut up," Chen Yu shouted, forcing Chen Xu to swallow his words.

He knew Chen Yu wasn't feeling well, but he felt miserable if he didn't say anything. He just grunted and endured it.

Thanks to Brother (Feng Qu Liu Xiang 0) for the 200 coin tip.

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Thanks to my brothers.