(Sweat, it seems someone managed to find the actual wallpaper mentioned...)

Because of Zhang Yurong's inability and reluctance to express herself, Li Yan misunderstood her true intentions. Originally prompted by impulse, she fell into his embrace, but he thought she was trying to push him to the ground. Seeing her like this, he decided to let her be and let her vent on him, considering it wouldn't hurt anyway. Thus, after she knocked him down, he just lay on the carpet.

His fall dragged Zhang Yurong down onto him as well, and Li Yan lay calmly, without any further movements, letting Zhang Yurong lay quietly on his chest, crying softly. This was somewhat akin to the effect she wanted to achieve.

Zhang Yurong wasn't typically a weak, weepy girl. Her tears were triggered by a mix of emotions: sentiment, affection, heartache, guilt, misunderstanding, excitement. It was this blend that brought her to tears.

Now that Li Yan had stopped speaking and remained inactive, she quickly calmed herself. Her crystalline tears hadn't even soaked Li Yan's clothes before they ceased, transitioning from sobbing to sniffles. After a while, her tears ceased entirely.

Yue Yao once said that everyone was too proud, always over-concerned about their own feelings, lacking the necessary communication... At this moment, Zhang Yurong, lying on Li Yan's chest, couldn't see his face or eyes, and felt less embarrassed. Crying earlier felt humiliating to her, and after that, other things didn't seem worth considering.

"I don't blame you for the earlier... joking. Grabbing my hand only startled me, I understand it was accidental. You don't need to feel guilty about it... My tears weren't because of that, it was because I thought of other things..."

This time, without the sound of crying to obscure it, and given that both had calmed down, her voice—though soft—was clear to Li Yan, which left him quite surprised!

"When you return from Beihai Country... find some time, and I'll accompany you to visit my family!" Zhang Yurong voiced her spontaneous decision, feeling ashamed compared to Li Yan's devotion to her parents. Regardless of their relationship, in front of her parents, he played the role of a good son-in-law, while she had never acted as a daughter-in-law.

Li Yan's surprise turned to shock. Had she taken the wrong medicine? Or did Yue Yao hypnotize her, instilling some logic?

Not only didn't she push him down to beat him, but she lay quietly like a kitten. This alone was incredible to him, and the words coming from her were almost impossible to believe, leaving him incredulous and stunned.

"Yurong, are you ill and talking nonsense?" He reached over to touch her forehead, feeling no unusual temperature.

His reaction made Zhang Yurong feel more ashamed. To him, visiting his parents weekly was a long-standing routine, yet it was the first time she proposed visiting his parents, so even he couldn't believe it.

At this point, feeling awkward laying on Li Yan, she raised herself up and sat on the carpet beside him, seriously saying: "Regardless of what happens between us, you perform well in front of my parents, but in front of yours, I've never... sorry, I will try to make amends."

Li Yan sat up, a bit wistfully, "It's okay, the fact that you care enough to think about it already surprises me. But you're too busy, and my hometown isn't comfortable for you, so going back isn't necessary."

Zhang Yurong sensed he must have thought she was speaking casually, so she didn't elaborate further, privately deciding to not only promise but also fulfill this commitment later on.

"Well... you rest up, you'll need to catch a flight tomorrow."

Seeing that she was about to get up, Li Yan hurriedly stood up first, then supported her as she got up.

"You too."

After these few lines, there wasn't much need for further explanation. This exchange somewhat resembled a reconciliation, yet their words seemed overly polite.

Standing up, there wasn't much left to say, so Li Yan escorted her to the door.

As she was about to open the bedroom door, Zhang Yurong paused, turned to look at him, and softly spoke: "I may not easily accept others, nor show much care, but I've never discriminated against you as a poor son-in-law. Even when I am most displeased with you, I am still grateful for everything you've done for my father. Moreover... there's never been anyone else in my heart, so you don't need to constantly think I'll throw you out. Unless you wish to leave yourself, without seriously hurting me... it can only be you wanting to leave first..."

Her words, though quietly spoken, conveyed a lot. Previously, Yue Yao often analyzed and interpreted their relationship, whereas this time, Zhang Yurong expressed her own heartfelt thoughts.

This made Li Yan contemplate deeply. The earlier part was relatively straightforward to understand. Their differing upbringings, life environments, and personalities led to Zhang Yurong disliking certain aspects of Li Yan, setting high expectations, and easily causing misunderstandings due to their different identities. But she wasn't arrogant or discriminatory.

The latter part, however, felt more significant. It seemed to imply that although he hadn't yet succeeded, there were no competitors, and she offered a continued opportunity for him to lead. As long as he didn't break the rules or give up voluntarily...

While he pondered over this, Zhang Yurong suddenly lifted her head and planted a quick kiss on his cheek before swiftly leaving.

This stunned Li Yan once again. What did it mean? Encouraging him to keep going?

Reflecting on the earlier scenario, he silently reproved himself for missing her subtle approval at that moment—only backing out after coming close, which could be hurtful.

Such rudeness! No face to meet the elders of Jiangdong.

Though regretful, looking back, Li Yan didn't feel dejected. Zhang Yurong's voluntary kiss—although merely on the cheek—revealed that it was something she accepted, indicating a kiss wasn't harm to her. Perhaps by serious harm, she meant returning with another woman causing psychological and social damage.

...

Li Yan fell asleep in a joyful mood and woke up revitalized. On the contrary, Zhang Yurong felt slightly drained. Last night's situation was complex for her, impacting her greatly—it was a night of experiencing Li Yan's hardships, impulsively embracing and kissing him, things she'd never done before, leading to insomnia, excessive thinking, and a late sleep.

"I won't be seeing you off, you can drive yourself later. Yue Yao, could you help me take Li Yan to the airport? Then you can drive the car back." During breakfast, Zhang Yurong asked Yue Yao for a favor.

Though this was Li Yan's suggestion last night, she genuinely wanted the responsibility of seeing him off—helping him pack felt nice. But... Li Yan wasn't the only one going, Wen Qianyi was too. Giving Li Yan private opportunities was justified by Shinohara Mirai's appreciation of him. Yet, a CEO personally sending a subordinate to the airport would inevitably raise questions.

"Sure, I'm fine with that. Though I'm terrible with directions and my driving isn't the best, so returning, I might get lost." Yue Yao smiled, offering her willingness with underlying enthusiasm.

Zhang Yurong knew that despite Yue Yao often staying home, she wouldn't really get lost, dismissing it lightly.

After breakfast, Zhang Yurong went to work first, followed by Li Yan and Yue Yao heading to the airport together. Traffic wasn't heavy, nor were they rushing, making it a typical half-hour drive.

Li Yan was driving, with Yue Yao quietly seated in the passenger seat beside him. Neither spoke, maintaining a peaceful silence.

After about ten minutes, Li Yan broke the silence, smiling and saying: "It seems like it's been a while since we've ridden alone like this, huh?"

"Mm." Yue Yao softly replied. Though she saw Li Yan almost daily, due to Zhang Yurong's presence, they had to maintain distance, treating each other with a friend-like attitude rather than exposing their close partnership of many years.

"Haha, I didn't expect this time you'd be seeing me off for an ordinary business trip." Li Yan mused. In the past, when she saw him off, it was usually for high-risk, challenging S-Class missions.

He casually touched his pocket, then withdrew his hand, indicating his consideration of having a cigarette.

"Do you want to smoke? Pull over and let me drive!"

Li Yan contemplated, nodded in agreement, and pulled over.

It was rush hour, so even with the car parked, the traffic around them made it inconvenient for Li Yan to open the door and smoke.

He checked behind, waiting for an opening to exit the car, intending to move to the other side while Yue Yao switched over.

At that moment, Yue Yao stood up, leaning against the front of the car and said, "Just switch over like this, hurry over..."

She had already stood up, making room in the passenger seat for Li Yan to move over and switch seats.

(Thanks to the brothers for yesterday's rewards: ╃傷箺憊篍╃, kgjo , CP潘帕斯, 長風~~, Sea of Regrets&無漄, Technique Crown, dongmin8061 ) (To be continued, for more details please visit www.qidian.com, more chapters, support the author, support legitimate reading!)

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