CHAPTER 40: CHAPTER 40: IF YOU’RE NOT GUILTY, WHY BE AFRAID

In the following two days, Su Lingzhi didn’t see any sign of Fu Yinli.

On her last day working at Lyrae, Su Lingzhi packed her things and went upstairs to say goodbye to Rika.

At that moment, it was raining heavily outside, the sound of dead leaves rustling evoking a sense of drifting melancholy.

Seeing her come out, Housekeeper Zhao hurriedly came forward holding an umbrella, taking the items from her hand.

In fact, there weren’t many things, they weren’t heavy at all; what was heavy was her mood.

As Su Lingzhi bent down to get into the back seat, she realized that Fu Yinli had also come to pick her up.

Today, he was wearing an elegant white shirt, with the same tie she had given him last time; having not seen him for two days, seeing him today made him seem somewhat fresh.

Su Lingzhi sat next to him, hugging his waist and leaning on his shoulder, "I’m feeling a bit down."

The tone was soft and weak, sounding like she was acting spoiled to Fu Yinli.

He gently stroked her head, "Tell me about it."

"I hate rainy days, it rains at the drop of a hat in England."

Hearing this, Fu Yinli chuckled lightly, "Childish."

Su Lingzhi pinched the fabric of his shirt, her face full of worry, "Leaving Lyrae, after tomorrow, I’ll have to be apart from you for a while, how can I feel good about that."

Moreover, just thinking about having to handle the engagement with the Jiang Family after returning home made her feel unsettled.

Su Lingzhi glanced at him sideways, trying to divert her attention, and said to him, "I’m hungry."

After that, they found a restaurant nearby; just as Su Lingzhi, holding Fu Yinli’s arm, entered, she saw an acquaintance.

"Hey, Lindie."

James came over, smiling, and asked, "Is this your boyfriend?"

Su Lingzhi nodded, not expecting to meet him here.

At this moment, James enthusiastically extended a hand to Fu Yinli, introducing himself, "I’m Lindie’s friend, James."

As soon as the words fell, the air seemed to freeze for two seconds.

When James felt a bit awkward, Fu Yinli grasped his hand.

James didn’t mind his coldness; he looked at Su Lingzhi and said, "At the party last week, you left without a word. I heard you had a fight with your boyfriend downstairs; was it because of me?"

Su Lingzhi’s expression stiffened slightly and calmly said, "We didn’t have a fight."

"But..."

Before he could speak, Su Lingzhi quickly interjected, "Sorry, James, I’m a bit hungry. Let’s chat some other time."

"Okay."

Su Lingzhi, holding Fu Yinli’s arm, entered a private room.

However, once she sat down, she found herself facing those deep black eyes, and her already sunken heart was hanging by a thread once more.

During the days spent with him, she understood that his insight was strong; any subtlety would be detected by him.

At this moment, he probably already noticed something.

Fu Yinli spoke in a deep voice, "Don’t you think you owe me an explanation?"

Su Lingzhi clenched her fists tightly, unable to bear his gaze, and forced herself to explain, "Some time ago, because of a bizarre photo, many people online thought that James and I were a couple, but I’ve already clarified it with them."

"Which boyfriend did you argue with?" Fu Yinli’s brows furrowed, his eyes deepened, making it unfathomable, and he asked slowly and deliberately, "Zhizhi, did we argue that day?"

"I just wanted to leave, so I made an excuse." As she spoke, Su Lingzhi’s voice steadied a little, "You are my first love, where would I have another boyfriend?"

Upon hearing the words "first love," Fu Yinli’s brows relaxed slightly, and his expression gradually improved.

He placed the menu in front of her, his tone softening, "See what you’d like to eat."

Su Lingzhi complained gently, "You just scared me with that demeanor."

"If you weren’t feeling guilty, why fear?"

Su Lingzhi was speechless, lowered her head to look at the menu, and suddenly lost her appetite.

During the meal thereafter, Su Lingzhi dared not lift her head to look at him.

Seeing her eating reluctantly, Fu Yinli placed some food on her plate, "What’s the matter now?"

The deep voice carried a hint of helplessness.

Layers of guilt and grievance accumulated within Su Lingzhi, but at this moment, she dared not ask any hypothetical questions.

"My mood was bad to begin with today."

Fu Yinli coaxed her, saying, "Didn’t you say you were hungry? And yet you’ve eaten so little."

"Being hungry and not being able to eat are two different things."

"Then look at me while you eat."

Hearing this, Su Lingzhi felt her defenses breaking down, a smile tugging unavoidably at her lips.

Earlier, she had teased him, saying he was a feast for the eyes, never imagining he would use that playful remark to console her today.

She took a bite of rice, smiling brightly at him, "Indeed, watching you eat is much more appetizing."

"..."

After dinner, back at the apartment, Fu Yinli left.

Su Lingzhi lay despondently on the sofa, caught up in a tangle of thoughts.

...

The next day, when Zhuang Xiaoxi arrived, she was greeted by Su Lingzhi with dark circles under her eyes. Concerned, she asked, "What’s the matter, Zhizhi? Didn’t you get enough rest? Shouldn’t leaving work be liberating?"

Su Lingzhi noticed the items in her hand, "What did you bring?"

"These are for your uncle and aunt, don’t forget to bring them tomorrow." Zhuang Xiaoxi placed the gifts on the coffee table, "By the way, the dress you gave me just arrived as I was leaving, but I didn’t have time to try it on for you."

"You’ll look beautiful in it."

"You were so quick to book your ticket back, I didn’t have any time to prepare. Why not wait until after the graduation ceremony?"

Su Lingzhi’s eyes lowered as she responded, "The family is considering an arranged marriage."

Hearing this, Zhuang Xiaoxi was momentarily stunned and incredulous, "An arranged marriage?! Since when?"

Su Lingzhi sighed, "I found out not long ago."

Zhuang Xiaoxi sat next to her, worriedly asking, "Does Fu Yinli know?"

"I don’t dare to tell him, so I plan to resolve it secretly before he finds out."

Zhuang Xiaoxi fell silent, "Matters like this can easily cause misunderstandings; I think you should be honest with him."

Su Lingzhi furrowed her brows, feeling a bit lost.

Zhuang Xiaoxi continued to ask, "Does the male party know about your childhood betrothal?"

"He’s the one who told me about it."

"What?!" Zhuang Xiaoxi was shocked, "Did he approach you? Did he do anything to you?"

Su Lingzhi told her everything about that day, looking troubled and leaning on her, "I’ll handle things with him. You don’t need to worry."

"Such an overbearing man, your uncle and aunt would never let you marry him," Zhuang Xiaoxi sighed, "No wonder you’re so set on going back home."

After a moment of silence, Zhuang Xiaoxi returned to the original point, "Zhizhi, it’s clear you really like Fu Yinli, but I think you should let him know about some things. If he can’t understand you because of this, then you might need to reassess your relationship."

Su Lingzhi raised her eyes to look at her, "Why does it feel like you understand relationship matters better than I do?"

"Those involved are confused, while observers see clearly. Although I’ve been single for over twenty years, haven’t I at least seen how things unfold even if I haven’t experienced it? Moreover, handling an arranged marriage isn’t something that can be resolved quickly."

"Hmm, I’ll consider what you’ve said. Perhaps I’ve been too cautious around him."