Chapter Seventy-Seven: A Lifetime of Protection, A Lifetime of Vows

To be bullied by a little girl—how could any man of pride tolerate such a thing? Lin Yang reached out and, without restraint, began to tickle her. Women were most afraid of this tactic, especially someone as physically sensitive as Leng Nini. The moment he started, she burst into uncontrollable laughter, twisting and writhing in a display that bordered on coquettish.

"Ah! No, stop! Little Yang, I was wrong, I was wrong, isn’t that enough?" Leng Nini shrieked as she splashed wildly in the pool, but her face betrayed her enjoyment. Though her lips cried out in protest, her slender hands were anything but polite as they launched a counterattack straight at Lin Yang’s sides.

Turning her head in desperation, she called out for help to Zhang Qiqi, who was leisurely swimming toward the center of the pool. "Qiqi! Qiqi, come quickly! I can’t handle this pervert on my own!"

Zhang Qiqi paused, then deliberately changed course, swimming away from the two of them. Clearly, she wanted no part in their playful chaos; she chose to mind her own business, soaking herself in the pool and pretending to be oblivious, as if nothing in the world concerned her.

"Hey! Qiqi, how could you abandon me like this? That’s so unfair!" Seeing Zhang Qiqi swim away, Leng Nini, now losing ground under Lin Yang’s relentless assault, cried out anxiously. The only answer was the sound of water splashing.

Huffing in mock indignation, Leng Nini turned to Lin Yang with a mischievous grin, her lips pouting, brows arched, and a soft, pleading smile on her face. "Little Yang, spare me! I know I was wrong," she begged pitifully, her hands, which had been poised to sneak an attack, slowly withdrawing in surrender.

"Hmph, now you see how formidable I am!" Lin Yang boasted, his hand, ready to tickle her, abruptly withdrawing. "Alright, you two go ahead and play. I’ll leave you be. I’m going to check on Aunt Qin and Uncle Feng."

He swam toward the edge of the pool. He’d only meant to tease the two women, but seeing Zhang Qiqi deliberately keeping her distance, he realized that lingering would only spoil the atmosphere. A man ought to know his place—especially a good man like him.

"Wait, Little Yang, you’re not really mad at Nini, are you? I already apologized, why are you leaving?" Leng Nini, anxious as she saw his determination to go, splashed the water helplessly, her voice choking with tears.

Women truly were made of water; she had barely been teased, and already tears welled up in her eyes, threatening to spill over in a flood of pitiful sorrow.

"Yes, Little Yang, why are you leaving?" Zhang Qiqi paused, standing still in the water, watching Lin Yang climb out and stand on the pool’s edge, puzzled by his departure.

"It’s nothing, you two have fun. I’m going to see Aunt Qin—Uncle Feng should be awake now, and I’m worried his illness might relapse." Lying without batting an eye was Lin Yang’s specialty; he easily came up with a plausible excuse to placate the two women.

Slipping on his sandals, he picked up the clothes he’d tossed carelessly on the poolside and made his way to the men’s changing room. In under two minutes, he was dressed and out the main entrance of the swimming pool, though he couldn’t help but sneak a few more glances at the pool—what a shame to waste such a beautiful sight.

He slipped out the door, closed it behind him, and strode straight to Zhang Zifeng’s bedroom on the first floor. As he approached, he heard the voices of Zhang Zifeng and his wife talking inside.

"Feng, don’t worry. Little Yang will cure you, I believe in him." Su Qin’s concerned and reassuring voice drifted through the crack in the door to Lin Yang’s ears.

"Qin, you’ve suffered because of me all these years. I know my own body, better than anyone else. Never mind, why don’t you go to the kitchen and cook something for everyone? I’ll just rest for a while." Zhang Zifeng, words caught in his throat, gazed at his wife, who had toiled so hard for his sake, the marks of time already beginning to show. His heart ached with guilt. Scenes from the past flickered before his eyes like a film reel.

There they were, a vibrant young couple standing atop a mountain peak. The young man held his beloved girl tightly in his arms, vowing beneath the open sky to cherish her for life, to grant her happiness, to spare her hardship and suffering, to raise a large family together. He swore to stroll with her hand in hand through city streets and quiet alleys, to accompany her shopping as her human clothes rack, to watch the sunrise and sunset, to travel and explore together, to live and love—forever.

All those beautiful promises, a lifetime of devotion and love—yet an unforeseen calamity forced this woman to bear all the suffering alone. Each new wrinkle at the corner of her eye, every freckle on her face, every callus on her once-soft hand, every strand of graying hair—it all tore at his heart, made him want to scream, to rage, to go mad with grief.

This woman did not deserve such hardship; she should have lived well, lived happily. He felt like a burden. Zhang Zifeng had even considered, and attempted, to end his life, but this steadfast woman never left him, never complained. Every day she wore a comforting smile, repeating lies that he would soon recover. Yet he could not bear to leave her, nor bear to see her suffer for his sake.

Sorrowful memories overwhelmed him, and this proud man wept tears of deep affection—tears he could never repay in a lifetime.

Standing outside the door, Lin Yang was moved by the depth of their feelings. Lost in thought, a girl’s figure emerged in his mind. Once, there had been a determined girl who had given so much for him.

No, not just a girl—thanks to his own nurturing, she had since become a woman.

Tang Yixue—without a doubt, the one who appeared in his mind was Tang Yixue, the girl who grew up with him, always by his side like a sister, and now a strong, elegant woman.

To support him, she had willingly given up a life of luxury, leaving behind her wealthy family to come to this backwater place and watch over him in silence.

"Yixue, are you still busy these days? Little Yang misses you." Moved by emotion, Lin Yang whispered to himself. Lately, the endless complications and Tang Yixue’s busyness at her company had kept them from spending time together, from indulging in those forbidden pleasures.

For Lin Yang, who had only recently tasted the forbidden fruit, this was a torment both physical and spiritual.

Just at that moment, as Lin Yang was lost in longing, the bedroom door opened with a click. Su Qin, her cheeks still streaked with tears, caught sight of him standing in a daze at the doorway. She hurriedly wiped her face and asked, puzzled, "Little Yang, what are you thinking about?"

Snapped out of his reverie by her voice, Lin Yang smiled awkwardly and stammered, "Nothing, I was just distracted by a funny memory."

"Oh, you’re here to see your Uncle Feng? Perhaps later. He was awake for a bit, but now he says he’s tired and wants to rest alone. Why don’t you wait a while before going in?" Fearing that Lin Yang might witness her husband’s vulnerable side, Su Qin seized the opportunity to persuade him. Besides, Zhang Zifeng’s emotions were unstable, and she worried that any agitation might drive him to do something reckless.

"Alright, in that case I’ll wait," Lin Yang replied easily, turning toward the living room. He hadn’t had a smoke for a while, and the craving was back.

He glanced around—seeing only himself downstairs and not the two women, Su Qin asked curiously, "Little Yang, where are Nini and Qiqi? Didn’t they come down with you?" The words slipped out before she realized they were unnecessary; obviously, they hadn’t. They’d been in the pool for less than five minutes, hardly enough time even if they hadn’t gone swimming. She laughed at her own pointless question.

"I was worried about Uncle Feng, so I came down first. They’re still in the pool," Lin Yang replied, lighting a cigarette and exhaling a contented smoke ring.

"Little Yang, when did you pick up smoking?" Su Qin asked, frowning slightly at his casual demeanor. She sighed, realizing that the little boy she once knew had grown up and picked up the habit.

"It’s been a few years now. I’m a heavy smoker these days; I can’t quit," Lin Yang answered indifferently, taking a few more puffs.

"Well, try to cut back if you can. It’s not good for you. Alright, I’ll go start cooking." With that, Su Qin made her way to the kitchen. If it hadn’t been for Leng Nini showing her around earlier, she might have had trouble finding it. Halfway there, she turned back and asked Lin Yang, who was lounging lazily on the sofa, "Little Yang, is there anything you’d like to eat? I’ll make it for you."

"No need to trouble yourself, Aunt Qin. We usually eat out anyway—Nini and I haven’t cooked much since we moved in, and the kitchen’s pretty bare."

He recalled how, when they first arrived, Leng Nini had been determined to learn to cook, but after a few failures, she gave up. The kitchen had been unused ever since.

"It’s alright, I’ll just go buy some groceries. We can’t eat out every day, after all. Besides, with Zifeng’s health, it’s better to cook at home. I’ll get started," she said, not giving Lin Yang a chance to protest, and headed into the kitchen.

She was right, of course. Now that they were living here, it wasn’t practical to eat out every day, especially with Zhang Zifeng’s condition. Lin Yang turned and called to one of the bodyguards at the door, "Xiao Bo, come here a moment."

The young bodyguard, who had been scanning the surroundings with the vigilance of a viper, immediately broke into a friendly smile and trotted over to Lin Yang.

"Brother Yang, what can I do for you? Just say the word and I’ll handle it," he said with a grin.

"Go to the market and buy some daily necessities, vegetables, fruit—get a bit of everything," Lin Yang instructed, pulling out a bank card to hand him.

The young bodyguard tried to refuse, so Lin Yang, seeing his reluctance, withdrew the card and contentedly blew a few smoke rings for his own amusement.

After stubbing out his cigarette, Lin Yang was about to get up and check if the women had come out when his phone rang in his pocket.

He fished it out and glanced at the caller ID—it was Bai Jing, whom he hadn’t heard from in days.