Marriage Seduction Addiction

Chapter 229 Her appearance brought me back to this world

When Yan Shiyu laughed, Tang Xu realized that he should understand what she was feeling at that moment.

But he didn't ask her what she had done that day.

Firstly, he already had someone following her, so he knew her schedule;

Secondly, Duan Siwei would definitely relay her conversations to him, so he knew exactly what she had done that day.

Most importantly, he knew that what happened today was something that made her unhappy, something that was not appropriate to mention at this moment.

So Yan Shiyu didn't ask anything, but instead said, "Is there anything else you want to ask me?"

Tang Xu thought for a moment and said, "Then tell me what happened during the day. Was there anything that made you happy or unhappy?"

"Yes," Yan Shiyu replied.

"What?" Tang Xu asked softly.

"Sleep alone."

Tang Xu paused abruptly, then suppressed a laugh and asked softly, "Is this something that makes you happy or unhappy?"

"Guess," Yan Shiyu said.

Tang Xu suddenly couldn't help but laugh out loud.

The two of them had never talked like this before.

Yes, never.

Therefore, Tang Xu always felt that the connection between the two people was more physical than spiritual.

Of course, this situation changed to some extent after the two reconciled.

After all, he knew some of her secrets, and she knew some of his past.

While these things brought them closer, the sad memories were painful things that neither of them wanted to talk about, so they couldn't discuss them in detail.

Only on this night, this time, did they have a detailed conversation.

Although we only talked about trivial and boring nonsense.

But Tang and Xu had a very pleasant chat.

She even fell asleep while chatting, drifting off peacefully into a deep sleep.

When Tang Xu woke up the next morning, although she was still lying on the sofa and her body was a little sore, she felt that she had slept well.

When Song Luobai came out of the bedroom, milk and sandwiches were already laid out on the dining table. He was slightly taken aback. When he turned around, he saw Tang Xu sitting on the sofa, handling some business on the computer.

"Did you prepare this?" Song Luobai asked.

"Okay," Tang Xu replied. "I bought it at the convenience store downstairs. Heat it up yourself before you eat."

Song Luobai continued to stare at her. "You've already eaten?"

"Hmm." Tang Xu simply responded, her eyes still fixed on the screen, her fingers flying across the keyboard.

Her mental state was quite different from when he saw her last night.

Song Luobai was momentarily stunned.

Was it because some of the things he said last night happened to solve her predicament and troubles, or because she found another way to treat it?

While muttering to himself, Song Luobai put the cup of milk into the microwave.

But then Tang Xu suddenly said, "Let's go to the mall at noon. It's getting warmer, so you probably can't wear your clothes and pants from last summer anymore."

Song Luobai stared at the slowly spinning microwave oven, but ultimately didn't utter a word of refusal.

In the past, Qin Yun personally took care of Song Luobai's food, clothing, and daily necessities, always providing him with the best. He probably wouldn't even give a second glance to brands in ordinary shopping malls.

However, Tang Xu herself lived a rather casual life, so when she took him shopping for clothes, she would only choose ordinary shopping malls nearby.

Song Luobai did not express any opinion on this. He tried on all the clothes that Tang Xuxuan and the sales staff recommended, and in the end, he bought a lot of clothes.

After buying clothes, we just grabbed lunch at a restaurant in the open-air plaza.

Song Luobai was at the age where he was growing, and he could swallow three freshly made beef burgers in one go, while Tang Xu could barely manage to eat one.

Just as Song Luobai was about to say something, Tang Xu's phone suddenly rang.

Tang Xu took out her phone, looked at the unfamiliar number on it, frowned slightly, and then muted the call.

Song Luobai stared at her phone screen. "Why aren't you answering?"

"Let's sell it," Tang Xu replied casually, then ignored him.

However, a few minutes later, when the same number called again, Song Luobai paid even more attention than she did and spotted the number immediately.

"These salespeople are really persistent these days." Song Luobai suddenly reached out and grabbed her phone. "I'll give them a piece of my mind."

"Hello!" Tang Xu quickly snatched her phone back, glared at him slightly, and finally answered the call.

Her premonition was confirmed the moment the voice on the other end of the phone rang—

"Miss Tang, hello there. Can you recognize my voice?"

Meng Liancheng.

Tang Xu took a deep breath before slowly saying, "How could I possibly forget someone like Mr. Meng?"

Upon hearing the name "Mr. Meng," Song Luobai visibly relaxed and stopped paying attention to the phone call.

Meng Liancheng chuckled and said, "I hope you don't think I'm being abrupt by calling you suddenly. It's mainly about that painting you mentioned yesterday. If you really want it, I can try to find a way for you. What do you think?"

"Didn't Mr. Meng already give him away?" Tang Xu said calmly. "What other solutions can you think of?"

"Would you be interested in meeting up and having a chat?" Meng Liancheng said. "If you haven't eaten yet, I'll treat you."

Upon hearing this, Tang Xu paused for a moment before finally replying, "Okay, see you later."

After hanging up the phone, Tang Xu quickly looked at Song Luobai, "I have something to do, so I have to go first. Take your things back by yourself, and be careful on your way to school."

She gave a few brief instructions and then quickly got up and left.

Song Luobai stared at her receding figure for a long time before turning away and silently drinking the beverage in front of him.

It doesn't matter who it is, as long as it's not Yan Shiyu, it's fine.

Before long, Tang Xu met Meng Liancheng, who was already seated at the agreed-upon restaurant.

It must be said that although Meng Liancheng had been in a coma for many years and had been out of society for so long, his appearance had changed drastically. However, even from a distance, one could still vaguely see his former demeanor, how tall and outstanding he was.

As Tang Xu gradually approached and saw his pale face and gaunt features more clearly, that uncomfortable feeling that had been nagging at her resurfaced once again.

Tang Xu walked slowly closer, pulled out the chair opposite him, and sat down. "Mr. Meng."

Meng Liancheng was looking down at the menu when he heard her voice. He looked up at her and smiled slightly. "I didn't know what you liked to eat, so I ordered a few dishes. I hope they suit your taste."

"I eat everything, I'm not picky."

As Tang Xu said this, Meng Liancheng still asked the waiter next to him to announce the names of the dishes that had already been ordered.

Each dish the other party named gave Tang Xu a sense of déjà vu, until the last dessert was announced, and a memory instantly flashed into Tang Xu's mind—

These dishes all seem to be ones that Tang Lan used to like.

Tang Xu slowly raised her eyes and looked at the man opposite her who was still smiling.

The next moment, Meng Liancheng said, "I think that although a mother and daughter's tastes may not be exactly the same, they shouldn't be too different. You should like the things your mother likes to eat."

Tang Xu couldn't help but let out a cold laugh.

So you're not pretending anymore, are you?

"I don't quite understand what Mr. Meng is talking about." Tang Xu decided to continue pretending.

Meng Liancheng continued to look at her and said, "Actually, you look quite a bit like your mother. I should have realized it yesterday, but I've been lying in bed for too long, and my brain's thinking ability hasn't fully recovered yet. I clearly know that you are the Jiang family's daughter-in-law, and I know that your surname is Tang, but I just couldn't remember that your father is Song Yuting, and that you should be Xiao Lan's daughter."

"Xiao Lan?" Tang Xu slightly curled his lips, but his tone still carried an unavoidable hint of sarcasm.

Meng Liancheng, seemingly oblivious, laughed and said, "Your mother likes blue, and coincidentally, 'blue' sounds the same as 'Lan' in her name, so I used to call her Little Blue."

So it turns out that this "blue" is not only a nickname, but also a personalized nickname.

“Your mother and I are very good… friends.” Meng Liancheng looked at Tang Xu and continued, “You know, even though I’ve been lying down for more than ten years, the moment I saw her, I felt that she hadn’t changed at all. She was still exactly the same as I remembered her.”

“Mr. Meng,” Tang Xu couldn’t help but interrupt his recollection, “Didn’t you say you called me here to talk about that painting?”

“I’m talking to you right now, aren’t I?” Meng Liancheng laughed. “You’re not like your mother at all. Your mother is so gentle. She always listens to people finish speaking with a smile. Unlike you, you’re so impatient.”

Tang Xu did not respond to this, patiently waiting for the answer to his question.

Meng Liancheng then smiled and said, "Didn't you want to know which friend I gave that painting to yesterday? Now I can tell you, that friend is your mother. If you really want that painting, just give her a call, right? It's just a mother and daughter, why would we distinguish between 'yours' and 'mine'?"

"Oh," Tang Xu responded softly, "So you gave it to her."

“Yes.” Meng Liancheng began, then seemed lost in memories again. “Your mother loved roses, you know that, right? More than twenty years ago, there was a large rose garden in the suburbs of Huai City. Your mother loved it there. She took countless photos there, and someone even painted a portrait of her amidst roses…”

Tang Xu listened quietly as he recounted his understanding of Tang Lan, and her heart was eventually stirred.

Not for any other reason than for Song Yuting, who raised her.

"You know her so well, you must have gone through a lot when you were young, right?"

“Yes, many things…” Meng Liancheng responded softly, “Unfortunately, there are too many gaps in my brain. I can’t remember many details from the past.”

"Do you remember how you felt about her?" Tang Xu asked. "Did you love her?"

After asking the question, Meng Liancheng seemed to pause for a moment before laughing and saying, "You kids these days love to talk about love and hate. We didn't talk about these things back then."

“How could we not talk about it?” Tang Xu said. “If we don’t talk about these things, how did she marry my father, and how did she give birth to me?”

Speaking of this, Meng Liancheng frowned slightly, as if some missing fragments of his memory were troubling him again.

Seeing this, Tang Xu continued, "You may not remember things from before, but you should remember things quite clearly after you woke up, right? When she knew you were awake and traveled all the way to see you, how did you feel?"

As he spoke, Meng Liancheng seemed to recall that time and laughed, "Of course I was very happy. You have no idea how fearful and lonely I felt when I woke up and found that eighteen years had passed and the whole world seemed to have left me behind. Until I saw her—she was the only person who remained unchanged in my memories. When I felt like I had turned my back on the whole world, it was her appearance that brought me back to this world. You have no idea how happy I was at that time."

His description was so real and moving; anyone else would probably have been deeply touched.

But Tang Xu was completely unmoved.

"And then what?" Tang Xu asked again. "She's so important to you, but she has her own family and lives so far away. She can't always be with you... Don't you feel sad?"

"Of course it's sad," Meng Liancheng sighed, almost with a bitter smile. "But there are just too many sad things in my life... I have to get through them little by little. Like now, I'm doing pretty well, aren't I?"

After Meng Liancheng finished speaking, he took a sip of the tea in front of him and continued, "Now, I am already very happy and content to be able to occasionally make a phone call to my old friends and meet them for a meal. As a person, you really don't need to have too high expectations."

Hearing his nonchalant words, Tang Xu paused before continuing, "You just said that someone painted a portrait of her amidst roses, but I don't think I've ever seen that painting. Who painted it?"

"Who drew this..." Meng Liancheng's face showed a look of recollection again, "I really can't remember..."

"Why don't we call her and ask?" Tang Xu suddenly took out her phone. "I'm quite curious."

Meng Liancheng quickly nodded and smiled, "That would be great. I'd also love to hear Xiao Lan's voice."

Soon, Tang Xu found the phone number in the call log and dialed it.

The phone rang only twice before being quickly disconnected.

Tang Xu was quiet for a moment, then smiled, and looked up at him. "Maybe there's something wrong with my phone. Why don't you make a call?"

Meng Liancheng gently shook his head and said, "Maybe she's not available to answer the phone right now. She can call you back when she's free, then you can ask her. Is she really that impatient? Let's eat first."

As they were talking, the dishes Meng Liancheng had ordered were served. Tang Xu glanced at the dishes on the table but had no desire to touch them.

Meng Liancheng had already placed a small piece of chicken into her bowl. "This is a long-established restaurant. Their signature sunflower chicken is a favorite of your mother."

Just as she finished speaking, Tang Xu's phone suddenly rang.

Tang Xu looked down and saw the unfamiliar number she had just dialed.

She answered the phone quickly.

"Yaoyao." Tang Lan's voice sounded joyful on the other end of the phone. "Have you called Mom? I'm sorry, Mom was busy and couldn't answer the phone. Is there anything you want to say to Mom?"

"Hmm," Tang Xu responded softly, "I was having dinner with an old friend of yours, so I thought I'd give you a call."

Upon hearing this, Tang Lan was noticeably silent for a few seconds before replying, "My old friends? I'm in Huai City...where would I have any old friends left?"

"Mr. Meng Liancheng, isn't he an old friend of yours?" Tang Xu asked.

The next moment, the sound of a cup shattering on the ground came from the other end of the phone—