Marriage Seduction Addiction

Chapter 237 Let her leave
Tang Xu abruptly shifted the initiative back to Tang Lan, who was visibly taken aback. The excitement in her eyes froze for a moment, but when she spoke again, she still defended Meng Liancheng.

“It really has nothing to do with him…” Tang Lan said, “Your father’s death was truly an accident, it had absolutely nothing to do with him, why won’t you believe it?”

Tang Xu chuckled softly, "Alright, even if Dad's death was an accident, what about this matter? Does Feng Zheng's affair have anything to do with your 'innocent' Mr. Meng?"

Tang Lan couldn't help but close her eyes in pain.

Everything was so obvious that, for a moment, she had no idea how to respond.

Tang Xu has exceptional patience.

She kept looking at Tang Lan, waiting for her to organize her thoughts and give her an answer.

“Yaoyao, you're safe and sound now, so you should know… he didn't really mean to hurt you.” After a long silence, Tang Lan finally spoke, “He just used the wrong method for a moment. He wasn't targeting you, but rather—”

She did not continue.

Tang Xu quickly added, "He's after you, right?"

Tang Lan neither looked at her nor denied it.

"Did he use my accident as bait to lure you back to China, or... coerce you back to China?"

Regardless of her inner thoughts, at this moment, Tang Lan shook her head slightly again, whether in an attempt to escape or to deny something, it was unclear.

"You're married, aren't you? You even have a daughter with your current husband, but now you're entangled with another man..." Tang Xu chuckled softly as she said this, then continued, "What do you plan to do? Continue to hide your relationship with him from your husband, just like before?"

Upon hearing this question, Tang Lan trembled slightly before turning to Tang Xu and whispering, "Yao Yao, it's not like that... it's not what you think..."

"That's enough," Tang Xu said softly. "You always deny it, and I'm tired of guessing. Let's stop here. Anyway, your business has nothing to do with me. How I guess is my business, and what you do is your business."

Hearing this, Tang Lan thought Tang Xu was about to leave, so she quickly reached out her hand.

This time, she finally grasped Tang Xu's hand.

Tang Xu stared at the hand that was tightly gripping his, and remained motionless for a moment.

"Yaoyao, from now on, don't go near him anymore..." Tang Lan said softly, "After all, he's been in a coma for so many years, and sometimes his thoughts can be a bit extreme... Please stay away from him, okay?"

Tang Xu paused for a moment before laughing again. "So, it's not that I should stay away from him, but that you should stay away from me, right? With someone like that around, whoever you get close to will suffer misfortune, isn't that right? In that case, you shouldn't be worried about me, but about your husband and daughter who are far away in Southeast Asia, shouldn't you?"

Tang Lan's eyes had been red for a long time, and at this moment, tears finally welled up and spilled out uncontrollably.

“Yaoyao, I know you blame me…” Tang Lan couldn’t help but lower her head, “But please believe me, I really did it for your own good…”

Her eyes were brimming with tears, and she choked up so much that she could barely continue speaking.

Looking at her like this, Tang Xu felt a strange, unprecedented surge of emotion welling up inside him.

Yes, she actually felt sad for Tang Lan in front of her.

She was at the center of these whirlpools, yet she looked so innocent, so pitiful, so helpless...

Tang Xu had absolutely no idea what emotions she should use to deal with the situation at that moment.

Finally, she forcefully pulled her hand back and said to Tang Lan, "It's actually quite good to be a little selfish. I've lived quite well all these years. I know what I should and shouldn't do. So, just take care of yourself and don't worry about me, Mrs. Shao."

After saying that, Tang Xu didn't linger and quickly left the coffee shop.

As she was about to step into the elevator, she noticed the staff member who had pressed the button for her giving her a slightly surprised look.

As Tang Xu stepped into the elevator and the doors slowly closed in front of her, she finally saw herself reflected in the elevator wall.

A single tear was hanging below her eye.

Why is she crying?
Is it for Tang Lan, or for the things she said?
Tang Xu himself couldn't understand it either.

She stared at it quietly for a moment, then finally raised her hand and gently wiped away the tear.

……

After leaving the hotel, Tang Xu returned to Qiushuitai.

Yan Shiyu was no longer at home; he had probably gone back to the company to keep busy.

Tang Xu originally wanted to invite Lu Xingyan to dinner, but when she returned to Qiushuitai, she realized how tired she was, so she simply did nothing, went into the bedroom, and lay down on the bed.

When Yan Shiyu returned home that evening, the house was quiet and there wasn't a sound.

For a moment, he even wondered if Tang Xu had not returned yet, or if she had gone back to Yujing Bay.

It wasn't until he slowly walked into the bedroom that he found someone lying quietly on the bed, fast asleep.

As Yan Shiyu slowly stepped forward to turn off the bedside lamp for her, she unexpectedly noticed a glint of light flashing beneath Tang Xu's eyelashes.

Upon closer inspection, it became clear that those were tears from the eyes.

Yan Shiyu paused slightly.

Tang Xu rarely cries; it's as if even the biggest problems can be solved by simply bearing them.

But everyone has moments when they can't hold on, and everyone has moments of sadness...

How can a person not cry?

Yan Shiyu slowly sat down on the edge of the bed, staring at Tang Xu's sleeping face for a long time. In the end, he couldn't help but reach out and gently stroke her cheek, rubbing the wetness on her eyes with his fingertips.

Tang Xu woke up quickly.

When I opened my eyes, my eyelashes were still wet, as if I were trapped in great pain.

When she could see the person in front of her clearly, Tang Xu climbed up by his arm and leaned into his arms.

Yan Shiyu cooperated by reaching out and hugging her without saying a word, and they hugged for a long time.

Much later, Tang Xu recovered and whispered, "You're back..."

Yan Shiyu responded softly, then looked down at her again, "Had a nightmare?"

Upon hearing this, Tang Xu couldn't help but chuckle, then remained silent for a moment before saying, "Sometimes I feel like life is truly a nightmare..."

Upon hearing this, Yan Shiyu reached out and gently stroked her head.

Tang Xu quickly looked up at him and said, "Perhaps, only meeting you was an accident."

Yan Shiyu was stunned for a moment upon hearing this. When he came to his senses, he lowered his eyes slightly, took her hand, and kissed it. Tang Xu watched his actions quietly, and after a moment, she leaned into his arms again.

After a long time, Yan Shiyu leaned against the headboard, holding Tang Xu in his arms, and listened to her recount her meeting with Tang Lan.

“She repeatedly denied the accusations against Meng Liancheng, yet she also told me to stay away from him… She seemed to have some hidden reason, but she wouldn’t say anything…” Tang Xu stared blankly at the distant lights. “I don’t understand, I have absolutely no idea what she’s thinking…”

Yan Shiyu lowered his head and kissed her hair, whispering, "It's okay. Given enough time, some things will definitely have an answer."

Tang Xu was somewhat dazed. "Would it be possible?"

"Yes," Yan Shiyu answered confidently.

Tang Xu lowered her eyes gently, turned her head and reached out to hug his neck, burying her face in it, without saying anything more.

……

Tang Lan stayed in Huai City for another three days.

During those three days, Tang Xu neither saw her nor Meng Liancheng.

On the morning of her departure, Tang Lan went to the Jiang family and met Jiang Muchen once again.

Jiang Muchen no longer had the same friendly attitude towards her appearance. After all, he had said those things to the point at the police station entrance that day, and he had nothing left to hide.

Clearly, Tang Lan was well aware of this.

Therefore, upon entering Jiang Muchen's office and sitting down in front of him, Tang Lan immediately said, "Thank you for still being willing to see me."

"You're too kind," Jiang Muchen said calmly.

Tang Lan smiled self-deprecatingly, "I know you're only willing to see me because of Yao Yao. Of course, I'm here for her sake too, which is why I'm so shameless as to come see you again."

Jiang Muchen leaned back in his chair. "Then you might as well speak your mind."

"I still stand by what I said..." Tang Lan said softly, "Please protect Yao Yao."

Jiang Muchen couldn't help but sneer, saying, "I thought I had made myself clear enough that day. Given the various information asymmetries, I had no way to protect her."

"I know..." Tang Lan was much calmer today than that day, "but I'm sorry, I can't give you the information you want."

"Then what's the point of you coming up here?" Jiang Muchen asked, looking at her coldly.

Tang Lan said, "I believe that with your abilities, you can definitely protect Yao Yao no matter what... Of course, we all hope that she will not face such danger again in the future, and I will also try my best to do so... But I really need your help. Yao Yao is too stubborn... Sometimes, she will not stay away from danger, but will actively approach it... I think this is the biggest crisis she will face in the future."

Jiang Muchen chuckled again, looking at her and saying, "And you, you clearly have a way to deal with the danger, but you refuse to say it. Is that appropriate?"

Tang Lan ignored his sarcasm, paused for a moment, and then said, "You said before that your father is sick and you hope that Yao Yao can accompany him abroad for treatment... Is that possible?"

Jiang Muchen hadn't expected her to bring this up. He paused, his tone still unfriendly, "What do you think?"

"Please think of something," Tang Lan said. "You definitely know her better than I do; you know how to get her to leave..."

Jiang Muchen stared intently at her as he pondered, and said, "Is this your way of solving problems? When you clearly sense a crisis, instead of addressing it, you let her escape?"

Tang Lan closed her eyes in pain before saying, "This is the best way I can think of... Doing this is good for her, good for your father, and good for both of you—isn't it?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Muchen's gaze sharpened slightly, and he did not reply for a moment.

Tang Lan, however, saw hope in his reaction and said softly, "Please."

After saying this, Tang Lan got up to leave.

Jiang Muchen spoke up again: "From your perspective, this might indeed be the best solution. You care about both Meng Liancheng and Tang Xu, so you don't want to see them clash head-on. But have you considered whether Tang Xu wants this outcome?"

Tang Lan paused slightly, remained silent for a moment, and ultimately said nothing before turning and leaving the office.

Outside the office, Tan Siyi saw Tang Lan off and then took the documents into Jiang Muchen's office. Jiang Muchen was sitting in his office chair, facing the CBD cityscape outside the window, seemingly lost in thought.

Tan Siyi placed the documents on the table and tentatively called out, "Mr. Jiang, the maintenance and construction information you requested is all here."

Jiang Muchen did not respond at all.

Seeing this, Tan Siyi knew that he was lost in his own thoughts, so he didn't say anything more and quickly left the office.

Outside the door, Cheng Jin happened to be carrying a document and walked to the door. Seeing Tan Siyi come out, he asked, "Is Mr. Jiang inside? There is a document here that needs his signature."

"Wait a moment," Tan Siyi replied. "Mr. Jiang probably doesn't have time to sign right now."

Cheng Jin responded with a sound of agreement, paused for a moment, and then said, "The person who came up just now, was that... Miss Tang's mother? Could it be that something has happened to Miss Tang again? If so, won't the next few days be difficult?"

Tan Siyi glanced at him and said, "After all, you were with her, why don't you go and ask her about it?"

Upon hearing this, Cheng Jin chuckled, glanced at Jiang Muchen's closed office door again, said nothing more, and turned back to his desk.

……

That evening, Tang Xu's car drove into the Jiang family mansion once again.

Jiang Beiheng was seeing his friend off when he spotted Tang Xu's car driving in and couldn't help but smile slightly.

Tang Xu parked the car, and the guests had already left. She quickly walked up to Jiang Beiheng, glanced at his expression, and asked, "Why are these guests leaving at this time? When did they arrive?"

"I just happened to be passing by and stopped by to drop by. I chatted with you for a while, but I didn't stay long," Jiang Beiheng said. "I'm not made of paper, what are you worried about?"

Tang Xu glanced at him and said, "If you were more willing to take better care of your health, I wouldn't be so worried."

Jiang Beiheng shook his head helplessly and chuckled before saying, "Didn't you ask me about Meng Liancheng the other day? I'm not familiar with him either. It just so happens that the person in question is a shareholder of the Meng Group, so I just asked him about it."

Tang Xu was taken aback. "I just mentioned it casually. If you didn't know, that's fine. Why did you go out of your way to find out?"

“I already said it was just a side trip.” Jiang Beiheng glanced at her before continuing, “But we didn’t get much out of him. After all, Meng Liancheng is still in the recovery period and has been keeping a low profile. Meng Lianshan has a firm grip on the company, and there’s been no indication that he wants to return to the Meng family business… If he really is stirring up trouble, what is his purpose?”

Upon hearing this, Tang Xu paused for a moment.

For a man like this, isn't his life's pursuit simply career and women?

If there are no opportunities in your career, does that mean it's really... solely because of love?
Could Meng Liancheng truly love Tang Lan in this way?

Crazy.

Terrible.

It's suffocating.