It fell from his fingertips

Tang Luoqing stayed in her hometown for several days.

At first, many unfamiliar numbers called her phone. Tang Luoqing answered one, heard Zhou Yanchen's voice, and then hung up.

From now on, I will not answer any calls from unknown numbers.

Over time, the number of unfamiliar numbers decreased, and so far today, there haven't been a single one.

It seems Zhou Yanchen has given up.

Tang Luoqing slowly exhaled, her tense mood of the past few days easing slightly, but a deeper bitterness welled up inside her.

In the past few days, Tang Luoqing's mood has been like a roller coaster, with her nose inexplicably stinging and her eyes instantly filled with tears.

As a result, she had to constantly keep herself busy in order to barely keep herself from overthinking.

Fortunately, Lu Yu was very satisfied with the third issue's article. The combined royalties from the three issues, along with the money he had saved up, brought him closer and closer to 60 yuan.

In addition, once the off-season was over, various jobs started to come knocking again. For example, in addition to the publishing companies we had worked with before sending illustration requests for several novels, Lu's Cultural and Creative also sent new collaboration invitations.

At the same time, Lu's Cultural and Creative also sent over exhibition slots for the cultural and creative exhibition, asking Tang Luoqing if she was interested in participating in the exhibition.

If so, you can draw a special illustration on the relevant theme and submit it for selection for an exhibition or competition.

Upon hearing this news, Tang Luoqing's gloomy mood improved considerably, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously turned up.

She immediately packed her things, shaking off her days of listlessness. She handed the milk candy to her neighbor and paid her 500 yuan for care. Then she took a bus to the county and a taxi to downtown Beijing.

It was already noon when Tang Luoqing finished signing the contract with the publishing company. Instead of immediately returning to the village, she found a hotel nearby and planned to go to Lu's Cultural and Creative to renew the contract the next morning.

But as soon as she put her things down at the hotel, her phone rang.

Upon seeing the caller ID on her phone screen, Tang Luoqing's relaxed expression instantly darkened, and her heart sank.

The call was from Zhou's mother.

Tang Luoqing's fingertips hovered above the answer button, her lips pressed tightly together.

She wasn't sure if Zhou's mother knew about her and Zhou Yanchen's current situation, and she was even more afraid that if her mother knew, she would say something to help Zhou Yanchen stay.

But Zhou's mother treated her very well. She had never had a mother since she was a child, which made Tang Luoqing feel the warmth that the identity of a mother brings from Zhou's mother, which was rare for her.

Making Tang Luoqing hang up the phone was practically putting herself in a difficult position.

Tang Luoqing remained silent for several seconds before finally pressing the answer button.

"Luo Qing, how have you been lately?"

Zhou's mother's gentle voice came through the receiver: "You and Yan Chen...did you have a fight? That child has been staying home from school for several days now, and he hasn't been eating anything lately. He's gotten so thin. I'm very worried about him...Luo Qing, could you...come and see him?"

Tang Luoqing tightened her grip on her phone.

The voice on the other end of the phone continued: "Just for Auntie's sake, okay? Come see Yan Chen. No matter what, you two need to talk things out face-to-face, right? Auntie is really worried that something might happen to Yan Chen if he continues like this."

Upon hearing this, Tang Luoqing bit her lower lip, and a thin layer of mist welled up in her eyes.

She remained silent for a long time, then nodded, her voice slightly hoarse and dry, and said to the person on the other end of the phone, "Okay."

An hour later, Tang Luoqing appeared at the Zhou family villa.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries with Zhou's mother, she was led by the hand to the door of one of the bedrooms on the second floor. Zhou's mother gently patted her hand: "Go in and have a good talk. Whatever it is, just speak it out."

After saying this, Zhou's mother went downstairs, leaving Tang Luoqing standing alone at the door.

She looked up at the closed door, took a deep breath, and her chest rose and fell slightly.

He raised his fingertips, paused slightly, and finally knocked on the door. A weak voice quickly came from inside.

"Mom, I said I'm not eating. Please leave me alone for a while."

Hearing the familiar voice, Tang Luoqing felt a lump in her throat again, and her heart felt heavy and tight.

After a moment, she parted her lips slightly and slowly said, "Zhou Yanchen, it's me."

As soon as he finished speaking, the door was quickly pulled open from the inside.

Zhou Yanchen looked up and saw the person standing at the door. His previously lifeless eyes immediately lit up.

"Luo Qing, I've finally seen you. I've missed you so much."

Zhou Yanchen's voice was terribly dry and hoarse, as if he hadn't spoken properly for many days. His eyes were filled with dark circles, his chin was covered with messy stubble, and his figure was thin. He exuded an aura of decadence and loneliness.

Before he could finish speaking, Zhou Yanchen leaned forward and hugged Tang Luoqing tightly.

Tang Luoqing involuntarily tried to break free from Zhou Yanchen's embrace, but unfortunately she was not strong enough to push him away. In the end, she simply let her hands hang down and gave up struggling.

Then, Zhou Yanchen reached out and pulled her into the room, closing the door behind him.

He pulled her to the sofa and knelt down in front of Tang Luoqing, looking up at her face with his eyes fixed on her. His voice was low and hoarse: "Luoqing, you shouldn't have sentenced me to death so easily. I was just celebrating Su Leqi's birthday that day. You know, we grew up together and are childhood sweethearts. I couldn't possibly miss her birthday."

He paused slightly, then took Tang Luoqing's cool hand in his. His palm was burning hot, and his fingertips repeatedly caressed the back of her hand. His eyes were earnest: "I know it was wrong of me not to tell you, but I was really afraid you would be angry. I also know I shouldn't have lied to you, but... I'm really afraid of losing you."

"Luo Qing, please don't abandon me. You promised Grandma that no matter what mistake I made, you would give me another chance, right?"

Zhou Yanchen originally didn't plan to bring this up, because based on past experience, Tang Luoqing was soft-hearted and easy to coax.

But this time was clearly different. He couldn't find her anywhere, so he had no choice but to resort to this trick.

Upon hearing this, Tang Luoqing's eyelashes trembled, and warm tears welled up in her eyes.

Grandma was moved by Zhou Yanchen's thoughtfulness and care. On her deathbed, she held Tang Luoqing's hand and said to her, "Yanchen is a good child. Don't let him down. If he makes a mistake in the future, give him another chance. Grandma believes that Yanchen is a good child."

Hot tears slid down Tang Luoqing's fair cheeks and landed on Zhou Yanchen's hand.

Zhou Yanchen raised his hand and gently wiped away the tears on the girl's face with his fingertips, his eyes filled with regret: "Luo Qing, give me another chance, the last time, just for... Grandma."

Meanwhile, just outside the door, Zhou Jinbai stood in the doorway, his aura cold and stern, his eyes deep and unfathomable.