Chapter 132: The Cruel Truth!

  The fine rain is like silk threads, sticky and endless.

  A gentle breeze came, bringing fresh air and a fragrance that was refreshing to the heart.

  That is the osmanthus in front of Osmanthus Garden blooming. It doesn't compare to the cherry blossoms in Cherry Blossom Garden when they burst into bloom, falling like red rain, extremely showy.

  She is subtle and low-key. If not for the scent of the dense fragrance that has been diluted by the autumn rain and delivered by the autumn wind, you would often overlook those small white flower buds.

  It's so small, yet it contains tremendous energy.

  Is it habit or preference? This is a question that Tong can't help but ask.

  Autumn is cold, everything can be thoughtless, but ---- as a man, he always has to think for her. Also have to think for himself.

  Habit? Or preference?

  One or two?

  The autumn chill had numbed her, and she stopped licking the ice cream in her hand, which seemed to have lost its appeal.

  She thought and thought, shook her head and said: "I don't know."

  Tang Chong smiled.

  He knew it would be this kind of answer.

  "Do you know why I didn't go on stage to give you flowers?" Tang Chong asked with a smile.

  Autumn's chill shakes its head.

  "Is it because you dislike me?"

  "I don't dislike you," Táng Zhòng said. "Why would I dislike you? Everything you've done is what your personality should have led to. You're just this kind of person, why would I be angry about these things?"

  "That's why?" asked Qiuyi Han coldly.

  "So I asked you that question just now," said Tang Chong. "If you're only used to my existence, used to me being by your side, then I won't be able to go on stage and give you flowers. Because in that case, everyone will think...think that I've accepted your love. But the truth is, you can't even tell whether you're apologizing or confessing."

  "What if... I'm confessing?" Akane asked uncertainly. She had never been in love, nor had anyone ever told her what love was.

  She used to be like a proud little swan, dressed in finery and fed delicacies, with everything at her disposal, walking past those boys and girls with her head held high. With cars coming and going, she was envied by others yet lonely and helpless.

  Her grandmother was her only life mentor.

  Grandma said don't talk to strangers, Grandma said don't be too close to boys, Grandma said don't let others know that our family has money, Grandma also said -----

  Grandma didn't tell her what to do when she met a boy who thought of him until his heart hurt.

  "Is it a confession?" Tang Chong burst out laughing. "You see, even you yourself don't understand what this feeling is all about ---- alright then. I'll ask you a few questions."

  "Mm." Akane nodded vigorously with a chilly autumnal intent.

  "What would you do if your grandmother didn't let us be together?" Tang Zhong asked.

  "What? Why is that? How could Grandma do such a thing?" Autumn Cold asked back.

  "There are many reasons. You just need to tell me your answer." Tang Zhong said.

  "Let me think for a moment," said Autumn Cold. "I'll persuade Grandma. I'll tell her you're a good person, a very good person. You taught me how to tie my shoelaces, how to wash my clothes by myself, and how to get along with my dormitory classmates. You even took me mountain climbing and sat with me on the rooftop watching the sunrise... Ah yes! You also saved my life once. If it weren't for you, I would have been killed by that evil Taoist priest on Jade Maiden Peak. Grandma loves me the most, she'll definitely listen to me..."

  "What if you can't convince her?" Tang Chong smiled wryly. If Grandma knew about this, she would probably be even more wary of the existence of this dangerous guy.

  If grandma was really willing to accept her own words, why didn't she help herself say a word during the Jade Girl Peak incident?

  "What if your parents don't agree with us being together? Would they even send you to study in another city or directly abroad just to separate us?"

  His eyes wide with a chill autumn intent, he shook his head desperately and said: "Why do they want to do this? I...I don't want to go to another city for school. I also don't like going abroad."

  "What if they force me?"

  "I------I------" The autumn chill doesn't know how to resist. From childhood to adulthood, she has never resisted.

  In her impression, parents were omnipotent figures. They could do whatever they wanted to do. If they insisted on sending themselves or her to study in other cities or abroad ---- what could she do about it?

  "If your grandma and your dad and mom all want you and your brother William to be together, what would you do?"

  "I don't like him," said Qiuyi Han in a low voice.

  "They like it." Táng Zhòng lightly smiled. "Even, until you graduate, or haven't graduated yet, they'll help you get engaged or directly let you get married---they widely send out invitations to invite guests, they make you turn uncooked rice into cooked rice, at that time, what will you do?"

  Autumn mood is cold and sad.

  She shook her head desperately and said: "No way. No way. They won't."

  "Even to the point of stopping us from being together, they threatened and intimidated me, bribed me, and can use over a hundred ways to ruin my reputation and image in your eyes-----they can arrange for me to get into a moderate-sized car accident that just so happens to break one leg, or make it seem like I got into a fight with someone and those thugs disfigured my face----they can target my family members, making them lose their jobs, leaving them with no way out. What would you do at that time?"

  The autumn chill was shocking.

  She stared at Tang Chong with wide eyes, as if she was staring at a devil.

  What Tang Chong said was something she had never thought of before, and it was also something she couldn't have imagined.

  Her father and mother are good people, her grandmother is also a good person, such a good person, how can they do such a thing?

  However, Tang Zhong knew that with his understanding of Qi Hongtu's character when they met, with his desire to protect his own daughter, and with the prejudices of Qi Mu and Autumn Cold's grandmother towards themselves - these things were very likely to happen.

  And this earthquake may be even bigger and more destructive than you imagine.

  "Don't you think what I said is terrifying?" Tang Chong looked at the girl's teary eyes and touched his pocket, only to find that the last tissue had been used.

  He used his sleeve to wipe away the tears and cream from the corner of her mouth, saying softly: "This is the true meaning of life. Love is between two people, but being together is a matter for two families. And your family is so big... I think that if you want to be with me, it's not just your parents who will try to persuade you, but also your grandparents, uncles and aunts, cousins... all your relatives will treat you like an outsider."

  "And myself. This family of mine is even more troublesome than yours. The road I will take in the future will be very difficult and dangerous ---- I can do well on my part, can you do well on your part?"

  "I know it's cruel to say this to you, your world shouldn't have these things. But if I don't say it, who will be willing to end in tragedy after a joyful beginning? This is a group war, one person can't win no matter how strong and brave they are, if their companions flee in battle, the war loses its meaning."

  Autumn's chill seeps into my eyes, dull and lifeless, as my body shudders with a faint tremble.

  It's not because of the weather, but because of these cold words.

  How is the world like this? How is grandma like this? How are dad and mom like this?

  She doesn't believe it.

  But why did Tang Chong say that? He had never deceived himself before.

  Tang Zhong gently patted her shoulder and said, "Don't think so much. You have your own life, your own world - that's the most enviable thing. Let's go, I'll send you back."

  Autumn's chill makes him shake his head. Standing there, he refuses to leave.

  Tang sighed and looked at the ice cream in her hand, saying: "From now on, don't eat ice cream anymore. Even if you're not afraid of getting fat, you should worry about toxic substances inside the ice cream - think about it, eating an ice cream is like eating half a pair of Huaming's leather shoes, maybe this will help control your appetite."

  "Although your calves look good, it's better not to wear formal attire if it's not a formal occasion. The weather is very cold now and even colder in winter, if the wind chill enters the body, you may develop chronic illnesses when you're old."

  "Should we go to the water room and get some hot water back to our dorm to drink now? The weather is cold, so we need to drink hot water every day to warm up our bodies. Don't be lazy and buy mineral water to drink, that's easy to upset your stomach."

  "Hanna is a bit vain, but she's not a bad person. You can get along with her or not. Luohuan and Chengpei are both very good girls, kind and simple, and they know how to care about others. They just like to take some small advantages, which is also because they know you're wealthy - this isn't a flaw. Everyone has some minor flaws, you need to learn to tolerate them. Get along well with them. People who are too picky may end up without any friends at all. If you only make friends with two or three people, maybe after many years of graduation, you'll still miss each other."

  "If there's anything you don't understand, feel free to give me a call anytime." Tang Chong said with a smile. "Free consultation."

  He turned around to leave, thought for a moment, and then turned back, instructing: "Also, in the future when looking for a boyfriend - if he doesn't allow you to eat ice cream, don't eat it. Because he's doing it for your own good."

  When the sound of Tang Zhong's footsteps stopped, when his figure completely disappeared in the darkness, when the fine rain turned into beans, and the autumn wind carrying the fragrance of osmanthus hit people's faces with a slapping pain, she still stood there like a homeless bird.

  The ice cream in her hand had melted, and the butter had melted into a sticky mess. But she still couldn't bear to throw it away.

  She stuck out her tongue and licked it once. And then again.

  "Ah----" She burst into tears with a red face.