Zhang Zhentian heard Old Master Zhang speak so firmly and knew immediately that his father was serious. He understood his father more than anyone; if Old Master Zhang said something, he would definitely follow through. Otherwise, he wouldn't have said it at all—wouldn't failing to execute his word be a cause for ridicule?
Watching Old Master Zhang head upstairs without a backward glance after uttering that sentence, Zhang Zhentian felt an unpleasant taste in his heart. He hadn't expected Xia Jing's potential guilt to weigh so heavily in his father's mind. He thought as long as Xia Jing sincerely admitted her wrongdoing, his father would surely forgive her. But to his surprise, Xia Jing's admission and apology resulted in her being tasked to seek forgiveness from Li Haixiao and his daughter, Li Jiayuan. Zhang Zhentian watched his father's retreating figure, unsure of what to do.
Zhang Zhentian was a bit worried. He understood not only his father but also the woman he loved. He knew what kind of person Xia Jing was and realized that it was already difficult for her to admit her mistakes and apologize, let alone to apologize to the very person she had wanted to kill. Zhang Zhentian felt anxious; he feared that if Xia Jing refused to humble herself, his father, true to his nature, might actually banish him from the house forever.
After some thought, Zhang Zhentian decided to go and talk to Xia Jing. He wanted to understand her stance on the matter.
Truthfully, Xia Jing was also conflicted. She was a proud person who refused to admit her mistakes before meeting Zhang Zhentian. Back overseas, Xia Jing had once ordered a hit on someone for the sake of a relative, acting solely for the benefit of a friend. The former Xia Jing would never bow to anyone for any reason, but after meeting Zhang Zhentian, she slowly began to change. Even the reason she had arranged the hit on Li Jiayuan was due to an incident that drove her to lose her rationality because of Zhang Zhentian and Li Jiayuan's involvement.
Early the next morning, Zhang Zhentian left the house without even having breakfast. As he walked, he called Xia Jing to arrange a meeting. He thought it would be easy to persuade her to meet up, but to his surprise, Xia Jing was unwilling to come out.
"Hello, where are you?" Zhang Zhentian asked Xia Jing breathlessly.
"What's the matter?" Xia Jing asked in return.
Zhang Zhentian sensed something off in Xia Jing's tone and persisted in his questioning.
"Where exactly are you? I need to talk to you."
"What does my location have to do with you? If you're looking for me because of the Li Jiayuan matter, then let's not meet. We can talk over the phone," Xia Jing responded directly to Zhang Zhentian.
Zhang Zhentian was still reeling from Xia Jing's decisive response.
Xia Jing, holding her phone and not hearing an answer from Zhang Zhentian, thought he wasn't listening anymore and was ready to hang up after asking him one more question.
"Hello, are you listening? If you're not, I'm going to hang up," Xia Jing said.
Just as Xia Jing finished speaking and was about to hang up, perhaps out of a deep-seated fear of her doing so, Zhang Zhentian answered before the line went dead.
"I'm listening, I'm listening. Tell me where you are and we can discuss it face-to-face, okay?" Zhang Zhentian pleaded with Xia Jing.
Hearing Zhang Zhentian begging her in such a subdued manner, Xia Jing couldn't bring herself to refuse him again. Ultimately, she told Zhang Zhentian where she was.
"Fine, then come find me by the lake. There aren't many people there; I'll wait for you by the lake.
"Alright, alright, just stay where you are and I'll be right there. Wait for me, don't move, you must wait for me," Zhentian said to Xia Jing, ecstatic. He was afraid Xia Jing wouldn't wait for him, afraid that when he got to the lakeside, all he would find was the clear water and not the woman he loved.
Zhentian didn't wait for Xia Jing to reply and hung up the phone right away. He rushed to the parking lot to get his car; he needed to hurry to the lakeside to find Xia Jing, or she might leave if he was late.
Zhentian's driving skills were actually quite impressive. Despite the multitude of vehicles coming and going and the fact that he was speeding, he still managed to dodge them with ease. Under normal circumstances, he would have reached the lakeside quickly at his current speed, but there were traffic lights and traffic to deal with. Zhentian wanted to run the red lights and speed off, but unfortunately, where there were traffic lights, there were also police, so he had to wait obediently in line for the lights to change. He kept checking his watch, watching time slip by every second, and started to grow anxious.
After several traffic light cycles, at the tenth one from the last, Zhentian could no longer wait; he decided to abandon his car and run on foot. He parked in the middle of the road, flung the car door open, and sprinted away, running as if his life depended on it, drenched in sweat, gasping for air, yet he did not stop. During his run, he darted through several more red lights and narrowly avoided accidents. Wasn't he tired from running through all those lights? No, he was indeed exhausted, but when compared to seeing his beloved, he felt happy. By the third-to-last light, he was close to his limit; he desperately wanted to rest, to catch his breath, to drink some water, but he couldn't stop, afraid that if he did, Xia Jing would leave. In the end, even though every step felt like a thousand pounds, he kept going and after running for an entire hour and a half, he finally made it to the lakeside.
"Xia Jing, where are you?" Zhentian called out Xia Jing's name without even catching his breath, but after calling several times, there was no reply, and he panicked.
Dejected, Zhentian squatted on the ground, cradling his head and crying. He blamed himself for being too slow and not arriving in time to see Xia Jing.
Xia Jing slowly walked out from behind Zhentian, without making a sound, so he didn't hear her. She gently tapped Zhentian's shoulder from behind.
"Zhentian." There was no doubt that Xia Jing's call was a huge surprise for Zhentian.
Zhentian heard someone calling him from behind and turned to look; filled with overwhelming joy upon seeing that Xia Jing had not left.
"Xia Jing, you didn't leave, that's wonderful," said Zhentian, pulling Xia Jing's hand excitedly and hugging her tightly to his chest.
Xia Jing was stunned; all this time, Zhentian had only ever held her hand but never hugged her; today was their first embrace.
"Let go. Now that you're here, spit it out. Did you want to see me because of Li Jiayuan?" Xia Jing asked directly.
"Yes, I'm here because of the Li Jiayuan matter, and I also know what my dad said to you. I want to know what you plan to do," Zhentian didn't beat around the bush and asked forthrightly.
"What do you want me to do?" Xia Jing countered with a question of her own.
"Xia Jing, I was hoping you could swallow your pride just once, go apologize to Li Jiayuan, and then all would be settled," Zhentian revealed his thoughts, assuming Xia Jing would agree, but he was disappointed.
"Oh, you want me to apologize? Slap! Zhentian, are you mistaken? You're the one who betrayed me, you're the one who hurt me. It was because of you that I sent Xiao Wei to kill Li Jiayuan. Don't you feel you did anything wrong? What gives you the right to ask me to apologize?" Xia Jing erupted after hearing Zhentian's thoughts and slapped him, leaving Zhentian in stunned silence; he had not expected Xia Jing to resort to violence.
"Xia Jing, have you lost your mind, why resort to hitting? Can't we talk this out properly?" Zhentian shouted at Xia Jing, enraged by the slap.
"Zhentian, I, Xia Jing, am telling you here and now, I will not bow down over this matter, it's impossible. I've knelt before your father to stay with you; what more do you want from me? Do you really expect me to kneel to that old geezer Li Haixiao too? Let me tell you, it will never happen; unless I'm dead, I will never bow down to Li Haixiao," Xia Jing declared and left without looking back, leaving Zhentian dumbstruck and alone.