Second Night in Capital City (1)
In one swift movement, Gu Yancheng picked Lu Qixin up in his arms. He gave Ye Tianxin, who was standing to the side, a fleeting glance before lowering his head to console Lu Qinxin in a gentle voice.
"Qinxin, does it hurt badly? Don't be scared. I'm going to take you to the hospital."
All Gu Yancheng cared about at that moment was Lu Qinxin's slightly swollen ankle. He hadn't even noticed what kind of person Ye Tianxin was.
After he walked away a few steps, he seemed to remember Ye Tianxin and, standing at a distance of about three meters from her, said emotionlessly, "Sorry."
Gu Yancheng and Lu Qinxin then left the scene.
Ye Tianxin's heart sank to the lowest depths.
In her past life, she'd always assumed that the reason why Gu Yancheng treated her so coldly was because she wasn't good enough for him.
It wasn't until now, after she'd stepped back from the situation and looked at it from an outsider's perspective, that she finally realized without a doubt in her mind that the reason why he had treated her like that wasn't because she wasn't good enough...
It was because he wasn't in love with her.
He had done all those things to her in her past life because he wasn't in love with her.
Ye Tianxin laughed bitterly at her own foolishness and naivety. She turned around and started walking in the direction of the bookshop.
She and Gu Yancheng were like travelers on parallel paths, walking away from each other in opposite directions.
Back at the bookshop, she saw her grandmother chatting with Madam Du.
"Tianxin, how was it?"
When she saw Ye Tianxin enter the bookshop, Grandma anxiously walked toward her.
Helping her grandmother to the rocking chair, Ye Tianxin replied,
Grandma was very uneasy at the thought of having to stay in Capital City for three more days.
However, mindful that this was about Ye Tianxin's life, she decided that she should bear it for her granddaughter's sake.
Although Madam Du had kindly allowed her and her grandmother to stay in the bookshop the night before, Ye Tianxin felt that they should look for a place to stay that afternoon. She'd feel terrible if they inconvenienced Madam Du any further.
"Auntie Du, thank you for being so kind and letting us stay here last night. In a short while, I'm going to go out and look for another place to stay."
Madam Du smiled warmly, her slender brows perfectly complementing her dazzling eyes. She was as graceful as a beautiful orchid.
Madam Du was in her early forties, but her face was exquisitely made-up, and she looked great. However, her side profile was especially attractive.
"You don't need to go look for a place to stay. Coincidentally, in the near future, I'm going to have to go away to attend to some matters, so you guys should just stay here at the bookshop on a temporary basis!"
Madam Du got up from her seat and led Ye Tianxin and her grandmother to the yard at the back of the bookshop.
It was only when they got to the backyard that Ye Tianxin discovered, actually… there was a whole other space back there.
Madam Du was undoubtedly a woman who loved and lived life passionately. She opened the connecting door between the bookshop and the backyard, presenting to them a small garden of flowering plants, shrubs, and trees.
Since it was spring, the flowering plants constantly gave off the fragrance of spring.
Located at the back of the shop was a small double-story house.
Perhaps because it hadn't been lived in for a long period of time, the little house looked a little dilapidated.
"Tianxin, you and your grandmother would need to tidy this place up and make it liveable. And, if you want to cook your own meals, you might need to buy some kitchenware."
Liking the place at first sight, Ye Tianxin looked with delight at Madam Du, "Thank you, Auntie Du."
"There's no need to thank me. If you were not here, I would have to close the bookshop every time I need to go away on business. Don't even think about paying me rent. I also won't pay you a salary."
Ye Tianxin was moved to tears. As a visitor in a strange city, she felt very blessed to have met such a kind person.
Madam Du's kindness filled Ye Tianxin's heart with warmth, like the balmy spring air….