Chapter 23-Part 3: My enemy kissed me

The next day, she woke up early again, and the driver was already waiting outside the hotel.

This last farm was the furthest, a four-hour drive one way.

If this one wasn’t it, then there was no hope.

Her gaze fell on the name of this farm — Olive Vista Acres.

After a bumpy ride, she finally arrived at this olive farm nestled on a hillside at 11 AM.

The weather today was excellent, with soft, layered white clouds and a very low sky.

A gentle, cool breeze drifted through the valley.

She walked into the farm and said she hoped to pick some olives during this ripening season.

The woman, who was pruning flowers, put down her shears and looked at Tong An’yu.

The wind blew her dark hair, revealing a face with an exquisite oriental beauty.

For some reason, the moment Tong An’yu saw her, she had a strong intuition: she had found her!

The woman walked over, wiped the dust from her hands, and asked her in very hesitant English, “Chinese?”

Tong An’yu’s throat was so tight with nervousness that she couldn’t make a sound, only nodding stiffly.

The woman switched to Chinese: “We don’t offer public picking here, but since you’re Chinese, I can give you some. Come in with me.”

Tong An’yu forgot to say thank thank you, and followed her in with stiff, uncoordinated steps.

The woman poured her and the driver two glasses of clear water; they were not hot, of course.

Tong An’yu gulped one down cleanly before she could speak.

“How should I address you?”

The woman: “My surname is Ming, Ming Zhihui.”

‘What a gentle woman.’

‘He actually has such a gentle mother.’

“How did you find your way here?” Ming Zhihui asked.

“Just, um, driving by, passing through,” Tong An’yu said vaguely, knowing the driver wouldn’t understand anyway.

There were other people working on the farm, and when they passed by, they greeted Ming Zhihui warmly.

It seemed that the interpersonal relationships here were simple, the work pressure wasn’t high, and she was living well.

“It’s rare for Chinese people to come here; I’m so happy to meet you,” Ming Zhihui said with a smile, her eyes sparkling like they held water.

She rolled up her sleeves, washed her hands at the sink, and dried them with a towel; her entire set of movements was very elegant, much like a well-educated young lady from a prominent family.

“How did you come to work here?” Tong An’yu followed her, unable to resist wanting to know more.

Ming Zhihui seemed to have not chatted with a fellow countryman in a long time; she felt very close to Tong An’yu and thus spoke without reservation.

“I used to live in San Francisco city, but some things happened at home, and the city’s expenses were too high, so I asked my neighbor to help me find a job, which is here.”

‘Neighbor.’

‘The Indian family who cooked curry.’

“Then… what about your family?” Tong An’yu asked.

“In China,” Ming Zhihui said.

“Why don’t you go back to China?”

“I… I can’t go back for now.”

Ming Zhihui was almost completely unguarded with her, so Tong An’yu slowly, bit by bit, drew out Lin Huaixu’s past and the reason Ming Zhihui couldn’t return to China.

Ming Zhihui was born in Hai City and indeed received a good education; both her parents were teachers and had very strict expectations for her.

She met her husband, the top scorer in the gaokao from a small town, in college.

At that time, her husband pursued her passionately, and Ming Zhihui, who had never been in a relationship under her parents’ strict supervision, quickly fell for him.

However, her parents forbade her from being with him because his family background was not in the same social class as hers.

To break them up, Ming’s parents tried various methods, but Ming Zhihui was a kind and gentle person and refused to abandon her devoted husband.

And her husband, too, was a remarkably flexible character, not minding his in-laws’ disdain and mockery.

They still got married; it was a campus romance, beautiful and romantic.

The second year of their marriage, Ming Zhihui became pregnant and stayed home awaiting childbirth.

At this time, her husband was no longer the poor young man he had been years ago.

He and his college friends had started a successful business, earning ten million yuan that year.

Ten million was not a small sum; with this money, Ming Zhihui moved into a very good house in Hai City, much better than her parents’ old, dilapidated small one.

After the child was born, Ming Zhihui left him with her parents to raise, while she continued her stable civil service job.

At the same time, her husband’s business thrived, earning more and more.

Her salary became negligible to the family.

Until their child was six, her husband demanded she stay home and focus on tutoring the child, not wanting the grandparents to instill outdated ideas and spoil the child.

It was then that Ming Zhihui realized his years of resentment were finally undisguised.

He hated how Ming’s parents had looked down on him back then, so when he gained power, his first instinct was revenge.

He practically forced Ming Zhihui to choose between her parents and him.

Ming Zhihui didn’t want to choose, so she decided to divorce.

Her husband refused, and then began to treat her roughly, occasionally affecting their child.

Even more absurdly, her parents also disagreed with her divorce.

Because her husband was already a successful man, and successful men always had bad tempers, many social engagements, and were careless, and as a rich wife, she absolutely had to secure her position and not make things easy for other women.

Moreover, there was also the child.

Ming Zhihui was in great pain but had nowhere to seek help; her parents even became obsequious towards her husband.

Her husband provided jobs for the Ming family, giving them great face.

They seemed to have twisted into a single rope, jointly restraining, criticizing, and educating the restless Ming Zhihui.

And Ming Zhihui, who had been restrained since childhood, was accustomed to endurance and sacrifice.

She silently endured for twelve years, for her parents and for her child.

She suffered from insomnia, drastic weight loss, and suicidal tendencies, all while having to play the role of a perfect wife in front of outsiders.

She thought her life would be like this forever, and then her son, who had just turned eighteen, said: “I’ll find a way to help you escape. Escape from my dad, escape from grandpa and grandma, and escape from me too. You’ve already given enough.”

She froze, then slowly realized that she had indeed given enough, to everyone.

Tong An’yu suddenly felt a pang of heartache, for Ming Zhihui, and also for Lin Huaixu.

‘How natural it was to enjoy parental love. What was it like when he pushed it away with his own hands?’

Ming Zhihui said, “He said he was also a burden to me, constantly draining my life. Perhaps, but I still miss him very much.”

“I am an incompetent mother, with a diploma from a prestigious university but no work ability, no career achievements. I can’t provide him with any assistance or resources, yet I expect him to defy his successful father for my sake.”

“Actually, after his father went bankrupt, I felt a sense of relief. This way, my parents wouldn’t curse me for wanting a divorce or criticize me for not being ambitious enough.”

“But thinking this way, I feel very sorry for him. He had to interrupt his studies, lost his privileged life, and has had a very tough time.”

“If it were me, I would make the same choice as him,” Tong An’yu suddenly said.

Ming Zhihui was stunned.

“You are not incompetent; you have simply sacrificed too much for others. And he stands by you because, even growing up in such a family environment, he still became a very good person who can distinguish right from wrong. Moreover, he believes that no matter what circumstances he is in, even if he temporarily falls to rock bottom, he can stand up by his own strength. He will definitely succeed.”

Ming Zhihui took Tong An’yu’s hand: “Thank you, my dear.”

Too much time had passed; it was already dusk, and the driver began to urge them.

Tong An’yu anxiously asked, “Is there any wine I can buy here?”

Ming Zhihui shook her head: “We’re not a winery, so we don’t sell wine. But I have some homemade ice wine; it’s not made with traditional methods, I froze it myself. If you like it, take some.”

Tong An’yu held a small bottle of ice wine and got into the car returning to the city.

She was reluctant to leave, turning back frequently.

Ming Zhihui stood on the hillside, gazing far into the distance, waving goodbye in the sunset, as beautiful as a painting.

Monday was almost over.

Lin Huaixu hadn’t received Tong An’yu’s cat pictures, nor had he seen her drinking milk tea in the library.

He felt extremely uncomfortable.

He typed, deleted, typed, deleted in the WeChat chat box repeatedly, finally slamming his phone down.

‘This was just his discomfort; he had no right to interfere with Tong An’yu’s freedom.’

On Tuesday, Tong An’yu still hadn’t sent a message.

As he was heading to the College of Science building to finalize his major transfer, he overheard a math professor complaining on the phone.

– “She just started her thesis, and the student’s already disappeared without a trace. What kind of attitude is that? How’s your class advisor handling it?”

– “She didn’t ask for any leave at all. Out of three students, she’s the only one missing, and I can’t reach her by phone.”

– “I don’t care what her family background is, or what kind of doctoral supervisor her mother is at our school. This matter must be handled seriously. If she’s not here this afternoon, she doesn’t need to do her graduation project with me!”

– “What, she knows Dean Ji too?”

Lin Huaixu’s steps halted, a subtle stir in his heart.

He stood there, waiting for the professor to finish his call, then asked, “Professor, is that student named Tong An’yu?”

The professor looked at him suspiciously: “How do you know?”

Lin Huaixu took a deep breath, then said calmly, “Apologies, Professor. I pulled her into a modeling competition before, and the finals required an in-person defense. I was supposed to go, but I had something come up at the last minute, so I left it to her. I didn’t realize she was so busy with graduation.”

The professor angrily said, “You didn’t know she was busy, and she didn’t tell me either? What time is it now? Everyone else is actively communicating with me, only she can’t prioritize!”

Lin Huaixu: “She said she was going to see her advisor. I didn’t think much of it and delayed her time. I also apologize for causing you trouble.”

“Alright, you can go. Tell her to come back as soon as she’s done with the defense.”

Lin Huaixu’s humble attitude promptly eased the professor’s mood, and he didn’t make things difficult for him.

Lin Huaixu left the College of Science and immediately called Tong An’yu.

As expected, it didn’t go through.

He frowned, left her a WeChat message, but still got no reply.

That night, Lin Huaixu waited outside dormitory building number 15 until 9 PM, and sure enough, Zhu Yan returned from class.

He stopped Zhu Yan: “Do you know where Tong An’yu is?”

Zhu Yan saw him, her mouth agape in surprise, and after a moment, she said, “She said she went home for a few days.”

Lin Huaixu: “Her phone’s unreachable, and she hasn’t replied to WeChat.”

Zhu Yan was stunned: “Eh, really?”

Lin Huaixu shook his head: “It’s fine. Thank you.”

‘It seemed her roommate didn’t know much either.’

Lin Huaixu hadn’t been this agitated in a long time.

Her sudden disappearance, inability to be contacted, and vanishing so easily from his side left him completely helpless.

He even thought of hacking into Tong An’yu’s phone to track her location.

But at the critical moment, he held back.

Her roommate said she went home, so she was most likely with her family.

What right did he have to invade her privacy then?

Tong An’yu was currently on a plane flying back to Jing City from San Francisco, completely unaware of the professor’s anger, Lin Huaixu’s anxiety, her roommate’s confusion, or her class advisor’s reproaches.

She slept exceptionally soundly throughout the journey; the days of travel and upheaval had drained too much of her energy.

Fortunately, she made it back in time.

It was already 10 PM when Tong An’yu landed at the Capital Airport.

Opening her phone, she was stunned.

Her phone was practically drowning in messages—from her class advisor, her professor, her parents, her brother, her roommates, and Lin Huaixu.

“Did I violate a heavenly rule?” she murmured.

Her scalp tingled.

Hugging the bottle of ice wine, she walked out, explaining everything from beginning to end on the phone.

– “Mom, I bought a plane ticket and played for a few days. Nothing happened, I just got back.”

– “Dad, please don’t be angry. I just had a sudden whim…”

– “Brother, my dear brother, I beg you, please, help me persuade Mom and Dad…”

– “Teacher, my fault, my fault. I was just on the plane. I called you as soon as I saw your message. Huh? Modeling defense? Yes, yes, yes, I went for the defense.”

– “Zhu Yan, I’m back. I’m heading to the dorms right now.”

……

She explained until her mouth was dry and her tongue was parched, finally managing to handle each person one by one.

And… Lin Huaixu.

What was wrong with him?

Why did he make five calls and leave a long string of WeChat messages?

She only missed going to the library for one day on Monday, didn’t she?

But it was perfect; tomorrow was his birthday, and she had to give him the gift tonight.

Lin Huaixu would definitely be super surprised when he drank this ice wine!

Maybe he’d even be willing to date her!

She dialed him back: “Hello—”

Before she could utter a second word, Lin Huaixu immediately asked, “Where are you?”

Tong An’yu didn’t answer, saying mysteriously, “I’ll be at school soon. Do you want to sign a pass for the dorm auntie and risk getting points deducted to welcome Little Tong?”

Lin Huaixu’s breathing was heavy, seemingly calming his emotions.

After a moment, he said, “I’ll wait for you at the South Gate.”

‘That easy?’

‘She had prepared several good excuses.’

The taxi drove for over an hour, dropping Tong An’yu off at T University’s South Gate.

It was already 11:45 PM.

From afar, she saw a tall, slender figure standing outside the school gate, casting a long shadow under the pale lamplight.

The nearby shops were closed, and no students were entering or exiting, making the solemn school gate seem particularly desolate.

“Here! You can stop here!”

Tong An’yu quickly paid the fare, grabbed her backpack, hugged the ice wine, and ran out of the car.

Her cheeks were flushed, all her fatigue was swept away, and a smile involuntarily bloomed on her lips.

“Lin Huaixu!”

Lin Huaixu looked up and saw her; only then did the tight string inside him completely relax.

Unbeknownst to him, she had already become so important that a single day without seeing her made him toss and turn, unable to rest.

But she was still so happy, completely unaware.

“Why did you come to the South Gate? Did you eat too much tonight and want to take a walk?”

“Or… did you intentionally come to pick me up?”

Tong An’yu walked slowly towards him, her hands behind her back, one backpack strap dangling from her arm, teasing him playfully.

If she weren’t so oblivious, she would have noticed that Lin Huaixu’s emotions were very strange right now, not calm at all.

His indifferent eyes seemed to want to bore through her.

“Where did you go?”

“Hehe, it’s a secret.” She still kept her hands behind her back.

Lin Huaixu slowly nodded, his fringe blowing in the night breeze, a faint redness surfacing in his eyes.

“So no more cat pictures, you don’t tell me when you don’t go to the library, you don’t pick up my calls, and you can ignore my WeChat messages.”

“Huh?”

‘Why did his tone sound so strange? But it was only Monday, at most today, but she came back tonight.’

“You told your roommate you went home, but what about me? Why didn’t you tell me?” Lin Huaixu pressed closer to her, finding her carefree demeanor truly infuriating.

Tong An’yu was bewildered, her grip on the ice wine bottle so tight it made her hand sweat.

“You, you’re not my roommate.”

‘Besides, if she told him, what kind of surprise would it be?’

“How can you tell me, how can I know your whereabouts, how can you not disappear without a trace?”

“Lin—”

“Is this okay?” Saying this, Lin Huaixu cupped the back of her neck, not allowing her to retreat a step, then lowered his eyelashes, and bent down to bite her lips.

Her lips were as soft as he imagined, carrying the faint fragrance of Nile Garden.

Moonlight fell upon her cheeks, as clear and white as porcelain.

As her boyfriend, he now had the right to cross boundaries.