Chapter 131 The Person in Zhang Xiluo's Heart

"Dad, Mom, can you please hear me out?" Zhang Xiluo raised her voice slightly, though she didn't dare to be too loud. Her father and mother both looked at her. She took a deep breath. "Ouyang Chen and I are not together. He did say he wanted to be with me, but his mother came to see me and forbade me from ruining her son."

Zhang Xiluo finished it all in one breath, then paused to take two deep breaths before recovering. "I rejected him. I don't want my presence to cause friction between him and his family."

"That makes sense. As long as you don't get back together with that scoundrel Li Mingye, your father is willing to accept even marrying a poor boy." Zhang Father had only one condition: she must not continue to entangle herself with Li Mingye.

Zhang Mother thought more deeply about the matter. With a perceptive heart, she could tell that Ouyang Chen's feelings for Zhang Xiluo were genuine. "Ouyang Chen isn't a bad choice either, but ultimately it depends on Luoluo's own decision. In any case, you must never have any further ties with that man; he ruined your entire life."

Zhang Father hurriedly tugged at her clothes, and Zhang Mother caught herself, stopping the sentence.

They had always thought Zhang Xiluo didn't know that, due to that past trauma, it would be extremely difficult for her to conceive. But in truth, she had known for a long time.

Feigning ignorance of her father's subtle gesture, she stretched lazily. "Whether it's Ouyang Chen or Li Mingye, I want neither. Don't worry, I will definitely find myself a golden bachelor and bring him back. I'm a bit tired, so I'm going back to my room."

Back in her room, Zhang Xiluo checked the injury on her back and refrained from taking a shower. She changed into her pajamas, lay down on the bed, and started browsing her phone.

First, she received a message from Designer Ye, who had completed the first phase of revisions on the blueprint and sent it over for Zhang Xiluo's confirmation.

After reviewing it, she replied to Designer Ye, "There are no issues at all so far. It's good to go."

"Alright."

Designer Ye did not waste a single extra word, vanishing automatically as soon as business matters were concluded.

Zhang Xiluo scrolled through her phone until her eyes grew too heavy to keep open. She put the phone aside and fell asleep.

Early the next morning, Zhang Father had already left for the company, while Zhang Mother waited for her to have breakfast together.

"Your father and I talked all night. We were thinking that if things really come to a dead end, we can just wind up our business in Longcheng and develop somewhere else. The situation here is getting more and more complicated; with so many people fighting over such a small piece of meat, eventually some won't get anything to eat."

"Even so, isn't it a bit too hasty? If both you and Dad think it's feasible, then I have no objections. But if you're doing this purely for my sake, it will only make me feel burdened. Mom, I will take care of myself."

"Silly girl, we only have one daughter like you. What burden are you talking about? Everything we have will eventually be yours anyway," Zhang Mother said with a feigned tone of reprimand. "Alright, enough talk for now. Let's eat."

After finishing breakfast with her mother, Zhang Xiluo planned to go out for a stroll. Before they could even step out the door, Zhang Mother received a call from Zhang Father.

"Luoluo, your dad needs me for something. I'll head to the company first."

"Okay, then I'll wait for you at home."

After seeing her mother off, Zhang Xiluo returned to her room. Feeling bored after playing on her phone for a while, she went to the study. Taking out her art supplies, she intended to do a sketch. She closed her eyes for a moment, and a face she held in her heart floated into her mind.

She opened her eyes, picked up her pen, and drew with complete concentration.

It wasn't until three o'clock in the afternoon that she finally finished. The moment she put down her pen, she was dumbfounded.

Staring back at her from the paper was unmistakably the face of Li Mingye—that high-bridged nose, those deep, unfathomable eyes, and that gaze that looked down on everything in the world... The person deep in her heart was still Li Mingye.

Panicking, Zhang Xiluo quickly grabbed a fresh sheet of paper and pressed it over the drawing. The face she had intended to draw before she started wasn't supposed to be like this! How on earth had it turned into Li Mingye?

It was terrifying.

She must have been traumatized by him that night!

Packing up her things, Zhang Xiluo left the study. Her mother would be at the company all day and had to attend a business dinner with her father that evening.

Zhang Xiluo grabbed some light food for herself, had Xiao Zhao come to pick her up, and headed to the mall.

Jiang Xueting's baby's full-month celebration was approaching, and besides a cash gift, she needed to prepare something special for the little one.

Looking at the dazzling array of children's toys, Zhang Xiluo couldn't help curving her lips into a smile. She wanted to buy every single one she saw, but ultimately followed the salesperson's advice and picked out several items suitable for babies under six months old.

She also bought some clothes and snacks, and repacked a separate batch of toys.

With her hands full of shopping bags, Zhang Xiluo stepped onto the escalator to go down. As she reached the third floor, she vaguely caught sight of Mu Changjia sitting in a cafe with someone. Just as she tried to look closer, the escalator had already carried her past.

She must have seen wrong. Mu Changjia was still lying in the intensive care unit demanding accountability; how could he possibly be running around a mall drinking coffee with someone?

"Miss, why didn't you call me to come up and help you carry these?" Spotting her, Xiao Zhao quickly got out of the car to take the bags from her hands as the trunk popped open automatically. "Is there anything here that shouldn't go in the trunk?"

Zhang Xiluo smiled. "I'm much stronger than before. A few shopping bags won't wear me out."

She placed a large majority of the items on the left side and instructed Xiao Zhao, "These are for your child. You must accept them; this is an order, not a request."

In her past life, she hadn't lived to see Xiao Zhao settle down and start a family; she had only witnessed his family completely torn apart. Reborn once, she had altered the course of his life, and she hoped he could find greater happiness.

Everything she did was a way of repaying him for standing by her unwaveringly during the final moments of her life.

"Thank you, Miss."

Deeply moved, Xiao Zhao kept repeating his thanks.

"Alright, drive me home." Zhang Xiluo got into the car, stretched her wrists a little, and took out her phone just in time to see an incoming call from Xu Xinyi.

"Luoluo, can you come to my place? Right now." Xu Xinyi's voice was heavy with low spirits.

"Okay, I'm heading over right now. Hang on, Xinyi." Growing somewhat worried, Zhang Xiluo tried to find a topic to keep her talking. "I just bought some toys at the mall. Do you think Xueting's son will like them?"

Distracted and absent-minded, Xu Xinyi seemed not to hear her at all. "Luoluo, just come straight in when you get here. I'm in my bedroom. I'm hanging up now."

"Xinyi..."

Hearing the click of the disconnect, a wave of anxiety washed over Zhang Xiluo. She urged Xiao Zhao to drive faster.

Arriving downstairs at Xu Xinyi's building, Zhang Xiluo didn't wait for the car to come to a complete stop before pushing the door open and stepping out. "Xiao Zhao, you go on back first. Take the things to your place for now."

"Miss, be careful."

Without replying, Zhang Xiluo sprinted all the way to Xu Xinyi's front door, punched in the passcode, and pushed it open.

The apartment was pitch dark, with every single curtain drawn shut. A strange odor lingered in the air... A jolt of panic struck Zhang Xiluo's heart as she rushed upstairs.

"Xinyi!"

Throwing open the bedroom door, Zhang Xiluo saw Xu Xinyi sitting on the bed, wrapped entirely in a quilt with only her face exposed, her gaze vacant and lifeless.

Zhang Xiluo was utterly terrified. The person before her bore no resemblance to the Xu Xinyi she knew.