Deliberately Approaching
Chapter 156: Intuition is Accurate!

Chapter 156: Chapter 156: Intuition is Accurate!

After lunch, Leng Lingxiao appeared in Tang Xiaowan’s bedroom, still wearing a floral shirt with a black suit, his smile both warm and devilishly charming.

Suddenly, she thought he looked so handsome, so dashing, no longer the cheeky, devil-may-care image he usually had.

Tang Xiaowan suspected there was something wrong with her brain, perhaps it had rusted over, or maybe she didn’t rest well last night, reacting slowly; otherwise, why would she be foolishly staring at Leng Lingxiao’s face?

Sharp brows and starry eyes, the corners of his mouth upturned in a smile!

Oh my, what’s going on, how can I use these words to describe Huahua?

Stop, stop, take it back immediately!

"You, are you finished with your work?"

The conversation started amidst her fluster.

The implication in Tang Xiaowan’s words was, have you already seen my grandmother, and have all the supplies been delivered?

"Yep, I just came by to check on you."

Leng Lingxiao’s reply was unsurprisingly bland.

Well then, it’s always just ’by the way,’ ’by the way.’ Can’t he change the script for once!

He looks quite refreshing, but talking...

Tang Xiaowan bit her lip and touched the tip of her nose as she quickly interrupted her own chaotic thoughts.

"Tangtang, what’s wrong with you?"

"What’s wrong, you ask in such a strange way, I’m fine, very fine!"

Leng Lingxiao gave a slight smile and didn’t inquire further.

The habit of touching her nose was something Tang Xiaowan had since she was little.

It was something that Leng Lingxiao was the first to discover.

He knew that whenever Tang Xiaowan got nervous or was scheming something, this little gesture would inevitably appear.

A quick glance and he could tell that this moment belonged to the former.

Actually, after Tang Xiaowan’s memory loss, Leng Lingxiao’s first appearance left a very special impression on her, a kind of inexplicable familiarity.

The medicine given by Li Zishen, she needed to smell it and think it over, afraid to take it, but the one from Leng Lingxiao, she swallowed without a second thought.

She never understood why?

But now that she knew the secret of the ceiling painting, and how her grandmother had lived through this period, she suddenly had an epiphany.

Indeed, Leng Lingxiao was trustworthy.

Just like he once said, that they used to be close friends who’d share everything with each other, even sneaking out to play together.

It’s been 15 years, 15 years, oh my, we’ve actually known each other for 15 years!

I was only five back then, just five!

"Tangtang, why are you looking at me like that, do you really admire me on the inside?"

Tang Xiaowan’s whirlwind of thoughts was interrupted.

Leng Lingxiao’s playful expression and his straightforward question made Tang Xiaowan realize she’d been staring a bit too intently, forgetting the awkwardness of gender differences.

"Admire you? Psh, your face really is thick!"

"Not too bad, comparatively speaking, it’s just a little bit thicker than yours, hahaha."

Tang Xiaowan: "..."

Ah, forget it, no point in arguing with you, considering how you’ve been secretly taking care of my grandmother, I’ll let you off for now.

"By the way, when you came over, were you followed by someone..."

"Li Zishen?"

Okay, busted in one guess!

What on earth do you eat to be so clever?

But it’s good, makes communication easier.

So, Tang Xiaowan nodded, "He didn’t follow you, did he?"

"Follow me? Forget it, with his brain capacity, he’s no match for me; rest assured, right now he’s definitely still in Li Garden... waiting for Bai Long to report back to him."

"Oh, that’s good."

Leng Lingxiao’s lips curled into a slight smirk as he stepped closer to Tang Xiaowan, his eyes harboring a hint of murderous intent, "You... are you very afraid of him?"

Tang Xiaowan rolled her eyes dramatically.

She often showed weakness in front of Li Zihan and mentioned more than once how pitiful she was, being monitored by Li Zishen or put under house arrest.

But that was all just talk, just for him—after all, they were brothers.

Playing the victim could make others let down their guard!

This was one of Tang Xiaowan’s most commonly used tactics after a nighttime attack, as well as a little trick she often played in front of Li Zishen.

Her goal was clear, she wanted to investigate who the mastermind was behind the scenes herself; she didn’t trust Li Zishen.

Unexpectedly, Leng Lingxiao had fallen for it too!

"Nonsense, why would I be afraid of him? I’m not afraid of him at all. It’s just that his man, Bai Long, is too formidable. I have no idea how he trains his bodyguards. You don’t understand, when I was trapped in Li Garden, I couldn’t escape no matter what I tried—it was incredibly frustrating."

The truth was, she had only really escaped twice.

What did she do the rest of the time?

Cause mayhem: whatever was expensive, she smashed; relish in delicious food: whatever was rare, she ate; squander money: she changed dresses and shoes every day and insisted on never wearing the same outfit to a meal twice.

Tang Xiaowan went through such great lengths just to provoke Li Zishen, wanting to see his true colors.

But to her surprise, he accepted it all!

So when it came to fear, how could Tang Xiaowan possibly be afraid?

If she had to pick a moment, it would be just before school started, when Li Zishen cornered her against the wall and forcefully kissed her.

At that time, she was indeed afraid.

Resisting was futile, as she wasn’t strong enough, and it felt like they weren’t on the same level.

In the end, she could only melt into tears.

What Tang Xiaowan didn’t know was that at that hour, Li Zishen was actually more nervous than she was, and afterwards, he was filled with self-reproach and overwhelmed with guilt.

"This time you made it, congratulations!"

As he praised her, Leng Lingxiao clapped for Tang Xiaowan.

His brows and eyes still wore a smile.

"What I want is to be completely free, like, staying in Qingcheng and never going back to Jin City."

"Tangtang, are you saying..."

"Do you think if I stop going to school, Grandma will get angry, thinking I’m wasting my education, learning nothing? And will Li Zishen come to Mei Garden right away to catch me?"

"Just do what you want, don’t think too much. I can lend a hand."

Tang Xiaowan shook her head, "Actually, it’s fine, it’s no big deal. I don’t care, I’m just afraid Grandma will get angry and abandon me."

She sighed softly as she spoke.

"She won’t, Grandma won’t abandon you, not unless there’s an emergency. Even if she leaves without saying goodbye, don’t be scared. Trust Grandma, she’ll take good care of herself, and I’ll wait with you."

"Emergency? Leave without saying goodbye?"

Leng Lingxiao said a lot of reassuring words, but it was as if Tang Xiaowan only heard these few words, feeling a terrible chaos inside.

"Tangtang, I was just speaking hypothetically, don’t get me wrong."

"It’s OK, I didn’t misunderstand, I know."

Tang Xiaowan said with a smile, stepping back as she spoke.

"Tangtang, did you take your morning medicine? How much is left? Is there enough for a week?"

Tang Xiaowan shook her head without answering, and after a big laugh, she suddenly ran out of the bedroom like a madwoman, tears of disappointment streaming from her eyes.

She really trusted her instincts; she just didn’t dare to think further, afraid of the implications.

"Grandma, Grandma..."

"Don’t leave me behind, Grandma!"

"Tangtang, Tangtang!"

Leng Lingxiao quickly gave chase, reacting swiftly.

In the end, he intercepted the fiercely resisting Tang Xiaowan at the corner of the stairs, and with utter helplessness, he knocked her out and held her tightly in his arms.

"Tangtang, I’m sorry, forgive me!"