My Alleged Husband

Chapter 36: Chapter 36: Escaping Again_1

Zhang Zhentian felt helpless about Xia Jing’s departure; he really couldn’t understand her anymore. They’d argue at the slightest provocation, and if something was not done right, Xia Jing would leave him. If he said one wrong word, Xia Jing would get angry...

With no other choice, Zhang Zhentian squatted down, hugged his head, and sobbed softly.

Xia Jing was preparing to walk back to the hotel where she was staying. On her way back, the two people whom Zhang Zhentian had scolded stopped her. They said to Xia Jing, ”Sister, how could you treat that big brother like that just now?”

Xia Jing was shocked by the two people’s actions and retorted, ”Little sister, are you mistaken? That gentleman just scolded you two, and you’re not angry with him, yet now you’re speaking up for him? Besides, what does my argument with that gentleman have to do with you?”

Xia Jing’s eloquence was truly frightening, leaving the two of them so startled that they didn’t know how to respond.

One of the bystanders regained composure and hurriedly said to Xia Jing, ”Sister, please don’t misunderstand, I didn’t mean anything else. I just feel that the big brother from earlier seems too pitiful.”

When Xia Jing heard the bystander say Zhang Zhentian was pitiful, she laughed coldly, ”Ha ha ha ha, he’s pitiful? You actually say he’s pitiful. Do you know how overboard the things he said to me before were? I even think that how I treated him was letting him off easy.”

The bystander couldn’t stand hearing any more and shouted at Xia Jing, ”I call you sister as a sign of respect. Let me say it again, I have no other intentions in approaching you. I just want to tell you how long that big brother has been waiting here for you, nothing more.”

The more Xia Jing heard the bystander saying this, the funnier she found it, ”How long he has been waiting for me here is none of my business. What does it have to do with me?”

”Sister, he has been waiting here for you for a day and a night. He started waiting from yesterday and hasn’t stopped until now. Didn’t you notice how pale his face was? He hasn’t had a sip of water or a bite of food for a whole day and night. He hasn’t taken a single step away from this spot, and even today when we were wondering if he was out of his mind, he didn’t get mad at us. I admit that we were wrong today, but to wait for you, he was willing to risk his life. How could you bear to hurt him like this?” The bystander couldn’t help it anymore and, grabbing Xia Jing’s hand, said to her, ”Sister, I really don’t know what happened between you and that big brother before, but all I can say is that you should cherish what you have while you still can. Don’t wait until it’s lost to regret it. It’s not easy to meet someone who truly loves you in a lifetime. No matter what that big brother has said to you, I believe those words weren’t truly from his heart. He might have been provoked into saying those harsh words...”

Xia Jing was stunned by the bystander’s words. She had always thought that she would never be the one who was late, but she had miscalculated. She had always believed Zhang Zhentian would certainly be late, but she was wrong. She had always thought that Zhang Zhentian would not risk his life for her, but she had never imagined he could love her so much...

The bystander looked at the half-stunned Xia Jing and sighed softly, ”Sister, think it over. Maybe one day, you’ll find what I’ve said makes sense.”

The bystander walked away after speaking to Xia Jing, not waiting for her to respond. Xia Jing stood in place for a long time, the words ”That big brother has been waiting here for you for a day and a night, without eating a bite of food, without drinking a sip of water, without moving half a step...” echoed in her head over and over. She was so absorbed in those words that it took her a long while to snap out of it. Passersby thought she was foolish for standing there motionless. By the time she came back to her senses, the sky had already grown dark. In the end, she walked back to the hotel step by step.

Xia Jing returned to the hostel where she was staying, and as she thought back to the words she had said to Zhang Zhentian today, she felt very conflicted. As soon as she entered, she collapsed onto the floor, feeling an immense pain in her heart.

”Could it really be that I’ve misunderstood Zhang Zhentian this time? Could it really be that I’m the one who’s wrong? If what both of them said is true, then haven’t I wronged Zhentian unjustly? Oh God, how could things have developed to this point? What am I supposed to do?” Xia Jing burst into tears in her room, her sobs heart-wrenching. After quite some time, Xia Jing slowly stood up, staggered to the bathroom to freshen up, and then lay in bed, replaying the words she had said to Zhang Zhentian today. Xia Jing tossed and turned, unable to sleep. At the same time, Zhang Zhentian, just like Xia Jing, collapsed onto his bed as soon as he got to where he was staying and couldn’t fall asleep for a long time. He was thinking about the words Xia Jing had said to him today and suddenly felt that Xia Jing was even more stubborn than he had imagined.

Zhang Zhentian thought, ”Maybe I really was too narrow-minded. I’ll look for her and explain things once Xia Jing has calmed down.”

Zhang Zhentian felt his decision wasn’t bad at all, and he planned to apologize once Xia Jing was no longer angry, believing she would then forgive him. But how could he have known that Xia Jing’s thoughts were actually going in a completely different direction?

After much thought, Xia Jing ultimately decided to leave again, and once she made up her mind, she immediately booked a flight to the United States.

When the aircraft to the United States took off, Zhang Zhentian was still in a deep sleep. He dreamed that Xia Jing had forgiven him, dreaming that they were holding a wedding ceremony on a boundless grassland. In his sleep, a faint smile lingered on Zhang Zhentian’s lips, but how could he know that the outcome upon waking would be so hard for him to accept?

When Xia Jing arrived in the United States, it was just starting to get light. She found a place to stay and then sent an email to Zhang Zhentian: ”Zhentian, I am truly sorry. I’ve thought about it for a long time and still don’t know how to tell you. I lack the courage to face you, so I can only use this way to inform you. I apologize, Zhentian, forgive me for leaving without saying goodbye. You know that I am very proud by nature and you also know what my temper is like. You know that even if I do something wrong, I hardly ever apologize. I wronged you this time. After I left yesterday and was on my way home, I met those two people you scolded. I’ve learned that you waited for me in Cambridge for a day and a night, during which you never left, didn’t eat, and didn’t even drink water. Do you know how much that pained me when I heard it? You would risk your life for me, yet I accused you of being petty. It must have been unbearable for you too, right? I’m sorry, I don’t know how to face you, so I could only choose to leave. This time I leave, I hope you won’t come looking for me. Besides, the world is so big, you wouldn’t find me anyway. Zhentian, do you realize that our misunderstanding originated from the incident with Li Jiayuan? I want to tell you, that day I came to your home not to avoid apologizing. I wanted you to accompany me to apologize to Li Jiayuan. But you lost your temper at me without seeing the whole picture, and I was so upset at that moment that I decided to leave. I’ve never imagined that you would speak to me like that. I hope my departure this time will give you the chance to calm down and really think things through. Once you have, I’ll come back, and I will also reflect on my own behavior. Stop making uncle worry about you!”

Zhang Zhentian thought the sound from his phone was just the alarm he had set and turned it off without looking, and when he woke up naturally, it was almost afternoon. He sleepily unlocked his phone, which directly opened the mailbox. He clicked on the email and was instantly stunned.

After reading the email from Xia Jing, he secretly made a resolution in his heart: ”I must not let Xia Jing down; otherwise, it will really be too late to go back.”

He replied to Xia Jing’s email: ”Xia Jing, rest assured, I will definitely not disappoint dad or you this time. I’ll go back home and wait for your return. You must remember to come back; the day you return will be the day we get married!”

Xia Jing, moved by Zhang Zhentian’s message, promised to return: ”Zhentian, once you have thought everything through, I will come back.”

After reading it, Zhang Zhentian turned off his phone. He lay back on his bed, gently closed his eyes, and a tear sparkled as it slid down his cheek.