Chapter 483 It's High Time
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CHAPTER 483
Ye Chaoxiang held Ning Xiaozhi in his arms. It was the only way he felt he could give her assurance and warmth after her phone call.
Feeling that she had stopped crying as only her sniffles could be heard, he pulled himself away but not too far though. He gently brushed the strands of her hair that had stuck to her face due to the tears.
"Listen to me, my love," he said while tilting her head so that her eyes could meet his. "You have to do as your mother says."
"What?" Ning Xiaozhi instantly moved away from him.
She looked him in the eye just like he wanted. All there was on his face was his usual calm and serious expression. She felt a tug in her chest.
"You... You want me to agree with her? Do you want me to get married to someone else? But you just said you would not let that happen? Are you going back on your words now?" Her eyes shook as she questioned him.
"No... Darling, it is not what I was trying to say," Ye Chaoxiang quickly rid her of the doubt slowly creeping into her mind. He pulled back into his arms and held her as tight so that she could not slip away from him again.
"What I am trying to say is that you... No, on mean we should listen to your mother and go back to your home. Not to let you get married to anyone, play?"
"But I don't want to go back. What if... What if she locks me up in a room a-and then cooks up a lie to tell you?"
"Well, thank you for the heads up now. I will take note to be careful with what she tells me when ever you and I are separated," Ye Chaoxiang shrugged.
"But–"
"Ssh," he silenced her with a finger on her lips. "Do not think too much about it. And yes, we should go. It is high time I met the parents of the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with," he said.
Ning Xiaozhi was no words to refute him. She knew that this day would come. But the thing was that she had not yet prepared herself for it.
"I promise that nothing... nothing she or anyone says or their decision would break us apart. He place aigh kiss on her forehead before hugging her.
"You trust me, right?" he asked.
"Hmm. With all my heart and life," Ning Xiaozhi nodded a reply.
"Then, that is all that we need... Come on. We should go inside before the others start getting too worried and it is cold out here."
<Inside the house>
"I wonder what is taking them so long. Or is something wrong with Xiaozhi?" Yi Changying could not help but voice out her worry.
It has been over half an hour winds Ning Xiaozhi had been gone to make that phone call. Then with Ye Chaoxiang gone for more ten minutes, it was something to get worried over.
"Maybe they are– oh there they are," Ye Yumi hinted to the couple walking out of the garden into the living room.
"Xiaozhi... Are you alright?" Bai Renxiang stood up and asked.
On noticing the redness of her eyes and quivering lips, Bai Renxiang quickly went up to her. "Oh my! What's wrong, dear?"
"Renxiang... She called," Ning Xiaozhi moved away from Ye Chaoxiang to get a bear hug from her best friend.
"Who is she? Wha– oh my God," Bai Renxiang gasped. "Don't tell me she is the one you talking about."
"Wuu... I don't want it to be true too but it's the she. And she called for a very bad reason... wuu," Ning Xiaozhi cried more.
"Oh no! Was it that bad?"
"Very bad... Like arranged marriage bad," Ning Xiaozhi said between her sobs.
With the way she was crying and how Bai Renxiang was petting her, one would mistake them for a little girl reporting to her mother, telling her that she got bullied at school.
"What? It is 'that' bad?" Bai Renxiang asked as she made sure to emphasise more on the 'that'.
Ning Xiaozhi nodded as her sobs could not let her speak. Ye Lee Ai and Li Xiaojin were shocked to see one of their aunties cry. But they both knew it was best not to ask right now.
The air around felt gloomy and all. Would instead of staying, they made the excuse of going to their room to play.
"I'll go and make a cup of tea for her. She stayed too long outside," Ye Chaoxiang said before he left.
Without being told, the guys among them followed him into the kitchen. They had already had a non-verbal communication with their brother, Ye Chaoxiang.
They could make out that things were not good. That plus Ning Xiaozhi's crying. So to get things clearer and see what they can do for help, they joined him.
Seeing this, Bai Renxiang led Ning Xiaozhi to one of the couches and sat them down. The other ladies also came to sit beside them.
For a long time they just sat giving their comforting silence and hug to Ning Xiaozhi who was in their midst.
It was until Ye Chaoxiang came with the cup of hot tea and she took a few sip that she able to calm down.
"Do you want to talk more about it now?" Bai Renxiang asked.
"Mm," Ning Xiaozhi nodded once. "My mother... She wants me to travel back home in City Z before the end of next week.
"Why all of a sudden? I thought you said your mother doesn't bother you to go back," Yi Changying asked.
"She has not but that was until now. She wants me to come home because she..." Ning Xiaozhi sniffed. "She wants me to meet with a man she thinks is best for me to get married to."