The Little Brat's Sweet And Sassy

Chapter 673 - I’m Sorry

Chapter 673 I’m Sorry

The night was getting darker and darker. The headlights on the car seemed to tear a hole in the cold night.

Ning Li stood by the floor-to-ceiling window and watched this scene quietly.

She took a light breath. From her nasal cavity to her trachea, then to her chest and heart, there was an oppressive pain that almost made her shudder.

After a while, her cold limbs gradually warmed up and she finally seemed to have regained some consciousness.

Then, she turned around and went downstairs again.

Lu Huaiyu was talking on the phone as he sat in the car.

“Well, we’ll take her to Lincheng.”

Knock, knock.

Lu Huaiyu looked up and saw Ning Li standing outside the window.

He ended the phone call, then pushed the door open and got out of the car.

“Ah Li?”

Ning Li shook her head.

“Second Brother, you should go back first.”

Lu Huaiyu turned around. Seeing the cars parked in sequence behind them, how could he not guess her thoughts?

He withdrew his gaze and looked down at her. His gaze swept across her face carefully.

In fact, ever since she received the call, she had barely said anything. Even her emotions had rarely been revealed.

Perhaps it was because everything had happened so suddenly that she had yet to react.

Just as he was about to speak, his gaze met her eyes which caused him to pause.

After a moment, he gave in and nodded.

“Okay.”

The black Bentley turned around and drove out first.

Then, Ning Li came to the car of Old Master Gu and the others.

Upon seeing her, Old Madam Gu hurriedly said,

“Why did Ah Li come down again?”

Ning Li saw that her eyes were still red.

Both of these people were already quite elderly. Their bodies were probably not able to cope after having traveled so much today, especially Old Madam Gu. Ning Li pursed her lips slightly and said, “The two of you should go back first.”

Afraid that they would refuse, she added on,”Please don’t make me worry, okay?”

As soon as she said this, it worked.

Old Madam Gu was still a little reluctant, so Old Master Gu patted her hand.

“Okay, let’s listen to Ah Li. We’ll come again early tomorrow.”

Old Madam Gu agreed.

Ning Li stepped back and waited for the car to leave before she walked towards the back.

Initially, Gu Tingfeng had been reluctant to leave, but considering that he still had to go back to take care of the two elders, he finally compromised and followed Liang Su back.

Then, it was Gu Tingchuan.

“Second Uncle Gu,” Ning Li called out, “It’s very late, please don’t wait here anymore.”

Gu Tingchuan frowned and said in a deep voice, “I’ve waited for so many years. Waiting one more day isn’t too bad.”

He was a cold and stubborn man. As soon as he said that, Ning Li knew that she could not persuade him anymore.

Instead, she moved on to Gu Tingyun.

However, Gu Tingyun refused to move as well. He looked at the time with a gentle expression on his face, he said, “There’s only a short while left. I don’t mind waiting for a while.”

Finally, it was Gu Tinglan’s turn.

After Gu Siyang had lent Ning Li his car, he had gotten into Gu Tinglan’s car.

“Doctor Gu.”

Gu Tinglan and Gu Siyang were both in the car and looked over at the same time.

Gu Tinglan stared at her for a while before smiling

“Don’t worry, I’ll take Siyang home in a while. There are still some things that need to be arranged in Lincheng.”

Ning Li nodded.

Finally, she came to Shen Zhijin’s car.

He was holding his phone and seemed to be looking at something.

When he heard the sound of movement, he looked up.

Ning Li’s gaze swept across his phone. It seemed to be a photo.

“Teacher Shen.”

Ning Li’s hand tightened slightly.

“The weather is quite cold and your wound hasn’t fully recovered. It’s better if you go home.”

For a long time, Shen Zhijin looked at her silently. Then, he smiled faintly.

His voice was very soft, as if it would be blown away by the wind in this cold winter night at any time.

“Ning Li, I don’t have the right to ask you for anything, but I should have the right to wait for this night.”

Ning Li went upstairs and turned on all the lights in the room.

The bright light filled the entire space until it was almost blinding.

She curled up on the sofa and hugged her knees as she sat, her eyes somewhat out of focus.

Everything in the past kept appearing in front of her eyes.

In her previous life.

In this life.

Grandma, Ning Haizhou, Su Yuan…

Shen Zhijin, Gu Tingyin…

In the end, it was herself.

–Ning Li.

–Tangtang.

She closed her eyes and rested her head on her knees. Her breathing was so light that it seemed like she was about to disappear.

Shen Zhijin waited downstairs.

Gu Tingchuan and Gu Tingyun did the same.

All three cars were silent, as if they were engaged in some kind of invisible confrontation.

Shen Zhijin looked at the phone again.

It was a photo.

That should have been her as a 13-year-old. In the dilapidated and mottled tube-shaped building, the dirty stagnant water had spread out in meandering water stains on the potholed ground. A few potted plants had toppled over, and the leaves drooped listlessly under the sun.

The edges of her t-shirt were ruffled, and her jeans had been washed until they were white.

The dust floated in the sunlight. She lifted her chin slightly, and her indifferent and arrogant gaze seemed to pass through the years, falling heavily on his heart.

As Shen Zhijin stared at the photo for a long time, a sharp pain spread from the depths of his heart, until it felt as if even his internal organs had begun to hurt.

He held the steering wheel tightly with one hand. As he exerted force, blue veins gradually appeared on the back of his hand.

— I have a student who has been writing a thesis that is quite close to your research direction. Would you like to take a look?

— Ah Li is very outstanding. She got a perfect score in the National Physics Competition and is also the top scorer in science in the M Province College Entrance Examination!

— Oh, right, she applied for the Department of Astronomy at Xijing University. I’m sure you will have the chance to meet her.

— That Ning Li? Her parents got divorced, then her father went to prison. Her mother remarried, and she was brought up by her grandmother.

— I heard that she used to earn her living expenses and tuition fees by working part-time.

Shen Zhijin finally could not take it anymore. He bent down slightly, and pain appeared between his handsome and clean eyebrows.

He pressed his forehead against his arm and closed his eyes tightly.

— In the past, my father owed someone his life and those people came to collect the debt. I couldn’t pay them back, but I’ve still managed to live well until now, right?

— Ning Li! Do you really want me to kneel down and beg you to help your brother?! How could you be so cruel?!

— Teacher Shen, does this mean that Senior Brother Yan Qiu and I will be paid equally for our work?

— My birthday is June 26th.

— Thank you, Teacher Shen.

An endless chill invaded from all directions, trapping him tightly until he was unable to break free.

He thought of what she had said and how she had been alone that day, surrounded by so many people. He thought of the letter that she had torn apart and thrown into the trash can, and the steel pipe that had been used to smash at her.

Shen Zhijin’s body trembled violently, and the pain almost tore him apart.

The cold watch pressed against his forehead, and it hurt.

How could it hurt so much?

How could it hurt so much?

A low, hoarse voice sounded in the car.

“I’m sorry… Yinyin… I’m sorry… Tangtang… I’m sorry…”

He repeated it again and again.

The lights in Ning Li’s building were left on the whole night, from the darkness till dawn.

When the early morning came, several cars arrived downstairs to wait.

Ning Li got up from the sofa and washed up briefly.

She stared at herself in the mirror for a long time before she carried her backpack and went downstairs.

Just like yesterday, she chose to drive herself.

Half an hour later, the group arrived at the identification center.

Sang Yuan was already waiting with a sealed document bag in his hand.

That was the result of the paternity test for Ning Li and Shen Zhijin.