In this world, there is no such thing as owing or not owing anything to each other, because no one has the obligation to stay with you when you are sad, and no one has the right to impose their wishes on others.
Chen Keren, who was well aware of this, used the word "owe" tonight to restrain a man who was not responsible for her and Chen Kexin.
That man was naturally Lan Xiao, who had a serious face at the moment.
"How do you know this is Aunt Ni Ya's wish?" Lan Xiao still looked unconvinced. He tried his best to suppress his excitement and asked Chen Keren again in a calm and gentle tone.
Chen Keren nodded, exhaled a puff of smoke, and said lightly: "How could I not know what you said?"
Lan Xiao frowned slightly and said nothing.
The corners of Chen Keren's mouth rose slightly, and her brows frowned repeatedly, which betrayed Lan Xiao who was pretending to be calm.
He had always thought that only he and Ni Ya knew about what happened back then. He was still young at that time, but he had already fallen in love with the sweet and lovely Chen Kexin. He still remembered that Chen Kexin was thirteen years old that year, and he was only fifteen years old. The boy's thoughts were not hidden from Ni Ya.
At that time, Lan Xiao didn't know that Ni Ya's life would end suddenly, so he didn't know that the conversation between Ni Ya and him was premeditated.
Lan Xiao still remembers her seriousness at that time. She was someone he loved very much, like a mother to him, and she told him that she wanted to give Ke Xin to him. Lan Xiao's stunned look at that time was still engraved in his mind.
I promised, but I didn't do it.
If he had known that Ni Ya would not live long, Lan Xiao would never have flown to France to learn authentic French cuisine, nor would he have "wandered" from country to country just to learn the dishes of all countries, just to perfect himself, and just to become the best prince in Chen Kexin's heart.
However, not long after he left, the news of Ni Ya's death reached him in Paris. He was only fifteen years old at the time and wanted desperately to return home, but it was no longer up to him.
Later, knowing that Chen Kexin was still as happy as before, he continued to stay overseas. Every day and night, he imagined the beautiful scene of going back to meet her.
However, one month before returning home, she was already preparing to be someone else's bride. He, who was kept in the dark by his family, could not hold her arm in her white wedding dress, could not monopolize her, or even enjoy even a little bit of her beauty.
The day I returned to China was exactly October 1. Watching the long convoy passing by and the rose petals falling all over the sky, he looked like a lonely prince in the distance, and could only look from afar, letting the tears wet his eyes again and again.
It had indeed been too long, so long that when he saw her again, he could hardly recognize her, so long that he no longer had the courage to hug her, so long that he dared not say anything other than polite words to her.
Only gentleness, only the utmost gentleness, made him carefully maintain his memory in her heart.
Looking at Lan Xiao who was lost in his memories, Chen Keren put one hand on his chin and asked with interest, "Do you remember?"
Lan Xiao lowered his head and said nothing.
Chen Keren continued to take a puff of cigarette, and then slowly exhaled smoke, the smoke lingering and then blown away by the sea breeze.
After a long while, Lan Xiao raised his head, gently picked up the champagne on the table, and then tasted it lightly.
He took a sip and looked at Chen Keren. He asked seriously, "How did you know?"
Although he always regretted leaving, he didn't believe that Chen Keren would know about the agreement that even Chen Kexin didn't know about. After all, she was only eleven years old at the time. How could an eleven-year-old child remember these things
Chen Keren had finished her second cigarette. She put it out, turned her head, and looked at the ebb and flow of the tide and the sound of the waves hitting the rocks. It was so lively and comfortable.
She slowly closed her eyes and listened to the sound of the sea quietly, seeming to enjoy it. In just a few tens of seconds, her memory had gone back to that year and that day.
The empty medicine bottle was spinning helplessly on the ground, and the wind outside the window was so biting. Chen Keren couldn't win the argument with Chen Kexin, so she broke her mother's rule of not allowing others to disturb her when she was sleeping. Knowing that her gentle mother would never blame her, she rushed into the room mischievously.
Her mother's face was a little pale at the time. The young girl was just scared and just shook her mother's arm desperately, asking her mother to help her scold her sister.
At this moment, my father came back. Seeing all this, he hurriedly picked up my mother and rushed out of the room. I curled up in a corner of the room and could only cry. I turned around and caught a glimpse of the last suicide note written by my mother.
I didn't know many words at that time, but when I saw the word "daughter", I hid it secretly.
In the next few days, her side and her ears were filled with tears and sobbing.
I still remember that Chen Kexin was a little confused at that time. She understood the meaning of losing her mother better than I did. She just hugged me and told myself over and over again not to cry.
Later, I secretly looked up the words I didn't know and read the suicide note my mother wrote to her two daughters.
From that moment on, there was no more family affection in her life. Except for Chen Kexin, she no longer considered anyone as her family. But she knew that she could not erase Chen Kexin's pain. Although she was only two years older, Chen Kexin enjoyed much more maternal love than herself. She loved the woman lying there motionless more than herself.
Unable to comfort or understand, Chen Keren chose to treat everyone coldly. But she always remembered what her mother said in the letter: "My dear baby, Kexin, follow your brother Lan Xiao well in the future. He will take good care of you and your sister on my behalf, understand? Don't let me worry. Mom wants to be in another world, still smiling happily because of you."
She remembered every word, indelible and even inescapable.
Chen Keren opened her eyes, looked at Lan Xiao and said, "In fact, my mother left a suicide note, but neither Chen Derong nor my sister has read it. Because I have always hidden the letter." With a cold expression and indifferent tone, she used the most indifferent reaction to express her saddest thing.
A hint of surprise flashed in Lan Xiao's eyes, and he became more and more confused about the girl in front of him.
"Why don't you show it to your uncle and Ke Xin?" he finally couldn't help but ask.
Chen Keren looked at him with amusement and said, "Chen Derong has no right to read that suicide note, because it was written by my mother to me and my sister. And my sister..." At this point, she suddenly forced a bitter smile, raised her eyes, and met Lan Xiao's eyes: "Do you want your sister to accept that you broke the agreement with your mother and left her when she loses her mother?"
Lan Xiao was silent at this moment. What would she do if she knew that he had agreed to Aunt Ni Ya first and then left
"In other words, if you hadn't promised mom so solemnly, she might have chosen to continue living because she was worried about us. But what about you? You went to France without saying a word."
Lan Xiao lowered his head. At this moment, his heart was full of guilt. He didn't even have the courage to look up at Chen Keren.
With a disdainful smile, Chen Kexin continued, "Of course, your decision has nothing to do with us. But you have to admit that you are the indirect murderer of your mother!"
Lan Xiao's body trembled suddenly. He clenched his fists and tried to explain himself, but found that he couldn't say anything. That's right... She was absolutely right...
"Keren... do you hate me?" After a long while, he spoke slowly, his tone full of powerlessness.
Chen Keren didn't say anything, but lowered her eyes, looking so pitiful. This was an expression Lan Xiao had never seen on her face before. No, it should be an expression that no one had ever seen before.
Lan Xiao sat there helplessly. At this moment, he finally understood why, after nine years of separation, Chen Keren no longer called him Brother Lan Xiao, but called him Lan Xiao directly. Why her eyes, which used to love to smile, now only had a trace of indifference.
That's right, I am the murderer. It was my arrogance and my determination that made Aunt Ni Ya think that I was trustworthy and led her to die prematurely. It was me... It was me who ruined Ke Xin and Ke Ren's happy childhood...
The more he thought about it, the more painful and self-blaming Lan Xiao felt. He suddenly didn't know what he had been working hard for in the past nine years. Was it really for Chen Kexin? Or was it for his own glory, using a weak woman as an excuse
"I didn't call you here to talk about this." Seeing that the time was ripe, Chen Keren sorted out her emotions and spoke slowly.
Lan Xiao waited in silence for her next words.
Chen Keren nodded, and seemed very satisfied with Lan Xiao's reaction, because his silence meant that he would unconditionally agree to what she said next.
"I know you still like my sister." After a pause, she finally spoke slowly.
A trace of pain flashed across Lan Xiao's eyes, and he pulled up the corners of his mouth and smiled helplessly.
The evening breeze blew, bringing a cool chill that instantly swept over me, and the sound of the waves crashing not far away added a sense of mystery and dynamism to the originally peaceful evening.
Chen Keren narrowed her eyes slightly, looking at the face that was lonely because of being seen through with interest, but she felt very uncomfortable in her heart. She took a sip of champagne and continued, "I want you to be responsible for my sister."
Hearing this, even the calm Lan Xiao showed surprise on his face.
Seeing Lan Xiao standing there in a daze, the corners of her mouth rose again and she asked, "What's wrong? Are you so surprised?"
Lan Xiao looked at Chen Keren with amusement: "Should I just smile and say 'yes' to you calmly?" Even though she had found another man, he would never take her back by force out of possessiveness. Because, she never belonged to him.
Chen Keren sipped the wine, her cheeks slightly red, her eyes still cold and arrogant, but her mouth was smiling like a flower, intoxicating the night scenery. "Of course." Chen Keren said calmly, putting down the cup gently.