212: gap

Inside the master bedroom, the amorous atmosphere was gone, leaving only awkwardness and heaviness.

The sudden silence made the wind outside the window exceptionally clear.

Sister Qin's face was deathly pale, her eyes filled with panic and helplessness.

She subconsciously gripped Li Zhan's arm tightly, her nails almost digging into his skin.

"What should I do... It's Xiao Qian... She must have heard... seen it... How will I face her in the future..."

Sister Qin's voice was choked with sobs, and her body trembled slightly.

Li Zhan took a deep breath. Although the situation was tricky, he had to keep his cool.

He grasped Sister Qin's cold hand, squeezed it firmly, pulled her into his arms, and patted her back soothingly, "Don't panic, it's fine. Stay here, don't overthink it, I'll go talk to her first."

His tone was steady, carrying a reassuring strength.

Sister Qin looked up at him, her eyes still full of worry, but she calmed down a little and nodded.

Li Zhan got up, put on his pajamas neatly, glanced at the messy bed and the bath towel belonging to Sister Qin on the floor, sighed with a complex expression, and then gently opened the bedroom door.

The hallway was empty, with only Xiao Qian's door tightly closed.

He walked to the door, hesitated for a moment, and knocked lightly.

There was no response from inside, but Li Zhan could feel someone behind the door.

He tried turning the doorknob; the door wasn't locked.

Pushing the door open, he saw only a dim bedside lamp on in the room.

Xiao Qian was curled up on the bed, back to the door, huddled into a ball like a wounded little animal.

Her thin shoulders trembled slightly, and her suppressed sobs were exceptionally clear in the quiet room, filled with grievance and sadness.

Li Zhan's heart felt as if it had been pinched by something.

He gently closed the door and walked to the bedside.

He didn't speak immediately, just sat silently on the edge of the bed.

After a while, he reached out and placed his hand gently on Xiao Qian's trembling shoulder.

Xiao Qian's body stiffened, her crying stopped abruptly, but her shoulders shook even harder.

Li Zhan sighed, applied a little force, and pulled her, along with the quilt, over so she was facing him.

Xiao Qian struggled, but with little strength, and was eventually turned around by Li Zhan.

Her eyes were red and swollen, her face covered in tear tracks.

Her originally clear, bright eyes were now bloodshot, looking at Li Zhan with a complex expression, interwoven with pain, grievance, and a trace of imperceptible reliance.

Li Zhan didn't speak, just used his thumb to wipe away the tears on her face extremely gently, his movements cautious, as if treating a fragile treasure.

His silence and gentle actions, instead, made the emotions suppressed in Xiao Qian's heart surge even more, and tears couldn't stop falling.

"Why... why is it Mom..."

She finally choked out, her voice broken, "You... how could you keep this from me..."

Li Zhan looked at her painful expression, his own heart filled with mixed feelings.

He knew any explanation would seem pale and weak at this moment.

He leaned down, not answering her question, but sealing all her sobs and questions with a gentle but irresistible kiss.

Xiao Qian's body tensed instantly, her hands pressed against his chest, subconsciously trying to push him away, her head also shrinking back.

But Li Zhan's arms were firm and powerful; his kiss carried a strange comfort and unquestionable gentleness, gradually dismantling her resistance.

Her pushing became weak, the hands against his chest slowly lost strength, and finally moved upward, wrapping around his neck.

Tears were still flowing, but her response changed from initial resistance to gradually becoming passionate, as if trying to confirm something, vent something, or grasp something through this kiss.

After a long time, Li Zhan released her.

Xiao Qian's cheeks were flushed, she panted rapidly, her eyes still blurred and complex, but the previous agitation and despair seemed to have calmed down a bit.

Li Zhan didn't make any further excessive moves, just pulled her tightly into his arms again, letting her lean against his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat.

A subtle silence fell in the room.

Li Zhan's low voice finally sounded, with a hint of hoarseness, "I'm sorry for making you sad."

He didn't try to defend himself, just acknowledged her feelings.

He paused and continued, "Many things are very complicated. My feelings for your mom... are sincere. And for you, too."

His words were simple, but carried a heavy weight.

"I know this is hard to accept... very absurd..."

He gently stroked her hair, "I don't expect you to understand or accept it immediately. I just want you to know that, no matter what, you are very important to me. I won't hurt you, and I won't give up on you."

He didn't force her to make a choice or statement immediately, just gave her the sense of security and comfort she needed most.

Xiao Qian snuggled in his arms without speaking, just crying silently, but her body's trembling gradually subsided.

Li Zhan's words were like a barrier, temporarily isolating the external impact and the inner storm.

A huge sense of exhaustion and emotional overdraft hit her, and combined with the strange sense of peace brought by Li Zhan's embrace, her eyelids grew heavier and heavier.

Li Zhan could feel the change in her breathing, so he just held her tighter, gently patting her back like coaxing a child.

Finally, Xiao Qian fell into a deep sleep in his arms, her face still stained with dried tear tracks, but her brows seemed to have smoothed out a bit.

Li Zhan looked at her sleeping face, his eyes deep and complex.

He knew this was only temporary peace.

This knot needed more time and methods to slowly resolve.

He gently kissed her forehead, maintaining the hugging posture, and stayed awake all night.

And in the main bedroom, Sister Qin was also lying with her eyes open, staring at the ceiling, her heart filled with guilt for her daughter and confusion about the future.

This night was destined to be long...

The morning sun shone through the gaps in the curtains into the slightly silent apartment.

In the kitchen, Sister Qin was mechanically preparing breakfast, the fried eggs sizzling in the pan, but she was clearly distracted, her eyes unfocused.

She had heavy dark circles under her eyes, and her eyes were bloodshot; it was clear she had barely slept last night.

Every slight noise made her heart jump, her ears pricked up unconsciously, capturing movements from the second bedroom, her heart filled with anxiety and guilt.

In the second bedroom, Li Zhan woke up first.

He looked down at Xiao Qian, who was still curled up in his arms.

Her limbs were still draped over him like an octopus, as if seeking security even in her sleep.

The tear tracks on Xiao Qian's pretty face had dried, but her eyelashes were still slightly damp, her sleeping face peaceful but with a hint of fragility.

Li Zhan looked at her, his heart sighing with complexity.

Just then, Xiao Qian's eyelashes fluttered a few times, and she slowly opened her eyes.

Her hazy vision gradually focused, meeting Li Zhan's deep gaze.

She subconsciously, as usual, opened her lips slightly, the familiar "Brother Zhan" almost slipping out, but the heartbreaking scene from last night instantly flooded into her mind, and all the emotions and awkwardness revived.

Her eyes dimmed instantly, flashing with panic and embarrassment, and she subconsciously wanted to retract the limbs draped over him, her body also shrinking back slightly, turning her head awkwardly, pouting, and no longer looking at him.

A silent awkwardness filled the air.

Li Zhan didn't force her, just sat up naturally, rubbed her hair, his voice raspy from the morning, "Awake? Get up and have breakfast."

At the dining table, the atmosphere was suffocating.

The three of them ate breakfast in silence, only the slight sound of bowls and chopsticks colliding.

Sister Qin kept her head down, hardly daring to look at her daughter, the spoon in her hand stirring the porridge in the bowl unconsciously.

Xiao Qian stared at the breakfast in front of her, tasting nothing, eating extremely slowly.

Li Zhan looked at the mother and daughter who were clearly depressed, knowing they needed space.

He finished breakfast quickly, stood up, "I have things to do at the company, I'll go first."

He walked to the door, put on his coat, paused, and looked back at the dining table, his gaze lingering on Sister Qin and Xiao Qian for a moment, "If there's anything, we'll talk when I get back tonight."

After speaking, he opened the door and left.

The sound of the door closing seemed like a signal; the air in the apartment seemed to have frozen.

The silence lasted for a long time.

Finally, Sister Qin put down her spoon, took a deep breath, as if using all her strength.

She raised her head, looking at her daughter who was still keeping her head down, her voice trembling and choked with emotion, "Xiao Qian... Mom... Mom is sorry for you..."

This sentence seemed to open the floodgates; Xiao Qian's tears instantly welled up, but she still stubbornly kept her head down, refusing to look at her mother.

Sister Qin's tears also fell, and she continued with difficulty, "It's Mom's fault... Mom couldn't hold back... did something foolish... making you sad... making you... making you look down on Mom..."

Her voice was full of self-blame and pain, "Don't blame Brother Zhan... it's me... it's me..."

"Mom!" Xiao Qian finally raised her head, interrupting her with a cry, her face already covered in tears, "Why! Why did it have to be him! How am I supposed to face this in the future! Wuwuwu..."

The grievances, anger, sadness, and confusion accumulated all night completely exploded.

Seeing her daughter crying in pain, Sister Qin's heart felt like it was being cut by a knife.

She couldn't hold back anymore, got up and walked to Xiao Qian's side, holding her daughter tightly in her arms.

"Sorry... Xiao Qian... sorry..."

Sister Qin apologized over and over, her voice broken.

Xiao Qian struggled at first, but finally couldn't resist her mother's embrace and the equally sad crying, and also hugged her mother back tightly, burying her face in her mother's shoulder, crying loudly.

"I hate you guys! I hate you! Wuwuwu..."

"I know... Mom knows... it's Mom's fault..."

The mother and daughter hugged each other, crying bitterly in the restaurant in the morning, venting their inner pain, awkwardness, helplessness, and the complicated emotions that were hard to cut and straighten out.

Tears broke the dam of estrangement; at least at this moment, they were the ones who understood each other's pain the best.

After crying for an unknown amount of time, their emotions slowly calmed down, leaving only low sobs.

Sister Qin patted her daughter's back gently, her voice still hoarse, "Xiao Qian... things are already like this... Mom doesn't know how to make up for it... but Mom hopes you... hopes you won't be too sad... no matter what, Mom will always love you..."

Xiao Qian leaned in her mother's arms without speaking, just crying silently.

The knot in her heart might not be completely untied, but after this painful venting and her mother's sincere apology, that suffocating feeling of oppression seemed to have eased a little.

How to walk the road ahead, she was still confused, but at least, she was not facing it alone.