You hidden in my heart - Chapter 66.1

Chapter 66.1

Li Xining pulled out two thick, old photo albums from the bookshelf and plopped down on the European retro leather sofa in the study. “Don’t be shy. Come sit!” she commanded him, patting on the sofa.

Lu Yuling chuckled at his girl, settled down beside her, and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

“You really think you can hug me in my own house? Watch out; my mom might just break your legs.“ She leaned into his embrace and teased. 

“Nah, you definitely don’t want me to get hurt,” he boasted.

“I’m not concerned about you.” As she said this, Li Xining opened the first album. The first thing that caught her eye was a wedding photo. She pointed at it excitedly and exclaimed, “Look! It’s my parents’ wedding day!”

The photo was taken over 20 years ago and had faded a bit, but the newlyweds still looked radiant. 

Li Zhang was dressed in a neat suit, wearing gold-rimmed glasses. He was tall and straight, with handsome features that made him quite the charmer. He was holding his bride, Yu Wenyin, who was in a stunning white wedding dress, clutching a bouquet of bright roses. Her eyes sparkled as she smiled brightly, radiating happiness that was impossible to hide.

“Isn’t my dad handsome?” Li Xining asked, her voice brimming with pride. “And my mom, isn’t she beautiful?”

“Handsome! Super handsome!” Lu Yuling had to agree. “Beautiful! Like a fairy!”

Li Xining smiled with satisfaction as she continued to turn the pages. In the end, there were pictures from the years her parents studied abroad, including shots of her mother during pregnancy and some of her as a little kid.

As a baby, Li Xining was fair-skinned and chubby, with a round face that resembled dough. Her mom used to say that when she was born, she looked like a one-month-old, and by the time she was a month old, she seemed like a 100-day-old baby. At 100 days, her weight was similar to that of a one-year-old.

Lu Yuling was thrilled when he spotted her 100-day photo. “Is this you?”

Li Xining squinted at him and replied, “Yep, that’s me. Got a problem with it?”

Lu Yuling quickly shook his head and said, “No, no, not at all.” But he couldn’t help but ask, “How much did you weigh when you were born?”

“It wasn’t that much, right? All kids are like that,” Li Xining replied with a red face.

Lu Yuling held back a laugh and said, “All kids? My mom said I was only 6 pounds when I was born.”

Li Xining shot him a glare and muttered, “I’m eight pounds! Is that too much? Gross!”

After a brief pause, Lu Yuling said very seriously, “Wife, if you can have a smooth delivery in the future, go for it. If not, we can opt for a caesarean. No pressure.”

Upon hearing such words, Li Xining turned red. While playfully slapping him, she said angrily, “You annoying jerk! Who wants to have a kid for you?” 

Lu Yuling looked at her seriously. “I’m serious.”

Li Xining rolled her eyes and ignored him, flipping back a page in the album. On that page, there was an old photo that wasn’t tucked into the clear sleeve. It was palm-sized, with the back facing up. The original white photo paper had yellowed a bit, and there were a few elegant small words written in dark blue ink: ‘Moon‘ and ‘Basket’.

Li Xining was shocked to find this photo in the album. She turned pale and was stunned and snapped the album shut. But it was too late, as Lu Yuling had already caught a glimpse of it.

‘The moon and the basket?

Moon, basket…’

Suddenly, he realised something and tried to grab the photo album, but Li Xining held it tightly to her chest.

Lu Yuling took a deep breath, trying to calm the storm of emotions inside him. “Hand it over,” he said while suppressing his anger.

Li Xining sobbed and shook her head, clutching the photo album tightly.

She was really terrified, scared that he would uncover the truth, scared that he would break down, scared that he would hate her, and scared that they would part ways.

Lu Yuling didn’t want to lose his temper with her, but the anger bubbling inside him was nearly uncontainable. He fought to remain calm and repeated firmly, “Give it to me.”

Li Xining’s mind was a mess. She felt like a criminal caught in the act. Everything was exposed. She had messed up everything and didn’t know what to do now. She only knew that she must not let him see this photo; otherwise, everything would be over.

“Lu Yuling…” She clutched the photo album and pleaded while crying. “Could you please let it go? I’m begging you.”

Lu Yuling couldn’t take it anymore and erupted in anger. “No! Hand it over!” he shouted at her.

He looked really intimidating when he lost his cool. Li Xining felt a chill run down her spine. She was momentarily stunned, and before she knew it, Lu Yuling had snatched the photo album from her. 

In an instant, he flipped to the page. 

As he reached for the photo, it felt like his heart stopped for a brief moment, and a wave of emptiness washed over him.

He was scared too, not knowing what kind of image would greet him when he turned the photo over. What kind of face would it reveal?

‘Basket… Who is he?’

Lu Yuling’s hands trembled, and the air felt thick and suffocating, making it hard for him to breathe. But the moment he flipped the photo, his entire body went rigid, as if he had plunged into an ice-cold cellar.

‘Zhao Hailan?’

In the next moment, Li Xining yanked the photo from his grasp and ripped it to shreds, as if trying to erase any evidence. Then, without a word, she wrapped her arms around Lu Yuling’s waist, holding him tightly—terrified that he might leave her. No, it wasn’t just fear; she was certain he would go, but she felt lost on how to atone for her mistake and keep him. All she could do was cling to him in this awkward way, hoping it would be enough to hold him close.

After a few seconds, Lu Yuling slowly came out of his shock. He finally realised why Zhao Hailan was so focused on him and why she encouraged him to join the competition and sign a contract with Zhengxing.

Lu Yuling felt like he was about to break down. He took a deep breath, trying hard to keep himself together. “You knew about this all along?”

Li Xining, in tears, shook her head, denying it. “No… no… I don’t know.”

It was clear that her lie was so obvious that it couldn’t fool Lu Yuling. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Li Xining had no response.

Lu Yuling paused for a moment, then held back his anger and commanded, “Let go!”

Li Xining cried even more, unable to say anything. She just shook her head and clung to him tighter.

Lu Yuling grabbed her arm and forcefully pulled her hand away from him. He suddenly stood up from the sofa and walked toward the study door without looking back.

He was very strong, and Li Xining felt like her arm might break, but she ignored the pain and quickly followed him. Just as he was about to open the study door, she caught up, wrapped her arms around him from behind again, and sobbed, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry...”

Lu Yuling was on the brink of breaking down, fully aware that he could lose control at any moment and might hurt her. He didn’t want to hurt her or lose his temper, so he needed some time alone to calm down. He gritted his teeth and said to her in a strained voice, “Let go first.”

Li Xining shook her head. She understood that he would leave the moment she let go.

Lu Yuling did his best to hold it together, using the last bit of his reason to keep from snapping at her. Then he said, “I won’t leave.” As he spoke, he lowered his right hand from the door handle.

Li Xining was unsure if he was being truthful, so she cried out, “Are you really not leaving?”

Lu Yuling replied, “Yeah.” He added, “Didn’t Grandpa ask me to stay for dinner?”

Li Xining remained doubtful and didn’t let him go.

Lu Yuling sighed, feeling helpless. “I promised you I wouldn’t leave, and I really won’t. My phone is still on the sofa.”

Li Xining glanced back at the sofa and saw his phone was indeed there. Only then did she start to believe he wasn’t lying.

Lu Yuling asked, “Can you help me get my phone?”

Li Xining hesitated for a moment before slowly letting him go, but she was still anxious. “Please don’t go; I’m begging you.” After saying that, she hurried back to the sofa to grab his phone. But when she picked it up and turned around, the door was wide open and he was gone.

He really left.

Li Xining felt her heart drop and was filled with dread. She quickly ran after him. As she burst out of the study, she caught her grandfather’s voice echoing from the living room.

Seeing Lu Yuling striding toward the entrance of the house, Mr. Li sounded both surprised and confused. “Yuling, it’s mealtime. Where do you think you’re going?”

Ignoring Mr. Li, Lu Yuling dashed straight for the door that led to the garage.

Li Xining followed him, crying and calling out his name, feeling as lost as a child left behind. By the time she reached the garage, Lu Yuling was already inside the car. Before she could even get in his way, he slammed on the gas, and the white car shot out of the garage like a speeding arrow.

Li Xining attempted to run after his car, but within fifty metres, the white vehicle was out of her sight. Her slippers had fallen off in the process. Standing barefoot on the road, dazed, she clutched his cell phone tightly, tears streaming down her cheeks, sobbing like a child in distress.

She believed it was the end of their relationship.

Have a nice day!