Chapter 597 - 596: Taken a Fancy?

Lin Huanzhu hurriedly supported Tang Yuanxiao.

Tang Yuanxiao leaned against Lin Huanzhu, his head resting on her shoulder, and stopped moving.

Lin Huanzhu was quite strong. Although Tang Yuanxiao was heavy, she didn’t struggle to hold him up.

"Why did you drink so much? Did something happen?"

Lin Huanzhu asked a couple of questions but heard no response. Tilting her head to look, she saw that Tang Yuanxiao’s eyes were closed.

He had actually fallen asleep.

"Tang Yuanxiao? Tangyuan?" Lin Huanzhu called out twice, but Tang Yuanxiao didn’t react. The weight on her shoulder, however, grew heavier and heavier.

Lin Huanzhu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She grabbed Tang Yuanxiao’s arm to keep him from sliding down.

She tilted her head to look at Tang Yuanxiao, her gaze wavering slightly.

These past few days had been the most relaxing of Lin Huanzhu’s life.

The criminal had been sentenced, and she had finally been able to set down the heavy burden in her heart, allowing her entire being to relax completely.

Whether it was her aunt Liao Jin or herself, their states of mind and way of life had slowly begun to change.

They renovated the house they had lived in for many years, giving the home a fresh new look, and began to go out and socialize with friends and family again.

After surviving the tragedy, their lives had finally turned a new page.

And while not all of this was thanks to Tang Yuanxiao, he was responsible for a large part of it.

How could Lin Huanzhu not be grateful?

She was very grateful to Tang Yuanxiao, but beyond that gratitude, there was another, more complex feeling she couldn’t quite put into words.

It was a complex and unfamiliar emotion, one that Lin Huanzhu couldn’t figure out at the moment.

Until this moment, with Tang Yuanxiao drunk and leaning against her so quietly, his eyes closed, Lin Huanzhu couldn’t understand what was happening to her.

She found it hard to look away; she was reluctant to look away.

Her interactions with Tang Yuanxiao had always been open and frank. She wasn’t an awkward person by nature and rarely felt shy looking at anyone. But when Tang Yuanxiao was sober, she wouldn’t—and couldn’t—just stare at him like this for no reason.

But today she could. Perhaps it was because his eyes were closed that she felt a sense of security.

Lin Huanzhu watched him, unable to look away.

Lin Huanzhu didn’t know how long she had been watching when the proprietress snapped her out of it.

"Oh, he’s drunk. Are you his friend?"

"Yes. How much is it?"

The proprietress’s voice pulled Lin Huanzhu back to her senses. She asked quickly, taking out her money as she did.

The movement nearly caused Tang Yuanxiao to slip and fall. In a panic, Lin Huanzhu quickly reached out and hugged him, pulling him back against her.

Being slightly shorter than Tang Yuanxiao, Lin Huanzhu’s arms wrapped around his waist, her face pressing against his chest.

She could smell the faint scent of alcohol on him, feel the warmth of his body pressed so close, and even hear his heartbeat.

Lin Huanzhu’s hands trembled slightly. Her heartbeat began to quicken, growing erratic.

"Do you need any help?" the proprietress asked tentatively.

"No, no, it’s fine." Lin Huanzhu quickly shook her head and handed the money to the proprietress.

Lin Huanzhu tried to support Tang Yuanxiao and walk out, but unfortunately, he was asleep, and his legs were like jelly. He couldn’t walk at all.

In the end, Lin Huanzhu gritted her teeth, asked the proprietress for help, and, with a faint blush, hoisted Tang Yuanxiao onto her back.

Tang Yuanxiao’s legs were so long they nearly dragged on the ground. Under the proprietress’s strange gaze, Lin Huanzhu walked out of the restaurant.

She used to eat with her colleagues often. Their work was dangerous and stressful, so whenever they had time, they would come out for drinks and food. It wasn’t uncommon for them to get drunk.

And Lin Huanzhu had given piggyback rides to those colleagues more than a few times.

But carrying Tang Yuanxiao on her back this time felt completely different.

Tang Yuanxiao was quiet, sleeping soundly. His head rested on her shoulder, and she could feel the warmth of his every breath.

He wasn’t like her colleagues, who were noisy and rowdy when drunk, and might even throw up at any moment.

Twice, Lin Huanzhu had someone throw up on her shoulder while carrying them.

Every time she carried those colleagues, she felt nothing but helplessness and their heavy weight, all while being on guard against getting puked on.

It was impossible to feel good about it.

This time, however, Lin Huanzhu wasn’t thinking about any of that. She only felt a sense of peace and stability.

She walked step by step toward the sanatorium.

Lin Huanzhu knew Tang Yuanxiao lived in a dormitory in the Imperial City, but it was impossible to take him back there. The only place she could bring him was home.

Mrs. Tang was at the sanatorium, but she lived in a single room, and given her own condition, she couldn’t possibly take care of Tang Yuanxiao.

Lin Huanzhu carried Tang Yuanxiao on her back, walking step by step toward the sanatorium.

The road wasn’t particularly close, nor was it far. Carrying a man as big as Tang Yuanxiao wasn’t easy—it was strenuous—but Lin Huanzhu didn’t find it too difficult.

She walked the entire way with steady steps. Amidst the sound of Tang Yuanxiao’s breathing, her own strange mood, and a heartbeat faster than usual, she became certain of a few things.

Liao Jin was at home. She was startled to see Lin Huanzhu suddenly return carrying someone on her back.

When she saw who it was, she was even more shocked. "Tang Yuanxiao? Is he drunk?"

Beads of sweat on her face, Lin Huanzhu nodded. "Mhm, he got drunk at the restaurant, so I brought him back. Auntie, the sofa, the sofa."

Liao Jin hurriedly cleared the sofa and helped Lin Huanzhu lay Tang Yuanxiao down.

"You... A young woman like you, carrying a grown man on your back. And why did you bring him here?"

Liao Jin looked at Tang Yuanxiao, then back at Lin Huanzhu, wanting to say something but hesitating.

Liao Jin could see that Lin Huanzhu and Tang Yuanxiao had been close. After learning about the help Tang Yuanxiao provided, she was also very grateful in her heart.

But as an aunt, seeing Lin Huanzhu and Tang Yuanxiao get so close, she couldn’t help but overthink things.

’Has Huanzhu fallen for Tang Yuanxiao?’

Objectively, Tang Yuanxiao was a decent person—in terms of looks, character, and so on. But his other circumstances were just average, especially with a mother like Mrs. Tang.

Liao Jing had heard quite a bit about Tang Yuanxiao’s past. He had already been married twice. His first wife had died, and his second had divorced him.

It was... it was just unimaginable.

With a history like that, regardless of any hidden details, in Liao Jin’s eyes, he was not a good match at all.

Other people might say Lin Huanzhu was getting old or wasn’t feminine, but no matter how you looked at it, Lin Huanzhu’s circumstances were a hundred times better than Tang Yuanxiao’s.

Especially in the eyes of an aunt like Liao Jin, her Huanzhu was the best and could be with anyone she wanted. She absolutely couldn’t end up with someone like Tang Yuanxiao.

Gratitude was one thing, but an unsuitable match was an unsuitable match.

Lin Huanzhu had no idea Liao Jin had thought of so much in that short time. She laid Tang Yuanxiao on the sofa, stretched her tired back, and wiped away her sweat. After pouring and drinking a glass of water, she busied herself with taking off Tang Yuanxiao’s shoes.

Then she went to get a blanket and covered Tang Yuanxiao with it.

"Auntie, what’s wrong?"

Once he was covered, she turned and looked quizzically at Liao Jing, who had been standing by with an uncertain expression.

"What’s wrong, Auntie?"

After asking, she explained, "I couldn’t take him back to his dorm, so I had to bring him here. It’s fine, Auntie. He’ll just stay for one night. Once he sobers up tomorrow, I’ll have him leave early. His mom is also at the sanatorium, so no one will suspect anything."

Liao Jin stared at Lin Huanzhu, ignoring her explanation and asking instead,

"Huanzhu, be honest with me. Have you... have you fallen for this Tang Yuanxiao?"