Chapter 43 Heartbroken

Chapter 43 Heartbroken

The rain outside the window has completely stopped, and the morning light shines through the glass, casting dappled shadows on the floor.

Lin Mianmian leaned against the headboard, the warmth of the congee still lingering on her fingertips, but her heart was filled with a desolate chill.

Bai Xiulin had to leave first.

Clutching the note, her gaze fell on the closed hospital room door, but her mind kept replaying the image of Xie Lin before he left.

His resolute back view, his suit soaked by the rain clinging to his back, gave her the illusion of a final farewell.

Her phone remained switched off; she dared not think about it, nor dared she ask.

Just then, the ward door was gently pushed open, and a nurse walked in with a newspaper in her hand, her tone tinged with regret.

"Miss Lin, look at today's financial news headline. Mr. Xie... actually attended a blind date banquet hosted by a daughter of a prominent family."

Lin Mianmian felt as if an invisible hand was gripping her heart tightly, causing her so much pain that she could hardly breathe.

She took the newspaper with trembling hands; the photo on the front page stung her eyes.

Xie Lin stood in the magnificent banquet hall, dressed in a well-tailored black suit, his posture as upright as a pine tree.

Standing beside him was the stunningly beautiful Su Wan, dressed in a haute couture gown. The two of them standing side by side looked surprisingly well-matched.

The headline was even more eye-catching: "The heir of the Xie family attends a matchmaking banquet and is a perfect match with the daughter of the Su family group; their wedding is imminent."

The newspaper was filled with dense text, but Lin Mianmian couldn't understand a single word.

The buzzing in her ears, the nurses' sighs of regret, and the discussions about marrying someone of equal social standing pierced her heart like needles.

She remembered the rainy night when Xie Lin suddenly left, the sudden coldness in his tone when he answered the phone, and the days after he disappeared without a trace.

It turned out that he wasn't in any urgent business, but was heading to a matchmaking event where people of similar social standing were to be introduced.

Ultimately, her existence was a stain on his glamorous life.

All that tenderness, all those promises of "I'm here for you," all those selfless rescues—now they all seem like a joke.

Lin Mianmian gripped the newspaper tightly with her fingers, her knuckles turning white as she squeezed the edges of the newspaper until they were deformed.

Tears silently streamed down her face, landing on the newspaper photo and blurring into a wet patch.

She recalled her most humiliating time when she was sold to an old bachelor by her own mother, slandered and cursed by the entire internet, and called a poor, gold-digging woman.

Back then, Xie Lin was her only light. But now, that light has gone out too.

She suddenly remembered what her grandmother had said.

At the time, she didn't believe it; she thought Xie Lin was different. But now, she believes it.

The gap between the wealthy and the poor can never be bridged by love alone.

Just as Lin Mianmian was feeling utterly hopeless, the ward door opened again, and Bai Xiulin walked in.

Seeing her red eyes and the newspaper in her hand, the tenderness in his eyes was instantly replaced by heartache.

He strode forward, took the newspaper from her hand, glanced at the headline, and his brows furrowed instantly.

"Mianmian, don't listen to their nonsense." Bai Xiulin's voice was still gentle as he put down the food box.

He reached out and gently wiped away the tears on her face. "Xie Lin must have his reasons."

Lin Mianmian shook her head, her voice hoarse.

Her tone was full of self-deprecation, "I was too naive. I forgot that he and I were from completely different worlds."

Looking at her pale face and the despair in her eyes, Bai Xiulin felt as if his heart was being cut by a knife.

He desperately wanted to tell her that Xie Lin had been forced into it.

Xie's second uncle had always coveted the inheritance rights. He joined forces with several shareholders to launch an attack, using the charitable foundation left by Xie Lin's maternal grandfather as a pretext to threaten to expose the foundation's old debts.

The Su Group is the only reliable support that can help the Xie family stabilize their situation.

Xie Lin's father forced him to attend the blind date banquet, but only to appease the Su family and the shareholders who were watching from the sidelines.

But he couldn't say it.

Xie Lin repeatedly told him not to reveal a single word, fearing that Lin Mianmian would worry, and even more so that she would think he was a burden.

Bai Xiulin could only swallow all his words. He sighed softly, opened the food box, and found delicate pastries and a bowl of bird's nest porridge inside.

"Don't think about it anymore, eat something first." He picked up a spoon, scooped up a spoonful of bird's nest porridge, and held it to her lips.

"Your body is your own, don't be so hard on yourself."

Looking at the heartache in his eyes and his cautious manner, Lin Mianmian suddenly felt a lump in her throat.

During her most difficult times, Bai Xiulin was always by her side.

She didn't refuse, taking small sips of the porridge. The warm liquid slid down her throat, but it couldn't warm her cold heart.

Xie Lin still did not appear in the following days.

Rumors about his affair with the Shen family's daughter intensified online, with some media outlets even photographing the two attending an art exhibition together.

In the photo, Xie Lin looks calm and shows no sign of displeasure.

Lin Mianmian was completely heartbroken.

She was discharged from the hospital and moved back to her school dormitory.

Bai Xiulin would come to the school to see her every day, bring her delicious food, accompany her to the library, and help her catch up on her missed lessons.

He never mentioned Xie Lin, nor did he ever ask about her past; he simply stayed by her side silently.

His gentleness is like spring rain, nourishing things silently.

Lin Mianmian gradually got used to having Bai Xiulin by her side.

She got used to the hot milk he brought her every morning, used to him shielding her from curious stares, and used to him gently patting her back and saying "I'm here for you" when she was sad.

She began to deliberately avoid all news about Xie Lin, deleted his contact information, and threw away everything he had given her.

She told herself to forget him and start a new life.

She cannot fall in love again; if she does, she will be doomed forever.

What she didn't know was that, behind her back, Xie Lin was under immense pressure, dealing with the stubborn old men in his family.

While dealing with the company's mess, he also sent people to keep an eye on Bai Susu's movements to prevent her from making any more trouble.

He would drive to the school gate every day and watch her figure from afar.

Watching her walk into the library with Bai Xiulin, and seeing the long-lost smile on her face, his heart ached as if it were being cut by a knife.

He longed to rush over, embrace her, and tell her the whole truth.

But he couldn't.

He couldn't let her get hurt again until all the trouble was completely resolved.

He could only endure it, endure the longing, the heartache, and her misunderstanding, waiting for the right opportunity to hold her in his arms again.

At that moment, Lin Mianmian was walking with Bai Xiulin on the tree-lined path of the school.

The afterglow of the setting sun fell on the two of them, casting long shadows.

Bai Xiulin turned his head and looked at her slightly flushed cheeks, his eyes overflowing with tenderness.