Chapter 83: That Moment of Warmth
Coming out of the shower, her body was already clean and white, her previously messy hair now smooth and straight. The dust on her face was gone, revealing fair skin that looked like it could break with a touch. Her baby-fat cheeks made one want to pinch them. The clothes she wore might be a bit large for her, but wearing them wasn’t too awkward.
Long golden hair fell vertically, reaching near her hips, her blue eyes full of spirit. Although her figure was still immature, if she developed, she would surely be a stunning beauty.
Sure enough, as long as a person looked good, whatever clothes they wore wouldn’t look strange. Even if these clothes looked a bit large, and the body type wasn’t quite suitable for her, wearing them just didn’t feel awkward. Even Ye Zhiyun couldn’t help but praise; this child was indeed a natural dress-up doll.
But it was indeed true. Yu Linna herself was very good-looking. Her outstanding appearance always made her easily stand out in a crowd, ever since elementary school. It was precisely because she was good-looking that she was noticed and entered the entertainment industry. Although she had now withdrawn, she probably couldn’t forget her days in the entertainment industry.
“Isn’t it quite nice? My clothes are big, but they fit you just right.”
Yu Linna was indeed beautiful. Although she didn’t have Ye Zhiyun’s figure, just based on her face, she might be even prettier than Ye Zhiyun.
“Mmm…”
Already used to being praised like this, Yu Linna just nodded.
Perhaps before, she would have felt happy about it, but now being praised, she couldn’t feel happy. You know, it was precisely because she was beautiful that she suffered so much.
“Come on, eat something. I know you’re quite hungry. I haven’t cooked for a long time either, my cooking skills have declined a bit. Just don’t mind it.”
Patting her shoulder, she led her to the dining room to eat. Ye Zhiyun knew how to cook, just rarely did it herself. As for the taste, anyway, it couldn’t possibly be better than a restaurant’s.
But eating food personally cooked by someone else was a first. Before this, Yu Linna rarely ate food personally cooked by others. Even when living in foster families as a child, the food she ate was rarely prepared by others. More often, she was given money to go eat something.
“What should I do in the future?”
In a daze, Yu Linna asked the most realistic question.
Although she had regained her freedom now, she had nothing left. The money was paid back for her; she instantly owed someone over eighty million. She probably couldn’t pay it back in this lifetime.
Also, she had no place to live, no job, no relatives. Where should she go? How would she live her life from now on?
“You can stay at my place for a while. My house is big enough for two people. Before you stabilize, I will be responsible for your living.”
Ye Zhiyun didn’t hesitate at all, directly making the decision for her. And this decision left Yu Linna completely bewildered.
“But, this…”
“No more buts. You were bought by me now. You do whatever I tell you to do.”
Ye Zhiyun wasn’t hesitant like her. She knew clearly what she wanted to do, and she knew what she was doing. Just one Yu Linna, she could still afford to support her.
Besides, she had already prepared herself. If not, how could she possibly help her pay back the 80 million debt? Actually, she herself hadn’t realized that in her heart, she had already given Yu Linna a place.
Yu Linna said nothing, just silently lowered her head. Her words were domineering, direct, yet warmed her heart. This feeling was truly strange. She had never been treated like this before, so she felt a wave of warmth.
Sitting down, under her watchful eyes, Yu Linna silently picked up her chopsticks. So many years, it was her first time eating at someone else’s home, eating food cooked by someone else for her. One bite down, the taste wasn’t exceptionally delicious, but for Yu Linna, who hadn’t eaten anything good for many days, this was probably the best meal she had ever eaten in her life.
Alone since long ago, never loved by anyone, never liked by anyone. She never knew what it felt like to have parents around, never knew what it felt like to eat around a table. She only knew that seemed like a very distant thing for her.
But this meal, she seemed to understand something.
Although different from what was on TV, she seemed to somewhat understand this feeling.
Eating bite after bite, long starved, how could she care about the taste? She just knew to stuff it in. Ye Zhiyun didn’t cook many dishes, four dishes and one soup, specifically preparing more meat to cater to Yu Linna’s taste.
And Ye Zhiyun herself barely touched her chopsticks, just sat there, watching her eat. Just watching her eat seemed to satisfy her.
Yu Linna’s eating movements slowed down. She held the bowl and drank the soup. Countless memories flashed through her mind, entering her stomach along with this bowl of soup at this moment.
(“Why won’t you listen! This jinx!”)
(“Whoever wants her can take her! Anyway, our family definitely doesn’t want her!”)
(“Blonde hair? No way! Where did this foreign devil come from? I don’t want her!”)
(“We don’t welcome you! Hurry up and leave! Don’t disturb our lives anymore!”)
It seemed her entire life had been spent drifting.
Since when did she start longing for a fixed place? Since when did she get used to being alone? Is it that the more disappointments one experiences, the less hope one carries?
Putting down the bowl, tears fell drop by drop, instantly streaking her small face. She wanted to hold back, but couldn’t. Tears kept flowing.
“What’s wrong? Why are you crying? Doesn’t it taste good?”
Seeing her cry, Ye Zhiyun panicked, quickly stood up, went to her side asking solicitously, a far cry from her previous domineering appearance.
“No, I… It’s just the first time I’ve eaten food someone cooked for me…”
Saying this, she continued to cry.
This crybaby seemed uncomfortable if she didn’t cry for a day. Once she started crying, no one could stop her.
Ye Zhiyun patted her small head, smoothing her hair, a trace of pity in her eyes. Compared to her, Ye Zhiyun was actually much happier. She grew up in a wealthy family, parents by her side. And since childhood, she ate well, wore warm clothes, had whatever she wanted. There was a time she even spent a hundred thousand yuan buying lottery tickets, letting all that money go down the drain.
If her father hadn’t sent her out to train, given her the opportunity to do business, she might still be the little princess of the Ye family.
Because of her efforts, she became Miss Ye in the industry, not just a pretty face.
But Yu Linna had nothing. She had no parents, no relatives, had to rely on herself for everything. Besides having a good face, she had nothing, knew nothing.
“Don’t dwell on past pain, nor cry for present happiness. You belong to the future.”
This might be the gentlest words she had ever said to Yu Linna since they met.
By now, she finally admitted that her relationship with Yu Linna was no longer one of dislike. On the contrary, she quite liked her.
She was like her relative, couldn’t tolerate others hurting her. If anyone dared to hurt her, she would be the first to stand up and retort. Yu Linna belonged to her, not anyone else. She wouldn’t let others hurt her anymore.
Everything Orange River did would pay the price sooner or later. But before that, she had to make herself stronger, strong enough to protect anyone.
“I will never trust anyone easily again. I swear, never again…”
Held by Ye Zhiyun, she leaned against her body, murmuring these words.
Growth always involves pain. This pain, imprinted in her heart, she would remember forever.
This pain of being betrayed by a friend, she would also remember forever. From now on, her life no longer had Nangong Ying.
And Ye Zhiyun just held her, saying nothing.
“Yu Linna, I…”
“Nana.”
“Hmm?”
“Call me Nana. Those close to me all call me that.”
“Okay, fine. Nana.”
Hugging the small person in her arms, Ye Zhiyun smiled slightly.
This name sounds really nice.
She didn’t know who Yu Linna’s parents were, but she really had to thank them for giving this child such a nice name. She really liked the person who owned this name.
Yu Linna, Nana, this name sounds really nice.
The blonde girl hugged her, enjoying this brief warmth. Henceforth, she didn’t need excessive words; she only needed this moment of tenderness. Reality was so cruel; only here with Ye Zhiyun could she find warmth.
How she wished time could stop like this, stay here forever.
This way, they could always stay like this.
Ye Zhiyun pressured Orange River, forcefully redeeming Yu Linna’s personal freedom. This incident caused a stir within Orange River. No one expected Yu Linna to have such a background, actually making Miss Ye willing to spend 80 million yuan to “redeem” her.
Even if Miss Ye could earn a lot of money, 80 million was not a small sum. Ye Zhiyun invested in movies, did e-commerce, online sales; how much did she have to earn to make that much money? Paying the penalty for Yu Linna was equivalent to making herself penniless, with no benefit at all.
“In my opinion, let’s just let this matter go. If we really provoke her father to come knocking, I think it’s not worth it. Besides, Yu Linna is just a newcomer who can be tricked anywhere. No need to make a big fuss over her. Let’s just take this money and be done with it. Anyway, we are not the ones losing out.”
Yu Tianchen proposed during the meeting.
Although the senior management had different opinions, they felt these words made sense. Angering the Ye family for an unknown nobody was very unwise. Besides, Ye Zhiyun had already agreed to give the money. With this money in hand, they could at least invest in another movie. Very worthwhile.
Thinking this way, the meeting gained direction; their discussion found a path. Ultimately, they also accepted Ye Zhiyun’s proposal of eighty-one million. This matter finally came to an end.
Thus, the contract incident that had troubled Yu Linna for so long finally drew to a close. However, this was not the end; it was just the beginning of another story.