Chapter 197 — A Sorrowful Past

"Tang Yun, haven't you seen what's in Kang's heart? Tell him." Wei Zhao was driving, but he kept an eye on Tang Yun and Kang; seeing Tang Yun hesitate, he knew at once what was holding her back.

"But..." Tang Yun wavered. Kang's feelings — of course she could see them. If Kang could stay at Xiao Fen's side, then perhaps Xiao Fen might get better. But Xiao Fen's past was a tragic one; if she spoke of it herself, could Kang accept it?

"No buts. Keep saying 'but' and Kang will worry himself to death," Wei Zhao said with a laugh.

Tang Yun sighed, and in a quiet, faint voice began to talk: "Xiao Fen, Liu Xinwen, and I grew up together in the shantytown from the time we were small; we were very close. But in our last year of junior high, a boy forced his way into Xiao Fen's life..."

"Kang Zhaoming?" Kang clenched his fists, his face changing slightly. In truth he had already guessed as much; he only wanted to confirm it from Tang Yun.

Tang Yun was in the front, unable to see Kang's expression, and so did not notice anything unusual about him: "Yes, Kang Zhaoming. I didn't expect you to remember that name..."

Tang Yun had mentioned the name Kang Zhaoming to Liu Xinwen only once before, and she had never expected Kang's memory to be so good. It seemed he truly had set his heart on Xiao Fen...

As Xiao Fen's closest friend, Tang Yun naturally hoped Xiao Fen would recover quickly and not live every day sunk in depression. She had consulted a doctor back then, but the doctor said Xiao Fen's illness was in the mind, and that the best cure would be for her to begin a new romance and forget the sorrow of the old one.

Tang Yun did not approve of young love, but special cases called for special measures. If Kang and Xiao Fen really could come together, that was something she would be glad to see. Only — once Kang learned the particulars of Xiao Fen's situation, would he still...

But Wei Zhao caught Kang's furious look in the rearview mirror, and a faint sense that something was wrong stirred in his heart.

"Kang Zhaoming pursued Xiao Fen with great fervor..." Here Tang Yun could not help shooting Wei Zhao a glare: "Kang Zhaoming's family was well off, very rich. At school he was the sort of spoiled young master whose slightest word drew a hundred responses, and Xiao Fen, young and ignorant, fell for it..."

Wei Zhao smiled bitterly. What are you glaring at me for? I'm not a spoiled young master... And besides, I haven't even begun to pursue you... All those things before, they really were misunderstandings!

"And so they got together..." Tang Yun continued: "At first the two of them got along well enough, but later Kang Zhaoming grew more and more distant from Xiao Fen. When Xiao Fen asked him what was wrong, he proposed that they break up..."

"Of course Xiao Fen refused. By then she had already fallen deeply in love with Kang Zhaoming... and she had already had... that kind of relationship with him..." At this Tang Yun's face flushed faintly. Though she was eighteen and counted as an adult, she was still a girl after all, and speaking of such things still made her shy: "She went to find Kang Zhaoming and ask him for an explanation, but she saw Kang Zhaoming getting into a taxi with another beautiful woman. Xiao Fen would not give up; she chased the taxi, calling Kang Zhaoming's name, but Kang Zhaoming only turned his head and gave her one cold glance, and did not tell the driver to stop...

Liu Xinwen and I tried to call Xiao Fen back from behind, but she would not listen; she stubbornly chased that taxi. And just then a big truck came and knocked Xiao Fen down...

Even so, Kang Zhaoming did not get out of the car to see Fen; he simply drove away. And within a few days he transferred to another school and was never seen again. Xiao Fen's leg was left crippled; from then on she could only walk with a limp, and she could not walk for long — ordinarily she had to sit in a wheelchair...

After that, Xiao Fen dropped out of school as well, and stayed at home every day, her mind wandering. Kang Zhaoming had treated her like that, and still she could not forget him, still dreaming that he would change his heart... Ah, Wenwen and I tried to persuade her many times, but she simply would not listen..."

"Damn it!" Kang slammed his fist into the roof of the car, his face flushed, his chest heaving — clearly furious. "That bastard Kang Zhaoming!"

"The car... the car... it isn't mine, I borrowed it..." Wei Zhao broke out in a sweat. Looking at the dent Kang had punched into the roof, he was speechless. Miss Chen wouldn't kill him, would she? What a mess.

Hearing Wei Zhao's words, Tang Yun felt a sudden contempt. Your brother is angry enough to burst, and you're still fretting over the car? You're a rich young master — do you really care about a little repair money?

Kang seemed not to hear Wei Zhao at all, and went on pounding the roof with one fist after another. Wei Zhao wanted to weep but had no tears. When this kid's strength burst out, it really was considerable...

It seemed that once they got back, he must hurry and have Uncle Qing repair the car, and not let Miss Chen see it, or he was dead... She probably would never lend him her car again.

But how was he to explain it to Uncle Qing? Hmm, he would just say he had run into enemies of Gu Pengzhan, who had attacked him. Anyway, Uncle Qing had been there that day when he spoke of those two unlucky yellow-rank fighters; he would say Li Cihua had sent people after him. Haha, he was a genius, Wei Zhao thought.

Kang was in a state of extreme fury. He seemed to see a frail young girl stumbling along behind a taxi, watching in despair the man and the beautiful woman inside...

She screamed herself hoarse, wanting to hold back the man in the taxi, but she was powerless...

Just as her heart was breaking, a truck came driving up and knocked her down.

And the man in the taxi, cold-blooded, did not even get out; he simply left. And Xiao Fen, lying in a pool of blood, still kept that hateful man in her heart.

Kang Zhaoming! Kang's face contorted. Had it been anyone else, Kang would not have been so affected, but this man was his own second cousin... the second cousin who had looked down on him since childhood, who had mocked his family...

"Whew..." Kang let out a long breath, looked at the dented roof he had made... and felt a little embarrassed: "Boss, I got a bit carried away..."

"Never mind, it's nothing." Wei Zhao had already thought of a way to handle it. He smiled and said to Kang: "So, what are you thinking?"

The question Wei Zhao asked was in fact the very question Tang Yun wanted to ask! Having finished telling Xiao Fen's story, she was waiting for Kang's answer! Xiao Fen was no longer a virgin; that matter could be taken lightly or seriously — if Kang did not mind too much, it could be glossed over. The most crucial question was Xiao Fen's leg: would Kang accept a cripple?