Chapter 253 The Five Years Tan Zheng Spent in His Mother's Eyes

After dinner, Tan Zheng and Tan Yi went to the study, while Song Ni accompanied Yang Qian in the small flower room to boil tea and chat. The winter night sky was clear and clean, with a few scattered stars, vast and deep, like a child taking a deep breath after tasting a refreshing candy, invigorating the lungs. Song Ni looked at the garden and suddenly thought of the garden at Yulong Villa. Although Tan Zheng didn't particularly like flowers, the idea of growing them might have come from his mother. "Mom, does Tan Zheng like sunflowers?" Yang Qian paused in her tea-boiling. Her garden had many flowers, but not a single sunflower. "Why do you ask, Nini?" Song Ni remembered asking Tan Zheng about sunflowers twice before. Although Tan Zheng didn't avoid the topic, his answers never got to the core of it. She still didn't know who the little girl who was so important to Tan Zheng was. She had asked Lu Fang, but he also didn't know. Given Tan Zheng's personality, it was almost impossible for his family to know about it. Thinking this, Song Ni shook her head. "He gave me sunflowers before." Yang Qian was a child educated in a typical scholarly family, isolated from the online world. Her usual pastimes were reading, boiling tea, and making small desserts. She had never paid attention to things online and naturally didn't know that Tan Zheng had also romantically given Song Ni roses. In her understanding, her son was still the person who only loved cars, smoked, drank, and avoided women. Even after they got married, she hadn't expected Tan Zheng and Song Ni to be a loving couple, so she had never inquired about their situation. However, from the moment they entered the house today, to dinner, and now with Song Ni taking the initiative to mention Tan Zheng, Yang Qian realized that their relationship was better than she had imagined, no, it was unexpectedly good. "This child has finally opened up." Song Ni looked at the surprise in her mother-in-law's eyes and touched her nose. "Mom, did Tan Zheng not interact with many girls before?" She had thought Lu Fang's statement that Tan Zheng disliked women around him was an exaggeration, but she hadn't expected Tan Zheng to be so averse to women that even his family found it a headache. "Indeed, I used to wonder why such an excellent and handsome young man wasn't looking for a partner. I was so worried. I originally thought he could decide his own life, but he's almost thirty, staying up all night for work, smoking and drinking. His body couldn't take it. These past five years have been like living death, and I couldn't let it continue, so I discussed it with his father and arranged blind dates for him." At this point, Yang Qian held Song Ni's hand and gently patted it. "Fortunately, this child has good fortune to meet you." Since they were talking about blind dates, Song Ni decided to ask directly. "Then how did you and Dad choose me?" Yang Qian's smile deepened. "Speaking of which, we have to praise the child's father." "Mm." "He went to Xingda once. At the exchange meeting at that time, you were the only one who wasn't curious about him. All the students had a desire for success and the hope of meeting a benefactor, but only you." Yang Qian smiled. "He said only you, a young girl, didn't pay him any mind. He's quite proud, and after the meeting, he asked the principal for your name and learned that you were from the Song family. Then he understood." People born into prominent families have seen too many outstanding individuals since childhood, whether they are powerful figures or rising stars. In their eyes, they are all ordinary. They only care about their own emotions and their own value. It's as if they have everything, and the only thing they haven't satisfied is their own desires, so they can't spare a thought for irrelevant people. "He thought you were a spirited young girl back then, and perhaps you could spark something with Xiao Zheng." Song Ni thought for a long time before remembering such an exchange meeting. At that time, she was forced to attend on behalf of a classmate and was naturally in a bad mood. She never expected that it was such an exchange meeting that sowed the seed for her blind date with Tan Zheng. "Dad has good judgment." Song Ni's self-praise wasn't annoying at all; rather, her directness added a touch of cuteness. Seeing genuine affection for Tan Zheng in Song Ni's eyes, Yang Qian slowly began to talk about what happened five years ago. "Don't let my father's lack of apparent concern about Tan Zheng's car racing fool you. He was actually as worried about the child's safety as I was." "We secretly went to watch the club where Xiao Zheng raced. We only returned after ensuring that the training was professional and safe. His father even secretly invested money in the club." "I don't understand racing, but I watched every race Xiao Zheng participated in. Even if his father was busy at the time, he would always make time to watch the recordings afterward." "Five years ago, when I heard that the injured racer in that accident was Chinese, I was terrified. His father immediately dropped everything at his company and came back to accompany me. We didn't know at the time that he was no longer qualified to participate and had been replaced by someone else." "We only found out he wasn't the one injured when the report came out." "I was filled with fear and worry for eight years. My emotions were on the verge of collapse. This accident was too close to Xiao Zheng, and it was originally him who should have been participating." "His father and I discussed it for a long time. No matter what, I wanted to persuade Xiao Zheng to stop engaging in such dangerous activities. We rushed to the city of the race overnight and saw Xiao Zheng looking dejected and lifeless for the first time." "We knew Xiao Zheng was blaming himself." "He wasn't wrong, but his best friend, his closest brother, almost lost his life in that accident. For someone who loved racing so much, losing his legs was like losing the hope of his future." "We thought about persuading Xiao Zheng, but we didn't know what to say." "He has been unhappy for the past five years. He no longer touches the racing he loves, except to go to the hospital to deal with Xiao Jiang's matters, he stays at home drinking and getting drunk." "He's like a walking dead person. Although he used to talk less, he used to smile quite often. Since then, I haven't seen him smile. Every time his brows are furrowed, you can tell at a glance the guilt he carries." "I dare not tell him he's not wrong, for fear of hurting him if we mention what happened back then." "He goes to the United States many times a year, and after each trip, he loses contact for a period of time." "After seeing Xiao Zheng's lifeless appearance, I would rather he was back on the racetrack. That way, he was vibrant, like a living person." "Nini, your smile is beautiful, dazzling and warm like the sun. At that time, I thought, could such a vibrant young girl make Xiao Zheng live a more spirited life?" "I was right, Nini, thank you, I'm truly grateful." "Xiao Jiang has also returned from the United States, and everything is moving in a positive direction." "Nini, this is all your credit." Yang Qian's eyes reddened and her voice grew hoarse as she spoke, and Song Ni's heart ached. "Mom, do you want him to return to the racetrack again?"