Chapter 274 Loyalty and Betrayal

Tan Zheng smashed everything breakable in the room. The floor was covered in shattered debris. Tan Zheng sat on the ground, head bowed, left leg propped up, his hand resting on it, fingertips bleeding. He was consumed by a deep, suffocating rage. Song Ni's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly knelt before Tan Zheng, reaching for his hand to examine it carefully. "What's wrong?" Song Ni's voice trembled. She had never seen Tan Zheng like this – fierce, decadent, and overwhelmed by despair. Hearing Song Ni's voice, Tan Zheng's fingertips twitched. He grabbed Song Ni's hand, his voice strained with immense restraint. "Nini, let me be alone for a while, please." Song Ni could hear how much effort Tan Zheng was exerting to suppress his emotions and speak to her calmly, and her nose immediately began to sting, tears silently falling. She nodded frantically. "Okay, but can you let me bandage your hand first?" So much blood had been shed. Tan Zheng tried to force a smile to comfort Song Ni, but he couldn't manage one. Song Ni's eyes welled up. "It's okay, it's okay, no rush, I'll bandage it and leave." Song Ni hastily ran downstairs to find the first-aid kit. She had been sleeping since she arrived and was completely unfamiliar with the layout of the house. She flitted around like a headless fly, turning the room upside down. Faster, faster, he must be in pain. A race car driver's hands were precious. Faster. Song Ni finally spotted the first-aid kit on a shelf and rushed back upstairs. The night was deep, the moon high in the sky, its light shining into the room, illuminating Tan Zheng. He sat on the ground, surrounded by fragments of debris. Amidst the chaos, he was the most solitary figure. Blood still dripped from his fingertips, forming a small pool on the floor. Song Ni, with the first-aid kit, knelt before Tan Zheng again, took out alcohol to disinfect his wound, and then bandaged it with gauze. She moved as gently as possible, afraid of hurting Tan Zheng. After bandaging, Song Ni didn't say a word. She stood up, took the first-aid kit, and started to leave. Tan Zheng grabbed her hand, squeezing it with silent strength before releasing it. After Song Ni went out, she closed the door. Uneasy, she sat outside the room. She had been startled by Tan Zheng's appearance and couldn't think straight. What had happened? All she knew was that someone had again tried to persuade Tan Zheng to return to racing. But if it was just about returning to the track, why would Tan Zheng be like this? She couldn't understand. Song Ni's mind was filled with the image of Tan Zheng sitting on the ground, bleeding fingertips, a fierce look in his eyes, yet overcome by endless sorrow. She couldn't comprehend it. She was very worried about Tan Zheng. ...Inside, Tan Zheng stared at the bandage on his hand for a long, long time. Racing was a dangerous endeavor from start to finish. Broken limbs were considered minor injuries. Simple abrasions were even less. He never paid much attention to such things. When he first joined the club, he had accidentally fallen while riding a motorcycle. The entire forearm of his right arm was scraped, but it didn't bleed much. He had simply torn off his sleeve and wandered around the club with the wound exposed. It was Xi Jinjiang who saw it and found a first-aid kit to bandage him. Xi Jinjiang had said, "Although we enter this profession with the resolve that if we lose our lives, we'll live again in the next, we still cannot neglect our bodies because of it. A healthy body is the foundation of everything." Later, he told this to the young ones in the club. How could he believe that his most valued brother, his most respected elder brother, had ultimately done something like this? He valued loyalty and naturally demanded the highest standards in his relationships, allowing no imperfections. If Xi Jinjiang had indeed conspired with someone back then to cost him his racing qualification, he would never forgive him. The deeper the affection, the larger and sharper the thorn that pierced his heart. He detested betrayal. He couldn't understand why Xi Jinjiang would do such a thing. The brotherhood he felt was real. Every moment, every scene, he remembered them clearly. They had stood on the podium together after winning championships. On the training grounds, they were the most tacit and understanding of each other. They drove to forge new tracks, through rugged mountain paths, across vast grasslands. During losses, a single can of beer and a barbecue were enough to reignite their spirits. They both loved barbecue and had even learned the technique together. In their most passionate and fervent youth, Xi Jinjiang had always been the brother leading him forward. But how, how did it come to this? Tan Zheng couldn't fathom it, couldn't understand when Xi Jinjiang had harbored such intentions. Ha, it seemed that Xi Jinjiang's ruthlessness towards him over the past five years wasn't just because of that one accident. There must have been other reasons, otherwise, why would Xi Jinjiang refuse to let himself off the hook, nor let him go, for so many years? ...As long as Tan Zheng sat inside, Song Ni sat outside the door. February in London was incredibly cold. Even with a fireplace in the house, the hallway was frigid. Song Ni had lost all sensation in her limbs. She desperately wanted to go in and check on Tan Zheng's condition but feared he would exert himself to suppress his emotions for her sake. So, she continued to wait. After freezing for so long, Song Ni could only think of one thing. In all her understanding of Tan Zheng, only the events of five years ago could have caused such a strong emotional reaction. But she couldn't understand, weren't the events of five years ago resolved? Xi Jinjiang had returned from America and was living in his hometown. Yu Wei's infidelity and the child were also clear to Xi Jinjiang. Whether Xi Jinjiang could move on and start a new life afterward, it had nothing to do with Tan Zheng. Five years, five years bound by guilt, was enough. But if it wasn't about the events of five years ago, what else could it be? Song Ni couldn't figure it out. She was so cold, so drowsy, so tired, but she couldn't fall asleep; she had to stay by Tan Zheng's side. She was afraid Tan Zheng would hurt himself further. Fortunately, all the breakable items in the room had been smashed. Song Ni thought hazily. After an unknown amount of time, there was finally movement from inside the room. Song Ni's eyelashes fluttered; she wanted to open her eyes but felt too weak. She bit her lip, using the pain to jolt herself awake. Just as she was about to get up, the study door suddenly opened. Without support, Song Ni lost her balance and stumbled to the ground. Fortunately, Tan Zheng noticed her unstable state and quickly knelt down to catch her. She was ice-cold. Tan Zheng frowned deeply. "Why are you sitting here?" His voice was hoarsely unrecognizable. Song Ni struggled to sit up and looked at Tan Zheng's face. Seeing the deep lines on his brow, she couldn't help but reach up and smooth them. "I was worried about you. I wanted to stay with you." Her fingers were bone-chillingly cold. Tan Zheng pursed his lips and quickly scooped Song Ni into his arms.