Final Chapter: One Step Away

Chen Qing's gaze followed the man's back all the way to the courtyard.

She waited a few minutes, then got up and went to find the babysitter.

Before leaving the Tang family, she asked Li Yao to save Mrs. Jiang's number just in case. After all, the Tang family was safe and there was no need to worry about being exposed.

The first two times, she secretly used the nanny's phone to send text messages to Li Yao, but Yan Baiqing suddenly changed his schedule, so he had to find another opportunity to send a message home.

Chen Qing pretended to wander around the first floor casually.

As a result, the house was empty inside and outside. The three nannies who took care of her were nowhere to be found, and only the bodyguards guarding each exit were left.

The windows on the north and south sides were all wide open, and a strong wind made her shiver.

She went up to the attic terrace, her heart about to jump out of her throat.

Dark clouds, Red Mansion.

The hem of her skirt and long hair were stretched in all directions, like a cocoon with thousands of threads, surrounding her under the blue-gray sky.

Jiang Jingyan looked at that place, crossed his fingers and rubbed them together, directly extinguishing the fire on the cigarette butt.

"Yan Baiqing." He leaned against the hood of the car, his tone neither light nor heavy, "It's not too late to turn back now."

A light drizzle was falling in the air. Yan Baiqing was wearing a black coat and admonished the younger generation with a smile, "Jingyan, you escaped death. You should go home and visit your parents first instead of coming here to slander your senior brother."

The two men's eyes met, undercurrents collided, and a bottomless vortex was stirred up.

"Huafang has issued a notice to strictly investigate Meng Hongwen. You've been in office for over five years, so you should know what this means." Jiang Jingyan glanced at the bulging waist of the bodyguard behind him, his thoughts calm. "Meng Hongwen's bank was covered up by him using the theater and amusement park. The project approval procedures went through you. If it is exposed, you are the first person responsible. From the beginning, he didn't want you to live. As long as you stop here, there is still a chance to turn things around. Old Director Yan has been absurd all his life, and you are the bitter fruit of these two people. Don't repeat the same mistakes. The Yan family can vent their resentment towards the Jiang family on me, don't hurt innocent people."

"You're hurting innocent people." Yan Baiqing shook off the rain on his body. "You don't even dare to mention her name. You should know what I will do to her."

Jiang Jingyan's temples jumped wildly in an instant.

He took a step forward, and the bodyguards put their hands around his waist and abdomen.

Yan Baiqing's face was hidden behind the crowd, his chin slightly raised, his attitude contemptuous. "From the beginning to the end, every step you take cannot escape my control. Jingyan, you have never defeated me, including this time."

After saying that, he turned and walked deeper into the garden, motioning for the bodyguards to come closer. He spoke very quickly, "Send a message to Meng Hongwen, we're going to Pier 23."

"You want to help him escape?"

"Not to help him."

The bodyguard was startled, "Mr. Yan..."

"Remember, send two cars to attract Jingyan's attention and try to meet up with us in the second half of the journey." Yan Baiqing's face was gloomy. "Go quickly!"

The bodyguard lowered his head, breathing rapidly, and remained silent for a long time.

When Yan Baiqing found Chen Qing, she was leaning on a recliner and sleeping soundly.

It's easy to get tired during pregnancy. I have to travel around during this period and compete with him in wits and courage. It's really hard.

Although he moved very quietly, Chen Qing still noticed someone approaching.

"Are you leaving?"

Chen Qing's eager look to leave pierced the deepest part of his heart, but it was gone in an instant. "Yeah."

"I'm going to change."

"Qing'er." He grabbed her wrist, "The first piece you played for me was 'One Step Away'."

Chen Qing didn't understand what he was saying and nodded.

"Play it for me again, okay?"

"Here?"

Yan Baiqing didn't reply. He forced his fingers into her palm, held her fingers tightly and led her out.

All the bodyguards were waiting downstairs in full armor. Chen Qing's heart tightened when he saw this scene. "Yan Baiqing..."

"Don't be afraid." Yan Baiqing put his arm around her shoulders and made arrangements in an orderly manner. "Qing'er and I will take a car. We don't need a driver."

He took the car keys from the bodyguard and walked quickly towards the back door despite his men's attempts to stop him.

Chen Qing was almost hanging in the man's arms, and was stumbled into the passenger seat of a car.

Just as I was sitting down, there was a click in the silent carriage.

Her mind was dizzy, and she slowly turned her head and stared at the black muzzle of the gun.

The profile of Yan Baiqing's face was particularly sharp in the fog, and the shaking of his cheekbones could be vaguely seen.

He started the engine, his brows expression indifferent, "Qing'er, I told you, Aunt He lied to you, I'm not a good person."

The car drove onto the road, and Chen Qing's nails were about to pierce her palms. She moved her butt carefully, and the muzzle of the gun was immediately pressed against her forehead with brute force.

She closed her eyes tightly, her body trembling uncontrollably. The cold and hard touch made her scalp almost explode, "Bai Qing..."

Yan Baiqing looked ahead, heard the bodyguard's voice in his headphones, and turned left into a small road.

He glanced at the black car in the rearview mirror, his hand holding the gun steady. "I saw you on the day the Chen family was in trouble. The funeral was simple, and I stayed with you until the end, just to arrange for you to enter Qingyoufu Garden. I knew Meng Hongwen coveted the influence of the 'regulars' in the orphan girls' training class. Originally, I wanted to train you to be a character like Hua Mei, and work for me."

"Chen Qing, even if I knew you first, even if Jingyan wasn't there, I would only be using you." He said in a casual tone and parked the car on the ramp.

There was a road surveillance camera in front of the car. Chen Qing immediately understood his intention and bravely grabbed his wrist holding the gun. "Bai Qing, stay alive, okay?"

Yan Baiqing's neck veins bulged, but he said nothing.

Suddenly, the back door of the car was opened. Chen Qing was so scared that he trembled and almost screamed.

"Go!"

She looked at the rearview mirror in astonishment. Meng Hongwen, sitting in the back seat, sneered, "Bai Qing, if you had done this earlier, Wei Lan wouldn't have to suffer."

Yan Baiqing frowned, "Where is my mother?"

"Don't worry, nothing will happen to her." Meng Hongwen took out a handkerchief to wipe the rain from his face. "When we were leaving the province, things didn't go smoothly. Man Wei brought people to stop the car. Your mother is with her."

"That's not the deal we agreed on."

He calmly looked at Chen Qing in the passenger seat and said, "That's not true, but you broke the contract first. We're even now, so let's not blame each other."

Yan Baiqing narrowed his eyes, endured it silently, and drove away.

When approaching Pier 23, Chen Qing saw two ships docked there, standing in the fog.

Meng Hongwen put on his hat, changed his coat, and looked back. "Weren't there two cars of people just now? Where are the people?"

Yan Baiqing gritted his teeth and said, "It's too obvious that there are too many people. Let them retreat."

"I'll go up first in a moment. What are you going to do about this girl?"

Chen Qing protected his lower abdomen and gritted his teeth to force himself to remain calm.

Yan Baiqing didn't answer the question, but slammed on the brakes and said, "Get out of the car."

Meng Hongwen looked at him.

"We're running out of time." Yan Baiqing urged solemnly, "Get out of the car. The boat on the left is ready. You go first."

Meng Hongwen was still wary, "Why don't we go together?"

"Okay." Yan Baiqing didn't hesitate and went around to the passenger seat to pull Chen Qing out.

"Bai Qing...Bai Qing!" She staggered, "If you hand him over now, you and your mother won't end up with him—"

"It's too late." The man's chest pressed against her back, his voice deep and powerful, "Since the day Jingyan came back alive, it's been too late for me to do anything."

He stood firm in the wind.

There was a red mark on Chen Qing's forehead from the pressure of the gun barrel. Yan Baiqing's warm lips covered it, kissed across the bridge of his nose, and went to the corner of his eye, swallowing all the salty and bitter taste there into his mouth.

He gently pressed his lips against her soft cheek, "Are your tears because he's still alive, or because of me?"

Chen Qing sobbed and shook his head.

"Do you know why I like you?"

"You know how to accept your fate and all the injustices. You have the purest, purest heart." Yan Baiqing patted her back soothingly. "I've never been able to learn that in my entire life."

The sound of the wind made his words muffled.

Chen Qing was stunned as she was pushed away. Two or three people came up behind her and hung things on her.

Meng Hongwen sneered and dissuaded him hypocritically, "Bai Qing, there's no need to be so ruthless, right?"

Yan Baiqing ignored him and stared at the bomb on Chen Qing. "The erhu I gave you is on the boat. You still owe me a song."

Chen Qing finally came to his senses.

"Remember, don't stop until you see me on board." Yan Baiqing's face was sinister. "Otherwise, I will make sure your child with Jiang Jingyan never returns."

He signaled with his eyes, and the people on the boat turned around with Chen Qing.

Meng Hongwen looked at something not far away, and his expression suddenly changed. "Whose car is that?"

Yan Baiqing took a deep breath and turned his back to him. "You taught me so much, and you taught Jingyan so much. There is one sentence among them that I still remember."

The sounds of brakes and horns came one after another.

"You said that open conspiracy always comes before secret conspiracy."

"Why are you talking about this now?" Meng Hongwen was in a hurry to escape to another ship. As he took a step, he felt a chill on the back of his head.

At this time, the boat Chen Qing was on started moving.

The wind was blowing and the clouds were surging. She turned back hastily and saw two figures confronting each other on the shore.

Yan Baiqing still looked gentle and modest, pushing Meng Hongwen back step by step. "You understand that principle better than anyone else, but you sincerely teach Jingyan, making me inferior to him and becoming a defeated soldier."

"You are my son! I teach you sincerely as well!"

"Do you really think so?" Yan Baiqing's eyes were red. "In your heart, I am Yan Weilan's son, the child of that wishful thinking man who ruined your engagement with Zhong Manwei."

Meng Hongwen breathed rapidly and quietly touched the weapon in his arms.

At the critical moment, Yan Baiqing slashed at his Adam's apple, snatched the pistol and threw it into the sea.

Meng Hongwen barely managed to stand firm, and then the gun was pointed at the tip of his nose.

"Meng Hongwen." The sea breeze lifted the hem of Yan Baiqing's coat, making his aura seem even more ruthless. "Before Jing Yan catches up to you, you have two choices."

A string of music drifted over, his brows twitched slightly, and he continued in a deep voice, "Either, give this only bullet to Jingyan, and I will leave with you, return to the Greater Bay Area, and the entire Yan family will stand up for you; or, kill me to silence me, let me bear all the blame, and use me to atone for your mistakes."

Meng Hongwen was furious, his facial muscles twitching uncontrollably, "Don't force me—"

"Jingyan came alone. He was isolated and helpless. By the time others arrived, you and I would have been nowhere to be found."

The sound of brakes is getting closer.

Yan Baiqing threw the gun at his feet and said, "Time waits for no one. If you don't make any choice, we, father and son, will be caught together."

Meng Hongwen picked it up tremblingly and stared at the silver-white car body that was becoming clearer and clearer on the main road.

"Don't force me..." he muttered, raising the gun, "Don't force me..."

The second performance of "One Step Away" on the boat was nearing its end. Yan Baiqing stood with his hands in his pockets, lazily and unrestrainedly, leisurely immersed in the music.

At this moment, Jiang Jingyan was at a distance where he could see the entire scene clearly. The car could not get any closer, so he immediately turned off the engine and ran away.

"Shoot." Yan Baiqing put his body against the muzzle of the gun. "He dies or I die. Who do you choose?"

"Don't push me!"

Meng Hongwen collapsed, his wrists shaking badly.

Seeing that something was about to happen, Jiang Jingyan didn't care about anything else. He used his body to the limit and yelled, "Brother! Run! Brother!"

Yan Baiqing felt a sharp pain in his chest, and his voice was choked with sobs. "Choose your lover's son, or choose me, a stain."

Meng Hongwen shuddered and his eyes were blank for a few seconds.

The past events repeated themselves before his eyes like a kaleidoscope, and he closed his eyes.

Brake sound.

Gunshots.

String music.

It created an absurd farce.

The black business car came to an abrupt stop on a high mountain road. Yan Weilan rolled and crawled out of the car, and the situation on the shore was clearly visible.

Her throat was choked and she couldn't breathe. After a moment, she burst into a shrill and terrifying cry.

…

When Chen Qingla played it for the ninth time, Hua Mei came out of the cabin and said, "We're here."

She didn't stop.

Hua Mei frowned and repeated in a high-pitched voice, "Get off the boat, you can go home now."

Chen Qing waved her away, "He said he can't stop until he sees him, or he'll explode."

"He arranged for Lao Qian and me to escort you on the boat. Will he let us die together?" Hua Mei untied the ropes tied around her body without saying a word and threw her on the deck.

Chen Qing's muscles were so tense that they ached, and he tried to move his arms.

"You're the only ones who think he's an unforgivable criminal." Hua Mei wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "After all these days, he could have easily abandoned you and escaped with a real bomb. Is that possible?"

Chen Qing paused.

Without waiting for the ship to reach the shore, the coast guard surrounded the cabin and warned everyone to raise their hands in surrender.

Hua Mei stared into the depths of the fog, searching in vain for something. "He saved me, saved my family, and prepared a way out for Lao Qian and me. Chen Qing, that gunshot means you'll never have the chance to know what a good man he was."

As she finished speaking, she pulled out the dagger from her waist.

The surroundings were in chaos in an instant, blood was glaring, the criminals shot dead on the deck, and Lao Qian's desperate struggle were all floating in the ears, unable to be distinguished clearly.

Chen Qing, feeling dizzy, followed the coast guard's instructions to get off the boat and fell directly into the man's arms.

"It's okay." Jiang Jingyan held her tightly, his heart became lively again, and everything in front of him began to have color.

He completely understood what it felt like to lose something and then regain it.

At this moment, Chen Qing finally burst into tears.

She suddenly remembered what she hadn't heard clearly.

——In my life, I have never learned how to love someone purely.

——Qing'er, don't forgive me.

The winter sea breeze feels as painful as a knife when it blows on your body, just like the snow in southern China during the New Year.

The wind hasn't stopped, the snow hasn't melted, and the people have left.

Things have changed and people have changed.