Chapter 88 (End of Main Text) We are just like you now.

After those people left, Chen Jiashu stood up, propped himself up on the sofa, lowered his eyes, and counted his steps as he returned to his desk. He sat down in his office chair, propped one elbow on the desk, closed his heavy eyelids, and pressed his throbbing temples hard with his bent fingertips.

Yang Shuhua.

These past two days, she has often lingered in the corridor. When Lao Song goes back to bring her food, she stands outside the door, hesitant.

Her footsteps were easy to distinguish.

Each person's footsteps, like fingerprints or voices, are unique. Height, weight, stride length, and other details can be used to identify them.

When his eyesight was good, Chen Jiashu never realized that his hearing could be so sensitive.

He had already taken note of her when she came to the company to see him six months ago.

Yang Shuhua was afraid, afraid of any sign that he and Qiaoqiao might get back together, so afraid that she needed to follow him like a shadow.

In her eyes, he might really be like a...unlucky virus. Getting close to him would bring her endless trouble.

Therefore, she had to remove him from their world...

Thinking of this, a smile mixed with self-mockery and sorrow welled up in his throat, and he tugged at the corners of his mouth, letting out a soft chuckle.

But in this boundless darkness, he felt a bone-chilling cold.

These thoughts had already taken root in his mind, like moss creeping in the shadows. He wasn't unaware of them, but he simply refused to think about them deeply, much less connect them together.

Simply because he was afraid.

Once he figured it out, once he admitted that he really was a "menace" who needed to be eliminated in her eyes, how should he conduct himself? What should Qiaoqiao do? How should he look at her and make a choice between his mother and him?

Until that night.

He stood outside the door and overheard Qiaoqiao's conversation with her mother.

A profound sense of absurdity and humiliation washed over him. He couldn't cover his ears, nor could he control the emotions that surged forth in that instant.

The sunglasses slipped from his palm as he momentarily lost focus. Chen Jiashu was slightly startled, but when he came to his senses, he was about to bend down to pick them up when he heard the door lock creak. Then someone entered the room, and the back door slammed shut.

His intuition told him that a sense of danger was approaching.

"Chen Jiashu, go to hell!!"

A roar filled with deep-seated hatred shattered the silence of the room. Immediately afterward, footsteps, like heavy hammer blows, approached from afar, closing in on them in an instant.

His survival instincts made Chen Jiashu almost reflexively get up and retreat quickly to the side and back, his back slamming heavily against the hard bookshelf, causing several books to slide down with a "whoosh".

At the same time, a sharp "thud" pierced the eardrum.

Something was driven deep into the tabletop of his desk.

It looks like a knife, with the blade driven into the wood.

An image immediately flashed into his mind: someone holding a murder weapon, their face contorted with hatred, staring intently in his direction.

Lu Jun exerted force twice before finally pulling the military dagger embedded in the tabletop. He looked up and saw Chen Jiashu leaning against the bookshelf, one hand flailing frantically in the air, fleeing towards the door in a panic.

He wanted to escape again.

He took a shortcut and rushed forward, stopping in front of the entrance in two strides. Glancing at the figure moving outside the door, Lu Jun's eyes sharpened. He grabbed the heavy armchair by the wall and threw it three steps away from Chen Jiashu.

A mocking, cruel smile then appeared on his lips.

Chen Jiashu's shinbone unexpectedly slammed into the hard chair leg, and a piercing pain instantly shot through his body. He groaned, lost his balance, and crashed to the ground with the chair, making a heavy thud.

Several patients and their families, drawn by the loud noise, gathered around and peered inside through the glass window in the door. When they saw the mess inside and the gleaming military knife in the hand of the man who had the upper hand, their faces turned pale, and they looked at each other, none daring to move.

"They've started surgery!"

"Call the police!"

The plump woman fumbled for her phone, her fingers trembling so much she could barely hold it.

Learning from their previous experience, the army did not give Chen Jiashu a chance to retaliate. They used their knees to press him down on the floor.

A brutal, powerful force squeezed Chen Jiashu's chest, making it difficult for him to breathe, but he immediately knew who it was.

"Uh..." He struggled desperately, but could not break free of the restraints.

The army soldier raised his military dagger, the cold glint of which caught the eyes of those outside. Only then did they realize that this was about to kill someone!

A commotion broke out.

At this critical moment, a figure pushed through the crowd and stood at the door for a few seconds.

It seemed as if they were confirming something.

Then, the woman flung the door open, and the door slammed heavily against the wall with a loud "bang."

Just as the knife tip was about to pierce Chen Jiashu's vest, a sudden sound interrupted the army's actions.

He instinctively turned his head.

"Yoshiki!!"

Like a lioness protecting her cubs, she lifted it up and smashed it down on his head.

The army soldier couldn't dodge in time, and the coat hanger hit him hard on the back with a loud thud.

He fell to the side.

As the pressure eased, Chen Jiashu seized the fleeting opportunity, flipped over and pinned Lu Jun to the ground, locking his arms tightly with his legs, and punched him in the face.

"Call the police!!" Chen Jiashu shouted.

One punch, two punches, three punches...

He couldn't see; some fists hit the other person's face, while others missed and slammed into the cold floor.

Chen Jiashu felt no pain at all.

Yang Shuhua threw down the clothes rack and was about to call the police when her fingers trembled violently. Just as she took out her phone, it fell to the ground.

She hurriedly bent down to pick it up: "Jia Shu..."

More and more people gathered at the entrance.

Someone said, "The police have already been called! The police have already been called!"

Lu Jun roared, unleashing astonishing power, flipped over, and slammed Chen Jiashu to the ground. He then straddled Chen Jiashu, threw away his military knife, and gripped Chen Jiashu's neck tightly with both hands like iron clamps.

"Chen Jiashu, you despicable scoundrel, go to hell!!"

The hatred in his voice chilled everyone to the bone.

"Well……"

Chen Jiashu's face instantly turned red. His right eye, which was wide open due to lack of oxygen, was filled with bloodshot veins, while his half-closed left eyelid trembled violently, revealing a terrifying deep red eyeball.

Lu Jun suddenly met those eyes, his movements faltering for a moment, a chill running through him instinctively. But his frenzied killing intent quickly overwhelmed his hesitation, and he tightened his grip, determined to end this man.

The sharp blade pierced the soldier's back, followed by a piercing, excruciating pain that was delayed by half a second.

Lu Jun let out a bloodcurdling scream, and the hand gripping Chen Jiashu's neck instantly gave way.

An uproar erupted from the crowd.

The army saw the woman trembling violently.

His eyes were bloodshot as he struggled to his feet, his anger turning entirely towards her.

Thick blood stained her curled fingertips. Yang Shuhua stared at it, her eyes trembling, her body frozen.

When she realized something was choking her, she was already stumbling backward, crashing into a nearby bookshelf.

"Vast!"

The loud impact shook the bookshelf.

Army soldiers, their arm muscles bulging, pinned Yang Shuhua down firmly.

After the surrounding noise subsided for a while, Chen Jiashu stood up, supporting himself on his knees, and greedily swallowed the air, his lungs burning.

He could hear the cacophony of voices outside the door, making it impossible for him to pinpoint Yang Shuhua's exact location.

Fear gripped him.

"Where? Where are you?!" he seemed to be shouting in the wilderness, hoping to get some response.

Yang Shuhua can't be hurt! Qiaoqiao will be heartbroken. ...This thought swirled wildly in his mind.

Chen Jiashu walked straight ahead, then stopped halfway and let out a hoarse growl: "Mom! Mom! Answer me!"

At this moment, Yang Shuhua's heels were off the ground, her hands were futilely clawing at the air, and a series of painful, gurgling sobs, like someone on the verge of death, escaped her throat.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Chen Jiashu enter the bedroom.

But it's not safe there.

Finally, someone from the crowd of onlookers ran inside; it was a man in his forties.

But he was frightened by the man's murderous gaze as he turned his head and dared not go any further.

On the verge of suffocation, Yang Shuhua used her last bit of strength to squeeze out broken syllables from between her teeth: "Jia...go...turn around, turn around! Keep walking..." The door was outside.

The sound was like a scalding, sharp knife piercing Chen Jiashu's heart, but at the same time, it gave Chen Jiashu a precise location.

He stepped back and, guided by instinct, crashed hard into Yang Shuhua's direction.

"Bang!"

Lu Jun was knocked off balance and fell to the ground, tumbling down with Chen Jiashu. The hilt of the knife on his back scraped against the ground, and he let out another piercing scream, unable to get up for a moment.

At that moment, all the discussions outside the door abruptly ceased.

Immediately following was the sound of hurried, forceful footsteps, and several authoritative shouts: "Police! Don't move!"

The army was quickly subdued and handcuffed by the police who arrived at the scene.

Two young police officers helped Chen Jiashu up and Yang Shuhua, who was slumped on the ground.

"You..." Chen Jiashu looked around, his voice hoarse and trembling, "Are you injured?"

Tears of relief mingled with the grime on her face as Yang Shuhua clutched her neck, her voice hoarse and strained as she cried out, "I...I'm alright...I'm here...It's alright, Jiashu, it's alright..."

*

Just as Qin Qiao was about to leave work, her phone rang. It was Chen Jiashu calling.

Over the phone, Chen Jiashu succinctly told her that something unexpected had happened.

Yang Shuhua has now been taken to the police station for questioning on charges of self-defense. However, Chen Jiashu told her not to worry, as he was also in the police car.

After hanging up the phone, Qin Qiao got up and rushed out of the office.

She and Sun Gang arrived at almost the same time. They exchanged a glance at each other at the police station entrance and ran inside in unison.

The police station lobby was brightly lit and somewhat quiet. Qin Qiao spotted Chen Jiashu sitting on a bench at a glance. He was holding a shrunken white cane, and his expression behind his sunglasses was one of dazed disorientation.

"Jiashu!" Qin Qiao ran up to him in a few steps. "Where's my mother?"

Chen Jiashu looked up at her, tilting his face slightly to the right: "Auntie... is still inside."

Following his gesture, Qin Qiao looked and saw a door on the east side slightly ajar. Anxious and impatient, she ran past him, intending to burst inside.

However, he was stopped by a female police officer who came out from inside.

"Madam, please wait. A statement is being taken inside, and you cannot go in at this time."

Qin Qiao had no choice but to step back and sit in the empty seat next to Chen Jiashu.

Her gaze fell on his flushed neck, and she reached out, her fingertips trembling slightly as she touched the burning skin.

It felt like being burned by fire, a sharp pain shot through me.

"Jiashu," her voice trembled, unable to suppress her heartache, "does it hurt?"

Chen Jiashu had already briefly explained what happened over the phone. The man who committed the crime was a kidnapper who had escaped from the previous kidnapping case. He had returned this time specifically to take Chen Jiashu's life.

Before this, he still thought that from now on, Yang Shuhua would only be "Ms. Yang." He would fulfill his duties as a son-in-law, and nothing more.

After Sun Gang finished making a phone call, he came over and told them that Attorney Qian would handle the follow-up matters and that they could rest assured that Yang Shuhua would be fine and could go back as soon as she finished giving her statement.

That evening, Qin Qiao, worried about Yang Shuhua, went back to the hotel with her. In the room, Yang Shuhua took her pajamas and went into the bathroom to shower. While waiting, Qin Qiao picked up the kettle, filled it with purified water, and plugged it in to boil.

Walking back, Qin Qiao sat at the foot of the bed, staring blankly at the power light on the kettle.

Yang Shuhua's actions today will not earn Jia Shu's forgiveness; they will only make him feel more upset and conflicted.

She hurt Jia Shu too much. The backstabbing she inflicted on him destroyed his basic trust in humanity and shattered his faith in "family" and "kinship".

Qin Qiao looked down at the red marks on the back of her hand, marks she had made by pinching herself. These superficial wounds were relatively minor; the marks would fade with time, but the inner trauma would never heal.

“Qiaoqiao…”

Qin Qiao looked up at the sound and saw Yang Shuhua standing in the middle of the entrance hall, having changed into the pajamas she had brought from home.

The bright light cast a halo around the top of her dark hair, which was still slightly disheveled.

The large red patch on her neck was still shocking to behold. Qin Qiao's eyes stung slightly, and she took a deep breath.

"I bought some clothes and snacks that the kids like. Remember to take them with you when you leave." Yang Shuhua smiled at her. "I booked a flight for tomorrow morning. You're busy with work, so you don't need to come see me off."

With a "pop," the water in the kettle boiled.

Qin Qiao glanced at her mother with her sore eyes, then looked back at her mother's face: "Okay."

Yang Shuhua walked straight to the round table on the inside, opened her purse, took out a red envelope, and said as she walked, "I forgot to give you the red envelope your uncle gave me last time."

Qin Qiao reached out and took it.

Unconsciously, my fingertips traced the gold foil stamping on the red envelope.

Yang Shuhua sat down beside her, causing the Simmons mattress to dip slightly. Only then did Qin Qiao notice her mother's moist eyelashes. She clenched the red envelope in her hand and pursed her lips.

“Qiaoqiao… I won’t say those things again. Mom is still young, you don’t need to worry about me all the time.” Yang Shuhua held her hand, her thumb gently tracing the red marks on the back of her hand, but her eyes were even redder. “I’ve been going to square dancing with your aunt and the others every night recently, it’s quite fun. I have more than ten succulents at home, and I also bought some planters online and put them on the balcony, where I planted some seedlings. It takes a lot of time to take care of them every day, and the day just flies by.”

Qin Qiao's vision was already blurry, but she tried to smile and said, "Are the seedlings Mom planted easy to grow? Show me next time you video chat..."

Yang Shuhua smiled and nodded: "Okay, I'll take a picture and show it to you when I get home."

Qin Qiao put the red envelope into her bag, and after being urged several times by Yang Shuhua, she got up.

The mother and daughter hugged briefly and restrained. Qin Qiao didn't look back and turned to leave the hotel.

*

The sky was clear with a bright moon and few stars, and a gentle night breeze was blowing.

Chen Jiashu slowly walked out of the bedroom, his toes hitting the bottom of the railing, and he stopped.

He raised his right hand and gently placed it on the cold iron railing, tilting his face up to let the cool evening breeze caress his cheeks.

Sun Gang told him that Lu Jun had come to "kill" him. According to Lu Jun's confession to the police, a week earlier, when he secretly returned to the village, villagers told him that his parents would be sentenced, and his elder brother was very likely to face the death penalty. Lu Jun believed that all of this was Chen Jiashu's doing.

“This army officer felt he was too soft-hearted and advised his elder brother to spare your life, but you went so far as to exterminate their entire family.”

To exterminate them completely.

Oh.

It turns out that the army risked their lives to come back this time not for anything else, but to take him down with them.

Chen Jiashu's fingers tightened suddenly, the iron bars creaking in his palm, as if he were about to snap them in two.

Suddenly, the air seemed to stop flowing, and Chen Jiashu felt suffocated. His chest heaved violently as he gasped for breath.

"Clatter".

“Jia Shu…”

Qin Qiao stood at the junction of the bedroom and the living room, looking around, but did not see Chen Jiashu.

"Did they go home?"

She muttered to herself, rummaging through her bag to get her phone, when Chen Jiashu's voice came through: "I'm outside."

Qin Qiao immediately walked towards the balcony, and just as she reached the door, she almost bumped into him as he returned.

Chen Jiashu was only wearing a thin hospital gown, the collar slightly open, revealing large red marks on his fair neck that had not faded at all.

Qin Qiao reached out and took his hand, leading him to the bedside, where they sat down together.

She gently squeezed his fingers, and Chen Jiashu sat down sideways, smiled, and said, "I have a question for you."

Qin Qiao nodded: "Go on."

"Do you think I've changed?" Chen Jiashu asked.

Qin Qiao hesitated for a moment, but Chen Jiashu couldn't wait and told her: "Just now... Sun Gang told me that Lu Jun... who is the one who came to 'kill' me, thinks I am ruthless and cruel, and that I have exterminated their family, not even sparing the old people."

Qin Qiao raised her hand and gently stroked the red marks on his neck with her fingertips.

Her prominent Adam's apple slid slowly, and she gently placed her palm on it, feeling its state and "listening" to the myriad words contained within.

“You haven’t changed…” Qin Qiao’s tone was very soft, like the warm winter sun brushing against her cheek, “You’ve broken.”

His eyelashes brushed against his lower eyelids, leaving a faint trace of moisture. Chen Jiashu smiled silently, a slight upturn at the corners of his lips.

"I remember when I first met you, I thought you were a cold person, like a glacier, cold and hard. But after getting to know you, I found that Chen Jiashu's heart is not only soft, but also very warm."

The man's Adam's apple bobbed in her palm again. Qin Qiao glanced at his trembling eyelashes, and through the gaps, she could vaguely see glimmers of light in his dark pupils: "That 'glacier' once melted for me. Later, the world collapsed, and he was shattered, then froze back up, becoming a new iceberg full of cracks, looking different from before. But I know that inside, there is still that burning heart that melted for me."

Chen Jiashu swayed slightly. Qin Qiao opened her arms, wrapped them around his arms, and hugged him tightly. Then, tears streamed down her face, and she tasted a slightly salty flavor on her tongue.

Chen Jiashu rested his chin gently on Qin Qiao's shoulder, turned his face, and whispered in her ear, "Qiao Qiao... I don't know where I am every day. Like a walking corpse floating in a black hole, only your voices make me feel like I'm still in the human world. I know I'll go blind sooner or later, but it's so painful. I don't know where I am sitting, how those people look at me, how many of them are laughing at me, how many are pitying me, and how many are truly sorry for me... But all of this could have come later, because of them, I hate them... They've made me like this... Every day that cold thing is put into my eyes, it's fake, it's not my eyes. The darkness and it only remind me that I'm different now, but I don't even know what I look like now... I'm living like a joke."

His tears soaked her thin shirt, and Qin Qiao gently stroked his back again and again, as if comforting a frightened child.

Once his trembling breathing had calmed down a bit, she loosened her embrace slightly and cupped his face in her hands.

Gently, with her thumb, she wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes again and again.

His left eyelid was trembling, revealing an eyeball unlike anyone else's, bloodshot from his agitated emotions and tears. Her husband, who was particularly concerned with his appearance and dignity, now had eyes like this. He couldn't see, but he could guess, he could think, and he could visualize himself in his mind through the reactions of others.

That was a thousand times, ten thousand times more painful.

And all of this is because of them, how could he not hate them?

Qin Qiao took his right hand and pressed his palm firmly against her cheek. She let his fingertips feel the warmth of her skin, and let the tears on her cheeks dampen the lines of his palm.

Chen Jiashu's fingertips curled slightly as he felt Qin Qiao's intense gaze. This time, he felt utterly ashamed, and as he lowered his eyelids, tears rolled down his cheeks again.

At this moment, Qin Qiao's gentle yet firm voice rang in his ear, each word distinct and clear:

“You’re not joking, Yoshiki. You are my husband, and the most wonderful father in our children’s hearts.”

“You can’t see yourself, but you can touch me and hear me. Me and the children are just like you right now.”

“If you feel like you’re living in a black hole, then we are the ropes tied to you. When you’re floating, we’ll pull you back. When you’re cold, we’ll be your warmth.”

"As for those who look at you, laugh at you, and pity you... Chen Jiashu, listen to me, what they see is just a shadow. The real you is here, in my palm, in our home. No one can see you, and no one can steal you away."

...

[End of main text]

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Author's Note: This concludes the main text of the book.

In matters of friendship and family, some relationships are indeed difficult to salvage and repair (not entirely impossible, but extremely difficult at present). The physical and psychological trauma Jia Shu has suffered cannot be erased by a mere apology or a kneeling gesture.

But what I want to express is that even after suffering all the irreparable losses, one can still choose how to love and how to continue living.

The following chapters are about the continuation of Zhu Ao and Jia Shu five years later, and the continuation of Jia Shu's journey out of the shadows with Qiao Qiao's help.

Zhu Ao harbored deep feelings for Jiashu, and the eventual breakdown in their relationship can be described as "love turning to hate." While Jiashu had begun to use an entrepreneurial mindset to plan for the future, Zhu Ao stubbornly remained stuck in his "grassroots era." His concept of "brotherhood" was even possessive; therefore, Jiashu's introduction of Sun Gang as part of its strategic plan reduced Zhu Ao's mindset from "the only one" to "one of many." In reality, many entrepreneurial partners also part ways due to differences in vision.

This book is not perfect; there are some minor flaws in the timeline (which I will revise later)... The realistic subject matter inevitably makes it feel heavy.

Thank you to all the readers who have followed my updates. Your daily encouragement and support are my greatest motivation.

We'll meet again in our next book.