Chapter 34 The Truth

Jiang Jizhou's sudden coldness did not last long.

A light spring rain fell on Friday, and the courtyard was full of spring colors. The flowers that Yu Bai and Jiang Jizhou had planted when spring arrived had already sprouted green buds. Yu Bai leaned on the windowsill, looking at the hazy, rainy scene with a melancholy expression.

She stopped looking and walked to the piano, which Jiang Jizhou had bought as a gift for Yu Bai. It was placed in a corner of the bedroom and was pure white and flawless.

The girl's neck was slender, with a delicate and beautiful downward curve. Her wisps of hair were slightly messy by her ears. Her fingertips pressed on the black and white piano keys, and a melancholic and beautiful melody flowed into the room.

When Jiang Jizhou pushed open the door, this was the scene he saw.

He leaned against the door frame, quietly watching Yu Bai with a deep gaze.

My thoughts suddenly drifted back to the day I met Lin Yun.

Lin Yun is a crazy woman. Jiang Jizhou was afraid that she would hurt Yu Bai, so he told Yu Bai to leave first and went to see Lin Yun to see what tricks she was up to.

Yu Bai's mother was Jiang Feng's lover before Jiang Feng got married. Later, Jiang Feng married Jiang Jizhou's mother, and they maintained an improper relationship during their marriage. Jiang Jizhou's mother fell ill after being betrayed by both her friend and husband, and eventually passed away.

When Lin Yun told Jiang Jizhou, his first reaction was that it was absurd and unbelievable.

"You don't believe me? You can go and ask your father yourself if he ever had an affair with Yu Bai's mother, and whether your mother's death was related to Yu Bai's mother or not."

Lin Yun remained calm, as if she was certain that Jiang Jizhou wouldn't believe her. After she finished speaking, she showed Jiang Jizhou a photo of Jiang Feng and Ms. Yu when they were young. They looked very intimate, and Jiang Feng's gaze towards her was one of deep, unspoken love.

"Otherwise, why would Yu Bai's mother feel so comfortable entrusting her to your father?"

Lin Yun chuckled and stopped talking, quietly watching Jiang Jizhou's reaction.

Jiang Jizhou lowered his eyes, staring intently at the photo. Lin Yun's words were like a bolt from the blue, shattering all peace. He wanted to pretend he couldn't see or hear them, but they were so clear and unmistakable.

Seeing Jiang Jizhou's face gradually turn ashen, Lin Yun felt immense satisfaction. He always lost his temper easily when it came to matters concerning his mother. Thinking of his former high and mighty status and his current state of utter defeat, Lin Yun felt incredibly pleased.

Jiang Jizhou forgot how he got home. The world was warm, but he felt icy cold.

Yu Bai's smile became so glaring, making him irritable. When her soft hand touched his, he unconsciously shook it off. As soon as he got close to her, Lin Yun's words floated into his mind.

Jiang Jizhou desperately regained his composure. How could he treat Yu Bai based solely on Lin Yun's one-sided account?

Jiang Jizhou went to find Jiang Feng.

He looked away, unwilling to talk about the past.

Yu Bai was an ignorant suspect who was sentenced to death by Jiang Jizhou in just a few days.

Her piano playing was so beautiful; she was like an angel appearing in my gray world, bright, warm, pure, and clean.

Jiang Jizhou stepped behind Yu Bai and placed his hand on her neck, where her skin was soft and delicate.

Yu Bai trembled, the piano music stopped, and she tried to turn around, but Jiang Jizhou pressed down on the back of her head, preventing her from moving.

"Jiang Jizhou," Yu Bai called him cautiously.

"Keep playing." Jiang Jizhou's voice was very soft and indifferent, revealing no emotion. Yu Bai nervously pressed the keys.

Jiang Jizhou's hand followed her neck to her delicate collarbone, gently caressing a small red mole on it. Then he continued to her chest, where a soft spot touched her breast. Just as he was about to touch her bud, the piano music went off-key. Yu Bai turned back to look at him, trembling, her eyes brimming with tears that fell like broken beads.

Jiang Jizhou withdrew his hand and gently wiped away the tears from the corners of Yu Bai's eyes.

"Why are you always crying?" Jiang Jizhou asked softly.

Yu Bai's heart ached; her attachment to Jiang Jizhou pained her. She whispered to Jiang Jizhou, "Did I do something wrong?"

Jiang Jizhou gently covered her eyes. "No."

Yu Bai felt even more heartbroken. With a sob in her voice, she asked Jiang Jizhou, "Then why are you suddenly so cold to me?"

Jiang Jizhou leaned down and kissed her tear-stained cheek. "I'm sorry, it will never happen again."

With a gentle yet clear voice, Yu Bai bit her lip, and all the grievances she had held in these past few days burst forth, making her cry like a child.

Jiang Jizhou pinched her cheek, his peach blossom eyes filled with a doting smile, "Little crybaby."

Yu Bai leaned against Jiang Jizhou's chest, his brows, which had been furrowed for many days, finally relaxed, and Jiang Jizhou seemed to have returned to his old self.

Like an abandoned cat picked up by its owner again, Yu Bai began to feel anxious and insecure. However, she lost the courage to act coquettishly and didn't even dare to mention her birthday tomorrow. Whether he remembered her birthday or not, as long as he was still with her, that was enough. Yu Bai suddenly felt that she had lost herself in this relationship.

The following Saturday, the sky cleared up.

In the morning, Yu Bai received an invitation from Uncle Jiang to have lunch with him and celebrate Yu Bai's birthday.

Although Jiang Jizhou said that Yu Bai should not meet with Uncle Jiang, Uncle Jiang's words were sincere. He couldn't bear Lin Yun's mental torment and wanted to live separately from Lin Yun. Yu Bai also felt reluctant, especially since he was just celebrating his birthday.

So, Yu Bai changed his clothes and went to keep the appointment.

The restaurant is elegantly decorated, with a crystal vase on the table holding a few lilies.

Uncle Jiang gave Yu Bai a necklace as a coming-of-age gift, smiling kindly, "Bai Bai has grown into a beautiful young lady."

Yu Bai smiled shyly, pursing her lips.

"Thank you, Uncle Jiang."

"Why be so polite with Uncle Jiang?"

"Try this fish slice; it's their specialty, very fresh and tender."

Uncle Jiang looked at Yu Bai as if she were his own daughter. Yu Bai felt a warmth in her heart, picked up some food and put it in her bowl to savor. Then she nodded, "Yes, it is indeed very delicious."

"Sigh, if I hadn't been so foolish, I could be having dinner with the three of us, including Ji Zhou, right now." Uncle Jiang sighed, and Yu Bai paused in his chopsticks.

Do you know why Jiang Jizhou's mother passed away?

After a moment of silence, Uncle Jiang suddenly spoke.

Yu Bai paused for a moment, then shook his head.

Uncle Jiang slowly recounted this old story.

Uncle Jiang did have a relationship with Yu Bai's mother before getting married, but they later fell in love with other people and broke up peacefully.

Upon hearing this news, Yu Bai was also surprised, as she had never heard Ms. Yu mention it before.

“After my wife and I got married, we were very loving. Later, she developed a chronic illness while giving birth to Jizhou. When Jizhou fell ill, it was because my wife secretly donated bone marrow, which triggered cancer. We didn’t want Jizhou to know that it was because of her, so when my wife was seriously ill and not long for life, we set up a scheme to pretend that I had cheated on her and caused the illness.”

After he finished speaking, tears streamed down Uncle Jiang's face.

So that's how it is. Yu Bai was stunned for a moment. She didn't know how painful it would be for Jiang Jizhou to know the truth. He loved his mother so much.

But Uncle Jiang truly loved his wife and children, and silently endured the infamy.

Parents who love their children plan far ahead for them. It's undeniable that they both deeply love Jiang Jizhou and have sheltered him in a protective environment, but is this really the right thing to do? With his mother's death and the falling out between father and son, Yu Bai is in a daze.

Now that Uncle Jiang has told her the truth, has she also begun to have the idea of ​​letting Jiang Jizhou know the truth?

“Uncle Jiang…” Yu Bai stared blankly at Uncle Jiang, who was silently shedding tears in front of him. The pain that had been suppressed for many years overwhelmed him, and now he was just an old father.

At that moment, Yu Bai felt sorry for Uncle Jiang and was also really envious of Jiang Jizhou. How could his parents love him so much?

“Uncle Jiang, so many years have passed, I think my brother has the right to know the truth,” Yu Bai said softly.

Uncle Jiang clutched his head in anguish. A few days ago, Jiang Jizhou had asked him about it, but he hesitated and struggled, and ultimately didn't say it.

"Let's wait a few days."

After telling Yu Bai what had been buried deep in his heart, Uncle Jiang felt an unprecedented sense of relief. As for telling Jiang Jizhou, he thought he would wait until Jiang Jizhou finished his college entrance examination.

The two finished their meal, each lost in their own thoughts, and then walked out of the restaurant together.

“I live in Cuijing Villa. Come visit Uncle Jiang when you have time,” Uncle Jiang said to Yu Bai. He patted Yu Bai’s head. Yu Bai was a well-behaved and sensible girl, and he liked her from the bottom of his heart. With Yu Bai around, Jiang Jizhou smiled much more than before.

He suddenly had the idea of ​​bringing Yu Bai and Jiang Jizhou together, and couldn't help but chuckle as he thought about it. Yu Bai didn't know why Uncle Jiang was laughing, but she smiled obediently and said, "I know, I'll come to see you with my brother."

Being with Jiang Jizhou was just her way of comforting Uncle Jiang; she wasn't confident she could persuade him without telling him the truth.

But because of her words, Uncle Jiang smiled with relief, and his mood improved a lot.

When he got home, Jiang Jizhou wasn't on the first floor; the sound of a piano could be heard coming from upstairs.

Yu Bai ran upstairs and into the bedroom, where he saw Jiang Jizhou sitting at the piano, playing it.

Yu Bai never knew that Jiang Jizhou could also play the piano. Although he was dressed casually when he played the piano, he looked aloof and noble, like a snow pine on a high mountain, indifferent and unapproachable.

Yu Bai tiptoed over and saw his well-defined, fair, and slender fingers flying across the black and white piano keys.

Hearing footsteps, Jiang Jizhou stopped. The bedroom was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

He didn't turn around to look at Yu Bai, but simply said in a low voice, "You went to see Jiang Feng?"

Yu Bai's brow twitched. She paused, then explained, "Uncle Jiang wants to celebrate my birthday."

"Hmm." Jiang Jizhou gave a soft "hmm."

"Uncle Jiang wants me to apologize to you. He and Lin Yun have broken up, and he hopes we can go and see him," Yu Bai said to Jiang Jizhou as tactfully as possible.

Jiang Jizhou snorted coldly, "Are you taking his side so seriously?"

Yu Bai immediately shook her head. Knowing the truth but unable to speak it, she was speechless for a moment.

Jiang Jizhou didn't press further. He stood up, as if he had made up his mind, and smiled at Yu Bai, "Do you love me?"

He had a half-smile on his face, and his handsome features were now unfamiliar to Yu Bai.

Her voice was soft as she said, "I love you."

Jiang Jizhou held her in his arms and said, "I love you too."

"They can only side with me."

His tone was somewhat aggrieved, and Yu Bai immediately softened and nodded emphatically.

Yu Bai buried her face in his chest, feeling that the Jiang Jizhou who loved her had really returned. Her unusual behavior these past few days was just her own illusion. She closed her eyes and smiled simply.

Jiang Jizhou, however, remained expressionless.