Chapter Twenty-Five: A Trapped Bird with Broken Wings

Lin Tang left the restaurant, walking very fast, ignoring the sharp, stabbing pain in her left leg, which felt like countless needles grinding against her bone, from her old injury.

"Jintang!" Chen Kan's voice came from behind. He caught up in a few steps and suddenly grabbed her slender upper arm.

She was forced to stop and look up. Tears had already streamed down her face.

Chen Kan's gaze fell on her tear-streaked face, and a complex emotion flashed quickly through the depths of his eyes.

"Jintang, even now you're still shedding tears for Qiao Yuan?"

Lin Tang bit her lip, she was also angry with herself, angry at these damn, uncontrollable tears, angry at herself for being heartbroken for that devil!

She tried to suppress her inner weakness, raising her hand to wipe her cheeks haphazardly, but tears streamed down her face like a broken string of pearls, the more she wiped, the more she cried, leaving her utterly disheveled. "Don't worry about me... it's just my leg, my leg hurts a little..."

The coldness in Chen Kan's eyes was quickly covered by a carefully crafted gentleness.

He quickly pulled a fine silk handkerchief embroidered with subtle silver patterns from the inside pocket of his suit and gently, almost reverently, wiped away the tears from her face.

"I know you're suffering inside." He lowered his voice, deliberately mimicking Bai Mu's reassuring, scholarly, gentle tone from his memory. "Humans aren't plants or trees; how can they be without feelings? Six years of being together day and night—even if it was a nightmare, waking up would still be heart-wrenching."

He sighed softly, his gaze seemingly affectionate as he looked into Lin Tang's swollen eyes, but his words were like a precise carving knife, guiding her in the direction he had set out for her: "But what's past is past. It's like an old book with a page turned; no matter how painful it is, it will eventually be covered by the dust of time."

Lin Tang's eyes gradually regained their luster.

He paused, making sure Lin Tang's gaze was drawn to him, before continuing in that alluring, idealistic tone: "Jin Tang, we can't wallow in pain forever. Remember? The horn of 'Awakening Lion,' the cry to break free of shackles, the vow to let more people breathe the air of freedom… These are the true meanings we should strive for in our lives. We've already missed six whole years; must we let the remaining precious time be wasted in this pointless pain and hatred? I don't want to miss out any more. Let's start over together, okay?"

These words struck a chord deep within Lin Tang's most vulnerable heart.

The immense grievances, the longing to be understood, and the intense desire to completely escape Qiao Yuan's shadow instantly overwhelmed her already fragile defenses.

“Bai Mu…” she choked, almost blurting out that long-forgotten name. The gentle face of Chen Kan before her briefly overlapped with the spirited, bright-eyed young man from the depths of her memory.

At that moment, she seemed to see the only beacon of light to escape purgatory.

All her pretense of strength crumbled completely. Like a drowning person finally grabbing onto a piece of driftwood in a vast ocean, she could no longer hold on. Sobbing, her body went limp, and she collapsed heavily into Chen Kan's arms, her scalding tears quickly soaking the fabric of his shirt.

There, a black sedan with sleek, austere lines sat quietly in the shadows.

Through the rear window, Qiao Yuan's face, with its cold, hard features that now seemed frozen in ice, was clearly visible. He was staring intently at the two embracing figures from this distance.

Chen Kan's lips curved upwards very slightly from an angle unseen by anyone. The curve was cold and brief, carrying the satisfaction of prey falling into a trap.

Immediately, he reverted to his affectionate and tender demeanor, as if the scheming he had just committed had never existed.

Inside a black sedan across the street.

Qiao Yuan's gaze was fixed on the two figures embracing under the streetlight.

The moment he saw Lin Tang throw herself into Chen Kan's arms, his heart felt as if it were being gripped tightly by an invisible hand and then twisted violently, causing him so much pain that he almost suffocated.

Cheng Qing sat close to him, her face full of schadenfreude and sarcasm.

She leaned closer to Qiao Yuan and, in her sickeningly sweet voice, added fuel to the fire with a sarcastic tone: "Oh my, Mr. Qiao, look! This Sister Lin... tsk tsk, she just mentioned divorce to you, and then she turned around and threw herself into Mr. Chen's arms, crying her eyes out! The speed at which she changes her face is really... I bet she's been waiting for this all along, isn't she? Don't you think so, Mr. Qiao?"

Her voice pierced his ears sharply, but Qiao Yuan seemed not to hear a single word.

A storm raged in his eyes, a mixture of pain, anger, and the humiliation of betrayal, almost bursting through the cage of reason.

But he just kept staring until Lin Tang was carefully helped onto a passing rickshaw by Chen Kan, until the rickshaw turned the corner and disappeared completely into the darkness at the end of his sight.

The last glimmer of light went out.

Qiao Yuan abruptly closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, all that remained in his eyes was a lifeless, icy pool.

He didn't look at Cheng Qing again, as if she didn't exist at all. He raised his hand and stiffly and silently rolled up the car window, shutting out the light and noise of the outside world, as well as Cheng Qing's incessant chatter.

The carriage instantly fell into a stifling, oppressive silence.

"Drive." His voice carried a weariness and coldness that had been forcibly suppressed to the extreme.

Ah Chen glanced at Qiao Yuan's ashen face in the rearview mirror, dared not say a word, and started the engine. The black sedan silently glided into the night.

Cheng Qing was extremely embarrassed by his complete disregard and the way he blocked her view through the car window. Her carefully made-up face flushed red and then turned pale. She wanted to lash out but didn't dare. She could only twist the silk handkerchief in her hand angrily, her nails almost digging into her flesh.

The car drove all the way to the Qiao residence.

The atmosphere inside the carriage was heavy.

Qiao Yuan leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, pursed his lips, and clenched his jawline as if it had been carved by a knife.

The neon lights outside the window flashed across his cold, hard face, sometimes bright, sometimes dim, but they couldn't penetrate his eyes at all.

Back in the empty and cold Qiao residence, the servants were already standing silently with their hands at their sides, trembling with fear.

The hall was brightly lit, yet it couldn't dispel the invisible chill. The butler hurried forward, a hint of nervousness on his face, and whispered, "Master, Mr. Sato Ichiro... has been waiting for you for quite some time."

Qiao Yuan didn't stop walking and went straight to the living room, his impatience almost palpable.

Sure enough, in the living room, Sato Ichiro was leisurely sipping tea from a blue-and-white porcelain covered bowl on a wisteria chair. Seeing Qiao Yuan enter, he put down his teacup, stood up, and plastered a fake, sympathetic smile on his face.

"Mr. Qiao, I apologize for the intrusion and late-night visit." Sato bowed slightly, his tone sounding quite sincere. "I heard that something unpleasant has happened at your residence, and I am deeply sorry for it."

His shrewd eyes, gleaming with calculation behind his glasses, were fixed on Qiao Yuan's grim face. "Regarding your wife...Ms. Lin, I deeply sympathize with her for being misled by outsiders and committing such a betrayal. However, Mr. Qiao, as the leader of the Crescent Moon Gang and a pillar of Jiangcheng, your family matters are public matters. You must not act impulsively, especially regarding your numerous requests for divorce..."

Sato lowered his voice slightly, carrying an undeniable implication, "The conditions Ms. Lin proposed, especially her demand to divide your core business assets, are, in my opinion, clearly a tactic orchestrated by Mr. Chen Kan to seize your assets! This man harbors ulterior motives and has grand ambitions! Mr. Qiao, you must not agree, or the consequences will be dire!..."

“Mr. Sato.” Qiao Yuan was filled with resentment and had no intention of playing games with him. He simply said, “My family affairs are none of your concern. As for my businesses and my women, I know how to handle them. Thank you for your concern, Mr. Sato. Butler, see him out!”

His tone was firm and unwavering, leaving no room for politeness.

Sato's smile froze instantly, and a hint of offended malice flashed in his eyes.

“Josang, I’m speaking from the perspective of a friend and business partner…”

"I said, see the guest out." Qiao Yuan raised his eyelids, and the fierce look in his eyes made Sato's heart skip a beat.

The housekeeper immediately stepped forward and gestured, "Mr. Sato, this way."

Sato Ichiro's face turned ashen, his chest heaved, and finally he let out a heavy snort, grabbed the top hat that was placed to the side, gave Qiao Yuan a deep look, and then, under the "escort" of the butler, turned and left angrily.

Only Qiao Yuan and Cheng Qing, who had been following behind him and dared not utter a sound, remained in the living room.

Looking at Qiao Yuan's face, which was as cold as ice, Cheng Qing cautiously took two steps closer, forcing what she considered to be the most gentle and considerate expression on her face, her voice soft and gentle: "Mr. Qiao... please calm down, don't hurt yourself. Mr. Sato... he is, after all, Japanese. We... we still have quite a bit of business dealings with them. It's not worth getting so easily upset with them over such a family matter, what if..."

Before she could finish speaking, Qiao Yuan abruptly turned his head, his bloodshot eyes filled with violence and extreme impatience, like a trapped beast that had been thoroughly enraged, and roared to interrupt her: "Get out!"

The sound wasn't loud, but it carried the force of thunder, causing Cheng Qing to tremble all over and his face to turn ashen instantly.

"Can't you understand human language? I told you to get out!" Qiao Yuan pointed to the door, each word seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth, carrying a strong smell of blood.

Cheng Qing was so frightened that she didn't dare to stay for another second. She didn't care about her manners or her grievances. She practically scrambled out of the suffocating study, her high heels frantically tapping on the floor, the sound hurried and disheveled.