Chapter 18
It was Aunt Hong, who was in charge of cleaning. She was carrying a bag of trash, seemingly about to take it out. Under the dim light of the corridor lamp, she looked at this young master who shouldn't have been there, her face showing no surprise or reproach.
The two stared at each other in silence for a few seconds.
Aunt Hong asked nothing and said nothing. She simply walked forward silently, took out a key, and skillfully unlocked the door. A soft click echoed clearly in the quiet backyard.
Then, she stepped aside to make way for Jiang Ci, giving him a simple and clear "hurry up" gesture. Her cloudy eyes held a deep, unfathomable calm, as if she were simply opening the door for a cat that happened to want some fresh air.
Jiang Ci's Adam's apple bobbed, a thousand words stuck in his chest, ultimately turning into a barely perceptible nod. He sidestepped through the open iron gate, his figure quickly disappearing into the deeper night outside.
The iron gate closed gently behind me, isolating me from that magnificent yet cold cage.
He didn't look back, but walked faster and faster in a direction that seemed to be guiding him, until he was almost running.
The wind whistled in his ears, and the moonlight guided his way.
He knew it was risky, knew he might be discovered, and knew he might never meet the person he wanted to see.
But he had to come out.
We must escape that suffocating noise.
I must go see Xie Qingyan.
——
After dinner, Xie Qingyan carried simple mooncakes and took two buses before finally arriving at the seemingly secluded upscale villa area.
As night falls, the villa area feels like two different worlds. Outside, the lights of countless homes gradually come on, while inside, a deep stillness and silence prevail. The tall wrought-iron gates are tightly shut, and the guard booths are brightly lit.
Xie Qingyan had just reached the security booth when, before he could even speak, a stern-faced security guard in a crisp uniform stood up, his gaze sweeping across Xie Qingyan's face like lightning, his brows immediately furrowing.
The security guard pulled a printed sheet of paper from under the table; it appeared to have a photo on it. He looked at Xie Qingyan in comparison, his face darkening: "Are you Xie, the student here to see the young master of the Jiang family?"
Xie Qingyan didn't understand how the other party knew, but still nodded: "Yes."
The security guard slammed the paper on the table, his tone leaving no room for argument, "President Jiang specifically instructed that students with the surname Xie are not allowed to enter the community, nor will they be informed. Please leave immediately and do not linger here."
Xie Qingyan was stunned. He had guessed that Jiang's father disliked him, but he hadn't expected the father to be so direct and ruthless, putting his name on the blacklist as if he were a thief. This wasn't an attitude towards an ordinary classmate; it was more like eliminating any destabilizing factors that might affect Jiang Ci.
A chill ran down his spine. The more tightly Jiang's father guarded him, the more it showed that Jiang Ci's situation at home was probably less free than he imagined, more like that of a prisoner.
Worry instantly overwhelmed the embarrassment of being driven away. How is Jiang Ci now? How did that stubborn yet fragile boy spend this night of reunion under such tight surveillance?
Xie Qingyan didn't argue or show any anger. She simply glanced deeply at the faint lights deep within the villa area, then calmly nodded to the security guard: "Okay, I understand. Sorry to bother you."
He turned and left, but didn't go far. Instead, he stopped in the shadow of a bus stop sign diagonally opposite the gate of the residential complex. From there, he could observe the complex without being too conspicuous.
Time ticked by, and very few vehicles entered or left the residential area. About half an hour later, the guard post changed shifts. The previous stern-faced security guard went off duty, and he was replaced by another security guard who was slightly older and had a more kind-looking face.
Xie Qingyan recognized him; it was the security guard who had kindly led him into the residential area when he came to see Jiang Ci last time.
A thought struck him. This might be his last chance.
He took a deep breath, mustered his courage again, crossed the road, and walked towards the guard post. This time, he went straight to the window and softly asked, "Hello, sir, do you still recognize me?"
The security guard, who was organizing the records, looked up, saw him, and paused for a moment before showing surprise and a hint of embarrassment: "It's you, classmate. What brings you here again?" He was obviously aware of the ban and lowered his voice, "Hurry up and leave, or I'll get punished if I'm seen."
“Master, I don’t want to go in. I just want to ask.” Xie Qingyan spoke quickly, his eyes earnest. “Is Jiang Ci at home? Is he alone?” He asked tactfully, but the worry in his eyes was almost overflowing.
Looking into his clear, anxious eyes, the security guard remembered Jiang Ci's birth mother's instructions and couldn't help but soften his heart again.
He looked around and quickly whispered, "Wait here, don't stand here." Then he picked up the walkie-talkie, pretended to be on patrol, walked to a blind spot of the surveillance cameras on the side of the guard post, and whispered something to his colleagues patrolling inside.
A few minutes later, he came back with a complicated expression on his face, and beckoned to Xie Qingyan to come closer.
“I just asked Sister Hong from the Jiang family. She knows me well.” The security guard lowered his voice so much that it was almost a whisper. “She said that the Jiang family was having a banquet tonight, and Xiao Ci climbed out of the bathroom window. Sister Hong saw him when she was taking out the trash and opened the back door for him.”
Xie Qingyan's heart skipped a beat! Climb out the window? Escape?
"Where are your family members? Haven't they noticed?"
"Everyone thought he was just sulking and going to sleep! There were so many guests, it was all so chaotic, who would notice?" The security guard shook his head. "Sister Hong is tight-lipped, she didn't tell anyone. I only helped you this time because I knew you were Xiao Ci's friend."
Xie Qingyan's mind raced. Jiang Ci had run away! In a home so heavily monitored, on the Mid-Autumn Festival night, he had risked everything to escape!
Why?
Where can he go?
Almost instantly, a place jumped into Xie Qingyan's mind—the city library! The place where they had done countless practice problems together, explained things to each other, and occasionally sat quietly facing each other.
"Thank you! Thank you so much!" Xie Qingyan bowed deeply to the security guard, and without having time to explain further, turned and ran.
He had to go to the library.
Jiang Ci is very likely there.
Even if he's not there, he still has to go and check.
In the darkness of night, the boy, carrying mooncakes, ran frantically towards the bus stop. The evening breeze billowed his clothes, but his heart was more anxious than his steps.
——
When the bus arrived at the station, Xie Qingyan practically jumped off and ran towards the library.
The streets were quieter than usual at night; the Mid-Autumn Festival reunion dinner seemed to have kept most people at home. Only his footsteps echoed on the empty sidewalk, hurried and clear.
Turning the corner, the city library, a building with a distinctly vintage feel, finally came into view. However—
The gate was tightly closed.
The square in front of the gate was deserted, with only a few streetlights casting a dim yellow glow on the tightly closed glass doors and the deep darkness inside. The sign at the entrance read in black and white: "Opening hours during the Mid-Autumn Festival: 9:00-17:00".
Xie Qingyan abruptly stopped, his chest heaving from running. He stared at the tightly closed door, a chilling disappointment gripping him instantly, more biting than the autumn night's cool breeze.
Jiang Ci isn't here?
He ran so fast that he forgot the library would close early on Mid-Autumn Festival night. All his anxiety and worry felt like a punch thrown into thin air, leaving only a sense of bewilderment and a deeper anxiety.
Jiang Ci didn't come here? Then where could he have gone? In this city, besides his home and this library, where else could he go? Is he safe now? Could he have already been discovered?
A barrage of unpleasant thoughts flooded Xie Qingyan's mind, and he felt a suffocating panic. He walked listlessly to the steps in front of the library and slowly sat down. The bag of mooncakes rested on his lap, looking particularly plain and lonely under the streetlights.
The moonlight was bright, its cool glow bathing him and casting his shadow into a tiny ball. The bustling city seemed to be asleep at this moment, with only the occasional sound of cars in the distance emphasizing the stillness of the place.
He lowered his head, looking at the mooncake in his hand. It was filled with red bean paste and mixed nuts, and he had made it himself. He had originally imagined that if he found Jiang Ci and handed him the mooncake, he might see the ice and snow in the boy's eyes melt away in that instant.
But now...
Just as he was overwhelmed by disappointment and worry, and almost succumbed to self-blame—
A series of very light and slow footsteps came from the side and behind.
The footsteps, carrying a cautious probing and a hint of barely perceptible hesitation, stopped at a distance that was neither too close nor too far.
Xie Qingyan froze, his blood seemingly freezing. He didn't turn around immediately, but held his breath, focusing all his senses on what was behind him.
A night breeze blew by, bringing with it a familiar, faint scent, perhaps an illusion.
He turned his head slowly, extremely slowly.
In the shadows on the side of the library, where the light from the streetlamp meets the shadows of the building, a person stands quietly.
He wore a grey hooded sweatshirt and black trousers, and had a slender and upright figure. The shadow of the hood obscured most of his face, revealing only his tightly pursed, slightly pale lips and a well-defined jawline.
It is Jiang Ci.
He stood there, seemingly for an unknown amount of time. Like a silent sculpture, he blended into the night, only his eyes, raised in the shadows, were fixed on Xie Qingyan, who suddenly turned around on the steps.
Their eyes met.
The world seemed to stand still at that moment. The sounds of cars, wind, and even heartbeats in the distance suddenly faded away.
Xie Qingyan saw what was in Jiang Ci's eyes: a surge of lingering fear, hesitation, and embarrassment, as well as a faint, almost scorching light that suddenly shone forth when he saw Jiang Ci sitting there. In that light, there was the relief of having found a goal, but also something deeper, something unspeakable.
Jiang Ci also saw everything in Xie Qingyan's eyes: besides astonishment, worry, and relief, there was also the shock of regaining what was lost and could not be concealed.
Neither of them spoke first.
Finally, Xie Qingyan made the first move. He stood up, his legs a little numb from sitting for so long, and staggered slightly, but quickly regained his balance. He dusted off his pants, picked up the bag of mooncakes from his lap, and walked step by step toward Jiang Ci, who was in the shadows.
He stopped a step away from Jiang Ci, raised his hand, and handed over the simple plastic bag.
His voice was a little strained, but he tried hard to keep it steady, and it rang out clearly in the quiet night:
"The mooncakes I made."
The moonlight shone over the eaves of the library and fell precisely on the open space between the two, forming a bright band of light that seemed to separate two worlds while subtly connecting them.
Jiang Ci didn't take it immediately. His gaze slowly shifted from Xie Qingyan's face to the bag in his hand, staring at it for a long time. Then, he took a very slight breath, as if making some kind of decision, and finally reached out to take the bag that still carried the warmth of the other's palm.
The moment fingertips touched, coldness and warmth intertwined.
Jiang Ci gripped the bag tightly, his knuckles turning slightly white. Then, he raised his eyes and finally uttered his first words of the night, his voice low and dry from the long silence:
How did you know I was here?
This statement contains doubt, inquiry, and perhaps a faint, uncertain expectation.
Looking into his eyes, which were finally no longer completely closed, Xie Qingyan felt the weight that had been hanging in her heart finally lift with a thud. He slightly curved his lips into a smile, a smile clean and warm in the moonlight, carrying a kind of open wisdom unique to Xie Qingyan:
“I went to your house. The security guard wouldn’t let me in, but the kind security guard told me you weren’t home.”
His tone was calm, even with a touch of lighthearted banter, but he skillfully avoided anything that would embarrass or make Jiang Ci nervous.
Jiang Ci's pupils contracted almost imperceptibly, clearly not expecting him to go to his own residential area.
“Then,” Xie Qingyan continued, his gaze sweeping over the closed library doors before returning to Jiang Ci’s face, his eyes clear, “I think, where else can we go besides here?”
us.
He used the word "we".
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