Chapter 49
After the morning reading session ended, the homeroom teacher, Ms. Mo, called Jiang Ci to her office.
Teacher Mo's gaze fell on Jiang Ci's obviously ill-fitting tracksuit, and recalling the phone call from Jiang Cheng's assistant that morning, she understood seven or eight parts of the situation.
He didn't ask about the clothes, but simply turned around, picked up his thick fleece coat from the back of the chair, and handed it to him: "It's damp and cold today, not like usual. Put this on first, don't try to tough it out just because you're young."
Jiang Ci's throat tightened slightly. He thanked her softly and took the still-warm coat, draping it over his shoulders.
Teacher Mo hesitated for a moment before deciding to get straight to the point: "Your father just called." He noticed Jiang Ci's jawline tighten instantly and softened his tone, "He said he wants to process your withdrawal from school."
Jiang Ci looked up abruptly, a hint of panic flashing in his eyes: "Teacher, I..."
“That’s why I’m asking you,” Teacher Mo interrupted him, her gaze steady and firm, “is this your wish, or his decision?”
"I don't want to drop out of school!" Jiang Ci blurted out, his voice trembling with urgency. "He has no right to decide for me! Teacher, I..."
“I know.” Teacher Mo gently raised his hand, stopping his further explanation, his eyes seemingly seeing through everything. “I know your foundation. Your score in the last mock exam wasn’t something you deliberately got.” He paused, looking at the surprise flashing in the boy’s eyes, and continued, “Pressure and state of mind can affect performance. But I can see that you don’t intend to give up your studies.”
Jiang Ci was stunned. He hadn't expected that in the academically driven senior year of high school, this seemingly serious homeroom teacher could see through his terrible grades and understand his tricks.
"The matter between you and your father is your family affair, and I cannot pry into it." Teacher Mo leaned forward slightly, lowering her voice, but each word was clear. "I only ask one question: Do you want to stay at No. 9 Middle School until you step into the college entrance examination hall?"
"Yes!" Jiang Ci answered without hesitation and with unwavering certainty.
The tense lines on Teacher Mo's face finally relaxed a little. He leaned back in his chair and let out a long sigh: "That's good. Well then, I'll first inform your father that I've processed your leave of absence as he requested. But from now on," he looked intently at Jiang Ci, "you'll have to walk that path yourself. Is that alright?"
"Take a leave of absence?" Jiang Ci instantly understood the teacher's intention; this was to buy him time.
A surge of hot tears welled up in his eyes unexpectedly. The days at Experimental High School, when everyone abandoned him, felt like drowning in dark, icy water, suddenly flooded his mind. And now, in this simple office, this quiet support was like a ray of light, giving him hope.
He stood up and bowed deeply to Teacher Mo.
"Thank you, teacher."
Teacher Mo stood up and patted his thin but straight back forcefully: "Go back to class. As for your father's side, if anyone comes to the school, I know how to deal with it."
Jiang Ci walked to the door, then suddenly stopped, hesitatingly saying, "But what about the principal..."
To get through this mess with Xiang Jiangcheng, the homeroom teacher alone probably won't be enough.
Teacher Mo smiled knowingly, a hint of confidence flashing in his eyes: "Don't worry. If the principal hadn't given his tacit approval, how could I have dared to act on my own?" His tone carried a touch of pride. "Since what happened after the mock exam, under Xie Qingyan and your influence, the atmosphere at our No. 9 Middle School is quietly changing for the better. The principal said privately that he's hoping the two of you can bring honor to the school this year's college entrance exam! So, don't think too much, just study hard. After the college entrance exam, no matter how big the hurdle, we can always overcome it."
Those last words, like a reassuring pill, settled heavily into Jiang Ci's heart. He nodded vigorously, quickly wiped his eyes, turned, and pushed open the door to leave.
---
The rain hadn't stopped by the time school let out.
Jiang Ci and Xie Qingyan walked out of the school gate side by side, and they saw the black limousine parked in the rain at almost the same time.
This time, Xie Qingyan didn't stop. He squeezed Jiang Ci's cold wrist and walked with him straight to the car.
The rear window slowly rolled down, revealing the driver's expressionless face.
"Young Master, President Jiang sent me to pick you up."
Jiang Ci released Xie Qingyan's hand, took a step forward, raindrops dripping from his hair. He looked directly at the driver, his voice clear and penetrating the rain:
"Tell Jiang Cheng that I will no longer listen to his arrangements, and that he has no right to interfere with what I do in the future."
Every word was like a raindrop hitting a car window—cold, hard, and resolute.
---
Jiangcheng Villa, Study.
After hearing the driver's exact words, Jiang Cheng slammed the purple clay teapot in his hand to the ground!
"Bang—!" The sound of shattering was ear-piercing.
"He's gone too far! He's really defied the heavens!" Jiang Cheng's forehead veins bulged as he paced furiously through the luxurious study. "What does he mean by that? What does he want to do? Start his own business? With his abilities?!"
He turned around abruptly, his eyes flashing with cold light: "Who is he with? Is he hanging out with that Xie Qingyan again?"
The driver bowed his head: "Yes, Mr. Jiang. Young Master has been with Xie the whole time."
"Xie, Qing, Yan..." Jiang Cheng squeezed out the name through gritted teeth, then suddenly let out a sneer, a laugh filled with anger. "Fine, very well. I thought he'd really grown up, but he's still as spineless as ever! Does he think he can turn things around by relying on that arrogant brat without me?"
He snorted heavily, walked to his desk, pressed the intercom button, and spoke in a cold and decisive voice:
"Immediately, shut down all of Jiang Ci's cards, and don't leave him a single penny."
"Also, give the Xie family a reminder. Let them know what the consequences will be for taking in people they shouldn't have."
"Especially Xie Qingyan, tell him to behave himself. Otherwise, I have a hundred ways to make sure he doesn't even qualify for the college entrance exam."
---
The Xie family.
When Xie Qingyan stepped into the house with Jiang Ci, who was soaking wet, the drizzle outside the window had turned into a downpour.
Xie's father's leg injury had largely healed, and he was slowly walking while supporting himself against the wall. Upon seeing the two of them, he was visibly taken aback: "Xiao Ci is here too?" His gaze lingered on Jiang Ci's slightly pale face for a moment, a complex emotion flashing across his eyes.
"Dad," Xie Qingyan bent down to change his shoes, his tone natural, "Could Jiang Ci stay at our house temporarily? There are some issues at his home."
Mr. Xie did not immediately agree. His lips moved a few times, his eyes darted around, and in the end he simply walked back to the sofa in silence and sat down, his brows furrowed in worry.
Just half an hour ago, he received a call from someone claiming to be Jiang Cheng's assistant. The caller's tone wasn't exactly rude, but it carried a condescending coldness and an undeniable threat.
“Mr. Xie, we hope that you and your family will not interfere in Mr. Jiang’s family affairs. If your family insists on taking in Young Master Jiang Ci, I’m afraid your vegetables will fail the quality inspection, and your cooperation with the Wen family will come to an end.”
"Also, please tell your son Xie Qingyan to stay away from Young Master Jiang Ci. This is for the best for everyone. Otherwise, we cannot guarantee that he will be able to take the college entrance examination smoothly."
"I hope you understand what President Jiang means. Some costs are too high for ordinary families to bear."
At first, Mr. Xie thought it was a scam or a prank, until the other party accurately recited his name, ID number, and even mentioned several old clients. He hung up the phone in fear and searched online for "Jiangcheng" and "Jiang Group." The shocking wealth figures and business empire, as well as the scattered old news about the ill-fated Liang family daughter from more than ten years ago, instantly struck him.
He looked at Jiang Ci's eyebrows and eyes again, and the outlines were vaguely similar to those in the young photos of Ms. Liang in the report. Everything proved that the phone call was not a joke.
He was afraid. He was just an honest small businessman; how could he possibly contend with such a financial behemoth? Jiang Cheng could crush him as easily as crushing an ant.
"Dad?" Xie Qingyan felt a sense of foreboding when he saw that Dad had been silent for a long time. "What's wrong?"
Wearing an apron, Xie's mother came out of the kitchen. Seeing the tense atmosphere and her husband's hesitant, conflicted expression, she immediately understood. She ripped off her apron, her voice bold and decisive: "If the old man doesn't dare to say it, I will! It's no big deal!"
She turned to Jiang Ci and Xie Qingyan, her face filled with apology and indignation, and recounted the contents of the threatening phone call.
After saying that, she glared at Xie's father and said, "You actually believed that kind of phone call? This is a society governed by law! Just because he has money doesn't mean he can do whatever he wants. Does he really think he can kidnap us?"
Upon hearing this, Xie Qingyan felt a surge of anger. He hadn't expected Jiang Cheng to be so despicable, directly targeting his parents and using the most vile means to exert pressure!
“Jiang Cheng… he really is capable of doing this.” Jiang Ci’s voice was soft, yet it carried a knowing weariness and chill. He knew his father too well; the phone call was just the beginning, and the shady methods that followed would soon follow.
He took a step back, bent down to pick up the umbrella he had just put down, and bowed again to Mr. and Mrs. Xie, his posture humble yet resolute.
"Uncle, Aunt, I'm sorry to have bothered you. I'll be leaving now."
"Don't worry, I will never implicate Xiao Yan or affect his college entrance examination."
Before he finished speaking, he had already turned and plunged back into the pitch-black night outside the door, swallowed by the torrential rain. His back was resolute, without the slightest hesitation.
"Jiang Ci!" Xie Qingyan wanted to chase after him, but was stopped by her mother.
He turned abruptly to look at his silent father and anxious mother, his chest heaving, his voice trembling with emotion:
"Dad! Mom! Do you know what you just did?!"
He could no longer restrain himself and poured out all of Jiang Ci's past experiences—the suffocating growth under the high-pressure control of Jiangcheng, the loneliness after losing his mother, the despair of being framed, ostracized, and abandoned by the whole world at Experimental High School, and how he later exiled himself and struggled in depression... He recounted each and every one of these events in a hoarse voice.
By the end, Xie Qingyan was in tears. The pain that belonged to Jiang Ci seemed to be etched into his heart as well.
Xie's mother's eyes had already reddened as she listened, and she kept wiping away tears with the corner of her apron: "This child, this child, how could he suffer so much! He was born into a golden family, yet he is more pitiful than a child without parents..."
Mr. Xie took a deep breath. He was a father. He suddenly realized with absolute clarity how cruel Jiang Ci's lack and suffering were. And yet this child had grown into such a resilient and stoic person.
“Dad, Mom,” Xie Qingyan’s voice was hoarse, but every word was clear, “If it weren’t for Jiang Ci, my grades wouldn’t have improved so quickly. I might still be the same Xie Qingyan who only knows how to study. If we back down because of fear when he needs help the most, then what’s the difference between us and those who hurt him and abandoned him?”
“He is a person, not an object! He has the right to decide where he studies and who he is with, instead of being a puppet controlled by his father for his entire life!”
Mr. Xie raised his head, his eyes filled with regret and self-blame: "It's my fault. I was frightened by that phone call and only thought about protecting myself. I forgot how good Xiao Ci was to our family and forgot my duty as a human being."
"Oh dear, what's the use of saying all this now!" Xie's mother stamped her feet anxiously, shoved the umbrella into Xie Qingyan's hand, and pushed him outside forcefully. "It's raining so hard outside, where could Xiao Ci go? Xiao Yan, you go quickly! Go find him and bring him back! You must bring him back! Our family is not afraid!"
With his parents' final and unwavering support, Xie Qingyan felt a huge weight lifted from his heart. He nodded emphatically and rushed into the raging rain without hesitation.
---
The rain poured down, and the night was as dark as ink.
Xie Qingyan dialed Jiang Ci's number again and again, only to be met with a cold, hurried busy tone. He frantically searched every street and alley they usually walked, his shouts swallowed by the torrential rain.
"Jiang Ci——!"
"Jiang Ci, where are you?!"
His voice quickly became hoarse, and fear tightened around his heart like cold vines. The rain soaked him to the bone, but he felt no cold, only an overwhelming panic and regret—why hadn't he held on tighter? Why had he let him leave alone?
Jiang Ci is homeless, penniless, his bank cards are frozen, and his father is relentlessly pressuring him... Where can he go? In this cold world, where can he find refuge?
Self-blame and a sense of powerlessness almost overwhelmed Xie Qingyan. It was he who, once again, made Jiang Ci feel the chill of being abandoned.
After searching for an unknown amount of time, and nearing despair, he inexplicably headed towards the river that flowed along the edge of the city. The riverbank was deserted in the wind and rain, with only the murky water surging and rushing in the darkness.
Just when he was about to give up, in the dim, broken light of the distant streetlights, he saw—
Beside the river railing, a blurry, solitary figure stood silently in the downpour, facing the churning river, as if trying to merge with the pitch-black night.
"Jiang Ci?!" Xie Qingyan's heart stopped, then began to pound wildly. He threw away the cumbersome umbrella and sprinted towards the figure with all his might!
The cold rain lashed his cheeks, but he paid no heed. Until he finally reached the person, until he saw clearly that face, pale from the rain, yet still vividly defined—
It's Jiang Ci. He's still here. He hasn't gone far.
Overwhelmed with relief and lingering fear, Xie Qingyan's legs went weak. He grabbed Jiang Ci's soaking cold arm, his voice trembling uncontrollably, "I...I thought you were gone..."
Rain streamed freely down their hair and cheeks. Xie Qingyan, however, felt no cold, only a surge of warmth, a warmth that had been lost and regained, pounding in his chest.
“My parents told us to go home for dinner and come with me.”
Jiang Ci raised his hand and gently wiped away the streaks of water on Xie Qingyan's face with his equally soaked sleeve. His movements were slow, carrying an almost tender reverence.
Then, he looked into Xie Qingyan's anxious eyes, gently shook his head, his voice unusually calm, yet also exceptionally resolute, accentuated by the sound of rain:
"I can't go back with you."
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