Chapter 50
"Jiang Ci."
The sky seemed to have been torn open, and torrential rain poured down.
Xie Qingyan gripped Jiang Ci's arm with astonishing strength, as if if she let go, the person in front of her would vanish like smoke into the downpour.
"Come back with me." Xie Qingyan's voice was broken by the sound of rain, but it carried an undeniable determination.
Jiang Ci shook his head, water droplets sliding down his pale cheeks, indistinguishable as to whether it was rain or something else.
He raised his hand and gently brushed away the wet hair clinging to Xie Qingyan's forehead, a gesture so gentle it seemed out of place in the raging rainy night.
"Xie Qingyan, you don't understand." His voice was low. "Jiang Cheng isn't a good person. Five years ago, a supplier couldn't deliver goods, so he knelt outside his office begging for a three-day extension. Guess what happened?"
Jiang Ci paused, his gaze fixed on the dark, churning river: "Three months later, that factory went bankrupt and was liquidated. The owner jumped off the roof of the factory he had built. And Jiang Cheng, the day after the funeral, acquired the factory's core equipment for one-third of the price."
Xie Qingyan's fingers trembled slightly.
"Behind the glamorous facade of the Jiang Group lies a mountain of bones." Jiang Ci turned back, his eyes burning with an almost cruel clarity. "The Xie family's vegetable business, your college entrance exam qualification—if he really wanted to destroy them, it would only take a moment. I could not, absolutely could not gamble with you."
“I’m not afraid.” Xie Qingyan took a step forward, raindrops dripping from his eyelashes. “No matter how strong Jiangcheng is, he’s not the emperor. The Great Jing Law… no, in today’s society governed by the rule of law, he can’t really cover up everything. As long as he has weaknesses, we have plenty of ways to deal with him.”
“But maneuvering takes time and leverage!” Jiang Ci’s voice suddenly rose, then fell limply the next second. “And he can destroy you right now. A little pesticide and the vegetables in the garden won’t pass quality inspection; a phone call and your academic records might be in trouble. Xie Qingyan, I can’t drag innocent people into this. This is a feud between Jiang Cheng and me, and I should end it myself.”
After he finished speaking, it was as if he had exhausted all his strength, his shoulder blades protruding in a jagged arc under his soaked school uniform.
Xie Qingyan looked at him. She looked at the boy, soaked to the bone in the downpour, with yesterday's wound still visible on his forehead. She looked at him, standing on the edge of a cliff himself, yet desperately trying to push others to safety.
A burning, bittersweet emotion welled up in my throat.
He suddenly reached out, not to pull or tug, but to open his arms and pull Jiang Ci into a tight embrace.
Jiang Ci's body stiffened for a moment.
Then, like a dam breaking, like a glacier collapsing, all his defenses, all his coldness, all his stubborn rationality crumbled at that moment. He wrapped his arms around Xie Qingyan, his grip so tight that his knuckles turned white, so tight that Xie Qingyan could barely breathe.
He buried his face in Xie Qingyan's shoulder, his voice muffled and trembling:
"Thank you, Xie Qingyan."
It's not about thanking him for taking me in. It's about thanking him for his unwavering persistence, thanking him for his selfless embrace, and thanking him for being willing to hold up a shaky umbrella for me in this torrential downpour.
The rain was icy cold, but the heartbeats of the two boys, pressed together through their soaked clothes, were the only source of warmth in the cold night.
After an unknown amount of time, Jiang Ci slowly released his grip. He took a half step back, wiped his face, and the emotions in his eyes had settled back into a deep, calm stillness.
“I won’t confront him head-on,” Jiang Ci said, his voice clear and sharp in the rain. “To deal with Jiang Cheng, we have to use what he cares about most as our weapon.”
Xie Qingyan keenly caught the deeper meaning in his words: "You have a plan?"
“Hmm.” Jiang Ci didn’t elaborate, but the cold glint in his eyes made Xie Qingyan understand that he was not just daydreaming. “So I need time, and I also need to disappear temporarily.”
He looked at Xie Qingyan: "I've already spoken with Teacher Mo. The school has officially expelled me, but in reality, they've processed my leave of absence. No one will know where I am or what I'm doing now. I've already finished self-studying high school material, so it doesn't matter where I study. Being away from the classroom actually makes it easier for me to move around."
"Then where do you live?" Xie Qingyan pressed, her heart clenching again. "You can't really..."
“Internet cafes, I used to spend the night there often. As long as it can shelter me from the wind and rain, that’s fine,” Jiang Ci said casually.
"No!" Xie Qingyan blurted out, his voice hoarse with anxiety. He pictured Jiang Ci huddled in a smoky corner of an internet cafe, spending countless long nights staring at the flickering screen.
His eyes suddenly lit up: "Moyunzhai! There's a rest room with a bathroom behind Boss Shen's bookstore, and it's fairly clean. I'll talk to Boss Shen and let you stay there temporarily. I'll see you every day when I go to my part-time job. Jiang Cheng would never guess you're hiding in the bookstore."
Jiang Ci paused, looking at Xie Qingyan's eyes, which were shining brightly with urgency. His heart, which had been dormant under the ice for too long, was suddenly gently bumped by something.
"You..." He paused, his voice sounding strange, "Is it because you're afraid you won't see me that you're in such a hurry to arrange accommodation?"
Xie Qingyan was momentarily stunned by the question, his ears burning slightly in the rainy night. He didn't deny it, but lowered his eyes, his voice as soft as raindrops:
“When I couldn’t find you just now, I thought I would never see you again.” He looked up, raindrops and something else more crystalline welling up in his eyes. “I don’t want to experience that feeling again.”
Jiang Ci's breath hitched for a second.
He reached out and tightly grasped Xie Qingyan's icy fingers in the pouring rain, their fingers interlocking so tightly that their knuckles turned white.
"I'm sorry," he said, each word striking Xie Qingyan's heart like a hammer blow. "I should have made things clear when I left. I'll make you worry, but I won't do it again. I'll tell you clearly what I'm doing and where I'm going."
"Is it a deal?"
"It's a deal."
"Come home with me first, you need to change into some dry clothes."
When they returned to the Xie family home, the two were soaked to the bone, looking like two disheveled drowned rats. Xie's mother exclaimed and brought over dry towels, while Xie's father looked at their tightly clasped hands, his eyes flashing with a complex mix of emotions.
"Uncle, Aunt." Jiang Ci released his hands and bowed deeply to the two elders. "I didn't think things through and came to your door rashly, causing you trouble."
"Child, please don't say that!" Xie's mother's eyes suddenly reddened. "We've become senile; we were terrified by just one phone call."
Mr. Xie sighed heavily, stepped forward and patted Jiang Ci on the shoulder: "Xiao Ci, your Aunt Xie is right. We've lived most of our lives, yet we're not as responsible as you children. People can't just think about seeking advantages and avoiding disadvantages; there are always things that require taking risks."
“I understand your and my aunt’s intentions.” Jiang Ci raised his head, his wet hair clinging to his forehead, but his eyes were clear and firm. “But that’s precisely why I can’t stay here. I know Jiang Cheng’s methods. Once he sets his sights on someone, he won’t give up easily. If I want to win, I must stay in the shadows.”
Xie Qingyan quickly recounted Jiang Ci's plan and Moyunzhai's arrangements. Xie's parents were stunned. They looked at the boy in front of them, who was only seventeen or eighteen years old, and who, despite experiencing a huge family upheaval and being penniless, was still able to calmly plan a counterattack.
Is this still a child?
"Okay, okay." Xie's mother wiped away her tears and nodded repeatedly. "Xiao Ci, just do it. If you need anything, have Xiao Yan bring it to you. If you don't have enough money, Auntie has some here..."
"Mom," Xie Qingyan interrupted helplessly, "if we keep talking, Jiang Ci will really catch a cold."
"Yes, yes, yes!" Xie's mother realized and quickly pushed Jiang Ci towards the bathroom. "Go take a hot shower, Auntie will find you some clean clothes! Have dinner before you leave!"
"Dinner is not necessary," Jiang Ci declined gently. "I'll change my clothes and leave while the rain is still light."
The sound of water came from the bathroom. In the living room, Mr. and Mrs. Xie exchanged a glance, their eyes simultaneously falling on their son.
Xie Qingyan was holding a dry towel, carefully wiping the water stains left by Jiang Ci on his schoolbag. His movements were very gentle, his eyes were focused, and there was a soft smile on his lips that he himself did not notice.
Mother Xie opened her mouth as if to say something, but Father Xie gently pulled her back and shook his head.
When Jiang Ci came out wearing Xie Qingyan's old sportswear, he looked a few years younger. Gone was his usual cold and sharp demeanor; instead, he showed the slender features that a young man should have.
Xie Qingyan insisted on taking him to catch a ride.
The two shared an umbrella and walked in the gradually subsiding rain.
The streets were deserted at night, with very few taxis. They stood under the streetlights, their shadows stretched long and blurred in the rain.
"When we get to the bookstore, remember to go for dinner."
"Take a picture and show it to me. I need to make sure you've eaten on time."
"I've put the bookstore key inside your bag."
I'll come find you right after school tomorrow.
"Boss Shen said that the folding bed against the wall is a bit noisy, when you sleep there..."
"Xie Qingyan," Jiang Ci suddenly interrupted him softly.
Xie Qingyan turned her head.
The dim streetlights pierced through the rain, casting dappled shadows on Jiang Ci's face. He looked at Xie Qingyan with a deep gaze, so deep it seemed as if he wanted to etch this moment into his very bones.
“If you keep talking,” Jiang Ci’s voice was low and hoarse, “I won’t want to leave.”
Xie Qingyan's throat moved, all the words of advice stuck in his chest. He looked at Jiang Ci's face so close to his, at his eyelashes wet with rain, at the small, complete reflection of himself in his eyes.
"My longing for you is like the full moon, its light waning night after night." He heard himself say, his voice as soft as a sigh, "Jiang Ci, I'm already starting to miss you."
Jiang Ci's pupils suddenly contracted.
The next second, the light and shadow in front of Xie Qingyan tilted, and Jiang Ci suddenly reached out and grabbed the back of his neck. The umbrella slipped from his hand and rolled into a puddle.
The kiss landed.
It wasn't a gentle, tentative exploration under the starry sky, nor a tender, innocent touch in the study. This kiss carried the salty taste of rain, the burning passion erupting from a desperate situation, and the solitary courage to risk everything. Jiang Ci's lips were cold, but his tongue was scalding hot. Like someone who had trekked too long in the desert and finally found an oasis, he almost ruthlessly demanded, confirmed, and possessed.
Xie Qingyan's mind went blank, only his heart pounding wildly in his chest. He closed his eyes, reached out and wrapped his arms around Jiang Ci's waist, responding awkwardly yet passionately. Raindrops hit their faces, seeping into their intertwined lips and tongues, salty, bitter, yet strangely sweet.
Until the blinding headlights pierced the rain, and the sharp sound of the horn rang out.
The two separated, panting, their foreheads touching, their breaths mingling. Jiang Ci's thumb traced Xie Qingyan's swollen, red lips, his eyes swollen with intense, overwhelming emotions.
"Wait for me," he said.
Then he turned around, opened the car door, and didn't look back; he didn't dare to.
The taxi carrying Jiang Ci disappeared at the end of the street. Xie Qingyan stood in the rain, picked up the soaked umbrella, the lingering warmth and touch on her lips burning like a brand.
The heavy rain that had been falling all night finally stopped, and golden sunlight streamed into the Xie family's courtyard.
When Xie Qingyan woke up, her mother had already prepared breakfast.
"Strange, Xiao Yan is usually the first to wake up, but he slept so soundly last night. Could it be that he got caught in the rain and is feeling unwell?" Xie's mother muttered.
"Xiao Yan, get up and go to school quickly, or you'll be late," Xie's father urged.
Xie Qingyan quickly got out of bed, dressed, and washed up.
He actually slept in? This is truly the first time ever. It's probably because he no longer has to worry about Jiang Ci having nowhere to go, so he felt inexplicably at ease last night.
Or perhaps it was that kiss last night that had a strange magic that gave him a good night's sleep.
In short, Xie Qingyan hurriedly squeezed onto the bus and arrived at the classroom as the bell rang.
In the first class, when Teacher Mo announced Jiang's withdrawal from school, the audience erupted in uproar.
"Teacher, why did Jiang Ci drop out of school?"
Faced with the students' questions, Teacher Mo succinctly replied: "Part of it is due to health reasons, and part of it is because his family has other plans for him."
"Is Jiang Ci sick? Is it serious?" Liang Ying was the first to stand up and ask, her face full of worry.
"Which hospital is he in? We want to go see him," Zhang Tao said immediately. "We were classmates after all."
"Yes, teacher, we were classmates..."
Faced with those sincere eyes, Xie Qingyan could only lower his head and grip his pen tightly. Those well-intentioned questions felt like fine needles, pricking the softest part of his conscience.
"Students, I will pass on your good intentions to Jiang Ci, but this is a special time. There are still half a month until the second mock exam, and time is tight. I hope you will focus on your studies and do your best to prepare for the college entrance examination."
The topic of Jiang Ci has been temporarily suppressed.
But after class, several classmates still surrounded Xie Qingyan.
"Xie Qingyan, you and Jiang Ci are on good terms, what's going on?"
"Yeah, how could they just drop out of school like that?"
"Is Jiang Ci really going abroad?"
Everyone was speculating, each offering their own opinion.
Xie Qingyan had no choice but to repeat the official explanation given by Teacher Mo, and every word made him feel guilty.
When the school bell rang, he was like a bird breaking free from its cage, packing his schoolbag as quickly as possible and rushing out of the school gate.
Then, the whole world fell silent.
Pushing open the glass door of Moyunzhai, adorned with wind chimes, a warm yellow light and the scent of ink from old books wafted out. Boss Shen looked up from behind his reading glasses and gave him a meaningful smile.
"I'm leaving the shop to you now. I should go out for some tea and stretch my muscles."
Boss Shen left Moyunzhai.
The thought that it was just her and Jiang Ci here made Xie Qingyan's heart start pounding uncontrollably.
He tiptoed past the rows of tall bookshelves and saw the figure he had been thinking about all day.
Jiang Ci was engrossed in the book in his hands. Hearing footsteps, he would look up, and in that instant, the sunlight from the window would fall into his eyes, melting the desolate ice field and creating gentle ripples.
Without a word, Xie Qingyan walked over, put down her schoolbag, and then leaned down to kiss him.
This was the first time Xie Qingyan had ever done something like this.
Jiang Ci was clearly stunned. But soon, he put down the book in his hand, raised his hand to wrap around Xie Qingyan's neck, and deepened the greeting kiss into a silent confession.
When they parted, both of them were breathless. Xie Qingyan's face was flushed, but she still stubbornly held Jiang Ci's face in her hands, forehead to forehead, and whispered, "It's so good to see you."
Jiang Ci chuckled softly, the vibrations in his chest reaching Xie Qingyan's palm.
That small rest room became their secret base.
The investigation into Jiang Ci is progressing smoothly.
Through Wen Heng's father's connections, he came into contact with the Wen family's legal team, which specialized in intellectual property and corporate law. After receiving instructions from the Wen family, the team began to systematically sort out the legal context of his mother's estate. Boss Shen provided several reliable friends to help keep an eye on the Jiang Group's recent financial movements and Wang Lihua's social activities.
More often than not, they simply squeeze onto that narrow sofa, sharing the same pair of headphones to listen to English listening exercises, or huddling together studying math problems.
"Here, the auxiliary line should be drawn from here, not from the midpoint." Jiang Ci lightly tapped the tip of his pen on the draft paper.
Xie Qingyan suddenly realized: "So that's how it is. I was sticking to the old interpretation."
“You’re not being rigid,” Jiang Ci turned to look at him, her eyes filled with appreciation, “You’re just too meticulous in your thinking, which makes it easy for you to get stuck in a dead end. Sometimes you need to step back and look at things from a different perspective to solve a problem.”
Just like their lives.
Xie Qingyan would sometimes drift off into thought, watching Jiang Ci's eyelashes tremble slightly as he explained, the curve of his well-defined fingers gripping the pen, and his lips pursed in concentration. Then, he would quietly pull his feet, which had grown icy cold in the bookstore, out of his slippers and gently place them against Jiang Ci's calves.
Jiang Ci's speaking pace remained unchanged, and the formulas he derived flowed smoothly as always. Only his free hand would naturally reach down and grasp Xie Qingyan's ankle, warming those icy feet in his own palm.
No one spoke of it aloud. But a warm, tacit understanding quietly grew amidst the sound of turning pages and the scratching of pens on paper.
At nine o'clock in the evening, Moyunzhai closed. Jiang Ci escorted Xie Qingyan to the bus stop.
The early winter night was bitterly cold, and their breath turned into white mist. The two walked side by side under the streetlights, their shadows sometimes overlapping and sometimes separating.
"It'll get colder tomorrow, and they say it'll snow, so wear more layers." Jiang Ci wrapped Xie Qingyan's scarf tighter around her neck.
"You too." Xie Qingyan looked at his thin coat. "Is it cold in the bookstore? Is the heating enough?"
"It's not cold." Jiang Ci paused. "It would be even warmer if you were here."
Xie Qingyan's heart softened: "Then I'll come earlier tomorrow. I'm actually a little nervous that you're not participating in the second mock exam. I still have a lot of questions to sort out."
"Don't be nervous. I'll help you review the knowledge you haven't mastered yet to make sure you don't mess up in the second mock exam."
The bus arrived. Xie Qingyan boarded and waved to Jiang Ci through the fogged-up window. As the bus started moving, Jiang Ci's figure under the platform light grew smaller and smaller until it shrank into a warm dot of light and disappeared into the night.
As the bus traveled along the bustling streets, Xie Qingyan looked out the window at the pedestrians coming and going. She took out her phone and sent a message to Jiang Ci.
Hsieh Ching-yen: What are you doing?
Jiang Ci: Writing poetry.
Xie Qingyan: What poem?
Jiang Ci: Wait a minute.
A few seconds later, a photo was sent. It was a picture of a page from a book taken with a mobile phone; under the warm yellow light, a line of English poetry was clearly visible:
The wind stops at autumn water,
I stop at you.
The wind blew across the autumn waters, and I fell for you.
Xie Qingyan stared at the screen, his fingertips trembling slightly. The carriage swayed, and the dazzling city lights outside the window receded into blurry patches of color, but all he could see were these few lines of text.
It turns out that the concept of "emotion" is so universal, transcending time and cultures.
He pressed his phone against his chest, feeling the irregular vibrations coming from it. He had never imagined that liking someone would be like this—not a raging storm, but the fullness of every moment in a gentle, flowing stream; not day and night, but every moment of longing during separation that turned into poetry.
When Xie Qingyan got home, his parents were already asleep. He quietly washed up, slipped into bed, and his phone screen was still lit up, frozen on the page with the poem.
He closed his eyes, a smile on his lips, and drifted into a dream filled with starlight and the fragrance of books.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, in the cramped rest room of the Moyunzhai Studio, Jiang Ci sat on the edge of a folding bed. By the light of the desk lamp, he silently wrote another line of poetry in fluent, cursive English on the blank space of Xie Qingyan's left-behind notebook:
There is no one else.
You are everywhere.
(Only you, no one else.)
His pen paused, and he looked up at the deep night outside the window. Among the scattered lights of the distant high-rises, one belonged to Xie Qingyan.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com