Chapter 53
When the bell rang to signal the end of the second mock exam, Xie Qingyan closed her pen, feeling a strange sense of certainty.
Unlike the initial awkwardness and tentativeness during the mock exam, this time, the pen flowed with a thought process meticulously organized and repeatedly refined by Jiang Ci. Those once obscure physical models, complex chemical equilibria, and tricky mathematical transformation formulas were now all firmly in his grasp.
As he walked out of the examination hall, the crisp, clear air of the winter afternoon filled his lungs, carrying the moist scent of the sun melting the remaining snow.
He took out his phone and typed quickly: I finished the exam, and it went well. Wait for me, I'll be right there. Recipient: Jiang Ci.
Imagining Jiang Ci receiving the message under the warm yellow light of the Ink Rhyme Studio, the almost imperceptible curve of his lips, Xie Qingyan's steps quickened. He walked through the dispersing crowd towards the familiar bus stop.
Then, he stopped in his tracks.
That black limousine, once a symbol of power but now shrouded in a sense of decay, sat quietly in the inconspicuous shadows of the street corner, like a lurking wild beast.
The car window slowly rolled down, revealing Jiang Cheng's face, which seemed to have been drained of all its energy overnight. His eyes were sunken, his stubble was messy, and only his eyes still stubbornly held onto the last embers of a flame that refused to be extinguished.
“Xie,” his voice was terribly hoarse, like sandpaper scraping against wood, “let’s talk in the car.”
Xie Qingyan looked at him silently for two seconds, then opened the car door and got in. The car still smelled of expensive leather, but mixed with a stale smell, similar to that of documents piled up for too long.
The car silently glided into the traffic. Jiang Cheng didn't look at him, his gaze blankly fixed on the congested street ahead.
“The Jiang family,” he suddenly spoke, his voice flat and emotionless, “has filed for bankruptcy. The process… is already underway.”
Xie Qingyan was not surprised, but calmly asked, "President Jiang, from what moment do you think the Jiang family began to 'exist'?"
Jiang Cheng turned his head sharply, his eyes as sharp as knives: "What do you mean?"
“What I mean is,” Xie Qingyan met his gaze without flinching, her tone as clear as stating a physical law, “if it weren’t for Ms. Liang Wanqiu’s dowry as the first cornerstone, the Jiang Group would never have existed on the blueprint in the first place. Now that it’s bankrupt, it’s not collapsing, it’s just… everything has returned to zero. It’s back to where it was originally supposed to be.”
"Back to zero?!" Jiang Cheng seemed stung by the word, letting out a cold laugh. His forced composure cracked, revealing the churning resentment and bitterness beneath. "You think the business world is child's play? Without me, Jiang Cheng, that money would have been swallowed whole! It was me! I turned it into the Jiang Group! I built it up to a public listing step by step! What does Liang Wanqiu have to do with it? What does she know about business besides painting?!"
Xie Qingyan watched him quietly. She looked at this man who, even at his wit's end, stubbornly claimed all the credit and shifted all the blame onto others (even his deceased wife). The profit-driven nature of a businessman, coupled with his extremely selfish personality, intertwined at this moment to create a pathetic yet detestable portrait.
Jiang Cheng seemed to realize his loss of composure, took a deep breath, and forcibly suppressed his surging emotions. He then spoke of Wang Lihua, his tone turning cold and venomous, each word like it had been chilled to the bone:
“That woman… Wang Lihua. She confessed, she confessed everything. She colluded with Zhou Hongchang to falsify accounts and embezzle company funds…” His eyes were filled not with sadness, but with a burning hatred after being utterly betrayed and fooled. “She will spend the rest of her life repenting behind bars! Those who deceive me… will never have a good end.”
Xie Qingyan felt no emotion, but thinking of the mysterious young man far away in a foreign land, she couldn't help but ask, "What about Jiang Ming?"
"Jiang Ming?" Jiang Cheng sneered, his smile filled with cruel contempt. "A bastard from who-knows-where. I've already shown him the greatest mercy by not letting him go in with his shameless mother. Whether he lives or dies abroad is none of my business."
A chill ran through Xie Qingyan's heart. After more than a decade of living together, even a pet would have an emotional bond, yet Jiang Cheng discarded him as if he were a speck of dust brushed from a sleeve. This cold-bloodedness was truly chilling.
"You still have Jiang Ci," Xie Qingyan reminded him, her voice carrying a hint of barely perceptible sarcasm.
When Jiang Ci was mentioned, a strange light suddenly flashed in Jiang Cheng's dark eyes, a mixture of obsession, resentment, and a twisted expectation that even he himself was unaware of.
"Yes, I still have Jiang Ci!" He said as if he had grabbed onto the last piece of driftwood. "He's my son! My only, biological son! I can do without everyone else, those filthy and stinking ones! But Jiang Ci... he's mine!"
"When he had a depressive episode and was lying alone in the villa," Xie Qingyan's voice turned cold, "where were you, his biological father? Did you ever consider what the outcome might be if you pushed him to the brink?"
"That's a trial he had to go through!" Jiang Cheng almost roared, his logic twisted yet possessing a powerful persuasive force. "As my son, the future heir, how can he stand at a high position if he doesn't even have this much mental fortitude? How can he manage a larger business empire?!"
"Business empire?" Xie Qingyan finally couldn't help but chuckle softly, his laughter filled with endless sarcasm. "President Jiang, are you referring to the Jiang Group, which is currently undergoing bankruptcy proceedings? This thing that you say you must inherit, Jiang Ci has never cared about it."
These words struck Jiang Cheng like a precise hammer blow, shattering his last shred of precarious support. His face instantly turned ashen, his lips trembled, and he could no longer utter a single word to maintain appearances. He knew better than anyone that the edifice was crumbling, and the so-called "storm" was already a catastrophe.
Xie Qingyan had no intention of continuing this pointless confrontation with him, so she reached out to pull the car door open.
"Wait!" Jiang Cheng suddenly grabbed his wrist with astonishing force. He looked up, his eyes bloodshot, no longer holding the imposing authority of a business tycoon, but the humble yet fierce obsession of a man at his wit's end:
"Let me see Jiang Ci. Just once."
Xie Qingyan slowly withdrew her hand, looked at him, and spoke each word clearly:
"Jiang Ci is no longer anyone's puppet."
---
Pushing open the glass door of Moyunzhai, the tinkling of wind chimes and the warmth and fragrance of books rushed in, instantly dispelling the cold and stuffy atmosphere in the car.
Jiang Ci was standing by the counter, checking the book list with a newly arrived ancient book in his hand. His brows were slightly furrowed, and his profile appeared calm and focused under the light. Hearing the sound, he immediately looked up. The moment he saw Xie Qingyan, his brows relaxed, but then he keenly sensed something, and his eyes narrowed.
"Where did you go?" He put down his book, walked over quickly, and his gaze swept over Xie Qingyan as if to make sure he was alright. "I almost went out to look for you."
Seeing the undisguised worry in his eyes, Xie Qingyan felt a warmth in his heart, but also a surge of fear. He pulled Jiang Ci into the inner room and recounted what had just happened.
After listening, Jiang Ci remained silent for a moment. When he spoke again, his voice was steady but cold: "You shouldn't have gotten into his car. When cornered, he's capable of anything."
Xie Qingyan nodded: "I was inconsiderate. But... he seems to be at his last gasp."
“It’s not just the end.” Jiang Ci walked to the window, looking at the deepening twilight outside, his tone calm and even expressionless. “In order to get a reduced sentence, Wang Lihua spilled everything she knew about Jiang’s irregularities over the years, even more serious matters. The Economic Investigation Department and the Tax Bureau have already jointly intervened. This Jiang’s edifice, long since hollowed out by termites, isn’t just about to collapse—”
He turned around and looked at Xie Qingyan, his eyes reflecting the last rays of dawn:
"It's already on the road to collapse, and no one can stop it."
---
The next day.
Just as Jiang Ci had predicted, a brief yet explosive news item swept across the internet at an astonishing speed, completely sealing the official and heavy coffin of this long-standing feud among the wealthy families:
Jiang Cheng, former chairman of the Jiang Group, was apprehended by police at the airport while attempting to leave the country. He is suspected of multiple economic crimes, and the case is under further investigation.
The accompanying photo shows Jiang Cheng being led away by two law enforcement officers at the airport security checkpoint. His once straight back is now completely hunched, his expensive trench coat is wrinkled and clings to his body, making him look like an ordinary, aged, and disheveled old man. Gone is the confident and assertive figure he once was in front of the camera.
Public opinion was in uproar, followed by even more intense sighs and criticisms. A business legend ended in such an undignified manner, becoming the latest case in both the textbooks of law and morality.
A few days later, Wen Heng brought more specific news. He sat on the old sofa in Moyunzhai, took a sip of the tea Xie Qingyan had brewed, and his eyes behind his glasses were clear:
"All of Aunt Lin's assets—paintings, copyrights, premarital investments—have been clearly separated in a legal sense and are currently undergoing the final confirmation of ownership and transfer process. The Wen family's legal team will see this through to the end, ensuring that not a single penny is lost and that everything is returned to its rightful owner." He looked at Jiang Ci, his tone solemn, "Jiang Ci, those things will soon truly be back in your hands."
Jiang Ci nodded without saying anything, but simply tightened his grip on Xie Qingyan's hand.
After Wen Heng left, Jiang Ci asked Xie Qingyan to accompany him to a flower shop to buy a bouquet of lilies.
The two boarded a bus bound for a suburban cemetery. The street scenes outside the window rushed past, the bustling human world gradually being replaced by tranquil distant mountains and sparse trees.
The cemetery appeared particularly solemn and peaceful under the winter sun. They followed the clean path to Lin Wanqiu's grave.
The tombstone was wiped very clean, and the woman in the photo smiled gently with clear eyes, as if she had never been eroded by the frost of time or the hardships of life.
Jiang Ci gently placed the lilies in front of the grave.
He stood quietly for a moment, then, in a calm, conversational tone, as if recounting everyday events, he spoke softly:
"Mom, it's all over."
"Those who deserved punishment have already paid the price. What belongs to you, I will protect it well."
He paused, then gripped Xie Qingyan's hand even tighter, pulling him forward slightly.
"This is Xie Qingyan. Someone very important to me."
Xie Qingyan bowed deeply to the tombstone. As he straightened up, he looked at Lin Wanqiu's photograph and said softly but firmly:
"Auntie, I will always stay with him."
There were no grand vows, no flowery words. Only the simplest promise, which, in the crisp winter air, seemed utterly solemn.
Jiang Ci's heart skipped a beat.
The two stayed in the cemetery for a while before taking a bus to leave.
On the bus, Xie Qingyan asked, "Now that you've taken care of everything at home, will you be going back to school tomorrow?"
"Do you want me to go back to class?" Jiang Ci asked back.
Xie Qingyan nodded: "Of course, I'm not used to you not going to class. I want to see you every day."
He spoke very seriously and frankly, as if he were just stating a trivial matter, but to Jiang Ci it sounded like heavenly music.
There were only the two of them on the bus. The driver was focused on driving and did not notice the commotion in the last row.
Jiang Ci quickly cupped Xie Qingyan's face and kissed him, then quickly pulled away.
The bus arrived at the station, and passengers boarded.
Their hearts were pounding, and neither dared to look at the other, instead turning their heads to look out the window as if nothing was wrong.
Jiang Ci quietly grasped Xie Qingyan's hand, a faint blush creeping onto her face.
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