Chapter 44 Bright Sunshine "This is too embarrassing, I don't like it."...
From childhood to adulthood, Qin Man has always kept her birthday gift choices simple for Qin Chen. She doesn't need to make him happy; she just buys him something expensive and gives it to him on his birthday.
Jiang Xuchi, on the other hand, wanted to choose a gift that would immediately make him realize it was from her.
She looked around the entire mall for a long time, her gaze finally drawn to a crystal ornament.
The crystal ornament is designed in the shape of a lighter, surrounded by a circle of red crystal flame carvings. It's very bright, tacky, and very expensive.
But Qin Man just likes things that are shiny.
She recalled Jiang Xuchi's house, with its dull furnishings, minimalist black and white decor, devoid of any interest.
This crystal ornament looks out of place; it's clearly not his.
Qin Man was drawn to its "unconventional" nature.
It's perfect to give it to him.
...
Qin Man had booked a restaurant in Chengxiyuan in advance and chose a corner by the window.
The corner light was soft, and candles and roses were placed on the white tablecloth. She had instructed the manager to arrange it beforehand, but the manager must have misunderstood something, though she didn't care.
She sent an address to Jiang Xuchi.
Today is his birthday, and that's a clear enough fact that Jiang Xuchi wouldn't miss it.
Qin Man arrived very early and took several photos from different angles next to the plate. In the photos, she had exquisite makeup and wore a pair of crystal earrings that were worthy of her grand birthday gift.
She was dressed in a flamboyant manner, and the guests around her kept glancing at her.
Also, because she was the only one sitting there, and there was an empty chair opposite her.
Who on earth could make a girl like this wait in vain?
The constantly changing time on her phone screen reminded her that she had been waiting for twenty minutes.
Qin Man stared at the restaurant entrance.
It's Christmas Eve again, and all the couples who come in are walking in pairs, their laughter soft and their shoulders very close.
Their smiles, reflected in the candlelight, made her table seem especially desolate.
Qin Man lowered her head and scrolled through her phone over and over again.
She opened her chat window with Jiang Xuchi, then exited, and then opened it again.
He didn't reply to any messages at all.
Sometimes being overconfident can be annoying.
Qin Man suddenly felt like a ridiculous performer who had come to a stage without an audience.
Time passed by, and the second serving of bread was already served.
Qin Man caught a glimpse of a waiter standing to the side glancing at her. He shifted his body slightly, as if he wanted to come forward and ask him something.
They'll probably ask her when the main course is coming.
Qin Man suppressed her anger and typed in the chat box:
Is standing someone up fun? Did I hold you up?
Send with a flick of your finger.
Then she got up, put on her coat, took the gift box, and told the waiter that she didn't need any more food.
When she came out after paying the bill, a cold wind rushed into her coat, and she hugged her arms tightly, her hair blowing wildly.
While waiting for a car by the roadside, Qin Man deleted all the photos she had just taken and blocked Jiang Xuchi as well.
Qin Man was angry all night and didn't calm down even after she got home.
Too lazy to remove her makeup, she curled up on the sofa and tossed her phone aside. The last message on the screen remained unanswered, its blankness glaringly obvious.
Just then, Qin Chen pushed the door open and came in.
Seeing her expression, he scoffed, "What's going on this time?"
Qin Man suddenly looked up, her eyes still a little red: "What's it to you?"
Qin Chen had sharp eyes; he spotted the gift box in the entryway and immediately knew who his younger sister was delivering it to.
That's really pathetic.
"What, you dressed up for the date? But they wouldn't even bother to see you?"
"Shut up."
"What happened?" Qin Chen tossed his coat aside and strolled over, his tone laced with his usual sarcasm. "You were bullied by him? Tell your brother."
Him?
He looked like he wanted to hear a joke.
Qin Man rolled her eyes at him, picked up her phone, and went back to her bedroom.
For the next two days, Qin Man neither saw Jiang Xuchi nor removed him from her blacklist. Jiang Xuchi had truly vanished into thin air, leaving no trace whatsoever.
Qin Man endured it for two whole days, but in the end, her pride prevailed, and she insisted on not contacting him first.
It wasn't until she learned from Lin Xian that Jiang Xuchi's father had passed away.
I heard he was hospitalized for high blood pressure and died from complications.
The moment Qin Man learned of this news, many of her emotions vanished instantly, leaving only bewilderment.
"So what is Jiang Xuchi doing right now?" Qin Man couldn't help but ask.
Lin Xian shook her head: "The house must be in complete chaos."
Qin Man was still a little dazed.
But none of these are excuses for Jiang Xuchi to ignore her.
Jiang Xuchi shouldn't have shut her out and not told her anything. What kind of person did he take her for?
How could you not tell her anything about something so important?
Qin Man's pent-up anger has been growing stronger over the past few days.
Lin Xian was scrolling through her phone when she suddenly exclaimed "Holy crap!" and nudged Qin Man's shoulder, saying, "Oh my god, I heard that Jiang Xuchi's father didn't leave his inheritance to him after he died!"
Qin Man's anger was immediately extinguished by this inexplicable development.
"What the hell? His dad did charity?" Qin Man asked.
"It was purely given to another son, in the form of funds and stocks, and the company seems to be..." Lin Xian muttered for a while, looking at the messages in the group chat as she spoke.
After returning from Lin Xian's place, Qin Man walked along the road, feeling the night breeze, when she suddenly remembered a scene from long ago.
That was back when they were in elementary school.
Qin Man celebrated her birthday that day with a grassland party in the yard outside her house, decorated with colorful hot air balloons. It was a sunny day.
The cake on the table, decorated with ribbons and bows, was three tiers high, which seemed like a small mountain to her at that time. She wore a princess dress adorned with sparkling rhinestones and blew out the candles amidst laughter and blessings.
When it was time to cut the cake, Qin Man, carrying the plate, somehow ended up in the backyard.
The two houses' backyards were separated by two bamboo fences. She caught a glimpse of someone squatting by the roadside, and it was someone she knew.
Actually, she didn't pay much attention to the little boy next door at that time, but because they lived close by, she always remembered his name.
The extra cake I had suddenly found a use.
Qin Man walked over and first saw his expensive sneakers. Then, looking up, she was suddenly startled.
Jiang Xuchi's face was so swollen that his features were almost unrecognizable. Qin Man still didn't know why he was in such a terrible state.
His eyes were cold and stubborn; he neither cried nor shouted, and his gaze toward her was full of hostility.
Qin Man also disliked him at the time.
How could anyone end up in such a miserable state?
But she is the protagonist of today's birthday celebration, the birthday girl, a happy little girl, and doesn't need to worry about such trivial matters.
So she stared at his wound and asked, "Does it hurt a lot? Should we call a doctor?"
Jiang Xuchi didn't speak, he just looked at her.
His silence seemed to express his attitude.
If it were any other girl, being stared at like that would definitely make her feel scared, but Qin Man was different.
She lowered her eyes and handed over the slice of cake she had cut. The knife and fork were on the plate, and a strawberry was placed on top, emitting a wonderful aroma.
"Would you like to try some? If not, that's fine too."
The cake was already being handed to him.
Qin Man decided at that time that if Jiang Xuchi refused, she would throw the cake at him.
This idea was not realized.
Jiang Xuchi did not refuse; when he accepted the cake, there were still old and new wounds on the back of his hand.
She was young then and didn't understand what these things meant, but she could sense that something was wrong.
She said unhappily, "Don't appear in front of me like this again. It's too embarrassing, and I don't like it."
She doesn't like to see wounds.
I don't want to see my swollen cheeks either.
And friends who are depressed and silent.
She hated these things, so after delivering the cake, she lifted her skirt and left.
As they ran away, they turned back and shouted, "I don't want that set of tableware anymore, you can take it with you!"
Jiang Xuchi must have been pitiful at that time.
But for people like them, the word "pitiful" doesn't apply.
Jiang Xuchi's appearance gave them reason to dislike him, and later no one liked him, all because he deserved to suffer like this.
As for Qin Man, she is still young.
She asked her parents why they wouldn't let her play with the boy next door.
At that time, my parents only said that something had happened to their family, that my father was very upset and under a lot of pressure, and that he was prone to hitting and scolding the children, so I shouldn't get close to them, as I could easily get involved.
Later, Qin Chen said that Jiang Xuchi was not liked by his father.
His mother and father were getting a divorce, which caused quite a stir.
Qin Chen would tell these stories to others as jokes, and Qin Man was always by his side.
Who could have imagined that Jiang Shuhai would later turn the tables, while Qin Man's family was thrown into chaos.
Sometimes fate is just ridiculous.
For some reason, Qin Man remembered Jiang Xuchi's eyes very clearly: stubborn, silent, and unyielding.
And when she heard her say she didn't like it, she lowered her eyes slightly, her emotions unreadable.
Is he still remembering those words, which is why he doesn't think of coming to find her at times like this?
Is it because she is unable to be with him?
Will it still put pressure on him?
Qin Man suddenly found it somewhat ridiculous; she actually felt a pang of regret. If she hadn't said those words back then, would things have turned out differently?
...
Qin Man barely slept all night because of this stupid question.
I tossed and turned, my mind filled with a jumble of images, but the more I tried to shake them off, the clearer my mind became.
By daybreak, she was completely exhausted and wanted to catch up on her sleep during the day, but then she heard the piercing sound of an electric drill coming from upstairs.
It was buzzing, like it was trying to drill into my brain.
So annoying.
Qin Man couldn't help but roll her eyes.
She quickly tidied herself up, grabbed her bag, went downstairs to hail a taxi, and headed to Jiang Xuchi's villa.
At least it's still quiet there.
It wasn't because I wanted to see him. Absolutely not.
As expected, no one was at Jiang Xuchi's house. Her fingerprints had already been registered, so she entered the house with ease.
Back in her room, she was so sleepy that her eyelids were drooping. She buried herself in the covers and slept soundly until the afternoon.
When she woke up, she turned over and was nearly scared to death.
There was someone lying next to me.
Jiang Xuchi had returned sometime earlier and was sleeping beside her.
Judging from the sound of her breathing, she must be sleeping very soundly.
It seemed like they had drunk some alcohol; the air was filled with a lingering smell of alcohol and a faint scent of smoke.
The flavor wasn't strong; I guess not many people drank it.
Qin Man couldn't help but take another look at his face. He was still the same as before, showing no signs of sadness or pain, no wounds, and not even dark circles under his eyes.
Qin Man stared for a few seconds, and for some reason, her heart relaxed.
He was perfectly fine.
Qin Man felt relieved, tiptoed out of bed, and was about to leave.
Behind me, a voice came low and almost hoarse: "Where are you going?"
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