Chapter 46 End. That's something he can never escape...
The interior space of the car was not spacious, at least for Qin Man.
She felt a bit restricted and could only let Jiang Xuchi do as he pleased.
This guy really has no sense of proportion. Several times, Qin Man was so angry that she wanted to bite him, but before she could do it, he made her feel weak all over and couldn't calm her down at all.
Finally, Qin Man lay on Jiang Xuchi's body, drowsily touching the slightly prickly stubble behind his ears.
"I'm going on a business trip to New Zealand in a couple of days."
"Hmm?" Qin Man gradually came to her senses. "When are you coming back?"
"About two and a half months."
"Sure, I'll just go to the club and ask someone to keep me company when I get bored," Qin Man said nonchalantly.
"..." Jiang Xuchi was too lazy to respond to that.
"Are you serious?"
"Um."
Qin Man was furious. She couldn't help but twist her waist, ready to teach him a lesson, but his reaction made her obedient.
Seeing her timid look, Jiang Xuchi smiled and said, "You don't have the guts."
"...You underestimate me."
Qin Man hugged his neck and said in a coquettish tone, "I've been so bored these past few days. It'll be my summer vacation in two months, and I'll be even more bored."
Jiang Xuchi played with her long hair with his fingers and said, "I remember you've never been to New Zealand."
"Qin Chen studied there before, I don't want to go."
"So, do you want to now?"
"And then what? You go to work, while I wander around?"
Although Qin Man said that, she still laughed out loud.
"Hmm, I'm worried about leaving you here alone," Jiang Xu said slowly and deliberately. "So I wanted to discuss it with you, would you like to come with me to New Zealand?"
"If I were..."
Jiang Xuchi didn't wait for her to finish speaking before rubbing his face against hers.
He rubbed against me, like a little animal begging for a treat. His usual cold and quiet demeanor was now a hundred times more alluring than ever.
It seems that after being with Qin Man, Jiang Xuchi has become more and more prone to bowing his head like this, completely unlike the person he used to be.
Does falling in love turn you into a dog?
At that time, Qin Man was bewitched and readily agreed.
Qin Man only discovered when she was buying her plane ticket that Jiang Xu had already bought it for her sooner or later, even three months in advance!
So Jiang Xuchi never intended to discuss it with her at all; he was just faking it that day!
Qin Man realized she had been thoroughly deceived, and she was still angry the moment she boarded the plane and sat in first class.
A person sat down next to me.
He had just gone to take care of some work and was only just reboarding the plane.
Qin Man kept her eyes straight ahead, pretending to listen to music while wearing headphones.
I was pretending to be perfectly fine with my eyes closed when suddenly someone took my headphones away.
Jiang Xuchi asked, "Would you like some earplugs?"
"..."
"And an eye mask."
"..."
"You're angry over something so small?" Jiang Xuchi sighed. "I just wanted you to come with me. If you're not willing, I'll cancel the ticket."
"You cancelled the plane tickets, did you also cancel the hotel and itinerary?" Qin Man listed them one by one. "And you suddenly told me that you were going abroad that day, but so much time has passed since you booked the tickets, and you haven't mentioned it at all."
Qin Man pressed on, "I just want to know why."
Qin Man wasn't that angry, she just disliked his somewhat forceful decision.
Many times.
The dance troupe was chosen through his connections; he was the one who got her selected.
In the past, there were many things that Jiang Xuchi didn't tell her; he would just do them first and then talk about them later.
Qin Man was often unaware of this.
It was just a small matter, but over time, it would inevitably cause her some resentment. He didn't even tell her about his trip abroad until two days before he left.
How could she not be angry?
Everyone says we should be honest with each other, but where is the honesty we were promised?
Qin Man liked his straightforward personality, but that didn't mean she liked the decisions he made for her.
Qin Man muttered, "Next time, please respect my opinion and talk to me if you have any problems."
Jiang Xuchi hummed in agreement.
It was clearly a perfunctory response.
Qin Man took a breath, then exhaled, deciding that she would no longer speak to him.
She put on her eye mask and earplugs, and gradually fell asleep while listening to the roar of the plane taking off.
She had a dream, perhaps because she was about to fly abroad.
In the dream, Qin Chen had just gone abroad to study, and because he was not there, his friends did not gather together, and gradually, life became somewhat desolate.
The owner of Fusheng remembered that Qin Chen had left a piece of clothing with him, so he asked Qin Man to go and get it back.
Qin Man went to get it after class, and when she entered Fusheng, she saw Jiang Xuchi.
With Qin Chen absent, Jiang Xuchi seemed to be the center of attention among this group.
At that time, Qin Man didn't have a good attitude towards Jiang Xuchi and didn't pay much attention to him, so she bypassed their group and walked straight inside.
Until now, this place was filled with her past memories, and she was trapped in those memories, not realizing that anything was wrong.
Until Jiang Xuchi appeared silently behind her.
She didn't get Qin Chen's coat; instead, the place grew increasingly deserted. The surrounding private rooms connected like an endless corridor, and she wandered through the maze, hearing footsteps approaching from behind.
In her dream, she knew it was Jiang Xuchi, so she dared not turn around.
She walked around many rooms, and Jiang Xuchi was still behind her.
Unable to bear it any longer, she suddenly turned around, wanting to tell Jiang Xuchi to stop following him.
Jiang Xuchi stood not far away, and as she remained silent, he gradually walked up to her.
"Qin Man, why did you stop walking?"
He reached out and touched her face.
His eyes were bright and clear, but the faint scar on his forehead ruined the innocence of his face, making it look like a flawed work of art.
Did you stop because of me?
Qin Man opened her mouth, only to find that she couldn't speak.
“It’s alright, keep going,” he whispered. “I’ll always be by your side.”
Qin Man couldn't describe how she felt after waking up from this nightmare, especially since the male protagonist in the dream was eating lunch provided by the flight attendant right next to her.
She felt dazed.
...
The entire trip to New Zealand was so boring that Qin Man was somewhat surprised. She had thought it would be more interesting, but no matter where she went or what scenery she saw, it was all rather uninteresting.
It's much more interesting to drink coffee in the hotel or listen to Jiang Xuchi hold a meeting and listen to those old fogies passing the buck.
Qin Man played for more than a week and then became too lazy to go out, staying in the hotel like a hamster.
Then she vented all her frustration on Qin Chen.
What do you usually eat while studying here? How can you eat such terrible food?
No wonder you have so many girlfriends here; it seems it's really boring.
[I thought you were having a wonderful time in New Zealand, but it seems it wasn't all that great. You were so reluctant to come back then; I bet you really wanted to cut ties with me and Mommy back then, didn't you?]
Qin Chen, do you even have a heart?!
She sent many messages in a row, constantly bringing up old grievances.
Qin Chen got annoyed and sent a voice message.
Qin Man clicked to listen without thinking.
"Is it because Jiang Xuchi didn't satisfy you, leaving you sexually frustrated in a foreign land? Stop bothering me all the time, okay? Go find your husband."
Qin Man was shocked by his outrageous words.
She subconsciously looked up at Jiang Xuchi.
Jiang Xuchi lay half-reclined beside her, his long legs draped over their disheveled clothes, and lazily glanced back at her.
What are you complaining about to your brother?
He then asked slowly, "Are you complaining that I'm not good enough there?"
"..."
Qin Man recalled the two hours that had been most satisfying for her, and couldn't help but soften her tone as she explained, "No, I meant it was boring here, except for the beautiful scenery..."
Qin Man is always busy. She is energetic and curious about everything, but she is a bit critical.
Jiang Xuchi, on the other hand, is somewhat the opposite. He can stay anywhere and even spend a whole day drinking coffee in one place.
Qin Man suddenly realized something, turned her head and continued typing: 【Why aren't you calling him "brat" anymore?】
Qin Chen didn't reply.
Qin Man persisted: "Have you gotten older? Has your temper improved too?"
Qin Chen, unable to bear it any longer, sent a voice message: "Don't even think about getting any benefits from me after you go back to China. We're cutting ties."
Qin Man also sent a voice message: "Oh, then I'll ask my husband for it."
Jiang Xuchi, who was standing next to her, seemed to look up and glance at her.
Qin Man guessed that he was laughing at that moment.
At least the corners of his mouth are definitely turned up.
After spending the last ten days in New Zealand, Qin Man finally boarded a plane back home, and she couldn't wait to go.
She wanted to go back and eat hot pot.
After landing, I was able to enjoy hot pot as I had hoped, but before I could enjoy it for more than a few days, I ended up in the clinic with acute gastroenteritis in the evening.
When she was changing the IV drip, she saw the familiar nurse tidying up the equipment.
Where is Jiang Xuchi?
"He's in a meeting in the next room," the nurse smiled at her. "Awake? He's probably afraid of disturbing you."
Qin Man had just woken up and was still a little weak. "Sister, come closer."
The nurse half-squatted down beside her legs and repeated, "He's in a meeting next door."
"Have you been a nurse here for a long time?"
"I've been here since Jiang Xuchi was a child," the nurse laughed, jokingly adding, "I'm actually quite old."
"Um, I wanted to ask... did Jiang Xuchi often come to you to treat his wounds when he was little?" Qin Man spoke slowly and softly, as if afraid that the person next door would hear.
The nurse opened her eyes in surprise, then frowned. "If only he were that cooperative."
Qin Man stretched out her hand, the one not hooked up to the IV, and tugged at the nurse's sleeve, whispering, "Can you tell me about it?"
She seemed a little hesitant.
Qin Man: "I've known him since I was a child. You've met me before."
"Yes, that's why..."
"I didn't understand him back then." Qin Man paused, her voice barely audible, "Now I want to understand him."
She had been in a daze ever since she was admitted to this clinic with acute gastroenteritis.
She could hear Jiang Xuchi's voice and sense his urgency.
At the same time, she suddenly remembered the familiar feeling she had when Jiang Xuchi first brought her to this clinic.
And the strange feeling that Jiang Xuchi had when he interacted with the nurse—a feeling that came from knowing each other before but felt somewhat odd.
Even when they are at their weakest, they are unusually perceptive.
She recently recalled what Jiang Xuchi looked like when he was a child.
Thinking about his frequent injuries.
Even though he was the one she cared about the least since childhood, now when she thinks back, there are always many vivid images that she can't forget.
At that time, she was innocent and naive, and she didn't like the scarred Jiang Xuchi. She couldn't explain it herself, she just didn't want to be around him.
Later, I realized that it wasn't disdain or fear.
It's an irresistible feeling of heartache.
Qin Man didn't understand at that time; she just wanted to escape.
But memories are unreliable, and she didn't want to add anything to Jiang Xuchi's past that didn't exist, nor did she want to get too deeply involved.
Now, she wants to confirm whether her own memories are real by listening to other people's recollections.
The nurse sighed, "I remember, his injuries never really healed, new wounds adding to old ones. He usually came to me to take painkillers."
Qin Man was taken aback: "Did his father hit him?"
"Not all of them, there are other children too." At this point, the nurse hesitated for a moment, then said, "And your brother too."
This nurse was once the Jiang family's family doctor and had witnessed everything that happened to Jiang Xuchi. She remembered who had bullied him and who had injured him.
Qin Man suddenly felt a little embarrassed.
The terrible things Qin Chen did still make her feel ashamed.
"But I know you. You often send him medicine, but you don't seem to remember it all, and you always send the same thing."
Now I remember, when Qin Man was little, she saw her brother bullying him again, and afterwards she always felt something was wrong, so she asked someone to send him some medicine for his injuries. She asked a different person each time, but Jiang Xuchi still found out.
She gave them all to him, but she did it because she couldn't control her brother's behavior and didn't want to feel guilty.
"Miss Qin Man, you've given him medicine time and time again, so he likes you a lot." The nurse didn't want the atmosphere to be too heavy, so she changed the subject. "He couldn't use a lot of the medicine, so he brought it all over and asked me to keep it. There's still a box of the medicine you gave me."
Qin Man wasn't exactly happy; in fact, she felt a bit down.
Does this feel a bit like moral blackmail?
But when she thought about what Jiang Xuchi did to her in high school...
Forget it, looking back isn't her style.
Qin Man gave the nurse a bright smile: "Thank you, sister, thank you for telling me all this."
"Get well soon, so he won't worry." The nurse stood up, handed her a blanket, and then left the infusion room.
Not long after she left, Jiang Xuchi pushed open the door and came in.
"What's wrong? Why are you spacing out?"
As he approached, he carried a faint scent of perfume, which seemed to be some kind of woody fragrance.
It smells especially good in this disinfectant environment.
Qin Man raised her head and stared at him intently.
"Hmm?" He tilted his head slightly. "Is something the matter?"
"When did you start liking me?" Qin Man asked the question she had been thinking about.
Guess?
I can't guess.
"If you can't guess, keep guessing."
Answer me.
Qin Man shook his arm, her tone very coquettish.
Jiang Xuchi sat down next to her. "If a princess like you knew when I fell in love with you, she would probably be laughed at for the rest of her life."
"Why do you always imagine that I'll laugh at you?"
"If you don't laugh now, what will you do when you're in your fifties, sixties, seventies, or eighties and realize what's going on?"
"you!"
Jiang Xuchi pressed her head down. "Alright, you still have energy to mess around. Hurry up and get well, otherwise your brother will bother me to death when he asks."
It seems he really isn't going to say anything, but it doesn't matter whether he says anything or not.
Qin Man already knows.
Moreover, she would never laugh at him.
Qin Man snuggled into Jiang Xuchi's arms, closed her eyes, and fell asleep, inhaling his pleasant scent.
Jiang Xuchi lowered his eyes, recalling what he had overheard at the door, and couldn't help but reach out and touch her eyelashes.
Feeling her trembling with his fingertips, Jiang Xuchi was lost in memories.
It was probably more than ten years ago.
At that time, Jiang Xuchi had just started junior high school. He was looking at the class roster at the school gate when he saw Qin Man's name.
From that time on, he always dreamed that he was in an alley.
A girl was standing at the end.
She wore a white tulle dress, the hem of which was adorned with sparkling crystals.
From that moment on, he wanted her to wear such a tulle dress.
White, beautiful, and gorgeous, like a proud swan.
Jiang Xuchi admitted it.
That was a dream he could never escape.
—End of text—
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Author's Note: In the last chapter, I mentioned there were a few more chapters to go. Actually, I wanted to write about the post-marriage period, but as I wrote, I felt I should leave the post-marriage part as an epilogue. So, this is the end. The epilogue will focus on Qin Chen and the post-marriage period, and then it will be over. I don't know if it will be too angsty. I've always considered myself a writer of sweet stories, but while writing this, I felt like I kept pulling back from the angst, and then my mental state just collapsed, sob sob. While recovering, I thought of my next story, "Summer's Reversal," a pseudo-sibling story, still a campus romance... Goodness, in this day and age, there are still people writing about campus romances! From bumping into each other to being heartbroken to waking up drunk, they've all been writing about youthful love stories. I really love the refreshing and sweet romance of youth, like sparkling water. So everyone!! "Summer's Reversal" is my fourth campus romance!! Please support it!! [Facepalm laughing and crying][Facepalm laughing and crying]
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