Chapter 41 The Collapse of Trust
Su Wantang slowly raised her eyes to meet those scarlet eyes.
There was no panic, no fear, not even the slightest hint of resentment. Her eyes were as calm as an ancient well in deep winter, without the slightest ripple.
She just looked at him, her red lips slightly parted, her voice not loud, but like the finest steel needle, precisely piercing his most vulnerable nerve.
"Lu Jingyan, I won't explain."
"I'll only ask you one question."
She tilted her head slightly, her clear eyes reflecting his out-of-control face.
Do you believe me, or do you believe what you see?
One sentence, like a thunderclap, exploded in Lu Jingyan's mind.
Trust her?
Did you see it through a letter?
This problem is all too familiar.
Ten years ago, at the Xishan Sanatorium, his younger sister, Jingyue, disappeared. Everyone said she was playing and ran away on her own. Only he firmly believed that his sister had been kidnapped. He roared at his father and yelled at his second uncle, but all they gave him in return was a cold, indifferent reply—
"Jingyan, you must believe the evidence and not let your imagination run wild."
evidence.
What I saw.
What he saw was his sister's favorite hair clip lying on the cliff edge behind the mountain. What he saw was everyone's relieved expression. What he saw was his own utter helplessness and the fear of being betrayed by the whole world.
That fear, that chilling feeling of being abandoned by the closest person, at this moment, was like a demon breaking free of its cage, instantly devouring all his reason.
The calm face of Su Wantang before my eyes strangely overlapped with the "for your own good" face of my second uncle, Lu Wenbo, in my memory.
"ah--!"
A suppressed roar burst forth from the depths of his throat.
He suddenly stepped forward, his large hand like an iron clamp, gripping Su Wantang's slender wrist tightly.
"I believe you?!"
Lu Jingyan's eyes were bloodshot. He leaned down, almost face to face, and every word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, carrying a bloody smell.
"How can I trust you! You met with this scum in this godforsaken place! You used the information I gave you to make deals with people! How can I trust you!"
"Su Wantang! I entrusted my back to you, and this is how you stab me in the back?!"
A sharp pain shot through her wrist, the force so great it felt like it was going to crush her bones.
Su Wantang's delicate brows furrowed in pain, and her face paled, but she still didn't utter a single word in defense.
There is no greater sorrow than a broken heart.
She looked at the man before her, who had lost control and was dominated by anger and suspicion. The last trace of warmth in his beautiful eyes quickly cooled and froze into ice.
She once thought he was different.
He is powerful and cunning, yet he has his own bottom line and principles. They are the same kind of people, allies bound by shared interests, and partners who can entrust their backs to each other through thick and thin.
But now she understands.
He is not.
He was just a wounded, sensitive, and suspicious trapped beast. Once his old wounds were touched, he would indiscriminately tear apart everything around him.
"Commander! Commander, calm down! My sister-in-law, she..."
Seeing the situation was getting out of hand, Gao Jianjun rushed forward. He had never seen Lu Jingyan like this before; he was practically tearing him apart!
"Get out of my way!"
Without turning his head, Lu Jingyan let out a loud shout, the sound so powerful that it made Gao Jianjun take two steps back, and he dared not go forward again.
Meanwhile, the thug named Liu Mazi took advantage of the chaos and scrambled into the shadows, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
The sharp pain in her wrist brought Su Wantang fully awake.
She raised her other, unrestrained hand, not to hit him or push him, but to gently, even with a hint of pity, stroke the veins that bulged in his anger with her fingertips.
Lu Jingyan froze.
Just when he thought she was about to give in.
Su Wantang suddenly exerted all her strength to break free of his grip on her wrist.
She took a step back, putting distance between him.
“Lu Jingyan,” she looked at him, her voice as cold as icicles in the twelfth lunar month, “you have never believed me.”
"In your heart, I am no different from those who scheme against you."
"In that case, there's nothing more to say between us."
After saying that, she didn't say another word, didn't even look at him again, and turned to leave.
Her back was resolute, without the slightest trace of lingering affection. Step by step, she walked out of the blinding beam of light and merged into the boundless darkness.
Lu Jingyan reached out his hand, wanting to chase after her, wanting to grab her.
But he seemed to be frozen in place, unable to move.
That cold, utterly disappointed gaze drained all his strength, leaving him only with endless emptiness and panic.
He watched helplessly as she disappeared, like a wisp of smoke, impossible to grasp or hold onto.
...
Half an hour later, in a small building in the military compound.
Su Wantang is back.
Without turning on the light, she skillfully walked to the wardrobe in the dark and took out a small suitcase.
She opened the package and began packing her things.
His movements were unhurried and frighteningly calm.
She didn't have many belongings: a few cheongsams, a few books, and the sandalwood box her mother left her.
As for all the things Lu Jingyan bought for her, from clothes and jewelry to combs and mirrors, she didn't touch any of them.
When Qin Zheng arrived, this was the scene he saw.
"Young Miss?" His heart skipped a beat, and a bad feeling welled up inside him.
Su Wantang zipped up her suitcase, making a soft "click" sound.
She turned around, her face expressionless: "I'm moving to Tangdixuan."
She paused for a moment, then added, "Send someone to deliver a message to Commander Lu."
"Just say that I'm waiting for him to come and clear up this misunderstanding in person. I'll come back whenever the misunderstanding is cleared up."
"I don't want to see him before that."
Qin Zheng felt a tightness in his chest and nodded heavily: "Yes, Miss."
He watched her pick up her suitcase and walk downstairs effortlessly, her slender figure exuding an undeniable determination.
The door was closed gently.
The small building, filled with their memories, suddenly became lifeless.
...
Lu Jingyan didn't know how he managed to drive the car back.
He pushed open the door, only to be greeted by a cold darkness and deathly silence.
"Wantang?"
He called out instinctively, but there was no response.
He fumbled to turn on the light, and the blinding light illuminated the empty room.
Inside the room, everything was still in its original place, neat and tidy.
But her aura is slowly fading away.
He rushed into the bedroom. The wardrobe was open, but her little corner was empty. On the dressing table, her usual boxwood comb was gone.
She really left.
Lu Jingyan felt as if all the bones in his body had been removed, and he slumped against the door frame.
He was wrong.
He was wrong the moment he grabbed her wrist out of control.
That problem isn't a problem; it's a test.
And he submitted the worst possible answer sheet.
Anger, surprise, suspicion... all emotions faded away at this moment, leaving only a dreadful and remorseful feeling that could drown a person.
What... have I done...?
"Heh..."
A suppressed groan of pain escaped from deep within his throat.
He turned around abruptly and, with all his might, slammed his fist into the wall behind him!
"Bang!"
The hard wall surface cracked instantly, and white plaster fell off in a flurry.
A piercing pain shot through his finger bones, but he couldn't feel it.
He pressed his bleeding fist against the cold wall, his tall frame trembling slightly, and his forehead pressed heavily against it.
Blood dripped from between his fingers and onto the floor.
Su Wantang, how can I... find you again?
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