Chapter 60
"Jiang Chengyi is Jiang Chengyi."
Yu Miaomiao saw Jiang Chengyi's originally dim eyes gradually brighten.
She lowered her hand and was about to step back when a gentle yet irresistible force pushed her forward, causing her to fall into Jiang Cheng's arms.
Despite being a wounded patient, the embrace was so warm that Yu Miaomiao's body, which had been frozen stiff outdoors, easily warmed up. Those hands held Yu Miaomiao tightly, giving her a feeling that she couldn't escape.
She struggled uncomfortably for a moment, then heard Jiang Chengyi's muffled voice from the side of her neck, carrying a pleading tone of weakness.
"I'm a little sad, can I hold you a little longer?"
The feeling from moments before seemed like an illusion. Yu Miaomiao stopped what she was doing, enduring the warm, moist breath on her neck and the ticklish sensation of her hair, and stiffly patted Jiang Chengyi's back.
"Don't be sad."
She awkwardly offered a comforting reply: "I'll always be with you."
-
Late at night, Yu Miaomiao transformed into her original form, crawled out of the iron bars, opened the door, and searched for the key at the location marked by Jiang Cheng.
There was no living room, kitchen, storage room, or study left; only Jiang Yanlan's room remained.
The kitten jumped onto the doorknob and pressed down with its whole body, slowly opening the door. Apart from a very faint creak, it made almost no sound.
The kitten silently searched the room: the bookshelf—nothing; the bedside table—nothing.
Just as he was about to close the bedside table, Jiang Yanlan's breathing on the bed suddenly became heavier.
The kitten immediately hid itself in the gap at the head of the bed, and after a while, it cautiously peeked out to observe Jiang Yanlan.
The woman's breathing was heavy and rapid, each breath sounding like she was struggling to survive while drowning. Her eyes darted restlessly under her eyelids, and she occasionally uttered incoherent mutterings. She was clearly in a very restless sleep, as if she would wake up at any moment.
I need to find the key quickly, Yu Miaomiao thought.
Just as she was about to look away, Jiang Yanlan turned over, and a glittering silver light appeared under her pillow.
Could the key be there?
She quietly jumped onto the bed, scratched under the pillow with her paws, and sure enough, found a set of keys.
It turns out the key had been under Jiang Yanlan's pillow all along; no wonder we couldn't find it anywhere.
Without delay, the kitten grabbed the key, returned to Jiang Chengyi's room, and quickly unlocked the iron gate, pushing open the door.
Perhaps because it had never been opened since it was installed, Yu Miaomiao's push caused the fence to emit a harsh and sharp scraping sound.
She quickly pressed the door shut to stop it from moving, and the anxious tossing and turning of the woman in the next room made her speed up.
The chain on Jiang Cheng's foot was quickly untied, and when he stood up, he staggered—the effects of the muscle relaxant had not completely worn off.
Yu Miaomiao helped him up, and the two of them stepped over the iron bars and walked out of the "prison" that had imprisoned Jiang Cheng for half a month.
"Is there anything else you need to take with you, like your ID card or phone?"
She asked in a low voice, while carefully listening to Jiang Yanlan's movements.
“None of that matters.” Jiang Cheng shook his head. “Just bring my external hard drive.”
He could get a replacement ID card and a new phone, but the external hard drive contained all his data from the past few years, several unfinished papers, and his presentation slides for tomorrow's defense. Losing it would be a huge hassle.
Yu Miaomiao thought for a moment, "Was it a black hard drive with a label on it that had your name written on it?"
"Yes, you've seen him before?"
"It's in the study, I'll go get it."
Yu Miaomiao walked through the living room and came to the study, which was filled with Jiang Chengyi's textbooks and workbooks from elementary school to high school. She remembered that the external hard drive was in the drawer in the far corner of the study.
She moved several piles of books, successfully retrieved the hard drive, and as she stood up, she suddenly heard the creaking sound of the door being pushed open.
Her heart skipped a beat. She turned back and saw Jiang Cheng standing at the front door, his face tense, staring intently into the depths of the corridor.
Yu Miaomiao walked to Jiang Chengyi's side and followed his gaze, seeing a woman's figure appear in the dark corridor at some point.
The woman slowly walked forward, her stiff face revealed in the dim moonlight of the living room.
Yu Miaomiao grabbed Jiang Chengyi's wrist and whispered, "Let's go!"
"You can't leave."
Jiang Yanlan's gentle voice rang out, "I have the key to the gate."
Yu Miaomiao reached behind her to try and turn the doorknob, but as expected, she couldn't open it—it turned out to be a door that could be locked from the inside with a key.
The woman smiled gently, but her face was twitching slightly, and the whites of her eyes were bloodshot, making the smile look particularly eerie.
“Chengyi, you see, what’s the use of being stubborn? You’ll never win against your mother.”
You're wrong.
Jiang Cheng shook his head. His body was still very weak, and he spoke very slowly, pausing for a moment after each sentence, yet his voice was so firm.
"The door is locked, but there are other ways to get out."
"Find someone to unlock the door; chop the door open with a knife; climb down the window using a fire rope."
"You'll never be able to trap me."
Jiang Yanlan stared blankly at Jiang Chengyi, at those dark phoenix eyes, and suddenly realized that her child was already nineteen years old, no longer an age that could be controlled at will.
She finally realized that Jiang Chengyi's departure meant a complete and permanent departure.
No, perhaps many years ago, when he knelt on the ground, his back bruised and bloodied from the bamboo whip, yet his gaze remained stubborn and unyielding as he looked up at her, she should have foreseen this outcome.
She panicked, "Don't go, Chengyi, don't go, Mommy begs you, don't go, don't go..."
Jiang Chengyi stopped looking at her and turned to Yu Miaomiao, saying, "There's a cleaver in the kitchen. If we break the lock, we can get out."
Just as Yu Miaomiao was about to go to the kitchen, she heard Jiang Yanlan scream and rush into the kitchen ahead of her, grabbing a sharp kitchen knife and holding it to her neck.
Jiang Yanlan stared intently at Jiang Chengyi, her eyes bloodshot, her tone resolute, "If you dare to leave, I will die in front of you."
The blade of the cleaver slightly sank into the flesh, cutting a line of blood, from which a few drops of blood oozed out.
Her tone turned pleading, "Chengyi, you don't want to kill your mother, right?"
"Even if it's for your mother's sake, don't go with her, please stay."
"laugh"
A disdainful chuckle rang out.
Jiang Yanlan's eyes darted around, finally settling on Yu Miaomiao, revealing a clear look of hatred.
"You're so proud of yourself for kidnapping Cheng Yi!"
Yu Miaomiao's voice was mocking.
"Useless."
“If I were you, I would immediately call the police and say that someone has abducted my son, instead of brandishing a knife and threatening suicide.”
"I'm not putting on a show!"
Jiang Yanlan gripped the knife even tighter, and beads of blood streamed down her neck.
"It would be better if he were really dead."
Yu Miaomiao's voice was cold and indifferent, "Jiang Chengyi no longer has to worry about being harassed by you, and Shen Hanhai and Xiao Yijin, are those the names? It's like setting off firecrackers to celebrate your death."
She took a step forward, and Jiang Yanlan subconsciously stepped back, her pupils, now reduced to a tiny black dot, fixed intently on Yu Miaomiao.
"W-What are you going to do?"
Yu Miaomiao tilted her head and stared at the woman. "They will think that this annoying and hateful fly, the stain on their lives, has finally disappeared."
"What do you know!"
Jiang Yanlan screamed, "Do you know what I paid for my revenge against them—"
"Not only is it useless, it's also hypocritical."
Yu Miaomiao interrupted her without any politeness.
"Your revenge is to make Jiang Cheng beat the mistress's son, to prove that Shen Hanhai was blind?"
"I've never seen anyone as naive and foolish as you!"
Jiang Yanlan's eyes became blank, and the hand holding the knife began to tremble slightly.
"I...I'll make them regret this..."
"Over the years, besides putting pressure on Jiang Chengyi and venting your emotions on him, have you done anything useful or concrete to get revenge on Shen Hanhai and Xiao Yijin?"
Yu Miaomiao spoke faster, as if questioning Jiang Yanlan, or perhaps expressing anger at her lack of ambition.
"Shen Hanhai was just promoted to general manager this year and bought a house in a good school district. Xiao Yijin is trying to conceive her second child. Shen Yangshu got into Tsinghua and Peking University and is planning to go to Sanya for vacation during the Spring Festival. Their family is getting better and better. Have you gotten revenge on them?"
"Why didn't you send a complaint letter to Shen Hanhai's company? Why didn't you put up big-character posters in their neighborhood exposing his infidelity? Why didn't you cause a scene at Shenyang Shu's school? You didn't even throw feces at their doorstep or hire someone to beat them up. What kind of revenge is this!"
With each word she spoke, she took a step forward, forcing Jiang Yanlan to retreat until she was pressed against the wall.
"waste."
Yu Miaomiao said.
Jiang Yanlan shuddered at the word "trash," slowly sliding down the wall, yet still seemingly controlled, she looked up at Yu Miaomiao, a tear sliding down her cheek. Her lips moved, but she couldn't utter a single word.
As Jiang Cheng approached, he pulled the kitchen knife from her hand and threw it aside.
The two men, with their similar, dark eyes, met. Jiang Chengyi's voice carried a hint of gentleness in the quiet night, "Did you hear that? You still have so much to do."
"Don't die."
He gently wiped away the tears from Jiang Yanlan's eyes; this was his final farewell to his mother.
Let's go.
Jiang Cheng stood up, holding a bunch of keys in his hand.
Jiang Yanlan slumped to the ground, silently watching the two insert the key into the lock, open the door, and as they stepped over the threshold, Jiang Cheng stumbled. Yu Miaomiao supported him, and they walked out together.
With a loud bang, the door slammed shut.
Tears welled up in her eyes again, wetting her clean face once more. She opened her mouth, gasped for breath, and cried silently.
Tears flowed more and more, and her voiceless throat, as if it could no longer bear the overwhelming emotions, began to make sounds.
First came the panting sounds, then the soft sobs, then the whimpering cries, and finally the wailing.
Jiang Yanlan cried so sadly and loudly, as if she wanted to vomit out twenty years of resentment, pain and hatred from the depths of her soul.
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