Chapter 104
"He has never blamed you all these years."
"But if this still makes you doubt his feelings for you, I feel sorry for him."
Having said that, Lin Rui didn't linger any longer, closed the door, and left the scene.
He didn't consider himself a busybody, but the more he saw Jiang Li over the years, the more indignant he felt for him. Xie Shuwan always advised him to let it go. After all, when it comes to feelings, as long as you've put your heart into it, there's never a question of who wins or loses.
Being concerned with profits and losses isn't about feelings; it's about business.
Time stood still quietly.
After a long silence, Guan Nan closed her eyes, her whole body shrouded in helplessness and confusion.
She was overwhelmed with self-blame and could barely speak. When she finally found her voice, she answered emptyly, but no one responded: "No. I never doubted it. I never doubted it."
A moment later, with Lin Rui's words still on her mind, Guan Nan staggered into the room.
She picked up the bag, wanting to take out something to look at, but hesitated and didn't pull it out. She had an inexplicable premonition that Jiang Li had secretly made her sign the contents of the bag, but then gave it to her without saying anything.
In an instant, the paper bag felt as heavy as a thousand pieces of gold.
She slowly walked out of the room, having lost the courage she had finally mustered, and stared at the bag for a long time.
But Lin Rui's words kept echoing in her ears.
Guan Nan's hands trembled, her mental preparations crumbling and rebuilding repeatedly. But when she actually saw the words on the contract, her mind went blank, and she couldn't recover for a long time.
She gripped the paper contract tightly, her hands trembling uncontrollably.
The sudden, aching pain that rose in his lips, teeth, and nose instantly spread to his heart.
The first thing you see is a 'Shareholding Grant' document. Turning to the next page, you see a 'Shareholding Certificate', and then 'Insurance Beneficiary'. The insurance beneficiary is corrected, and the beneficiary is undoubtedly her name.
Guan Nan could no longer bear to look any further; her heart ached.
She experienced excruciating pain for the second time.
The internal organs twisted and turned to the point of suffocation.
She lost her grip, and the contracts scattered all over the floor. The 'asset donation contract,' 'debt discharge agreement,' 'notarized document,' 'will,' and 'medical examination' enveloped her from all sides, leaving no gaps.
Black text on white paper, white paper with black text, every word is clear.
Guan Nan's eyes darted around in a panic, unsure of where to look.
Suddenly, Guan Nan recalled that night, the night she hadn't slept a wink, and that phone call from long ago, the words "will" in the call.
She couldn't even imagine how Jiang Li sat there, or what his mindset was, to finalize these agreements.
But the more she thought about it, the less she could imagine all of this.
Everything happened right before her eyes, things she had been curious about countless times but never dared to ask, and now they all gave her the answers.
But she never imagined that she would find the answers to those questions in this way.
Guan Nan's mind went blank, her gaze fixed on the large characters for "will," which were specifically marked above.
—All the estate shall be inherited solely by Guan Nan; no one else shall receive any share. ①
The debt had nothing to do with her, and he had given her everything he had. If anything were to happen to him one day, Jiang Li would get rid of her completely in advance.
Guan Nan sat there for an unknown amount of time.
The tightly closed door opened.
The person turned on the light, and Guan Nan heard footsteps and blankly raised her head.
Instinctively avoiding the glaring light, after clearly seeing who it was, he raised his hand, which had been hovering in mid-air, but made no further move.
She was completely dazed and empty at that moment.
I don't know how long they stood there in a daze, so long that a dozen seconds felt like centuries, the seasons changed year after year, and finally a space was created between them to pause.
In an instant, the moon, the Milky Way, and the horizon all paused and stood still for him.
The person squatted down in front of him, glanced at the mess on the ground, and then whispered in a coaxing tone, "Why didn't you turn on the light?"
Guan Nan lowered her eyes and shook her head sullenly.
After a moment of silence, Jiang Li picked up the contracts from the ground one by one, tossed them aside as if they were a pile of worthless scraps of paper, and lazily sat down next to her.
The room was brightly lit, and the two sat on the floor, neither speaking nor asking.
"Jiang Li, is it worth it?" After a long while, Guan Nan forced herself to ask in a calm tone, suppressing the stinging sensation in her nose and the pain in her heart.
Jiang Li turned his head, a smile on his face: "It's worth it, of course it's worth it."
“But,” Guan Nan choked up and said softly, “I didn’t give you anything, I have nothing.”
This love, this kindness, was so heavy that she could barely hold it in her hands.
“I gave it to you,” Jiang Li said slowly after a two-second pause, “and I’m very satisfied.”
Upon hearing this, Guan Nan immediately recalled what they had said last time and instinctively retorted, "Not enough."
Jiang Liyi curled his lips, "So, I'll go even further and include interest in it as well."
"Okay." Guan Nan nodded, waiting for him to calculate the interest.
"I've already married you," Jiang Li glanced at her and said nonchalantly, "What does principal and profit matter? I've made a profit in this deal no matter how you look at it. Besides, shouldn't you be the one who suffers a loss?"
Guan Nan bit her lip. "Jiang Li, you know that's not what I meant."
Jiang Li responded with an "oh," her tone indifferent: "But if you're going to say something else, I'm not really interested in hearing it right now."
"······"
Seeing this, Jiang Lidi lowered his eyes, staring at the paper contract. His tone was calm, as if he had deliberately suppressed his emotions. His throat bobbed slightly, and his voice became a little hoarse. "Don't you want these things, or don't you want me?"
Upon hearing this, Guan Nan paused for a moment, then subconsciously shook her head.
“Just say you don’t want it,” Jiang Li said. “I don’t like being forced.”
Guan Nan replied, "I didn't force you."
"So what do you mean now?" Jiang Li turned his head and stared straight at her.
His gaze was too intense for Guan Nan to ignore, but she dared not say anything out of the ordinary. She pursed her lips and said honestly, "These are too many, and too expensive. Actually, they are unnecessary. I don't care about these things."
"...You don't like it?" Jiang Li asked.
“It’s not that I don’t like it,” Guan Nan said. She had worked part-time during her student years and then did an internship and started her own business in her senior year. During this time, she had always had the habit of saving money. It’s not that she didn’t have money or hadn’t seen a lot of money, but she was just reluctant to spend it. However, she still found it a little hard to accept so many gifts from Jiangli University at once. “I have money.”
Jiang Li nodded: "I know you have money."
“Yes, I have money,” Guan Nan said solemnly. “I can support myself, and if you don’t want to work in the future, I can support you too. Because I’m really good at making money.”
"Will you support me?"
"Um."
“It’s different.” Jiang Li raised his hand and placed it on her head, tugging at her hair tie. A cascade of black hair fell onto his fingertips, the movement gentle as if to soothe her. “These are things I want to give you, and I should give them to you.”
Upon hearing this, Guan Nan pursed her lips and, seeing that she couldn't persuade him, stopped talking.
Jiang Li didn't say anything, but gently stroked her hair, then tugged at it lightly, just like many years ago, pulling her back to those years without a word.
She did the same, first turning her head back, then looking up at him to see him clearly.
The person before her had clear features, as if they had never been apart, just like the boy in her memory. And her youth was like that April Fool's Day night in her senior year of high school, getting on the wrong bus and getting off halfway.
After wandering around in a panic, they fortunately ended up on the same path.
The clock always ticks very, very slowly.
Guan Nan sensed that the temperature was gradually rising, and he couldn't tell if it was his breathing or his heartbeat. It gradually became slower and faster, and then dropped rapidly, like water going from room temperature to boiling and then cooling down.
They didn't know how much time had passed, as they succumbed to the warmth.
Even after they parted, he lowered his head, pressed his forehead against her cheek, her soft hair brushed against her eyelids, and her soft breaths rang in her ear.
At this moment, she looked blank and uncertain, leaning against his arm in a slumped manner.
Only her glossy, rosy lips reminded her of what had just happened.
Jiang Li remained in his position, sticking to his initial stance: "Don't refuse me, just this once."
"Jiang Li, why are you always like this?" He insisted, but his words clearly showed weakness. Guan Nan couldn't see his face and couldn't accurately discern his emotions. Her own voice also had a slight nasal tone.
Everything happens without explanation or reason.
“If you feel like I’m at a disadvantage, then you don’t have to,” Jiang Li said in a low voice, his head down. It was obvious that she didn’t want to take advantage of him at all. So, he spoke slowly and deliberately, as if he were being very open and honest. “What I want to give you, what I can give you, is all within my ability. If one day you feel it’s not enough, I’ll go out and earn more. Actually, I’m not bad at making money. If we can earn money with integrity and a good reputation, then we won’t have to worry about money for the rest of our lives. It’s not like there’s no hope.”
Guan Nan immediately sobered up and shook her head violently.
Others may not know, but she had a general understanding of Jiang Li's reasons for entering the industry and his original intentions. Over the years, what great artists care about most is nothing more than reputation, prestige and integrity.
However, the exclusive report she had read had long since been lost to the passage of time.
His meaning was simply that entering the industry was not just a fluke, and that forming a band and making music was for certain people. He didn't say who those people were, but Guan Nan had a general idea.
But as they spent more time together, these things transformed into an inescapable responsibility on his shoulders.
Her boy was still the same as before.
—Confident, brave, and unrestrained with pride; responsible, capable, and able to handle tasks.
At the same time, Guan Nan heard him say, "But Guan Nan, you're going to suffer this loss."
Guan Nan blinked, her gaze falling to the top of his head, staring at the soft, silky black hair, her mind churning with endless thoughts.
She had been longing for this day for so long that she had almost forgotten when it started.
No one but him can do it.
Wearing the same clothes as him is not allowed, speaking similar words to him is not allowed, walking in a similar manner to him is not allowed, and even looking somewhat like him is not allowed.
No one but him is acceptable.
Fortunately, the world is round; some people reunite after two or three days, while others reunite after three or five years.
Some people get separated from their families and never return.
But some people, for the sake of that last remaining thought, go to great lengths and travel to any place related to her.
I long for her every day, hoping to meet her again.
Fortunately, she turned around.
Fortunately, he didn't leave.
Fortunately, they were traveling the same way.
As they spoke, Jiang Li's eyelashes fluttered, and he tightened his arms around the person, holding them even closer.
Guan Nan could hear his heartbeat in her ear and hear his breath above her head.
She paused for two seconds, then spoke slowly and deliberately.
"Jiang Li, this time, you won't be able to shake me off."
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