Chapter 56 Going Back
The morning light was blocked out by the blackout curtains, and the master bedroom was quiet. Jiang Yining was nestled in the soft, thin blankets, her cheeks rubbing against the pillow that carried Xie Shiyan's cool scent, and she was fast asleep.
Last night, someone kept me up until midnight, and now all the bones in my body feel like they've been taken apart and put back together; I'm so sore that I can't even lift a finger.
The faint sound of an engine starting came from downstairs; Xie Shiyan's Maybach was gliding out of the garage. He moved very quietly, afraid of disturbing her sound sleep.
On the airport expressway, sunlight streamed through the car window, dancing on Xie Shiyan's sharply defined profile. Jiang's mother sat in the passenger seat, while Jiang's silent father and a yawning Jiang Yunting were in the back.
Looking at Xie Shiyan, who was calm, focused, and upright in the driver's seat, Jiang's mother grew increasingly fond of him, her eyes and brows beaming with smiles. She couldn't help but nag, "Ah Yan, Auntie has no other requests, I just hope you treat our Ningning well. She's my precious darling, raised with all my love, and has never suffered any hardship since she was little..."
She paused, a barely perceptible sob rising in her voice, her eyes slightly reddening. "If she does anything wrong or misbehaves, tell Auntie, and Auntie will talk to her. Just... just don't bully her, especially... especially don't hit her." This is almost every mother's deepest worry.
Jiang Yunting, sitting in the back seat, rolled his eyes and couldn't help but interject, "Mom, what are you talking about? Brother Yan wouldn't even lay a finger on my sister if he hit himself. You're just overthinking it." He knew all too well how Xie Shiyan protected his sister like the apple of his eye.
Mr. Jiang, who had been silently watching out the window, let out a barely audible snort. His face remained tense, clearly still resentful that his "eyeball" had abducted his daughter.
Xie Shiyan tightened his grip on the steering wheel, his gaze passing through the windshield to the massive outline of the airport terminal in the distance. His voice was deep and clear as he solemnly promised, "Aunt Pei, don't worry. I won't. I will prove it to you with my whole life."
(In the years that followed, Xie Shiyan truly lived up to this promise with all his heart. He and Jiang Yining stayed together until their hair turned white, surrounded by their children and grandchildren. When Jiang Yining peacefully passed away before him on a spring afternoon, this strong man seemed to have all his vitality drained away in an instant. Less than half a day later, he too took her hand and calmly followed her in death.)
Xie Shiyan only turned and left after watching Jiang's mother and her entourage pass through security and disappear into the depths of the boarding gate. He sat back in the car, and as soon as he fastened his seatbelt, his phone vibrated. The screen displayed the word "Ningning."
The call connected, and immediately her languid muttering, thick with a nasal tone and clearly still half asleep, came through the Bluetooth headset: "Ayan... why didn't you wake me up... have my mom and the others boarded the plane yet?"
That soft, sweet voice was like a feather gently brushing against the heart. Xie Shiyan's cold, stern expression softened instantly, and even his voice became exceptionally gentle:
"Yeah, I just dropped them off and watched them board. Don't worry. If you're tired, take a nap, okay?" The car merged into the main road, and he smoothly steered the wheel. "I've prepared breakfast and lunch; they're in the kitchen's insulated box. If you feel cold when you get up, remember to heat them up before eating. Don't go hungry, understand?"
On the other end of the phone came Jiang Yining's satisfied murmurs and soft laughter from the soft blankets: "Okay... I'll take a little nap... Brother Shiyan, you're busy, don't overwork yourself..." Her voice gradually faded, tinged with sleepiness.
Xie Shiyan's lips curved into a silent, indulgent smile. The traffic light ahead turned red, and he slowly brought the car to a stop. He habitually reached for the lemon candy box in the glove compartment, but his fingertips first touched a cold, hard pill bottle. It was the antidepressant he had been taking for many years.
He paused, a complex emotion flickering in his deep eyes. Finally, he picked up a familiar lemon candy, unwrapped it, and popped it into his mouth. The familiar, slightly pungent sweet and sour taste, a strange flavor spreading across his tongue.
He lowered his eyes, quietly watching the small white pill bottle he held between his fingers. The light turned green. Without hesitation, he rolled down the window, raised his hand, and decisively tossed the bottle, along with the remaining white pills inside, into the roadside trash can. The small bottle landed at the bottom of the can with a soft clinking sound.
His best medicine is right now, lying in his bed at home, sleeping soundly.
The car window rolled up, shutting out the outside noise. Xie Shiyan stepped on the gas, and the black Maybach smoothly and swiftly merged into the traffic. Sunlight streamed through the windshield, falling on his sharply defined face. In his usually deep eyes, it seemed as if some heavy shackle had shattered and dissipated along with the discarded medicine bottle.
When Jiang Yining truly came to her senses, the wall clock already pointed to noon. She slowly got up to wash up and then shuffled downstairs in her soft slippers.
The kitchen was filled with the aroma of food. She opened the insulated box, which contained her favorite seafood porridge, a basket of small and delicate soup dumplings, and two plates of refreshing stir-fried vegetables.
Inside the refrigerator, a freshly cut fruit platter looked tempting in a transparent container. She contentedly combined breakfast and lunch into one meal, taking it to the sunlit dining room. While slowly eating, she pulled out her phone to catch up on the palace drama she hadn't finished watching the night before, occasionally giggling at the plot.
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