92. A Silent Farewell
One afternoon in mid-April, Xu Junheng stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window of his office, the cigar between his fingers untouched for a long time. The grayish-white ash swayed precariously, like the calm he maintained at that moment.
When the assistant led Detective Xiao Song through the door, this was the figure they saw from behind—still upright, yet inexplicably tense.
“Mr. Xu,” Xiao Song placed a cell phone on the desk, “we’ve gotten hold of Ms. Wen’s ex-boyfriend, Li Zhifeng’s, cell phone. He’s currently working part-time at a hot pot restaurant on weekends.”
Xu Junheng didn't turn around. "Get to the point."
Xiao Song opened the tablet in his hand: "These are screenshots. After unlocking his phone, we found a large number of search records, including keywords such as 'My girlfriend is trying to marry into a wealthy family, how should I punish her?', 'What can I eat to cause a two-month pregnant woman to miscarry without being easily detected?', and 'What external force can cause a miscarriage in early pregnancy?'"
Xiao Song continued, "Although there are no surveillance cameras in the stairwell where the incident occurred, there is a surveillance video taken by the opposite teaching building. Although it is blurry, it can be seen that he pushed Ms. Wen."
Where is he?
"He rented an apartment near the school because he had to work late at night and had to share a cheap apartment with others."
"I understand. I'll contact you again in a few days." Xu Junheng's voice was chilling.
Then Xu Junheng called her. Wen Haijing's soft, slightly weak voice came from the other end: "Mr. Xu?"
"Li Zhifeng, is he your ex-boyfriend?"
"Yes, why did you ask him? I broke up with him a few months ago. He was too controlling and even stalked me."
Xu Junheng's eyes darkened further. "I found the surveillance footage from when it happened. The person who pushed you from behind the stairs was him, Li Zhifeng."
Silence fell on the other end of the phone.
“You should stay in your hospital room and not go anywhere. There are bodyguards outside.” He paused. “Also, your parents have come to the school to look for you a few times. I’ve already spoken to your counselor. It’s not just your family that favors sons over daughters. He understands your situation and won’t reveal your information to them.”
This arrangement was meticulous and calm, temporarily severing her connection with all the dangers and entanglements of the past.
She gazed at the bright sky outside the window, yet felt a chill in her heart. It turned out that this deliberate act of harm was orchestrated by her ex-boyfriend, who had once claimed to love her most; and the family she longed to escape had never ceased its search for and demands upon her.
After a long pause, she finally responded, "Thank you, Mr. Xu."
"Bear with it for now. Don't call the police yet," Xu Junheng advised.
*
Ten days later, in the afternoon, sunlight streamed through the hospital room window. Wen Haijing sat in the room; she had received her passport with the visa affixed that day, and she sent a message to Xu Junheng to let him know.
Xu Junheng called: "The processing time for a student visa is a bit longer, so I'll process a tourist visa for you. Once you get there, you can apply to switch to a student visa. The money I gave you is more than enough as a deposit for your student visa application."
"When are you planning to leave?" he continued. "I'll book the plane tickets."
"As soon as possible. This afternoon, or tomorrow. I'll go directly from the hospital."
These days, to protect her from her parents and ex-boyfriend Lai Chi-fung, Xu Junheng has kept her in this hospital room, which has become her temporary refuge.
"Tomorrow," Xu Junheng decided. "I'll have my assistant go to your apartment this afternoon to help you pack your luggage, and I'll take you to the airport tomorrow."
Wen Haijing gave a soft "hmm".
That night, after finishing his work, Li Zhifeng was ambushed and beaten in the alleyway on his way back to his low-rent apartment.
Lai Chi-fung was curled up on the ground, his mouth filled with the taste of blood. He still couldn't see who had hit him.
When he staggered back to his apartment, the police were already waiting at the door and arrested him.
"It's all taken care of, Mr. Xu. The police have arrested him and handed over the evidence." Xiao Song called Xu Junheng.
The next morning, before the morning sun had dispelled the thin mist, Wen Xueyan was already dressed and ready to go to the airport to see her cousin off before finalizing her divorce with Xi Mingyuan. Chairman Xi had passed away a few days earlier.
As soon as she and Xi Mingyuan reached the bottom of the stairs, two figures blocked her way.
It was Wen Haijing's parents. They had somehow found out where she lived, and their faces were now plastered with fawning and eager smiles.
"Xueyan, I've finally found you!" Wang Suying shouted. "Where did Haijing go? We can't find her at school, and she's not answering her phone. You must know where she is!"
Wen Dongping said matter-of-factly, "You're her cousin. Either tell us where she is, or you help your cousin! He's got his eye on an apartment, but he's short 200,000 yuan for the down payment. He's the only remaining member of our Wen family! You can't just enjoy your own life and ignore your cousin's fate!"
These shameless remarks made Wen Xueyan's blood boil.
Just then, Xi Mingyuan even had a slight smile on his lips, as if he was watching a good show.
"Oh, who do we have here, making a racket at my door so early in the morning?" Xi Mingyuan's voice carried his usual laziness and sarcasm, his eyes filled with contempt. "What? Is your son disabled? Does he have to leech off his sisters to buy a house?"
“I see you’re a boss, so give me some money! Two hundred thousand isn’t a big deal for you! Otherwise, aren’t you afraid I’ll come to your company?” Wang Suying shouted.
Xi Mingyuan continued his sarcasm: "Two hundred thousand? You've got quite the nerve. Do you think Wen Xueyan is a cash cow, or that my Xi family is a charity? Forget two hundred thousand, even twenty yuan would be like throwing meat buns to a dog—gone and never to be returned. You've raised a useless son, and all you do is think about is how to exploit your daughter. You've got some nerve."
Mr. Wen was so angry at these words that his face turned ashen. He retorted, his neck stiff, "We are your elders, after all. We've come all this way, and you..."
"From all this way?" Xi Mingyuan slowly took out a few coins from his suit trouser pocket. "Take these to take the bus. I'm being kind for once."
Wen Dongping was so angry that his face turned red, filled with shame and indignation, but he dared not directly refute Xi Mingyuan's imposing manner.
Taking this opportunity, Wen Xueyan turned her back and sent a message to Wen Haijing: "Haijing, your parents have found me. To avoid being followed, I won't be seeing you off. Have a safe journey and take care."
Morning, departure hall of the international airport.
Xu Junheng's assistant helped Wen Haijing check in and placed her suitcase at her feet. "Ms. Wen, Mr. Xu has a meeting today and won't be coming. He also booked a room for you at the Fairmont Hotel at Vancouver Airport and prepaid for a week's stay. You can stay at the hotel until you find a place to live."
Wen Haijing thanked her softly. She looked around, her gaze searching through the bustling crowd, sweeping over unfamiliar faces.
Xu Junheng really didn't come.
He said yesterday that he would come to see her off, but he didn't come today.
At this moment, an indescribable disappointment washed over Wen Haijing like a tide, carrying a salty and cold feeling.
"Thank you." She gave her assistant a polite smile, then turned and headed towards the security checkpoint.
Unbeknownst to her, just a dozen meters behind her, Xu Junheng, wearing sunglasses and a hat, stood quietly behind a signboard.
Xu Junheng arrived much earlier than her. He watched her being led into the airport by her assistant, watched her go through the procedures, watched her look back again and again... Every subtle movement of hers, every fluctuation of emotion on her face, fell into his eyes like a slow-motion video.
When he saw her finally turn and leave, Xu Junheng almost had to use all his strength to restrain himself from rushing forward.
His instinct was to pull her into his arms, to feel the warmth of her body, to tell her not to leave, to stay by his side. But what could he offer her? A clandestine relationship? A relationship destined to be unbearable?
For once, he felt a genuine pang of compassion, something he had almost never experienced before, mixed with feelings that were hard to describe.
He feared that if he stepped forward and smelled Wen Haijing's familiar scent, and felt her softness, all his reason would crumble.
He couldn't resist using sweet words to keep her captive, to break her wings that were just beginning to spread, and to make her repeatedly depend on a terrible fate. He knew all too well the flaws in his own nature.
He stood there silently, watching her walk away step by step through the noisy crowd, watching her pass through the security checkpoint, her figure growing farther and farther away, until she finally disappeared around the corner and was completely gone.
Throughout the entire ordeal, he never called her name or said a word of farewell.
Just then, Xu Junheng's phone rang. It was Wen Haijing calling him for the last time before she went abroad, but he didn't answer.
The assistant approached unnoticed and reported in a low voice, "Mr. Xu, Ms. Wen has successfully passed through security."
After a long while, he slowly turned around and threw the crumpled cigarette in his hand into the trash can next to him.
"Let's go." His voice was hoarse.
Outside the airport, the sunlight was blinding. He got into the car, closed his eyes, and leaned back in his seat. What came to mind, however, was the first time he saw her: her focused profile as she taught a child a problem, the light shining on her face, making her look incredibly clean and gentle.
This was probably the closest thing to "love" he could give: letting go silently and saying goodbye quietly.
Welcome all readers and fans to leave comments and vote! Thank you for your support.
I want to see a side story about this couple; I like the feeling of this immoral relationship.
I actually quite like Haijing. She has a worldly wisdom that sees through the ways of the world, but also an inherent aloofness. I want to see how she will walk her path in the future.
If you don't want to read their side stories, Haijing can start her own happy life.
Thank you for your message.
Yes, she is very resilient to have come from such a family background. Thank you for your message.
Yes, she deserves a new life. Thank you for your message. You mean you hope Xu Jie and Hai Jing won't reunite, right? According to the current outline, they ultimately won't reunite. Thank you for your support.
I want to see a side story about this couple.
Thank you for your message.
Thank you, reader Paige, for the flowers! They're so heartwarming.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
