Chapter 233 What's More Important in Life
Jiang Ranxing's eyes trembled with tears as she processed Wen Qingrang's words.
She knew that Wen Qingrang loved her, but she didn't know that love had started a long time ago.
Jiang Ranxing didn't know when it started, and couldn't remember at all.
Jiang Ranxing asked, "When did you start to take a liking to me... or rather, when did we meet?"
Wen Qing's dark eyes were fixed on Jiang Ranxing's eyes, and the undisguised longing and yearning in his eyes were all reflected in hers.
"I met you from the moment you were disappointed by Fu Shenyuan."
Wen Qingrang recalled the day he first met Jiang Ranxing. In the backyard of the Fu family's old house, Jiang Ranxing sat quietly under the dense branches, so serene that she seemed to blend into the wind, like a traditional Chinese ink painting. The obvious sense of brokenness and melancholy on her attracted him to come closer.
Wen Qingrang finally remembered at this moment that he had not just wanted to get close to Jiang Ranxing to deal with the Fu family, but was attracted by this person.
There is always that one person in this world who, when you meet her, makes all the beautiful scenery pale in comparison. When you meet her, your whole world is recolored with all sorts of colors, and your soul comes alive.
People who were originally immersed in darkness were brought into the light because of her appearance.
Wen Qingrang continued, "The first time I met you was at the Fu family's old mansion. At that time, you had just filed for divorce from Fu Shenyuan, and you weren't in a very good state. I took the initiative to approach you, but you weren't interested in me."
"Later, I saw you gradually become dull and broken down in your marriage with him. I began to feel sorry for you. Slowly, I began to feel sorry for you. I thought, you are a good person and should not be tormented by an unsuitable marriage to the point of losing your brilliance."
“Finally, you were going to divorce him. I got closer to you, but you were exhausted at the time. After ending a marriage, you didn’t want to get involved in any relationships. You didn’t want to hold me back or let me down, so you rejected me directly,” Wen Qingrang smiled slightly. “At that time, I was afraid that you would really ignore me. I used every excuse I could think of. In the end, you softened. Although you still couldn’t accept me, at least you didn’t push me away.”
Wen Qingrang suddenly lowered his head, and the distance between him and Jiang Ranxing abruptly shortened, their noses almost touching.
Jiang Ranxing's breath hitched as he heard Wen Qingrang speak, his voice deep and pleasant.
"You didn't want to hold me back before because you cared about me, so is it still the same now?"
Jiang Ranxing's mouth opened slightly, then hesitated and closed it again.
Wen Qingrang smiled and said, "Look, I'm so familiar with this expression of yours. Whenever you're thinking about others instead of yourself, you have this expression. Ranxing, it's so obvious, you know? That day at the beach, when you said those heartless things to me, you tried so hard to restrain yourself and harden your heart, but I still saw it in your eyes. You were clearly lying to me, but your eyes were full of sadness."
Jiang Ranxing's heart trembled violently: "You... how could you..."
Perhaps it was because the night was so quiet and so captivating that Jiang Ranxing even wanted to tell him everything in that instant.
She wanted to tell him that she looked forward to and missed the leisurely life she had abroad, and missed the days when there were occasional troubles, but the two of them could solve them together.
She also wanted to tell him that, burdened by these things, when she was in contact with Fu Shenyuan, whom she no longer felt any attraction to, she felt like a puppet being manipulated every day, with no passion left in her heart. She wanted a shoulder to lean on, someone to confide in.
She wanted to tell him that she really wanted all of this to disappear and to give him peace back.
However, Jiang Ranxing managed to restrain her impulse. What she and Fu Shenyuan were about to accomplish was about to succeed, and they couldn't afford any accidents at this point. They couldn't afford to fail at the last minute, otherwise all their previous efforts might be wasted, and the consequences could be dire.
Jiang Ranxing looked up again and met Wen Qingrang's gaze. He said resolutely, "Maybe what you said before was all right, but this time you're wrong. Maybe I'm not the same as before. After all, I've lost my memory, haven't I?"
Wen Qingrang was clearly somewhat surprised, surprised that Jiang Ranxing already knew about his situation.
"Fu Shenyuan told you that he wanted you to remember that you once loved him, right? And also to let you know that I have ulterior motives."
Wen Qingrang smiled and said, "Indeed, I do have selfish motives, but compared to Fu Shenyuan's selfish motives, mine are probably purer."
Jiang Ranxing was quite surprised that Wen Qingrang knew it was Fu Shenyuan and was able to accurately guess Fu Shenyuan's thoughts.
Wen Qingrang didn't want to care about anything today. He wanted to tell her everything that had happened in the past, even if it might make him seem like a ruthless person who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals. It didn't matter; it was much better than watching Jiang Ranxing leave completely.
Moreover, he truly missed Jiang Ranxing terribly and was also worried that Jiang Ranxing would be hurt by Fu Shenyuan.
"His selfishness is despicable in my eyes. He says he loves you now, but in your marriage, he never valued you for a single moment. He trampled on and insulted your sincerity at will, and even tore you apart in body and mind with Lin Xuesha, until you were covered in wounds."
"When he didn't know he loved you, he recklessly hurt your heart. Now that he's in love, he wants your love. Ranxing, I don't believe he'll treat you well, and I don't believe he can bring you happiness. I've seen all the pain he's caused you, and I don't want you to go through that again. I can't bear it."
Wen Qingrang's words gave Jiang Ranxing a very clear idea: that what Fu Shenyuan himself said was true, and that she really did love Fu Shenyuan.
But where is all that love? Why is it all gone? What happened? Why is even Wen Qingrang so afraid that she will repeat the same mistakes?
Jiang Ranxing's throat tightened, but he still asked, "Qingrang, tell me the truth, what exactly happened to me before the car accident, why did I become like this, what caused my brain and memories to become disordered, I really want to know the answer."
Wen Qingrang said, "Okay, I'll tell you everything, before the car accident..."
"Shut up! Wen Qingrang!"
A sharp voice shattered the tranquility of the night. Wen Qingrang and Jiang Ranxing both turned to look. Fu Shenyuan strode out from the darkness, bathed in moonlight. He immediately grabbed Jiang Ranxing's wrist and pulled her behind him, completely separating her from Wen Qingrang.
Fu Shenyuan said with an extremely solemn expression, "Wen Qingrang, have you forgotten what you told me? What nonsense are you spouting to her?"
Wen Qingrang was stunned for a moment, then sneered: "I'm talking nonsense? Is it me who's talking nonsense, or are you afraid that if I tell the truth, you'll lose face in front of Ranxing! Do you dare let Ranxing know what you've done? Do you dare let her know what price she paid for you?"
Fu Shenyuan gritted his teeth and glared angrily at Wen Qingrang, but just as Wen Qingrang had said, he truly dared not let Jiang Ranxing know what was going on in his heart.
If Jiang Ranxing knew about those moments of unrequited love and agonizing heartbreak, if she recalled those times of despair and hopelessness, if she knew about their second child who never got to see the world...
Just thinking about such things made Fu Shenyuan feel like his heart was being roasted over a fire.
He couldn't let Jiang Ranxing know that he would lose her again, that he wouldn't even have the right to exist by her side anymore.
Fu Shenyuan forced himself to calm down and said, "I don't want to, but you probably don't want to either."
Fu Shenyuan stopped talking to Wen Qingrang and turned to look down at Jiang Ranxing: "We have something to say to each other. It's chilly at night, so you should go inside and rest first. I'll give you an explanation."
Jiang Ranxing was still confused and didn't understand what the two were arguing about.
She refused to listen to Fu Shenyuan, and never did.
She subconsciously looked at Wen Qingrang, who seemed more reliable to her.
Wen Qingrang thought for a moment and nodded: "Ranxing, let's talk. You go and rest for a while, okay?"
Jiang Ranxing had the words on the tip of her tongue, but couldn't say anything. In the end, she turned around and went into the studio.
In the courtyard at night, only two grown men remained standing facing each other.
Fu Shenyuan said unhappily, "Wen Qingrang, what are you trying to do by bringing up the past with Ranxing! Do you want to harm her?"
Wen Qingrang sneered: "Fu Shenyuan, you're really good at turning the tables. I harmed Ranxing? Who between us really harmed her to this extent? How dare you say such things to me?"
Fu Shenyuan said, "I admit that I wronged Ranxing in the past, but I am trying my best to make up for it now. Ranxing's condition has finally stabilized a bit, and you want to bring up those things that made her sad in the past again. Do you not want to see her happy, or do you just want to satisfy your own possessiveness towards her!"
"When you say this, you should ask yourself, who did these things, you or me!"
Wen Qingrang was in no way inferior to Fu Shenyuan, and his words were equally powerful.
Both men believed they deserved and were more entitled to protect Jiang Ranxing.
Wen Qingrang was always gentle and refined, and he rarely spoke so directly, but today he simply couldn't stand it anymore.
“Fu Shenyuan, if Ranxing knew that she loved you but was hurt by you and Lin Xuesha, knew that when she was on the verge of death and sought help, you ignored her and even wanted to marry Lin Xuesha, knew about the child she miscarried, knew that she almost lost her life in that car accident and would never wake up again, do you think she could forgive you? What one of the things you did deserves her forgiveness, just because of the so-called love you talk about now? What's so special about your love? Ranxing didn't want it a long time ago. You overestimate yourself.”
Wen Qingrang's words were as heavy as a long sword coated with deadly poison, piercing the weakest point in his chest.
In an instant, Fu Shenyuan felt as if someone had grabbed his neck and was unable to breathe.
When all the blame was laid out, Fu Shenyuan was able to better understand what he had done, how wrong he was, and to what extent he had hurt Jiang Ranxing, to the point that she had chosen to block out and forget him.
Fu Shenyuan felt so much pain in his heart that he wanted to die immediately, but when he thought of Jiang Ranxing, he couldn't die.
Fu Shenyuan's eyes were bloodshot, filled with struggle and pain.
"In your eyes, or in anyone else's eyes, I deserve to die. I know what I've done. I just hate that I realized it too late. I want to suffer all the suffering that Ranxing has endured. I wish I could die too, but I can't die. I have to keep my life. If I die so easily, I would be even more sorry to Ranxing. So I must use my life to protect Ranxing and let her live a good life. That is the whole meaning of my life."
"Wen Qingrang, I don't care what you think. I'm willing to bear those sins and use the rest of my life to treat her well. You want to use the past to bind her, but I won't agree. Just like you think, you don't want Ranxing to be with me because I wronged her in the past, and so do I. I don't want her to be with you, and I don't want you to be like a time bomb that will cause the past to explode at any moment. I'm also protecting her. So you and I are no different. We're both doing this for Ranxing. I'm not inferior to you!"
Wen Qingrang burst out laughing after hearing Fu Shenyuan's explanation; he found it hard to believe Fu Shenyuan's logic.
Wen Qingrang sneered, "You're making yourself out to be so great. What have you actually done for her? You disrupted her hard-won peaceful life to protect her? You're just driven by jealousy and possessiveness. You can't stand seeing Ranxing find her own happiness. You'll always be like this. People like you are all like this, high and mighty, expecting the whole world to revolve around you. You take it for granted that you only think about yourselves and don't consider other people's thoughts at all. It's just the thinking of selfish and self-serving businessmen."
At this moment, Wen Qing felt an even deeper chill from Fu Shenyuan's actions.
"Do I need to tell you the truth, Fu Shenyuan? The truth is that you are a very utilitarian and selfish person. When Ranxing loved you, and loved only you hopelessly, you took her love for granted without giving any response. Because you knew that Ranxing loved you, you knew that she would not leave, you had this bargaining chip, you were in a superior position, you had the upper hand, so you could manipulate Ranxing without any scruples."
"Heh, what happened later? When Ranxing no longer wanted to offer her love and wanted to take back all her affections, you had no more bargaining chips left to play with. That's when you panicked. In order to regain the sense of control you used to have, you developed what you call a 'wake-up love' for Ranxing. Fu Shenyuan, in my opinion, this is not love at all. It's just your resentment and the restless sense of superiority in your heart!"
When Wen Qingrang finished speaking, she felt that a part of her soul belonged to Jiang Ranxing, and that he was speaking these words to Fu Shenyuan on her behalf.
In the darkness of night, it was as if the soul of Jiang Ranxing, who had died in that car accident, had come back to life. Step by step, she walked toward Fu Shenyuan, her bright eyes piercing through all the guilt. Fu Shenyuan had nowhere to escape.
Fu Shenyuan's struggle was obvious. He clenched his fists tightly until his knuckles turned white and his fingers were completely numb.
Fu Shenyuan couldn't help but wonder if Wen Qingrang's words, spoken as an observer, were actually Jiang Ranxing's true feelings, given that he had witnessed everything around her.
If so, how disappointed must Jiang Ranxing have been in him to be so heartbroken and unwilling to accept him in the slightest?
In that near-fatal car accident, in that seemingly endless downpour, amidst the icy blood on the ground, Jiang Ranxing's last possible call for help was cut off, and Lin Xuesha told him that he was unwilling to save her and that he had to go to his wedding. What kind of despair must Jiang Ranxing have felt?
In that instant, Fu Shenyuan seemed to understand why Jiang Ranxing remembered everything but forgot everything about him.
If the pain hadn't been so intense, to the point where the body could no longer endure it and began desperately trying to survive, this absurd situation wouldn't have arisen...
Fu Shenyuan exhaled hot air slowly and tremblingly, his heart trembling infinitely.
He was acutely aware that he had wronged her, and that he deserved to die a thousand deaths.
Wen Qingrang saw Fu Shenyuan's struggles and sensed his guilt. He was unwilling to waste any more words. If Fu Shenyuan was sincere, he should back down and stop bothering Jiang Ranxing.
Wen Qingrang turned to walk towards the studio, but the voice behind him, so quiet it was almost imperceptible, rang out again.
Fu Shenyuan spoke in a deep voice, his words sounding like a solemn vow in the quiet, cool night and moonlight.
Whether my feelings for Burning Star are love or not is not up to you to decide.
"I will prove with my actions that the Burning Star has long surpassed everything in my heart."
"Even my life... would not be more important than her."
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