Chapter 232 I've Loved You for a Long Time
Jiang Ranxing looked up and saw a familiar face appear before her.
Jiang Ranxing pursed her lips tightly, her heart filled with mixed emotions.
"Qingrang, how could you..."
How did he end up here?
Wen Qingrang didn't say anything, but just looked at Jiang Ranxing and chuckled softly twice.
"We'll talk about this later. You should step back a bit first," Wen Qingrang said, pulling Jiang Ranxing back behind him. He was now in front of her, almost blocking her entire view.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ranxing said nothing, but simply watched from behind.
Wen Qingrang looked at the man who had broken his guard and roared at him from the ground. His eyes were so cold that they could nail a person to the ground.
Wen Qingrang walked over step by step, bent down to look at the man, and calmly said the words that made him want to die.
"Go back and pack up, this shop is going to close down."
The restaurant owner had lost his temper and was yelling, "Why should I! You think you can just tell me to close down? Who do you think you are! Do you know who I am? Who's behind me?!"
Wen Qingrang smiled, but the smile was quite sinister.
"Of course I know that your store is backed by Tianyue, which started out in marketing, and Tianyue's investors are the Wen family."
The restaurant owner got up from the ground and sneered, "Since you know I have the Wen family behind me, why don't you behave yourself? The Wen family is one of the top families in City A. Do you think you can afford to offend them?"
Wen Qingrang glanced at the person on the ground, as if he were looking at an extremely stupid fool.
He took out his phone and dialed a number. After the call connected, Wen Qingrang said calmly, "You're Mr. Zhao from Tianyue, right? Close down this popular internet-famous shop in Binhai. Don't ruin your reputation, or the Wen family will withdraw their investment in you."
Mr. Zhao was filled with trepidation upon hearing this on the other end of the phone.
"President Wen, please don't be angry. Let's resolve this amicably. Tian Yue will definitely listen to you. I just don't know what happened to make you angry?"
Boss Zhao had no idea what had happened, but he had to keep the big boss calm first.
Wen Qingrang didn't say much to him.
"You should know what happened by going online now. The Wen family doesn't like troublemakers. If something like this happens again, the Wen family will withdraw all its investments in Tianyue."
Mr. Zhao immediately sat up straight in fright: "Don't worry, it's absolutely over. I'll find someone to settle this matter right away, and we'll close the shop tomorrow."
After listening, Wen Qingrang glanced at the restaurant owner and said into the phone, "Please trouble Mr. Zhao to inform the restaurant manager now, so they don't get confused."
"Okay, okay, I'll take care of it right away."
After Mr. Zhao hung up the phone, the restaurant owner watched as Wen Qingrang took the phone away from his ear, and then his phone rang.
Boss Zhao's voice was harsh: "What's wrong with you! Are you trying to kill me or something! Do you even know who you've messed with? You want to die, but I don't!"
The restaurant owner was completely bewildered: "Mr. Zhao, what do you mean? Who did I offend? I have no idea!"
At this moment, Boss Zhao hated him to death: "The person standing in front of you is my big boss, President Wen. President Wen is angry and has withdrawn his investment. You'd better deal with it. Don't open the restaurant again."
Mr. Zhao hung up the phone in annoyance.
The restaurant owner put down his phone in a daze and looked at Wen Qingrang, who was watching coldly. His arrogance immediately subsided.
"You're President Wen! So you're President Wen! I was blind to your greatness earlier and offended you. Please don't hold it against me." The restaurant owner immediately adopted a very obsequious tone when speaking to Wen Qingrang.
Wen Qingrang wasn't in the mood for his flattery, nor did he intend to change his mind about withdrawing his investment.
"You didn't offend me."
The restaurant owner followed his gaze and looked at Jiang Ranxing standing behind him.
"I'm so sorry, Mrs. Wen. I deserve to offend you. Please, please ask Mr. Wen to let me go. All my money is invested in this shop. It can't be closed! Please, please, put in a good word for me!"
Just as Jiang Ranxing was about to speak, Wen Qingrang pushed the restaurant owner away, preventing him from disturbing Jiang Ranxing any further.
"I have made up my mind and I will not take it back."
With Wen Qingrang, anything is possible to be overlooked, but when it comes to Jiang Ranxing himself, it's absolutely impossible.
After Wen Qingrang finished doing all this, he didn't want to waste any more time. He asked his assistant to handle other matters in the restaurant, and he left with Jiang Ranxing. Mia followed them out.
Mia was very perceptive and knew she shouldn't be around them right now, so she immediately said, "Sis, Qingrang, I just remembered my boyfriend asked me to go to the movies with him, so I'll have to go now. That's all for today, let's meet up next time."
"Mia, wait a minute..."
Before Jiang Ranxing could finish speaking, Mia quickly jumped into a taxi parked by the roadside and sped away.
Soon, only Jiang Ranxing and Wen Qingrang remained.
Under the moonlight, neither of them spoke. They stood there awkwardly, wanting to say something but unsure which to say first.
Jiang Ranxing lowered his head and quietly said, "Thank you for helping me today."
After hearing this thank you, Wen Qingrang smiled silently: "No need to be so polite with me, I'm just glad you're alright."
Jiang Ranxing's voice was much softer: "I'm fine, thank goodness you were here."
Looking at her, Wen Qingrang felt a dark light flash through his mind. He noticed a red mark on Jiang Ranxing's wrist and instinctively wanted to lift her wrist to check the wound. However, reason reminded him that they had already separated and he no longer had the chance to get close to Jiang Ranxing so naturally.
Wen Qingrang had no choice but to ask, "How did you get this on your wrist? Did you apply any ointment? You have a tendency to form keloids, so it's easy for you to leave marks."
Jiang Ranxing was a little confused. He raised his wrist and looked at it. Only then did he notice the bloodstain that Wen Qingrang mentioned. After recalling for a moment, he said, "It was probably when I was doing design work at home. It got tangled in the fabric. I haven't had time to apply any medicine yet."
Wen Qingrang was silent for a moment, then said, "Doesn't Fu Shenyuan care about you at all? He can't even handle this little thing properly. I really don't trust him with you..."
Jiang Ranxing's pupils suddenly dilated as she looked at the man beside her, her lips pursing even tighter.
The last time they met, she spoke to Wen Qingrang in such a ruthless manner.
When they met again, Wen Qingrang still showed concern for her health.
This made Jiang Ranxing feel very uncomfortable.
What she wanted was not a Wen Qingrang who still cared about her and considered her feelings, but a Wen Qingrang who could resolutely walk away from her when they met again, one who would no longer be bound by emotions.
She had hardened her heart, but if Wen Qingrang continued to care for her, she would inevitably be moved.
Jiang Ranxing's smile froze slightly, but he forced a relaxed tone and said, "He's busy, so he might not be able to attend to many things, but he cares about me quite a bit."
Wen Qingrang smiled after hearing Jiang Ranxing's words, but the reason for his smile was completely unreadable.
Wen Qingrang changed the subject and asked, "How have you been lately? You've lost weight again. Have you been eating well?"
"Yes, the food was quite good."
Jiang Ranxing said, recalling every meal she ate at the villa. Although she ate, it was only to keep her body from feeling hungry or weak. She didn't truly enjoy any of the meals.
In such a situation, one would naturally not gain weight, and might even lose a lot of weight, like she has now.
Thinking about it, without Wen Qingrang by her side to cook for her, making every dish according to her taste, she hadn't felt so comfortable in a long time.
It turns out that once someone is spoiled, it's hard for them to be satisfied again.
Wen Qingrang could tell what Jiang Ranxing was thinking when he saw her looking down and lost in thought, but he didn't want to expose her.
"That's good," Wen Qingrang said. "If I can see you happy, I'll be at ease."
Jiang Ranxing remained silent, unable to answer the question at all.
Happiness—it seems like that word is far removed from her now.
Wen Qingrang returned to the car, opened the door, took a white handbag from the back seat, and handed the bag to Jiang Ranxing.
“The address you left is mine. Sylvie and the children made some handmade gifts and pastries for you. Perfect timing, remember to call the children back.”
A familiar hand held a bag full of heartfelt gifts. Jiang Ranxing slowly accepted it, opened it, and looked inside. There were many cute pastries, cookies, and small felt dolls.
Wen Qingrang withdrew his hand, paused for a moment, and then said, "Did you drive here? Do you want me to take you home?"
Jiang Ranxing: "I drove here myself, so you don't need to bother."
"Okay... I'll head back now. Take care of yourself."
Wen Qing reluctantly turned and left, no longer able to indulge in the satisfaction of being by Jiang Ranxing's side.
He had just taken a step when Jiang Ranxing's words rang in his ears.
"Wait, Sylvie sent it to both of us. Let's try their cooking together so as not to disappoint them."
Jiang Ranxing regretted his words, regretting that he had so directly stopped Wen Qingrang from leaving.
How could she say such things at this time? Wouldn't that be a clear indication that she wouldn't let Wen Qingrang leave?
But it was too late to regret it; she genuinely wanted to invite Wen Qingrang to try it together.
Wen Qingrang slowly turned around, a faint smile playing on his lips, and nodded, saying, "Okay, you're right."
The moonlight in the dead of night was no less intense than that of the streetlights. On the outdoor bench of Ember Studio, the two sat separately, with cookies and dolls placed between them. The silvery moonlight spread around them, creating a tranquil yet somewhat lonely and chilly atmosphere.
Jiang Ranxing and Wen Qingrang each took a cookie and quietly savored it.
"It's quite delicious, isn't it?"
"Yes, their cooking skills are quite good."
After those two short sentences, neither of them said anything more.
It seemed that no one knew what to say, and everyone was afraid of breaking the atmosphere that allowed them to get along peacefully at this moment.
Even though neither of them can touch each other again, their brief companionship seems to offer solace to each other.
But this peace couldn't last long.
The phone rang abruptly in the middle of the night. It was Jiang Ranxing's cell phone, and the caller ID showed Fu Shenyuan.
Wen Qingrang and Jiang Ranxing both noticed it.
Wen Qingrang's expression changed silently, and his smile vanished.
Jiang Ranxing didn't want to answer Fu Shenyuan's call, but she came out today to clear her head because she didn't want to see Fu Shenyuan and that family.
Even with Wen Qingrang present, Jiang Ranxing still pressed the call button.
"Hello?" Jiang Ranxing asked, "What is it?"
Fu Shenyuan said on the other end of the phone, "Tan Shen told me about your story being posted online. Where are you now? I'll come pick you up and take you home."
Jiang Ranxing had a headache; there were some things he couldn't say in front of Wen Qingrang.
She thought to herself that Fu Shenyuan had been keeping too close a watch on her; she was an adult and wouldn't do anything about such a small thing.
Besides, she really didn't need Fu Shenyuan's concern; it was all unnecessary.
"I'm driving now, you can go home by yourself."
There was silence on Fu Shenyuan's end, but after a while he said, "I'll come pick you up. Where are you?"
Jiang Ranxing had no desire to waste any more time with him, especially since Wen Qingrang was right next to her. The situation was already chaotic, and she didn't want Fu Shenyuan to make things even more complicated after he arrived.
Jiang Ranxing didn't say anything and hung up the phone directly.
Wen Qingrang turned to look at her at this moment, and spoke in a voice as calm as the moonlight.
"Fu Shenyuan must be worried about you. It's so late, it's good that he came to pick you up."
Jiang Ranxing didn't know how to answer, so she said, "I can live in the studio; there's a rest room here."
Wen Qingrang looked around before realizing what was going on: "That's good, so you won't have to work late into the night."
The two fell into a quiet atmosphere again. As a cold wind blew by, Jiang Ranxing shivered. Wen Qingrang saw this, took off his cashmere coat, and draped it over Jiang Ranxing.
He checked the time and decided not to disturb Jiang Ranxing any further.
"Please say hello to Sylvie for me. The food was delicious. Thank you."
Jiang Ranxing nodded, but some words remained unspoken.
Wen Qingrang turned around and walked away. After a few steps, he suddenly turned back around and his gaze met Jiang Ranxing's.
Jiang Ranxing paused, then asked, "What's wrong?"
Wen Qingrang slowly walked back, looking down at Jiang Ranxing's eyes, which were still shining brightly in the night.
He simply couldn't control the surging emotions within him.
When I saw her again, all the thoughts that I thought had turned to ashes took root and sprouted again, quickly growing into vines.
"Burning Star, why did you have to push me away? Can you tell me why? I want to face this with you."
As Jiang Ranxing was being stared at so intently, all the thoughts in his mind seemed to be gripped tightly in an instant.
Her body's instincts made her obey Wen Qingrang's words, but just as she was about to speak, reason intervened and stopped her.
Jiang Ranxing shook her head; she didn't want Wen Qingrang to be held back any longer.
Their fate may have run its course; they are no longer destined to walk hand in hand.
Wen Qingrang said, "Maybe you've never truly loved me, you're just used to relying on me. But I can also see that you don't love Fu Shenyuan now either. Ranxing, there's something I haven't told you, and maybe Fu Shenyuan has already told you. You've forgotten a lot of things and misunderstood a lot of things. Your brain was damaged in that car accident, and I've kept this from you from the beginning. Do you know why?"
Jiang Ranxing shook her head blankly; she had never seen Wen Qingrang like this before.
Wen Qingrang seemed to have made a decision.
"After I learned that you had amnesia, I didn't want you to remember. Firstly, you rejected me before, but I really fell in love with you and wanted to possess you."
Jiang Ranxing's long eyelashes trembled as she continued to listen to Wen Qingrang's words.
Wen Qingrang continued, "Ranxing, I have truly loved you for a long time."
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