Chapter 8
The bruised ribs brought a dull ache, but what unnerved Xia Wan even more was Jiang Yu's near-out-of-control reaction in the factory. The deep fear and pain in his eyes pierced her heart like a thorn. His unruly behavior was a huge mystery. She forced herself to focus on finishing the review report. After submitting the report, she took a leave of absence, simply wanting to get away from all the chaos associated with "Jiang Yu."
However, a few days later, a late-night phone call dragged her into a deeper vortex - her mother from her hometown called, crying: her younger brother Xia Yang had a conflict with someone and injured someone. The other party wanted to sue him, and the situation was critical!
Xia Wan's heart sank instantly. Her father had passed away at a young age, and she had been the family's backbone. But this incident required a lawyer, connections, the power to control the situation... none of which she possessed. A sense of helplessness and panic nearly overwhelmed her. Sitting in the dark, she flipped through her phone's address book over and over again. Finally, a name she knew by heart became her only hope: Jiang Yu.
A crushing sense of shame tore at her. Who could she speak with? The "partner" who had fled after a chaotic night? The colleague who had just clashed with him in their field? Or... an old classmate whose contact information she had just gotten at a party after not speaking for over a decade?
Eventually, reality overwhelmed her pride, and she dialed the phone tremblingly.
The phone rang for a long time before it was answered.
"Hello?" Jiang Yu's voice was low and hoarse, with a hint of laziness from being awakened.
"Jiang Yu...it's me, Xia Wan." Her voice was as dry as sandpaper.
There was silence on the other end of the phone for a few seconds, and this brief silence made Xia Wan's heart beat like a drum.
"Yeah." He finally responded, but his emotion was unrecognizable.
Xia Wan succinctly explained the situation: her brother's impulsiveness, the other party's injuries, the police's handling of the situation, the other party's threats... By the end, her throat felt like it had been pricked by a needle, but she forced herself to feign composure, not daring to even tremble. "...Do you know anyone back home?...Can you..." She suddenly stopped talking. Who was she pretending to be so pitiful? She even started to laugh at herself. At this thought, she actually wanted to laugh out loud.
There was another longer silence.
"It's late, let's just leave it at that. Sorry to bother you..." Xia Wan broke the awkward silence.
"Address. Name of the injured person. Also, send me your brother's name and ID number." Jiang Yu's voice sounded, still low, but with a decisiveness, without any hesitation or doubt.
Xia Wan was stunned, "Jiang Yu, I was too impulsive and didn't think carefully before making this call. Let's just leave it at that..."
"If it's inconvenient, just edit the message and send it to me. Wait for my news." Jiang Yu said and hung up the phone.
The call had already been made, and being hesitant would seem pretentious. Xia Wan edited the message and sent it.
The anxious wait was incredibly long. Bad news kept coming from her mother's side, and the other party's family was making a big fuss. Just when Xia Wan was desperate, Jiang Yu's message came:
"I've contacted Lawyer Zhang. Come to the city police station at 8 a.m. tomorrow. He'll handle it."
"I'll take care of the other party's family's medical expenses while we appease them for now. Tell your mother not to worry and to cooperate with the lawyer."
Looking at these two messages, Xia Wan's frayed nerves suddenly snapped. Not only had he taken action, but he had done so thoroughly and efficiently. The cold and distant Jiang Yu had displayed a reassuring power.
Xia Wan rushed back home. Thanks to the professional mediation of Lawyer Zhang and the subtle pressure of Jiang Yu, the matter was finally resolved with compensation and forgiveness. Her brother escaped detention, and the Xia family was saved. Her mother took Xia Wan's hand and demanded to know who the "old classmate" who had helped so much was. Xia Wan was evasive, yet a deep sense of guilt weighed heavily on her heart.
Returning to her small room, fatigue set in. After much hesitation, she called Jiang Yu.
"Hello." He answered quickly.
"Jiang Yu, I'm home. Thank you so much for Xia Yang's matter. As for Zhang's lawyer fees and medical expenses..."
"No need." He interrupted her, his tone unquestionable, "Don't worry about the expenses."
"But……"
"Xia Wan," he said in a deeper voice, "I said, no need."
Silence spread across both ends of the phone. Xia Wan didn't know what to say.
"How's your brother?" he suddenly asked.
"It's okay. I was scared and there are some injuries on my face."
"Yeah," he replied. Just when Xia Wan thought the call was over, he spoke again, his voice lower than before, with a barely perceptible tension: "You...are your ribs still hurting?"
Xia Wan was taken aback by this sudden concern: "Much better, it doesn't hurt much anymore."
"Um."
Silence fell again. Xia Wan mustered up her courage and said, "Jiang Yu... I... I don't know how to thank you. This favor... is too great."
There was silence on the other end of the line for a few seconds. Then, Jiang Yu's voice rang out, with a strange, almost sigh-like lowness:
"Xia Wan."
"You don't have to repay the favor."
He paused, his voice revealing an unprecedented complexity and a hint of indescribable fatigue:
"Just think of it as... I owe you."
The phone ended. Xia Wan sat in the dim room, stunned, the words "Just consider it something I owe you" echoing repeatedly in her ears. A huge sense of confusion washed over her. What did he owe her? For that chaotic night? The thought made her cheeks heat up, and the heaviness of his words stirred a strange ripple in her heart.
Back in the city where I work, life seems to have returned to the starting point, but something has quietly changed.
A few days later, a package arrived via express delivery within the same city. Inside the exquisite cardboard box was a top-of-the-line, professional physiotherapy device designed for muscle strain and rehabilitating old injuries. There was no card, no signature. Xia Wan instantly understood its origin. She held the cold box, a complex mix of emotions. Was he trying to "repay" his debt with material goods? To make up for that night?
She texted: "Received the therapy device. Thanks, but it's too expensive. There's no need to do this."
The message fell on deaf ears and received no reply.
A week later, Xia Wan, exhausted after finishing her overtime work, walked out of the office. On a chilly autumn night, she looked down at her taxi app when a familiar black sedan silently slid in front of her.
The car window was lowered, and Jiang Yu's profile was clearly outlined in the night. He was wearing a dark gray cashmere sweater, which made him look less businesslike and more casual as a homebody, but still aloof.
"Get in the car." His voice was irresistible.
"No need to trouble..." Xia Wan refused subconsciously.
Jiang Yu said nothing, simply staring at her quietly, his gaze calm yet filled with invisible pressure. After a few seconds of silence, fatigue and a vague throbbing in her heart forced Xia Wan to relent. She opened the car door and got in the passenger seat.
The air inside the car was filled with the refreshing scent of his aftershave and the faintest hint of tobacco. Xia Wan was a little reserved, staring straight ahead. The car drove steadily, and the silence stretched, filled with tension.
"Is the case over?" Jiang Yu broke the silence and pointed to the review of the old factory building.
"Well, it was concluded last week. It's consistent with your initial conclusion. The report is very rigorous." Xia Wan answered objectively.
"Yeah." He responded.
The conversation seemed to have stalled. The red light came on, and the car became even quieter. Xia Wan couldn't help but glance at him from the corner of her eye. His hand rested on the steering wheel, his knuckles distinct, his profile hard and focused.
The green light came on and the car started. Jiang Yu's voice sounded again, low and tentative: "Xia Wan."
"Last time... in the factory, I had a bad attitude."
Xia Wan's heart skipped a beat. She didn't expect him to apologize on his own initiative.
"No...it's okay. It was my own carelessness." She took the blame as usual. Besides, her attitude that day was not much better.
Jiang Yu was silent for a few seconds. After the car stabilized, he spoke again, his voice lower and deeper, with an almost frank self-deprecation:
"I'm not blaming you." He paused, as if struggling to form his words, "I'm just... a little scared."
"Afraid?" Xia Wan turned her head and looked at him in disbelief. In the dim light, his jawline was tense.
"What are you afraid of?" Her voice trembled.
Jiang Yu's fingers tightened around the steering wheel. The car lights cast a flowing shadow in his deep eyes, churning with complex and indistinguishable emotions—sadness, powerlessness, and a deep sense of self-blame?
"I'm afraid..." He took a deep breath, his voice suppressed and hoarse, "I'm afraid it's too late."
Too late? Xia Wan's heart clenched. She remembered the fear he'd felt when he'd lost control. A terrifying thought surfaced—had he ever experienced the despair of watching someone important die... too late?
Even a glimpse of the weight of the past revealed itself, leaving Xia Wan heartbroken and trembling. She didn't dare question further. The car fell into another kind of silence, heavy yet filled with a subtle, silent understanding. The car arrived at the foot of the apartment building.
"We're here." Jiang Yu parked the car.
"Thank you." Xia Wan murmured thanks and unbuckled her seat belt.
"Xia Wan." He called her.
She paused and turned back.
Jiang Yu turned sideways, his deep gaze fixed on her in the dim carriage. It was a complex gaze, filled with inquiry and a certain determination. He stared at her for more than ten seconds, so long that Xia Wan could hear her own heartbeat. Then, he spoke slowly, his voice not loud, but remarkably clear and firm:
"Let's... give it a try."
It wasn't a question, it was a statement, with the certainty that he was in control.
Xia Wan's mind went blank. Try it? Like that night? Or... something else?
The huge shock made her freeze. She looked into Jiang Yu's eyes, and could not find any trace of joking, only unprecedented seriousness and a desperate determination.
She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. All her rational defenses collapsed before his four shocking words.
Jiang Yu didn't urge her, but simply stared at her deeply, waiting for a response. The air froze, and their eyes collided fiercely.
Xia Wan's fingertips were cold, her heart pounding. Her mind screamed and fled, but her body and the heart that had been suppressed for so long were firmly sucked in.
Try it? With this star-studded man I'd secretly loved for over a decade?
Time passed. Finally, under Jiang Yu's calm and focused gaze, Xia Wan nodded slowly and with great difficulty.
No words. Just a subtle movement.
The moment she nodded, Jiang Yu's tense jawline relaxed slightly, and something in his eyes settled quietly.
"Go up." His voice was low and hoarse, "Get some rest early."
Xia Wan practically escaped the car and rushed into the apartment building. The cold night wind couldn't dispel the burning sensation on her cheeks or the turmoil in her heart.
She agreed.
Try it with Jiang Yu...?
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