Chapter 57 Old Love Letters: Tears streamed down like a burst dam.
On November 1st, Chen Jingchi released his first English single, "Dusk in Nov".
This song was specially written and composed by renowned American singer Zane Jones and was tailor-made for Chen Jingchi.
In addition to Chen Jingchi's solo version, the album also includes a duet with Zane Jones, which has sparked speculation among netizens about whether he will be invited as a guest during the world tour.
Chen Jingchi did not spend his birthday in the apartment this year.
At that time, he was invited to participate in the Bangkok Star Music Night, which was his first appearance at a major international music event, where he sang his first English song. Not only that month, but he also planned to release two more English singles the following month, with a star-studded production team.
Sheng Yu is trying to gradually push him onto the international stage, and every step is a preparation for the upcoming world tour.
Zhou Yu spent a lot of money on the gift she prepared for him this time. She customized a top-of-the-line microphone with a deep sea blue paint color that is his support color. The handheld part is printed with their exclusive letters Z&C. The manufacturer specially tuned the tone according to the characteristics of Chen Jingchi's voice. It cost more than 500,000 yuan.
She wasn't reciprocating because Chen Jingchi gave her a suite for her birthday; she simply wanted to express the weight of her feelings.
The 8th was a Wednesday, and Zhou Yu couldn't take three days off to go abroad. He asked Du Heng to give him the gift before the performance so that he could use it during the evening gala.
After the performance that night, a sharp-eyed audience member zoomed in on a screenshot of his microphone and noticed the letters engraved on it, sparking a heated discussion on Weibo. Now, Chen Jingchi is wearing earrings and holding things given to him by his sister-in-law, leading netizens to speculate whether she is subtly displaying her possessiveness.
Zhou Yu herself didn't think too much about it. She watched Chen Jingchi's performance and then turned off the live stream. During this period, she logged into Weibo almost every day. She never checked her private messages, rarely clicked on comments or mentions, and she only cared about one thing.
Fortunately, there haven't been any signs of this happening recently.
The constant anxiety made her feel uneasy.
In mid-December, Zhou Jinglong's teahouse quietly opened, with a signboard named "Tea Gathering".
The teahouse is located near the residential area. It's quite small, with a quiet tea-tasting room separated by a screen. Unlike some modern Chinese-style teahouses that also sell various snacks and drinks, "Tea Gathering" focuses solely on tea tasting. There's no advertising, no employees, and customers come by chance.
Meanwhile, Chen Jingchi's world tour was officially announced on Weibo. Due to time-consuming procedures, it missed the Lantern Festival and has been postponed to March 1st. The first stop in North America will be Seattle. The news immediately sparked excitement among overseas fans.
The boys could apply for work visas, while Zhou Yu and Tan Bei needed to apply for tourist visas. To avoid long queues during the Spring Festival peak season, they booked their visa interviews two months in advance and successfully obtained their visas after the exam week ended in mid-January.
During this year's winter vacation, Chen Jingchi was no longer confined to China, but frequently flew abroad to participate in performances. When he finally returned to China, he had to immediately go to the capital to participate in the rehearsal of CCTV's Spring Festival Gala and the pre-recording of various satellite TV Spring Festival Galas.
Chen Jingchi will perform a solo song, "To My Dear You," at this year's Spring Festival Gala.
Before the Lunar New Year, he was so busy he was constantly on the go, flying to various cities. Not only Zhou Yu, but even his fans thought his schedule was exaggerated. Many netizens noticed that he hadn't been showing off his relationship much recently, and joked that he had returned to workaholic mode after the honeymoon phase was over.
In fact, the frequency of their meetings has indeed decreased significantly, from once a week to every half month, then to more than half a month, and now it has been almost a month.
After their tour ended last August, Chen Jingchi shifted his focus to expanding overseas, and they hadn't collaborated for six months. Zhou Yu could sense that he was no longer as dependent on her as before; he had become strong enough to stand on his own.
While feeling happy for him, Zhou Yu also felt increasingly confused.
Almost every time they met after a long separation, they spent most of their time making love day and night to alleviate their longing. Apart from this, they couldn't find anything more meaningful to do.
Zhou Yu gradually lost his sense of self-worth, feeling as if he were floating in the air, unable to grasp either himself or others.
*
On New Year's Eve, Liu Xianya learned that Chen Jingchi would be performing on the Spring Festival Gala, so she turned on the TV early. Zhou Jinglong had been listening to many of Zhou Yu's lyrics alone in the teahouse recently and had gained a preliminary understanding of his daughter's boyfriend. Taking advantage of the fact that the Spring Festival Gala had just started, he asked, "Is he at the Spring Festival Gala venue right now?"
“Of course, it’s all being broadcast live,” Liu Xianya said. “They probably won’t be back until tomorrow. That’s the downside of being a celebrity; they can’t go home for New Year’s Eve.”
Hearing this, Zhou Yu felt a pang of sadness. Even if Chen Jingchi came back, he would be all alone at home.
When they were together, Chen Jingchi rarely mentioned his parents. Both of them already had their own families. Despite his achievements being the envy of others, no one was proud of him.
“Look how many people are in here, it’s definitely more lively than at home,” Zhou Jinglong said with a smile.
“It’s different; they’re not family,” Liu Xianya said. “The New Year’s spirit is only truly felt when you’re with your family.”
Zhou Yu dared not listen any longer. She returned to her room and saw many unread messages on her phone, which were her friends discussing the Spring Festival Gala in a group chat.
Xu Yue: [I haven't watched the Spring Festival Gala for many years, I'm watching it tonight just for Brother Chi.]
Zhan Li: [Me too, call me when he comes out, the ones up ahead are too boring.]
Zhuo Wencheng: [I'm watching, I'll remind you later.]
Tan Bei: [After the first skit ended, it was his turn. Actually, I thought the skit was quite interesting.]
Zhou Yu hesitated for a moment, then replied in the group chat: 【Invite me too】
When he came out of the room, his parents were discussing New Year's greetings. Zhou Jinglong felt guilty and didn't dare to go with her to see his parents-in-law. Liu Xianya comforted him, saying that the matter was over.
In the third year of Zhou Jinglong's imprisonment, Zhou Yu's grandfather passed away from heart disease, and her grandmother was taken to live with her by her uncle. It had been many years since she had seen her father's relatives.
"Don't think so much," Liu Xianya advised him. "My mom was still worried about you last time, and no one blamed you."
Zhou Jinglong just smiled sadly: "Forget it, it's the New Year, I shouldn't upset people. I'll go over when it's Grandpa's birthday."
Zhou wanted to say something, but was afraid of hurting his feelings, so she held back in the end.
Around 9 o'clock, Zhuo Wencheng reminded them in the group chat that Chen Jingchi was about to go on stage.
Liu Xianya was also looking at the program schedule and asked her, "Is Xiao Chen next?"
After replying to the message, Zhou put his phone aside and answered her, "Yes."
After the host's introduction, Chen Jingchi took the stage. He sat in front of the piano, wearing a white haute couture suit with zodiac animal patterns sewn on the shoulders in gold thread. As the first note fell, his highly recognizable voice came from the speakers.
"Oh, what a handsome young gentleman!" Zhou Jinglong complimented.
"This outfit looks really good and has a great style," Liu Xianya said. "Boys look the most handsome in suits."
Even though he was already 21 years old, in Liu Xianya's eyes he was still the boy who never grew up.
Chen Jingchi has sung this song in public many times, and Zhou Yu has also listened to it many times, each time with a different experience.
The song title, "To My Dearest You," is written for both my maternal grandfather and Chen Jingchi.
Halfway through the song, Zhou Jinglong suddenly asked, "Has he ever been to our house?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Xianya and Zhou Yu exchanged a glance, neither of them speaking first. A few seconds later, Zhou Yu interjected, "He did say he would come, but he's quite busy with work."
Zhou Jinglong nodded and said, "If he's coming, tell Dad. I'll go sit in the teahouse."
Zhou Yu couldn't utter a single word, feeling both anxious and helpless.
Liu Xianya sighed softly, and just when Zhou Yu thought she was going to say something, she remained silent.
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, Zhou Jinglong ultimately did not go to his grandmother's house with them. "Tea House" became the only shop in the street that was still open.
After dinner, Liu Xianya ran into an acquaintance in the neighborhood and chatted with him, asking Zhou Yu to call Zhou Jinglong home.
Since it wasn't far, Zhou Yu decided to go to the "tea house." Before she even reached the door, she heard voices coming from inside; there were more than one person.
She walked outside the screen and happened to come face to face with the people coming out from inside; they were three very familiar middle-aged men.
The moment Zhou Yu saw them, his scalp tingled, his back stiffened, and he stood rooted to the spot, too afraid to move.
Even seven years later, she still remembers what these people look like; they had appeared together in her award-winning essay.
He was Zhou Jinglong's uncle, who used to work with him on business.
"Little Yu," someone smiled, "you've grown so much."
Zhou Yu could barely feel her own breath until the three of them left. Zhou Jinglong heard a sound and came out of the tea room, seeing her slightly pale face.
"Xiao Bao." Zhou Jinglong had just called out when Zhou Yu walked straight past the screen and saw several gift boxes next to the chair, which were brought over by those people.
She couldn't believe it was true, and asked in a trembling voice, "Why are you still in contact with them?"
Zhou Jinglong paused for two seconds, then quickly smiled and said, "They came to see Dad for the New Year, that's all."
“But back then…” Zhou Yu couldn’t finish his sentence.
Back then, they were colleagues in the same bureau. Zhou Yu had seen them go out for social events together quite a few times, yet only Zhou Jinglong was investigated, while the others remained unscathed. Zhou Yu didn't want to speculate maliciously about others. Now that Zhou Jinglong had returned to a normal life, she really didn't want him to have any more contact with those old "friends."
"It's not what you think, Xiao Bao," Zhou Jinglong hurriedly explained. "It was really just a brief meeting, we didn't even sit for a few minutes, and I won't be coming over again."
Looking at his face, Zhou Yu's fear gradually subsided. She wondered if she had overreacted and scared Zhou Jinglong.
She lowered her head and remained silent for a moment before saying, "Don't mention it when you go home and let your mother see it."
“Okay, I’ll put it in the warehouse now.” Zhou Jinglong picked up the gift box and turned into the innermost small door.
It's no wonder she overthinks things. The scene from that year is still vivid in her mind, and Zhou Yu really doesn't want to relive it, not only because it involves her and Zhou Jinglong, but also because it involves Chen Jingchi.
She walked beside Zhou Jinglong, and went home dejectedly, locking herself in her room once she got home.
My phone rang; it was Chen Jingchi calling.
Zhou Yu stared at his name for several seconds in a daze. Afraid that he would sense her emotions, she made sure she was mentally prepared before answering the call.
"Zhou Yu," Chen Jingchi called to her, "I'm back."
He flew back to Xianhai and has arrived home.
"You've had a long day." Zhou Yu asked, "Should I come see you tomorrow?"
"You don't need to come, I'll come see you." There was a hint of amusement in Chen Jingchi's voice. "I mentioned before that I wanted to visit your home for the New Year, would you be welcome?"
Zhou Yu sat on the edge of the bed, her fingers unconsciously gripping the sheets tightly, a string in her mind taut.
How can I reject him?
Unable to think of anything suitable, Zhou looked out at the dark night and managed to say with difficulty, "How about I come and keep you company?"
The other side fell silent, and no one spoke for a long time.
Every second felt like a slow, agonizing torture. Zhou Yu knew her approach wasn't clever, but her mind was in turmoil, and she couldn't think of a better solution.
She reverted to her old ways, choosing to run away from problems.
"Is it inconvenient?" Chen Jingchi asked softly. "Didn't you say it was resolved before?"
That was just something she said casually to brush off the question.
"Chen Jingchi..."
"I was too hasty," Chen Jingchi interrupted her. "It's alright, I'll pick you up tomorrow. What time is suitable?"
Zhou Yu lowered his voice: "Anything is fine."
He didn't bring it up again, his tone as always: "Do you miss me?"
"Yes." She didn't hesitate for a second.
It seemed that only this moment of sincerity could slightly make up for all the secrets she had kept from him.
*
Chen Jingchi only had a three-day holiday during the Spring Festival, after which he had to return to the company to rehearse with the band. The company was taking this first overseas concert in Seattle more seriously than anything else, and the band members dared not slack off in the slightest.
These past few days, Zhou Yu has been preoccupied with Zhou Jinglong's "friends," to the point that he is easily distracted when he is with Chen Jingchi.
On the afternoon of the third day, after their last lovemaking session, Chen Jingchi hugged her from behind and lowered his head to kiss her fair and delicate nape.
“If you don’t want to talk about it, I won’t ask.” His voice was still slightly hoarse, tinged with the lingering effects of desire. “But Zhou Yu, am I not one of your closest people?”
He brushed Zhou Yu's hair forward, letting it hang down to her chest. She lowered her head, her eyes unfocused.
A slight ache rose in my chest.
He pressed close to her back, encircling her completely in his arms, and said, "I can help you with what's troubling you."
Zhou Yu vaguely thought that he couldn't help her this time, and she didn't intend to ask him for help.
She reached out and took his hand, touching the ring on his finger, slowly stroking it, and softly asked, "Do you want more?"
Chen Jingchi was silent for a few seconds, then picked her up and helped her get dressed: "I'll take you home."
He vaguely sensed that a rift had appeared in their relationship. When did it begin?
From the fact that their meetings after long separations consisted only of physical intimacy, from the fact that she spoke less and less, from the fact that there was something in her eyes that he couldn't understand.
They dated for over a year, but for most of that time they were separated by distance. Even though they were in the same university, he often had to leave campus after class.
He had envied the way Zhan Li and Tan Bei got along, but his status meant they couldn't be like ordinary campus couples. Chen Jingchi always felt guilty about this.
He told her to wait a little longer, as the world tour wouldn't last as long as the domestic tour, and it would only last two or three months at most. He would then have plenty of free time to spend with her.
I hope I can make it up to her properly at that time.
*
Zhou Yu made an excuse not to go to Jiangbei for rehearsal with Chen Jingchi. With worries weighing on her mind, she would sit in the teahouse every evening. As Zhou Jinglong had said, those uncles never appeared again.
During the Spring Festival holiday, teahouses were also quiet, with only two or three customers a day, and a pot of tea could be drunk until dusk.
After the last guest left, Zhou wanted to help tidy up the tea table, and unexpectedly found an ashtray on the cabinet in the tea room, which was full of cigarette butts.
The sign at the entrance of the teahouse says "No Smoking," and Zhou Yu hasn't seen any of the guests smoking in the past few days.
She kept an eye on it, and when she came back the next day, she found that Zhou Jinglong had put away the ashtray and it was nowhere to be found.
Two days before the Lantern Festival, the long-silent group chat became lively again. They had to fly to the United States a week in advance to prepare, and they were scheduled to depart on the day of the Lantern Festival.
It was the boys' first time going abroad, and they were all very excited.
Zhou Yu didn't want them to have to transfer flights just for her, so when her assistant bought the tickets, she specifically instructed them to buy her a flight departing from Xianhai with a similar departure time, so that she could meet up with everyone at the airport upon arrival.
Tan Bei posted a detailed travel guide in the group, complete with pictures and videos, saying that she would go with them when they rehearsed.
Zhou Yu replied with an excited little emoji.
However, plans can never keep up with changes.
The day before her departure, Zhou finished packing her suitcase at home, preparing to visit her father at the teahouse. But as soon as she reached the door, she was met with a scene of utter chaos.
Paint was splashed on the signboard, a hole was smashed in the wooden door, the screen fell to the ground and cracked into pieces, the tea tables in the tea room were overturned, tea was spilled all over the floor, and teacups were scattered everywhere.
Her heart pounded, and she called out "Dad" several times. Zhou Jinglong came out of the inner warehouse with a few barely noticeable injuries on his face.
"What happened? How could this happen?" She rushed forward. "Did you get into a fight?"
"It's alright, don't worry, there was no fight." Zhou Jinglong was washing the paint off his coat when he heard the noise and rushed out to reassure her, "Someone came to cause trouble, but the police have already taken them away."
"Who's causing trouble?" Zhou Yu was still shaken. "Have you made enemies with someone?"
“I don’t know anyone here either, and I have to go to the police station later,” Zhou Jinglong said. “You stay here, I’ll take care of things.”
After checking him over, Zhou Yu found only a few noticeable marks on his face; he wasn't injured. She helped him lift the coffee table and mopped the floor. When she looked up, she saw Zhou Jinglong picking up the scattered pieces of porcelain. She wanted to say something, but ultimately held back.
Zhou Jinglong's teahouse had always had a dismal business, with hardly any customers. It had only been a little over a month, and she couldn't understand why anyone would do such a thing. She dared not think that way, and could only keep telling herself it was probably an accident.
Just then, his cell phone rang in his pocket, and Zhou Jinglong immediately turned around.
Zhou Yu picked it up and saw that it was a call from Aunt Zhao.
A sense of unease crept into her heart. Aunt Zhao would never contact her once a year, and when she did call, it could only be about Liu Xianya.
After the call connected, before she could even wish them a Happy New Year, a voice on the other end said anxiously, "Xiaoyu, are you home? Come to the hospital right away, your mother is injured!"
Zhou Yu's heart sank into an icy lake. She hurriedly answered, throwing the mop aside, her voice trembling: "Dad, Mom is injured in the hospital!"
Zhou Jinglong's expression tightened, and he told her not to run: "There are pieces all over the ground, don't panic! I'll go get the keys and lock the door now, you call a car."
Zhou Yu stood at the doorway and realized her fingers were trembling uncontrollably, making it difficult to even tap the phone screen. She put her phone in her pocket and hailed a taxi on the street.
Sitting in the back seat, Zhou Jinglong held her cold hand tightly: "Don't be afraid, nothing will happen."
He repeated it several times in a low voice, but Zhou Yu couldn't hear a word he said. She anxiously looked at the street scene outside the car window and urged the driver to go faster.
Upon arriving at the hospital, Zhou went straight to the nurses' station, only to learn that more than half an hour earlier, a patient's family member had come to cause trouble at the hospital. Coincidentally, Liu Xianya was making her rounds in the afternoon, and the person picked up a fruit knife from the ward and stabbed her.
Fortunately, another male doctor was with her at the time. He quickly grabbed the knife and subdued her, but Liu Xianya was still stabbed in the shoulder.
The wound has now been stitched up, and the patient is resting in a private room.
Zhou rushed into the ward and saw Liu Xianya leaning weakly against the bed, her lips pale. The nurse who was standing by saw them come in, got up, gave them a few instructions, and then left.
It didn't hit any vital organs, the wound has been stitched up, and you need to take good care of yourself.
Zhou Yu's heart was still heavy. She looked at Liu Xianya and asked with concern, "Does it still hurt?"
"It doesn't hurt anymore." Liu Xianya shifted her gaze to Zhou Jinglong behind her and asked, "Are you alright over there?"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yu abruptly turned to look at his father. His face was ashen, and his lips moved, but no sound came out.
She looked back and said on his behalf, "Someone caused trouble at Dad's teahouse and smashed everything in the shop."
After speaking, Zhou Yu's gaze swept back and forth between the two of them, and he asked, "You both knew this would happen?"
She was met with silence.
Zhou Yu felt a tightness in her chest and shortness of breath. The image of the ashtray flashed through her mind, and she thought of a possibility: "Is someone deliberately retaliating against us?"
She looked at Zhou Jinglong, "Dad, you're still in contact with those people, aren't you?"
Zhou Jinglong stood like a motionless statue.
Since his release from prison, Zhou Yu has lived in constant fear. She doesn't expect the past to disappear completely; she only hopes that her father can return to a normal life and no longer be disturbed by others.
But now it seems that even such a simple wish is difficult to fulfill.
Trouble broke out in the teahouse, trouble broke out in the hospital; Zhou Yu didn't know what even worse things might await her.
Her voice began to tremble again: "You promised me that they wouldn't come again."
Zhou Jinglong's silence made Zhou Yu unable to control her emotions any longer. Her voice rose involuntarily, almost questioning, "Dad, why do you still want to risk your life? Do you still think you were so glorious before?"
“Zhou Yu, you’re not allowed to talk to your father like that,” Liu Xianya said in a deep voice. “Your father did nothing wrong.”
"How could this happen?" Zhou Yu asked, her eyes red-rimmed. "You knew about it too, didn't you? Are you hiding something from me?"
Liu Xianya's tightly furrowed brows relaxed, and before she could speak, Zhou Jinglong finally uttered, "Wife!"
"We really shouldn't have kept this from her for so long. She's all grown up now, she's not a child anymore."
Liu Xianya looked at her, her voice weak from her wounds, yet each word struck Zhou Yu's heart with a heavy weight: "Dad wants to overturn the case."
Zhou Yu was stunned speechless by these sudden words. Her mind went blank, and she could barely hear her own voice: "What do you mean... overturning the verdict?"
“The investigation was too strict back then, and the big shots at the top were afraid of getting into trouble, so they used your father as a shield.” Liu Xianya’s simple sentence revealed the truth: “He did not embezzle.”
She sighed softly, "If your father really had that much guts, how could he have spent so many years only managing to become a section chief, not even a leader?"
Liu Xianya's words were like a bombshell, leaving her head buzzing.
Zhou Yu uncontrollably took a small step back.
She never imagined that her father was innocent.
After Zhou Jinglong was taken away, her life and Liu Xianya's life fell into hardship, and the essay she wrote was the fuse. From beginning to end, Zhou Yu did not feel that she had done anything wrong. The hurdle she could not get over was the struggle between family affection and morality.
She always felt that she had done nothing wrong.
But only now, after hearing the truth from Liu Xianya, does she finally understand.
In the whole affair, it turned out that she was the only one who was wrong.
The belief that he had held for many years collapsed in an instant.
She was the one who sent her father to prison.
Tears streamed down like a burst dam.
-----------------------
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