Chapter 38 Confession 10/16.23.57
After handing Watanabe over to the police and giving a statement, it was already very late when I left the police station.
Alexander hadn't left. He noticed that Anru Feng hadn't paid any attention to him since she found out about Watanabe's cat abuse, so he tried to explain, "Anru, Watanabe and I aren't on the same side. What I'm telling you is the truth. I've been trying to persuade him to release Nala."
Anru Feng finally gave Alexander a look: "It's not a question of whether I believe you or not, but you know Watanabe's true colors, yet you don't expose him and continue to associate with someone like him. I will never associate with you again."
“Watanabe did that for his artistic pursuits, which is understandable. I would not undermine someone else’s pursuit of the ultimate in art,” Alexander argued.
“Excusable?” Anru laughed. “According to you, if Watanabe killed people to gain artistic inspiration, it would be understandable?”
“Murder?! Of course I’ll expose Watanabe!” Alexander immediately said.
"Ha, in my eyes, killing cats is just as absurd as killing people for inspiration. We have different values, so there's no need for us to meet again!"
After saying that, he ignored Alexander's reaction and walked straight to the car.
"Don't come looking for me again, or I'll make things worse for you."
After taking a few steps, Anru Feng suddenly stopped and said something that successfully stopped Alexander, who was about to say something to Anru Feng.
Alexander watched helplessly as Anjoufeng and his group drove past without stopping.
He knew that this time he really had no chance at all.
"Rufeng-chan, haven't we met before? I actually have memories of being with you before this year. But this year was the first time I met you. And I even feel like something happened between us after this year, but I don't know exactly what happened, I only know that the feeling was pleasant. Why is that? Also, are you... a time traveler?"
While in the car, Aunt Qiu was filled with confusion. She had some new memories in her mind, and a thought popped into her head: An Rufeng was a friend of hers who could travel through time and space. She couldn't help but ask An Rufeng to confirm it.
After Nala's disappearance, Aunt Qiu's goodwill towards An Rufeng increased significantly, and her previously vague memories became clear.
“Yes, I can time travel. In other timelines, we’ve met and become close friends. This is our third timeline where we met and became friends. As for why you feel like we’ve spent time together since then, it’s because one of our encounters in another timeline took place after 2010, so you don’t know the specifics, only the feeling.” An Rufeng didn’t shy away from explaining, smiling as she spoke.
Because memories only develop when feelings of goodwill and malice reach a certain level, the fact that she knows Aunt Qiu has memories and is friendly towards her suggests that she and Aunt Qiu are likely close friends in other timelines.
Having confirmed this, An Rufeng regarded Aunt Qiu as a close friend in her heart, and thus remembered all her memories of Aunt Qiu.
Moreover, it's truly a remarkable coincidence that they've become close friends three times, even without exchanging contact information with Aunt Qiu.
Aunt Qiu has entered her timeline and will be no different from her friends in the main world from now on.
Anru Feng discovered that some people's encounters are predestined.
I first met Aunt Qiu in 2007. At that time, her parents were in Egypt. Anjou didn't like that kind of underdeveloped and inconvenient place, so she only stayed for a few days before deciding to change her time.
However, because it happened to be Kenichi Hirayama's birthday, he came to Japan, planning to play for a few days before changing time and space. During a city walk, he met Aunt Aki, and they hit it off immediately and became friends.
Later, Watanabe kidnapped Nala's good friend. Aunt Qiu sought help from Anru Feng, which led to Anru Feng's actions of leaving a message to find Watanabe because she hated him and wanted to beat him up a few more times and bring him to justice.
The second time was also to attend Kenichi Hirayama's birthday party, and to look for Watanabe, whose information she had left behind. That was in 2015. She ran into Aunt Aki while walking in the city again, and a series of things happened afterward, and the two became good friends.
The third time was this time, when I was looking for Watanabe, I met Aunt Aki just by sitting in the park.
Upon receiving confirmation from An Rufeng, Aunt Qiu felt quite moved; she was surprised that she had a friend, and such a special one at that.
"Aunt Qiu, shall I find you a proper job?" An Rufeng asked Aunt Qiu in the car.
Aunt Qiu nodded and did not refuse, saying, "Just arrange for me to be a city cleaner as before."
"Aren't you planning to change jobs?" An Rufeng asked. Three times she had arranged jobs for Aunt Qiu, but she had always chosen to work as a city cleaner.
"I think being a city cleaner suits me well, because I don't have to deal with people."
Although Aunt Qiu is usually very cheerful, the reason she became a homeless person is because she was bullied as a child, which led her to run away from home and begin a life of homelessness. She developed a resistance to social life, and she is very satisfied with this kind of job that does not require much interaction with people or maintaining relationships with colleagues.
Knowing her past experiences, An Rufeng stopped pressuring her. She added, "My friends are all very nice. I'll introduce them to you. From now on, my friends will be your friends too."
Aunt Qiu laughed heartily and did not refuse her kindness: "I know that Rufeng-chan's friends are all very good people, and Yamada-san has taken good care of me. Even with my level of education, Hirayama-san has taught me to draw."
Anru Feng had introduced Aunt Qiu to her friends, so Aunt Qiu had related memories.
I got home at 2 a.m.
Nala has been found. Considering that the detective hired by Kwon Ji-yong will be investigating again tomorrow, An Ru-feng thinks she will definitely sleep in very late tomorrow. She plans to contact Kwon Ji-yong before going to bed and ask him to tell the detective he hired not to look for Nala anymore, so as not to work for nothing.
Seeing that it was getting late, An Rufeng only sent a message to Quan Zhilong.
Not long after the message was sent, Kwon Ji-yong called.
An Rufeng answered the phone and heard Quan Zhilong's slightly hoarse voice: "Rufeng, how did you suddenly find Nala? Why are you out so late?"
“Just got home…” An Rufeng told Quan Zhilong about looking for Nala today.
Kwon Ji-yong was also very happy to hear that Nala had returned home safely, and the fatigue from staying up all night writing songs was greatly relieved.
After his initial excitement, he thought about how Anjoufeng had refused to associate with him because of Alexander's concealment. After pondering for a while, he carefully asked Anjoufeng, "Were you angry that I didn't tell you about Nala's disappearance right away?"
An Rufeng thought for a moment and said, "To be honest, I am indeed a little angry."
Kwon Ji-yong's heart skipped a beat, but An Joo-bong was still saying, "But I'm happy that you solved my problem, and I should thank you."
Kwon Ji-yong felt relieved: "Nala's matter is not just your matter, it is our matter. What I did was what I should have done. You don't need to thank me."
“Well, let’s just call it our business. You’re welcome,” An Rufeng said without dwelling on it. “But next time something happens, whether it’s good or bad, I hope I can find out. I don’t like being kept in the dark.”
Kwon Ji-yong breathed a sigh of relief: "Okay, I'll tell you everything from now on."
Because it was late, and An Rufeng had a regular schedule, Quan Zhilong briefly inquired about the situation before hanging up the phone.
·
Kwon Ji-yong has been busy in South Korea lately.
Taeyang is going to promote his solo music show, and he will be doing it with T.O.P. later. They have also booked a variety show together. He and T.O.P will also form a duo sub-unit in the second half of the year and release their first full-length album. They need to prepare songs.
Kwon Ji-yong's apartment.
Kwon Ji-yong stayed up all night writing songs until dawn before going to sleep, and didn't wake up until late afternoon.
After getting up and washing up, he ordered delivery from his usual restaurant, settled on the sofa to process the messages others had given him, and then opened An Rufeng's social media to see what she was up to.
At noon, Anru posted photos of herself having lunch with friends.
Kwon Ji-yong looked through the photos one by one, and when he saw one of them, he couldn't help but sit up straight.
It was a photo of An Rufeng and a man. The photo itself wasn't the issue; the important thing was that the man had his arm around An Rufeng's shoulder.
Kwon Ji-yong had never seen An Joo-pung take such an intimate photo with a man before.
He continued scrolling down and saw several photos of him with this strange man, either with his arm around her shoulder or linked arm in arm. The distance between the poses in each photo was something An Rufeng would never normally accept. Quan Zhilong's brows furrowed more and more tightly.
Kwon Ji-yong's heart sank.
Does she have a new date? Or is this... her boyfriend?
At some point, Quan Zhilong noticed that An Rufeng had become cold towards him. Not only was there no indication that An Rufeng liked him, but the previous ambiguous feeling was also gone.
He even sensed that she no longer showed him the warm concern and care that friends have for each other. During this period, he didn't contact her, and she never contacted him first. Before, she would frequently share things, chat, show concern, and ask him out.
Now, even if he takes the initiative to chat with her and ask her out, she always politely declines, saying that she has other things to do or that he is busy.
But her social media is quite lively, filled with photos of her traveling with other friends, which doesn't seem like she doesn't even have time to chat.
Kwon Ji-yong had already begun to doubt whether his previous feeling that An Joo-feng liked him was just a misperception. Because An Joo-feng was the type to say what she meant, she would most likely say it directly if she liked someone.
Perhaps those seemingly positive signals are actually subtle rejections that are difficult to express openly due to the friendship.
Seeing An Rufeng's unusually intimate photos with other men, it's hard for Kwon Ji-yong not to think that An Rufeng has fallen for someone else.
"Smack!"
The photo was glaringly offensive, and the phone was tossed onto the coffee table.
Quan Zhilong leaned back on the sofa, scratching his hair in dejection.
After a while, Kwon Ji-yong picked up his phone again and, as if torturing himself, opened the photo of An Joo-bong and that man.
Kwon Ji-yong looked at them for a long time, then pressed hard to save all the group photos.
After collecting the photos, Anru Feng shared a new update.
AnRu: Swimming is so hard, my arms hurt! When will I conquer this pool?
The accompanying picture is of a swimming pool, but Anjou Feng is not in the picture.
Kwon Ji-yong saw two men and one woman swimming in the pool. He recognized one of the men and one of the women, Yamada Yusuke and Nara Mi. The man he didn't recognize was the same man who had taken a close photo with An Ru Feng!
Kwon Ji-yong couldn't help but text An Yeo-poong: [Learning to swim?]
The message arrived quickly, and Anru Feng replied: "Yes, I'm planning to go to the beach soon, but I discovered I can't swim. I'll have to learn in the next few days."
Kwon Ji-yong: [I'll teach you, I guarantee you'll be satisfied.]
Anru Feng: [I know you've been very busy lately, I don't want to add any extra burden to you. I'll learn on my own, you focus on your own things first.]
Ugh! Here we go again.
Kwon Ji-yong: [I'm done with work and planning to take a break. Since you're free these days too, I'll come find you.]
He absolutely had to meet her.
Anru Feng received Quan Zhilong's reply and didn't know how to refuse to meet him.
During this period, An Rufeng intentionally reduced her contact with Quan Zhilong because she was tired.
My brain is tired.
Anru initially found Anru's ambiguous speaking and acting style quite interesting and intriguing.
Because of this ambiguous relationship, somewhere between friends and lovers, which felt like both compared to a clearly defined relationship, Anru Feng had never experienced anything like it before and found it novel and enjoyable.
However, this ambiguous way of speaking and acting is too mentally taxing for An Rufeng, who is used to being straightforward, and she can't handle it with ease.
Sometimes she admired Kwon Ji-yong for chatting with her so frequently despite his busy schedule; didn't he get tired of it? But then she thought, that's just his style, she should get used to it.
Anyway, he wasn't tired, but she was. She felt completely drained and didn't want to think for the time being. She'd deal with meeting and interacting with Kwon Ji-yong later, after she'd rested!
After looking at Quan Zhilong's message, An Rufeng finally agreed to let him come to see her.
She said she wanted to learn to swim, so she can't just say she has something else to do; that would be too deliberate.
An Rufeng thought about it. She had been on strike for a while and had rested enough. So she decided to come.
The next day, Kwon Ji-yong flew to Japan.
Anru Feng's villa, with a swimming pool.
"Who is this?" Kwon Ji-yong looked at the man in front of him, the man who looked very close to An Joo-bong in the photo.
“My best friend, Tang Yu.” An Rufeng originally wanted to say a friend she had grown up with, but considering that it was 2010 and she had mentioned Tang Yu to Quan Zhilong before, the age difference didn’t apply, so she changed her wording.
Kwon Ji-yong breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that they were just friends, but the thought of their intimate photos still weighed on his mind.
An Rufeng introduced Tang Yu and Quan Zhilong to each other, then went downstairs to learn to swim.
She hired a swimming coach for herself.
With the coach's guidance, Anru Feng was finally able to swim some distance.
However, Anru Feng may lack the stamina or talent for swimming; she sinks after swimming only a short distance each time and can never swim very far.
An Rufeng grasped the key points of the movements, but didn't make much progress immediately, so she sent the coach back first and swam slowly.
Tang Yu was only 20 years old and not as mature as she would later be. She was unaware of what would happen next and mocked An Rufeng without any politeness.
He playfully splashed a handful of water at her and chuckled, "Tell me why we were ever engaged, and I'll tell you the secret to swimming, okay?"
“You wouldn’t want to know,” An Rufeng retorted with a smile.
Only in the old timeline could they speak so freely and casually; in the main world, they were silent and speechless, and even when they did speak, it was always very polite.
Tang Yu laughed: "It's really funny that we're going to be engaged. It's really funny. Is it because our families are forcing us? How could we allow such an outrageous thing to happen!"
Upon hearing this, An Rufeng paused in her swimming motion, a thought flashing through her mind. So that's what he thought in his heart; it was all wishful thinking on her part.
“Yes, it’s outrageous, that’s why we were former engaged!” An Rufeng had come to terms with it, so she could talk about it with him with a smile.
"How was it lifted? Why was it lifted? Are you making a scene?" Tang Yu was genuinely curious.
Anru didn't tell him.
Tang Yu then disturbed her while she was swimming.
Kwon Ji-yong didn't swim. He leaned against the poolside, watching An Ru-feng and Tang Yu playfully chatting and laughing. His expression grew increasingly grim.
Although An Rufeng and Quan Zhilong spoke Chinese, which he couldn't understand, it was clear to anyone with eyes that the two had a very close and intimate relationship.
Kwon Ji-yong looked at the two of them with calm brown eyes, picked up a chilled grape, and popped it into his mouth.
The tip of the tongue pressed against it, biting down, and a faint coolness lingered between the lips and teeth.
Kwon Ji-yong exuded an inexplicable irritability and instability.
Tang Yu swam around and got tired. When he came ashore, he wanted to drink some water, but found there was no water. So he went into the house to get some.
Without Tang Yu disturbing her, An Rufeng swam for a while and noticed that Quan Zhilong hadn't been talking much today. He just stood not far away and wasn't swimming, so she walked over to him.
Kwon Ji-yong's gaze followed An Yeo-feng as she approached, without saying a word.
Seeing him gazing at her quietly, An Rufeng leaned closer, tilted her head slightly, and looked up at him with a smile in her clear, watery eyes. She asked, "Why are you looking at me like that? Have you fallen for me?"
Kwon Ji-yong looked at An Ru-feng, who was so close to him, and his mind went blank for a moment.
Because they were so close, An Rufeng's fragrance wafted over, and Quan Zhilong could hear her slightly disordered breathing from swimming.
She was wearing a swimsuit, not revealing, but not conservative either, showing off large expanses of snow-white and delicate skin.
Water droplets trickled down her neck and the messy black hair in front of her body, and Kwon Ji-yong's gaze couldn't help but follow the flow down her delicate collarbone, into... the deeper part of her body that rose and fell with her breath.
Quan Zhilong felt a dryness in his throat, and he lowered his eyes to hide his emotions.
He suddenly stepped forward and covered An Rufeng's eyes with his hand.
He couldn't control his eyes from lying.
As the gaze that had been directed at him disappeared, Kwon Ji-yong's emotions were no longer concealed. His eyes, which were fixed on An Yeo-poong, were filled with undisguised, burning, and intense feelings.
Kwon Ji-yong coughed lightly, controlling his voice, and said softly with a smile, "Ru Feng would ask that, isn't it because you've fallen for me?"
This may seem like a joke, but it actually reflects his expectations.
Kwon Ji-yong's tone carried a barely perceptible resentment. He was also very likable, so why didn't Ru Feng like him?
In what way is he inferior to others?
Kwon Ji-yong stared at An Joo-bong with his eyes lowered, revealing the deep infatuation, longing, love, and possessiveness that had been hidden in his eyes.
Kwon Ji-yong blocked most of the light in front of her, so An Ru-feng couldn't see and subconsciously nudged his hand.
Quan Zhilong felt An Rufeng's strength, and the hand covering his eyes did not waver. An Rufeng did not expect that although the hand pressing on his eyes was very light, it was not easy to push it away.
Kwon Ji-yong raised his other hand slightly and grasped her wrist, applying a little force.
An Rufeng felt her hand being easily restrained by an irresistible force as she tried to push him away.
Kwon Ji-yong slid his hand up her wrist, took her hand in his palm, and squeezed it.
His deep, magnetic voice said, "I don't dare let you look at me."
He spoke half-truthfully, continuing, "As everyone knows, I've captivated countless fans. Many people like me. What if you fall for me?"
As he spoke, his eyes traced her face inch by inch, finally settling on her lips, his gaze darkening.
His burning gaze fell undisguisedly on An Rufeng's rosy lips, his eyes filled with a direct longing that she could only see when An Rufeng was not looking.
Kwon Ji-yong leaned forward, lowered his body, and slowly approached An Joo-bong. He finally stopped when he was about 10 centimeters away from her, suppressing his desire to kiss her.
An Ru Feng couldn't see Quan Zhilong and was oblivious to his aggressive gaze.
She couldn't see, but her other senses were unusually sensitive. Anru Feng could only feel that the breathing around her ears was a bit heavy.
"He doesn't swim much, so how come he seems to have swum several laps?" An Rufeng wondered.
Quan Zhilong's movements were very subtle, and An Rufeng felt no discomfort, so she let him do as he pleased.
As An Rufeng listened to his words, she tried to come up with a subtle way of saying it, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't think of anything.
Forget it, she's going back to her comfort zone.
An Rufeng couldn't figure it out, so she simply gave up. She was tired and wanted to go on strike completely. An ambiguous style didn't suit her.
She decided to be direct: "Mr. Kwon Ji-yong, since you know that many people like you, do you know that I like you too?"
"Or do you know perfectly well that I like you, but you're pretending not to know?"
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