Chapter 97 "Don't use your soft heart to gamble with other people's conscience."
Lu Yu's gaze fell heavily on the wall of the water glass in his hand, and Lin Che keenly noticed the change in Lu Yu's mood.
Lin Che held Lu Yu's hand in his. He looked at the tense lines on Lu Yu's face and hesitated for a moment before asking softly, "Lu Yu, back then...how did Jinshu and him break up?"
Lu Yu's body stiffened imperceptibly. He slowly raised his head, his deep gaze meeting Lin Che's.
Silence stretched between the two for a few seconds, with only the faint sound of heavy snow falling outside the window.
Finally, Lu Yu seemed to have unloaded a heavy burden and let out a soft breath. He put down his water cup and leaned back against the sofa, but his grip on Lin Che's hand didn't loosen; instead, it tightened.
"Twenty-two years old." Lu Yu's voice deepened, carrying a sense of distance that pierced through time. "Jinshu was only twenty-two years old that year, still studying abroad. Young and innocent, he had the purest vision of love. Jiang Tingyun... back then, he was sharper than he is now, but also more... penniless."
"His meeting with Jinshu was probably the only light in his gloomy life." Lu Yu's tone was calm, but with a subtle hint of sarcasm. "They fell in love at first sight, and their love was...very intense. Jinshu almost fell out with her family for him."
Lin Che listened quietly, imagining the young and energetic Lu Jinshu who was willing to do anything for love.
"But Jiang Tingyun's identity meant he couldn't offer Jinshu a stable future." Lu Yu's fingertips unconsciously caressed the back of Lin Che's hand. "He was just an illegitimate child of the Jiang family, unacknowledged and even deliberately suppressed. You can probably imagine the quagmire the Jiang family was in. He couldn't protect himself at the time, his future was uncertain, and he had almost nothing but a deep sense of resentment and so-called sincerity."
Lu Yu paused, his eyes becoming more complicated, "He wants to elope with Jinshu."
"Elope?" Lin Che widened his eyes slightly. This word, which was full of romance and tragedy, made people feel heavy when it came out of Lu Yu's mouth.
"Yeah." Lu Yu nodded. "He probably wanted to use this most decisive way to prove his love and escape from the suffocating environment. Jinshu... Jinshu at that time was really willing to go with him."
"And then?" Lin Che asked softly, sensing a turning point was about to come.
A bitter arc appeared on Lu Yu's lips, showing his disapproval of Jiang Tingyun's choice, but also seemed to be mixed with a hint of unspeakable understanding.
"Then he backed off."
"On the eve of Jinshu packing her bags and preparing to leave with him, he took the initiative to break up."
Lin Che's heart sank.
"He said," Lu Yu's voice turned cold as he repeated the cruel words he had said back then, "He didn't want Jinshu to suffer with him. He said he couldn't give Jinshu the comfortable life and bright future she deserved. Rather than letting her wander with him and witness the vicissitudes of life, it would be better to... let her go."
Lin Che could imagine how painful Lu Jinshu must have been at that time.
I was ready to embrace love with joy, but was pushed off the cliff by the person I loved most.
"Jinshu..." Lin Che's voice was a little hoarse, "She must be heartbroken."
"It was more than just heartbreak." Lu Yu's eyes darkened. "It was a devastating blow. She was such a proud person... Afterwards, she shut herself off for a long time, hardly communicating with anyone. Later, she completely severed all contact with Jiang Tingyun and left the city alone."
"And Jiang Tingyun," Lu Yu's voice was filled with cold mockery, "probably thought his 'sacrifice' was great, that a clean break was the best outcome for Jinshu. He probably thought Jinshu would quickly forget him and start a new life."
"He had no idea," Lu Yu's gaze fell on Lin Che's face, with a deep sense of powerlessness. "Not long after he broke up, Jinshu found out she was pregnant."
Lin Che's heart suddenly clenched. A heartbroken young girl, having just been cruelly abandoned by the man she deeply loved, discovered she was pregnant with his child... What kind of despair and struggle would that be?
"She didn't tell anyone, not even her family." Lu Yu's voice lowered, filled with heartache for his sister. "She was alone in a foreign country, silently enduring the physical and mental suffering, and made the decision to give birth to An An. Then, she raised him alone until... An An was almost two years old, and then she brought the child back to us."
The living room fell into a long silence. Outside the window, the snow seemed to fall even harder, silently covering the entire world. Under the warm yellow light, Lu Yu's recounting of the past weighed on their hearts like a heavy piece of ice.
Lu Yu held Lin Che's hand tightly with his backhand. He looked at the pain and shock clearly visible in Lin Che's eyes and whispered, "So, Cheche, do you think Jiang Tingyun's words of 'sincere' and 'painful' can offset everything Jinshu has endured alone for the past five years? Can it make him naturally approach An An?"
Lin Che couldn't answer. He was actually a little shaken when Jiang Tingyun came to see him in the hospital today.
After hearing Lu Yu tell the truth between them, he turned to look at the heavy snow outside, and felt that the sentence "We each had our own difficulties back then" perfectly described his state of mind.
Lin Che turned to look at Lu Yu, who was still firmly holding his hand. Under the light, Lu Yu's profile was still tense, his jawline a cold and hard curve. But when he felt Lin Che's gaze, his deep eyes immediately turned to meet Lin Che's.
“Everyone has their own difficulties…” Lin Che chewed on these words silently in his heart, feeling an indescribable bitterness rising up in his throat.
"Don't use your soft heart to gamble with other people's conscience." Lu Yu raised his other hand and gently stroked Lin Che's slightly cold cheek with his fingertips covered with thin calluses. The low voice sounded clearly in Lin Che's ears.
Lin Che nodded solemnly, all the confusion and uncertainty settling down at that moment. He realized with absolute clarity that no matter how sincere Jiang Tingyun was, no matter how powerful he was, it was nothing compared to the bottom line set by Lu Yu.
He no longer dwelled on Jiang Tingyun's motives or pain; they became distant and vague.
Lin Che's world was now clearly focused on the man before him who held up his world. He snuggled into Lu Yu's embrace, burying his face in his sturdy shoulder, deeply absorbing the reassuring breath.
Lin Che closed his eyes in the silence. All he could hear were the intertwined breathing and heartbeats.
————
A few days later, in the evening, Lin Che had just finished a day's work and walked towards the hospital's underground parking lot.
The air was filled with the unique chill of underground space and a faint smell of gasoline.
Just as he reached the passage to his parking space, his steps suddenly stopped.
In the dim light, a tall, straight figure leaned against a nearby supporting column. Between his fingers, he held a half-burned cigarette, the crimson flame flickering in the gloom, the swirling smoke blurring the outline of his stern face.
It’s Jiang Tingyun.
He seemed to have been waiting for a long time, his posture showing a deliberately maintained calmness, but the fine cigarette ash on his dark gray suit, which was out of tune with the neat environment, revealed his inner anxiety.
Seeing Lin Che appear, Jiang Tingyun immediately extinguished his cigarette, his movements deliberately sharp. He stood up and took a few steps toward Lin Che, stopping at a distance that wouldn't appear too offensive, but was still close enough to block her path.
"Mr. Lin..." Jiang Tingyun's voice sounded, with a deliberate and even somewhat excessive apology, "I'm so sorry to bother you again."
"Mr. Jiang, I remember I made it very clear. Before Jinshu makes a decision, please do not approach me in any way, or try to contact anyone or anything related to An An through me." Lin Che turned his head to look at Jiang Tingyun's face and spoke calmly while raising his hand to unlock the car.
He deliberately emphasized the words "any way", his eyes still staring straight at Jiang Tingyun without any avoidance. The dim light of the parking lot fell on his handsome face, reflecting a sense of alienation that kept people at a distance.
The apology on Jiang Tingyun's face froze for a moment, then turned into a deeper and more complicated expression. He seemed to want to explain, but ultimately chose to be more direct and frank.
"I know." Jiang Tingyun's voice deepened, with a frankness that was almost desperate, and he even gave up his previous deliberate humble attitude. "I understand that my behavior has crossed the line. But I... can't wait."
He leaned forward slightly, and in those eyes that were extremely similar to An An's, there was now a surge of strong emotions that Lin Che had never seen before - anxiety, pain, and a hint of...almost desperate pleading.
"Mr. Lin, I know that President Lu treats you...very differently." Jiang Tingyun's gaze locked onto Lin Che, as if trying to penetrate his calm exterior. "I've checked. Or rather, it's not difficult to find out. President Lu's protection of you is practically impenetrable."
"So?" Lin Che's voice was as cold as ice. "Mr. Jiang, are you threatening me, or hinting at something?"
"No! It's definitely not a threat!" Jiang Tingyun immediately denied it, his tone urgent. "I just... I just want to make a fact clear! Precisely because I know how much President Lu values you, and because I know that my path to influencing Jinshu and An'an through you has been almost completely blocked by President Lu, I have no choice but to... resort to this desperate measure and wait for you here!"
He took a deep breath, as if trying to calm his overly excited emotions: "Mr. Lin, I have no other choice! Jinshu...she doesn't want to see me at all! All the letters and gifts sent to the old house were returned unopened. All the calls trying to contact her were blocked. I didn't even have the chance to see An An from a distance!"
Jiang Tingyun looked at Lin Che almost pleadingly, the composure and dignity that belonged to a superior completely gone at this moment.
The light from the underground garage shone palely on the two of them. The air seemed to freeze, leaving only the monotonous hum of the exhaust fan.
Lin Che looked at the face in front of her that was filled with pain and pleading, and saw the light in his eyes that was exactly the same as An An's, but now filled with despair.
Lu Yu'an's childish face and Jiang Tingyun's face, who was now making a humble request in the parking lot, overlapped in Lin Che's swollen brain, impacting his senses.
Lu Yu's deep and firm voice resounded in Lin Che's mind like a warning bell:
"Don't use your soft heart to gamble with other people's conscience."
"Let Jinshu choose her own path. But An'an's peace must be protected."
"No matter what the reason for his return... he can only wait and beg."
Is Jiang Tingyun’s pain at this moment real?
Maybe.
Was his plea humble?
Indeed.
But what does this pain and humiliation matter compared to the five years that Jinshu has endured alone, the fatherly love that Anan lacks, and the bottom line that Lin Che must uphold?
Lin Che shook his head slowly and firmly, and the last trace of hesitation on his face completely disappeared.
"Mr. Jiang," Lin Che's voice echoed clearly in the empty garage, "I cannot empathize with your pain, nor am I qualified to judge. But Jinshu and An'an's life is not the antidote you need to alleviate your guilt and longing."
"I cannot agree to your request. Without Jinshu's explicit permission, I will not reveal a single word about them to you."
He leaned slightly aside, as if preparing to leave, but his gaze remained fixed sharply on Jiang Tingyun's face. "Your current behavior has seriously disturbed me. If you truly respect Jinshu's wishes and the Lu family's bottom line as you said, then please leave immediately. Do not attempt to contact me or appear before me in any way again."
Lin Che paused, her tone carrying a final warning: "Otherwise, the next time it will not be me standing in front of you."
Both of them knew the subtext of this sentence - that would be Lu Yu, and Lu Yu's untouchable thunder method.
After saying this, Lin Che stopped looking at Jiang Tingyun's face which had instantly turned grey and hopeless. He turned around swiftly, opened the car door and stepped in. Behind him, Jiang Tingyun pressed the tip of the injection needle, which he had gotten from somewhere, directly against Lin Che's neck.
"Mr. Lin, I don't want this to happen either." Jiang Tingyun's voice was low and rapid, and every word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, with a chilling chill. "You are very good, really very good. Lu Yu's vision... is indeed poisonous. But... I have no way out."
Lin Che tilted his head slightly to see the familiar syringe filled with medicine. He didn't dare move. The needle in Jiang Tingyun's hand was right on his carotid artery. Through the distorted reflection of the car window, Lin Che clearly saw the madness in Jiang Tingyun's eyes.
"Close the car door." Jiang Tingyun's voice rang out behind Lin Che's ear. The needle tip pushed forward again, and a slight stinging sensation was felt. "Slowly withdraw it. Don't try to be cunning, Doctor Lin. You know very well what the substance in this needle will do when it enters a blood vessel. It's enough to give you a peaceful sleep for a few hours, or even... longer."
Lin Che's heart was pounding wildly. He knew clearly that Jiang Tingyun's goal wasn't to kill him, but to control him. But this didn't alleviate his fear in the slightest. Being forcibly injected with an unknown dose of drugs would have equally disastrous consequences.
He followed his instructions and, using extremely slow movements to avoid any overreaction from the other party, withdrew his foot from the car and gently closed the door. The slight "click" of metal closing was particularly harsh in the dead silence of the garage.
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