Chapter Thirty: The Eternal Night of Jiangcheng
The brass pendulum swayed.
Chen Kan sank into the sofa, his shadow cast on the wall, curled up and twisted, like a giant beast being devoured.
His eyes were bloodshot as he fell into deep thought.
That night, he was holding the divorce decree and was going to find Lin Tang to share the good news, but as soon as he reached the alley entrance, he saw Qiao Yuan's black car parked downstairs in Lin Tang's building.
Under the dim streetlights, Qiao Yuan's figure was reflected in the second-floor window, his tall shadow looming over Lin Tang...
Chen Kan stood there, his hands clenched so tightly that the edges of the judgment were crumpled into a ball, and blood seeped from between his fingers, but he didn't feel any pain.
He stood there, watching the lights in her room go out, watching Qiao Yuan's car parked all night.
He lit the half-burnt cigarette. The smoke enveloped his shadow.
Uncle Zhong came in quietly, like an old cat.
He looked at Chen Kan, who was curled up on the sofa, his eyes deep and unfathomable. He spoke cautiously, yet with a hint of mockery: "Young Master Kan, what about Miss Lin..."
“She confronted me,” Chen Kan, who wasn’t used to smoking, stammered as he exhaled smoke, almost coughing, “saying that she only cares about Qiao Yuan. Uncle Zhong, I really don’t understand, after all I’ve done for her, why would she still treat me like this?”
Uncle Zhong's smile was like poison dipped in honey, his voice carrying the cold indifference of someone with experience: "Women, especially women who have been entangled by men like Qiao Yuan. He would turn sweet words into syrup, wrap them around a knife, and feed them to her. Even though she's being stabbed in the heart, she still thinks it's the sweetest taste in the world. Young master, how can your sincerity compare to his gambling with his life and lies?"
Chen Kan clenched his fists tightly, his eyes like moonlight dipped in water, cool yet still carrying a lingering warmth. "But Qiao Yuan is clearly using her!" he said hoarsely.
"What does it matter whether you use him or not?" Uncle Zhong said. "Qiao Yuan is protecting Lin Tang, but he's only protecting his money bag and his pawns. Young Master, as long as you get rid of Qiao Yuan according to the plan, won't everything be yours? Just like what he did to you back then! What do you care about, what are you afraid of?"
"So what should I do next?" He looked up, the confusion in his eyes fading, replaced by calmness and malice.
Uncle Zhong chuckled, pulled an envelope from his pocket, and placed it on the coffee table. The envelope was stained with ink, like a drop of blood that hadn't been wiped clean. "Speaking of the news from Sato's side, they're going to bomb Lin Tang's factory the night after tomorrow. They call it an 'accident,' but in reality, they want to kill nine out of ten workers and seize the land in Hongkou. Don't you think if you show up after the bombing, wouldn't that be a chance to catch them red-handed?"
"No!" Chen Kan stood up abruptly, his chair crashing to the ground with a jarring sound. "Lin Tang's factory has over a hundred workers; this is murder!"
“Young Master,” Uncle Zhong’s voice was like a rope slowly tightening around Chen Kan’s neck, “Have you forgotten? The Chen family doesn’t want mercy, they want results. If the factory explodes, Lin Tang will have nowhere to turn but to come to you; if Qiao Yuan saves her, then he will have to break ties with the Japanese. Either way, you will win.”
Chen Kan stared at the envelope in Uncle Zhong's hand: "Can you guarantee that Lin Tang will be alright?"
Uncle Zhong laughed and pushed the envelope in front of him: "Young master, the Japanese want the land, not her life. Besides, if something really happens to her, wouldn't you have a more legitimate reason to avenge her?"
Chen Kan picked up the envelope, his Adam's apple bobbing, his voice as cold as ice: "Don't let anything happen to her."
The door creaked shut, and Chen Kan slumped onto the sofa, staring at the wall clock. The pendulum swung back and forth, swinging back to that rainy night when he hid behind a tree in the old house in Hongkou, watching Lin Tang and Qiao Yuan's shadows merge into one.
"Lin Tang..." he whispered her name, as if reciting a cursed incantation, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the envelope in the inner pocket until his fingertips were burning.
...
In the living room of the Qiao residence, the gramophone was still playing the lyrics of "The Peony Pavilion," with the phrase "A beautiful day, a lovely scene, but what a pity!" filling the entire room.
Qiao Yuan leaned back on the sofa, his left hand wrapped in gauze, blood seeping out and staining the white gauze a light red.
Cheng Qing came in carrying a bowl of medicine. Seeing his hand, she frowned and placed the bowl on the coffee table: "Master Qiao, you've aggravated your wound again."
Qiao Yuan looked up and saw that she was wearing a moon-white cheongsam. He was stunned for a moment, then laughed: "Don't imitate Jin Tang."
A hint of disappointment flashed in Cheng Qing's eyes, but she quickly smiled again: "I thought Master Qiao would like me dressed up as your sister." She picked up the medicine bowl, scooped up a spoonful, blew on it, and held it to his lips. "Drink your medicine. The doctor said it's only effective when it's warm. It's very bitter, so I prepared some candied dates."
Qiao Yuan looked into her eyes, which held a mixture of ingratiation and timidity, like a frightened fawn.
He took the bowl, drank it down in one gulp, and frowned at the bitterness. But then his tongue suddenly touched a candied date. It was one that Cheng Qing had already put in his mouth.
"Is it sweet?" Cheng Qing leaned closer, her eyes sparkling.
Qiao Yuan turned his head to the side and said, "Cheng Qing, if possible, I'd still like to see you off!"
Cheng Qing's eyes dimmed instantly.
Just then, Ah Chen's voice came from outside the door: "Master Qiao, it's Miss Cheng on the phone."
Cheng Qing's face turned pale instantly. She grabbed Qiao Yuan's arm and said, "Mr. Qiao, I... I'll go get him."
Qiao Yuan remained indifferent.
Cheng Qing stood up, walked to the door, then turned back, her eyes glistening with tears: "Master Qiao, if anything happens to me, please remember... remember to see me off."
Qiao Yuan nodded, watching her figure disappear into the corridor.
About fifteen minutes later, Cheng Qing returned, his face pale.
Qiao Yuan sat up straight: "What's wrong?"
Cheng Qing walked to his side, her voice trembling like a leaf shivering in the wind: "Sato wants me to go..."
She bit her lip, her face turning pale.
Qiao Yuan said, "If you don't want to go, then you don't have to go."
A fleeting glint appeared in Cheng Qing's eyes, but she immediately shook her head and said, "Master Qiao, I still want to go. If he does anything to harm you, I can tell you..."
Qiao Yuan suddenly fell silent.
As Qiao Yuan stared at the flickering lights in the corridor, he suddenly felt like a flying insect trapped in a spider web, the more it struggled, the tighter it became.
He reached for his cigarette pack, only to find it empty. Frustrated, he threw it on the floor. The wooden floorboards creaked, startling a gecko in the corner, which darted into a crack in the wall.
Just then, Ah Chen's footsteps came. He stood at the door with his head down and said, "Master Qiao, Miss Cheng asked me to pass on a message that she will be careful."
Qiao Yuan nodded, his fingers unconsciously rubbing his injured left hand; the bloodstains on the gauze had already dried.
He walked to the window and looked down at the sycamore trees. The leaves had fallen to the ground, like a carpet of gold. The wind swirled the leaves, making a soft, rustling sound as they hit the windowsill.
...
Qiao Yuan stood there until late at night.
"Master Qiao!" Ah Chen's voice came, tinged with panic, "Miss Cheng is back, she... she seems to have had an accident!"
Qiao Yuan suddenly seemed to snap out of his daze, abruptly stubbed out his cigarette, and ran downstairs.
As soon as I entered the living room, I saw Cheng Qing sitting on the sofa. Her face was as pale as a water ghost, blood was hanging from the corner of her mouth, her hair was messy, and her moon-white cheongsam was torn.
When she saw Qiao Yuan, she quickly stood up, but stumbled.
Qiao Yuan helped her up, frowning as he examined her: "How could this happen?"
Cheng Qing grabbed his arm, her voice trembling, "Sato...Sato said I was favoring you, this is his lesson to me!" Tears streamed down her face, "Master Qiao, I'm scared..."
Qiao Yuan felt guilty for a moment. He took out a handkerchief and wiped the blood off Cheng Qing's face: "It's okay, I'm here."
He picked up Cheng Qing and carried her into the room under A Chen's watchful gaze.
Cheng Qing looked up into his eyes, her voice trembling with emotion: "Master Qiao, I overheard Sato and his men talking about how they're planning to bomb Lin Tang's factory! They say it's an accident, but actually they want to kill nine out of ten workers and seize the land in Hongkou!"
Qiao Yuan's hand clenched tightly, his knuckles turning white, the wound throbbing painfully, but he was completely oblivious. "Are you sure...when?"
Cheng Qing shrugged, but still nodded and said, "I heard it with my own ears. Sato said, 'If we turn that factory into ruins, no one will dare to compete with the Imperial Army for land in Hongkou anymore.'"
Qiao Yuan immediately stumbled and walked out.
Cheng Qing said anxiously, "Master Qiao, your wound hasn't healed yet!"
He brushed her hand away, his fingertips brushing against the back of her hand like a cold, hard stone: "Achen!"
Ah Chen, who was outside the door, immediately came in. Seeing Qiao Yuan standing with his arm around the table, blood seeping out from the gauze again, he quickly stepped forward to support him: "Master Qiao, where are you going?"
"Go to Lin Tang's factory." Qiao Yuan grabbed his coat from the sofa. "The Japanese are going to bomb the factory!"
Ah Chen's expression changed: "Master Qiao, you're injured. Should I take the brothers to check first?"
Qiao Yuan shook his head and insisted, "No, I have to go in person. If anything happens to Jintang..." He paused, swallowing the rest of his sentence.
She smiled, her fingertips gently stroking the watch cover, and turned to walk into the living room. The gramophone was still playing "The Peony Pavilion," the lyrics "What a pity that such a beautiful day is wasted" filling the room like a thin thread, making one feel suffocated.
When Qiao Yuan got into the car, the moon outside the window was covered by dark clouds, looking like a silver plate covered in dust.
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