Chapter 74
Qiu An sighed softly.
"If we take away our identities, we are nothing. If we take away our purpose, there is no reason for us to meet. Don't go around in circles. Just say what you want to say right here."
"Here?" Chang Yuqing stretched out his index finger from the hand on her shoulder and drew a circle in the air.
The surroundings were silent. In front of the restaurant was a parking lot, with only customers getting in and out of their cars, rushing expertly to their destinations. The lights were dim, not shining on them, nor on the paparazzi and rats hiding in the darkness, busy sniffing out news.
"There are so many people here, and what I'm about to say is a bit shady, okay? Are you sure you want to say it here?"
"We can go back to the private room. I think you and I don't need the money to open another table."
The mention of a private room brought back the tingling sensation in his wrist. Chang Yuqing silently loosened his grip around Qiu An, letting out a dry laugh to mask his lingering fear. "Haha. As for money, of course I'm not short of it. It's just that you, Mr. Qiu, lack a bit of fun. Life is only a few decades long. Why go back and eat the same grass you've already had?"
As she spoke, her eyes wandered, vaguely glancing at Song Song who was standing by with her head down.
Song Song is like a well-behaved and uncivilized robot, unable to hear words that he shouldn't hear.
"Come in the car, let's talk inside."
Chang Yuqing walked to the passenger seat, and Song Song got in the car before her.
The only seat left for Qiu An was in the back row. Qiu An was a little hesitant and still stood there motionless.
"Are you worried? Can't you trust Song Song?"
Chang Yuqing hooked his finger at Song Song in the car. Song Song handed him a small object, and Chang Yuqing immediately threw it to Qiu An.
Qiu An reached out to catch it reflexively, and when he looked in front of him, he found that it was the car keys.
"Come on, old antique. The key won't leave your hand. Really, who do you think we are? You're so defensive! With your stubbornness, you'll definitely jump out of the car if it really drives away. If something happens to you, I'll be a sinner for all eternity." Chang Yuqing said sarcastically, bent down and got into the car.
Qiu An clenched the keys in his hand and got into the car.
The car was turned off, with only the small rear lights on. The rearview mirror had been adjusted at some point, focusing on the back seat instead of the rear window.
The moonlight could not shine into the dark front row. She could not see Chang Yuqing and Song Song clearly in the rearview mirror, but she could clearly see herself sitting in the middle.
It's like interrogating a criminal.
Chang Yuqing stared at her in the darkness as if he was watching a fire, calm and composed, his eyes not turning away, just like a hunter waiting for the opportunity.
There was silence in the car for a second, and then Chang Yuqing said quietly, "Ms. Qiu, you've been away for so long, I wonder if you still remember the way back?"
As expected, it was the thing she least wanted to face. It finally happened.
Her face remained calm, but her heart was filled with bitterness. Before she could help Ranlong deal with this woman, she had already caught her first.
"I don't know if you still remember your name when you came here? Hmm? Jiang Huan? Did I get the right person? If it wasn't you, it would be a huge mistake."
Jiang Huan.
Suddenly hearing this name that she had gotten rid of for many years, Qiu An's clenched fists were filled with sweat. The car keys pressed against her tense palms, as if they were about to swell and embed into her flesh.
Even so, she tried hard to control her expression so that Chang Yuqing wouldn't see her panic through the rearview mirror.
Chang Yuqing is not a pushover either.
She was keenly aware that Qiu An was using silence to cover up his burgeoning anger.
After all, this was her past that she had spent so much effort to bury, and it was suddenly dug out so easily that she was stunned for a while.
"Haha, it's Checkmate, Miss Qiu~"
"What on earth do you want to do?"
Qiu An's patience was exhausted, and she didn't want to listen to Chang Yuqing's self-proclaimed witty nonsense anymore.
Chang Yuqing revealed her past bit by bit, like stripping off her clothes piece by piece, or even more like being tortured by slow slicing.
"Don't be anxious, I didn't mean to threaten you with those things!" Chang Yu seemed to be moved by his own mercy. He looked in the rearview mirror and found that Qiu An didn't even blink.
Really, isn't she an upright person who sticks to her word?
You only remember her bad reputation and don't see any good things about her, right?
"I figured there's no point in digging up these rotten past events. However, I do have some news about the 'future' that I'd like to trade with you."
"If Miss Chang is determined to keep me in suspense, I'll excuse me for not keeping you company any longer." Qiu An reached out and touched the door handle.
Chang Yuqing saw this and quickly turned aside to stop her: "Hey, hey, hey! Why are you in such a hurry? Can't we just talk about it calmly and slowly?"
Seeing Qiu An let go of her hand, she relaxed and lay back in her chair. Her voice sounded lazy but playful again: "What's the matter with all the fuss? It's not a matter of life and death."
Suddenly, she changed the subject, her tone becoming passionate with excitement:
"Oh! It really seems like a matter of life and death!"
Qiu An frowned, his ears stood up, and his left hand unconsciously clenched the center line of his pants. His fingers accidentally pinched into the flesh without him noticing.
"Jiang Huan, you remember him, but what about Jiang Ting?"
"Jiang Ting?! She..."
When the usually calm Qiu An heard this name, he threw away all his reserve and composure, lunged forward, and climbed onto the back of the front seat, like a tiger out of control, wanting to tear the two people in the seat into pieces at any time.
Chang Yuqing was startled by the pounce, but he suppressed the spasms in his back muscles caused by fear and remained calm, saying, "Yes, she's still alive."
No one in the car said a word, only the rustling sound of the Patek Philippe rotor on Chang Yuqing's wrist could be heard.
Only Qiu An's heart was filled with raging storms and roaring non-stop.
After a while, Qiu An closed his eyes, adjusted his breathing, and calmed down a little.
Jiang Ting has been dead for a long time.
She told herself in her heart.
Chang Yuqing is a person who will do anything to achieve her goals. She must be deceiving her. Don't waver at this moment, don't fall into the trap she has laid...
Don't believe it.
If Chang Yuqing were to find this weak spot, not only would she be unable to protect herself, but what if it affected Ran Long... Absolutely not.
She opened her eyes and said calmly, "Jiang Ting is dead."
"Oh? So sure? Did you see her body with your own eyes?"
No.
"Of course I have, otherwise I wouldn't say that."
"That's strange. If you saw her body, then who is this person in my phone?" Chang Yuqing placed a photo in front of Qiu An.
In the photo, there is a shy little girl sitting upright. She is wearing a plain shirt and jeans, and she is giving the camera a sweet yet slightly unnatural smile.
Jiang Ting is eight years younger than Qiu An. If she were still alive, she would be twenty years old this year and would be in college.
She is exactly the age of the girl in the photo, as beautiful as a flower and a painting.
More than ten years have passed, and the little girl still often appears in Qiu An's dreams.
Whenever he dreamed of her, Qiu An would wake up in shock and suffer from insomnia all night.
The little girl in the photo had a scarlet birthmark on her chin, exactly the same as in my memory.
Is it really Jiang Ting?
The grown-up Jiang Ting?
Qiu An reached out to take the phone to see what was going on, but Chang Yuqing did not agree. Before her fingers touched the screen, he pulled the phone back and turned off the screen.
The feeling of being teased is not pleasant, especially for Qiu An, who is walking on a tightrope on the edge of mental collapse.
Seeing that Chang Yuqing refused to give it to her, she suddenly reached forward and stretched out her hand to grab it.
In the blink of an eye, Song Song, who had been standing by silently, suddenly turned around and clamped Qiu An's attacking hands.
Qiu An's center of gravity shifted and he was unable to break free from Song Song's restraints for a while.
"Miss Qiu, please respect yourself."
Her voice drifted faintly from above. Qiu An turned his head and saw her. Her calm eyes took in all the light, but she greedily could not let out a single bit.
"Let me go."
"I won't let go."
Song Song's gaze still shone calmly into Qiu An's eyes. To use a better word to describe it, it could be called "firm."
Qiu An understood.
Even if she was determined to fight to the death with Chang Yuqing, Song Song would not let go of her hand.
She would stand in front of Chang Yuqing and duel with her until one of them's life was burned out and fell to the ground.
Chang Yuqing initially refused to meet her, but suddenly changed his mind. It was not because of her sudden interest, but a carefully planned trap from beginning to end.
Chang Yuqing took into account her perseverance and repeatedly refused her on the surface, but in fact he was conducting a thorough investigation behind her back.
Because Chang Yuqing knew that if he dug out the secret behind her, he would get the most valuable bargaining chip.
Everyone knew Qiu An's weaknesses. The more something was hidden from the public, the more deadly it was. Even if she protected herself well, even the most formidable ant-blooded creature would be vulnerable to Chang Yuqing's might.
Chang Yuqing couldn't see Qiu An's expression, but in the two seconds when she paused, she knew that Qiu An had figured it out.
In fact, based on Chang Yuqing's original personality, she would never be interested in someone like Qiu An.
Industry secrets were the gossip of their after-dinner conversations. She had long heard that this independent, popular actress had a strong personality and repeatedly rejected offers of "help" from the bigwigs. If not for this, with her looks and figure, she would have landed a job long ago, instead of being a bit player for years.
What's more, this girl had nothing to begin with. No matter how much effort you put into plundering and stripping her, it would only bring her back to square one. What's the point?
If she treats money, fame and fortune as external things, nothing can shake her.
As for beliefs, principles and so on, Chang Yuqing couldn't figure these things out, so he didn't know where to start.
People like her don't want to cause trouble for themselves. So if she doesn't understand something, she simply doesn't get involved. People should play to their strengths and avoid their weaknesses. God gave her money and power, so why not use them?
So she has never been willing to provoke tough guys like Qiu An.
Chang Yuqing thought it was a lucky thing that Ranlong was only soft-banned that year.
She did accidentally forget about Ranlong because she met a new toy, a person who came from a humble background but was high and mighty, yet targeted her everywhere.
She was just looking for some girls in the bar who wanted to take shortcuts to have fun. It was a consensual thing. How could it be as dirty as Song Song said?
It's all based on contracts, it's reasonable and legal, do you know?
Song Song didn't know that she not only spread bad words about her everywhere, but also deliberately made the cocktail she served her taste terrible.
At first, Chang Yuqing thought that Song Song was trying to find another way to attract her attention. She had seen many people like this and didn't take it seriously at all.
But Song Song hated her, she really hated her.
But it was this person who suddenly changed his temper one day and handed her a video that was later transmitted to thousands of households.
The reason was that the elderly person in the family was sick.
For such a simple reason, she betrayed her friends and her self-righteous soul.
ridiculous!
The elderly in the family were sick, and she, a descendant of the next generation, was expected to work hard to raise money? Those who were barely surviving in such a family were dead, and living was just a waste of oxygen and resources. Why was there any point in spending so much money to save them?
However, she had no reason to refuse this delicious food that was delivered to her door.
Of course, she had already arranged for someone to wait for the videotape, as it was worthless. However, the person who sent the videotape was much more interesting.
Song Song did not refuse her.
Chang Yuqing learned a lesson from her from then on.
That is, people who have nothing also have something worth losing.
She didn't quite understand faith, principles, love, etc. But she had a capable assistant to help her understand.
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