Chapter 35 Reunion
◎“I should use every means possible, even if you hate me, I will keep you by my side.”◎
Lin Yujing stood frozen behind the window, so nervous that she forgot to breathe.
Just as Chu Yan was about to knock on her door again, Chen Jingshu's voice came from the courtyard, stopping him, "Alright, Chu Yan, don't disturb her rest. Just leave the New Year's gifts at the door."
Chu Yan shrugged, trying to justify himself, "I guess the young lady isn't here, otherwise she wouldn't have ignored me. Well, Jing-ge, if you see her come back, let her know."
Chen Jingshu hummed in agreement and urged him, "Aren't you tired? Go back and rest."
Before leaving, Chu Yan tidied up the courtyard for Chen Jingshu, then hummed a song as he left. Chen Jingshu then went upstairs.
He still didn't even glance at her room out of the corner of his eye.
The courtyard fell silent again, and her heart, too, sank into loneliness and desolation once more.
It's unclear whether it's self-pity or a hidden sympathy for Chen Jingshu.
-
Lin Yujing stood behind the window for a long time before finally noticing the three bags of ingredients on the floor.
One of the plastic bags was full of frozen food. The room was warm, and water was already faintly visible seeping from the floor.
Fearing that the water would damage the wooden floor, she hurriedly picked up the bag and went to the refrigerator. After quickly placing it there, she remembered the money she owed Su Xinyang.
The internet speed in the courtyard was very fast. After she finished paying her phone bill, Su Xinyang also accepted her friend request at the same time.
Lin Yujing transferred the money he had asked her to pay for the supermarket directly to him, thanked him, and thought that she had finally finished her chores for the day.
Unexpectedly, after receiving the money, Su Xinyang continued, "Every year on New Year's Eve, Pengbin Bay has fireworks. We've organized a New Year's Eve party; do you want to come along?"
Without even thinking, Lin Yujing refused outright: "No, I'm not very good at making friends."
Su Xinyang seemed unwilling to give up and continued to persuade him: "You must be so bored spending the holiday alone, come and have some fun! Plus, lots of friends will be coming that day, all young people, so I guarantee there won't be any awkward silences."
Lin Yujing sat on the carpet with her knees drawn up to her chest, her back pressed against the edge of the bed, thinking that Su Xinyang's words made some sense.
Besides, she can't keep herself locked up in her room forever; she still needs a normal social life.
After convincing herself, Lin Yujing stopped making excuses and replied, "Okay, thank you then."
Su Xinyang was clearly happier than her. [Don't thank me anymore, beautiful lady! I'll pick you up at your guesthouse tomorrow afternoon at six.]
Lin Yujing replied "okay," and then discovered that her professor, who was far away in the United States, had sent her an email.
Professor Lin: [Xiaojing, please organize your portfolio. I'm planning to recommend you for an art exhibition.]
Lin Yujing stared at the gold-embossed letter, almost exclaiming in surprise, "Professor, this is an art exhibition across the United States!"
Professor Lin: [Keep it up!]
Lin Yujing immediately became motivated and spent the whole afternoon working on PPT integration with her computer. When she looked up again, she found that the world had been plunged into darkness and the clock was pointing to 9:00 p.m.
Belatedly, she realized that she had only eaten bread and milk all day, and now her stomach was completely empty.
Lin Yujing reached out to turn on the light, intending to get up and find something to eat, but her knees buckled and she fell to the ground.
Before she could even cry out in pain, she heard a series of cracking sounds, like glass breaking, coming from upstairs, along with the muffled thuds of someone falling.
Chen Jingshu lives upstairs, so it's not hard to connect that to what Chu Yan said in the courtyard that afternoon.
Lin Yujing no longer cared about the injury on her leg, nor whether Chen Jingshu would find out that she lived here, and pushed open the door and ran upstairs.
When she ran upstairs to the second floor, she saw Chen Jingshu lying unconscious on the sofa, clutching his heart.
Perhaps due to unbearable pain, his face was contorted and deathly pale, even slightly bluish.
People with acute illnesses such as heart disease usually carry their medication with them.
Lin Yujing hurriedly searched his pockets, but after not finding the medicine, she looked at the table and the floor, and finally found the white medicine bottle that had rolled out under the table.
It must have been a special medicine; not long after Chen Jingshu took it, his complexion improved, though he remained in a daze.
Lin Yujing dared not stay here to watch over him for long, fearing that he might wake up at any moment.
But fearing that something else might happen if the night went on, he decided to use his phone to send a message to Chu Yan.
The black business phone was placed directly on the coffee table, and she found it without any effort, only to discover upon picking it up that it was password protected.
Lin Yujing's first reaction was to try Chen Jingshu's birthday—0627—but the system prompted an error.
Secondly, she thought of Chen Xuan's birthday. This time, the system not only prompted that the password was wrong, but also indicated that there was only one chance left.
Otherwise, the phone will automatically lock and can only be unlocked again after half an hour.
In a flash, a bold and adventurous idea flashed through Lin Yujing's mind, and she typed in, word by word—1222.
The screen unlocked instantly, and I was taken to the phone's home screen.
Suddenly, her fingers began to tremble. Looking at the unconscious person, she felt as if her heart was blocked by a wad of cotton, feeling both stuffy and itchy.
Because December 22nd is her birthday.
In the whole world, besides himself, he was the first person to remember her birthday.
Lin Yujing's eyes reddened and burned. If she hadn't still maintained her rationality, she would have forgotten that the purpose of unlocking his phone was to send a message to Chu Yan and find someone to watch over Chen Jingshu.
But what shocked her even more was what happened after she opened Chen Jingshu's WeChat.
The white WeChat interface is filled with various work group chats and chat boxes constantly popping up with messages. The red exclamation mark in the lower left corner always remains at 999+, making the pinned chat box look particularly lifeless.
She was especially familiar with that pinned WeChat profile picture.
A blue Tibetan antelope is a Q-version cartoon animal she drew herself, and she has been using it for three or four years now.
Chen Jingshu even pinned that WeChat account to the top of his chat and added a special note: "[My Aspirin]"
Now, Lin Yujing's entire nasal cavity began to feel sore and astringent.
Because aspirin is a drug, it is also the drug mainly used to treat Chen Jingshu's car accident and the heart disease caused by his family's recessive genetic inheritance.
Also because the WeChat account that was pinned to the top belonged to her.
Lin Yujing bit her lip tightly until she tasted the salty, metallic taste of blood in her mouth, which finally calmed her chaotic emotions caused by shock.
While waiting for Chu Yan to arrive, Lin Yujing first looked around the second floor.
It was discovered that Chen Jingshu only had the room cleaned and some damaged walls repaired; the hard furnishings and furniture arrangement were all old items from many years ago.
She even went to take a look at the room she used to live in, driven by selfish motives.
The door was locked, and she pushed it twice, but the wooden door only made a creaking sound.
Lin Yujing lowered her head, then turned around and glanced at Chen Xuan's room.
They discovered that even her favorite magnolia-patterned bed sheets were still carefully preserved. Both the floor and the bed were meticulously cleaned.
The dressing table and wardrobe mirror were polished to a shine. It was as if Chen Xuan had never left, and would return to sleep a little later.
With tears welling up in her eyes, Lin Yujing finally walked to the door of Chen Jingshu's room.
She strolled inside and reached out to touch the sheets. It felt as if the warmth of their passionate lovemaking from seven years ago still lingered.
But now, even sitting next to him and exchanging a few simple words feels like a luxury.
Lin Yujing returned to the second-floor living room and squatted down beside Chen Jingshu.
Looking at the person who was fast asleep, I carefully stretched out my finger to trace the bluish-gray stubble on his chin, and I also noticed that his usually aloof and roguish face had also shown the marks of time.
Most fatally, she saw in his face a broken and pale expression.
Lin Yujing no longer dared to even glance at him.
She was too afraid that she couldn't overcome her inner struggles, and she wanted to force a relationship, knowing it was impossible but still doing it anyway.
Just then, she heard the familiar sound of a car engine coming from the street; Chu Yan was coming.
Lin Yujing quickly put all the items back in their places, only noticing a camera on the coffee table as she was leaving.
She was surprised to find that the camera was still intact, because it was the first precious gift Chen Jingshu had given her, even though she had called it a second-hand camera with particular disdain, just to mock the boy.
But when she was about to leave, she still thought about the high price and only dared to take the moonlit fishing lantern, which was more valuable in terms of emotional significance.
After hearing the car engine stop running, Lin Yu made a snap decision but couldn't resist grabbing the camera from the corner of the table and running downstairs in a panic.
She was like a little mouse, regretting that she had stolen the camera, which would easily attract her owner's attention.
On the other hand, he couldn't suppress his curiosity about the camera.
When she returned to her room, the first thing she did was take out the card reader from her bag, anxiously waiting for the data connection while listening intently to the reaction upstairs.
-
When Chen Jingshu woke up, the first thing he saw was Chu Yan sitting next to him. He couldn't help but ask in confusion, "What are you doing here?"
Upon hearing this, Chu Yan seemed even more puzzled than him, "You sent me a WeChat message saying you weren't feeling well and asked me to come and keep you company."
Chen Jingshu sat up and touched his chest.
Recalling what had just happened, he did feel a sudden, piercing pain and a sense of suffocation, but he also clearly remembered that he hadn't sent a WeChat message to anyone.
So Chen Jingshu suspiciously took the phone and looked at the chat history with Chu Yan, and found that there really was a message left for him.
"Is it really me?" Chen Jingshu paced back and forth in the living room, murmuring to himself.
While playing the game, Chu Yan replied, "Your phone password is as difficult as the National Security Bureau's. Who else could it be but yourself sending me messages?"
They used to play drinking games and once enjoyed cracking Chen Jingshu's phone password.
However, over the years, no one has succeeded.
Chen Jingshu seemed to have thought of something, his throat suddenly tightened, and even the corner of his eye twitched.
He strolled to the floor-to-ceiling windows on the second floor and looked at the lights on the first floor, which had been off all day, now turning on.
When I turned around, I found that the camera I had placed on the coffee table to watch the footage was also gone.
He shrugged and let out a cold laugh from his abdomen.
“Brother Jing, this time your illness is really serious. I think it would be safer for us to go back to Yijing as soon as possible.”
“Yes!” A half-smile appeared in Chen Jingshu’s eyes, even carrying a hint of mockery for his own habitual self-delusion. “Indeed, he’s quite ill.”
That night, Chen Jingshu tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep, as if trapped by a mystery.
So he tapped Gao Jiadong's WeChat profile picture, and Gao quickly replied: "Boss, I'm here!"
This afternoon, he saw a figure in the supermarket parking lot that looked very much like Lin Yujing from behind, but there was a boy standing next to her at the time, so he didn't think much of it.
Looking back now, the two were not intimate at all, and even had the awkwardness of strangers.
He said that he wanted to remember every smile and frown of that person, so how could there be any possibility of him admitting his mistake?
Chen Jingshu: [Let me check the information of the tenants on the first floor.]
Gao Jiadong, known for his outspokenness, sent a voice message: "[Boss, this is the first time you've ever been curious about a customer's information.]"
Chen Jingshu couldn't understand what he was doing. He and Lin Yujing had made such a scene that day, with all sorts of resentment and farewells stabbing each other's vulnerabilities like flying knives.
But even the smallest detail about her still compels me to investigate further.
Gao Jiadong quickly sent him the order information, adding a reminder: "The young lady said it's best not to disturb each other. So, unless the boss has something urgent, it's better to contact me directly to communicate with the customer."
Chen Jingshu scoffed, thinking to himself that this was just how the girl was.
Being beautiful always attracts a swarm of admirers, and wherever she goes, a fishpond quickly forms for her.
The supermarket delivery guy is one example, and now even Gao Jiadong is protecting her like this.
As Chen Jingshu pondered, he opened the customer orders.
But the three words that met his eyes were—Jiang Tingyun. In that instant, all his previous fantasies were shattered.
Chen Jingshu could no longer hold back and dialed Gao Jiadong's number directly, "The client's name is Jiang Tingyun?"
Gao Jiadong was still a little confused and timidly replied, "Yes...is something wrong?"
Chen Jingshu sighed, sat up straight in bed, scratched his head after a while, and hung up the phone. "Okay, go to sleep."
The night was as thick as ink, and Chen Jingshu felt as if he were melting into this sticky ink, his mouth filled with a bitter and astringent taste.
After a long pause, he sighed and said to himself, "Seriously, what a load of rubbish, so full of self-delusion."
-
Lin Yujing spent the entire night looking at old photos in her camera, her dreams pulling her back to that year she loved most.
She celebrated Chen Xuan and Chen Jingshu's birthdays and Spring Festivals over and over again, repeating the cycle countless times throughout the night, yet she never tired of it.
Reluctantly, she didn't open her eyes until her phone alarm rang at noon the next day.
Looking up at the ceiling again, my mind was foggy, and for a moment I couldn't distinguish between reality and dreams.
Lin Yujing sighed, laughing at herself helplessly, before getting out of bed to wash up.
By the time she lingered and ate something more, it was already past four in the afternoon.
Su Xinyang seemed worried that she might stand him up, so he sent her a message in advance to say that it was getting colder in Pengzhen today and that she should remember to wear warm clothes when she went out.
Lin Yujing sent a thank-you message and then took out her makeup bag from her suitcase.
She rarely wears makeup; she mainly uses simple skincare and sun protection.
Today, I inexplicably wanted to give myself a makeover, and even braided my hair in front of the mirror.
At six o'clock, Su Xinyang sent a message saying that he had arrived at the Yilou B&B.
Lin Yujing slung her bag over her shoulder, took a hat off the coat rack and put it on her head, and only went out when she was completely covered up.
-
Lin Yujing got into Su Xinyang's car, and he first handed her a hot milk tea, saying, "It's cold, warm your hands."
"Thank you." Lin Yujing accepted it, and subconsciously glanced back at the second floor of the guesthouse.
She was surprised to find someone standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window on the second floor, which startled her.
Then he thought that he had just wrapped himself up very tightly, and that even if he walked right past Li Yan, she might not recognize him.
As Su Xinyang started the car, he said, "Thank you has practically become your catchphrase."
Lin Yujing's smile froze, and she no longer cared about her catchphrase, "Let's go quickly."
Along the way, Su Xinyang introduced Pengzhen to her.
Lin Yujing initially wanted to conceal the fact that she had stayed here for a while, but a few replies still exposed her.
"You lived here for a year before?" Su Xinyang asked in surprise, "So, you're from Pengzhen?"
Lin Yujing shook her head, "It's just that I have a very good friend who is from Pengzhen, so I thought of coming here to spend the New Year."
"Then why weren't you with your friends?"
Lin Yujing fell into deep thought, her smile becoming forced. After thinking it over, she had no choice but to change the subject, "Shall we go to Pengbin Bay?"
Just then, the car arrived at a simply yet exquisitely decorated leisure club next to Pengbin Bay Park. Su Xinyang laughed and replied, "In sub-zero weather, I'm not so clueless as to take a beautiful woman out to watch fireworks in the wind."
"Huh?" Lin Yujing was full of doubt and got out of the car with Su Xinyang.
“This club was invested in by a friend. There’s a private room that faces the Pengbin Bay fireworks display area, which is definitely the best viewing spot,” Su Xinyang said, while gentlemanly holding the elevator door open for her. “Please come in.”
Lin Yujing, clutching the bag strap, followed Su Xinyang all the way to the top floor of the club.
Unlike nightclub-style bars, leisure clubs have a more sophisticated and refined atmosphere in terms of furnishings and business philosophy.
It also incorporates a KTV, positioning itself as a place for young people to relax and have fun, thus becoming one of their favorite gathering places.
As soon as the two entered the private room, someone was waiting outside the door. "Old Su, you've finally arrived. Is this beautiful lady... your girlfriend?"
Before the man could finish speaking, Lin Yujing saw a man walking towards her.
Chen Jingshu was dressed casually, his hands in his pockets. He walked with a relaxed and natural gait, habitually keeping his back straight. Even the slightly fluttering hem of his clothes seemed like a favor bestowed upon him by the goddess of beauty.
The expression on her face was an inscrutable, ambiguous smile, its true meaning unfathomable. Yet, as she walked up to them, she simply brushed past them as if she were invisible.
"Ah Shu, you're actually back!" Su Xinyang exclaimed in surprise. "Look at this club you invested in, the brothers are doing a pretty good job running it!"
Chen Jingshu nodded, "I know Yang's abilities."
"Old Su, you still haven't answered me? Your girlfriend?" the man persisted.
Lin Yujing's expression was completely out of control, especially when facing Chen Jingshu.
Various feelings of guilt sprouted up like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.
Therefore, even the expression on her face when she looked at Chen Jingshu became particularly unnatural.
Fortunately, Su Xinyang quickly explained, "No, it's just a little girl who came to visit our Pengzhen, so I brought her along."
When Su Xinyang went to look at her again, he found her staring blankly at Chen Jingshu.
Unlike most girls who fall in love at first sight with Chen Jingshu, it's more like a reunion of old friends, a sense of destiny that brings back youthful memories.
"You two know each other?" Su Xinyang remembered that Lin Yujing said she would be 26 after the New Year, which would make her the same age as Chen Jingshu. They had both lived here for a year, so there was a possibility that they knew each other. After thinking for a moment, he slapped his thigh and said, "The guesthouse on the first floor where you are staying belongs to A-Shu."
Before Chen Jingshu could answer, Lin Yujing blurted out guiltily, "I don't know him. But it's quite a coincidence."
Chen Jingshu looked at her, said nothing, and only chuckled softly.
Su Xinyang smoothed things over, saying, "It's okay if you don't know each other. I'll introduce you two, and you'll get to know each other better."
Chen Jingshu patted Su Xinyang on the shoulder, walked right past Lin Yujing, and said casually, "No need for introductions. If she really wants to get to know me, she can just come over and clink glasses with me later."
Lin Yujing bit her lip, unsure whether to leave or stay.
Finally, Su Xinyang pushed her shoulders and pulled her into the private room.
They arrived late, and the private room was already full of people.
Seeing that Chen Jingshu was rarely home this year, they started playing drinking games in small groups.
Chu Yan didn't come with us today. Lin Yujing glanced at him several times, vaguely worried that someone would try to get him drunk.
Chen Jingshu seemed to have noticed her gaze as well, and looked back at her under the dazzling lights.
Their eyes met, and Lin Yujing quickly looked away.
"Let's play King's Game!" someone suggested.
The others chimed in, and soon enough, wine and playing cards were brought over.
"Come on, one card each. From A to K, the person with the highest number of cards can choose Truth or Dare for the person with the lowest number of cards."
"How old-fashioned it is! After all these years, it's still Truth or Dare."
"Tell me, is there anything more interesting than Truth or Dare?"
This made sense, and no one objected, so they began drawing cards in turn.
However, the King's Game is extremely easy to cheat, especially if the dealer is quick enough to send the smallest card to the person they want without anyone noticing.
The dealer for this round was a young woman, and her attention was drawn to Chen Jingshu the moment he entered the room.
Naturally, Chen Jingshu ended up with the fewest cards in this round.
The girl's friend chimed in, "Brother Jing, right now, call your girlfriend and tell her you miss her."
Lin Yujing subconsciously looked up at Chen Jingshu.
She noticed him rubbing his phone back and forth in his palm, then suddenly looked up, past the crowd, at her.
Lin Yujing's heart tightened, and he thought to himself that if he were to talk about girlfriends, he should call that Miss Jiang.
"Sorry, I'm single." To everyone's surprise, Chen Jingshu announced loudly.
This undoubtedly boosted the confidence of all the girls in the room.
Lin Yujing nodded and looked at the table, lost in thought.
They're both engaged, yet they can still say they're single...
It's really... really...
That's really going too far!
"Since you're single, why don't you call your ex-girlfriend and ask her..." the girl drawled, "Do you miss me right now?"
“She probably doesn’t miss me. Let’s find someone else.” Chen Jingshu raised an eyebrow, his gaze fixed on her face, and said casually, “She’s going to the US to pursue her PhD soon, so let me tell her, ‘You have a bright future!’”
Immediately, someone below started to jeer, "Wow, no wonder she's my ex-sister-in-law, she's so outstanding."
Despite the teasing tone, Chen Jingshu replied, "Yes! Excellent, beautiful, and clear-headed, she's...unforgettable..."
The girl dealing the cards changed her expression and urged, "Then hurry up and play!"
Lin Yujing broke out in a cold sweat and tugged at Su Xinyang's sleeve, saying, "My stomach hurts a little, I need to go to the restroom."
"Then you should go quickly. Do you need me to buy you medicine?" Su Xinyang asked with concern.
Lin Yujing was terrified that her phone would ring in her pocket, so without saying a word, she tightly covered the phone's earpiece and went out.
Just as she was about to grab the doorknob, she heard a cold voice behind her, "Never mind, she's probably afraid of getting my call. I won't bother her. I'll punish myself with three drinks."
As soon as she finished speaking, Lin Yujing walked out of the private room.
She hid in the bathroom, constantly washing her hands with cold water.
The phone on the table rang. It was a message from Qi Woxue: "I told you your fate wasn't over yet."
Lin Yujing sighed. "Ugh! Don't talk about it, I really have a headache."
Sometimes, it's not that she doesn't want to love, but that she knows it's an insurmountable chasm, and the slightest carelessness could cause the two people standing on the mountaintop to be shattered to pieces.
She always valued her future as much as her life, so naturally she would also value other people's futures as much as her own.
Qi Woxue sighed and said, "I'm having a headache too. Liu Hua knew I was going on a blind date, so she came all the way from Beijing to my hometown, ruined the whole thing, and even beat up my date."
Lin Yujing was surprised. "That's a bit much."
Qi Woxue replied, "It's not entirely his fault. The main problem is that the bald man inquired about me and learned about my situation in Yijing. He was very rude and offensive. Liu Hua was furious and rushed over."
Lin Yujing: [So how is it now?]
Qi Woxue: [He's never been in a fight. I'm with him at the hospital now, getting him an IV drip.]
Lin Yujing sighed that the fate between them was truly inexplicable, while Qi Woxue replied that she and Chen Jingshu were even more so.
The two chatted for a few more minutes, and Lin Yujing received a greeting message from Su Xinyang.
She couldn't keep hiding any longer, so she replied that she would go back immediately.
As soon as she stepped out of the bathroom, she saw Chen Jingshu standing opposite her. His expression was not very friendly, as if he had come specifically to lie in wait and hunt her down.
If you can't afford to offend him, then avoid him. Lin Yujing lowered her head and walked away, passing right by him.
Unexpectedly, Chen Jingshu suddenly stuck out his foot and tripped her. Lin Yujing was caught off guard and kicked the iron plate, losing her balance and staggering forward.
Just as she was about to bump into someone walking towards her, Chen Jingshu stretched out his long arm and pulled her back.
He turned around again, pinning her against the corner of the wall and against his chest, giving her no chance to escape.
The moment their fingers intertwined, Lin Yujing felt as if an electric current had suddenly passed through her body, and her heart began to beat faster involuntarily.
But after quickly calming down, she belatedly felt annoyed and glared at him, saying, "What are you doing!"
Chen Jingshu's face was tense, his expression growing increasingly dark and cold as he said to her, "For so many years, I've protected you and spoiled you. I've invested millions and introduced you to connections without batting an eye. And all I get in return is—you don't know me!"
"Jingjing, how dare you say that?" By the end, his face had become even more gloomy, and he gripped her waist with a fierce grip. "I should have used every means possible back then. Even if you hate me, I would have kept you by my side."
A note from the author:
Aaaaaaahhhhhh! Make up with me right now!!! A mother's impotent rage!!!
-
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 23:39:30 on September 26, 2023 and 23:40:32 on September 27, 2023!
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: I can drink without getting drunk, and I'll give you a bottle of "Smell the Roses";
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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