Chapter 73 takes a sharp turn: "Xiao Qiao, let's get engaged."...
Over the years, Lan Jia studied costume design and watched people make movies and perform in stage plays. Through the small camera lens, love, hate, anger, and all sorts of human emotions played out one after another. She worked behind the scenes, having had enough of being a detached observer, but she never expected that one day, such a dramatic thing would happen to her.
At midnight at the Qiao residence, as the banquet drew to a close, guests stopped to admire the spectacular fireworks, unaware of the earth-shattering assassination attempt that was about to take place.
Lan Jia stood there like a puppet, staring blankly as Meng Shiyuan collapsed on top of her. Ten paces away, after two or three gunshots, Song Qingqu raised his arm, ready to fire again, when suddenly he was tackled by two guards who pinned him down. In his struggle, his face rubbed against the ground, but his bloodshot eyes were filled with resentment as he stared venomously ahead.
The pain from the gunshot was delayed, and Meng Shiyuan slowly regained consciousness, his face contorted with bulging veins, almost touching Lan Jia's.
Upon hearing the sound, his first reaction was to shield Lan Jia completely, preventing the bullet from getting a chance. Now that the crisis was over, he collapsed helplessly, his entire weight pressing down on her.
Having lived a carefree life and experienced everything, I've never been shot. Today's experience is the first time I've ever felt that way.
Blood gushed out of his body like a burst water pipe. In his closest moment to death, Meng Shiyuan felt no fear, only sorrow.
Hanzhen left, taking away his life's happiness as well. He spent ten years guarding her belongings, his heart ashen.
But fate brought him to meet Yi Lanjia, who resembled her so much, as if she were a gift from Hanzhen to compensate him.
He thought his heart was about to be resurrected, but someone always tries to destroy his last hope.
He was heartbroken, heartbroken that nothing had ever truly belonged to him, and that even with his utmost effort, he could not hold onto anything.
He was so heartbroken that he hated Yi Hanzhen, hated her for falling in love with someone else, hated her for abandoning him, and hated her for turning him into a madman.
If she had stayed by his side and loved him properly, none of this would have happened.
In the end, she ruined his happiness and his life!
In the final moments, Meng Shiyuan suddenly smiled. Hanzhen owed him something, so let her daughter repay it.
He just kept smiling, but his eyes were bloodshot, as if they were filled with endless tears. The bullet had hit his lung, and with each breath, his throat was full of blood and foam. He lowered his head and whispered something in Lan Jia's ear, as if in a vicious curse.
Lan Jia lay on the ground, listening blankly, her eyes staring blankly at the sky, watching several huge blue fireworks explode and fall like a galaxy, flickering and fading until they finally disappeared completely, leaving only a pitch-black sky.
Because he was protecting Meng Shiyuan, Acheng was the most seriously injured and collapsed to the side, barely alive. Qiao Zimu was also seeing this bloody scene for the first time and was inevitably stunned, but thinking of his role as the head of the family, he immediately rallied and took charge of the overall situation. He quickly blocked the back door from receiving any news, secretly sent people to the hospital to take the injured, and detained the suspect Song Qingqu, pending further discussion before making any decisions.
In an instant, all parties responded and the scene descended into chaos.
As for Meng Cenjun, from the moment he saw Lan Jia lying in a pool of blood, he seemed to have lost his soul. He stumbled and knelt down beside her, his hands groping around until he confirmed that the bloodstains did not come from her wounds. Only then did he touch her cheek with trembling fingertips, "Lan Jia, look at me and talk to me."
"Lan Jia, it's me, your older brother..."
She was completely numb, her eyes no longer moving, because she was in so much pain that she was completely isolated from the outside world.
Seeing that she didn't react, Meng Cenjun's heart sank, and she said in a hoarse voice, "Let's go home."
She will get better. The safest place for her is home, back with him.
He comforted himself with this thought, took off his coat to cover the glaring bloodstains on her body, staggered and picked her up, and then asked Zuo Tai to drive the car over.
Qiao Zimu watched from afar, and seeing her like this, he couldn't help but tear up as well.
How did things turn out like this? If he had been more vigilant, if he hadn't left her alone, Lan Jia wouldn't have been kidnapped, and the situation wouldn't have escalated to this point.
It's all his fault, it's all his fault...
However, before Meng Cenjun could set off, a car that had come specifically from the Yi residence intercepted Lan Jia.
The housekeeper, Aunt Xiu, personally stepped forward and said to Meng Cenjun, "The old lady asked me to pick up the eldest young lady."
His face hardened, and he hugged Lan Jia tightly: "What do you mean?"
Aunt Xiu said coldly, "The young lady has been frightened and needs to rest at the old house for a few days."
Meng Cenjun had just suffered a shock because of her, and her emotions were still unstable. She subconsciously felt very dissatisfied with this way of snatching people away. She didn't even care about her dignity and said coldly, "I will take care of Lan Jia myself. You don't need to worry about it."
Seeing Lan Jia's current state, Aunt Xiu felt even more mocked by his words and became more resolute: "The young lady will receive better care by staying with her family, which will also be more beneficial for her emotional well-being."
Family? Those two words pierced his heart.
No matter how hard he tries, he can't overcome the bond of blood ties.
Meng Cenjun's face was extremely pale, but she still insisted firmly: "Lan Jia needs me now, I can't be separated from her."
Aunt Xiu had lost patience and glanced at the car, saying, "It's late. If the old lady has to come down and ask you for the person herself, it won't look good for anyone, will it?"
He knew the old lady was determined to take Lan Jia away, and his throat tightened, unable to utter a word of protest for a long time.
Left with no other choice, he had to carry Lan Jia into the car and reluctantly let go of her.
As soon as Aunt Xiu closed the car door, she heard Meng Cenjun ask, "When are you bringing her back?"
"When the young lady wants to come back, she will naturally come back."
Meng Cenjun remained silent, gazing intently in her direction.
Lan Jia slumped in the back seat, never once glancing at him.
The car started, taking her away from all the trouble and unease.
An old hand reached out and stroked the top of her head.
Only then did she react, leaning against the old man's thin shoulders and suddenly bursting into loud sobs.
Everything was fake, everyone was a bad person, only this feeling was real, and only this person was the one she could truly trust.
In this world, her only blood relative.
This grandmother and grandson, whose relationship had been strained for a long time, became each other's only support at this moment, embracing each other tightly and making up for the lack of affection and care in the past few years.
Lan Jia was taken to the old house that night. The doctor came to check on her and found that apart from a sprained ankle that needed to be rested, she was fine.
The old lady knew that the most difficult thing for her to deal with at the moment was her emotions, so she didn't disturb her and let her digest everything quietly.
The crew still requested leave, but fortunately the two new hires are very capable and will not delay the filming process.
Lan Jia lay in bed for two days, unable to eat or drink. During this time, many people contacted her, especially Meng Cenjun and Qiao Zimu, but she didn't touch her phone or reply to a single message, as if she had vanished into thin air.
Meng Cenjun visited the old house several times, but was refused to see the old lady each time. He knew that this was partly Lan Jia's idea, so he didn't linger. After all, the company's affairs were complicated and he couldn't leave anyone behind. The assassination case involved her, so he needed to mediate and not leave any stain on her reputation.
Meng Shiyuan was rushed to the hospital and was given a critical condition notice several times, but he was lucky to survive, though he remained unconscious.
No one was happy about this.
After discussion among the elders of the Qiao family, it was decided to hand Song Qingqu over to the police. Everyone tacitly accepted his role as a scapegoat, knowing that digging deeper would inevitably implicate many people. So, they secretly made arrangements to hastily close the case, placing all the blame on him alone. Song Qingqu himself did not express any reaction to this, but rather calmly accepted it all, as if he had long anticipated this day.
Lan Jia was preoccupied with her own problems and isolated from the outside world, so she knew nothing about these reports.
But she wasn't the type to give up after being stuck in the mud. On the third day, when she felt better, she took the initiative to step out of her room.
On a sunny morning, a gentle breeze blew, and the warm sunshine shone on her. Lan Jia squinted at the blue sky, her right leg slightly limping, and slowly walked out of Shu Garden.
To stretch her muscles, she wandered aimlessly for half a day. When she arrived at the garden, she looked at the pavilion in the distance and saw the old lady and Aunt Xiu there.
Seeing her approach, Aunt Xiu instructed the maid to take away a lion cat that was lying on the stool.
A basket full of freshly picked lotus pods was piled on the table. The old lady was sitting there peeling lotus seeds and smiled as she invited me to sit down.
Lan Jia couldn't just sit there idly, so she picked up a lotus seedpod and started peeling it, just like Lan Jia had done.
"Peel more, and I'll cook you a lotus seed and pigeon soup for lunch."
"You're getting on in years, why are you still busy with this?" she said in a dry tone, actually because she didn't want her to overwork herself.
The old lady glared at her: "You ungrateful little thing, I specially prepared this to help you recover, and you still listen to this nonsense."
Lan Jia remained silent, focusing solely on peeling the fruit, which fell one by one into the white porcelain bowl.
After a while, the old lady sighed again, "Your grandfather used to love my soup the most, but I was always busy with this and that back then, and rarely cooked. After he passed away, I didn't get to drink it more than a few times. Now that I think about it, I really regret it. That's how people are; when they realize they should cherish something, it's too late."
My grandfather passed away more than ten years ago. Lan Jia was too young to remember him well, only vaguely recalling him from old photographs. He was a tall, refined man, but that was all she remembered. Now, hearing my grandmother mention him, she wasn't particularly moved, but when she looked up and saw his aged face, she felt a deep sadness.
Over the years, through many ups and downs, Grandma has grown increasingly old. But because of what happened back then, she has remained willful, neglecting the people who love her most. Lan Jiaguang thought about how she spent her days alone in the old house, and tears immediately welled up in his eyes, which he desperately held back.
Seeing her like this, the old lady took her hand and said, "Nothing else matters now. My only wish is for you to be well."
Lan Jia nodded, wanting to say something, but still couldn't speak. Even she herself didn't know how to get better.
After a moment of silence, the old woman adopted a desolate tone, "You probably already know what you need to know."
So what are you planning to do now?
Lan Jia was completely lost in thought, only saying, "I don't want to be here anymore, I don't want to stay on the Li River."
The thought of those events, the last words Meng Shiyuan said to her, sent a sharp, painful spasm that nearly tore her apart.
"Going abroad to relax is a good idea. You still have a year left, so finish your studies as soon as possible, and I'll gradually hand over some things to you."
Lan Jia knew that the old lady had always intended to groom her as her successor, and that it was time to let her run wild for all these years.
Actually, at this point, no matter what arrangements she made, Lan Jia didn't care anymore. She was like a lost person who desperately needed someone to show her the way. On another level, she had only realized after experiencing it that her grandmother was getting old and that she should also take on the responsibility of the family.
The old lady had some concerns, and after thinking it over, she said, "Since you're leaving, you can't just leave without saying goodbye. You should at least explain to your brother." She knew Meng Cenjun's temperament; she usually kept quiet and restrained, but if she found out that she had left without explanation, she would definitely not let go.
When Lan Jia heard her mention Meng Cenjun, her face immediately contorted with pain, as if a wire was twisting inside her wound.
The old lady immediately made a decision: while Lan Jia was in a daze, she should act decisively and cut ties with the two of them completely.
"Actually, there are ways to get him to let you go willingly."
"Grandma was afraid of upsetting you before, so she didn't mention it to you much, but now that things have come to this, what is there that can't be said?" She held her hand tightly and said earnestly, "Lan Jia, your marriage has always been a worry for me. Why don't you take this opportunity to settle down? In the future, when you are alone abroad, someone will be with you, and I won't have to worry about you like this."
Lan Jia lowered her eyes and remained silent. After hearing these words, she no longer resisted as fiercely as before. She was completely numb, except for a slight soreness and pain in her fingertips from peeling lotus seeds for too long.
After a long pause, she placed a hollowed-out lotus seedpod on the table before saying, "I'll think about it some more."
They said they would consider it, but they only considered it for half a day.
After having lunch with the old lady and spending the rest of the afternoon with her, Lan Jia suddenly said she had to go back.
The old lady sighed and didn't stop her anymore, only telling her to think it over herself.
Yi Zhai sent a driver to take Lan Jia back to Anfeng Road. As soon as she left, Meng Cenjun arrived, and the two missed each other.
The old lady was willing to see him this time, but her attitude remained lukewarm. She told him that Lan Jia had left, and then went to feed the goldfish by herself.
In just two or three days, Meng Cenjun looked much more haggard. Only when she heard that Lan Jiaken had returned home did her eyes regain some sparkle. But it wouldn't be right for her to leave so soon after arriving, so she sat for a while longer and drank some tea.
In the end, the old lady saw that he was eager to go home and couldn't bear to see him like that, so she waved her hand and told him to go back.
Meng Cenjun immediately got up to take her leave and left like a gust of wind.
Summer weather is changeable. In the evening, a light rain started to fall, pattering against the car window.
His mind was in turmoil, and he kept telling the driver to hurry up. He rushed all the way home, but Lan Jia was still nowhere to be seen.
Under the thick, dark clouds, the rain intensified. Qiao Zimu stood by the window, his brow furrowed with worry as he looked at the message that had yet to receive a reply.
I wonder if she's still at the old house? I wonder if she's already back?
After thinking it over, instead of being so anxious and impatient, I should go back to number nine and ask about the situation.
He acted immediately, rushing downstairs. On the way, he heard the doorbell ringing again and again, persistently.
Chen Ma was in the living room, cleaning a coffee stain on the carpet. Hearing the noise, she immediately got up to open the door. Qiao Zimu had just come down the stairs when he stopped in his tracks. Chen Ma's surprised voice came from afar: "Miss Yi, you didn't bring an umbrella? You're so wet."
Upon realizing it was her, Qiao Zimu disregarded everything else, his heart pounding as he rushed over in a frantic hurry.
Chen Ma stepped aside and busied herself getting a towel to wipe Lan Jia's face.
Qiao Zimu then saw her standing outside the door. The light from the room shone on her face; she was pale, disheveled, and soaked to the bone.
"You...you just got here like this?"
Lan Jia stared straight at him without answering.
"Come in, let's talk after you come in."
He hurriedly reached for her hand, but to his surprise, she wrapped her arms around his waist first.
Qiao Zimu was stunned by her hug, and his whole body immediately tensed up.
"What's wrong……"
Lan Jia buried her face in his chest and spoke with unwavering certainty, as if she had made up her mind:
"Xiao Qiao, let's get engaged."
Author's Note: The next chapter will probably be very cruel. I hesitated for a long time, but I've decided not to revise it. I really can't bear to write it...
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