Chapter 77: Entrustment

Chapter 77: Entrustment

"What happened?"

Liu Cuiying was on her way home to tell someone when Ji Duo's tall figure appeared on the upper floor of the neighboring building.

She then remembered that Lin Qiao had also been on the bus. "The bus taking the students to the college entrance exams had an accident on the way back!"

"Are the people on the bus okay?" Ji Duo's voice was relatively calm, but he spoke faster than usual.

"I don’t know. I just heard they’re all at Ren'ai Hospital and that they called for another bus to come back."

She felt frustrated. "Why didn’t I ask for more details before rushing back?"

Ji Duo didn’t say anything else and strode down the stairs.

Liu Cuiying also hurried into the house. "Colonel Liang, get your driver here quick! Junzi is in trouble!"

But Colonel Liang was busy in the bathroom. "Wait a moment, I'll be right out!"

"Are you kidding me? You’re still in the bathroom at a time like this?" Liu Cuiying was so anxious she started pacing around.

By the time Colonel Liang was pulling up his pants, Ji Duo was already at the courtyard gate. "I’ve called a car. Let’s go, Sister-in-law."

"Still, Xiao Ji is reliable," Liu Cuiying immediately left Colonel Liang behind and went out. Before long, Colonel Liang also came out.

The three of them drove to Ren'ai Hospital in Ji Duo's car and saw the large bus used to transport students from the school not far from the entrance.

From the front, the damage didn’t look too bad, but the hood was open, and parts were scattered on the ground. It wasn’t clear if it had been rear-ended. The bus was empty, but near the hospital entrance, several young faces could be seen among the crowd.

As soon as the car stopped, Liu Cuiying immediately got out and ran towards the hospital entrance, calling, "Junzi! Liang Jun!" Colonel Liang followed closely behind.

After calling out a few times, a familiar head popped out from the hospital. "Mom, why are you here? And Dad too."

"With something this serious, how could I not come?" Liu Cuiying looked her son up and down, relieved to see he was okay. "You scared me to death."

"What could happen to me?" Junzi, as usual, carefree, felt a bit embarrassed under his mother's scrutiny.

"Where's Lin Qiao?" Ji Duo, with his long strides, arrived a step ahead of Liu Cuiying.

Junzi had intended to call her Shiniang, but meeting those dark, solemn eyes, he swallowed his words. "She’s in there."

Ji Duo didn’t say anything else and strode inside.

There were even more people inside, and it was chaotic. Ji Duo, with a good memory, also saw a girl from Lin Qiao's class sitting on a chair in the corridor crying. "I... I'm sorry for Lin Qiao..." which made his heart sink even more.

"Is Lin Qiao inside?" His eyes fell on the closed door of the consultation room.

His voice was so cold that it made the girl stop crying instantly. "Y-Yes, she's inside..."

Ji Duo said no more and pushed the door open with such force as if he were going to face a trial. "Qiao Qiao!"

Lin Qiao turned around and met a face filled with worry, tension, and anger—a face that usually remained expressionless but now showed clear emotion.

She was startled, and Ji Duo, who had been tense, also froze for a moment. "You’re okay?"

As if not quite believing it, he quickly stepped forward and checked her over from head to toe. "Are you hurt anywhere?"

"Why would I be injured?" Lin Qiao was confused by Ji Duo's scrutiny.

Her reaction didn't seem like forced calm, so Ji Duo relaxed his hand on her shoulder and frowned, "I thought there was an accident with the bus taking the students to the exam?"

"There was an accident," Lin Qiao said, "The bus broke down halfway through the trip. We tried everything to fix it, but nothing worked. I had no choice but to let the students wait and get another bus to pick them up after dropping off the others."

"Then why are you here?" Ji Duo's voice still sounded tense.

Lin Qiao looked back at a girl standing nearby, "She was too nervous and had a stomach spasm, so I brought her here for an IV drip."

The girl was indeed holding her stomach, her face pale from pain. She shrank back slightly when Ji Duo looked over.

There was a sudden silence. After a while, Ji Duo's expression returned to his usual calm and composed demeanor, "I'm relieved you're both safe."

The words were calm, but when had Lin Qiao ever seen him so flustered?

Lin Qiao also noticed at this moment that the man, who always wore his shirt buttoned up meticulously, now had it half-open, revealing a tight-fitting camouflage vest underneath. Only four buttons were fastened from top to bottom, and the bottom of his shirt was completely untucked, not tucked into his military pants as usual.

And he, a veteran official who always presented himself with rigor and seriousness in public, had come all this way without realizing his appearance was disheveled.

Lin Qiao's feelings suddenly became complicated.

Without asking, she knew that the man must have rushed over because he thought something had happened to her.

Without asking, she knew that on his way here, anxiety and worry had overwhelmed all his usual calm and rationality.

If he had been more observant, he would have noticed that the school bus was fine.

And with his usual composure, even if he was halfway dressed, he would have taken the time to button up and tidy his appearance.

Lin Qiao pursed her lips and pulled the man's shirt over to button it up for him.

Only then did Ji Duo notice his appearance. His expression stiffened, wanting to quickly finish buttoning himself, but when he saw the top of Lin Qiao's head as she bent down, he stopped.

After more than a year of marriage, this might have been the first time Lin Qiao had helped him with his buttons.

Her movements weren't particularly gentle, but the gesture felt intimate and comforting.

After Lin Qiao finished buttoning up quickly, Ji Duo was about to say something when Liu Cuiying knocked on the door and poked her head in, "Hey, Xiao Ji, I made a mistake. It wasn't a car accident; the bus just broke down."

Ji Duo glanced up and saw the girl from Lin Qiao's class secretly watching them. When she saw Ji Duo looking, she quickly averted her gaze.

He didn't say anything more, acknowledged Liu Cuiying, "I understand," tucked his shirt into his pants, and asked Lin Qiao, "How much longer do you need here?"

Lin Qiao glanced at the IV drip, "Another hour or so. I've already notified her parents."

The girl's parents arrived quickly, coming back with the school bus.

Lin Qiao handed the girl over to her parents and, seeing another student crying outside, consoled her, "It's okay. You just didn't do well on one exam. I remember you're good at biology. We'll make up for it tomorrow."

It turned out the student was upset over a poor performance and felt guilty for letting Lin Qiao down after her year of teaching...

Ji Duo had been so anxious earlier, and if he had just listened a little longer, he wouldn't have jumped to that misunderstanding.

Apart from the girl who needed to stay for the IV, everyone else was accounted for. Lin Qiao made sure everyone was present before leaving and boarded the bus to return to school.

Ji Duo sat in his jeep not far away and started the engine as soon as the bus did.

Liu Cuiying and Colonel Liang returned in his car, and on the way back, Colonel Liang reprimanded Liu Cuiying for jumping to conclusions without checking the facts.

When the bus stopped at the school gate, Lin Qiao checked on each student individually and handed them over to the parents waiting there. For those whose parents hadn't arrived, she made sure they were accompanied by at least two others, reminding them to get some rest because they had exams the next day.

Ji Duo had Xiao Fang drive Liu Cuiying, Colonel Liang, and Junzi back first while he waited aside, walking home with Lin Qiao as night fell.

Neither of them spoke on the way back. When they got home, Lin Qiao found a familiar dish of braised prawns on the kitchen table.

The pink, glossy prawns were neatly arranged on a white porcelain plate. Though they had gone cold, they still exuded an irresistible aroma.

She couldn't help but turn around to look at Ji Duo.

He was a few steps behind her, just coming in after closing the gate. His pace was steady, his handsome face serious, his shirt neatly tucked into his military pants, showing no sign of the earlier chaos from the hospital.

With different thoughts in mind, the two began their married life in this small yard. She never imagined that he would end up being the one to cook.

Lin Qiao’s eyes softened slightly. "Even though it was a misunderstanding, I was a little happy to see you at the hospital today."

A person's reaction in an emergency can't be faked. Ji Duo's loss of composure showed that he cared about her more than she had realized.

Lin Qiao had always been straightforward and wouldn't pretend to be blind because of a small grudge. Seeing the man's state in the hospital, she had indeed been moved.

Any woman would feel touched seeing someone so composed lose control because of her.

Ji Duo hadn't expected her to say that. He was slightly stunned but quickly took a step forward and wrapped his arms around her.

Because he moved too quickly and held her too tightly, Lin Qiao stumbled forward half a step, her head even bumping his chin.

Ji Duo seemed unaware, only raising his hand to gently rub her head. "Can we put away the quilt now?"

His tone was serious, which left Lin Qiao stunned.

She leaned back to create some distance and looked at his expression. "Being pushy so soon?"

His expression remained unchanged, as if she weren't talking about him. "It's fine if we don't put it away. I respect your choice."

He could always wait until she fell asleep and carry her over later.

This man wasn't the type to be passive. As soon as he got a chance, he wanted to seize the initiative and regain some ground.

But if he only knew how to grovel and please, he wouldn't be himself, and Lin Qiao certainly wouldn't have fallen for him in the first place.

A little give-and-take could make things more interesting. Lin Qiao reached up and pinched his chin, her red lips almost touching his. "Do you want to put away the quilt?"

Her eyes were slightly raised, the distance between their lips just a hair's breadth, their breaths mingling.

As Ji Duo’s gaze deepened and his Adam’s apple bobbed, Lin Qiao pushed him away. "You're dreaming."

Feeling touched was one thing, but the issues remained.

She turned to open the rice cooker and, seeing that there was rice inside, quickly served herself a bowl.

She was starving, and with an early night ahead, she had to accompany her students for the college entrance exams tomorrow. There was no time to get into this with him.

Ji Duo didn't say anything more but grabbed an apron. "I'll stir-fry two more dishes."

A dish of cauliflower and one of stir-fried pork with green peppers, both quick dishes, showed how many home-cooked meals the man had learned to make.

After a few bites, Lin Qiao recalled something and asked Ji Duo, "Why did you seem upset at the hospital earlier?"

"Yu Wu confessed this afternoon," Ji Duo didn't hide the coldness in his voice. "I was worried his family might panic and lash out at you."

Now that I think about it, he was just too concerned to act rationally.

The Yu family has already lost Yu Wu to this mess. If they don’t try to get him out or clean up the mess, how foolish would they have to be to give their enemies another handle on them?

Sure enough, the real fool in the Yu family is the one behind bars, not out here.

When the Yu family patriarch heard that Yu Wu had confessed, he couldn’t catch his breath. Before he could recover, Yu Wu, unable to handle the pressure, also revealed who helped him fake the suicide.

Of course, he didn’t tell the whole truth; he was still counting on his father outside to get him out. But even the partial truth wasn’t much better.

Because the person he implicated was his eldest brother, the father of Yu Jin.

When the Yu family patriarch heard this, he fainted from anger, wishing he had never given birth to such a son.

No one had ever seen someone drag their own family down like this. If it had been him, given his status and poor health, those people would have had to think twice before interrogating him. But this idiot, instead, implicated his eldest brother. Once someone like him goes in, do you think they’ll let him out without getting something out of him?

Sure enough, just a few days after the eldest son was taken in, the disciplinary committee got involved. That night, the Yu family patriarch was rushed to the emergency room.

They managed to save him, but he was left paralyzed on one side, unable to speak clearly, and could only glare helplessly from his bed.

Just as his eldest daughter-in-law arrived at the hospital to cry, “What did the eldest brother ever do to him? If we had known this ungrateful son of a bitch would do this, we should have never...”

Before she could finish, the Yu family patriarch yanked down the IV, shattering the glass.

Seeing that there was no hope from his side, Yu Jin’s mother had no choice but to turn to the Song family, hoping they would help for the sake of the kids from both families.

Song Jing’s parents agreed verbally and offered some comfort, but as soon as they saw her off, they were filled with worry.

“We should have stuck with Ji Ze instead of swapping him for Yu Jin. At least Ji Ze is healthy and alive. His father, Ji Jun, isn’t particularly successful, but he has no major flaws either. As long as the Ji family patriarch and Ji Duo are still around, they’ll protect their only nephew. Ji Ze’s life would undoubtedly be better than the now precarious situation of the Yu family.

But who could have imagined that the Yu family, which seemed so strong with many descendants and obvious support, would suddenly lose three members?

Now the Yu family patriarch is paralyzed, and Yu Jin’s mother has come begging for help. This marriage has been a complete disaster.

“Should I go talk to Ye Minshu again?” Mrs. Song asked tentatively, “She’s been in a difficult situation lately. I can comfort her, and besides, we still have some leverage over her…”

“Can’t you just leave things be?” Before Mr. Song could respond, Song Jing stood up.

Ever since Yu Jin got into trouble, she had become unusually silent. Mr. and Mrs. Song had been preoccupied with worry and hadn’t paid much attention to her recently.

They didn’t expect that when she finally spoke, she would talk back to them.

Mrs. Song frowned, “What do you mean by leaving things be? We’re doing this for your sake.”

“For my sake? Is it about weighing how much I’m worth and seeing which side can offer a better price?”

Song Jing tried to sneer, but tears fell first. “I’m an independent person, a college student. Can’t I walk my own path like Lin Qiao?”

When Lin Qiao first arrived in Yandu, she looked like a country girl who had never seen the city. But over the past year, she had become someone who gave advice, won prestigious awards, and was exceptionally admitted to a master's degree program at Tsinghua University. She had become everything Song Jing wished she could be.

As for herself, her family background and education seemed like nothing more than packaging, meant to sell her off at a better price.

Sometimes, when she ran into Lin Qiao at school, seeing her confidence and ease made Song Jing feel so inadequate that she would try to avoid being seen.

Song Jing wiped the tears from her face. “You don’t have to worry anymore. I’ve already made arrangements with a school in the south.”

“What do you mean?” Both Mr. and Mrs. Song were shocked.

Song Jing's voice turned calm. "With all this chaos, there's no way I can stay in Yandu anymore. Luckily, the south is in need of teachers who speak good Mandarin." She smiled. "A classmate of mine is from the south, and like me, she's graduating early this year. We both sent our resumes, and they've agreed to hire us."

Why should she tie herself down with marriage at twenty-three? She had her whole life ahead of her.

Lin Qiao had married Ji Duo, and wasn't she still shining in her own field, living a wonderful life?

Song Jing was determined to leave. She had already prepared her household registration and introduction letter, hiding them with her classmate. Despite her parents' attempts to stop her, they couldn't hold her back.

It just so happened that the day the train carried her to her new life was also the anniversary of Gu Shaoping's death. It was the first time Lin Qiao accompanied Ji Duo to pay respects to his friend.

"Hit and run, followed by a cover-up to hide the crime. Yu Wu was already sixteen that year. A death sentence is inevitable."

Elder Gu's fingers, marked with age spots, brushed over the gravestone. "The old man of the Yu family is paralyzed, but he still has sons and grandsons. We'll make sure he stays anxious and uneasy in his sickbed. And as for those who bullied your sister, I'll help her get justice. You... don't worry."

His voice broke towards the end.

Su Zheng poured a glass of wine in front of the gravestone. "Fourteen years, bro. Finally, I’ve avenged you. You... probably can’t drink anymore, huh?"

Ji Duo, always reserved, didn't show much emotion. He gently held Lin Qiao's hand. "This is my wife, Qiaoqiao."

Pausing, he added, "The first among the brothers to get married. Isn't she beautiful?"

When talking to her, he’d only say she wasn’t bad-looking. But in front of his childhood friends, he felt comfortable calling her beautiful.

Lin Qiao couldn't help but glance at the man. Su Zheng, hearing this, showed a hint of disdain.

Ji Duo remained composed. "She's very smart too. She won the gold award at the national invention exhibition and was exceptionally admitted to Tsinghua for her master's."

"Is he using this opportunity to praise his wife since he can't usually?" Su Zheng muttered to Elder Gu.

Elder Gu understood. "He just wants Shaoping to know he's living a good life, with a wonderful partner, so there's no need to worry."

The deepest bonds are formed in youth. These two had carried the burden for so many years, and now that the truth was revealed, it was time to lay it down.

Besides, Ji Duo’s wife is truly remarkable. If things had been different, he would have loved to call her his goddaughter.

As they left the cemetery, Lin Qiao noticed a brown paper bag on the back seat of the jeep. Assuming it was something Ji Duo needed, she handed it to him. But instead of putting it away, he opened the bag right there in front of her.

"These are some old photos of me from when I was a kid," Ji Duo said. "I had Xiao Fang fetch them from the old house since we had some time."

"Your childhood?" Lin Qiao was genuinely curious.

She had thought a photo she once held was his, but it turned out to be Ji Ze's. No wonder he had found an excuse to take it back.

As she emptied the contents, the first thing that fell out was a young girl with her hair tied up in a topknot and a small red dot on her forehead.

"Who's this?" It looked too much like her own childhood photo, and Lin Qiao couldn't help but pick it up.

Before she could finish her thought, she noticed Ji Duo's expression change. He took the photo from her hand, saying, "Mom packed the wrong one."

Lin Qiao wasn't foolish; she immediately realized, "Could this be you?"

Ji Duo didn't say anything, and his silence was confirmation enough. Lin Qiao laughed. "It really is you! Can I see it again?"

She clung to his arm, and reluctantly, Ji Duo handed the photo back to her.

Looking closely, you could see some resemblance, though the child in the photo was much younger and lacked the serious expression he later had.

However, there was only one photo where he had his hair in a topknot; the rest were more normal, though none of the expressions were particularly serious. Some showed him laughing heartily, while others had him with raised eyebrows and a playful look.

"Weren't you like this when you were young?" Lin Qiao couldn't help but pick up a photo and hold it next to Ji Duo's face for comparison.

"Not really," Ji Duo let her compare, "Didn't Elder Gu tell you? I was the neighborhood troublemaker back then."

"Is that so?" Lin Qiao found it hard to imagine.

Ji Duo found a photo and showed it to her, probably from when he was twelve or thirteen years old, holding a gun and aiming.

Lin Qiao couldn’t help but lower her voice, "A real weapon?"

Ji Duo nodded, "After I turned twelve, I never missed a shot." He said it casually, but the fact that he’d handled a real weapon at such a young age spoke to how fearless and mischievous he’d been as a child.

"Then how did you...?" Lin Qiao started to ask but caught herself mid-sentence.

Only major life events could transform someone from being so bold and unruly into the composed and self-restrained person he was now. Falling from grace, being sent down with his parents, and witnessing the mysterious death of a friend...

Ji Duo was a man with a strong sense of responsibility and deep affection. He had probably long taken the Gu family's matters as his own responsibility.

Sure enough, Ji Duo pulled out a few more group photos, showing him, Su Zheng, and a boy she didn’t recognize.

"Fourteen years," he murmured, his fingers tracing the familiar smiling face.

Back then, he carried the weight of Elder Gu, Shao Zhen, and Shao Ping on his shoulders. Now, all he had left to carry was the responsibility to the country and to her.

Lin Qiao looked up and met his intense gaze.

Ji Duo gathered all the photos she had seen, placed them in a bag, and handed it to her. "From now on, you’ll be the one to keep them safe."

It wasn’t clear whether he was entrusting her with the photos or with his future.

Lin Qiao felt the weight of the bag in her hands and hesitated for a moment, but in the end, she didn’t push it away. "I’ll keep them for you, for now."

The man had been watching her quietly and reached out to touch her temple.

That night, when laying out the quilts, he only put out one large one and looked at Lin Qiao.

She didn’t say anything, just raised an eyebrow.

Without a word, he added the smaller quilt, as if nothing had happened.

The next day, Lin Qiao officially reported to Tsinghua University. Her mentor introduced her to his assistant and a few senior students preparing to take the master’s degree exam next semester. They assumed she was a junior who had been handpicked by Professor Zhang but were surprised to learn that she was actually the youngest among them, yet a year ahead.

Zhang Changning was a bit absent-minded in daily life but took his research very seriously. He barely had time for small talk before diving into work.

Early in the morning, Ji Duo arrived at the military camp and was immediately called in by his superior.

Colonel Ding, a few years older than Colonel Liang, had deep furrowed brows and sharp nasolabial folds. Like Ji Duo, he was a man of few words and got straight to the point. "The frontline is about to rotate again, and you know what that means, right?"