Chapter 121: The Object

Chapter 121: The Object

Qiong Cang couldn't remember how she left the hospital. When she came to her senses, she only saw He Jueyun's worried face flitting in front of her.

"What are you thinking about?" He Jueyun snapped his fingers near her ear. "You've been acting off since you got back. What's wrong? Do you need me to find a Taoist priest to call your spirit back?"

Qiong Cang's lips parted, and with a firm tone, she uttered word by word: "Prosperity, democracy, civility..."

He Jueyun was nearly blinded by the socialist fervor emanating from her and conceded, "Alright, alright, Qiong Cang, I'm willing to devote myself to science for you. I know the rest, no need to recite it."

He sat down beside Qiong Cang and casually asked, "Who did you meet today?"

When He Jueyun woke up, Qiong Cang was already gone from home. She didn't answer calls or reply to messages. When she finally appeared, she was a mess.

He Jueyun couldn't understand why Qiong Cang always managed to get herself into such a mess when he wasn't around.

When Qiong Cang was asked, she wanted to answer, but she couldn't find the words. She couldn't organize her thoughts, whether to tell the truth or lie. She pursed her lips, showing dissatisfaction. Before she could think of an answer, she felt a warmth on her hand. He Jueyun covered the back of her hand and gently unfolded her tightly clenched fingers.

When her fingers lay flat on her lap, Qiong Cang felt the lingering heaviness in her body ease a bit. She realized that her muscles had been tense all along.

Qiong Cang looked up at He Jueyun's gentle eyes and slowly said, "Today, Ms. Xue told me that Qi Kexu might not have committed suicide."

So many years had passed, and Qiong Cang thought her emotions could become indifferent, that she could pretend not to care and analyze everything rationally, arranging all logic in a fixed pattern.

But she couldn't.

Her memories were vivid. She would always remember that day when Qi Kexu pressed her head down and abused her, the look of hatred in her eyes, wishing she had never been born into this world. She would always remember her own confusion and helplessness at that time.

She carried a hatred that wasn't hers to bear. She was unwilling. This unwillingness was neither rational nor logical, and there would never be a chance for compensation.

Yet, every time she recalled Qi Kexu, what she hated most wasn't her unpredictability, but her irresponsibility.

Compared to the instability caused by her mental illness, Qiong Cang hated her act of abandoning her even more.

The violence Qi Kexu inflicted on her, Qiong Cang could bury it in a small corner, covering it with memories of her kindness. She only needed a simple reason to explain it.

She could understand Qi Kexu's pain, her lack of control.

This was a child's deep-seated need for her mother, etched in her genes.

But the act of suicide, Qiong Cang could never come to terms with.

Only the relatives of a suicide victim could understand the pain of having their value negated. It was as if their existence had never held any importance in the other person's heart.

She had considered Qi Kexu her everything. As a mother, how could she just leave like that?

A warm moisture welled up in Qiong Cang's eyes. She blinked hard, trying to hold back the tears. Before she could process her emotions, a hand reached over, covering her eyes, and then pressing her shoulders, pulling her into an embrace.

Qiong Cang felt as if the warmth from his palm burned her, her eyelids trembling. Then the hand moved to her back, patting her gently as if to comfort her.

Qiong Cang took a deep breath, instinctively wanting to pull away, but although He Jueyun's movements were gentle, his arm was strong, not letting her move.

He Jueyun remained silent for a long time, simply holding her, as if trying hard to think of what to say.

As time quietly passed, He Jueyun's heartbeat began to quicken. He must have finally thought of something, and when he spoke, he tried to maintain calmness, letting his voice carry enough composure.

"I've heard people say that in one's life, the presence of parents isn't the most enduring because they can't accompany their children for long. As people grow up, they have to leave the nest and start living independently."

Qiong Cang leaned against his chest, her cheek feeling the warmth of his body through his clothes. Being this close, hearing his heartbeat, made everything feel incredibly real. She could sense his feelings through the steady beat of his heart.

He Jueyun spoke, his voice and chest resonating slightly as he asked, "Then do you know what kind of relationship lasts the longest?"

Qiong Cang was a bit distracted and didn't hear his following words.

He Jueyun paused, then answered his own question, "It's a lover. The kind of lover who is serious, thinks about spending a lifetime together, and wants to take responsibility for the other person."

Qiong Cang was stunned.

He Jueyun mustered his courage and asked, "I'm not young anymore, so Ms. Qiong Cang, would you like to be in a relationship?"

The question was a bit sudden, but it also seemed quite reasonable. He Jueyun's ulterior motives had been evident for a while, and during their long time together, Qiong Cang didn't find it unpleasant.

Qiong Cang's attention was completely diverted, her mind plunged into chaotic thoughts. For the first time, her thoughts raced wildly, directionless and aimless.

He Jueyun noticed her silence and felt a bit uneasy, his arm loosening slightly, but then he convinced himself otherwise.

If he didn't seize the opportunity, when would he ever find a girlfriend? Years of being single had taught him one thing: you can't be too polite.

He Jueyun decided to showcase his boldness.

"I have money, right? In the future, you can do whatever you want. As long as you're not overly capricious, you can basically do as you please. For example, waking up every day on a thousand-square-meter bed, having seven gold and diamond-studded toilets in the bathroom, hiring one hundred and eight servants to take care of your daily needs, building a castle specifically to store your overflowing drafts..."

Qiong Cang's face flashed with deep hesitation.

Did He Jueyun think she was a lunatic?

...But the last point did sound quite tempting.

He Jueyun stopped mid-sentence, realizing he was being a bit neurotic. If he continued fantasizing, he might be violently dragged to a mental hospital by Qiong Cang.

He felt deeply anxious about his incoherence, racking his brains for a solution but finding none.

...Damn it! What else could he offer besides money?!

Just as He Jueyun was getting angry with himself, he heard the person in his arms mutter, "I'll think about it."

He Jueyun had prepared himself for rejection, so hearing Qiong Cang's answer genuinely surprised him. Fortunately, neither could see the other's expression, missing the look of utter stupidity.

He Jueyun knew that Qiong Cang's evasiveness was always superficial, responding to avoidant questions with mere "hmm" or "oh," but she never held back when it came to things she disliked.

For her to say "I'll think about it" was already a serious attitude, and her inclination leaned toward agreement.

What did that mean?

Geniuses are always subtle—this meant she agreed!

He Jueyun got excited, as if he had just heard "I love you," his heart racing like a passionate aria.

Qiong Cang couldn't ignore it and said faintly, "Your heart is racing."

He Jueyun quickly let go of her, momentarily flustered, and then began today's bribery process.

"What do you want to eat?"

Qiong Cang glanced at him sideways, finding his awkwardness particularly amusing, and teased, "That's not important. How about showing me a gold and diamond-studded toilet first?"

He Jueyun's skin was very fair, making the faint blush on his ears quite noticeable.

"Don't mess around," he said, recalling his earlier self, unwilling to admit that the seemingly not-so-smart guy was the domineering CEO He Jueyun himself, and bluffed, "Only my wife can make such extravagant demands."

Qiong Cang didn't understand the lives of these wealthy people and didn't dare to be too presumptuous, so she changed her tone and said, "Forget it then. I'm afraid I might defy gravity when I go to the bathroom."

He Jueyun chuckled and teased, "What? Are you going to eat or not?"

Qiong Cang tactfully said, "Let's go."

·

That night, Fang Qi called her again.

After answering the phone, he was silent for a long time, and finally said calmly, "Ms. Xue is dead."

Qiong Cang felt a mix of emotions and gave a vague response.

Fang Qi, however, breathed a sigh of relief and said lightly, "Maybe it's for the best. She can pass with a bit more peace." Without having to witness her husband and son being sent to the trial court, watching them face the angry curses of the public.

Fang Qi then asked, "How is the teacher doing?"

Qiong Cang truthfully said, "I don't know. I haven't kept up with it."

Fang Qi: "Where has Li ZhanYuan gone?"

"I don't know."

"Oh..."

Fang Qi had nothing more to say and was feeling a bit worn out.

Li ZhanYuan had run away, Li Lingsong was detained, and Ms. Xue had no other relatives, so it was up to a few of their students to help with the funeral arrangements.

"Then I'll go and take care of things. I'll contact you later. Also..." Fang Qi hesitated for a moment, then sighed and said, "If there's any news about Li ZhanYuan, whether he's dead or alive, let me know."

Qiong Cang wanted to know where Li ZhanYuan had gone even more; she had things she wanted to ask him face to face. This thought was extremely strong, wishing that person would stand in front of her right now and tell her the answer.

Qiong Cang held her phone, flipping it over and over, her gaze blankly falling on the TV cabinet in front of her.

Li ZhanYuan's crimes had already been exposed, and running away was futile. He was used to a glamorous life in the public eye and probably couldn't adapt to the hardship of being on the run. Moreover, now that his most important parents were deeply unfortunate because of him, he couldn't turn a blind eye.

Qiong Cang believed he was still in City A, or nearby.

He harbored hatred for those who had destroyed his peaceful life. People like He Chuanzhou and Qiong Cang. He was lurking in the shadows, like a wolf with glowing green eyes, watching her every move, waiting for a chance to retaliate.

Qiong Cang's fingers moved lightly, then she opened her social media account and edited a post.

She didn't use this account often, posting mostly work-related notices, and her friends were either colleagues or students.

She wrote:

"Turns out, he's just a sexually impotent psychopath. Does watching others suffer give you some kind of sick thrill? Your actions only ended up making your mother take responsibility. Did you see your mother crying and repenting in tears? She died in a cold hospital room, right in front of me. Unfortunately, no one will forgive her or sympathize with her."

After typing, Qiong Cang raised her hand to cover her face. In the darkness, she let out a long breath.

He would come to find her. He definitely would.

·

Fan Huai lowered the brim of his hat, eating the noodles in his bowl, and through the hazy white steam, he looked at the phone screen in front of him.

Not long after, the car door opened, and a petite girl climbed in and sat down next to him.

The girl looked at the red veins in his eyes and softly suggested, "Huai Ge, why don't you go back and rest for a while? Waiting here isn't going to help. He may not come back."

Fan Huai remained silent with a sigh. He took a couple of bites, put down his chopsticks, grabbed his phone, and scrolled through the messages, muttering under his breath as he read.

It seemed like he had figured something out. He turned to the girl beside him and said, "Get out of the car."

The girl tightened her grip on the seatbelt and protested anxiously, "I don't want to!"

Fan Huai frowned with a frown, not in the mood to argue with her. He wolfed down the rest of the food in his bowl, fired up the engine, and headed straight for Qiong Cang's location.