Chapter 48 The Last Meeting

Chapter 48: The Final Meeting

It had been too long since he last kissed her.

The soft, sweet fragrance intertwined with the cool scent of cedar in the confined space, making Ling Jue let out a contented sigh.

He lingered, plundering and claiming, even ignoring the faint pain from the tip of his tongue.

Only when the person in his arms went soft and boneless did he become more aggressive, almost devouring her whole, releasing all the pent-up emotions of this period in their intimate closeness.

It wasn't until Qin Shuyi struggled to breathe that he released her for a second, only to recapture her lips again.

Just as things were reaching a dangerous point, Qin Shuyi was about to bite down when the phone in the car rang again.

Flustered, Qin Shuyi reached to silence it, but Ling Jue grunted, stopping her clumsy movements, and retrieved his own phone from his pocket.

It was for him.

After the prolonged kiss, his stern face had softened slightly, his narrow, deep, captivating eyes shimmering with feeling.

Her moist, crimson lips were right before him, and he couldn't resist stealing another quick kiss with a smile before answering the call.

The call connected, and the intimate atmosphere was cut short by the conversation's content.

Through the faint static came the distant, calm voice of his mother, Qi Manjun:

"Your uncle is fading fast. Come see him one last time."

Ling Jue's previously upturned lips tightened.

...

Ling Jue left.

Because they were so close when he answered the phone, Qin Shuyi also heard Qi Manjun's words.

The anger she felt from his domineering, forceful kiss stuck in her throat.

Perhaps it was the oppressive silence, or perhaps the rare look of confusion and emptiness on Ling Jue's face—a man who always seemed in control of everything—that prevented her from saying anything harsher.

Only after getting out of the car, when Ling Jue patted her head, told her to be good and wait for him to find her back in the capital, and turned to leave, did she grab his hand.

"Don't drive. Buy the nearest flight or high-speed train ticket now."

Due to his past as a race car driver, Ling Jue drove very fast.

But he hadn't rested properly these past few days, and driving at night in such a distraught state was clearly unsafe.

She actually didn't know Ling Jue had an uncle.

Her knowledge of his family, aside from the well-known background and the public images of his father, Ling Mufeng, and mother, Qi Manjun, extended to nothing about other members.

He had never taken her back to the Ling family home, nor had he ever spoken to her about his relatives.

Only from occasional conversations between Xie Muchen and Ji Xiuhang could she infer that familial bonds within the Ling family were thin.

But from Ling Jue's expressionless face, Qin Shuyi still had an intuition that, at the very least, this uncle was not someone he didn't care about.

Ling Jue held her gaze for a long moment, then finally reached out and pulled her into an embrace.

Qin Shuyi didn't push him away.

Until he released her, she gently hugged him back, soothingly patting his back with her palm.

She didn't know how long the embrace lasted. In the end, he kissed her forehead, said, "I'm heading to the airport," and strode into the night.

...

Qin Shuyi watched until Ling Jue's car disappeared.

Even for someone completely unrelated to her in this world, suddenly hearing about an impending death wasn't a happy thing. She looked somewhat listless when she returned home.

Zhou Yunhe and Qin Yuan quickly noticed her mood and gathered around with concern. "What's wrong? Didn't you enjoy your meal today?"

Qin Shuyi couldn't tell them about Ling Jue's family matters. She just hugged Zhou Yunhe and acted spoiled. "No, I'm just a bit tired."

"Mom, I love you so much~" she cooed sweetly.

Zhou Yunhe smiled and stroked her head. "How old are you now, still acting so spoiled?"

Yet her expression showed she enjoyed her daughter's affection.

Qin Shuyi said, "In front of Mom, no matter how old I am, I'm still a child."

Zhou Yunhe teased her, "Yes, yes, even if you cry, Mom won't laugh at you."

Qin Shuyi smiled and buried her face in her mother's arm.

While listening to them, Qin Yuan tidied the coffee table and asked the mother and daughter, "We've mostly taken care of things these past two days. Should we head to the capital early? We can catch Shuyi before she starts work and have a meal with her aunt's family."

Zhou Yunhe hesitated for a moment. "But didn't Shuyi say she hasn't been back for a long time and wanted to spend more days at home during her vacation?"

For some reason, Qin Shuyi thought of the figure downstairs that had merged with the night. She felt a pang. "It's fine, I want to go back too. Let's leave early."

Qin Yuan suggested, "Then the morning after tomorrow?"

Qin Shuyi nodded. "Tomorrow, I'll drop off the gifts to Youyou's friend and visit her grandmother in the hospital."

Zhou Yunhe said, "Your dad and I will get the house in order. You go ahead and take care of your errands."

The Qin family of three talked it over together, the atmosphere warm and cozy. Far away in a capital hospital, however, it was a different scene.

...

Outside the VIP ward, the elegant yet weary-looking Qi Manjun leaned against the wall, smoking cigarette after cigarette.

Ling Mufeng emerged from the room and looked at the face behind the swirling smoke, a face seemingly untouched by time, his gaze was complex, carrying a hint of concealed pain.

"When did you start smoking?"

Qi Manjun laughed softly. "Over a decade now."

Back when sudden disaster struck, her parents passed away, her elder brother collapsed, and she single-handedly supported the Qi Group. If she hadn't had something to hold onto, she would have fallen long ago.

Over a decade.

Such a detail, and he only noticed it now.

Ling Mufeng pressed his lips tightly together, his voice strained and difficult.

The couple, who should have been the closest in the world, were standing just a few feet apart yet had nothing to say to each other.

After a long while, perhaps unable to bear the silence, Ling Mufeng finally spoke up and asked, "Where is Ling Jue?"

Qi Manjun replied, "He's in S City."

Ling Mufeng frowned deeply, "S City? There haven't been any major moves at the branch office there recently. Why did he suddenly take off for there?"

Although the power of the Ling family had largely transitioned into Ling Jue's hands, Ling Mufeng still checked in on some important decisions from time to time.

He couldn't figure out what in S City was important enough for him to go personally.

Qi Manjun lowered her eyes, "Not necessarily for work."

Ling Mufeng thought of something, his face filled with disapproval, "Is it for that girl?"

"That's ridiculous! Was the recent obstruction in the Tao family's business also his doing? He didn't oppose the arrangement with Tao Wangxi before, so why now? He has no consistency, just does whatever pops into his head. Now, even when his own uncle is in trouble, he's not by his side."

"Ling Mufeng," Qi Manjun interrupted him, "You can't predict an accident. You only just got here yourself, so why be so harsh on Jue?"

Exhaustion clouded her striking features. "My brother... keeping him with us these extra years was me being selfish."

She offered a bleak smile, "Maybe letting him go would make him happier. Whether Jue is here or not, he is still the child my brother loved most. Don't scold him in front of him."

Ling Mufeng felt as if he'd been punched in the throat, unable to utter a word.

Only then did he remember that they owed this son far too much.

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