He didn’t know then what price Lu Qingyan had paid to let Jiang Nanshu breathe again.
But after he disappeared with Jiang Nanshu for a week and returned with blood-soaked, hastily wrapped wrists, the price was undoubtedly tremendous.
It was only later, when he saw Lu Qingyan praying daily, that he pressed him for answers.
He just stared blankly at the Buddha statue and said softly,
He had shared half of his life with Jiang Nanshu, enough to bring her back, yet he would have to wait a long time, he didn’t know how long, he could only keep waiting.
Old Sir Lu originally didn’t believe it.
Until the incense in the burner suddenly tilted, the ash touching the ground as if affirming Lu Qingyan’s words.
Desperation surged in Old Sir Lu’s heart.
A human life doesn’t exceed a hundred years, and here he was, only in his twenties, yet he had lost half.
Lu Qingyan said calmly, “It’s the debt I owe her, I should repay her.”
Old Sir Lu knew he was blaming himself, feeling that it was because he hadn’t answered Jiang Nanshu’s calls that she had considered suicide.
This was already a dead end.
But it still gave some hope, as long as Jiang Nanshu could breathe, he could live well.
“Tell her what? If possible, I would wish for her to have a long life, but my life is limited, this is all I can do,” Lu Qingyan said, fingering the Buddha Beads on his wrist, “I don’t want her to like me just because of a guilty conscience, I don’t need her pity.”
His grandson was too stubborn, and Old Sir Lu was helpless.
He stood up, leaning on his cane, “Keep being stubborn then, I don’t care anymore.”
Old Sir Lu left in a huff.
Lu Qingyan took out his phone, wanting to call Jiang Nanshu, then realized she still didn’t have a phone.
…
The newly revived Jiang Nanshu found the surroundings fascinating.
She was relieved to finally not have to gaze at that same patch of sky that, no matter how vast it was constructed, made her feel like a frog in a well.
From Yan Yidan, she had heard that Xu Xi had become a host at Jing TV through her own efforts; even though she was only hosting the evening news, she was immensely satisfied and striving for more.
Jiang Nanshu felt a bit sentimental.
In five years, Xu Xi had graduated from college and successfully obtained her master’s degree, she was a diligent and shining girl.
The dreams she once spoke of were no longer dreams, she had made them reality.
Yang Jiashu had started his own company, which over the years had slowly but surely grown; their group met occasionally, but their busy lives and the absence of a team member dampened their enthusiasm.
But Yang Jiashu’s company was close to Xu Xi’s, allowing them to meet frequently.
As for Yan Yidan and Jiang Yunchuan, Beijing was so vast that meeting was unlikely unless intentional.
Her sister Jiang Leyi became the youngest nominee for Best Actress in the entertainment industry last year and then announced her retirement to take over the family business.
“What? Zhou Yanbai died the year before last?” Jiang Nanshu widened her eyes, somewhat in disbelief.
In the original world, Zhou Yanbai had gone mad after she tortured him for over a month and had her transferred to a psychiatric hospital, where he then committed suicide due to mental instability.
How could Zhou Yanbai, without her help in this world, have also passed away?
Jiang Yunchuan shrugged, “Yep, he’s dead. Apparently, he fell down the stairs and accidentally stabbed himself with the knife he was holding; just like that, he was gone.”
Yan Yidan then commented, “It seems absurd, but his aim was too accurate, stabbed right into the heart. Su Ran was so shocked at the time; she was taken to the police station to give a statement. Later, because of the surveillance footage, she was cleared of suspicion. Indeed, Zhou Yanbai was about to abuse Su Ran, then he slipped and fell down the stairs himself. If he hadn’t died and Su Ran had called the police, he wouldn’t have escaped the charge of attempted murder.”
Holding a knife in her hand, she was indeed out to kill someone.
It was self-inflicted, the sharp knife aimed at herself from start to finish.
Jiang Nanshu was somewhat sighing, as she remembered Zhou Yanbai from the original world had been longing to return.
Well, that’s over now; this world’s version of him had also abruptly ended.
“What about Su Ran?” Jiang Nanshu asked.
As the initial female protagonist in the book, Jiang Nanshu was somewhat concerned about her current life.
Speaking of Su Ran, Yan Yidan’s eyes showed disdain, “After Zhou Yanbai died, she immediately turned around and followed another tycoon, nearly fifty years old. That tycoon was elderly, and last year, she bore him a daughter, which his legitimate wife discovered and beat her up in the streets. Eventually, the tycoon couldn’t stand his crazy official wife and divorced her, then married Su Ran, giving her a legitimate status. Otherwise, she would still be sneaking around as the tycoon’s mistress.”
Su Ran, becoming a mistress?
That was something Jiang Nanshu would never have imagined.
With her charm, how could she not attract a better, wealthy second generation and end up with an old man.
“However, Su Ran’s father took advantage of this Beijing mogul to expand his business to Beijing. I guess Su Ran did contribute to her family,” Yan Yidan commented.
Jiang Nanshu was engrossed in listening to the gossip.
Indeed, the outside world was more exciting.
Jiang Yunchuan was preoccupied.
He glanced at Jiang Nanshu from time to time.
Regarding this Fifth Brother, Jiang Nanshu was neither distant nor particularly close, maintaining only their faint blood relationship.
Jiang Yunchuan also realized this.
He didn’t insist on anything further, as long as Jiang Nanshu was fine.
Thinking of what his other brothers had said, he felt a headache but eventually plucked up the courage to say, “Nannan… do you still remember Mom?”
Jiang Nanshu was initially stunned, then she recalled Mrs. Jiang, who had been diagnosed with stomach cancer before she jumped into the sea.
She was surprised, “She’s not dead yet?”
Five years.
She hadn’t treated it for more than a year and had already passed away.
Could treatment really last over five years?
Jiang Yunchuan was choked by Jiang Nanshu’s words.
Although her words were somewhat unfilial, he didn’t dare to speak ill of them.
Past events did not fade with time; on the contrary, the longer the time, the more guilty Mrs. Jiang felt. Now she even had hysteria, seeing everyone as Jiang Nanshu and hugging any little girl nearby, shouting “Nannan,” startling everyone.
Eventually, they had to keep Mrs. Jiang under close watch, not allowing her to leave the sickroom.
Meanwhile, her physical condition was getting worse. She had endured so long probably because she had a breath of regret in her heart.
Jiang Yunchuan’s lips were pursed, his eyes filled with sadness, “She’s not doing well, having held on till now because she heard you were awake. She wants to see you one last time, Nannan… can you go see her?”
It was tough for Jiang Yunchuan. Although Mrs. Jiang was their biological mother and she had treated him well since his birth, it was undeniable that she had made mistakes, unlike Jiang Nanshu, who grew up loved.
They all knew the harm she had done to Jiang Nanshu.
But this was Mrs. Jiang’s last wish. Jiang Yunchuan had no choice but to ask Jiang Nanshu in person.
He hoped she would visit to let her mother pass away peacefully, hoping she wouldn’t be so confused in her next life.