At that time, before the ring could be given, she had already committed suicide.
Now the ring had been given out but was thrown back.
Lu Qingyan went to wash up and then lay on the bed exhausted.
He leaned against the pillow where Jiang Nanshu used to sleep, which still carried her faint scent, and he fell asleep unknowingly.
In the morning, the housekeeper was off, so Lu Qingyan made breakfast himself.
He glanced at the time and then went to knock on Jiang Nanshu’s door.
His voice was gentle, “Nannan, breakfast is ready.”
It was as if there had never been any conflict between them.
Five years ago, because of the emotional abuse, he hadn’t received that last call in time—Lu Qingyan swore he would never be emotionally abusive to Jiang Nanshu again.
No matter how upset he was, he would always treat her gently.
Lu Qingyan stood at the door for a few minutes.
Just as he was about to knock again, Jiang Nanshu opened the door.
Lu Qingyan lowered his raised hand and smiled at her, “Good morning.”
Jiang Nanshu gave him a strange look.
He seemed to have forgotten that they had just had a disagreement the day before, which made Jiang Nanshu irritated every time she saw him.
But Lu Qingyan’s attitude was too indifferent, as if he had amnesia.
This left Jiang Nanshu feeling stifled, caught in the middle, unable to vent.
She said nothing, just walked ahead.
Lu Qingyan followed behind her.
He placed the breakfast he had prepared in front of her, a nicely made sandwich and a glass of milk.
Lu Qingyan’s cooking skills were not bad, and Jiang Nanshu liked what he made.
Neither of them spoke.
Not until Lu Qingyan took the dishes away, and upon returning, Jiang Nanshu couldn’t hold back, “Lu Qingyan, don’t monitor me anymore, I really, really won’t leave again.”
“Okay,” Lu Qingyan lightly responded, “I know.”
He gave himself an excuse, “I’m just worried about your safety.”
“I’m safe, I can protect myself,” Jiang Nanshu was confident in her combat power.
Lu Qingyan touched the buttons on his collar, “But I want to protect you.”
He was stubborn, so he would not give up on protecting Jiang Nanshu.
That way, he would always know her location and could find her at any moment.
Jiang Nanshu was momentarily speechless, realizing they were at an impasse.
Seeing that Jiang Nanshu was about to leave with her bag,
Lu Qingyan continued, “You must think I’m sick, right?”
Jiang Nanshu stopped in her tracks, turned her head to look at him, and Lu Qingyan gazed back calmly, “I’ve always known what I’m doing, I’m quite lucid, you’re just meeting… this side of me for the first time.”
Jiang Nanshu looked at him puzzled, not quite understanding the significance of what he had just said.
In her memory, Lu Qingyan was polite and gentle, always smiling tenderly, taking care of her just like her father did, a veritable paragon of a good man.
He would pause to help juniors with questions at school, or play elegant and pleasing piano music on stage, always respecting others’ wishes.
Indeed, he was an exemplary aristocrat groomed by a prominent family.
Jiang Nanshu pursed her lips, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m leaving.”
“Where to?” Lu Qingyan asked.
Jiang Nanshu scoffed, “You’ll know wherever I go, so what’s the point in asking?”
Lu Qingyan was silent for a few seconds, then chuckled, “You’re right, then have fun.”
Jiang Nanshu left without looking back.
After she left, the smile slowly faded from Lu Qingyan’s face, returning to a blank expression.
He took out his phone, first replying to a message from Old Sir Lu, indicating that he would bring Jiang Nanshu back the day after tomorrow.
The next second, a call from Yang Jiashu came in, and he answered.
Yang Jiashu said, “Brother Yan, it’s been years since you’ve seen your old classmates. Come over, everyone really misses you, just for a meal.”
At that moment, there were quite a few people surrounding Yang Jiashu.
Lu Qingyan had always been at the top since high school.
He had never fallen from first place, winning countless awards in various competitions and was a legendary figure at their school.
More importantly, he was now the president of the Lu Group, and building a good relationship to get into his company was crucial.
Yang Jiashu, equally from a second-generation circle, was their only connection in the elite circles.
Yang Jiashu was beyond frustrated, he had even sent messages the day before.
Yet Lu Qingyan couldn’t even be bothered to reply.
He felt utterly innocent.
Lu Qingyan had fallen out with Jiang Yunchuan, and he was always the one blamed, right?
Lu Qingyan, good for him, couldn’t even bother with him anymore, which depressed him to no end.
If it wasn’t for everyone begging him to make one more call, Yang Jiashu wouldn’t have called Lu Qingyan with such reluctance.
After waiting a few seconds, with sweaty palms, Yang Jiashu thought Lu Qingyan would refuse when he softly said, “Okay, send me the address.”
Yang Jiashu: “????”
“Ah? You agreed? Alright, alright, I’m sending you the address right away.”
After hanging up, Yang Jiashu felt all confused.
Lu Qingyan had actually agreed to attend the reunion.
He had declined for the past few years.
People around immediately looked at Yang Jiashu with admiration.
“It has to be you, Jiashu, there’s no one you can’t handle.”
Yang Jiashu blushed with the compliment, “Not at all, not at all, Brother Yan and I are like brothers. He was busy in the past years, wrapped up in his business and had no time; now he just happened to have time.”
Everyone looked relieved.
Immediately, someone cheered to quickly set up the venue.
Lu Qingyan originally didn’t want to go.
Even if he appeared calm, he was still very annoyed inside.
Looking at the address Yang Jiashu had sent, he drove off.
The school they attended was Mingde Middle School, considered one of the best middle schools in Beijing.
It was also the closest middle school to the top national university, Jing University.
This time, the reunion address was set at Nightlife.
Nightlife was not only a bar but also a place for dining and leisure activities.
It was an all-inclusive entertainment venue.
By the time Lu Qingyan arrived, almost all his high school classmates had gathered.
In high school, he had three close brothers.
Jiang Yunchuan, Cheng An, and Yang Jiashu.
They had known each other for many years.
But now, he had lost two of them.
One was his own foolishness, and the other was something Lu Qingyan could not forgive.
Just as he couldn’t forgive himself, he couldn’t forgive Jiang Yunchuan either.
He had even pulled out of the gaming company they had started together, not wanting any more ties.
Since it was a dinner, Lu Qingyan didn’t wear any formal suit but dressed casually in leisure clothes, filled with a youthful vibe as if he were still in high school.
Everyone was very happy that Lu Qingyan could come.
They surrounded him and placed him at the head of the table, a position no one else was more suited for.
Lu Qingyan’s gaze skimmed over faces that were familiar yet somewhat strange.
It finally settled on Jiang Yunchuan, who was drinking and chatting with others, and on Cheng An, who was hiding in a shadow, stealthily watching him with his prosthetic limb.
In just a few seconds, Lu Qingyan withdrew his gaze, dispirited.
The next moment, the door to the private room was opened.
Su Ran appeared in a white dress, wearing makeup that made her face even more radiant, a light smile on her lips, “Sorry, I’m late.”