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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 143: The Final Chapter 3
"How did you end up here?" she countered.
"Zhou Ziyan told me you were coming, so I waited for you here."
Zhou Xuanyu stood in front of Junxi, their distance less than a yard apart. As she lifted her gaze, she could see the weariness etched on his brow and catch the scent of tobacco lingering around him, stirring her sensitive nerves.
"Why did you come all of a sudden? Didn’t Zhou Ziyan tell you I’d be back in a couple of days?" He asked while reaching out to take her luggage.
"He did. But I missed you."
Junxi answered so straightforwardly that Zhou Xuanyu was taken aback. After a few seconds of surprise, he tossed her luggage aside and pulled her into a passionate kiss.
The kiss was sudden and fervent, leaving Junxi no choice but to hold him tightly to keep herself from melting away.
France is known as the city of romance, and such displays of affection were nothing new to the onlookers, yet Junxi still felt a bit shy.
After the kiss, he released her and calmly ran his fingers through her hair, saying, "Let’s go. I’ll take you back to the hotel."
Junxi had no objections to Zhou Xuanyu's decision to arrange for her stay at a hotel without asking. Although she knew he had a place in France, she was aware that it held memories related to Lin Jingming, and she didn’t want to stay in a place filled with their shared past.
Zhou Xuanyu spoke French fluently, and they took a taxi to the hotel. The driver was quite talkative, but Zhou Xuanyu handled the conversation effortlessly.
Upon arriving at the hotel, Junxi was surprised to find that Zhou Xuanyu was also staying there. He had booked a luxurious suite, so she didn’t need to get another room.
"Why are you staying at the hotel too? Aren't you..." Junxi began to ask but hesitated.
"The house was given away five years ago." He seemed to sense what she was thinking and took the initiative to explain.
Junxi did not ask who he had given it to. Although they were together, she had never inquired about matters of property or assets.
She always felt that discussing such things would make love feel distant.
"Don't you want to ask who I gave it to?" Zhou Xuanyu pulled her into the elevator, and just as the doors closed, he suddenly asked her.
"Who?" Junxi was curious; since he wanted to be open, she certainly wouldn't miss this opportunity.
"Jia Man and her parents."
"Who?"
Junxi thought she must have misheard. How could it be Jia Man and her parents? In her mind, it should have been Lin Jingming and her parents instead.
"Jia Man and her parents," Zhou Xuanyu repeated.
"Why Jia Man?"
As soon as Junxi finished speaking, the elevator doors opened.
Zhou Xuanyu showed no intention of avoiding the topic. He held Junxi's hand with one hand while pulling her luggage with the other as they walked out of the elevator.
"Let's talk slowly inside."
Indeed, this matter involved various aspects of the past and even a person's life and death; it was not something that could be explained in just a few words.
Junxi nodded.
Zhou Xuanyu's room was spacious; having one more person there wouldn't make much of a difference. He set down Junxi's luggage and went to pour her some water.
Junxi followed closely behind him, sticking to his side as if afraid he might run away.
Zhou Xuanyu understood her feelings and felt a twinge of guilt.
"I'm sorry, it all happened so suddenly. I should have informed you," he said as he wrapped an arm around her and led her to the sofa.
"By the way, how is Jia Man? I heard from Zhou Ziyan that she was in a car accident."
"She's fine."
"Fine? What does 'fine' mean?" Junxi looked at Zhou Xuanyu's calm expression, feeling bewildered. He rushed over in such a hurry, yet all he could say was that she was "fine"?
"'Fine' means that Jia Man didn't have an accident at all," Zhou Xuanyu replied with a helpless smile.
"She lied to you!" Junxi exclaimed instinctively.
Zhou Xuanyu lowered his head and didn't deny it.
Why would Jia Man lie to Zhou Xuanyu? And how did she know that saying this would easily deceive him? Junxi's sensitive emotions erupted all at once, swirling with countless questions. She didn't know how to ask, but not asking left her even more confused.
"What is your relationship with Jia Man?" Junxi finally asked the question she had wanted to know all along.
"I have no relationship with her."
"Then why do you keep her close and trust her so much? Why did you give her the house in France?" Junxi's expression turned serious.
"Because she is Jingming's sister. I have no relationship with Jia Man, but I can't say I have no relationship with Jingming either."
"Teacher Lin..." Junxi murmured this somewhat unfamiliar title, not expecting that Jia Man would actually be Lin Jingming's sister.
However, upon reflection, despite their many differences, the two women indeed shared some commonalities.
"Since you returned, I haven't asked you once about what happened between you and Teacher Lin back in the day. Where did she go? Why didn't you two get married?"
Faced with Junxi's barrage of questions, Zhou Xuanyu furrowed his brow tightly.
Junxi could sense his heaviness, as if every time the name was mentioned, he would reveal such emotions. In the past, she had been afraid to pry, but now she felt that if they wanted to have a proper relationship, they could no longer avoid this issue.
A stone blocking the path will remain an obstacle unless one finds a way to overcome it. And she had no habit of sitting idly by.
In fact, she should have asked this long ago.
"Lin Jingming... she passed away." Zhou Xuanyu spoke with great difficulty.
"What!" Junxi sprang up from the sofa. "What did you say? Teacher Lin is dead?"
Junxi covered her mouth, wanting to scream but unable to make a sound.
How could that woman, as beautiful as a flower, possibly be gone? Was it true that throughout history, beautiful women often met tragic fates?
"Five years ago, she was in a car accident outside a airport in France and became a vegetable. After unsuccessful treatment, she passed away a year ago at Josp Hospital. Yesterday was her death anniversary," Zhou Xuanyu's voice was hoarse.
Junxi slumped back onto the sofa like a deflated puppet.
Lin Jingming was gone.
This answer rendered Junxi's previously resolute three questions pale and powerless.
Junxi froze for a few seconds, her eyes brimming with tears.
She recalled her first encounter with Lin Jingming at the Xiangyin music store, remembering how Lin Jingming had squatted down in front of her, lifting her skirt and asking if she would like to learn the Gu Zheng with her. She also remembered Lin Jingming's gentle smile and the deep dimple that appeared when she said she felt an instant connection with her... Junxi knew that she liked Lin Jingming.
Even though they later became rivals in love, Junxi's feelings for Lin Jingming never diminished. Among Zhou Xuanyu's many "girlfriends," Lin Jingming was the only one Junxi truly appreciated. She believed that only Lin Jingming was worthy of Zhou Xuanyu.
Because of this, Junxi couldn't bear to disrupt their happiness.
Her envy and pain were as vivid as yesterday, but yesterday had changed so much.
Zhou Xuanyu sighed deeply, then fell silent.
Junxi stepped forward and hugged Zhou Xuanyu's head. His body was stiff, so rigid that she couldn't bring herself to ask him any more questions about Lin Jingming.
After all, she was someone Zhou Xuanyu had loved.
Through Zhou Xuanyu's narrative, Junxi began to understand why he treated Jia Man with such special care. Perhaps the fact that Jia Man was Lin Jingming's sister explained everything.
She realized that five years ago, she had lost far more than she had imagined.
"So you left suddenly five years ago because Teacher Lin had an accident?" Before falling asleep, Junxi lay on her side in bed, looking at Zhou Xuanyu as she asked.
Zhou Xuanyu bent his arm, allowing her to rest her head on it.
"Is that right?"
He responded with a low "mm," and Junxi immediately wrapped her arms around him.
"I didn't know you went through such a terrible experience five years ago. Every time I think of you during these five years, I often blame you for being heartless."
"I am heartless," Zhou Xuanyu said as he tightened his embrace around her.
Junxi shook her head. "No, you are not."
For the past five years, he had never left Lin Jingming's bedside, and that spoke volumes.
"But I left you."
"I..." Junxi felt her eyes welling up. She nestled her head more firmly against Zhou Xuanyu's chest. "These past five years, I've only faced some hardships. Even if you were by my side, it would have only made my days a little easier. But Teacher Lin is different; the five years you spent with her were the last five years of her life."
She was not unreasonable; she could distinguish between what was light and what was heavy.
Zhou Xuanyu remained silent, holding her even tighter.
His Junxi, so beautiful and understanding, filled him with guilt and shame whenever he thought of her.
That night, they fell asleep in each other's arms, but neither of them slept soundly.
The next morning, Junxi suggested that she wanted to visit Lin Jingming.
After Lin Jingming passed away, she was buried in France. So on the anniversary of her death, Lin Jingming's relatives would come to France to pay their respects. Although the anniversary had passed and Junxi wasn't technically a relative of Lin Jingming, they shared a teacher-student bond. Once a teacher, always a teacher; out of both sentiment and reason, Junxi felt she should visit her.
Zhou Xuanyu did not refuse. Although he didn't fully understand the nature of Junxi's feelings for Lin Jingming, he could sense something of it.
Lin Jingming was buried in Montparnasse Cemetery. As soon as Junxi and Zhou Xuanyu entered the cemetery area, they saw Jia Man and two elderly people standing before Lin Jingming's grave.
Jia Man spotted Junxi first. Her haggard face showed no emotion as she simply reminded the two elderly people beside her that someone was approaching.
The two elderly people turned their heads and smiled at Zhou Xuanyu when they saw him.
"Xuan Yu, we thought you wouldn't come today," they said.
"Uncle Lin, Aunt Lin, I promised I would be here with you these days," Zhou Xuanyu replied as he walked over and stood beside the two elders, introducing them to Junxi.
It turned out that these two elders were Lin Jingming's parents.
When Lin Jingming's parents heard that Junxi was Zhou Xuanyu's girlfriend, they showed no signs of displeasure; instead, they became even more affectionate towards Junxi.
"Xuan Yu, now that you have a girlfriend, we can rest easy," Lin Jingming's mother said, patting Zhou Xuanyu's hand and then Junxi's shoulder. "My Jingming has kept you waiting for too long; I was really worried..."
"Mom!" Jia Man interrupted her mother.
Jia Man's mother from the Jia Family quickly nodded. "Alright, alright, I won't mention those things anymore. Junxi, dear, the flowers you brought are for our Jingming, right?"
Only then did Junxi realize what was happening. She composed herself and walked to Lin Jingming's grave to lay down the bouquet.
There were many words she wanted to say; she believed Lin Jingming could feel them.
The Jia Family looked at Junxi. "Thank you for coming to see my daughter."
"No need to thank me. Teacher Lin is my mentor; I should have visited her earlier. I just didn't know she had an accident," Junxi said with guilt.
"It's alright; Jingming definitely knows," Jia Family replied with a smile, changing the subject. "The anniversary has passed, and today feels even livelier; Jingming would be happy..."
"But sister clearly liked peace and quiet," Jia Man suddenly spoke up.
This remark was clearly directed at Junxi. While Junxi paid it no mind, Jia Man's parents shot her a disapproving glance in unison.
"Of course. Mom, Dad, it's only been a year since my sister passed away. Have you forgotten her preferences already?"
"Jia Man, you mustn't be rude. Junxi is a guest."
"I know she's a guest. That's why I will treat her well," Jia Man replied, turning to Junxi. "Shall we take a walk and chat?"
Before Junxi could respond, Zhou Xuanyu instinctively pressed down on her shoulder.
Jia Man noticed Zhou Xuanyu's protective gesture and said irritably, "What? Zhou Xuanyu, are you afraid I'll eat her or something?"
"Is there something you can't say here?" Zhou Xuanyu still refused to agree.
"I've already said my sister doesn't like noisy places. Besides, if I want to talk about some private matters between women, do you really need to listen in?"
Zhou Xuanyu wanted to say something else but was stopped by Junxi.
Junxi smiled at Jia Man and said, "Let's go."
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