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墨書 Inktalez
Jin Chengyan did not wait for the Contract that was supposed to be delivered to him, or perhaps he never intended for Qiao Nuo to bring it over.
When he returned to Jin Mansion, he unsurprisingly found Qiao Nuo in the study.
She had already recovered from her shock, holding two copies of the Contract, clearly signed with her name and Jin Chengyan's.
For Qiao Nuo, those thirty minutes felt like a century.
When she looked up, she saw Jin Chengyan returning slowly, her eyes brimming with tears.
"Is it true?" she asked, holding the two Contracts in her hands as she looked at Jin Chengyan standing at the door.
Jin Chengyan walked over and took the Contracts from Qiao Nuo’s hands. He flipped through the pages and saw that they were indeed their Marriage Contracts, clearly stating that their union was merely a transaction.
"You and I did not marry out of love! You do not love me! But… why did you deceive me into thinking we were truly in love? What were these past days? If you never loved me, why were you so kind to me? Why? Ruan Shengyu… is she really the one you love?" Qiao Nuo's voice trembled as she mentioned Ruan Shengyu.
The person Jin Chengyan loved was someone named Ruan Shengyu.
At that moment, she wished her name was Ruan Shengyu or that Jin Chengyan would tell her that everything she had just learned was a lie—a cruel joke played on her!
She and Jin Chengyan were supposed to be the most envied couple!
Jin Chengyan looked at Qiao Nuo, whose expression was on the verge of collapse, filled with disbelief and vulnerability.
In that instant, Jin Chengyan slightly closed his eyes. "Do you really not remember anything at all?"
Qiao Nuo gazed at the somewhat unfamiliar Jin Chengyan. She thought he would provide her with an explanation, tell her that all of this was false. Instead, Jin Chengyan asked her if she truly could not remember!
"If I remembered anything, would I need to ask you? Can you tell me what is going on? If you don’t truly love me, if we really married because of this Contract, then let’s part ways now! Don’t you find it exhausting to pretend to be affectionate with me for everyone else’s sake?" Qiao Nuo felt as if she had fallen from a cloud of happiness into an abyss.
She had fallen into an awkward situation created by the web of emotions spun by Jin Chengyan himself.
Yet, she knew that during these days, she had genuinely liked this man—the one who had told her from the moment she woke up that he was her husband!
She was his only support.
When she said she wanted to break up, Jin Chengyan remained indifferent.
Yet just last night, they had been entwined in each other's arms, engaged in the most intimate of acts.
Tears eventually slipped from her eyes. She stood up, unable to accept this reality; leaving seemed like the only option!
Watching Qiao Nuo resolutely walk away, Jin Chengyan suddenly threw the contract onto the table. He stepped forward and pulled Qiao Nuo back into his embrace, holding her tightly.
"Qiao Nuo, don’t go." Her face pressed against his chest, and she could hear the strong beat of his heart. "The purpose of our marriage is indeed not pure; I have used you to achieve my own goals."
Qiao Nuo struggled. Hearing Jin Chengyan say this made her feel overwhelmed.
The person she thought she loved deeply turned out to be part of a deception!
"Jin Chengyan, let me go! Why would you joke about marriage? Why... did I agree to such an absurd proposal back then?" Yes, Qiao Nuo couldn't understand why she had accepted such a ridiculous offer from Jin Chengyan at that time.
Even when she was with Jin Chengyan, she knew she was not a novice!
"Did we... have a relationship before? Or... was it with someone else? Why can't I remember? Let me go! Let me go!" Qiao Nuo pounded on Jin Chengyan's chest, the amnesia tormenting her alongside this revelation.
Jin Chengyan furrowed his brows, holding Qiao Nuo tightly, unwilling to let her leave his embrace.
Perhaps he was wrong.
"No, you only belong to me! You entrusted your purity to me!" He hadn’t expected Qiao Nuo to doubt herself so much.
He knew that such probing would force Qiao Nuo to confront the truth, but he didn’t know if Qiao Nuo truly had amnesia!
Ruan Shengyu's words troubled him greatly.
On one side was the woman he had loved for so many years. In his heart, Ruan Shengyu had always been that girl in a white dress standing in the breeze, the dream lover of countless men. She was intelligent and pure, kind and generous; he was willing to believe everything she said.
On the other side was Qiao Nuo, a woman he had just met and shared an intimate moment with. She acted impulsively without considering the consequences—brave yet reckless. He genuinely worried that she might do something outrageous.
In this stark contrast, Jin Chengyan couldn’t help but doubt Qiao Nuo.
But when he truly tested her, returning to find her eyes brimming with tears, his heart twisted painfully. As she questioned herself and her life, he wished he could slap himself for his doubts.
What right did he have to doubt someone who had lost her memory? What right did he have to doubt a woman who loved him both before and after her amnesia?
“Qiao Nuo, our marriage did start because of a contract, but now, please don’t leave me. Don’t.” Because I can’t bear to be without you.
Jin Chengyan closed his eyes tightly, finally realizing the truth: this man named Jin Chengyan never wanted the woman named Qiao Nuo to leave his life again.
Gradually calming down, an emotional Qiao Nuo stopped causing a scene and ceased hitting him, quietly nestling in his embrace.
“But… you don’t love me.” Tears streamed down her face, soaking into Jin Chengyan’s shirt.
“I…” Jin Chengyan opened his mouth but could only utter a single word—“I.” What came next? He had never said sorry in his life, nor had he ever said “I love you.”
“You’re not allowed to leave me!” Jin Chengyan said with a hint of anger, resorting to this forceful method to keep Qiao Nuo by his side. As long as she was near him, everything else could be resolved!
Qiao Nuo fell silent. Could she really leave Jin Chengyan? All her memories were gone. How could she live if she left him? How could she start her own life? She didn’t know!
After crying and feeling exhausted, Qiao Nuo lay quietly on the bed, curled up into a small ball, resisting Jin Chengyan’s touch.
Jin Chengyan stood by the bed, watching her with a pained expression.
He gently stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him.
Downstairs, A Shan was already waiting outside Jin Mansion.
Dressed in a black trench coat, Jin Chengyan stepped out of the Jin Mansion with a determined stride.
"Young Master, the person is already here," A Shan said, opening the car door with a heavy expression.
"Mm." Jin Chengyan nodded slightly, but just as he was about to get into the car, he suddenly stopped. "Have someone keep an eye on Qiao Nuo. If she shows any signs of trouble, notify me immediately."
A Shan was momentarily taken aback, unsure of what had transpired between Jin Chengyan and Qiao Nuo, but he complied nonetheless. He waved for two bodyguards to stay behind while he and Jin Chengyan got into the car.
...
At a gym club that should have been closed for the night, the lights were brightly lit inside!
Jin Chengyan and A Shan were the only ones who went upstairs.
In the gym on the upper floor, the room was empty except for a ring in the center. Standing in that ring was a woman who had nowhere to escape. Surrounding her were bodyguards from the Jin Family dressed in black, each with a fierce expression that made her tremble and fall to the ground in fear.
Finally, when she saw the two men enter, she began to understand her predicament!
She had tried every means to escape after Qiao Nuo and Ruan Shengyu were rescued, but before she could even leave Qin Cheng, she was captured and brought back. When her blindfold was removed, she found herself in the ring surrounded by men. For hours, no one had spoken to her or acknowledged her presence.
She couldn’t go anywhere.
Until Jin Chengyan approached.
This man exuded an aura of darkness as he walked toward her step by step, like a demon emerging from hell, radiating an overwhelming sense of danger that threatened her very life.
Ni Yue, already sitting on the ground, began to retreat slowly until her back hit the railing. She turned around; behind her were the bodyguards of the Jin Family—there was no way for even a fly to escape, let alone someone as large as Ni Yue!
The last time she was captured by Jin Chengyan, his men had treated her cruelly. This time, Ni Yue had no idea how she could possibly escape!
Jin Chengyan crossed into the ring's boundary and walked toward Ni Yue step by step.
During that encounter with Zhang Long, Xiao Yuanshan was held back by A Shan. He pressed the gun against Zhang Long's head, extracting the name Ni Yue from his lips.
It seemed that the last time she had been dealt with was insufficient, which emboldened her to come out and act with impunity!
Jin Chengyan seized Ni Yue by the neck, lifting her effortlessly off the ground. Her back pressed against the pillar, her feet dangling in the air.
She silently beat against Jin Chengyan's arm, her face reddening as she struggled to breathe!
He relished in this slow torment, watching her writhe on the brink of death. Then he coldly remarked, “You’ve truly shattered my principle of never laying a hand on women!”
His grip tightened gradually. At that moment, Jin Chengyan did not seem like a man who had walked out of hell; he was indeed someone who came from hell!
The bodyguards of the Jin Family below the stage were well aware that Jin Chengyan never resorted to violence against the weak or women. However, this Ni Yue had repeatedly pushed him to his limits!
He discarded Ni Yue as if she were trash, looking down at her as she gasped for air.
“Do you know that I can make you disappear without a trace? No one will collect your body! Your Ni Family will pay a painful price for your audacity! Or perhaps I’ll make you wish you were dead!” The method of tormenting someone was not merely to kill them but to make them wish for death while enduring unbearable suffering!
Ni Yue looked at him with wide, terrified eyes; she knew he had the power to do it!
Yet she could not swallow her pride. Why should Ruan Shengyu act with such confidence? Why should she be humiliated?
“Was it Ruan Shengyu who ordered you to kidnap Qiao Nuo? Did she instruct you to extort money from the Jin Family? Were you two behind all of this?” Jin Chengyan spoke these words coldly.
When he uttered them, he felt as if the entire world had fallen silent.
He tested Qiao Nuo and now sought to test Ni Yue! He would find a way to uncover the truth he desired!
Ni Yue curled up, “Since you know everything, why did you bring me here? You should… you should go after Ruan Shengyu! I couldn’t stand seeing Qiao Nuo harmed, but without Ruan Shengyu’s help and cooperation, you wouldn’t believe she was framed by Qiao Nuo! According to Ruan Shengyu, you even found someone to ruin Qiao Nuo’s reputation! I really wonder what it feels like for the esteemed Young Master of the Jin Family to be played by a woman…”
Ni Yue had transitioned from fear to indifference; since Jin Chengyan could bring her here, he had no intention of letting her go.
She would make him feel worse than death, and she didn't want Jin Chengyan to continue living in such a desolate and unrestrained manner!
Jin Chengyan's mind exploded with a sudden realization!
Not only was this incident a kidnapping, but even the last time he thought Qiao Nuo had framed Ruan Shengyu, it turned out that Ruan Shengyu had actually framed Qiao Nuo!
He merely wanted to test Ni Yue, but instead, he uncovered more—much more—about Ruan Shengyu's unspeakable actions.
He had always been willing to believe in Ruan Shengyu! So even his testing began with Qiao Nuo; he just wanted to preserve the purest memories in his heart.
A flicker of disbelief crossed his eyes.
Ni Yue, who was unaware of Jin Chengyan's schemes, was thinking about how she could escape from his grasp!
Among those present, only A Shan knew the turmoil and struggle that Jin Chengyan was experiencing inside!
Ruan Shengyu, the one whom Jin Chengyan cherished deeply—who would have thought that he would ultimately be betrayed by him? This hurt Jin Chengyan more than not being together with him; it was something he found hard to accept.
"Young Master," A Shan called out to Jin Chengyan with concern.
Jin Chengyan turned around, his expression blank as he looked at A Shan.
He was silently asking A Shan what to do in this situation. Just when he chose to believe in Ruan Shengyu until the very end, he never expected to be deceived by him!
Qiao Nuo...
He thought of Qiao Nuo curled up on the bed and felt deep regret.
"Bring this woman down and ensure she can never appear in Qin Cheng again!" A Shan commanded his subordinates.
Soon, two bodyguards climbed onto the stage and seized the restless Ni Yue.
“Let go of me! Where are you taking me? Jin Chengyan... you should go find Ruan Shengyu! She’s the one who harmed Qiao Nuo! She not only wanted me to kidnap Qiao Nuo but also to kill her to silence her! It’s her—”
Before Ni Yue could finish, A Shan struck the back of her neck with a swift blow, knocking her unconscious.
The bodyguards then carried the fainted Ni Yue away.
In an instant, the vast gym was left with only Jin Chengyan and A Shan.
“A Shan, do you think I did the wrong thing?” He had confided in A Shan about his actions, and she had advised him not to provoke the amnesiac Qiao Nuo, suggesting that he should take things slowly.
But after hearing Ruan Shengyu's words, Jin Chengyan seemed to have lost his rationality; all he wanted was an answer.
Was it Qiao Nuo or Ruan Shengyu?
He chose to believe Ruan Shengyu and struck Qiao Nuo without hesitation!
But it couldn’t be blamed entirely on Jin Chengyan. If you love someone more than your own life and trust them above all else, you wouldn’t believe that their words at such a moment could be false!
However, Jin Chengyan was unaware that there was another way—one that involved risking everything for a chance at survival!
Ruan Shengyu's final move caught Jin Chengyan off guard!
“You’re not wrong; you simply chose to follow your heart.” But your heart does not belong to Qiao Nuo, even though she is your wife.
A Shan refrained from voicing the last thought. Their young master, when it came to matters of the heart, whether past or present, acted like a child.
He fought for love in the most direct and hurtful way possible.
Jin Chengyan hung his head, revealing a look of despair for the first time in many years.
Even when faced with the massive burden of the Jin family and the fierce competition that led him to lose billions, he had never shown such a defeated expression.
This time, he admitted his failure.
"Qiao Nuo, will she forgive me?"
"She loves you, she did before, she does now. As for the future..." A Shan was uncertain if Qiao Nuo would continue to love Jin Chengyan as she always had.
Silence enveloped the gym, a heavy stillness.
After a long pause, Jin Chengyan lifted his head, his gaze piercing.
"A Shan, from now on, I don't want to hear anything about kidnappings from anyone, including Ruan Shengyu. Since my mother has ordered her to be silenced, let her change cities and start anew."
A Shan was surprised by Jin Chengyan's decision regarding Ruan Shengyu. He was just going to let her go?
But soon, A Shan realized that perhaps this arrangement was the cruelest thing for Ruan Shengyu.
She would leave Qin Cheng and the protection of Jin Chengyan; from then on, everything about her would no longer be related to him. He would no longer be her shield!
And without Jin Chengyan's protection, what background did Ruan Shengyu have to stand in the entertainment industry?
Qiao Nuo...
Jin Chengyan's current actions were an attempt to spend a lifetime making it up to her!
The young master of their family finally understood who he should cherish above all else!
...
Qiao Nuo stood by the window of the bedroom in Jin Mansion, watching as Jin Chengyan got into the car and instructed someone to stay behind and guard Jin Mansion.
She could feel it; when he had held her just moments ago, he had trembled with fear at the thought of losing her.
She asked him if he loved her.
He didn’t answer, only saying that she couldn’t leave him.
That possessiveness over something he considered his own, Qiao Nuo felt it keenly.
She took out her phone, the circle of diamonds around it glaringly bright.
In fact, when she saw the Contract, Qiao Nuo vaguely recalled something—fragmented pieces that remained incomplete.
“Qiao Nuo, why are you calling me at this hour? Have you been thinking about me?” Ji Xining's cheerful voice came through, full of energy even in the late hours.
“Xi Ning, you’re my good friend?”
“Of course! Although we haven’t known each other for long, you’ve already climbed to the top of my friends list. Plus, my brother says you’re someone worth getting close to. It’s mainly because of your husband… Never mind that! Are you really thinking about me?”
“Xi Ning, can you help me?”
“Huh?”
……
In the gym at eight in the morning, Jin Chengyan emerged from the shower, dressed in clothes brought by A Shan. Fresh and clean, he looked like a refined young gentleman once again.
Aside from the empty bottles on the ring and A Shan, no one knew how he had spent last night.
“Are we going back to Jin Mansion or heading straight to Jin?” After last night, A Shan was somewhat unsure of Jin Chengyan's intentions.
Jin Chengyan took a deep breath. “Jin Mansion.”
He needed to see Qiao Nuo safe and sound before he could feel at ease.
A Shan drove straight to Jin Mansion.
Halfway there, Alice's call came in.
At this hour, it was still before work, and Alice knew it was a bit presumptuous to disturb her boss, especially since Jin Chengyan had not been going to the office much lately and had left most matters to a few trusted executives.
Jin Chengyan pressed the answer button.
"Mr. Jin, many media outlets have gone to the resort this morning. The Ye Family is there discussing matters with a high-ranking official and called a woman over, but they ended up being reported. So many media showed up this morning, and now both the Ye Family and that official are furious, claiming that the resort leaked information. They insist you come over." This was something they couldn't handle at all.
Although the Ye Family didn't have the deep roots of the Jin Family or Yan Family, they had developed rapidly in recent years and had strong connections with several officials, posing a significant threat to the major families of Qin Cheng.
Just at this moment, the Ye Family got into trouble; their private dealings were caught in the act, and of all places, it happened at the Jin Family's resort.
Jin Chengyan frowned.
"Got it. I'll head over right away." He hung up and told A Shan in the driver's seat, "Go to the resort."
Seeing Jin Chengyan's serious expression, A Shan sensed that something significant had happened and turned the car around towards the Jin Family's resort.
At that moment, Jin Chengyan had already turned on the car's television, which was indeed broadcasting news about the resort.
A certain high-ranking official was caught cheating; his spouse was furious and demanded a divorce, and now he wanted to sue the resort for leaking customer information… and so on.
A Shan could hear the commotion behind him. He glanced at Jin Chengyan in the rearview mirror and noticed his brows tightly knitted, clearly troubled by more than just this incident.
Such matters were not enough to make Jin Chengyan frown like that; even a night of heavy drinking hadn’t improved his mood.
What he was truly worried about now was Qiao Nuo!
The Jin Family's resort was two hours' drive from Qin Cheng. A Shan drove quickly, and by the time they arrived, the media had already dispersed; after all, they had captured what they wanted.
However, after the media left, the most exciting part began. The high official's wife had arrived, and she was a formidable character. She managed to have the woman involved with the high official restrained on the ground by two men.
The high official sat in his chair, not daring to utter a word.
When Jin Chengyan arrived, he saw this scene, while the Ye Family members seemed to have vanished into thin air.
The high official was not Qin Cheng; otherwise, Jin Chengyan would definitely recognize him. It was surprising to see that the Ye Family had gradually expanded their influence into surrounding cities. It appeared that their ambitions were quite significant!
Upon seeing Jin Chengyan, the High Official's Wife immediately stood up from her chair and rushed over to him after hearing from her people that he was the manager of the resort.
A Shan worried that this woman might do something extreme and quickly positioned himself in front of Jin Chengyan. However, Jin Chengyan simply told A Shan to step back and faced the woman directly.
The woman glared at both Jin Chengyan and A Shan, her anger intensifying.
"Is this how your resort protects the privacy of its guests? So many reporters have come, and everything has been exposed! Where am I supposed to save face for my family? What about my husband's reputation? I swear, even if it costs me everything, I will sue your resort until it shuts down! This pathetic Qin Cheng—do you really think you can get away with this?" The woman shot daggers at Jin Chengyan.
Although it was her husband who had cheated first, she blamed the resort for failing to protect their guests' privacy and threatened to bring it down.
Inside the conference room, the Resort General Manager, who had been trying to calm the High Official's Wife, felt increasingly uneasy after Jin Chengyan arrived. Especially when the woman made her accusations, he couldn't help but wipe the cold sweat from his forehead.
It was the first time someone had criticized Qin Cheng in front of Jin Chengyan and threatened to sue until a company under Jin Family went bankrupt.
What audacity...
The Chief Executive Officer of Jin gave a subtle signal to the Resort General Manager not to speak.
"Yes, it is indeed our fault for not protecting our customers' whereabouts. Please let us know what kind of compensation you are seeking." Jin Chengyan acknowledged that the resort had erred. However, he added, "As for your threat to shut down our resort with a lawsuit, it's not as simple as you think. If our resort doesn't close down, it might be your family that faces consequences first."
"You are threatening me! Do you know who we are?"
From her demeanor, it was clear that her family had considerable influence. After her husband’s infidelity was exposed, she had come with her subordinates to confront those involved and had already managed to send away some media before Jin Chengyan arrived.
However, did Jin Chengyan fear anyone?
They have their background; doesn’t the Jin Family have one?
“By the way, I forgot to mention which company owns this resort. The Jin Family, which you look down upon, is the owner of this resort,” Jin Chengyan said without wanting to waste too much time. “If you want to sue the resort, the entire legal department of the Jin Family will accompany you in this game, considering they haven’t had a case like this in a long time.”
Before the woman could react to the fact that this resort belonged to the Jin Family, Jin Chengyan had already walked up to the high-ranking official.
“I don’t know what benefits the Ye Family has given you that made you want to shame this resort in such a self-destructive manner. You’ve achieved your goal. However, I won’t deal with the Ye Family right away; dealing with you is more than enough,” Jin Chengyan said, his tone particularly ruthless at that moment.
It was also unfortunate for the Ye Family to come at such a time when Jin Chengyan was ready to unleash his fury. Since they wanted to challenge his bottom line, he didn’t mind letting them see just how far he would go.
What followed would be his response! No one could challenge Jin Chengyan's limits! After all, those who usually attempted to test those limits were eliminated before they even realized how far they had gone!
The reason Alice informed Jin Chengyan about the issues at the resort and urged him to intervene was that the resort was established in memory of his late grandmother. The resort’s profits had not been ideal over the years, and for a company that pursued maximum profit, it should have closed down long ago.
However, the Jin Family didn’t care about profits; they only wanted to preserve it.
And yet, someone dared to stir trouble on their turf.
Jin Chengyan coldly swept his gaze over the high-ranking couple and, before leaving, said to the resort's general manager, “You can’t even handle such a small matter; how dare you take a salary from the Jin Family?”
The general manager looked terrified and apprehensive.
Once outside the resort, Jin Chengyan’s frown did not ease.
Although the Ye Family had been making small moves all along, they had never been so blatant before. Had they found help and were preparing for something big?
His intuition was not good.
“A Shan, investigate what the Ye Family has been up to lately. If this is indeed their deliberate attempt to trip us up, we’ll return the same tactics doubled,” Jin Chengyan declared. He had never been one to suffer losses; if others dug a pit for him to fall into, he would ensure that he dug an even bigger pit for them to fall into!
After all the back and forth, Jin Chengyan returned to Jin Mansion around two or three in the afternoon, having missed lunch entirely.
He had already been dealing with the lingering effects of the illness left by Jin. As soon as his meals became irregular, his stomach would inevitably ache, a dull pain that persisted whether he was lying down or sitting.
However, thinking of Qiao Nuo made Jin Chengyan feel that a stomachache was nothing to complain about.
The two bodyguards at the entrance informed him that Qiao Nuo hadn’t gone out today, and they didn’t dare to disturb her.
He nodded and gently pressed his hand against his abdomen as he entered.
He pondered how to speak to Qiao Nuo, or perhaps it would be better not to say anything at all. He could pretend that asking her to fetch the documents yesterday was just an accident, assuring her that those matters were in the past and that they could have a fresh start.
From now on, Qiao Nuo would be the most important person in his life.
“Qiao Nuo!” His voice echoed in the room, but he received no response as he had expected.
Was she still angry?
It was understandable; everyone has their temper. Given how he had treated Qiao Nuo, if she wasn’t upset, it would mean her feelings for him were insincere.
Yet after searching every nook and cranny of the mansion, he found that Qiao Nuo had seemingly vanished without a trace!
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