Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
“Jin Chengyan.” Xi Yisheng stood before Jin Chengyan, calling his name with an unruffled demeanor.
In the past, when he looked at Qiao Nuo, he thought that if he ever met Jin Chengyan, he would surely give him a good beating. How could that man turn a girl like Qiao Nuo into someone like this?
But now that he truly faced him, Xi Yisheng felt surprisingly calm. All the past entanglements had vanished along with Qiao Nuo's transformation.
Now, there was only a person named Faye, no longer a Qiao Nuo who had feelings for Jin Chengyan.
“Please keep your distance from Faye.” It wasn’t out of fear that this person might disrupt Qiao Nuo’s peace of mind; it was simply that someone like him didn’t deserve to be near her.
Jin Chengyan snorted coldly, looking indifferently at the man before him. He had to admit that Xi Yisheng exuded a powerful aura. Most importantly, Jin Chengyan could see the concern in his eyes for Qiao Nuo.
But what right did such a man have to speak like this in front of her legitimate husband?
“You’d better not interfere in my relationship with Qiao Nuo! I don’t care what happened between you and her over the past four years, but as long as she is my wife, you have no right to touch her.” Jin Chengyan stepped closer to Xi Yisheng, announcing like a king.
“You?” Xi Yisheng scoffed, “You think you’re worthy to be Faye’s husband? Just because you have a marriage certificate doesn’t mean you own her. Don’t forget, you’ve been separated for over two years. The only reason you haven’t pursued legal action is to save face. But if you really want to go down that road, we can play along.”
This man kept mentioning Faye; she was clearly still Qiao Nuo. Just because they had been together for four years didn’t give him the audacity to act so recklessly.
“Xi Yisheng, you need to take responsibility for your words!”
“Jin Chengyan! You have no idea how Faye has lived these past four years! She suffers from depression; she even attempted suicide! It took her a year of medication to recover! Your betrayal completely erased Qiao Nuo from this world! So you have no right to dictate her future. If you truly love her, let her go! Being with you was the darkest period of her life.”
The darkest period of her life...
Jin Chengyan suddenly choked on his words.
Was the time spent with him so painful?
Even after leaving, she lived a life shrouded in darkness!
Depression, suicide, medication!
These words sound terrifying, yet they were all too real for Qiao Nuo.
Could it be that her very existence here was a gift from heaven?
Qiao Nuo led Qiao Kawai out of the restroom and was met with a tense scene outside.
It seemed as if she didn’t see it at all; she merely smiled faintly at Xi Yisheng.
“Daddy!” Qiao Kawai called out to one of the two men across from her, opening her arms and running towards them.
Both men crouched down, but before Jin Chengyan could open his arms, Qiao Kawai had already leaped into Xi Yisheng's embrace.
Daddy… Xi Yisheng.
Xi Yisheng… Daddy.
Xi Yisheng picked up Qiao Kawai, waiting for Qiao Nuo to come over. The three of them prepared to leave together, leaving Jin Chengyan alone squatting there.
Jin Mengxi waited for a long time but never saw Jin Chengyan come over. However, Qiao Nuo and her group had already left. Anxious, she finally tossed aside her napkin and ran toward the restroom.
In the dimly lit restroom, a "Temporarily Out of Service" sign was placed outside by the waiter, while he remained inside.
She didn’t dare to disturb him until Jin Chengyan finally emerged.
He still stood tall and handsome, but upon closer inspection, she noticed a hint of red in his eyes.
“I’m leaving first. You can drive back on your own,” Jin Chengyan said lightly before exiting the restaurant, gripping a strand of hair tightly in his hand.
Jin Mengxi wanted to chase after him, but just then her phone rang. She glanced at the caller ID and quickly pushed thoughts of Jin Chengyan out of her mind, answering the call with a sweet smile.
“What made you think of calling me? I thought you’d forget about me the moment you turned away!” Jin Mengxi said, admiring her flushed reflection in the glass, wearing an expression reminiscent of a young girl in love.
She couldn’t quite catch what the other person was saying, but her smile grew even brighter as she nodded eagerly. “Sure! I’m nearby too; come pick me up… Okay!”
After hanging up, Jin Mengxi smiled at her reflection in the glass, but suddenly her expression turned serious. “Is this too forward of me?”
Half an hour later, Jin Mengxi arrived downstairs. A sleek black car pulled up in front of her, and the driver rolled down the window, gesturing for her to get in.
Jin Mengxi brushed her hair back before opening the car door.
As soon as she got in, the man in the driver’s seat leaned over, his nose brushing against her cheek. The intense scent of his cologne enveloped her, causing her to blush involuntarily.
Is he going to kiss me?
Should I close my eyes now? At this moment?
With a soft click, it turned out to be just the seatbelt.
The man reached out and playfully tapped her nose. "What are you thinking about all day in that little head of yours?"
Teased by him, the girl's face flushed even more. "What do you mean…"
However, in the next moment, the man leaned in and kissed her—just a light touch, but it was enough to leave Jin Mengxi flustered.
Yet, she was still a young lady from the Jin Family. After collecting her thoughts, she slowly said, "Is it really okay for me to be with you like this? You are Qiao Nuo's brother-in-law."
Qiao Chen paused his hands on the steering wheel for a moment, then replied coolly, "Does that have any bearing on us being together?" He seemed a bit angry, his voice tinged with irritation.
She didn't want to provoke him.
"That's not what I meant."
"That's good. I don't want my sister's matters to affect us." The innocence that once graced Qiao Chen's face had long vanished, leaving behind only a somber and cold demeanor.
...
After returning home with Qiao Kawai, she took a bath and obediently went to bed.
Qiao Nuo went to the study, opened her computer, and sat at her desk. After much contemplation, she finally placed her hands on the keyboard and began to type.
"Grandpa, Qi Xin is well. I'm currently in Africa and won't be able to rush back to celebrate the New Year with you. The signal here is quite poor, and it took me a while to find a place with internet access to write you this email. Please don't rush me back; I feel that the people here need me more. I want to create a paradise for them where there is no pain or harm, and they can live happily and joyfully..."
“Plop…” Tears fell onto the keyboard, and Qiao Nuo could no longer type, nor could she find the words to express herself.
Her quiet sobs turned into uncontrollable cries, and there was no stopping them.
Every time she saw Jin Chengyan, she couldn't help but think of those things—the pain he brought was not just inflicted on her alone!
Did he know how she had spent these four years? She could vividly recall the sensation of each needle piercing her arm—cold and painful, the liquid flowing into her body drop by drop. Every day, she counted the drops of that liquid in a repetitive cycle.
The scar on her chest had transformed into a phoenix reborn, but when it was pierced, there was no anesthetic. She bit down hard on a towel to stifle her cries.
Yet the pain in her heart was a thousand times worse than the pain from her wounds.
“Yan Beiting…” Qiao Nuo whispered his name, tears cascading down like a string of broken pearls.
Hearing the sounds from the study, Xi Yisheng entered from outside. He saw Qiao Nuo in the dark, illuminated by the glow of the computer screen, her pale face marred by tears that tugged at his heartstrings.
It was past midnight; today marked Yan Beiting's memorial day.
Xi Yisheng felt annoyed at his own carelessness. It was all Jin Chengyan's fault—his appearance had disrupted his plans. He had intended to take Qiao Nuo out to distract her, to help her forget that painful memory.
But even at this hour, it still lingered in her mind.
He walked over, took a blanket from the sofa, draped it over Qiao Nuo's shoulders, and gently pulled her into his embrace.
“Faye, it’s all in the past now. Don’t think about it anymore, okay?” Xi Yisheng glanced at the computer screen displaying an email interface—the annual message sent to Yan Laoyezhi, fulfilling Yan Beiting's last wishes.
For Qiao Nuo, this was a tremendous blow. Pretending to be Yan Beiting, making everyone believe he was still alive.
“If he hadn’t tried to help me leave, if he hadn’t even met me… it wouldn’t have been like this… Yi Sheng… he shouldn’t have done this…” Qiao Nuo clutched Xi Yisheng’s arm tightly; only by holding onto something could she avoid feeling lost in endless darkness.
“Faye, everyone has their own choices. He said he had no regrets about saving you. He hoped you would be happy and healthy. If he could see you now, he would regret saving you! Don’t let these things trouble you anymore, okay?” Xi Yisheng gently stroked Qiao Nuo’s back. “From now on, let me handle these emails, alright?”
Qiao Nuo nodded, then shook her head. She was exhausted and leaned into Xi Yisheng’s embrace. “I can write them… it’s the last thing I can do for Yan Beiting…”
Xi Yisheng nodded; this was the one thing he couldn’t stop Qiao Nuo from doing. He could only let her grieve and punish herself. Perhaps it was through this almost self-destructive way that she could continue to live.
So, Jin Chengyan would never deserve Qiao Nuo!
He didn’t know what Qiao Nuo had been through, and of course, he didn’t need to know.
From then on, Jin Chengyan would merely be a stranger in Qiao Nuo’s life.
After crying, Qiao Nuo’s mood gradually calmed down. The email she had started remained unfinished as she wiped away her tears and smiled at Xi Yisheng.
“You can go out first; I’ll finish writing soon and can go to sleep.” She comforted him like this, knowing that after he left, she would be alone to lick her wounds.
“Okay, don’t stay up too late.” Xi Yisheng ruffled Qiao Nuo’s hair. “Faye, you know I’ll always be by your side. So if there’s anything sad or troubling you, tell me. I’ll help you bear it. You know I love you.”
Her cheek felt the warmth of Xi Yisheng’s palm; she seemed unable to part with such warmth, pressing her face against his hand and gently closing her eyes.
“I know you will always be with me, Yi Sheng, for a lifetime.”
In the quiet study, only Qiao Nuo remained. She stared at the computer screen, once again steeling herself, typing out Ping An's words letter by letter.
"Yan Beiting, your love is too heavy.
I'm sorry, I can only keep it sealed away.
Will you remember me for a lifetime?"
...
" Mr. Jin, are you really going to do this?" Alice was astonished to hear that Jin Chengyan planned to buy the front pages of all the newspapers and magazines in the city for three days just to publish his confession to Qiao Nuo.
After following Jin Chengyan for so many years, she had never seen him so straightforward, even reckless.
He had always preferred to keep a low profile, yet suddenly he decided to do this, leaving Alice completely surprised.
"Just do it," Jin Chengyan replied without even raising an eyebrow, though his tone was somewhat stiff. Was Alice questioning his decision?
"Alright, I'll take care of it right away! Also, the Qiao Family Villa is already under Jin Real Estate. There happen to be two empty villas nearby; one of them has a Mr. Xi Yisheng who wants to buy..."
"Don't buy! No company under Jin will do business with this person named Xi Yisheng!"
Alice was left speechless.
"Renovate the villa closest to the Qiao Family. I want to move in as soon as possible!"
"Yes..." The boss arranged it this way, and Alice had no choice. After learning from Jin Chengyan that Qiao Nuo was still alive, every decision she made was impulsive, without a second thought.
The next day, every newspaper and magazine in Qin Cheng featured Jin Chengyan and Qiao Nuo on the cover!
It turned out that Qiao Nuo was alive; the wife that Jin Shao had been searching for over four years was still here!
To express his love, Jin Shao bought out all the front pages, just to let his beloved wife know how much he adored her!
The front page bore only eight words: "Qiao Nuo, I love you." Signed, Jin Chengyan.
It was a simple yet direct declaration of love that ignited the hearts of many young girls!
However, for the person involved, it was quite a headache. From the moment she left home for the office, she was surrounded by curious onlookers!
If it weren't for the strong security at the company, reporters would have likely barged in to interview Qiao Nuo about her feelings regarding all this.
"Sis, honestly, if I were a woman and a man declared his love for me like that, my heart would be overwhelmed too." Though Qiao Chen said this, he tossed all the newspapers into the trash without a moment's hesitation.
Qiao Nuo frowned slightly. She hadn't rested well due to the incident with Yan Beiting a few days ago and had hoped that things with Jin Chengyan could settle down. She thought he would calmly sign the divorce agreement and that would be it.
However, not only had he not signed the divorce agreement, but he also seemed to be increasingly brazen in declaring his ownership over Qiao Nuo to everyone.
"Stop being cheeky! Why didn't you come home the other night? Even though you're an adult now, you're still my brother! Staying out all night—are you tired of living?" Qiao Nuo pressed him about that night. As she walked past Qiao Chen's room after finishing an email in her study, she found it completely empty.
At this point, Qiao Chen hesitated awkwardly.
"Big sister, how old do you think I am? Can't I stay out overnight?"
"This isn't about staying out; I'm worried you'll get into trouble!"
"Do you think I'm Dad? I have no idea when he ended up with a daughter..."
"Qiao Chen!" Qiao Nuo called out to her.
Qiao Chen pouted, pretending she hadn't said anything. "But seriously, are you really going to bring that little cutie with you? Do you honestly think Yi Sheng won't mind?"
Qiao Nuo pondered Qiao Chen's words deeply.
Would a man really be okay with his girlfriend bringing along an unidentified child, showering it with love, and still choose to stay by her side after learning how difficult it would be for her to have children?
After knowing all her past struggles and pain, would he still be willing to accept her without fear?
If it were Qiao Nuo, she probably wouldn't want to accept a woman like that.
Xi Yisheng, this perfect man without flaws—would he?
He deserves a better woman, doesn’t he?
"Alright, what you should be worrying about right now isn't me!" Qiao Nuo interrupted the previous topic. "We've signed the contract with Jin, and I've finished the design draft. You just need to liaise with them."
"I understand. Even though Jin seems impenetrable, as long as we have determination, what's so difficult about bringing down a castle?" A hint of ruthlessness flickered in Qiao Chen's eyes, a kind of cruelty that seemed intent on bringing someone to their end.
Seeing Qiao Chen like this, Qiao Nuo suddenly wondered if bringing Qiao Chen into this was a mistake.
Back in her office, Qiao Nuo opened her computer, and the webpage automatically popped up with news about Jin Chengyan spending a fortune to declare his love for his wife, making sure the whole city knew he cherished her above all else!
Qiao Nuo rolled her eyes; it was truly ridiculous… People would say anything for money.
Feeling irritated, Qiao Nuo decided to shut down her computer and called her lawyer.
As expected, she had not received the divorce agreement from Jin Chengyan.
Rubbing her temples, Qiao Nuo said, "How about this? I have evidence of Jin Chengyan's infidelity during our marriage. I want to sue him—not for his entire fortune, just for half."
On the other end of the line, her lawyer swallowed hard; after all, half of Jin Chengyan's wealth was unimaginable!
"Additionally, I want to sue him for damaging my reputation. If he doesn’t promptly remove those absurd advertisements, let him know that his other half will be used to compensate me for my emotional distress!"
With a sharp click, she hung up the phone. At this point, she didn’t even want to speak directly to Jin Chengyan; everything would go through her lawyer.
If Jin Chengyan still refused to back down after this, he truly had thick skin.
After hanging up, Qiao Nuo found it hard to settle down. She paced back and forth in her office for quite some time. After finishing a cup of coffee, she gradually calmed herself down and looked at a draft of a building design on her desk.
The draft was indeed something she had spent nearly a month working on. During that time, she had ensured that the staff understood Qin Cheng's architectural style and had put in considerable effort.
It was only after all that hard work that she designed such a modern building—undoubtedly an embodiment of all her energy and dedication.
She had returned to architectural design two years ago and had won several awards at international design competitions, gaining a bit of fame. However, she had never used her real name; partly because she didn't want anyone to discover her identity, and partly because it wasn't yet time to go public.
Now, it was time.
“Knock, knock, knock—” The office door was rapped upon, pulling Qiao Nuo back to reality.
“Come in.”
The assistant opened the door from the outside. “Faye, there’s a Mrs. Jin out here who wants to see you. I told her you can’t meet anyone without an appointment, but she’s just standing outside and won’t leave.”
Mrs. Jin?
“She’s a woman in her fifties or sixties, very graceful.”
Yu Xin.
Qiao Nuo hadn’t expected that the person coming to the company would be Yu Xin.
“Let her in.” Sooner or later, she would have to face this. Yu Xin was here for her son, or perhaps for what she believed was her granddaughter.
Before long, Yu Xin entered with the assistant’s guidance. After pouring a glass of warm water for Yu Xin, the assistant closed the door and left.
“If I hadn’t seen this morning’s newspaper, I wouldn’t have known you were back,” Yu Xin said, her tone carrying a hint of reproach. But soon enough, those uncomfortable feelings dissipated.
After all, regarding the incident from four years ago, no one could claim they were entirely right or entirely wrong.
“Mrs. Jin, is there something you need from me today?” The use of “Mrs. Jin” instead of “Mom” made Yu Xin understand the clear distinction in their identities.
“I’m not entirely sure about the situation between you and A Yan, but the child is innocent. A Yan’s behavior today was meant to show you how much he cares and that he wants to salvage your family. Could you consider giving him a chance for the sake of the child?”
Qiao Nuo couldn’t help but think how fortunate Jin Chengyan was to have such a mother.
“I'm sorry, Mrs. Jin, but I think you’re misunderstanding. The child is mine, but not Jin Chengyan's.” Qiao Nuo repeated this explanation once again.
“Qiao Nuo?”
“I know you don’t believe me, so I had a DNA test done for my daughter and Jin Chengyan. You can take a look at it.” With that, Qiao Nuo pulled out a document from her drawer and handed it to Yu Xin.
Having weathered many storms, Yu Xin felt a bit unsettled facing this situation.
She slowly opened the envelope and flipped to the last page.
It clearly showed that Qiao Kawai and Jin Chengyan had a zero percent match, indicating no possibility of them being father and daughter.
Comment 0 Comment Count