Chapter 74#
第74章#
When Zhao Rong first left, Qiao Nanqi thought he could accept it as long as Zhao Rong was willing to come home.
Later, he realized that Zhao Rong was serious about breaking up, so he thought, as long as he could bring Zhao Rong back, he could also accept that.
Even later, he learned everything, discovered the feelings he had unconsciously developed, and only wished Zhao Rong could give him a chance to start over, a chance to have forever.
But in the end, he found that Zhao Rong no longer loved him, and had even married one of his best friends in plain sight…
Just when he had given up all hope, he was suddenly given what should have been a surprising piece of good news.
But this “surprise” pierced him through the heart.
The faint hopes and expectations that had still existed became, at this moment, something Qiao Nanqi wished had never existed.
He felt evasively that perhaps he would have felt better if he hadn’t investigated, yet he was also glad he had found out the truth.
Only by finding out and seeing clearly did he realize what he had done.
He had once desperately hoped Zhao Rong would return.
But the thoughts in his mind at this moment, the thousands of repetitions of “not worth it,” finally converged into a single idea in an instant.
An idea he could never have had before.
—If Zhao Rong had never loved him from the beginning, would his life these past years have been… better?
…
Qiao Nanqi sat alone in his office for a long time, doing nothing.
After a long while, it was almost midnight. Xiao Wu, whom he had instructed to work overtime, brought in the caregiver who had previously looked after Zhao Ming at the sanatorium.
Qiao Nanqi had originally intended to intervene in this sanatorium simply to learn about Zhao Rong’s current situation.
Zhao Rong had already moved away, and to subtly gather information, he could only start with Zhao Ming. So he thought, if he could secretly ask the caregivers and doctors, it would be good to know Zhao Rong’s current situation.
Unexpectedly, what the caregiver said caught him completely off guard.
“…Left?” Qiao Nanqi repeated.
The caregiver nodded, “Yes, the whole family left together. They offered me double my salary and asked if I wanted to go with them, but my whole family is rooted here, so I didn’t go. A while ago, about a month ago, they gave me a big red envelope and drove off. It was snowing quite heavily that day.”
A little over a month ago.
A little over a month ago, the wedding had just ended a little over ten days prior.
A little over a month ago, Lawyer Lin had just finished processing the inheritance documents.
Qiao Nanqi immediately asked, “Where did they go?”
The caregiver, having often seen Qiao Nanqi shed his tough exterior at the sanatorium, spoke without much reservation.
But at this moment, Qiao Nanqi’s voice suddenly lowered, and the invisible pressure made the caregiver fear Qiao Nanqi would be displeased with the answer, causing her to stammer unconsciously: “They didn’t… didn’t say… They just asked if I was willing to go to another city, and after I refused, they didn’t ask again… After all, they’re the employers, and if they don’t mention it, I… I shouldn’t ask too many questions…”
Another city…?
Zhao Rong wasn’t in Yangcheng anymore?
The caregiver asked him, “Does Mr. Qiao have any other questions?”
Qiao Nanqi had already motioned for Xiao Wu to see the person out.
As Xiao Wu, familiar with the routine, led the person out of the office, Qiao Nanqi suddenly called out to him.
“Sir?” Xiao Wu was puzzled. “Is there something else you need done?”
Qiao Nanqi didn’t look at him, just held his phone, staring at something unknown, his voice low and tinged with exhaustion: “You don’t need to come in tomorrow. Take a few days off.”
Xiao Wu was stunned by his words. The courage he had painstakingly cultivated during this period, thanks to their boss’s slight approachability, completely vanished. “Ah? S-s-sir! Did I… did I do something wrong? Please give me another—just one more chance!! I—”
He almost rushed to Qiao Nanqi’s front, crying and kneeling.
But Qiao Nanqi merely rubbed his temples and said, “I’m just telling you to rest. I won’t be coming to the company tomorrow.”
Only then did Xiao Wu understand.
It turned out their boss wasn’t firing him; their boss was taking a vacation himself.
So he immediately shed his gloomy expression and left with the caregiver.
Before leaving, he couldn’t help but add, “Sir, you should still… pay attention to your rest.”
Qiao Nanqi glanced at him but said nothing.
After Xiao Wu left, he was once again alone in the office. Outside, the night was deep, and inside, the lights were bright as day, yet it felt like an endless night.
He looked at his phone, having re-logged into the social media account where he had added Zhao Rong, and clicked into Zhao Rong’s profile.
He had already looked at these posts countless times, but now, knowing that Zhao Rong had left over a month ago, he finally noticed the difference in the content.
Zhao Rong hadn’t posted much recently, mostly landscape photos that revealed nothing—now it seemed they might have been taken on his journey away. There were no people in these landscape photos, and Zhao Rong never wrote much when posting pictures, at most adding one or two words. If he hadn’t known Zhao Rong was no longer in Yangcheng, he probably wouldn’t have noticed anything amiss.
Many were close-ups, one even showing only a single green leaf.
A single green leaf.
The leaf was thin, and the branches that could be seen were also slender, unlike the types that could grow outdoors in a northern winter.
Was he somewhere a little further south?
Zhuxi.
Xu Xin and his wife took Zhao Rong and Liang Youjun to the market to buy New Year’s goods.
It was early morning, and the market was bustling with people, their warm breaths mingling as they chatted, and shouts of vendors echoed incessantly.
They hadn’t opened the bookstore today, and Zhao Rong had also declined an invitation to a business district banquet in Zhuxi, specifically rushing to buy things before everyone closed for the New Year.
Sister-in-law Xu wanted to enlist Xu Xin and Liang Youjun as laborers, so she naturally brought them along. As for Zhao Rong—though no one said it, in the eyes of the other three, their young but delicate boss was there to be a mascot.
He was so good-looking that if he just stood there, even the butcher might “accidentally” cut an extra pound of meat.
Before coming, Xu Xin had specifically asked his wife, and the two of them had spent half a day at home researching the local New Year customs and necessary items.
But they were outsiders after all, and after much effort, they eventually thought that if it really didn’t work out, they would just make do with the way they used to celebrate New Year in Yangcheng.
When they arrived at the market, Sister-in-law Xu was leading them, planning to see what to buy, when unexpectedly, Zhao Rong had stopped at a stall at some point and started picking things out directly.
Sister-in-law Xu, fearing he was too much of a young master to buy things, came over to help, but to her surprise, Zhao Rong, in just a few words, began to haggle with the vendor.
And he was using a local dialect.
He stood there, his temperament clear and distinct from the common folk, and even though several layers of scarf slightly obscured his face, it didn’t diminish the glances of passersby.
Yet, despite this incongruous aura, Zhao Rong could blend in with the ordinary people here without any difference, mingling in the bustling crowd, speaking fluent dialect, smiling slightly, and conversing back and forth with the vendor. In the end, he even seemed to chat with the vendor about New Year customs, and the vendor laughed heartily, giving him a few extra items.
Liang Youjun quickly snatched the plastic bag from Zhao Rong and held it, dumbfounded. “Boss, aren’t you from Yangcheng?”
Zhao Rong vaguely said, “I learned it.”
“You’ve only been here a month!?”
“I’m a good learner, what can I say?”
Liang Youjun: “…”
Seeing his understanding, Sister-in-law Xu abandoned the idea of him being a mascot and pulled Zhao Rong along to buy other things, occasionally asking him about Zhuxi’s customs.
Zhao Rong could tell she enjoyed organizing these things, so he didn’t take the lead, only helping when she needed it.
The group bought things for half the day, and Liang Youjun and Xu Xin had bags in both hands.
Zhao Rong wanted to help, but Xu Xin absolutely refused, so he could only carry a small, symbolic bag.
Back in the car, Xu Xin suddenly asked him, “Xiao Zhao, how’s your mother’s situation? I haven’t heard you mention it these past few days. If you need our help with anything, don’t keep it to yourself.”
Zhao Rong’s eyes paused slightly. He slowly placed the items in the trunk and casually said, “It’s not resolved.”
“Is the Zhou family still holding things up?”
“Not exactly. They sent me a new cooperation proposal, not as exorbitant as before, but…”
But they definitely still wanted to take advantage.
Zhao Rong had made up his mind: “If it really doesn’t work out, after the New Year, I’ll contact Ruan Cheng.”
Xu Xin sighed, “How about I go back to Yangcheng and find some of my old colleagues to help you find some capable headhunters? See if we can do it without going through others?”
“It’s no use. The Zhou family has deep roots, and they’re not short on money.”
Xu Xin was about to say something else when Sister-in-law Xu got into the passenger seat.
Not wanting these matters to affect the others’ mood, the two of them tacitly changed the subject.
On the way home, Sister-in-law Xu turned to Zhao Rong and asked, “Xiao Zhao, you’re all alone. After the New Year, how about I help you find a partner?”
Zhao Rong subconsciously wanted to refuse, but Sister-in-law Xu said, “Trying to push it away again? How will you know if you don’t actively try? I know you’ve tried, but meeting more people never hurts. It’s such a pity for someone with your qualities to be single.”
Liang Youjun glanced at Zhao Rong’s expression and interjected, “Don’t, Sister-in-law. It’s better if the boss is kept for internal consumption.”
Zhao Rong laughed helplessly, “Sister-in-law, see, this is the one who needs an introduction.”
Everyone laughed.
Their home was too far from the market, requiring a long drive, so before long, they started talking about other topics.
As they chatted, Xu Xin began to talk about his love life.
“…I don’t know if you’ve ever experienced such a time,” Xu Xin said, gripping the steering wheel, his voice growing louder, “Ah, anyway, back then, I just felt that I couldn’t live without your sister-in-law for the rest of my life.”
Sister-in-law Xu in the front seat tapped him on the head, “Drive your car.”
Liang Youjun said enviously, “I haven’t yet. Sister-in-law, please really introduce someone to me. I want a handsome guy. My boss has spoiled my taste; I don’t want anyone without my boss’s temperament and looks.”
Sister-in-law Xu, for once, said exasperatedly, “Then you’ll just be alone.”
Zhao Rong, for once, didn’t join the conversation.
He listened to Xu Xin’s words, turned his head to look at the receding streetscape outside the window, his mind filled with thoughts.
He wasn’t surprised when he thought of Qiao Nanqi.
He had only ever loved one person so bravely in his life.
At first, he thought he might not truly love Qiao Nanqi as a person, but rather because too many things had happened, and after he left Qiao Nanqi’s house, Qiao Nanqi had changed too much, too quickly, leaving him constantly adrift between truth and falsehood, unable to distinguish what was real.
Now, with a calm mind and peaceful surroundings, his heart was naturally clear.
He had always believed that what made him fall in love with Qiao Nanqi was Zhao Ming’s medical expenses.
But when Xu Xin spoke just now, the image that came to his mind was not those important moments from the past eleven or twelve years, but rather in college, in the library, when he saw Qiao Nanqi sitting quietly at a desk, head bowed, reading a book, from afar, across the bookshelves.
That person’s hands were particularly beautiful, holding the book like that, fingers marking the pages, like flexible jade fan bones, elegant and ethereal.
He looked at the cover of the book in the other person’s hand, took out an identical one from the shelf, and then, seeing the thickness of the pages turned in that person’s hand, he also turned to the content Qiao Nanqi was most likely reading.
Then, across the wide corridor, across the densely packed yet neatly arranged books on the shelves, they turned the pages together.
After reading a few pages, the protagonist and heroine in the book happened to share a joke, making Zhao Rong unconsciously smile.
He looked up, through the gap in the bookshelf, and glanced at Qiao Nanqi.
—He happened to meet Qiao Nanqi’s slowly rising smile.
This smile was actually very faint, very subtle, just like the smile Zhao Rong wore at that moment, merely an unconscious emotional stir, a slight ripple of joy.
Like a butterfly gently flapping its wings, or a spring breeze silently stirring ripples.
Quiet and peaceful.
But Zhao Rong already liked watching Qiao Nanqi; he had no resistance to that sharply defined face.
Qiao Nanqi rarely smiled, but once he did, even a slight curve could tug at one’s heartstrings, playing a chaotic melody.
At that moment, when Zhao Rong met the other’s smile, he felt his heart suddenly stop, but after that momentary trance, it beat wildly a few times.
He subconsciously let go, and the book slipped from his hand, falling to the ground with a “thud.”
Qiao Nanqi seemed to hear the sound and looked over.
Zhao Rong crouched down, picked up the book, and patted off any dust that might have gotten on it.
Inside the car, the laughter of Liang Youjun and the others pulled Zhao Rong back from his memories.
They seemed to still be discussing matchmaking, but everyone very tacitly avoided Zhao Rong.
Upon arriving home, the group went directly to Zhao Rong’s house to put down their things.
Zhao Rong had bought a house for Xu Xin’s family and Liang Youjun separately, all next to each other, a few small villas clustered together, right next to the bookstore.
Liang Youjun’s life had no proper structure, and Xu Xin’s family had Sister-in-law Xu, a woman living there. After much thought, Zhao Rong’s house was the most suitable, so they planned to have New Year’s Eve dinner at Zhao Rong’s place.
While Xu Xin was organizing the New Year’s goods, Liang Youjun asked him, “Boss, if I wish you a Happy New Year’s Eve on New Year’s Eve, will I get a red envelope?”
Zhao Rong smiled, “…Happy New Year’s Eve?”
“Otherwise? Are there any other greetings for that day?”
Zhao Rong merely rolled up his sleeves, washed his hands, and joined the tidying efforts, saying, “You’ll get your red envelope.”
He didn’t answer directly.
Qiao Nanqi, seemingly effortlessly but actually with considerable force, pushed the cue stick forward with ease.
The billiard ball rolled quickly and obediently, sending the ball in front into the pocket.
Xia Yuantu stood by with his cue, having no intention of making a move—he was just there for company.
Before long, the table was almost entirely empty.
Qiao Nanqi merely wiped the tip of his cue and said, “Let’s start another game.”
Xia Yuantu was accustomed to his way of venting and silently played another game with him.
Calling it “playing with him,” Xia Yuantu only made the opening shot.
After four such rounds, Xia Yuantu looked at Qiao Nanqi’s still not-so-good complexion and his extremely gloomy eyes, and asked him, “Are you feeling better?”
Qiao Nanqi paused, speechless.
“What’s wrong with you again?” Xia Yuantu said. “I thought you were much better a while ago? What happened now?”
Qiao Nanqi forcefully pushed the cue stick in his hand.
He used too much force this time, and the billiard balls collided with a crisp sound, dispersing much of the turmoil in his heart.
He had stayed at home these past few days.
Only today, wanting to vent, did he call Xia Yuantu to play billiards.
These past few days, his mind was filled with Zhao Rong: Zhao Rong’s eyes when he used to look at him, Zhao Rong’s cold words when he resolutely told him to leave, and Zhao Rong… giving up his inheritance for him.
He first asked Ruan Cheng, but Ruan Cheng didn’t know where Zhao Rong had gone specifically, because after Zhao Rong cut ties with Ruan Cheng, they never spoke again.
He also sent a message to Lu Xingping, asking, “Where did Zhao Rong go?”
With just that one sentence, without needing to say more, Lu Xingping clearly understood his meaning. But Lu Xingping told him, “I don’t know. I didn’t ask him, and he didn’t tell me.”
Liu Shun didn’t know either.
Fang Zhuoqun might know, but given Fang Zhuoqun’s relationship with Zhao Rong, if he asked, it would be equivalent to informing Zhao Rong. What if Zhao Rong hated seeing him? What if his inquiry disturbed Zhao Rong’s current peaceful life?
He had imagined countless times what he would do if Zhao Rong and Lu Xingping divorced.
But he didn’t expect that when he finally learned the truth and this day arrived, he would actually worry—worry that he would bring more unhappiness to Zhao Rong.
He said to Xia Yuantu, “I want to find Zhao Rong.”
He said this to Xia Yuantu, but it was actually to himself.
“Oh,” Xia Yuantu was already used to it, “You think about it every day.”
“He definitely doesn’t want to see me.”
“Of course, after all, he and Xingping just got together.”
“A failure like me doesn’t deserve him.”
Xia Yuantu was startled.
He didn’t expect Qiao Nanqi to say such self-deprecating words.
Qiao Nanqi continued to speak to himself, “He’d rather hide the fake marriage with Xingping and want me to give up. I could also give him more money than that inheritance, but he’d rather marry someone else, pretend to be a partner with someone else, than ask me for these things.”
“After all, you guys br—what!???”
“Now I both want to go see him and am afraid that if I do, it will make him unhappy.”
Xia Yuantu was dumbfounded.
Qiao Nanqi put down the cue stick.
He rested his hands on the edge of the billiard table, his head bowed, his back teeth clenched, pondering something unknown.
A moment later.
He said, “I still have to find him.”
But he didn’t hope for Zhao Rong’s forgiveness, nor did he hope to be with Zhao Rong.
He only wanted Zhao Rong to be happy for the rest of his life, every day… to be more worthwhile than the days he spent in Yangcheng.
He was willing to spend the rest of his life in an unseen corner, without even the right to make amends or show guilt, just silently accompanying the only person in this world who had once been good to him without complaint or regret.
Xia Yuantu seemed to still be in a daze.
Qiao Nanqi went to pay the bill alone. When he returned, Xiao Wu called him.
“You’re on vacation these few days,” he told Xiao Wu.
On the other end of the phone, Xiao Wu said nervously, “Sir, it’s like this… Didn’t you deal with that person who was loitering outside Mr. Zhao’s mother’s hospital room before? The Chen family’s driver. After he was taken away for investigation, he found a way to contact me through someone, saying he had some information he could tell you, and hoped you would be lenient and just find him a good lawyer. He said it was related to Mr. Zhao.”
Qiao Nanqi paused.
“Come to the company now,” he said.