Chapter 138#

Those tears, were some of them for him?#

“Qin Mu, don’t you have anything you want to say to me?”

Qin Mu raised his eyes to look at him. The sunlight from the window spilled gently across his face, casting light shadows beneath his brow and the bridge of his nose. The corners of Qin Mu’s lips curled into a faint smile, appearing calm and composed, but the hand resting on the bed had quietly clenched into a fist.

Before Qin Mu could speak, Jiang Yunhan, standing to the side, couldn’t help but press further: “Xiao Chen, what exactly happened that day?”

Jian Yunchen remained silent for a few seconds. Seeing that Qin Mu had no intention of speaking, he slowly lowered his eyes and began to speak:

“Ever since Jian Jinbao returned from the wedding banquet that day, he inexplicably came into a large sum of money. One day, after getting drunk, he gave Liu Yi a beating and said he was about to strike it rich, and that he would never have to live such a pathetic, stifling life with her again.”

“He kept muttering that he had leverage over Qin Zheng, and that Qin Zheng would have to support him for the rest of his life.”

Jiang Yunhan’s heart tightened. He stared fixedly into Jian Yunchen’s eyes, waiting for what came next.

“That day, while he was hiding in the stairwell to smoke, he heard an argument. He discovered it was Jiang Sheng quarreling with Qin Zheng. Jiang Sheng was furious, saying he knew all about the little tricks Qin Zheng had been doing behind his back. He also said that with Qin Zheng’s status, he would absolutely never allow you to marry him.”

Jian Yunchen’s jawline tightened, his voice dry: “Jiang Sheng had obtained information from somewhere that during the period he was under investigation, the mysterious person who acquired ‘Jiang Ming’ shares was actually Qin Zheng. At that time…”

He paused slightly: “I had just had a major row with him. He mistakenly thought that I had joined forces with Qin Zheng to keep you in the dark.”

Jian Yunchen looked up at Jiang Yunhan, his voice calm and devoid of emotion: “So, right to Qin Zheng’s face, he said he was delusional, that he was insatiably greedy, that his status was unpresentable, and that his long-dead mother hadn’t raised him well…”

The further he went, the worse Jiang Yunhan’s expression became. He could already imagine how Qin Zheng would have reacted upon hearing those words.

Jian Yunchen paused for a moment. Looking into Jiang Yunhan’s eyes, he calmly spoke the final sentence: “He called Qin Zheng a bastard. This sentence enraged Qin Zheng. In the ensuing struggle, he accidentally pushed Jiang Sheng down the stairs.”

Jiang Yunhan’s face began to turn pale. The progression of events was very close to what he had guessed, but when the full truth was laid out before him, he still found it difficult to accept.

He bit his lower lip hard, his body beginning to tremble slightly. He thought of his father lying in the hospital bed hooked up to various instruments, and the critical condition notice issued by the doctor—perhaps Jiang Sheng would never wake up again.

When he looked up again, his eyes were beginning to show streaks of red. He gritted his teeth and looked at Qin Mu, speaking recklessly: “This was all Qin Mu’s doing behind the scenes. He’s the one who made Dad think the person acquiring the shares was Qin Zheng, and he’s the one who deliberately intensified the conflict between Dad and Qin Zheng. If it weren’t for him…” He gritted his teeth hard: “If it weren’t for him, how could Dad have become a vegetable! He might never wake up for the rest of his life!”

Jian Yunchen stepped in front of Qin Mu, looking at Jiang Yunhan with displeasure as his voice turned cold: “Isn’t the one you should blame Qin Zheng?”

“But Qin Mu, he…!” Jiang Yunhan’s eyes were red.

“It was Jiang Sheng who provoked him. It was Qin Zheng’s mother who chose to be a mistress herself. He despised that identity and couldn’t accept it, which is why he pushed Jiang Sheng in a fit of rage. But ultimately, this is all Qin Zheng’s fault.” Jian Yunchen tilted his chin up slightly to look at him: “I’ve had plenty of arguments with Jiang Sheng. There were many times when he used Jian Xin to humiliate me or threaten me. Why didn’t I push him down the stairs? Why didn’t I kill him in a fit of rage?”

“Jiang Yunhan.” His cold eyes quietly reflected Jiang Yunhan’s fragile face: “Don’t vent your helplessness and anger onto others. You know in your heart that the person most to blame for this isn’t Qin Mu, but rather that person you said was ’excellent,’ the person you truly trusted, the person you sincerely loved—your fiancé, Qin Zheng.”

Jiang Yunhan bit his lower lip so hard that the pale pink skin turned white. Tears welled in his eyes, and he squeezed his fingertips tightly to keep them from falling.

With a trembling voice, he lowered his head: “Is Liu Yi… willing to stand as a witness? The case is at a standstill now; this might be the only lead…”

Jian Yunchen let out a quiet sigh of relief and looked away: “She is willing, but her testimony alone is hardly enough to serve as evidence. The most direct way is still to pry open Jian Jinbao’s mouth…”

“Jian Jinbao?” Jiang Yunhan knit his brows in disgust: “Why would we ever deal with a person like him…?”

“Because you want the so-called truth.”

Jian Yunchen interrupted coldly: “Since he is the only one who saw the entire process, then we can only find a way to make him speak of his own accord. That is the only way Qin Zheng will receive his due punishment.”

“Isn’t this what you wanted? Are you unwilling to pay even this small a price?”

Jiang Yunhan’s eyes flickered. He stared blankly at Jian Yunchen, noticing the coldness in his expression. Suddenly, his throat felt dry, and he didn’t know what to say.

For the sake of the truth, he would have to appease the culprit who once harmed Xiao Chen. Over the years, whether it was Jian Xin or Jian Yunchen, the source of all pain and evil had come from Jian Jinbao.

And now, ironically, the only person who knew the truth was the one who had personally carved scars into Jian Yunchen in the past.

Jiang Yunhan crouched on the ground, somewhat broken. He covered his face tightly, and the tears he had been holding back could no longer be restrained. The cold liquid dripped onto the floor through the gaps in his fingers. He sobbed continuously, his voice becoming intermittent:

“This isn’t what I wanted… I didn’t want it to be like this! Xiao Chen… I never wanted to hurt you, and I certainly didn’t want to appease Jian Jinbao who hurt you… But what about Dad? He is also the person closest to me… He’s lying in a hospital bed now with his life hanging in the balance. If I don’t find the truth and the culprit, how can I have the face to… how can I have the face to go see him…”

Jian Yunchen stood where he was, looking down at him.

He didn’t understand where the pang in his heart came from, nor did he understand why Jiang Yunhan’s pain seemed contagious. Was it because of the heartache hidden within those trembling words? Or was it because, when faced with this choice that seemingly benefited everyone but him, Jiang Yunhan was struggling in agony because of him? Those tears, were some of them for him?

Jian Yunchen watched him quietly, his heartbeat growing heavy and dull alongside the suppressed crying.

Suddenly, a light chuckle broke the stagnant atmosphere.

Jian Yunchen and Jiang Yunhan both looked up toward the person who had laughed.

Qin Mu propped his elbow on the bedside table, a faint smile playing on his face. The sunlight filtered through his thick, long lashes and spilled into his eyes, coating those beautiful peach blossom eyes with a layer of warm amusement. He watched the two of them turn their gaze toward him, and the smile at the corners of his mouth became meaningful.

A slender index finger lightly touched the corner of his eye as he raised an eyebrow and looked toward Jian Yunchen.

His tone was playful, carrying a hint of provocation and confidence:

“Beg me, and I’ll help you solve it, okay?”