coobybook Chapter 1066 He’s gone
Chapter 1066 He’s gone
In the lounge of Wanbao Jewelry Store, the warm yellow light, like a layer of soft velvet, filled the entire room.
Jiang Chengyu was so drunk that his breath reeked of alcohol. He collapsed onto the bed and remained motionless.
Mu Xiaoji wrung out a hot towel and carefully wiped his hands and face, her movements as light as if she were afraid of disturbing a sleeping butterfly. Finally, she folded the towel and gently placed it on his burning forehead.
He sat by the bed for a long time, quietly watching Jiang Chengyu sleep soundly.
During the daytime banquet, though the man's eyes were clearly churning with turmoil, he maintained a calm, placid smile on his face.
Seeing that, Mu Xiaoji felt a pang of sadness and bitterness in her heart.
"I'm sorry, little monster." He lowered his head, his voice as soft as a sigh.
"I seem to always be the one who hurts you the most. Maybe I should face the truth and stay away from you; that would be the best way to protect you."
Her fingertips caressed the jade bracelet on her wrist; it was a keepsake from Jiang Chengyu's mother, and the little monster had just put it on him a few days ago.
Mu Xiaoji touched the smooth texture and said sullenly, "Little monster, don't you regret it?"
"What is there to regret? I've decided to spend the rest of my life with you. No matter what it takes, as long as you're healthy and happy, that's all that matters."
These heartwarming words still echoed clearly in his ears, yet he felt unworthy of them.
He gently took off the jade bracelet, put it into the velvet box, and quietly placed the box beside Jiang Chengyu's pillow, as if he had unloaded a heavy burden of concern.
Finally, he leaned down and placed a very light kiss on Jiang Chengyu's lips, with a tender farewell: "Little monster, goodnight."
When I got up, my feet felt like they were made of lead, and every step was extremely difficult.
The cane made an uncoordinated thud as he reached the door. He opened the door and looked back.
Jiang Chengyu, fast asleep, had a furrowed brow, as if he were hiding an unresolved knot even in his dreams.
Mu Xiaoji bit her lip, then finally turned around and closed the door with a soft click, separating the two worlds.
In the night sky, an airplane streaked across the sky, like a shooting star falling into the distance.
Mu Xiaoji returned to the Jinyang Villa, pushed open the bedroom door, and his heavy footsteps echoed in the empty room.
He walked to the sofa and sat down, shrinking himself deep into it, wrapping his arms around his knees like a lost child.
My gaze fell on the group photo on the wall. In the photo, Jiang Chengyu was laughing freely and unrestrainedly, his eyebrows were curved, and the light in his eyes was brighter than the sunlight.
As Mu Xiaoji looked at the portrait, a slight smile involuntarily appeared on his lips, but his eyes slowly filled with tears, blurring the image and the outline of the entire room.
The dawn outside the window finally broke free from the shackles of night, and a pale, fish-belly white appeared on the horizon.
Like a porcelain bowl of milk that has been quietly overturned, gently spilling over the dark green roof.
The curtain of a new day slowly rises in this silent light.
The room was still shrouded in a lingering silence; the moonlight of last night had quietly faded away.
Only a few rays of light leaked through the gaps in the curtains, falling on Mu Xiaoji's huddled figure.
He remained in the same position as last night, with his arms wrapped around his knees and his head resting on them; only the slight rise and fall of his chest proved that he was still awake.
It was so quiet I could clearly hear my own heartbeat—not the heavy pounding of last night.
Instead, it carried a hint of morning sluggishness, crashing into the empty room again and again, and into his bewildered heart.
The group photo on the wall was only a blurry outline in the dim light, and Jiang Chengyu's bright smile seemed to have faded a bit in the silence.
Mu Xiaoji slowly raised her head, her gaze piercing through the gap in the curtains as she looked towards the horizon.
The pale dawn there was gradually turning warm orange, like a piece of jade being warmed. But the night in his heart seemed to have yet to see the first light of day.
The sound of knocking on the door broke the morning's tranquility. Jiang Chengyu's eyes twitched, and the headache from his hangover made him furrow his brow.
He reached up to touch the towel on his forehead, but before he could take it off, the knocking on the door started again.
"Xiao Ji, my head hurts so much, go open the door." He called out in a hoarse voice, his hand unconsciously pounding his throbbing temples.
“That old man is always so annoying. This time you’d better teach him a lesson, and I won’t stop you.”
After calling for a while without any response, Jiang Chengyu turned his head groggily and found the seat next to him empty and cold.
There was another knock on the door. He dragged his heavy body out of bed, threw off the covers, and said, "Coming, coming, old man, aren't you annoyed all day long?" He walked to the door in a daze and opened it.
Seeing his sleepy-eyed appearance, Shu Ya Zi, unusually serious, asked, "Are you awake?"
Jiang Chengyu saw Shuyazi standing at the door, ignored his nonsense, and groggily walked to the bedside and sat down.
Rubbing his forehead, he asked in pain, "Is there any magic pill? Give me one, my head is about to explode."
Looking at his disheveled hair, Shu Ya Zi, unusually, put aside his usual teasing and spoke with a hint of apology:
"I'm sorry, I... I didn't know you weren't aware of the twins. I was just being nosy."
Jiang Chengyu abruptly stopped slapping his head, his fingertips hovering in mid-air. This matter was like a thorn in his side; hearing Shu Yazi mention it again still caused a sharp pain in his heart.
"Mu Xiaoji left last night." Shu Yazi looked at his stiff back, his voice filled with heartache, "That child has actually had a tough time these past few years..."
"He... is gone?" Jiang Chengyu turned around abruptly, his confusion instantly replaced by panic. As if his backbone had been ripped out, he swayed.
Shu Ya Zi sighed: "He's worked so hard for so long, I wonder what it was all for?"
Jiang Chengyu didn't reply, his gaze falling on the bedside table, where the velvet box sat beside the pillow.
He reached out and picked it up, his fingertips trembling slightly, and slowly opened it—the jade bracelet inside lay quietly, its warm luster gleaming softly in the morning light.
Countless images flooded my mind instantly.
On a sunny day like this, he held the jade bracelet and said to Mu Xiaoji, "Come here, let me help you put it on."
Mu Xiaoji froze on the spot, her eyes filled with disbelief: "Little monster..."
"Reach out, what are you standing there for?" He spoke with certainty, but his heart was filled with turbulent emotions.
"This is your mother's keepsake. Are you sure you want me to wear it?" Mu Xiaoji asked, looking at the jade bracelet with suspicion.
“It has to be you.” He remembered saying it with absolute certainty.
Mu Xiaoji touched the smooth texture and said sullenly, "Little monster, don't you regret it?"
"What is there to regret?" He looked into Mu Xiaoji's eyes and said, word by word.
"I've decided to spend the rest of my life with you. No matter how, as long as you're healthy and happy, that's all that matters."
Memories overwhelmed him like a tide, those tender, resolute moments of mutual embrace.
The empty room, the cold bed, and the words "He's gone" collided violently with it.
Jiang Chengyu gripped the velvet box tightly, his knuckles turning white. The warmth of the jade bracelet emanated from the box, but it couldn't warm his instantly chilled heart.
A dilemma swirled in his mind—should he chase after him? And if he did, what should he say?
Is she to question him about why he didn't tell him the twins were his own children, or to impulsively take his life like Xiao Ji did?
My headache got worse, but the emptiness in my heart was even worse than the headache.
Shuyazi was in front of the Wanbao Jewelry store, accompanying a graceful lady as they looked at Buddhist amulets.
With fingertips lightly tapping the glass display case, she carefully explained the patterns on the amulet: "Look at this one, blessed by Luang Phor himself, the carving contains three layers of meaning..."
Before she could finish speaking, she caught a glimpse of Jiang Chengyu hurrying out of the back room; the man looked haggard.
His steps were unsteady, and he was filled with dejection as he crashed straight into the doorway.
Shu Ya Zi quickly interrupted his explanation and gave the lady an apologetic smile:
"Uh, Madam, I'm so sorry. Please take a look yourself first. I'll go tell someone and come right away."
The lady smiled gently and gestured, "Please go ahead, Mr. Shu, it's no trouble at all."
Shu Ya Zi chased after him out the door, blocking Jiang Cheng Yu's path. His brows furrowed into a knot: "You brat, where are you headed?"
Jiang Chengyu's eyes were unfocused, as if he had lost his soul, and his voice was hoarse: "Shuyazi, I'm going back to Kuncheng. You... take care of yourself."
"Wait!" Shu Ya Zi took a step back, spreading his arms to block the way, his tone filled with exasperation and frustration.
"You think you can just walk away and that's the end of it? Back then, you were forced by Song Shijie to become a surrogate for Mu Xiaoji;
Now, he sees no hope in you, yet he continues your family line—in this whole affair, isn't it all for the sake of both of you?
He took a breath and stared into Jiang Chengyu's eyes: "You two, you clearly have feelings for each other, but you insist on making things complicated in a roundabout way."
Why can't we treat each other seriously and live a comfortable life? Is it only meaningful to hurt each other like this?
Jiang Chengyu was taken aback by his question, and stopped in his tracks. Sunlight fell on his face, reflecting the struggle in his eyes.
The grievances, reluctance, and inexplicable resentment that had been deliberately suppressed surged up at this moment.
He remained silent for a long while before whispering, "I... will think it over."
After saying that, he walked around Shuyazi and walked heavily to the roadside. His shadow stretched long in the morning light, like a taut string about to break.
Shu Ya Zi stood there, watching him get into the taxi, and sighed heavily—when will this end for these two kids?
The plane left a faint contrail across the azure sky; the Governor's trip to Hong Kong ultimately ended in discord.
The taxi came to a smooth stop in front of the Kuncheng Seaview Villa. Jiang Chengyu opened the car door, and the salty sea breeze rushed in, ruffling the stray hairs on his forehead.
He gazed at the familiar villa, its white walls and blue tiles gleaming softly in the sunlight, yet warm memories of the past surged within him at that moment—
The last time I was here, I was driven away by Gu Ze's daily visits; rather than being driven away by Gu Ze, it was more accurate to say that it was my own doing.
Jiang Chengyu took a deep breath, stepped forward, and placed his finger on the access control device. With a soft "beep," the door opened.
However, the sight that came into view made him stop in his tracks—the living room was completely white.