novel
| ← Ch.62 | Ch.64 → |
Chapter 62
Two years later.
The city was reeling under the onslaught of continuous rains.
For a long time, the sun had not shone in the morning. Yan Liang came down to eat breakfast in her night gown.
The dining room was lit by lamps. The heavy rain continued to wash the glass wall. The green foliage in the garden planted during the summer was gradually dying under the heavy rain.
At present, the Xu house had been re- decorated as per Jiang Yu Nan's preferences. Although Yan Liang had stayed in this house for two years, it still didn't feel like home to her
And in the last two years, the number of meals she had here could be counted in one hand. Hence, she really couldn't blame the new servants for not being familiar with her likes and dislikes. As she looked at the food served for breakfast - fried dumplings, scallions, chopped green onions, onion soup, she didn't touch anything but just picked up a glass to drink water.
The servant saw her face, subconsciously looked at the empty seat opposite her and on her own tried to smooth matters, "Madam, Master does not know that you have come back from New Zealand. He worked overtime last night.. so all night.."
Yan Liang seemed to have not heard her at all. She picked up the newspaper on the other side of that table and asked, "Where is my luggage?"
"It's upstairs, all back in the dressing room."
Yan Liang nodded and put the newspaper back on the table when her eyes widened.
She froze for two seconds then took the newspaper again and opened it to the entertainment news section that she had earlier missed
After the successful acquisition of the Xu Group by Li Bo, the media had been more or less silent. But this time, they entertainment headlines were full of news of the current CEO of Li Bo, Jiang Yu Nan and his visit to a private club with a mysterious woman.
At the end of the news article, the reporter meaningfully added, "At the time of the press release, the two had not left the club."
The accompanying photo had been shot last night. Because it was night and it was raining, that photo was not clear. The woman could not be recognised but by her graceful posture, it could easily be imagined that she must have been quite a stunner.
And Jiang Yu Nan was easily recognisable even in the gray, cold light.
The servant immediately started speaking, her voice trembling, "Madam, Sir.. he.."
Yan Liang said nothing. She folded back the newspaper. Her expression showed disinterest. She sandwiched a fried dumpling and stuffed it in her mouth. The onion flavour immediately hit her and jolted her from her reverie. She quickly swallowed the food. The servant stood beside her, anxiously looking at the newspaper as if she wanted to take it away immediately. Yan Liang put down her chopsticks and got up ready to leave. She herself did not realise why she was in a bad mood today, "Remember, I don't eat onions."
She intended to return to the second floor. She had just turned and walked towards the stairs, when she heard a cry, "Mr Jiang, good morning!"
Yan Liang awkwardly stopped.
She could hear the sound of footsteps coming nearer, then the noise of a chair scraping as he sat down to eat breakfast. She prepared to move forward when her wrist was pulled.
"Lets have breakfast together, " Jiang Yu Nan's voice sounded behind her.
"I'm done", Yan Liang did not even turn away as he tried to pull her wrist from his grasp. Jiang Yu Nan increased the pressure on her wrist and she was pulled back to her seat.
Jiang Yu Nan then had her sit next to him
The servants got the dishes. Jiang Yu Nan's hair and jacket were damp from the rain but he ignored it as he served himself.
Yan Liang did not leave. Instead she watched him eat and said mockingly, "isnt your appetite really good after doing overtime on a woman's bed yesterday?"
Jiang Yu Nan was just about to take some food with his chopsticks but his hand paused midair. Yan Liang thought he would continue eating as if nothing had happened but he placed his chopsticks to the side.
The servant standing to the side was suddenly afraid. She held up the stack of newspapers and mumbled, "Sorry, it's my fault, I forgot to look at the newspaper before handing it over."
In contrast to the urgency in the servant's voice, Jiang Yu Nan was extremely calm. He used the napkin to pat his mouth, his actions slow and elegant. With his knife like sharp eyes, his gaze seemed to slice her body.
Jiang Yu Nan smiled to comfort the servant "It doesn't matter. My wife who keeps saying she is visIting her mother in New Zealand, isn't she regularly photographed with other men in New York?"
He said this as if to comfort the servant, his eyes away from Yan Liang. She stared at him and could not help but frown.
At this moment, her heart was turbulent but on the surface she was extremely calm.
Two years ago, Johnny Weir had recommended a consortium for Xu. But because Zhou Cheng had been arrested at the airport, they had missed the opportunity. Now two years later, once the incident had settled down, Zhou Cheng and she had travelled to New York to meet the head of the consortium. He was a famous businessman in the New York Chinese business district - Liang Ruiqiang.
Their visit to New York coincided with the annual reunion of their college. The reunion was a good cover story, even if this man found some clues she could lie to him.
Unfortunately, Jiang Shi Jun had one by one terminated all the original Xu products. She only had ya Yan left. The value of the brand was low, the prospects were not very optimistic, it was very difficult to attract Liang Ruiqiang's capital with only ya Yan.
Though Zhou Cheng and she had spent a full two weeks in New York, they had only managed to speak to the personnel in his operation, they had not managed to meet Liang Ruiqiang himself.
"You can leave now, " Yan Liang said to the servant.
The servant was reluctant to get involved in the dispute between the couple, she nodded immediately and escaped quickly. Jiang Yu Nan seemed to be in a really good mood. He lifted her chin with his thumb and smiled at her, "Why are you frowning? Seems you didn't have a good time playing with Zhou Cheng in New York."
All her hard work I'm New Zealand and New York had not yielded even a bit of result, why would she not frown? How would they make up for their losses? With a hard tone, she asked him, "Are you having me followed?"
"I am so busy, how can I track your personal life? The newspaper editor and I have a personal friendship, I suppressed the news."
He didn't seem to have discovered the real purpose of their travel to New York. Yan Liang was very relived. For some reason, his good mood depressed Yan Liang tremendously.
The newspaper photo flashed in her brain, the two people were.. laughing
Yan Liang was sitting erect. She had made up her mind to use the reunion excuse, but it seemed this was no longer required. With a calm face, she remarked, "It seems we are both equally guilty, none of us can to blame the other."
After finishing the sentence she stood up from the table, "I have to go to work, I won't interrupt your breakfast anymore."
Jiang Yu Nan did not stop her this time. She had gone all the way to the bottom of the stairs when he suddenly spoke, "Two days later we have to attend a friends wedding reception together."
Yan Liang slowed her pace a little and said, "Doesn't Mr Jiang already have a companion ready to attend all this, why do I need to accompany you as well?" She climbed up the stairs, and just when she was about to disappear from his sights Jiang Yu Nan added, "It's your friend."
"......" "..."
"Lu Zheng."
Yan Liang stopped abruptly.
How ironic did this action look like to the man who was sitting at thE table watching her steadily? He bowed his head so as not to look at her directly anymore; by the time he raised his head again she had disappeared down the second floor corridor.
Yan Liang was changing her clothes in the dressing room. She intended to go to work. Accordingly, she chose a black suit and was about to peel it off the hangar when she froze. Jiang Yu Nan's words echoed in her ears... attend a wedding reception together in two days time.. Lu Zheng..
She felt like she had known this person in an earlier incarnation; now when she heard this name, she only felt like that was a different life time altogether.
She stood stunned before the hangar for a long time till she was jolted from her reverie by Jiang yu Nan's voice behind her, "Take out some time to buy a new dress to attend the wedding."
Yan Liang regained her senses, but did not turn back.
Jiang Yu Nan looked at the black and white dress on the hangar and remarked, "I've almost forgotten how you look like when you're not in a professional suit."
Yan Liang took off her robe, ready to change into her workwear, "I will not go."
Even though she was ignoring Jiang Yu Nan, he didn't seem perturbed. He leaned against the door of the closet and said, "Aren't you curious to see what kind of woman the man you love finally ended up marrying?"
If she took a deep breath, he could figure it out from looking at her back. So she adjusted her breathing and turned around to give him a polite smile, "Please go out, I want to change my clothes."
"......" "..."
"......" "..."
He looked at her and she looked at him.
After a smirk, she didn't push him out. Instead, she turned her back to him and took off her night gown and put on her skirt and shirt.
Thin shoulders and neck, slender waist, slender legs...
In comparison to two years ago, she had lost a lot of weight, but he was familiar with every inch of her body.
Jiang Yu Nan continued leaning against this door, but the light in his eyes became duller by a few degrees.
Aa she zipped up her skirt, took out her bag and walked towards the door- from beginning to end, he kept staring at her.
As she reached the door, she realised he was blocking her way
Yan Liang bowed her head and adjusted her hair, and he moved sideways to let her pass.
But he was in no mood to let her pass without any remark. Lightly, he said, "The opposite of love is not hate, it is indifference. Mrs Jiang, in the past two years, you have shown me a good demonstration of this sentence."
Yan Liang burst out laughing
She looked up and down at the man standing in front of her, "Love? Don't use this word, it disgusts me. I chose you because I thought you could help me defeat Xu Ziqing. However, I finally suffered the consequences of my action- the destruction that you have unleashed on me. We should really ask ourselves, did we ever have the word 'love' in our heart.... ." she pointed at his heart, " or were we only using each other."
She withdrew her hand, hit his shoulders with hers and left.
Jiang Yu Nan rubbed his shoulders thoughtfully. The pain in his shoulder felt like it was piercing his heart as well.
Then he recovered his calm manner.
He stood there, lost in his thoughts, till he heard footsteps coming toward him. It was Secretary Li who found him standing strangely in front of the closet."Liang Ruiqiang's flight lands in half an hour. Mr Jiang we should start immediately."
Jiang Yu Nan came back to earth, knitted his eyebrows and looked back expressionlessly towards his secretary and said, "Let's go."
Half way down the stairs, Jiang Yu Nan couldn't help but stop and look back at the empty dressing room as the familiar words echoed in his head..
Did we ever have the word 'love' in our heart...
Or were we only using each other?.... .
He withdrew his eyes and walked down the stairs. He had finally managed to leave behind the voice.
*** ***
Throughout the whole summer, there were heavy rains. Even after a week since her return, Yan Liang had not seen a clear blue sky, the days were always dark
But in this bad weather, there was a trace of dawn in her life.
It wasn't dawn for her alone, or Zhou Cheng's voice would not be trembling with excitement when he called her, "Mr Liang is in the country. He has asked me to meet him."
This sudden good news was difficult to believe, so Yan Liang asked, "Do you mean Liang Ruiqiang?"
"I am now at the hotel where he is staying, he only gave us thirty minutes, you bring all the information."
...... thirty minutes......
Now it was...... 4 pm.
She pushed her chair and squatted in front of the bottom drawer on her desk. The last time she had travelled to New York, she had put all the information in the small safe.
Time was short, in her anxiousness, she keyed in the wrong password twice. Finally, she retrieved all the information, put it in her bag and left the office.
Zhou Cheng had texted her the hotel address.
Her mind was a blank. She only focussed on reaching there as soon as possible. In her ears, the only sound was that of the windshield wipers as they continued to wipe the windscreen.
She was driving quite fast when she suddenly saw that the section of road in front of her was completely flooded. Immediately, she was worried and stopped the car.
The sound of her thundering heartbeats were even louder than the sound of the wipers in her ears. She looked at her watch. If she took a diversion now, she would not be able to make it in time.
The water was not too deep. She gritted her teeth, restarted the car and drove headfirst into the flooded road.
As she drove in the centre of the road, the water level only reached till the window. She figured the car would be able to pass through the road successfully and breathed a sigh of relief.
Suddenly there was a hiss sound and the car stalled.
Outside the window, the rain was relentless.
Miumiu: have you noticed how the author uses the weather as a metaphor for their relationship? When they got married, it was cold and foggy, because things were not clear to Yan Liang. Now it's just dark and rainy, because she thinks there is no hope left for her...
| ← Ch. 62 | Ch. 64 → |