Chapter 92: Illness, Worried about Hubby
The next day, Jiang Yunian only had one class in the morning. After listening absently, the classmates left one after another.
After looking around, he hugged his books and stayed in the classroom a bit longer. He slowly calculated practice problems, writing out chemical equations over and over again. Eventually, it devolved into the pen tip just scratching across the draft paper, unable to concentrate. During this time, the corner of his eye constantly stole glances at the black screen of his phone, or the classroom door, but no one came looking for him.
The person who said he would make him the cake he wanted to eat didn’t even show a shadow.
Sure enough, he was just saying it casually, a toy to coax him.
Not only that, for the next several days in a row, Jiang Yan was like he evaporated from the world, completely disappearing from his life. No messages, no calls, and certainly not that strong, domineering figure that would always suddenly appear in front of him.
Coming for a bit, disappearing for a bit. What did he take him for, a rest stop?
In the evening, Jiang Yunian sat alone on his dorm chair, staring blankly at the quiet phone on the desk. Who knew how many images flashed through his mind. That indescribable bit of anticipation in his heart slowly deflated, leaving only disappointment, and threads of grievance he was unwilling to admit.
Was it because he ignored him that night? Didn’t reply to his messages? Or was he holding a grudge because he… hit him once? But Jiang Yan had been going too far at the time, tearing at his clothes like that, almost ripping them apart. He couldn’t just let him strip him completely naked, right? Not to mention he was still angry.
After sorting through it for a while, he still couldn’t make heads or tails of it.
The dorm door was pushed open. Qian Cheng, who had been missing for several days, finally returned, the undisguised excitement on his face practically overflowing.
“Brothers! The game this buddy of yours participated in testing, it’s a success! It even caught the eye of industry big shots, the investment attraction was incredibly successful!” Qian Cheng, unusually talkative, announced excitedly.
Jiang Yunian snapped back to reality and softly said, “Congratulations.”
Qian Cheng was in a great mood. He plopped down in a chair and chugged half a cup of water with his head tilted back. “I’ve been worked to death these past few days, constantly staying at my cousin’s company following the progress. I can finally take a good rest.”
“You were at Qi Tian these past few days?” Jiang Yunian’s originally somewhat unfocused eyes gradually focused as he asked slowly: “With Jiang… Qi Yan?”
“Yeah…” Qian Cheng actually hadn’t seen Jiang Yan himself for two days either, but for the sake of face, he embellished it. “Of course. My cousin gave special approval for me to freely enter and exit the Qi Tian Building, quite a bro, right?”
Jiang Yunian lowered his head, murmuring in a small voice: “So… he was busy with this at the company…”
He just didn’t have time.
“Why would the young boss need to monitor the site every day? Arranging for the people below to do it is enough.” Qian Cheng waved his hand carelessly.
Jiang Yunian’s eyes were a bit glazed, following the conversation to ask: “Then if he doesn’t go to the company, what does he do?”
Qian Cheng was immersed in the joy of success and didn’t notice his abnormality, spouting nonsense casually: “How could he let you know that? He’s probably out picking up chicks.”
The two of them, each harboring their own thoughts, were actually able to converse like a chicken talking to a duck.
“Hey,” Qian Cheng rubbed his chin, changing his train of thought. “You say my cousin is such a good bro, shouldn’t I, as his older cousin, show some token of appreciation?”
Although he always positioned himself as Jiang Yan’s older cousin to boost his own face, he knew clearly in his heart that the relationship between their two families was as distant as the horizon, and their family backgrounds were miles apart. “But as for giving a gift… what good things hasn’t he seen? He doesn’t lack these couple of melons and dates from me.”
For a moment, he was actually stumped.
Jiang Yunian was still immersed in his own thoughts, unable to comprehend Qian Cheng’s dilemma. He thought silently: So, Jiang Yan didn’t go to the company, nor did he come looking for him. Then saying he’d make a cake for him… sure enough, he was just saying it casually. Otherwise, why, after several days have passed, hasn’t he even gotten a bite? It’s not like he absolutely had to eat Jiang Yan’s, it was just… he really liked that specific cake. And the ones sold outside didn’t taste as good as Jiang Yan’s.
He had always drawn a clear line between public and private affairs, and wouldn’t give up his own preferences just because of a personal grudge.
“I’ve got it!” Qian Cheng suddenly had a flash of inspiration, slapping his thigh hard. “Since he lacks nothing, how about I introduce him to a girlfriend? If it works out, wouldn’t that be a double blessing? I’m simply too smart!”
Jiang Yunian looked up, his fair little face tightening slightly, almost blurting out: “He, he probably doesn’t like girls, right?”
“How is that possible?” Qian Cheng widened his eyes. “What nonsense are you talking about.”
Jiang Yunian’s eyes flickered, mumbling: “Earlier… I read in the tabloid news that he hasn’t had a girlfriend.”
Qian Cheng paused. Thinking about it carefully, it seemed he really hadn’t seen his cousin get close to any girls. Even Zhou Shu, who was always around him, was now revolving around He Qing.
He clicked his tongue: “Fuck, could it be they’re all gays?”
“But these past few days I didn’t see him getting exceptionally close with any guy either…” He rubbed his chin, recalling, then suddenly turned his head to ask Jiang Yunian, “Did the news say who he likes?”
Jiang Yunian secretly lowered his head, using this to conceal his slightly burning cheeks, pursing his lips and making no sound.
“Wait… it couldn’t be…” Qian Cheng suddenly thought of something and gasped.
Jiang Yunian’s heart leaped wildly, so nervous he didn’t dare to look up, his voice soft as a mosquito: “N-no…”
“Me, right?!” Qian Cheng suddenly pointed at himself, his face full of disbelief.
“…Ah?” Jiang Yunian froze, lifting his head, his face expressing pure bewilderment.
“Holy shit! No wonder he’s always summoning me recently. I’ve never heard of him being this close to any relative before… why is it specifically me?”
“But I’m his older cousin…”
“And two men can’t have kids.”
“Though I heard scientists are already researching male pregnancy, maybe in the future…”
A certain someone was already immersed in his own world unable to extract himself, completely oblivious to his surroundings…
Jiang Yunian raised his small face, listening to his self-talk. With just a few words, he had bent himself. He petrified on the spot, and after a long while, dryly squeezed out a sentence: “Better not have kids… that’s quite scary.”
Qian Cheng looked at his expression and burst out laughing, patting his shoulder: “I was joking, you actually took it seriously? A top-tier wealthy heir like him will definitely enter a marriage alliance in the future. Who knows how wild he plays in private; messing with men isn’t anything rare.”
“Marriage alliance…” Jiang Yunian blankly repeated these two words. His heart seemed to be gripped by two claws again. How had he forgotten about this matter?
For some reason, he thought of Zhou Shu. Right, even someone like Zhou Shu couldn’t completely break free from his family’s arrangements. He Qing followed him, breaking up and getting back together, in a murky relationship, suffering who knows how many grievances. Was it really worth it to love without a result?
Jiang Yunian felt as if he saw his own future.
Qian Cheng was still sighing deeply over there: “To think my cousin is a man of striking appearance, yet in the future, he’ll have to marry a woman he doesn’t like, it makes my heart ache! He’s such a good person, when I think about those women just coming to divide his assets, my heart aches even more! I’ve already started treating my cousin’s company as my own company, this feeling is like someone is trying to snatch my money… No! Should I introduce a girl to him, it’s better than not experiencing the bitterness of love at such a young age…”
He turned his head, wanting to discuss the grand plan to save his cousin’s marriage with Jiang Yunian, only to find that the person sitting next to him just a moment ago had disappeared at some point.
“Where did he go???”
Jiang Yunian hurriedly walked through the dormitory corridor, his mind a mess. He had just received a text message from an unknown number. The content was very short, but it made his heart stop beating.
[Jiang Yan is dying, he wants to see you.]
Following it was an unfamiliar address.
Jinghe Manor.
The moment he saw this, Jiang Yunian’s breath hitched. Dying… what did that mean? He walked to a deserted corner, dialed back that number, but the receiver only returned a cold busy tone, unable to connect.
After dialing several times with the same result, Jiang Yunian couldn’t help but panic. Just as he didn’t know what to do, He Qing walked up from downstairs.
Like grasping at a lifesaver, Jiang Yunian stepped forward and grabbed his hand, the voice squeezed from his throat trembling: “He Qing, do you know Jiang Yan is…”
“He’s sick.”
He Qing had no expression on his face, his tone flat: “Do you want to go see?”
“How do you know?” Jiang Yunian mumbled: “So it’s true…”
“Who else could it be.” He Qing didn’t want to mention that name. He said concisely, “I heard it’s quite serious. Falling into the river previously left the root of a disease, they say he can’t be exposed to the cold. Don’t know how he caught a chill in such hot weather.”
He muttered another sentence in a low voice, “Probably faking it.”
Jiang Yunian didn’t hear the latter sentence. His thoughts were completely seized by the words “falling into the river left the root of a disease” and “can’t be exposed to the cold”. The drenched back figure from that rainy night a few days ago surfaced before his eyes. His heart involuntarily clenched, welling up with fine bitterness.
Was it because of that rain?
He Qing watched his changing complexion and asked again: “Are you going? I can give you the address.”
Jiang Yunian was silent for a while, his inner struggle like a tangled mess. He wanted to go see, to know how he really was, if it was really that serious. But… if they were destined to separate, what would his going now count as? How much longer did they have to remain entangled?
Perhaps, it was just a cold that lasted slightly longer than usual.
He had never heard of a cold killing someone.
Ultimately, he slowly shook his head, “Forget it… I won’t be of any help even if I go.”
As if convincing He Qing, or as if convincing himself, if fate was already predestined, what was the point of superfluous entanglements.
He Qing quietly looked at him for a few seconds, nodded, “It seems you really have let go, that’s good.”
He patted his shoulder, turned around, and walked toward the dorm room.
Jiang Yunian followed behind him, also walking back. But just as he reached the door, a clap of thunder exploded in the sky without warning, followed immediately by a torrential downpour. The curtain of rain was so dense it almost seemed to shroud the entire world under dark clouds.
His feet seemed to have grown roots.
The rain curtain outside the window, which seemed able to drown everything, transformed into the torrential rain from half a year ago that was enough to wash away everything. It was on a rainy day just like this that Jiang Yan was swallowed bit by bit by the boundless river water. Once, twice… all because of him.
He Qing had just walked into the dorm room. Qian Cheng thought Jiang Yunian was back and looked up.
Seeing it was He Qing, he curled his lip, “So you know how to come back…”
Automatically ignoring this sentence, He Qing lifted his foot to walk toward his bed, then heard the person opposite ask him if he saw Jiang Yunian?
He Qing’s footsteps paused, pointing to the door behind him: “Are you blind?”
But when he turned his head, he found the doorway empty. The person who had just been following behind him had long since disappeared.
Facing the torrential downpour outside the door, he froze slightly, then, as if understanding something, let out a soft sigh.
Recommended Reads
