CH 84

C/T Warning: Su***de

The room's door is open, and a woman, wearing only a camisole, curls up on the bed. Crimson blood flows down her wrist, staining the white carpet, resembling red plum blossoms blooming amidst the first snow.

She gasped in pain, fine beads of sweat oozed from her forehead, and tears rolled down from the corners of her eyes.

The bloody art knife was in her other hand.

Jiang Yu came in and saw this scene, before she had time to think, she rushed over and snatched the knife, threw it aside, grabbed the woman's bleeding wrist, "Are you crazy?!"

"Jiang Yu..."

"You don't need me anymore...I will die...because of you...all because of you..."

Bailu called her name with tears streaming down, her voice trembling with pain, but suddenly she started laughing, eerie and insane, with a pair of alluring fox-like eyes now filled with bloodshot fierceness.

Jiang Yu stared, her body trembling uncontrollably.

—because of you.

—all because of you.

A mantra-like voice pierced through her, overlapping with memories from many years ago.

When she was young, her mother attempted suicide to get her father back. It was also at night. Her mother, with disheveled hair and dressed in white, tied her up in a chair. In front of her, her mother used a knife to cut her own arms, and the fresh blood dripped onto her face, warm and smelling of blood. She cried loudly in anguish.

[You can't blame Mom; it's all because of you and your heartless father. It's because of both of you that I'm going to die.]

Thirty years later, the image is still clear.

How could she bear the weight of a life?

Her body trembled more and more, her hands, her lips, uncontrollably quivering. She could clearly feel the warm and slightly sticky liquid on her fingertips, emanating a faint smell of blood.

Horrible and disgusting touch and smell.

She hurriedly let go of Bai Lu's hand, lowered her head, and looked at the blood in her palm: "Ambulance. Call an ambulance..."

The aunt who dared not come in outside the door immediately went to get her mobile phone.

"Hahahaha-"

Bai Lu suddenly let out a sharp and eerie laugh, tears streaming more violently. "Why call an ambulance? Just let me... die... Oh, don't worry, I won't die. I'm too afraid of pain; this knife can't go deep enough..."

"Shut up!" Jiang Yu shouted angrily.

....

Bai Lu was sent to the hospital.

The wound on Bai Lu's wrist wasn't too deep, but it bled quite a bit. The pain from the cut was too much for her to endure, and she couldn't withstand it until the expected scene of arterial blood gushing out. After tending to the wound, Jiang Yu took Bai Lu back home.

Fearing that Bai Lu might face more problems, she had no choice but to let her sleep in her own room, trying to stabilize her emotions.

Bai Lu fell asleep in pain.

Jiang Yu, however, suffered from insomnia.

In just a few hours, it was like a dream, and things suddenly developed in an uncontrollable direction. The person beside her seemed to be a strange soul hidden under a familiar skin, and she didn't know her at all.

Bai Lu was not like this before.

During that time, Bai Lu was enthusiastic, cheerful, and striving for progress. She was obedient and would do whatever Jiang Yu asked of her, such as giving up her fame in China to pursue a career in Paris, trying on clothes for brands for free, participating in various non-commercial shows to gain more exposure. She remained grounded, patient, and willing to work hard without being impetuous or hasty.

She is like a toddler, and Jiang Yu is the mother she follows.

At the time when Bai Lu had not yet developed her own style, whether it was her steps, stage presence, or camera expressions, she could only imitate Jiang Yu. That was when she resembled Jiang Yu the most, to the point where some fans affectionately called her "Little Jiang Yu."

During that time, Jiang Yu was proud of her.

The person she raised with her own hands like a younger sister, like a child. Watching her grow up bit by bit, the feelings are very complicated.

Later, Bai Lu became famous and had her own style. Gradually shedding Jiang Yu's shadow, she changed, became extreme, became difficult, and twisted like today...

Jiang Yu suspected for a moment that she had other thoughts about her, but Bai Lu once brought her boyfriend to her with a happy face, and she quickly wiped away this ridiculous doubt.

After much deliberation, she could only guess that maybe Bai Lu had a psychological problem.

....

Around two or three in the morning, Jiang Yu finally felt a bit sleepy and drifted off to sleep. When she woke up again, it was almost noon, and the aunt nanny had pressed the doorbell three times but couldn't wake her up.

Beside her was an empty space; Bai Lu was gone. When she asked the aunt, she found out that Bai Lu had left early in the morning, carrying her suitcase.

She said she was going back to her own apartment.

On WeChat, there was a message from Bai Lu: [Sister, I will work hard, no need to worry.]

Jiang Yu held her phone absentmindedly, contemplating her response. She sent a "hug" emoji and typed: [Take this time to rest and heal. Put work aside for now and take care of yourself.]

Suddenly, she felt a sense of relief as if she had let go of a burden.

Over the past few years, she had expended too much emotion and patience, and she no longer had the energy to care for or comfort Bai Lu. Yet, there was an underlying unease in her heart, as if sensing a time bomb. With this in mind, Jiang Yu called Bai Lu's assistant to remind her to pay close attention to Bai Lu's condition.

Only then did she feel a temporary sense of relief.

So far, it's a temporary relief.

....

The whole month of August passed with the sound of cicadas.

At the end of the month, Cheng Suran finally had a two-day break. In order to accompany her, Wen Ruoxian didn't make any prior arrangements and planned to stay at home with her. They hadn't gone shopping together for a long time, so they agreed to go out and relax after the sun set.

In the morning, a client suddenly came over, so Wen Ruoxian had to go to the company.

Cheng Suran was left alone at home and slept until noon. Feeling lazy to cook, she ordered some takeout and quickly finished her meal before starting to clean her room.

The electronic calendar showed August 27th.

A day she could never forget.

Cheng Suran put on an apron, placed the electronic calendar face down on the table to avoid looking at it, and then grabbed the cleaning tools.

She and Wen Ruoxian's bedrooms were opposite each other. Her room faced due south, had the largest area, abundant sunlight, and a small balcony. Wen Ruoxian's room faced northwest, was slightly smaller, with less light, and only had a bay window.

When they chose their rooms, Wen Ruoxian insisted on living in the room with the bay window and let Cheng Suran take the one with the balcony.

So they lived like this.

Cheng Suran brought a vacuum cleaner and cleaned the room, then took out all the small items placed inside and dusted each one clean.

There was a tinkling sound.

Moving to the bottom of the wardrobe, she noticed a silver metal item partially obscured by a long hanging garment. Cheng Suran stared at it for a moment, then moved it out.

It was a safe.

In an instant, she remembered what was inside it.

By some inexplicable impulse, she entered the well-remembered password and opened the safe. Long-sealed items were exposed to the air, exuding the scent of time.

A black bag, fig-scented aromatic candle, non-deforming skirt, an old laptop... and more.

There was also a yellowed embroidered little rabbit.

Cheng Suran held the little rabbit in her hand, staring at it in a daze. The once-colored embroidery thread was now barely recognizable. The letter "J" embroidered with black thread below the rabbit's neck was clear—this was the initial of "Jiang Yu's" surname.

That face flashed in her mind.

Narrow, cold eyes, plump and full red lips, and a captivating smile...

Her heart suddenly throbbed, accompanied by a tingling sensation. Cheng Suran shook her head, placed the rabbit back at the bottom of the safe, and stuffed the other items back in.

"Ranran—"

There was a sound of opening the door in the living room, and Wen Ruoxian called her, "I'm back."

Cheng Suran collected her thoughts and walked out of the bedroom following the sound. Before she could speak, she saw Ruoxian staring at the takeaway lunch box on the table, frowning.

"Did you have takeout for lunch?"

"Um…"

Cheng Suran glanced guilty at the lunch box that hadn't been thrown away yet, and hurried forward to clean it up, "I was too lazy to cook, it's... the last time, I promise!" She raised three fingers, blinked, acting like a spoiled child looking at her.

She has a knack for being cute.

Wen Ruoxian chuckled and shook her head, extending her index finger to lightly poke Cheng Suran's forehead. "I forgive you."

"But if I had come back earlier, I could have cooked for you. hai..."

During busy workdays, ordering takeout was unavoidable, but on rest days, they had a "rule" to cook their meals themselves, as set by Wen Ruoxian. In this unfamiliar big city, they relied on and took care of each other.

"Don't say that," Cheng Suran hugged her arm. "You're not my babysitter. I can take care of myself. I'm just being lazy occasionally."

Her smile seemed somewhat superficial, only staying on the surface and not reaching her eyes.

Wen Ruoxian noticed something was wrong and was about to say something when she caught a glimpse of the overturned electronic calendar on the table. She reached out to set it right, and the date displayed was August 27th.

Today was August 27th...

Since they met, Cheng Suran's mood had never been good on this day each year. Her emotions were noticeably heavier than usual. If she had work, it was manageable, but on days with no work, she would stay home and not go out at all.

Back when they were living separately, they often made voice or video calls in the evenings. However, on this particular day, Cheng Suran seemed disinterested and unwilling to talk. After a couple of occurrences, Wen Ruoxian noticed and couldn't resist her curiosity, asking her about it.

Ranran said it was the day she first met someone very important to her.

This answer was like pouring cold water on her head.

[Is that person still around?]

[Not here anymore.]

[I'm sorry...]

[Gone from my life.]

From then on, she knew that there was someone living in Cheng Suran's heart, someone very important to her. There was an insurmountable difference in their orientations, an unbridgeable gap.

It meant that in this lifetime, Cheng Suran and Wen Ruoxian could only be friends.

Thinking about this, Wen Ruoxian's eyes dimmed, but she still held Cheng Suran's hand and comfortingly rubbed it. "I heard there's a music fountain at Binjiang Square today, and there will be a band performance. Let's go when the sun goes down, and it's not so hot."

"Okay," Cheng Suran nodded, "Then I'll clean the room first."

"Mm."

The warmth disappeared from her palm, Wen Ruoxian watched her back in the room, took a step forward, but stopped again, clenched her fist.

At this time, the mobile phone on the table rang.

It's Cheng Suran's.

"Ranran, someone's calling." Wen Ruoxian glanced at the phone, a series of numbers were displayed, and she consciously looked away.

"Coming…"

Cheng Suran turned back and picked up the phone.

The caller came from a number without a note, but she knew the string of numbers by heart.

The phone kept ringing, but she held it without answering, her face turning slightly pale. Wen Ruoxian sensed that something was wrong and asked softly, "What's the matter?"

"It's nothing, just a client," Cheng Suran pressed the green button and returned to her room.

"?"

"Ranran, it's me."

That familiar voice entered her ears.

Cheng Suran took a deep breath, and a shallow ripple appeared in the icy lake of her heart. Even though she was mentally prepared when she saw the number, she pretended to only recognize it now. She calmly replied, "So, it's Miss Jiang."

There was a moment of silence on the other end before he spoke again, "When are you free? Let's schedule a time to discuss the long-term collaboration I mentioned last time. By the way, I'd like to visit your company as well."

Cheng Suran breathed a sigh of relief.

It's business.

"At ten o'clock in the morning the day after tomorrow, the address is on my business card." She said calmly.

Jiang Yu didn't hesitate, and simply said, "Okay, see you the day after tomorrow." Then she hung up.

Cheng Suran pursed her lips, threw the phone beside the bed, squatted down, opened the safe and took a look at the contents, and then put it back in the closet with peace of mind.

After receiving Cheng Suran's business card, Jiang Yu immediately searched for her on WeChat but found nothing. She wondered if Cheng Suran had intentionally set her profile to be private or used a different account.

Jiang Yu decided to call the number on the business card, using business matters as a perfect excuse. As the call connected, her anxious heart relaxed slightly, and they set a meeting time.

On the appointed day, Jiang Yu woke up early again and struggled to pick out an outfit in her wardrobe. Though it was a business meeting, she couldn't help but have some personal considerations. She didn't want to dress too formal or too casual, feeling torn about finding the right balance.

After two hours of picking and choosing, Jiang Yu finally settled on a silk avocado-colored long skirt with a slightly creamy green shade, perfect for the summer. The print pattern was slightly deepened in the original color, shaped like leaves, and mixed with white, neither too flashy nor too dull.

Her accessories were a small white square bag, a delicate silver necklace and earrings without pendants, and a silver ring worn on her index finger.

She applied a delicate makeup look and carefully styled her hair.

Leaving home at half-past nine, the driver parked the car in front of a building in the CBD at 9:50 AM.

There is more than one company in this building, Jiang Yu registered as a visitor at the front desk of the lobby, and took the elevator to the sixteenth floor. As the number slowly rose, her heartbeat became more and more intense.

Others in the elevator looked sideways at her.

On the sixteenth floor, Jiang Yu strode out with long legs, took off her sunglasses with her right hand, and faced a spacious and bright hall. Four young girls sat in a row at the front desk.

She glanced around and stepped forward to explain her purpose.

"Okay, Miss Jiang, please wait a moment." The lady at the front desk picked up the landline and dialed.

After a short while, a young woman in white walked out from the right-side passage, her gaze falling on Jiang Yu. She seemed slightly surprised at first but quickly put on a professional smile. "Ms. Jiang, I apologize for the inconvenience. Our boss, Miss Cheng, had some last-minute matters to attend to, but she'll be back soon. She asked you to rest in the office for a while."

Jiang Yu nodded gently and walked ahead, silently observing her surroundings.

The office area was divided into four large sections, and the layout and color choices of the desks and chairs were simple and elegant. Potted plants were scattered around, adding a touch of greenery. Walking through this area, there were a series of glass-doored offices, spacious and well-lit.

A woman in a coffee-colored sleeveless shirt walked towards them.

Her deep-set eyes and sharp nose gave her a mixed-race appearance, and in an instant, she awakened a familiar memory in Jiang Yu's mind...