Chapter 66
The streets were quiet in the early hours of the morning, only the streetlights casting their pale glow.
Inside the car, the familiar environment and the gentle rocking motion made Jiang Siyi even drowsier.
Just before closing her eyes, she heard Auntie Wang say, “Sleep well.”
Those familiar words made Jiang Siyi feel like she should add, “Wake me up when we get to school.”
She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.
Auntie Wang was a steady driver, she always had been. The car slowly stopped in front of the hotel, but the passenger in the back seat showed no sign of waking up.
“Jiang…” Just as she was about to speak, someone lightly tapped on the car window.
Auntie Wang turned around and saw her boss standing outside, like a ghost, her approach silent.
Exhausted after a chaotic night, Jiang Siyi was fast asleep.
She didn’t even realize she was being carried.
The tumultuous night was finally over.
She woke up the next afternoon. Jiang Siyi lingered in bed for a while, then, in her half-asleep state, she suddenly buried her face in her pillow.
A few seconds later, a soft sob escaped her lips.
Crying could help release pent-up emotions, this was a trick Xu Yuan had taught her. Now, putting it into practice, she realized it was nonsense, it didn’t work at all.
She got out of bed, her emotions in turmoil, and went to the bathroom to wash her face. But something felt off.
Jiang Siyi rubbed her eyes and saw that all of Shen Shiwu’s things were gone. After a moment, she smiled wryly, thinking it was for the best.
No trace of Shen Shiwu left in her apartment.
It was for the best.
Thinking this, she let out a long sigh, as if she had truly let go. After washing up and taking a shower, she went to the living room, looking for something to eat.
Shen Shiwu hadn’t had many belongings here, and at first glance, the apartment looked the same as usual. Jiang Siyi tried not to think about it and opened the fridge, then froze.
She remembered there being some leftovers.
Where were they?
Oh, Shen Shiwu had taken them.
Jiang Siyi closed the fridge and picked up her phone to order takeout. As she browsed the menu, she thought with a wry smile, So thorough, not even letting the leftovers go… heh, why didn’t she take the finger cots too?
After ordering, she quickly replied to the messages in the work group chat. Fortunately, there weren’t many scenes to record today, so it wouldn’t make much of a difference whether she went or not.
Jiang Siyi, relieved, heard the doorbell and went to get her takeout.
Passing by the shoe cabinet, she paused. Switching the takeout bag to her other hand, she opened the cabinet.
It was empty.
Shen Shiwu had actually taken the remaining finger cots.
Jiang Siyi’s lips twitched. “Im-impressive…”
Living alone was quite relaxing, and she wasn’t uncomfortable—after all, she had lived like this for over four years abroad.
Without a girlfriend to control her, Jiang Siyi could go wherever she wanted, do whatever she wanted. So that night, she dragged Lin Yusheng out for a walk.
“You, with your gastric bleeding, should be resting, why are you out for a walk?”
“I’ve rested enough, I need some fresh air.”
Lin Yusheng looked at her, worried. “Your girlfriend isn’t going to come and drag you back, is she?”
It seemed Kong Yin hadn’t told anyone about what happened at the hospital.
Jiang Siyi, enjoying the evening breeze, suddenly fell silent.
She clasped her hands behind her back, like an old lady taking a stroll. After a while, she said simply, “We broke up.”
“You broke up?”
“Yes.”
Lin Yusheng, straightforward and not good at comforting people, wanted to say something, then blurted out, “Well, it’s okay, you can’t have a reunion without a breakup.”
Jiang Siyi: “…”
“Do you think this is child’s play?” she said, “we’re not getting back together this time.”
Lin Yusheng was surprised by her firm tone. Snapping back to reality, she realized Jiang Siyi had already walked far ahead.
“Tsk, who walks this fast during a stroll? Wait for me!”
Jiang Siyi didn’t look back, continuing to walk quietly.
Unknowingly, they had arrived at the night market. Jiang Siyi glanced at the sign and wanted to tell Lin Yusheng to leave, if they got robbed again, no one would help them this time.
But Lin Yusheng was already walking towards the entrance, looking back at her with a challenging glint in her eyes. “I’m much faster than you this time.”
Jiang Siyi didn’t bother replying. After a moment, thinking she could just walk around for a bit to kill some time, she followed.
“Hold onto your phone and bag,” she reminded Lin Yusheng, tightening her grip on her own belongings.
The night market was crowded and noisy. Lin Yusheng replied loudly, “I know! This is my new phone, almost 10,000 yuan, I have to protect it…”
Hearing this, Jiang Siyi felt like someone was already eyeing her phone.
Hopefully, it was just her imagination, she prayed.
Half an hour later, Jiang Siyi once again experienced the horror of her intuition.
The familiar night, the familiar police station, the familiar… row of tourists who had been robbed.
“Hello, Miss, can I…?” The female officer who had helped her before wasn’t on duty today, and another officer was asking her questions.
“My phone was stolen!” This time, it was only Lin Yusheng’s phone that had been stolen, and she wailed, interrupting the officer, almost banging her head against the wall. “Can you please hurry up and find it?”
“It might take a while.”
“How long?”
The officer thought for a moment. “If we’re lucky, by tonight. If not, maybe the day after tomorrow, or the day after that, it’s hard to say.”
You call that “a while”?
Lin Yusheng collapsed onto the cold seat, contemplating life.
“Jiang Siyi,” she said suddenly, her tone serious.
“What?”
“Can you call your… no, your ex-girlfriend to help?”
Jiang Siyi’s face remained expressionless, and she told her to get lost.
Lin Yusheng sighed dramatically and started playing the guilt card. “I’ve been with you for so many years, I’ve at least done something for you.”
“What have you done? Did you write my manuscripts?”
“…”
With nothing else to do, they started bickering, until a voice called out, “Xiao Si?”
Jiang Siyi’s back stiffened, goosebumps rising on her skin.
Looking up, she saw Shen Yun standing before her.
“What are you doing at the police station?”
“My editor’s phone was stolen, we’re reporting it.”
Shen Yun had met Lin Yusheng before.
Back when Shen Yun had often visited Jiang Siyi at school, she had run into Lin Yusheng several times.
So she said, “Editor Lin, long time no see.”
Lin Yusheng shook her hand. “Ms. Shen, long time no see.”
“Then why are you just sitting here?” Shen Yun asked, puzzled. “Have you talked to the police?”
Lin Yusheng, seeing her savior, calmly explained the situation.
“I see, then you wait here, I’ll take Xiao Si out for a walk,” Shen Yun said, waving at Lin Yusheng, “come on, it’s been a while since we’ve had a proper chat.”
Lin Yusheng was caught off guard.
She chuckled awkwardly. “Okay, sure.”
Jiang Siyi was also a little confused.
The streets outside were still crowded, and she was afraid of getting robbed again, so she wanted to remind Shen Yun. But as she turned her head, she saw four bodyguards behind them.
Okay, you’re rich, you do you.
She wanted to ask Shen Yun why she was suddenly back in China, but she remained silent, waiting for Shen Yun to speak first.
“Xiao Si,” Shen Yun finally said, but only her name, nothing else.
Jiang Siyi responded, waiting for her to continue.
“There’s something I want to tell you,” Shen Yun said, as if she had finally made up her mind, a hint of unease in her usually composed expression.
Jiang Siyi frowned. “What is it?”
She had a feeling it was related to Shen Shiwu. The surroundings were too noisy, so she leaned closer.
Seeing that Shen Yun didn’t respond, she asked again, “What is it?”
A few beads of sweat appeared on Shen Yun’s forehead.
She looked at Jiang Siyi, her lips moving soundlessly, then finally said, “Let’s find a place to sit.”
“We can talk there.”
The quietest place nearby was a tea house.
Business wasn’t good, but it was quiet. The owner thought he was seeing things when they entered.
“What would you like to have?”
Jiang Siyi, her curiosity piqued, had no interest in tea. Shen Yun, however, browsed the menu for a while, then pointed. “Longjing tea, one pot is enough.”
“Alright, have a seat.”
The owner went to prepare the tea, and silence fell.
They sat by the window, and Shen Yun opened the window slightly for some fresh air.
Jiang Siyi was losing her patience, but she still maintained her composure. “Auntie Shen, so what is it?”
Shen Yun’s carefully constructed composure crumbled slightly. She avoided Jiang Siyi’s gaze and waved her hand dismissively. “Let’s talk after the tea arrives.”
Jiang Siyi: “…Okay.”
“Your tea,” the owner said enthusiastically, bringing over a pot of tea and two pastries.
Shen Yun thanked him and poured tea for herself and Jiang Siyi.
Everything was ready, only the storyteller was missing.
Jiang Siyi took a sip of tea and looked at Shen Yun.
The latter finally spoke, “Xiao Si, actually, I knew about your relationship with Shiwu a long time ago.”
Jiang Siyi’s body stiffened.
“I’m not against homosexuality, on the contrary, I think it’s perfectly normal. But…” She took a few sips of tea, as if sighing.
“But your mother was different, she didn’t accept it.”
“So, I’m sorry,” Shen Yun’s gaze flickered, “I’ve been trying to keep you two apart all these years.”
“I’ve done many terrible things. I was the one who posted those messages looking for you, and I arranged for Yang Yu to meet with Shiwu repeatedly.”
“All the misunderstandings between you two, I orchestrated them.” She lowered her eyes. “I’m truly sorry.”
Jiang Siyi almost dropped her teacup.
She struggled to process the information, then she frowned, tears welling up in her eyes. “Is that so…”
“So I was wrong about her all along?”
“None of you were wrong, it was me,” Shen Yun apologized again. “I’m sorry, I was too stubborn. I was afraid of disappointing your mother, so I kept trying to separate you two.”
“I’m truly sorry.”
It was too late now, they had already broken up, what was the point of saying all this?
Jiang Siyi’s lips twitched into a bitter smile.
Perhaps this was fate.
Shen Yun, seeing through her thoughts, said, “It’s not too late to get back together.”
“Get back together? How?” Jiang Siyi scoffed. “No one would turn back so many times.”
“She took all her things last night, not even leaving a single hair behind. If that’s not a sign of moving on, I don’t know what is.”
Shen Yun knew her daughter too well.
If she had truly moved on, she wouldn’t have acted so crazily.
Remembering Shen Shiwu’s furious expression a few hours ago, Shen Yun felt a cold sweat break out on her forehead.
She had never seen Shen Shiwu like that in her twenty-something years of life.
“How do you know if you don’t try?” Shen Yun pushed the pastries towards her. “Just give her a call, maybe she’ll come back.”
Jiang Siyi thought, You’re truly a loving mother.
Making your own daughter sound like a dog.
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