Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Because the identity of Autumn Wind was revealed, Qiu Ruolan and Autumn Wind became more open in their communication.
She would occasionally sneak over to Liu Jian's house to chat freely with Autumn Wind.
However, they never mentioned Qiu Mowen again.
Of course, due to the fallout from the incident involving Autumn Wind's adopted daughter, Qiu Ruolan's career also faced some impact.
Advertisers who originally wanted her as a spokesperson began to look for others; programs that had planned to have her as a host abandoned her and sought higher-profile candidates instead.
Aside from the program with Qiu Feng, Qiu Ruolan found herself without any work.
That program, due to its poor ratings, was also set to be canceled after a month.
Autumn Wind rarely watched Qiu Ruolan's show, and Qiu Ruolan seldom asked Autumn Wind to watch it. However, when the final episode aired, Qiu Ruolan called Autumn Wind in advance, saying, "You must remember to watch my last episode with Qiu Feng!"
Her words carried a hint of sadness. Autumn Wind guessed this was due to the show's cancellation and comforted her, saying, "Don't be upset; you've faced this situation many times before..."
On the other end of the line, Qiu Ruolan let out a perfunctory laugh but then abruptly changed the subject, saying, "Today's theme is 'Invisible Lovers'... Do you have an invisible lover?"
"Invisible lover? What do you mean? Why are you asking this?" Autumn Wind felt a bit dizzy from Qiu Ruolan's question and pressed for clarification.
Qiu Ruolan chuckled awkwardly but didn't answer Autumn Wind's question before hanging up.
After the call ended, Autumn Wind stared at the slowly dimming phone for a while. Through the reflection on the darkening screen, she saw her own puffy face.
She sighed deeply, composed herself, curled up on the sofa, switched to the channel airing the program, and waited for it to start.
As the show was about to begin, Liu Jian sat down next to Autumn Wind with a cup of coffee.
Autumn Wind smiled lightly at him and then rested her head on his lap.
In the frame, Qiu Ruolan wore a snow-white chiffon long dress, elegant and noble, while Qiu Feng was dressed in a fitted black suit, wearing a top hat and a layer of black veil over his face, looking dashing.
Autumn Wind focused her attention on the veil-covered face of Qiu Feng. After not seeing her for many days, her injuries should have healed by now...
The contrasting black and white attire made Qiu Ruolan and Qiu Feng appear as a perfect couple, perfectly matching the theme of this episode.
"Invisible Lover," Autumn Wind silently recited the theme of the show. Suddenly, Qiu Mowen's face floated lightly into her view, followed closely by Qiu Ruolan's half-smiling expression.
Could he be my invisible lover? Is Qiu Ruolan hinting at something? Autumn Wind's eyes finally turned red uncontrollably.
She pressed her hand against her nose to prevent tears from flowing out.
Halfway through the program, Liu Jian placed his hand on Autumn Wind's shoulder.
Autumn Wind reined in her emotions stirred by the show and softly asked him, "Do you have an invisible lover?"
Liu Jian looked up, took Autumn Wind's hand and placed it on his face. The contours of his face seemed to be carved deeper by the winter wind, and his eyes were shadowed by the dust of the wind.
Hearing Autumn Wind's question, he gently shook his head, then swallowed hard, his hoarse voice replied, "No!"
His eyes were red, glistening with sorrow under the lights.
He opened his arms and hugged Autumn Wind, holding her tightly enough to cause her pain, as if he wanted to meld her into his chest.
"I do!" With that, a round tear rolled down from Autumn Wind's eyes, and then the tears fell like a heavy rain that couldn't be contained by clouds.
Autumn Wind had always thought that since Liu Jian appeared, Qiu Mowen had completely disappeared from her memory.
But it wasn't until he truly left that Autumn Wind realized it had always been a lie she told herself. In her heart, it felt like being drenched in a cup of steaming lemon juice, sour and bitter all at once.
...
The sharp decline in work forced Qiu Ruolan to explore new fields, as her identity now included Autumn Wind as her "adopted daughter." At just nine years old, Qiu Ruolan suddenly fell from her goddess status. Although she still held a prominent position, no one offered her roles suitable for a young girl anymore.
Liu Jiajia secured a film for her, which paid well, but the only downside was that it required traveling to the mainland.
After enduring so much turmoil, Qiu Ruolan wanted some peace. On a sunny morning, after sending a message to Autumn Wind, she boarded a plane and left Taipei.
Five days after Qiu Ruolan left Taipei, Chen Shanni's lawyer contacted Autumn Wind and handed over the money that Chen Shanni had left for Qiu Mowen.
Autumn Wind took the check, her hands trembling uncontrollably. She didn't know how to accept this money and forced a smile at the lawyer.
Just as Autumn Wind hesitated on how to handle the money, Yu called her. By this time, Yu had settled her marital issues.
According to Autumn Wind's news from the newspaper, Yu not only gained custody of Oke but Xu Zhongyao also left her a car and that property.
Before Yu could speak further, Autumn Wind guessed that Yu wanted her to find Leo.
Sure enough, "That Autumn Wind, I'm taking Oke to see Leo next week. You..." Yu's voice trembled slightly before she paused mid-sentence.
Autumn Wind smiled at the phone. She truly admired Yu but didn't know what to say. After thinking for a while, she could only reply, "Well... just be careful..."
"Um... by the way, are you still buying the shop? I need the money..." Yu stammered.
Autumn Wind glanced at the check she had left on the table. "Um... I'll buy it..." she agreed.
This time, Yu didn't press too hard. After a simple calculation, they completed the transaction.
The money given by Chen Shanni was just enough to cover the cost of the shop. Liu Jian helped prepare the transaction contract, and without even glancing at it, Yu signed it directly.
Due to the incident with the engagement photos, the feelings between Yu and Liu Jian felt strange.
After the shop transaction, Yu took Oke and flew to the United States.
Autumn Wind looked at the empty shop and suddenly didn't know what to do. After thinking for a while, she ultimately decided to leave it empty for now.
...
Time passed quickly, and before they knew it, December had arrived.
At this point, Autumn Wind's curiosity could no longer be contained. On a dark and frightening evening, she finally asked Liu Jian about Qiu Mowen: "Weren't you both supposed to go to the press conference together? How did he get injured?"
"Well..." Liu Jian gently shook his head. "I don't know..."
Liu Jian recalled the scene from that day when Qiu Mowen was stabbed; it felt like a dream.
"When did you find out about me..." Autumn Wind paused and continued, "and my relationship with them?" Autumn Wind cautiously asked.
She felt as if the lead-gray clouds above were enveloping all of Taipei, making the light so dim that it was suffocating.
Despite Autumn Wind's efforts to control her emotions, her hands couldn't help but start trembling. She feared hearing a reality from Liu Jian that she didn't want to face.
He poured himself a full glass of wine and elegantly took a sip. Immediately, a look of pain appeared on his face, as if he had just consumed poison; within just a second, the poison began to take effect.
"Do you really want to know?" He turned his head toward Autumn Wind, his eyes reflecting a chilling light. "Alright then, I'll tell you!"
The truth of the matter is often not dramatic; everything is so plain.
Liu Jian told Autumn Wind that the real informant behind Qiu Ruolan's front-page story was Zhou Ringuo. At the mention of this name, Autumn Wind's body involuntarily twitched. Zhou Ringuo, how could it be him?
Indeed, it was him. Zhou Ringuo was Qiu Ruolan's ex-boyfriend. Ever since he had been taught a lesson by Kedan at the courthouse, Zhou Ringuo had harbored resentment.
He couldn't understand why Kedan had suddenly appeared. After much contemplation and thought, he shifted his suspicion onto Autumn Wind. Using the clues he had gathered, he quickly discovered the secret between Autumn Wind and Qiu Ruolan. He initially planned to extort Liu Jian, but Liu Jian's identity as a lawyer made him hesitate.
Later, Zhou Ringuo somehow became close to a reporter named Ilsn, who was the Elder Brother that Autumn Wind saw in the video.
At this point, Liu Jian squinted his eyes and said, "You know, when we first started dating, Ervin had asked Ilsn to investigate me. However, Ervin never expected that he would uncover Sister Sally! Nevertheless, everything was still under Qiu Mowen's control, and what happened later completely caught Qiu Mowen off guard."
Liu Jian continued speaking softly, and gradually Autumn Wind was left speechless in shock.
Many things, if Liu Jian hadn't told her now, she probably would never have known in her lifetime.
This included the deal he made with Shaolan when leaving Jinan, why he reconciled with Chen Shanni, why Chen Shanni happened to jump in front of Autumn Wind, and of course, why Qiu Mowen's condition had already deteriorated severely.
Throughout this time, Liu Jian's expression remained calm. He told Autumn Wind that when Qiu Mowen revealed these things to him, his entire world felt lonely and silent; he could only hear his own heartbeat: "I was really sad at that time. I didn't expect you to hide this from me. We once sat across from Sister Sally for a meal, yet you didn't tell Autumn Wind that she was your mother."
"But thinking about it now, what does it matter? He fought for you both until his last moment!"
His voice grew softer: "He held my hand tightly back then. He—Liu Jian—Autumn Wind, please promise me you will take good care of Autumn Wind. And what have you done for him?"
He finally stopped speaking. His deep eyes were filled with glistening tears. Autumn Wind reached out to wipe them away, but he grasped her hand and buried his head into it.
"He couldn't make it to the press conference in time. Do you know why? He was hospitalized. He was hospitalized for trying to retrieve those disgraceful photos of you all while bleeding profusely. What were you doing? I just wanted to explain on his behalf in front of the media, but then—then Sister Sally... this is all so unfair to him!"
"The photo of our wedding was indeed sent out by me. I just felt it was unjust for him. He is your family member—the one who loves you most in this world—why can't it be made clear? Why?" Liu Jian began to roar into Autumn Wind's ear.
But soon his eyes fell downcast. He leaned on Autumn Wind's shoulder as tears dripped onto her shoulder while murmuring words that Autumn Wind hadn't heard since moving to Pingtung: "That's right; you are a disaster!"
"He couldn't make it to the press conference in time. Do you know why? He was hospitalized. He was hospitalized because of your disgraceful photos, bleeding and injured. What were you doing? Autumn Wind just wanted to explain for him in front of the Media, but in the end, Sister Sally... this is all so unfair to him!"
"The wedding photos were indeed sent out by me. I just feel it's not worth it for him. He is your family, the one who loves you most in this world. Why can't it be made clear? Why?"
Liu Jian began to roar into Autumn Wind's ear, but soon his eyes fell down. He leaned on Autumn Wind's shoulder, tears dripping down onto Autumn Wind's shoulder, murmuring the words that Autumn Wind hadn't heard since moving to Pingtung: "That's right, you are a disaster!"
Then he let out a long sigh. The sigh sounded very sad, very lost, very lonely.
Autumn Wind knew he was drunk.
In December in Taipei, the temperature began to drop, and the atmosphere of Christmas started to thicken slowly. Thinking back to last year's Christmas Eve, sitting on Li Gu's motorcycle.
A wave of sorrow surged up.
Things have changed and people have moved on; when I want to speak, tears flow first.
Comment 0 Comment Count