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墨書 Inktalez
Liu Jian stood with his back to Autumn Wind for a long time before he finally regained his composure; his back felt as if it had been brushed by ice.
Hearing Autumn Wind's sobs behind him, he lacked the courage to turn around and explain.
He looked up at Jolie in front of him, the charming woman’s eyes gleaming with triumph. Liu Jian knew that the more pleased Jolie appeared, the heavier Autumn Wind's sorrow became.
He painfully closed his eyes, realizing that he had personally sent his relationship with Autumn Wind down an irreversible path.
The shock within Autumn Wind spread through her body but stopped abruptly less than a minute later. A loud voice echoed in her ears: Did you ever really love Liu Jian? Why are you crying?
She quickly stifled her sobs, only to be overwhelmed by a profound sense of loss; her tears were not for the departure of a lover, but merely due to a feeling of disappointment.
It was like a toy—one she didn’t particularly like—but when it was taken away by someone else, she still felt sad…
Autumn Wind wiped her tears and stubbornly lifted her head to meet Jolie's gaze, her eyes filled with tenderness.
Seeing the softness in Autumn Wind's eyes, Jolie's joy slowly faded. Her expression turned frantic as she finally turned her head away.
Noticing that Autumn Wind's cries had ceased and seeing Jolie turn her face aside, the rigidly standing Liu Jian knew it was time for him to confront this issue.
He turned around and approached Autumn Wind, squatting down in front of her, pleading, “Autumn Wind, listen to me; this is a misunderstanding…”
Autumn Wind withdrew the tenderness from her eyes, lifting her face and staring at Liu Jian with swollen eyes, silently showing no hint of emotion.
Those dim and lifeless eyes wrapped around Liu Jian's neck like a creeping vine, making it hard for him to breathe.
He reached out and rested his hand on Autumn Wind's shoulder, choking back tears as he said, “Please, Autumn Wind, just say something. This is a misunderstanding; do you understand? Please believe me!”
Liu Jian's mistake was lost on Autumn Wind; all she could see were the two of them passionately kissing, with Jolie's bright red lipstick mark on Liu Jian's face.
She stubbornly shook off Liu Jian's arm draped over her shoulders, resting her arm against the wall as she struggled to lift herself up.
She turned around and pressed the elevator button.
Liu Jian remained crouched on the ground like a prisoner sentenced to life.
The elevator doors opened, and Autumn Wind stepped inside. She glanced weakly at Liu Jian, then helplessly closed her eyes.
Her hand gently brushed over her belly, the only man she could trust had shattered all of Autumn Wind's beautiful dreams.
Her heart did not ache; instead, it was filled with endless disappointment...
The elevator doors closed, carrying all the heavy despair as it slowly ascended.
Outside, people continued to greet Autumn Wind with smiles, but she couldn't muster any expression in return. She weakly trembled her lips but said nothing.
She walked straight to her car, locked the doors, and then tears came rushing in without warning. She helplessly leaned on the steering wheel and began to cry.
Tears rolled down her cheeks, some landing on her legs, some on the floor, but most fell onto her belly.
All the despair poured out in an instant; it seemed that besides despair, there were no words that could better describe Autumn Wind's feelings.
She knew that she ultimately did not love Liu Jian as much as she loved Qiu Mowen. Otherwise, how could she not feel heartache?
Had it really come to the point where she needed to make a decisive end with Liu Jian?
Autumn Wind lifted her head, and the sky in Taipei began to turn hazy again, much like Autumn Wind's mood—confused and lacking any motivating emotions, just a sense of boundless loss spreading within her.
With tear-filled eyes, Autumn Wind started the car; she needed to find a place to be quiet for a while.
“Autumn Wind, Autumn Wind, listen to me…” Liu Jian rushed up from behind, frantically banging on the car window, his tone pleading. “Please let me explain; things aren’t as you imagine…”
A cold sneer appeared at the corner of Autumn Wind's mouth. She wiped her tears with her hand and stubbornly looked at Liu Jian, devoid of hatred or anger, just a bleak disappointment.
This was what Liu Jian feared most. He knew that something significant was about to happen between him and Autumn Wind.
His body stiffened as he moved away from in front of Autumn Wind's car.
Autumn Wind honked the horn once, not sparing Liu Jian a glance, and drove out of the parking space.
The car moved along Ruihu Road, and Autumn Wind felt numb inside. She drove with a scattered mind, unwilling to return to Liu Jian's home; just thinking about it brought back some bad habits. But where else could she go?
Her phone buzzed. Glancing sideways, she saw it was a call from Qiu Ruolan. She put on her headphones, and Qiu Ruolan's slightly tired voice came through: “Hello, Autumn Wind!”
Autumn Wind controlled her emotions, not wanting Qiu Ruolan to notice anything unusual. “Hmm, did you return to Taipei?”
“Yes! How did you know?” Qiu Ruolan's hoarse voice suddenly rose with joy at being guessed correctly.
“I saw the news today; your show wrapped up…” A bitter expression crossed Autumn Wind's face as her eyes stared blankly into the distance.
On the other end of the line, Qiu Ruolan was very happy to hear Autumn Wind express concern for her. “Hey, how about I treat you and Liu Jian to dinner tonight? There’s a new Sichuan restaurant opened near 101…”
Hearing Qiu Ruolan mention Liu Jian, Autumn Wind finally reacted slightly. She softly replied, “No need…”
"Did you have a fight?" Qiu Ruolan noticed the unusual tone in Autumn Wind's voice and asked back.
"No, no..." Autumn Wind denied it vehemently.
"You're lying to me!"
"How could I lie to you!" Autumn Wind replied calmly. She wasn't lying to Qiu Ruolan; she hadn't fought with Liu Jian, but something a thousand times more serious had happened.
Her voice couldn't help but tremble slightly, "Can I come over to your place tonight?"
"..." Hearing this from Autumn Wind, Qiu Ruolan realized that something was wrong. She didn't press further and gently replied, "Okay, I'll wait for you. I'll make your favorite braised pork!"
Qiu Ruolan's words floated lightly into Autumn Wind's ears, like a breeze that blew away her tears. She pressed her earphones tightly and let the tears fall one by one.
Fortunately, there was such a safe haven.
Autumn Wind turned at the intersection ahead and hurried towards Qiu Ruolan's house.
Her phone buzzed again. Thinking it was Qiu Ruolan, Autumn Wind didn't look at the screen and directly answered through her earphones, "Hello, what is it now?"
To Autumn Wind's surprise, the voice on the other end was not Qiu Ruolan's but that of an elderly woman.
In a cold tone and hoarse voice, she said, "Are you Autumn Wind?"
"..." The sudden appearance of this unfamiliar voice startled Autumn Wind. She abruptly stopped her bike and asked warily, "Who are you?"
The old woman's cold laughter came through the receiver. "Who I am is not important; what matters is who you are—you're called Autumn Wind, right?"
Autumn Wind nodded while responding with a "hm," her ears perked up as she listened intently to the voice on the other end of the microphone, trying to discern any hint from the surrounding environment that could reveal the old woman's identity.
She hoped it was Qiu Ruolan or Qiu Feng, or perhaps a prank call from the fish who had gone far away.
But the more she thought about it, the stronger her fear grew. Could it be Jolie...
No, Jolie wouldn't need to resort to this; what had just happened in the underground parking lot had already overwhelmed Autumn Wind, there was no need to further torment herself.
After listening carefully and not detecting any direction, Autumn Wind cautiously said, "Um, I am Autumn Wind, may I ask why you are looking for me?"
"Of course I have something to discuss, but it's not anything major. Do you know Guan Xiu?" The old woman's voice still carried a cold sneer.
Guan Xiu, such a familiar yet strange name for the old woman.
"Um, he is my father..." After a brief moment of thought, Autumn Wind replied. The word "father" slipped out so smoothly. "Do you know him?"
"He was killed by Qiu Ruolan!" The old woman did not answer Autumn Wind's question.
It felt like a wooden stick was hitting Autumn Wind's head, producing a buzzing sound. "You're lying!" Autumn Wind retorted.
"Hmph!" The old woman scoffed again, "Why would I lie to you? If you don't believe me, you can go back to Jinan and find the orphanage where you lived back then; you'll discover the truth..."
Going back to Jinan, she knew that she had been there before. "Who are you? Who exactly are you?" Autumn Wind pressed on.
"Who I am is not important; what matters is that you need to understand one thing: you are currently with your enemy..." The sneer intensified, "If you don't believe me, you can ask Dean Wang! Yes, the Dean Wang from the orphanage back then!"
Dean Wang, that's right; the head of the orphanage did indeed have the surname Wang, which added some credibility to the old woman's words.
"Who are you, really?" Autumn Wind continued to press.
"You may not know this, but not only did Guan Xiu die because of her, your mother also died because of her!" The old woman still did not answer her and continued with her own narrative.
My mother? My biological mother? An invisible hand gripped her throat, making it hard for her to breathe. She gasped for air, struggling to suppress the lump in her throat, and retorted, "How do you know that!"
"Buzz..." The call was disconnected.
"Hello, hello, say something!" Autumn Wind shouted into the phone, tears streaming down her face. The sense of comfort she had just found vanished in an instant.
Qiu Ruolan killed my parents? No, Guan Xiu fell ill and passed away; it wasn't Qiu Ruolan. There must be some misunderstanding here.
She picked up her phone and quickly redialed, only to realize that the previous call did not even show a number.
Her heart stopped for a moment, and the entire world fell silent, devoid of any sound.
The old woman's hoarse and deep voice echoed in Autumn Wind's ears, "She is the murderer of your parents, yet you treat her as your support. How can you face your parents?"
No, this isn't true... Autumn Wind's heart raced violently again, pounding like a beast trying to break free from her chest at any moment.
Autumn Wind fumbled to start the car, her mind focused on one thought: she needed to hurry back and confront Qiu Ruolan for clarity.
The phone buzzed again. Autumn Wind quickly picked it up, hoping it was the old woman calling back. A glance revealed it was Liu Jian.
Weakly tossing the phone onto the passenger seat, she removed the earphones hanging by her ear and pressed down on the accelerator to speed away.
At the moment Autumn Wind stepped on the gas, the life within her stirred gently, causing her heart to clench tightly.
She became homeless once again.
Droplets of water appeared on the windshield, growing larger and more numerous, eventually obscuring Autumn Wind's view.
It finally rained in Taipei.
Unable to see the road and forgetting to operate the wipers, Autumn Wind drove unsteadily through the streets of Taipei like a busy lamb.
She didn't know where to go, nor did she know where she should go...
The rain fell harder and harder, just like Autumn Wind's feelings at that moment—endless and aimless...
"Bang!" A loud noise jolted Autumn Wind out of her panic. She quickly slammed on the brakes and looked around in a flustered state.
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