Amidst this noisy backdrop, Fu Yumo’s voice was light yet heavy, “What did you say?” Raindrops pattered against the floor-to-ceiling window in the office, then dripped down, soon blurring the view for those inside. The sky was overcast, the air pressure suddenly low, pressing down on Fu Yusen until he could barely breathe. Bloodshot veins slowly crept over his eyes: “You’ve got it wrong, I want Jiang Nuan alive, understand?” The last two words were almost squeezed out from between his teeth, carrying a chilling coldness that sent shivers down one’s spine. Tang Beizan was also scared, stepping back half a step, finally seeing the man sitting in the chair clearly. Fu Yusen sat in the chair, leaning forward, exuding an oppressive aura. Tang Beizan couldn’t help but recall a lion he had seen hunting on the African savannah. But Fu Yusen, sitting in the cold office chair, seemed bound by something, far from resembling a lion, more like a trapped beast. Tang Beizan focused his gaze on the document: “Fu Yusen, you need to learn to accept death.” Back when Fu Yusen’s mother passed away, in the mourning hall, he was the same, as if he wanted to bare his claws and fangs at everyone. Fu Yusen didn’t speak, just tightly pressed his lips together, stubbornly sweeping the document off the desk. “Beizan, if you won’t look, I’ll find her myself! One day, I will find Jiang Nuan!” Fu Yusen’s anger was so evident, yet Tang Beizan could sense a hint of fear beneath the ferocity. He was afraid, afraid to accept the fact of Jiang Nuan’s death. Tang Beizan picked up the document, said nothing more, and turned to leave the office. After an indeterminate amount of time, Fu Yusen’s racing heartbeat finally slowed, and his reddened eyes returned to their normal color. He slumped over his desk, spine bent, hands covering his face, in a state no one had ever seen him in. His mind was flooded with fragments of memories: Jiang Nuan’s smile, her obedience, her sorrow… Jiang Nuan understood him better than he understood himself; whatever he wanted, she would do for him. She had said she was willing to be his assistant for life, to be with him forever. She never went back on her word, especially not to him. So, Jiang Nuan could not possibly be dead. Fu Yusen slowly straightened up, murmuring to himself, “Jiang Nuan, wait for me, I will find you.” He grabbed his car keys and left, the new assistant swaying towards him, “Mr. Fu, I’ll accompany you.” Fu Yusen looked at the woman with perfect makeup, suddenly frowning, “Go to the finance department to collect your salary today, I’ll compensate you.” Before the new assistant could respond, Fu Yusen brushed past her. When he hired the new assistant, he wanted Jiang Nuan to know that anyone could replace her. But now, Fu Yusen felt that no one could replace her; he only wanted Jiang Nuan as his assistant. Fu Yusen drove onto the coastal highway. The winter wind was biting cold, but Fu Yusen drove with the window open, circling aimlessly, feeling no chill at all. He thought for a moment, parked the car, and dialed his father’s number. Since their last encounter, he hadn’t returned home, and his father hadn’t called him either. After three rings, the call was answered. Fathers know their sons best, and his father opened with, “What do you want?” Fu Yusen didn’t beat around the bush: “I need Jiang Nuan’s mother’s contact information.” His father was silent for a moment before replying, “What do you need it for? She left the Fu family half a month ago.”
Chapter 21
Fu Yusen was stunned; he remembered that night when Jiang Nuan’s mother had asked him for ten million. It seemed no different from usual, yet something felt off. Fu Yusen didn’t remember clearly, the only thing coming to mind was Jiang Nuan’s mother’s slightly hunched back in the yard that night. He closed his eyes, feeling regret. He had always been smooth-sailing, thinking everything was under control, but the human heart was unpredictable and elusive, so what gave him such confidence? Like Jiang Nuan, now vanished from his life, even declared dead. Like Jiang Nuan’s mother, he once thought of her as a woman who used her beauty to serve, but now, she had left the Fu family, her whereabouts unknown. Fu Yusen looked out into the distance; from above, the sea seemed calm, yet it felt deep and cold. Something flashed through his mind but disappeared quickly. He shook his head, returned to the car, and sent a message to Tang Beizan: Find out where Jiang Nuan’s mother is. Half an hour later, Fu Yusen received a location message from Tang Beizan. He started the car, driving towards that location. He had never cared much about anything related to Jiang Nuan before. Now that she was gone, Fu Yusen was desperate to grasp anything connected to her. The place was quite a distance from Luocheng, Fu Yusen passed through six service areas before exiting the highway. Low-rise buildings flashed by as he maneuvered his way to Jiang Nuan’s mother’s residence. Seeing the light through the peephole, he knocked on the door. Soon, the door opened, and Jiang Nuan’s mother was first surprised, then gave him the familiar obsequious smile. “Yusen, what brings you here? Come in, sit down.” Fu Yusen didn’t refuse and stepped inside. The place seemed long uninhabited, with a musty smell. The house was about eighty square meters, the living room small, with many certificates hung on the walls. All of them were in Jiang Nuan’s name, almost covering an entire wall. Near the ceiling, a nail had been hammered into the wall, from which hung two yellowed cloth bags. Jiang Nuan’s mother went to the kitchen to fetch water. Seeing Fu Yusen standing in front of the certificates, she seemed a bit embarrassed: “I’m sorry you had to see this. These were put up by Jiang Nuan’s father. Any award Jiang Nuan brought home, he would stick on the wall. He’d boast to anyone who came over, but I always thought, what’s there to boast about…” Fu Yusen pointed to the two bags: “What’s in those?” Jiang Nuan’s mother thought for a moment, then hesitated, “I’m not too sure. Let me take them down for you to see.” She started searching around, but couldn’t find anything. Jiang Nuan’s mother muttered, “I told him not to hang them so high, saying they would block the certificates. Now how am I supposed to reach them?” Fu Yusen was also taken aback; looking at the certificates, he noticed how neatly they were arranged, giving a sense of order. Seeing Jiang Nuan’s mother fumbling around, he spoke up: “Give me a chair, I’ll stand on it and get them.” Fu Yusen was tall; Jiang Nuan’s mother brought a small stool for him to stand on, and he easily retrieved the bags. The yellowed, moldy bags contained quite a few items, which when poured out, revealed numerous medals, some finely crafted, others crudely made. Jiang Nuan’s mother remembered: “These are from the extracurricular activities Jiang Nuan participated in before university.” Fu Yusen, with keen eyes, picked up a medal with Jiang Nuan’s photo on it. It must have been elementary school; you could vaguely see the shadow of the adult Jiang Nuan in her. Even though the photo had faded, you could still see little Jiang Nuan smiling proudly and brightly. Fu Yusen gripped the photo tightly and suddenly asked Jiang’s mother, “Can I take this?” Jiang’s mother naturally agreed. Fu Yusen then said, “If Jiang Nuan contacts you in the future, please be sure to inform me.” Jiang’s mother, who was arranging medals, suddenly froze. The sky was somewhat dark, and the room was not lit. Fu Yusen noticed that Jiang’s mother’s eyes quickly filled with tears. After a long while, Jiang’s mother raised her hand to wipe the corner of her eye, gathered the medals into a bag, and hugged it tightly to her chest. Then she looked up at Fu Yusen: “Nuan Nuan, she won’t contact me anymore.” “So many days have passed, I haven’t even dreamt of her.”
Chapter 22
