Yu Tingchuan listened in silence.
"Actually, it can't be said that I was completely unwilling," Song Qingcheng added. She looked away from the windshield. "Even if I was coerced at first, but later…" Her lowered eyelashes fluttered, and after a long while, she continued, "It was because I knew that someone I wanted to see was going to be there."
Those words seemed to have sucked all the air out of the car.
The atmosphere became tense. Song Qingcheng turned around and stared at Yu Tingchuan who was in the driver's seat. "Previously, you asked me what it was that I wanted. I can tell you the answer now."
"Get off the car and go in." Yu Tingchuan interrupted her.
The man's voice was deep and steady. At the same time, he lowered the car window.
His deep eyes met her stubborn gaze as though he was looking at an insensible child. He raised his chin slightly in the direction of the school gate and said in a gentle tone, "Go in."
This time, Song Qingcheng did not refuse to leave.
She unbuckled her seatbelt, but before she got out of the car, she looked at the man's handsome face that was partly obscured by the shadows. "I'm already an adult. I'm not a child who doesn't know anything. I'm able to bear responsibility for my own words and actions."
Silence filled the car.
After a while, Yu Tingchuan said, "There are some games that you can't afford to play."
His tone was calm as if he was stating a fact that could not be more certain…
Song Qingcheng could feel her ears burning, but she did not want to retreat. She said quietly, "How would one know the outcome if one never tried?"
With that, she pushed open the car door.
Yu Tingchuan sat quietly in the car until Song Qingcheng walked through the school entrance. He took out a cigarette and lighter from the glove compartment. The window was fully lowered. Through the smoke, he looked at the empty school gate again.
The streetlamp cast its orange light onto the towering rock, illuminating the words Yuan Wei.
He could still hear the girl's stubborn words—how would one know the outcome if one never tried.
After finishing his cigarette, Yu Tingchuan started the car.
…
Plot No. 8 Yunxi Road. The car drove into the garage beside the villa.
Yu Tingchuan took the key out of the ignition and was about to get out of the car when he noticed something on the passenger seat.
He picked it up and saw that it was a name tag.
Yuan Wei Foreign Language School, Song Qingcheng, 2014602.
On the left side of the name tag was a printed ID photograph.
The girl had her hair tied up, revealing her pale neck. Her facial features were exquisite, especially her eyes. She had a childlike appearance that was reinforced by the baby fat on her face.
It must have been taken a few years ago.
After tossing the school pass into the storage compartment, Yu Tingchuan glanced at the back of the car and saw a paper bag with shoes lying there.
…
After entering the villa, Yu Tingchuan handed the paper bag and gym bag to the nanny and went straight upstairs to his room.
Just as he removed his watch from his left wrist, he received a message from Gu Jiazhi: "I went to the welfare center today. The children there were really cute."
Yu Tingchuan did not reply. He put his phone down and walked to the balcony to look at the hazy night scenery outside.
All these years, he had never stopped getting on the good side of the women around him. There were daughters from prestigious families and famous actresses from the entertainment industry. However, there were very few worth dating. Sometimes, he would even chance across decent women. However, usually, a simple meal was enough to make him lose all thoughts of continuing.
The housekeeper knocked lightly on the door.
Yu Tingchuan turned around and saw the nanny standing by the door with the pair of cleaned canvas shoes in her hands.
"Sir, where should we put these?" The nanny could tell that these were women's shoes so she did not dare to make a decision on her own. She came upstairs to seek Yu Tingchuan's wish.
Yu Tingchuan answered, "Wherever you want."
The nanny nodded and went back downstairs with the shoes.
Retracting his gaze, Yu Tingchuan caught a glimpse of the portable computer he had used last night on the coffee table. There was a small thumb drive inserted into the computer.
The USB drive contained the surveillance footage that Su Ying had copied from the Imperial Court on Friday afternoon.
Yu Tingchuan stood on the balcony for a while before turning around to go to the cloakroom to wash up and rest.
At this point, his cell phone rang.
The call was from the rehab center.
Yu Tingchuan picked up the call from the bedside table. "What's up?"
…
It was the next morning when Song Qingcheng realized that her name tag was missing.
She searched through her backpack and pockets but could not find it. A name tag was not a very important object in itself, but the school rules mandated that every student had to wear theirs all the time. Previously, she had already lost her replacement name tag. This time, she would have no choice but to apply for a reissue.
After the first lesson of the day, Song Qingcheng left her seat and went to the form teacher's office.
However, as soon as she left the classroom, she saw Yu Jing rushing over.
Yu Jing panted. "I was looking for you!"
"What's the matter?" Song Qingcheng asked.
"Here, your nametag!" Yu Jing extended her arm and pushed the object towards Song Qingcheng.
Song Qingcheng looked up at her. "Why is it with you?"
"My second uncle sent it over."
"When?"
"Just now." Yu Jing calmed herself down and pointed to the window in the corridor. "My great-grandfather was sent to the hospital last night, and his condition wasn't very good. Second Uncle came to take me to the hospital and asked me to bring you this thing you left in his car. I can't talk now. Second Uncle is still waiting for me downstairs."
With that, she ran back to the classroom and soon dashed out again with her school bag.
Song Qingcheng watched as Yu Jing ran down the stairs. She walked to the window outside the corridor and looked down. As expected, the black Jaguar was parked downstairs.
Yu Jing soon appeared beside the car.
After Yu Jing got into the car, the black Jaguar drove away from the school.
Song Qingcheng retracted her gaze and looked at her hand. Besides the name tag, Yu Jing had also stuffed an envelope into her hand. It was very thin and crumpled.
Just as she was wondering if Yu Jing had given this to her by mistake, her phone vibrated in her pocket.
She took out her phone and saw that it was a WeChat message from Yu Jing. "I forgot to tell you. Second Uncle said that you left that envelope in the car, too. Take a look and see if it's right. Cheeky, someone must have given you a love letter. But don't worry, I haven't had the time to read it."
Song Qingcheng did not remember having such a letter…
Putting her phone away, she opened the envelope.
Coincidentally, someone ran past her and knocked her elbow. The envelope fell to the ground, and a small piece of paper fell out.
Song Qingcheng picked it up. What she saw was not a love letter… but a cash check of one million yuan.