In the study, there was no light, and only the starlight coming in from the garden barely lit the window.
It was already in the early morning, Lu Boyan did not know how long he had been sitting here. However, he had put a lot of cigarette b.u.t.ts in his ashtray.
Su Jianan admitted to him that he liked Jiang Shaokai and proposed a divorce. He did not expect it.
Chen Xuanxuan had had people follow Su Jianan and take those photos. Then, the photos were sent to the magazine. He knew then entire thing.
Without his permission, no magazine would dare to make these photos public, so he was the first person to see these photos.
At that moment, a fire broke out in his heart. He almost wanted to reverse the time back to last night. When he got off work, he should have taken Su Jianan back and cut off all the connections between her and Jiang Shaokai.
Then, he came to realize that during the past six or seven years, the one stayed beside Su Jianan had always been Jiang Shaokai. Jiang Shaokai had witnessed her laughter and tears during all those years. Even if he could change what happened last night, he could not change what happened during the last six or seven years.
He said that if Su Jianan really loved Jiang Shaokai, he would let Su Jianan choose on her own. Nevertheless, when he saw these photos, he doubted if he could do it.
He only wanted to keep Su Jianan around him, even if she would hate him.
However, she personally admitted that she loved Jiang Shaokai, and wanted a divorce.
At that moment, something seemed to break in his heart. He had never envied a person so much that he wanted him to disappear from the earth.
But what if Jiang Shaokai really disappeared? Su Jianan really loved him. For Jiang Shaokai’s dream, she could even marry him against her will.
When did Su Jianan sacrifice so much for him?
Therefore, it was better to settle down in her way, signed the divorce paper and let her go. Before Jiang Shaokai married another woman and before Kang Ruicheng set his eyes on her, he might as well give her freedom and let her be happy.
Lu Boyan did not sleep all night until the sky was bright, and then he just dozed for a moment.
Half-dreaming and half-awake, he heard the squeaking of the suitcase and the friction sound when it wheeled on the floor. He then was jerked awake and pushed open the door of the study to check. As expected, Su Jianan was going downstairs, wheeling her suitcase.
He panicked, and his body had moved ahead of the brain—he rushed over to Su Jianan. “Where are you going? You really can’t wait to leave me?”
“… You can think whatever you like.” Su Jianan saw Lu Boyan for a moment and felt unable to explain. “Can you ready the divorce paper in a week?”
Lu Boyan grabbed her hand hard. “On every single day before we sign the paper, we are still husband and wife, and you can’t leave here!”
He almost lost his usual demeanor, leaving only arbitrariness.
“I am going on a business trip to City Z.” Su Jianan broke away from Lu Boyan’s hand. “You can calm down in the next few days and ready the agreement. I will sign it when I come back.”
“Su Jianan,” Lu Boyan looked self-deprecating in the eyes, but if you looked closer, you would find more anger in them. “You can’t say three sentences without bringing up the paper, how much do you want to divorce?”
He asked her this question for the second time.
This time, Su Jianan gave a very clear answer. “I really want to. You also want it, don’t you? After the divorce, we have the freedom to choose.”
“And then you’ll choose Jiang Shaokai?” Lu Boyan sneered wryly and he suddenly became furious. “Just go, right now!”
Su Jianan did not say anything, wheeled her small suitcase downstairs, and never looked back even for once.
Lu Boyan watched her walk away, and his hands quivered on the side of his body, but he never extended it.
He looked away and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, Su Jianan was out of sight.
She just left.
When she decided to marry her, Lu Boyan knew such a day would come, but he never thought that this day would come so fast, just as he did not expect Kang Ruicheng to come back so fast.
Now he should go to Su Jianan and tell her that he was not intentional during the past few days. He knew that he still had time to get her back. However, so what if he got her back? In the end, he would let her go, let her go back to that simple and clean world.
It was better to let her go now, and it was better for him to admit the truth now, just like the way he accepted his father’s accidental death.
At this moment, Lu Boyan suddenly felt exhausted. He did not return to his room but pushed open the door of Su Jianan’s bedroom.
On the day when he promised to marry Su Jianan, he asked Uncle Xu to set up the room. He changed the style of the furniture to the simple one she liked. He changed the color of the curtains to her favorite color, beige, and in front of the bed, he placed a carpet with her favorite color, gra.s.s green.
He bought the bedding set when he walked past a home textile store, because he heard that she liked the plain and soft fabric, and he thought that she might enjoy this set.
She loved to sleep on a soft bed from an early age because she said that she felt like sleeping in the clouds, so he picked the softest mattress for her.
But only half a year, she left, leaving only her smell in the room.
Lu Boyan lay down on the bed. He smelled the intense scent of her on the pillow. He breathed her scent and pulled the quilt she used to be covered in on him. He completely fell into a wave of drowsiness. He closed his eyes and fell into a dream.
Before falling asleep, a drop of crystal liquid slipped from the corner of his eyes and dripped into the pillow. Now no one knew it now and no one would either.
…
…
The white LaCrosse drove on the road in the early morning, and Su Jianan could not cheer up even when the sunshine was shining on her face.
The car drove out of the villa area, and everything in front of her eyes became blurry. She finally stopped and leaned against the steering wheel.
Lu Boyan did not ask her to stay and told her to leave, and to leave immediately.
That time when he went to the United States on a business trip, she cried on the phone, and he told her not to cry across the distance of the ocean. Later, when she woke from a nightmare where she almost got killed and cried, he also comforted her. “Jianan, don’t cry.”
If he saw the tears on her face just now, would he have felt a little bit sad? So how could someone who treasured her become like this?
“Beep—”
Ear-piercing horns sounded behind her. Su Jianan looked back and found that her car was blocking the way. She hurriedly wiped her tears and started the car, heading for the police station.
When she got to the police station and parked the car, it was just 8:15. She checked the things again and confirmed that nothing was left. Then, she went to the tarmac and gathered with everyone.
After Captain Yan called the roll, Su Jianan followed the players to board the plane. The helicopter’s propellers swayed and raised the sand and took them to another city.
Su Jianan sat at the end and kept looking at the case information. Yan captain next to them talked and laughed, but Su Jianan just felt that all the voices were far away from her.
“Jianan, we have to meet with the local police station in Sanqing Town. Their police officers will tell us all the information on it at the meeting.” Xiao Ying came over and took away the file from Su Jianan. “I always thought that Jiang Shaokai would come. Is your Boss Lu… really willing to let you go to such a remote town?”
Su Jianan was stunned and managed to raise her lips. “He knows my job requires me to.”
“I see.” Xiao Ying looked at Su Jianan and suddenly found something strange. “Your eyes… are a little swollen.”
“Oh.” Su Jianan smiled and rubbed her eyes. “I drank too much water before going to bed last night.” I’ll wash my face.”
After Su Jianan got up and went into the bathroom, Xiao Ying still did not come to her senses, and Captain Yan dragged her back. “Jianan has been weird since yesterday. I guess she had a fight with Lu Boyan. So don’t ask her about him.”
Now Xiao Ying finally realized, no wonder that Jianan’s eyes were swollen! After that, Captain Yan patted her hard on the head.
Su Jianan washed her face and stayed in the bathroom for a while before coming out. Except for the swollen eyes, she looked no different from the usual Su Jianan.
Xiao Ying returned the file to her. “Jianan, go ahead with your file, don’t think too much.”
“No senses at all!” Captain Yan knocked Xiao Ying’s head again, and Xiao Ying cried out in pain with an “ouch”. She just looked at Captain Yan with a pitiful face but did not dare to say anything.
“I am fine.” Su Jianan smiled at everyone. “I will not bring my personal feelings to work.” By the way, what do you think of this case?”
Everyone ran into the case along when Su Jianan brought up the topic. The more they talked about, the more absorbed they got. Gradually, Su Jianan also forgot about the matter between Lu Boyan and her. She listened to everyone’s opinion and answered questions in her realm. She was enjoying the harmonious atmosphere of teamwork.
But the atmosphere of one place at the moment was much uncoordinated—and that place was Shen Yuechuan’s office.
Lu Boyan did not come to the company again! He skipped the meeting again! And this time he did not even answer the phone!
“Well, Boss Lu has a cute wife at home.” Another a.s.sistant smiled and said, “You told us to get used to it at the meeting that day, how come you get mad?”
Shen Yuechuan screamed. “If only things were that simple.”
He knew that Lu Boyan did not come to the company because of Su Jianan, but certainly not because he had overslept with Su Jianan.
In the end, Shen Yuechuan decided to see Lu Boyan in his home, and the moment he stepped into the house, he found the atmosphere in the home very strange and stiff. He asked Uncle Xu, “What’s happening here?”
“Young Madam left with her luggage this morning.” Uncle Xu shook his head. “This home is finally looking like a home, but now here we are again.”
Shen Yuechuan rushed upstairs and pushed open the door of Lu Boyan’s room. There was no one, and he suddenly realized and opened the door of Su Jianan’s bedroom. As expected, Lu Boyan was lying on the bed.
He sighed and walked in and shook Lu Boyan by the shoulder.
Lu Boyan in his sleep frowned. “Jianan, stop.”
Shen Yuechuan was feeling both sad and angry. “Jian who? She left!”
Lu Boyan suddenly opened his eyes and looked at Shen Yuechuan. His eyes seemed a little out of focus. After a long while, he remembered that Su Jianan was indeed gone. He watched her go this morning.
He rested his head on his arms. “You go now, I will go to the company in an hour.”
“How can you let her go?” Shen Yuechuan was so angry that he wanted to stomp. “What did you say to her?”
“… She told me that she loved Jiang Shaokai and asked me to draft the divorce paper.” Lu Boyan threw up his hands and smiled wryly. “This is the best time to let her go. She doesn’t need to know anything, and I don’t even have to find ways to make her hate me.”
“…”
Shen Yuechuan couldn’t speak for a long time—Jianan would love the guy, Jiang Shaokai? Why did it not look like that to his eye!
“There may be some misunderstandings between you. I was joking when I mentioned the so-called investigation!” Shen Yuechuan was anxious. “Do you agree to divorce her? Push her to Jiang Shaokai just like that?”
“We take care of Su Hongyuan and Jiang Shaokai will be able to protect her.” Lu Boyan said, “You don’t know how dangerous it is to keep her around me.”
Shen Yuechuan knew that and he gradually understood. Then, the pain came over him. He sighed and left the room.
Lying for another while, Lu Boyan lifted up the quilt and got up.
The sun shone through the beige curtains that he had picked for her and was cast into the room. He looked at the big room and suddenly became empty in his heart.
Just like this room, he still felt something missing from this room.
—The person who used to live here. She may never come back again.