Chapter 52: Meaning

Hengchuan, brightly lit. The corporate meeting had just concluded, and people were filing out one by one. Li Qingji stood up, almost in sync with Li Zhixun as they both stepped out of the meeting room.

Just as they reached the doorway, Li Zhixun’s smile widened. “For the upcoming Wangjiang project, I hope you’ll cooperate more closely.”

Li Qingji paused mid-step and gave him a glance. “If you can’t handle it, I could do more than just cooperate—I could take over entirely.”

Li Zhixun’s smile faded instantly. He hadn’t expected Li Qingji to make such a bold statement right at the doorway, with their grandfather still in the meeting room.

“Li Qingji—”

“Good luck.” Li Qingji offered a cold smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Everyone will be watching.”

Zhao Siyuan had been waiting outside the meeting room and stepped forward as soon as Li Qingji emerged, signaling with a look. Li Qingji understood Zhao Siyuan had something to discuss, so without another word to Li Zhixun, he walked away.

Once inside his office at Hengchuan, Li Qingji sat down. “What’s the matter?”

Zhao Siyuan spoke up, “We just received news regarding Miss Jiang’s mother.”

“Go on.”

“After Miss Jiang’s mother left the French care facility, she was actually sent to a private clinic in Switzerland. This facility is highly discreet, with strict protections around client information. It took some time, but we were finally able to trace her location…”

“Get to the point,” Li Qingji pressed his fingers to his brow, agitated by the events in the meeting.

Zhao Siyuan pursed his lips. “Well… a medical staff member who had previously taken care of her mentioned that Miss Jiang’s mother has passed away.”

Li Qingji’s fingers paused, and he suddenly looked up.

Zhao Siyuan continued, “And it wasn’t recent. She passed away quite some time ago, actually the week before you and Miss Jiang registered your marriage last year.”

Li Qingji frowned deeply. “There was no notification from Switzerland…”

“That’s impossible. For a client’s passing, the staff there would have followed protocol and informed the next of kin. The Jiang family knew; they just… they simply didn’t…”

They just didn’t tell Jiang Nai. In Li Qingji’s mind, he recalled Jiang Nai’s tear-filled words at the mountain peak, telling him how much she missed her mother and how she longed for her to come back…

Her mother was likely the one constant support for her throughout her life, especially during her time in the Jiang family. Li Qingji abruptly stood up and reached for his phone, ready to call her. Just then, the office door opened, and his father, Li Jingnian, along with his mother, Fang Shuying, walked in.

“Are you heading out?” Li Jingnian asked.

Li Qingji replied, “Yes.”

Fang Shuying added, “We were just talking about coming to find you and going out for a meal. Is something going on?”

“I’m going to find Jiang Nai.”

“Then bring her along for dinner,” Fang Shuying suggested.

“I have something to take care of. Another time,” he responded.

“Qingji,” Li Jingnian called after him as he reached the door, “you heard it in the meeting earlier—the group has decided to support the Wangjiang project significantly. It’s clear your grandfather is intent on keeping things balanced…”

“I know.”

Fang Shuying added, “If you’re aware, then be cautious of Li Zhixun. He lost the West City land, and the New York project was transferred to you, yet he still manages to rise up. Your grandfather isn’t just balancing things; he clearly has a soft spot for him.”

“I’ll deal with him in due course,” Li Qingji replied with a frown. “You two should go back now.”

After he closed the door, Fang Shuying and Li Jingnian exchanged glances, then asked Zhao Siyuan, “What’s he in such a rush to do?”

Without Li Qingji’s permission, Zhao Siyuan wouldn’t reveal a thing. “I’m not sure; it’s likely personal.”

In front of the elevator, as Li Qingji was about to make another call, his phone rang. It was Lu Feng.

Picking up, he said curtly, “Can it wait?”

“No, it can’t! It’s urgent!” Lu Feng said, panicked. “Lin Hui just called me, saying that Jiang Nai ran into Jiang Yao at a bar. Jiang Yao told her that her mother couldn’t attend your wedding because she had already passed away! Qingji, is that true?”

Li Qingji immediately asked, “Is she still there?”

“She’s not. Lin Hui said Jiang Nai stormed out of the bar after hearing that, but she doesn’t know where she went. I called you right away. So, is it true? Did you know?”

Lu Feng didn’t receive a response, as Li Qingji had already hung up and entered the elevator. Once in his car, Li Qingji tried calling Jiang Nai again, but she didn’t pick up. Frowning, he tossed his phone aside and started the engine.

He knew exactly where she would be going right now.

—

The Jiang family mansion was lit up; they had just finished dinner not long ago.

Jiang Nai parked her car and sat there for a moment, feeling her temples throbbing wildly. Everything in her sight seemed to be swaying.  The car had a small scrape on one side from when she had grazed the flowerbed while turning. She couldn’t go on; if she drove any further, she wouldn’t be able to control the wheel.

After a brief pause, she got out of the car and walked straight toward the house.

Uncle Zhong saw her return and came up to her in surprise, “Miss, why are you back at this hour? You didn’t say anything about coming.”

Jiang Nai didn’t reply, her gaze fixed steadily forward.

Sensing something wrong, Uncle Zhong asked, “Miss, is everything alright?”

“Where are they?”

“The master and madam have just finished dinner; they’re in the living room.”

Jiang Nai nodded slightly, turned the corner, and walked inside. Her grandparents were indeed sitting in the living room, and they were momentarily stunned when they saw her stride in.

“Jiang Nai?” her grandmother asked. “Why are you back so late?”

Jiang Nai’s lips quivered slightly, holding on to a faint glimmer of hope. She desperately wanted to believe Jiang Yao had lied to her. Jiang Yao had always loved to bully her, so it was entirely possible she was lying!

“I want to see my mom.”

Her grandparents froze, frowning. “Why are you bringing this up again? Didn’t we go over this last time?”

“Then tell me—why not?” Jiang Nai looked directly at Jiang Yuantao. “Grandpa, why not? Is it because you couldn’t allow it either? Is it because my mother has already passed away, and that’s why I can’t see her?!”

Jiang Yuantao hesitated, frowning. “Who told you that?”

A sharp pang hit Jiang Nai’s heart, and a fragile string within her snapped completely. “So, it’s true?”

Jiang Yuantao repeated, “Who told you?”

“Does it matter who told me?! What matters is whether my mother has passed away!” Jiang Nai took a few steps forward, eyes wide as she looked at him, her tears spilling over. “Why didn’t you tell me? Why did you keep something like this from me? How long did you plan to hide it—forever?”

Jiang Yuantao’s expression shifted. “Jiang Nai, I’ve told you many times before: from the moment I brought you back here, you and she ceased to have any relationship. She is not your mother. Whether she’s alive or dead is none of your concern!”

Jiang Nai felt as if her heart had been ripped apart, and her teeth began to tremble uncontrollably. “None of my concern…? I am her daughter! You can’t just say she’s not my mother and make it so! You know how important she was to me. You refused to let me see her before—fine, I accepted that. But if she passed away, shouldn’t you have told me? Shouldn’t you have let me see her one last time?”

Seeing his stern face and silence, Jiang Nai turned to her grandmother. “Grandma, please tell me, when did she pass away?”

The elderly woman’s brow furrowed as she glanced at Jiang Yuantao and, holding back a bit, said, “Nai Nai, the nursing home told us two years ago that your mother’s health was in rapid decline. Honestly, it’s remarkable she lasted as long as she did. So there’s no need to be angry with us; her passing wasn’t caused by us.”

“I didn’t say it was you who caused it. But you all kept using her to control me; how could you bear to let her go? I just think I had a right to know she passed!”

Jiang Yuantao snapped, “Control? What do you mean by ‘using her to control you’?”

Jiang Nai closed her eyes, feeling as though a heavy stone was pressing down on her chest, making it hard to breathe. She vented, “Then can you tell me when exactly she passed away? Was it last year, before I registered my marriage with Li Qingji?”

“You…”

Seeing their expressions, Jiang Nai realized she had guessed correctly. When she was studying abroad, she had often sent her mother WeChat messages. Though her mother rarely replied, she would occasionally send a message on holidays. But since she returned to China, her mother had never replied again.

She had thought it was because her mother knew she had returned and was afraid that staying in touch would upset the Jiang family. But now she realized… her mother was gone and couldn’t reply anymore.

“If you weren’t using her to control me… you would’ve told me when I registered my marriage, right? Were you afraid that if I knew, I would refuse to go through with it, ruining your cooperation with the Li family?” Jiang Nai’s voice trembled with grief. “But I would have done it anyway! I owe you all, and I would have paid that debt. You didn’t need to use even her death to manipulate me!”

“And would you really have gone through with it if you knew? Look at you now, speaking this way to your elders because of her! If you knew back then, you’d have turned against us outright!” Jiang Yuantao’s anger flared. “Besides, Jiang Nai, ask yourself, marrying into the Li family—hasn’t that been good for you? Many would jump at the chance! If you weren’t part of the Jiang family, you’d have no chance at all! Such ingratitude!”

Jiang Nai’s body trembled as she wept, overcome by immense sorrow that stripped away all her reservations. 

All she knew was that everything she had worked for and believed in had lost its meaning. Her mother was gone, and she would never see her again.

“Who’s ungrateful, me or you? You know how much I’ve given to cover Jiang Yao’s mishaps.” Her voice was hoarse. “Grandpa, do you think you’ve truly given me so much? Look into your heart. Did you bring me back for my sake? Or was it just for your pride, so people wouldn’t mock you for letting your granddaughter live as an outsider? All these years, did you ever truly care about me? You were less attentive than a housemaid, less than Uncle Zhong.”

“So that’s how it is—now that she’s gone, you have the guts to say all this!” Jiang Yuantao’s face was terrifyingly cold. “If the Jiang family has treated you so poorly, then leave! Without the Jiang family, you’ll realize how insignificant you are!”

Sensing the tension, her grandmother interjected, “That’s enough! Why say such things? The deceased are gone, and the living shouldn’t argue about this. Jiang Nai, let go of what happened.”

She cast Jiang Yuantao a glare, “And you, stop talking!”

How easily they brushed it off.

To them, her mother’s life ended just like that.

Indeed, apart from her, who else in this world would still care about her mother?

“Yes, without the Jiang family, I’m nothing. So be it. This position was never meant to be mine anyway.” Jiang Nai looked at him, unable to bear staying any longer, and turned to leave.

Jiang Yuantao hadn’t expected her to actually walk away. His authority shattered by this younger generation, he felt utterly humiliated. “If you leave now, don’t ever come back! I’ll consider you no granddaughter of mine!”

Jiang Nai paused, smiling bitterly, “Fine…”

Her grandmother gasped and tried to stop her, but Jiang Nai sidestepped her and walked straight out.

Tears blurred Jiang Nai’s vision, her mind buzzing with noise, making her sight hazy. When she reached the doorway, she nearly collided with someone.

It seemed he had just walked in, or maybe he’d been standing there for a while. He didn’t move aside; instead, he grasped her wrist. “Jiang Nai.”

She looked up, her eyes shockingly red.

Li Qingji froze as he met her gaze. “You…”

Before he could finish, she brushed past him and continued forward.

Li Qingji hesitated, then quickly caught up to her, holding her hand. “Where are you going?”

Jiang Nai’s eyes burned with pain. She didn’t know where she was going; she couldn’t think anymore.

Li Qingji’s expression darkened. He didn’t ask again. “Come with me.”

He had noticed the dent on her car when he parked earlier. In her current state, she absolutely shouldn’t be driving. Li Qingji led her to his car, gently guiding her into the passenger seat before getting in himself and driving them away from the Jiang family residence.

—

The silence after the argument left her mind feeling hollow, and Jiang Nai’s thoughts involuntarily drifted back to memories of her mother. She thought of their goodbyes, their reunion, and her resolve after they parted once more—the determination that she’d bring her mother close to her someday, that she’d be able to care for her…

But now, it all seemed pointless.

Why hadn’t she realized that her mother might not be able to wait for her?

In the end, she blamed herself.

It was her fault for not growing up faster, for being too slow…

Jiang Nai sat in a daze, not knowing how much time had passed until the car stopped. She watched as Li Qingji opened the door, crouching down in front of her, gently wiping her tears with a tissue.

“We’re home.” He held out his hand to her.

Jiang Nai looked up at him, and hot, heavy tears fell uncontrollably, splashing onto the back of his hand.

Li Qingji’s face stiffened slightly. He had never realized, until this moment, how someone’s tears could feel like a dagger, cutting deeply into his heart. He took a deep breath, lifted her gently out of the room, and held her in his arms. Without saying anything, he just held her, softly stroking her back.

Only when her tears were spent did he scoop her up and carry her home.

In the quiet of the night. Jiang Nai sat on her bed, her eyes too dry for more tears, her throat aching. She stared blankly at her mother’s profile picture on WeChat.

“Why don’t you try to sleep?” 

“Did Lin Hui tell you to come find me?”

This was the first thing she said after arriving home, her voice low and hoarse. Li Qingji handed her a glass of water, replying, “Yes. But even before that, I’d already learned about your mother. Zhao Siyuan has located where she is.”

Jiang Nai’s gaze flickered, and she turned to look at him. “You know where she is, so you also know where she was buried?”

Li Qingji: “In Switzerland.”

Jiang Nai: “I’m going to find her!”

Li Qingji quickly took hold of her hand. “I understand how you feel, but in your current state, don’t act impulsively. Get some sleep first, and I’ll make the arrangements.”

“I want to go myself. I want to go in person.”

“I know. I’ll go with you. We’ll leave tomorrow.”

Jiang Nai hesitated. “But I…”

“Trust me. We’ll depart tomorrow for sure.”

Jiang Nai fell silent. Li Qingji sighed lightly, laying down with her on the bed. But he didn’t sleep, knowing she wouldn’t either.

“Li Qingji.”

“Hmm?”

“Just tell me her exact address,” Jiang Nai whispered. “I can go on my own.”

Previous

Next