Chapter 66: Epilogue

After Li Chongfeng’s sudden heart condition, he transitioned into semi-retirement in Hengchuan.

During that period, Li Qingji became busier than ever. He frequently traveled for work, making trips to places like the capital and New York. Sometimes, he would be away for weeks at a time.

Jiang Nai knew that he was so busy because of the recent changes in Hengchuan, so she rarely disturbed him.

They mostly only chatted at night, sometimes via video calls when they weren’t too busy, and exchanged a few messages when they were. They no longer had the same pattern as before, where there was no contact after parting ways.

Later, Jiang Nai also heard a little about Li Zhixun from Lu Feng. After Li Zhixun’s failed marriage alliance with the Zhao family, his own project hit a snag, and in the end, it was Li Qingji who stepped in to clean up the mess he had created.

Moreover, it was clear that Li Chongfeng was more interested in Li Qingji, which made the higher-ups at Hengchuan start calculating their moves. While Li Qingji was busy with his career, so was Jiang Nai. Recently, she had been leading two projects, and Liu Nian had promoted her to head a small team, essentially giving her another promotion.

She was just as busy as ever.

One weekend, she finally found some time to relax, and Xue Lin invited her to go out and unwind.

It was that night that Jiang Nai happened to run into He Shujing.

She bumped into He Shujing when she was heading to the restroom and assumed it would just be a polite exchange of greetings. However, He Shujing stopped her and asked if she had time for a private conversation.

Jiang Nai agreed.

The two of them left the noisy bar and sat down at a small drink stall on the side of the road. He Shujing ordered a hot drink for herself, while Jiang Nai opted for lemonade.

“Li Qingji hasn’t been around lately, has he?” He Shujing asked.

Jiang Nai nodded. “Yes, he went to the capital.”

He Shujing nodded in return. “I’ll be heading to New York soon.”

Jiang Nai paused, then heard He Shujing continue, “I’ll be working there from now on.”

Jiang Nai was a bit surprised. “So you won’t be coming back?”

“Once I go, I won’t be back for at least five years.”

Jiang Nai asked, “So what about you and Li Zhixun…”

He Shujing replied, “I never seriously considered being with him. He doesn’t really love me.”

Jiang Nai had heard differently—that Li Zhixun had even fallen out with the Zhao family for her.

He Shujing seemed to guess what she was thinking and said, “That day, he was drunk and in a good mood, so he dared to offend the Zhao family. If he had been sober, he never would have done that. He’s the type who can both plan a marriage alliance and date another woman. Do you really think his affection means anything?”

Jiang Nai suddenly understood. “So that’s how it was… Were you supporting him in Hengchuan on purpose?”

“Of course,” He Shujing replied, “Otherwise, how could I gain his trust and later turn on him?”

“So it was all part of the plan from the start?” Jiang Nai asked.

He Shu Jing responded, “Not exactly a plan—more like a spur-of-the-moment decision. I just didn’t like him. But speaking of plans… did you think Li Qingji sent me as an undercover agent?”

Jiang Nai had to admit that this thought had crossed her mind.

He Shu Jing continued, “Li Qingji is ruthless, and it’s not impossible for him to send me as an undercover agent to achieve his goals. But he promised my brother he would look out for me at work, so he wouldn’t do something like that.”

Jiang Nai wasn’t very familiar with He Shujing, and they didn’t usually talk much. But unexpectedly, He Shujing seemed to have a lot to say to her. Maybe it was because she had had a bit to drink tonight.

“Are you surprised I called you out today?” He Shujing asked.

Jiang Nai nodded. “Yes.”

He Shujing held her lemonade and said softly, “We never had much chance to meet before, but I’ve always been curious about why Li Qingji likes you so much.”

This statement confirmed something for Jiang Nai.

He Shujing had indeed drunk quite a bit that night.

“I used to think it was just because of your family background that he looked at you differently. But after what happened with your family, he still stands by you. Only then did I realize, Li Qingji can truly like someone, purely like someone.”

He Shujing leaned back, her beautiful eyes watching Jiang Nai. “Isn’t it strange… If he can overlook family background, and if he really has feelings, then why didn’t he like me before?”

He Shujing had never truly considered being with Li Qingji before. She had controlled herself, knowing the kind of person he was. But now, reality told her that Li Qingji was someone she could approach. He could disregard everything else and simply like someone.

This was, without a doubt, a kind of upheaval for her.

Jiang Nai looked at her. “This question, you should ask him.”

“Ask him?” He Shujing fell silent for a moment, then laughed. “I wouldn’t ask him. That would be humiliating.”

“Then you don’t need to say these things to me,” Jiang Nai said, looking at her. “Miss He, Li Qingji is mine now, so don’t say things like this again. It’s better if you don’t say them, even when you’re drunk.”

Jiang Nai was a few years younger than He Shujing. Her voice was soft, and she looked gentle and obedient, but when she spoke, her words carried weight. It seemed like He Shujing had a sudden realization as to why Li Qingji liked Jiang Nai so much.

She became a little more sober and said, “Sorry, I think I really… drank too much. I’ve never said these things to anyone before, but seeing you today, I just couldn’t help it. Don’t worry, though. This is the first and last time I’ll say this. I’m leaving anyway.”

When one knows they can never have something, they fight for what they can.

He Shujing had been immersed in a certain kind of love for a long time, yet she always maintained a sense of clarity. Without love, of course, a career was good too.

Jiang Nai understood her meaning and said, “Then I wish you great success in New York.”

He Shujing replied, “Thank you, I will.”

After parting ways with He Shujing at the bar, Jiang Nai received a call from Li Qingji. He had just finished his work and returned to his place.

“What are you doing?”

Hearing his familiar voice on the other end of the line, Jiang Nai’s eyes lit up with a smile. “I told you yesterday, I’m out with Xue Lin today.”

“Still out at this hour? I thought you’d be home by now.”

Jiang Nai replied, “What’s the rush? You know bars don’t close that early. Young people stay out till midnight, right?”

Li Qingji seemed to have chuckled: “What do you mean by suddenly emphasizing ‘young people’?”

“I didn’t imply anything,” Jiang Nai replied.

“Why is it so quiet at the bar?”

Jiang Nai said, “Because I just came out. Guess who I ran into?”

“Who?”

“He Shujing. I just saw her outside the bar. She was a bit drunk, and we talked for a while before I had her friend come pick her up.”

“Mm.”

Jiang Nai leaned against the railing outside the bar: “Just ‘mm’? Don’t you want to know what we talked about?”

“What did you talk about?”

Jiang Nai snorted lightly, sensing that he didn’t care much: “We talked about you. We talked about your stories from university, about which girls you liked.”

She was teasing him on purpose, but Li Qingji only smiled.

Jiang Nai asked, “What are you laughing at? She told me everything.”

Li Qingji asked, “Told you what? Let me hear it.”

Jiang Nai began to fabricate: “Oh, plenty of things. Like the people you liked in university.”

Li Qingji responded, “People you liked? Who specifically? Tell me a few of them.”

“Who said I’m making it up?” Jiang Nai didn’t feel embarrassed at all about being exposed. “She told me in person. You don’t believe me?”

“I don’t believe it.”

Jiang Nai narrowed her eyes: “Seems like you really trust her and know her well.”

“That’s not it. I just know myself well,” Li Qingji replied. “I’ve only liked one person, so there’s no past relationships to talk about.”

Jiang Nai felt pleased at hearing this. Men’s sweet words were indeed very powerful.

“Oh, you’ve only liked one person? Who is it?”

Li Qingji replied, “Who do you think?”

Jiang Nai suppressed her smile: “I don’t know.”

“Then when I come back, I’ll tell you in person who she is.”

Speaking of which, he hadn’t been back in a long time.

Jiang Nai, who had initially been joking, now felt a little down: “Then hurry up and come back.”

Li Qingji noticed the subtle change in her mood and softened his voice: “Okay.”

Without Li Qingji around, Jiang Nai occasionally felt a bit depressed, as she came home alone every day, which felt quite lonely.

But during the day, she was passionate about her work. Recently, a new advertisement was in post-production, and Jiang Nai had been running between Sineter and Chen Chuan’s studio. That day, she went to the studio in the afternoon to check on the progress.

She stayed at the studio until around 6 PM when everyone finished work, and she was about to leave.

“Jiang Nai, you worked hard today. Let’s go eat together,” Chen Chuan said.

Jiang Nai politely responded, “You all worked hard, I didn’t.”

Chen Chuan said, “You’ve been watching all afternoon. Let’s go, we’ll go out for dinner tonight.”

Several of Chen Chuan’s staff were familiar with her and quickly chimed in, “Yeah, yeah, Jiang Nai, come have dinner with us.”

With so many people enthusiastically inviting her, Jiang Nai felt a little awkward rejecting them, so she agreed, “Okay, where should we go?”

“How about Japanese food?”

“Oh, let’s have hotpot. There are so many of us.”

“A new Japanese restaurant just opened nearby, it’s really delicious!” 

“Hotpot is even better!” 

… 

Chen Chuan said, “Alright, alright, let’s ask the girl. Jiang Nai, what do you want to eat?”

“I don’t mind, you all can decide.”

“You think they’ll actually decide?” 

Jiang Nai smiled, “Then director, you decide.”

“Me? I think hotpot is better.”

“Director! It should be Japanese food!” 

…

The group of them bickered as they went downstairs together. Chen Chuan noticed Jiang Nai carrying a heavy computer bag and reached out to help her carry it.

“I’ll do it.”

Jiang Nai didn’t let go, “It’s fine, I can handle it myself.”

As he lowered his gaze, Chen Chuan noticed the ring on her finger, sparkling on her ring finger. Every time he saw her recently, she had been wearing it.

He withdrew his gaze and said, “Looks like you’ve packed a lot of things, it’s pretty heavy.”

“It is a bit, I have files and my laptop in here.”

“Really don’t need help with your things?”

“No, I—”

“Jiang Nai.”

Just then, a very familiar voice came from not far away. Jiang Nai froze for a moment, thinking she might have imagined it. But when she turned to look, she really saw someone she hadn’t seen in a long time standing near the door.

“Hey? Who’s this handsome guy?”

“Is he from our floor?”

“No, I’ve never seen him before.”

“Jiang Nai’s friend?”

Jiang Nai finally snapped out of her daze. She almost immediately ran toward him, but when she got in front of him, she remembered the group of people behind her and stopped in her tracks. She then said with barely concealed joy, “You’re back? How did you know I was here today?”

Li Qingji gently reached out and pulled her into a brief hug, then quickly let go. “I asked Liu Nian, and he told me you’d be here. I came straight over after landing.”

He stopped there and released her. “Can we go home now?”

Jiang Nai nodded repeatedly, but then remembered she had promised to eat hotpot with the others, so she said, “Let me tell the director and the others.”

“Okay.”

Jiang Nai walked back over to the group, apologizing as she spoke. “Sorry, um… my family’s here, so I won’t be joining you all for dinner tonight. I’ll treat you next time!”

“Jiang Nai, is that your husband?”

Jiang Nai smiled, “Yes.”

“Your husband is so handsome.”

Chen Chuan had worked with Siningte before, mostly with Liu Nian, but he had never met the boss of Siningte. However, he had seen Li Qingji once at a gala, walking past him and sitting in the front row. At that time, someone nearby had told him that Li Qingji was the CEO of a certain film company.

But aside from that, he knew nothing about Li Qingji.

So he had no idea that Jiang Nai’s husband was actually him. Chen Chuan instinctively lowered his gaze to the ring on Jiang Nai’s finger. No wonder…

It was precisely a man like him who could make her wear that ring so securely.

“Then you go ahead, I’ll leave first,” Jiang Nai said.

“Okay, go on,” Li Qingji responded.

Li Qingji waited for a while not far away, and saw Jiang Nai chatting with the group of people. After a few moments, she smiled and ran toward him.

“Alright, let’s go.”

“Mm.”

He took her hand and walked toward the parking area. After turning a corner, the group of people behind them were no longer visible. Li Qingji felt his palm being gently scratched, so he stopped, turned to look at her.

“What’s wrong?”

Jiang Nai whispered, “There were too many people earlier. I haven’t hugged you yet… can I hug you now?”

Li Qingji’s tone was teasing: “Are you sure you want to hug now? What if we can’t let go?”

“I don’t care.” Jiang Nai had missed him so much, and the moment she saw him, she wanted to jump into his arms. Now that there was no one around, she naturally did just that, tightly wrapping her arms around his waist.

Li Qingji also hugged her back.

“Still haven’t told me, why did you suddenly come back? You didn’t even give me a heads-up,” Jiang Nai murmured in his embrace.

Li Qingji patted her head: “The wedding’s almost here. How could I not come back?”

Jiang Nai replied, “But there’s still a week left.”

“As the groom, it’s not appropriate for me to return at the last minute, right?”

Jiang Nai thought about it and nodded. She looked up at him: “Then you handle everything from now on. I’ve been so busy lately.”

“Okay, leave it all to me.” Li Qingji leaned down and kissed her forehead: “Let’s go, we’re running out of time.”

“Huh? What’s the rush?”

Li Qingji’s lips moved downward, landing on her lips: “I’m in a hurry here.”

Jiang Nai blinked, barely hiding her smile. Li Qingji immediately took her hand and walked quickly toward the car.

—

Their wedding was ultimately confirmed to be in Melbourne, still at the mountaintop chapel as previously planned.

Due to Li Chongfeng’s health and Jiang Nai’s family situation, the wedding would be a simple, youthful affair with only close friends and family, while everyone else would be invited to a casual banquet without any ceremony in the city on another day.

This was a model both Jiang Nai and Li Qingji were very happy with, as it spared them from the complicated procedures in front of many strangers or people they didn’t even know. In their hearts, a wedding only needed the two of them and a few people who truly wished them well.

The wedding was in China’s autumn, and Melbourne’s spring.

Li Qingji and Jiang Nai arrived two days early, while all the guests attending the wedding were scheduled to fly in the day before the event. After landing in Melbourne, they headed straight to the wedding venue.

Li Qingji had already arranged for everything related to the wedding to be taken care of, so all Jiang Nai needed to do was check the venue. If there was anything she wasn’t happy with, she could mention it and have it corrected on the spot.

“Are you sure everything’s fine?” 

The two of them left the hotel and sampled all the food of the day, treating it as an early dinner.

Jiang Nai said, “There’s no problem. You arranged everything, how could I not trust it?”

Leaving the hotel, they began a short uphill walk. The mountain path wasn’t long, and at the top stood a chapel, the venue for their ceremony.

Jiang Nai, feeling full from dinner, wanted to walk around to help her digestion, so she suggested, “Let’s go up and walk a bit.”

“Alright.”

As night fell and the sun dipped below the horizon, the mountaintop was lush with greenery and vibrant flowers. From a distance, the ocean was calm and peaceful, with an endless coastline stretching into the horizon. The soft, golden sand of the beach glistened in the fading sunlight like stardust on the ground.

The air in this romantic city of the southern hemisphere seemed thick with sweetness. Jiang Nai stood at the railing on the mountaintop, stretching her hand out. The wind flowed through her fingers like delicate silk.

“I’m suddenly a bit nervous,” she said.

Li Qingji stood beside her, “What are you nervous about?”

“It’s my first time getting married. Of course, I’m nervous.”

“Who isn’t getting married for the first time?”

Jiang Nai turned her head, smiling at him, “Aren’t you nervous?”

Li Qingji smiled, “I’m more excited than nervous.”

Jiang Nai, though excited, couldn’t shake the feeling of nervousness, and the more she thought about it, the more nervous she became. “What if I suddenly can’t say anything when the time comes?”

Li Qingji raised an eyebrow, “Want to rehearse?”

Jiang Nai instantly stood up straight and faced Li Qingji, “Alright, let’s rehearse then.”

She cleared her throat and in a low voice said, “Do you, the bride, solemnly swear that you will always stay by his side, in health or sickness, in wealth or poverty, never forsaking him?”

After saying that, she reverted to her normal voice and added, “I do.”

Li Qingji’s lips curled into a smile, “Jiang Nai, can you stop talking to yourself?”

“Don’t interrupt me.” Jiang Nai shot him a look and lowered her voice again, asking, “Groom, from today onward, this beautiful lady standing before you will become your wife. Will you, in health or sickness, in wealth or poverty, remain by her side, never leaving her?”

Li Qingji lowered his gaze to her.

“Speak.” Jiang Nai gently nudged him with her hand. “Groom, you wouldn’t be unwilling, would you?”

Li Qingji’s eyes darkened with a deeper smile. He grabbed her hand and pulled her into his embrace, lowering his head to kiss her. The kiss was deep and passionate, and Jiang Nai struggled to breathe under the intensity.

“Hah… who told you to skip the ritual,” Jiang Nai said, finally pulling back from the kiss, leaning against his chest with mock indignation.

Li Qingji wrapped his arms around her waist, “Sorry, you’re just too cute. I couldn’t help myself.”

Jiang Nai’s ears turned red when she heard him call her “wife.” “Try doing that at the actual wedding…” she teased.

“Is it okay like this?”

Jiang Nai choked for a moment: “Of course not, no kissing on the tongue!”

“Oh, can I answer now?”

Jiang Nai gave him a glance: “Yes, go ahead, groom.”

Li Qingji smiled lightly and said in a calm voice: “In the past, I might not have understood what love is, so I did many wrong things.”

“Hmm?”

Li Qingji continued: “But now I understand, and I know more clearly that I can’t live without you. No matter what happens, I will do what you just said. In health or illness, in wealth or poverty… I will stay by your side, love you for a lifetime.”

The evening breeze blew in, and the sunset was beginning to set. The afterglow of the sun fell on him, and even his eyelashes seemed to glow with golden light.

He suddenly spoke with such solemnity. Jiang Nai was caught off guard, blinking her eyes, her eyelids slightly warm with emotion she could not suppress.

She took a light breath, forcing the warmth back: “Why are you saying so much? You just need to say ‘I do’.”

Li Qingji lowered his eyes to look at her, but he was serious: “Jiang Nai, I just want to tell you that it’s not simply a matter of ‘I do’.”

It’s anticipation, it’s hope.

It’s a lifetime of answering.

The definition of love is you, and only you.

(End)

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