Chapter 16: The One Who Gave Me Seven Emotions And Six Desires

It wasn’t long before Tongcheng welcomed its first snowfall.

Because of the jar of wild bamboo leaves that Han Yin had sent, Yu Shiying had a very good impression of Han Yin. After the first snow, she had Jiang Se send some warming rice wine up the mountain.

Jiang Se replaced the car tires with snow tires and slowly made her way to Han Shan Temple.

Han Yin had been ill several times, and her body couldn’t handle strong alcohol. Rice wine was gentle and fragrant, invigorating the blood and warming the stomach, which was just right for her.

“This rice wine must be quite old, right?” In the bamboo cottage, Han Yin took a small sip, smiling, “It’s even more mellow than the ones I used to drink.”

Jiang Se smiled and replied, “My mother says this wine is older than I am.”

“Then they must have really parted with it,” Han Yin said. “Such aged wine should be sipped little by little.”

Though she had never interacted with Jiang Chuan or Yu Shiying, just based on the thoughtfulness behind the gifts they had prepared for her, she could tell that both of them had delicate and thoughtful hearts.

Han Yin poured herself another small cup, still longing for more. “I’ll only break my rule and drink two cups today. Next time you see Ah Yan, don’t tell on me.”

With that, she drank it without giving Jiang Se a chance to stop her.

Jiang Se could only say, “Then you have to promise me you won’t drink a third cup.”

Han Yin glanced at her and sighed for a moment. “When you were little, it was you asking me to keep secrets, but now it’s me asking you to keep them. You children really grow up in the blink of an eye. Even Ah Yan isn’t as cute as he was when he was little.”

Jiang Se laughed. “I heard from Mr. Lu that you’ll leave Tongcheng by March next year at the latest. The film and television city base will take at least a few more years to complete, and the old district’s renovation will take even longer. Mr. Lu will have to fly here often. Why don’t you stay in Tongcheng a little longer?”

“If it weren’t for the fact that I wanted Ah Yan to come to Tongcheng and keep an eye on the Han family’s project, I wouldn’t have come to Han Shan Temple at all.” Han Yin shook her head and sighed. “Ah Yan doesn’t have deep feelings for the Han family. Even if Ah Xiao ruined the whole Han family, he wouldn’t care. Now that the Lu family is joining the project in Tongcheng, without me, Ah Yan would still keep an eye on Ah Xiao and stop him from doing anything reckless. So, it doesn’t matter whether I stay here or not.”

The tea cup made of crystal misted lightly, and Han Yin’s tea-making skills were no match for Lu Huaiyan’s.

Jiang Se took a sip of tea and jokingly said, “If you’re not here, I’m afraid I won’t get to drink tea made by Mr. Lu anymore.”

“That’s not difficult,” Han Yin laughed. “If you want to drink it, just tell me, and I’ll ask him to make it for you.”

Jiang Se glanced at the bamboo branches outside the window, bent under the weight of the snow, put down her tea cup, and smiled. “Mr. Lu only seems like an ordinary person with seven emotions and six desires when he’s in front of you. If you’re not here, how could I dare to drink tea alone with him?”

Her words made Han Yin pause.

After her divorce from Lu Jinzhong, she had not returned to Beicheng in all these years while she was recovering, and her meetings with Ah Yan had become few and far between.

Every time they met, it was always the child coming to visit her.

Seeing him become increasingly indifferent, she had once regretted it, feeling that it was her failure as a mother.

She shouldn’t have been so weak and tried to escape like that.

But Ah Yan would always say to her that being a happy mother was more important than being a responsible but unhappy one.

That sentence had made her feel at peace for many years.

But how could she not know that the cold and indifferent nature of Ah Yan was something for which she, as a mother, was entirely responsible?

“Han Aunty?” Jiang Se gently called out. “What’s wrong?”

Han Yin came back to her senses, shook her head, and smiled. “Nothing, I just think what you said makes a lot of sense.”

Jiang Se smiled and took another sip of her tea.

After delivering the wine and chatting with Han Yin for over half an hour, she glanced at her watch and stood up to leave. Under normal circumstances, Han Yin would have tried to keep her there a little longer, asking her to stay and talk some more.

But today, she didn’t stop her.

After Jiang Se left, Han Yin stood alone by the window, quietly gazing at the snow outside. After a moment, she lifted the wide sleeve on her left arm, looking down at the scar on her wrist.

It must have been another snowy day.

The day she tried to end her life.

She had grown up with Lu Jinzhong, and once upon a time, they were in love. After learning that Lu Jinzhong had cheated and even had a child, only one thought filled her mind: she wanted him to regret it, and to do so in the most extreme way.

So, she wore the wedding dress from their marriage, lay in the bathtub alone, and with a sharp fruit knife, cut her wrist. As the warm water poured in, she lay there in the tub, laughing like a madwoman.

But the first person to walk in that day wasn’t Lu Jinzhong—it was Ah Yan.

A twelve-year-old boy, still wearing his school uniform, stepped into the room, stepping on the pink water that had spread on the floor. He pulled her wrist out of the bathtub.

By then, Han Yin’s consciousness had already blurred. She couldn’t make out what Lu Huaiyan was saying.

She only remembered the sadness in his eyes—eyes that had always been calm and restrained.

That was the only time Han Yin ever saw such an expression on Lu Huaiyan’s face.

The snowy day she had hoped would make Lu Jinzhong regret it ended up being the day Han Yin regretted the most in her life.

The snow that night fell onto Ah Yan’s shoulders.

She always wanted to head south, and wasn’t it also to escape the endless snowy days of that year?

Lu Huaiyan came just in time, and Han Yin was saved.

It took her a year to recover, and another year to get a divorce.

When she left Beicheng, Lu Huaiyan stood outside the car and said to her, “Don’t worry about me, Mother. Go wherever you want. What I want is a selfish but happy mother.”

He had never blamed her.

Han Yin lowered her sleeve, covering the old, gruesome scar, and sent a WeChat message to Lu Huaiyan: [Ah Yan, how about I stay at Hanshan Temple for a little longer?]

It was just past 2 a.m. in England. Lu Huaiyan was still awake. He saw Han Yin’s message and immediately called her back.

Han Yin sighed as she picked up the phone. “Why are you still awake?”

“I woke up to drink some water,” Lu Huaiyan said calmly, lying through his teeth. While swiping his computer screen, he asked indifferently, “Why the sudden change of heart? Didn’t you say a few days ago that you were going to a warmer place?”

Han Yin opened her mouth, carefully considering her words. “Aren’t you going to be coming to Tongcheng often in the next few years? If I stay here, it would be more convenient for you to visit, and I can spend more time with you.”

Lu Huaiyan’s gaze paused slightly, and after contemplating for a couple of seconds, he shut his laptop, took off his glasses, and said evenly, “Who came to see you today? Was it your grandfather or your uncle?”

If his voice had warmth, it would have been a few degrees lower than it had been moments ago.

Han Yin laughed. “Neither. Listen to how you talk about your grandfather and uncle. No wonder Se Se says she’s afraid to drink tea with you.”

At the mention of Se Se, Lu Huaiyan raised his eyes, staring at the suitcase on the wine cabinet in front of him—one he had just bought at an auction. He asked indifferently, “Did she come to drink tea with you today? What, did she say she’s afraid of me?”

“How could Se Se say that?” Han Yin sighed. “But you don’t think about it. You’re always so cold, as if you’ve lost your seven emotions and six desires. What young girl wouldn’t be afraid of you?”

“Seven emotions and six desires?”

Lu Huaiyan raised an eyebrow and smiled silently. “She thinks I don’t have seven emotions and six desires?”

Han Yin replied, “Not only does she think so, but I think so too.”

“If you’re afraid that I’ve lost my seven emotions and six desires and that’s why you want to stay in Tongcheng, then there’s no need.” Lu Huaiyan’s tone carried a barely noticeable amusement. “I happened to meet someone recently who makes me feel like I still have seven emotions and six desires.”

Han Yin froze for a moment, unsure if she had misunderstood. She quickly asked, “What do you mean by that? Do you like someone? Who is it?”

Lu Huaiyan curled his lips into a smile. “Didn’t you say that this year my Red Phoenix Star would move? Consider it that the Red Phoenix Star has appeared. As for who it is, when my fate line has a more clear direction, I’ll tell you.”

---

By the time Han Yin’s phone call with Lu Huaiyan ended, Jiang Se had already descended the mountain and returned to the parking lot.

The winter in Tongcheng was completely different from that in Beicheng.

Unlike Beicheng’s dry, biting cold, the air here was always thick with dampness. When the wind blew, the cold wetness drilled straight into your bones, making you shiver.

No wonder Han Aunty wanted to go somewhere warmer.

Rolling down the car window, Jiang Se reached out to catch the snowflakes falling from the sky. She kept her hand out until her fingers turned blue from the cold, losing feeling, before she pulled her hand back.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of the sketchbook on the passenger seat. She pursed her lips and started the car, heading to Jinxiu Alley.

She guessed that Han Miao had told Zhang Yue she would be coming, because when Jiang Se arrived, Zhang Yue was sitting behind the counter, her head lowered as she flipped through a cloth book.

She was the only one in the shop, and the whole space was so quiet that even the sound of the book flipping couldn’t be heard.

The only noise was the rustling of Jiang Se shaking off the snow and closing her umbrella.

Zhang Yue looked up with a neutral expression. “Xiao Miao said you’ve picked out the fabric.”

Jiang Se smiled and nodded. She set the umbrella outside, walked in, unrolled the drawing paper in her hands, and said, “Boss Zhang, have you heard of the flightless bird?”

She pointed to the bird in the drawing. “This is the kind of bird I want.”

Upon hearing the phrase “flightless bird,” Zhang Yue’s face turned as white as snow.

Her gaze fell slowly, like the snowflakes outside, staring at the latter half of the flightless bird on the paper.

The bird’s long black tail, one feather pointing up, the other pointing down.

“Sorry, I’ve never embroidered this kind of bird on a qipao before. Miss Jiang, you should find someone else,” Zhang Yue said quietly.

“You’ve never embroidered it on a qipao, but does that mean you’ve embroidered it elsewhere?” Jiang Se looked at her, tilting her head, and asked gently, “For example, on a handkerchief treasured by someone?”

Zhang Yue pressed her lips tightly together. Her pale lips trembled slightly due to the emotions rising inside her.

She closed her eyes for a moment, suddenly recalling the words the man had spoken when he left: “You can’t let anyone know you know me. Zhang Yue, you’ve never known me. Remember that?”

After a long while, she finally raised her head and stared steadily at Jiang Se. Her voice was hoarse as she said, “You don’t like qipaos. You didn’t come to ‘Zhang Xiu’ for qipaos. So why are you really here? I’m just an ordinary person, what could I possibly have for someone like you?”

She forced a smile at the corner of her lips, a faint and sorrowful one. This smile gave her otherwise lifeless face a touch of life.

She no longer looked like a walking corpse.

The next day after taking the qipao back, Yu Shiying praised Zhang Yue’s craftsmanship while also wondering why she would open a shop on such an old street with little foot traffic.

Before today, Jiang Se wasn’t sure.

After today, she was certain.

Zhang Yue was the person she had been searching for.

The man, as he wiped the blood off her face, had quietly whispered “Sorry.”

After saying that “sorry,” he spoke again, in a voice so low it was like a distant insect’s hum in the forest.

In the dark, Jiang Se had used countless methods to try and piece together that night, and after much effort, she finally reconstructed that sentence:

“Someone is waiting for me to return.”

---

The first snow in Tongcheng came fiercely. In just half a day, it had turned Jinxiu Alley into a vast, white world.

He Miao was carrying two cups of hot milk tea. From a few meters away, she easily recognized Jiang Se’s silhouette.

It wasn’t because of her sharp eyesight, but because Jiang Se’s aura was so unique. Not just her aura, but even her looks seemed to be especially favored by the heavens. To put it in modern terms, she had the perfect model face, both her features and bone structure were top-tier.

He Miao still remembered the scene of Jiang Se’s arrival at Jinxiu Alley.

Her snow-white skin, black hair, delicate features, and slender bones—her neck was like that of a swan. When she lifted her gaze and smiled at her, she appeared as though she had stepped out of the misty rain of the Jiangnan region, a graceful lady of ancient times.

People generally gravitate toward those who are exceptionally beautiful, and He Miao was no exception.

Before entering the shop, He Miao enthusiastically greeted, “Miss Jiang, you’re here!”

She didn’t notice the almost stagnant atmosphere in the shop. Once she entered, she smiled and said, “It’s freezing today! Master and Miss Jiang, would you like some milk tea? I just bought it, and it’s still hot!”

Zhang Yue remained silent.

Jiang Se smiled faintly and replied calmly, “No, I’ll be leaving soon.”

After saying that, she bent down to gather the drawing paper from the counter and said to Zhang Yue, “I know who you’re waiting for, and I know where he is. If you want news about him, contact me. Xiao Miao has my phone number.”

Zhang Yue’s eyes moved slightly, her dark pupils flashing something.

But she didn’t respond, remaining silent.

After saying goodbye to He Miao, Jiang Se left the qipao shop.

Zhang Yue was very composed. Jiang Se waited for an entire week but didn’t receive a call from her.

The snow on the ground had accumulated about half a foot, and December was almost here.

On the last day of November, the Tongcheng municipal government officially announced the upcoming film and television city project and the old city renovation plan, which included Jinxiu Alley.

Jiang Se saw Lu Huaiyan on the television.

Under the constantly flashing spotlight, the man was dressed in a suit, his sharp and cold features softened by a pair of gold-rimmed glasses.

However, when his dark eyes turned to the camera, Jiang Se could still see the aggressive ambition unique to him in those eyes.

As the press conference was nearing its end, Jiang Se unexpectedly received a call from an unfamiliar number.

Looking at the unfamiliar phone number on the screen, she picked up the remote, muted the TV, and then casually answered, “Boss Zhang.”

There was a long silence on the other end before a cold, almost lifeless voice slowly came through.

“Miss Jiang, if you can keep the qipao shop safe for me, then I’ll make the qipao you want.”

---

After the press conference, the Han family hosted a few celebratory banquets at Junyue.

The Lu family was the core investor in the film and television city development and the old city renovation project, so Lu Huaiyan naturally had to attend the banquet.

Lu Huaiyan was always at ease in such social situations, smoothly navigating the night with cups raised and glasses clinked. By the time he returned to the top-floor suite, it was almost 3 a.m.

The evening was shrouded in a deep twilight, the snow falling quietly but majestically.

As he loosened his tie, he pushed open the glass door to the balcony and lit a cigarette.

After arriving in Tongcheng, he found himself unusually susceptible to the urge to smoke, even though he wasn’t particularly fond of it.

He knew himself well enough to guess the reason behind it.

Once he finished his cigarette, he sent a message to the one who started it all: [The matter with Cao Liang has a follow-up. Want to know?]

He had expected the other person to be asleep by now, but as soon as the phone screen dimmed, it lit up again.

A new message came in: [Did the Cao family send him away?]

Lu Huaiyan stared at the few words for a few seconds and smiled.

He dialed a number. It didn’t take long for the other side to pick up. He pulled out his cigarette pack, asking casually, “Why aren’t you asleep?”

The man’s voice, dulled by smoke and alcohol, was rougher than usual, and as it passed through the line, it almost seemed to itch in his ears.

The computer screen was still on the search page, showing the official website of the Lu Corporation, with photos from his afternoon press conference already posted on the homepage.

Jiang Se stood up to pour herself a glass of water, half-seriously, half-jokingly saying, “I slept too long this afternoon.”

“Can’t sleep?” Lu Huaiyan paused as he opened the cigarette pack, “I brought you a gift from Europe, do you want to see it?”

Jiang Se had heard about the gift from Han Yin.

At the time, Han Yin had asked her if there was anything she wanted Lu Huaiyan to bring back from Europe.

She naturally said no, but even if she had, Lu Huaiyan would have still brought something back for her.

Such gifts were a form of social etiquette, but the timing of this one was beginning to feel a bit different.

Jiang Se’s gaze lingered on the cold, stern face on the computer screen, her thoughts wandering aimlessly.

It was his voice in the humid, rainy night, when he had grabbed her wrist and asked, “Can you feel it? Your whole body is rejecting me.”

It was the look in his eyes when he stood in the darkened glass corridor, lowering his head to smoke while staring at her.

It was the call from Zhang Yue earlier that afternoon.

And it was the long-tailed bird with no feet, sketched out on the paper.

Jiang Se closed her computer, gazing out at the snowflakes fluttering softly outside the window. She answered in a soft voice, “Alright, Lu Huaiyan. I’ll come over now.”

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