Chapter 30: Things That Were Given Up

Outside the door, Cen Mingshu had been knocking for almost ten minutes, but no one came to answer.

Just as she was about to take out her phone to have someone check again, the door suddenly opened.

She found someone dressed in a well-tailored round-neck dress, and with a smile, called out, “Auntie.”

After that, Cen Mingshu nodded to Cen Li, who was standing beside her, and called out, “Brother.”

“I was just about to come find you, Auntie,” Jiang Se pressed the door and stepped aside to give them room, “Come in quickly, it’s too cold outside.”

Cen Mingshu furrowed her brows, her gaze scanning Jiang Se’s face.

It was too calm.

Last night on the phone, Cen Mingshu could tell that Jiang Se’s emotions had been suppressed to the breaking point.

She thought Jiang Se would lose control like seven years ago. Even if she didn’t lose control to the point of needing a sedative this time, she still shouldn’t be this calm.

She had even contacted Dr. Gina, preparing to send her straight to Dr. Gina’s office if necessary.

But seeing Jiang Se like this now, she hesitated.

Cen Mingshu’s two intense glares were like lasers, almost drilling two holes into Jiang Se’s forehead.

She had to step forward to block the door, smiling as she said, “Why don’t you wait for me here? I don’t have much to grab, I’ll be done in a moment.”

“It’s so cold outside, no need to wait. I’ll go with you to get your things,” Cen Mingshu finally stepped inside, “It’s just that Ah Li has something to look for Xiao Lu, he’s here, right?”

Her tone was probing as she asked and looked toward the living room, which was empty, with no one in sight.

She looked again toward the dining room and the garden, still no one.

“How could Xiao Lu be here?” Jiang Se raised an eyebrow, “Last night I didn’t want to stay at the hospital. After Xiao Lu brought me here, he left. He doesn’t often stay at this villa, he just lent it to me for the night. If you’re looking for him, this isn’t the place.”

Cen Li looked at Jiang Se and nodded in agreement, “Ah Yan usually stays at either Rui Du Hua Fu or the Lu family’s old house when he returns to Beicheng. This villa isn’t often used, although Aunt Han used to stay here more.”

Jiang Se looked at Cen Li after hearing this, her gaze briefly sweeping across his chin, covered in stubble. “Brother, do you have something to attend to? If it’s urgent, you can go ahead. I’m fine with just Auntie here.”

Cen Li smiled, stepped forward, and gently held Jiang Se’s injured hand, giving it a quick glance. He spoke in a warm tone, “Even if I’m in a hurry, I wouldn’t be so rushed that I don’t have time for you. How’s your injury?”

When they were young, Cen Li often held Jiang Se’s hand when they went out to play. He had taken her to all the amusement parks in Beicheng, and they’d even visited Disney parks all over the world.

As a child, Jiang Se used to be very clingy, even making a big deal out of a small cut and telling Cen Li about it.

But as they grew older, Jiang Se rarely followed Cen Li around like a shadow. She didn’t cry out when she was sick or in pain, as if one day she just suddenly became a strong young woman.

But no matter how strong a girl is, she still has moments of vulnerability.

And as her older brother, he was always absent when she needed him.

It was the same seven years ago, then when she left Beicheng for Tongcheng, and it was the same last night.

Cen Li’s handsome face showed a trace of self-blame. Jiang Se glanced at him, calmly withdrew her hand, and said dryly, “It’s just a small injury, Brother. You know me, I’m not as sensitive to pain as I used to be.”

After saying that, she led them into the living room. “You wait here. I’ll go upstairs to pack my things, I’ll be down soon.”

Without looking back, she walked up the stairs, heading straight for the master bedroom. Once inside, she closed the door and locked it in one smooth motion.

Lu Huaiyan was sitting on the sofa by the window, with his elbow lazily resting on the armrest, giving Jiang Se a look that was almost a smile.

“The whiskey from the little restaurant hasn’t been cleaned up yet,” he kindly reminded her.

“It’s fine, just say I drank it. Auntie won’t suspect anything.”

She acted too normally, which actually made Cen Mingshu more uneasy. Only if she did something wild, like drinking excessively to release her stress, could Cen Mingshu feel a bit reassured.

Earlier, the master bedroom door hadn’t been fully closed, and Lu Huaiyan had naturally overheard the conversation downstairs.

Glancing at her bandaged hand, he stood up from the sofa, walking toward her and quietly asking, “Where are the things you need to pack? Let me get them for you.”

Jiang Se looked at him, her gaze drifting to the bathroom beside them, saying, “It’s all in there. The clothes I took off last night and the wrist bag. As for the gift from Grandpa Lu, just leave it here for now.”

The man dropped the words “Wait here” and went into the bathroom.

A minute later, he came out of the bathroom holding a gift bag.

Inside the bag were the items she had just mentioned: the evening gown, the underwear she had worn, and the wrist bag.

Lu Huaiyan handed the gift bag to her, then slowly asked, “Is there anything else?”

“No more,” Jiang Se shook her head.

She took the gift bag but didn’t hurry to leave. Instead, she stood there, looking at Lu Huaiyan. A few seconds later, she said, “Thank you.”

Lu Huaiyan didn’t even bother to respond with a “You’re welcome,” simply saying, “Leave me ten minutes the night after tomorrow, I’ll bring you something.”

“What is it?”

“Something that’ll help you sleep better.”

He had stayed up all night, his voice a bit hoarse. When he said this, Jiang Se couldn’t help but think back to everything that had happened last night. Her gaze flickered slightly.

Lu Huaiyan particularly enjoyed looking into her eyes, and this time was no exception.

He stared into her eyes, and with a smile, asked, “What are you thinking about?”

Jiang Se lowered her gaze slightly, her expression calm as she replied, “They’re still downstairs waiting for me. I’m going down now. See you the night after tomorrow?”

Lu Huaiyan nodded, “See you the night after tomorrow.”

After he finished speaking, the man casually tucked his hands into his pockets, leaned against the wall behind him, and quietly observed her until her figure disappeared at the end of the corridor. Only then did he turn his gaze away.

—

Cen Mingshu’s car was parked outside. After getting in, she didn’t drive home but instead headed toward the busy district on the east side of Beicheng.

The moment Jiang Se saw the familiar route, she knew that Cen Mingshu was taking her to see Dr. Gina.

“You haven’t even finished your holiday, and you’re already asking Dr. Gina to come back to work? Isn’t that a bit inhumane?” Jiang Se teased.

Cen Mingshu replied, “Gina is an old friend of mine. She didn’t mind, so what’s your complaint?”

Jiang Se followed her tone and said, “Fine, since you’ve already made the appointment, let’s go see her.”

Her straightforwardness actually surprised Cen Mingshu a little, “How come you’re not resisting seeing a doctor this time?”

Jiang Se smiled at her, “If I don’t go, won’t you worry so much that you won’t even be able to sleep?”

Cen Li, who had been sitting in the back seat, only realized after hearing their conversation, “Se Se, you’re still seeing… a psychologist?”

Jiang Se glanced at him, nodding, “The doctor Madam Ji arranged before, I didn’t like, so Auntie switched me to Dr. Gina. You know, Madam Ji never liked me having too much contact with Auntie, so I didn’t tell you guys about it. After all, you’ve always been busy, and whether you knew or not wouldn’t change anything.”

She spoke calmly, with no trace of resentment.

But Cen Li felt a knot in his chest.

It turned out that Se Se had never really gotten over what happened that year, no wonder Auntie almost flipped the whole place when she found out she had been drugged last night.

Jiang Se looked at Cen Li’s face, which had turned pale in an instant, and shifted her gaze out of the window. Calmly, she said, “Brother, weren’t you looking for Lu Huaiyan? I’ll need to stay in Dr. Gina’s office for at least two hours. How about we let Auntie drop you off on the side of the road? You can have Butler Yu send a car to pick you up.”

Cen Li said, “I’m not in a rush to see Ah Yan. I’ll accompany you to the doctor.”

He insisted on accompanying her, so Jiang Se didn’t mind and casually agreed with a soft “Mm.” Then, she looked at Cen Mingshu and said, “I’ll be going back to Tongcheng in a couple of days.”

Cen Mingshu glanced at her, “Aren’t you going to take care of the case in Beicheng?”

“The officer in charge of this case is Uncle Mo’s son. I trust him.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, both Cen Mingshu and Cen Li fell silent.

People often have a special trust in those who have saved them.

It was Mo Xian who, back then, had led Lu Huaiyan to find Jiang Se, and the Cen family didn’t arrive until she had already been taken to a hospital under the Lu family’s care.

Cen Mingshu knew what Jiang Se wanted to do in Tongcheng, so she wasn’t in a hurry to keep her in Beicheng. This child had a stubborn personality, and once she had made up her mind to do something, no one could stop her.

“Just focus on seeing the doctor these next couple of days. If Gina thinks there’s no issue, I won’t stop you from leaving.”

Dr. Gina had her own independent clinic. Once they arrived, Jiang Se greeted the nurse at the clinic and went into the treatment room as if she had been there many times before.

Almost every employee in the clinic recognized her, and it was clear that Jiang Se was a very well-liked patient there.

Cen Mingshu sat on the sofa with a magazine, raised an eyebrow, and glanced at Cen Li. Impatiently, she said, “Put away that face of yours. Your parents aren’t dead yet, so you don’t need to pull that expression so early.”

Cen Li remained silent, and just as Cen Mingshu was about to open the magazine, he suddenly asked, “Why didn’t you tell me that Se Se hasn’t gotten over this, Auntie?”

He could understand why Cen Mingshu didn’t tell Cen Minghong or Ji Yunyi.

But why did she hide it from him too?

Cen Mingshu looked up from the magazine and met Cen Li’s eyes coldly, “Because of what happened back then, Se Se has never forgiven any of you, including you, Ah Li. When Xiao Yu and I went to the hospital to find Se Se last night, do you remember where you were? You stayed at the Cen family, you’ve always stayed at the Cen family.”

After coming out of the treatment room, Cen Li was nowhere to be seen.

“Where’s Brother?”

“He had to leave for something urgent. Don’t worry about him.” Cen Mingshu closed her magazine and stood up, giving Jiang Se a careful look. “How do you feel?”

“Pretty good,” Jiang Se said, her face unchanged. “It feels like a small stone has been lifted from my heart.”

“What did Gina say?”

“Same as before, continue taking the medication. After tomorrow’s treatment, I should maintain a frequency of two visits per month.”

Cen Mingshu felt a little more at ease. She looked at Jiang Se seriously and said, “You want to go back to Tongcheng? Auntie won’t stop you, but promise me you’ll keep up with the treatment. If it’s inconvenient to come back to Beicheng, I’ll ask Gina to recommend a local doctor in Tongcheng.”

Jiang Se responded obediently, “I’ll still try to make time to come back. I like chatting with Dr. Gina.”

As they left the clinic, the snow that had been falling for most of the month had finally stopped. The sky was a clear, deep blue, without a trace of cloud, as pure as a piece of glass dyed with blue.

Jiang Se stared at the sunlight slanting through the car window, spilling onto her hands, and suddenly asked, “Auntie, is it worth it to have a relationship that has no outcome?”

Cen Mingshu had never had a relationship that ended with a happy ending, but that didn’t stop her from enjoying each one.

She took out her sunglasses and put them on casually, saying, “If it makes you feel good and happy, then go for it. If not, don’t bother. We’re here in this world to enjoy happiness, not to trap ourselves in a cage with no way out.”

Jiang Se responded with a non-committal “Mm,” and glanced out the window.

Is it enjoyable?

Actually, it was quite enjoyable.

Cen Mingshu rummaged through the console and pulled out another pair of sunglasses, tossing them to Jiang Se, and added, “One piece of advice, though—don’t fall for those obsessive types who can’t let go and will cling to you for a lifetime. It’s better to have a clean break when the time comes.”

Obsessive types?

Jiang Se thought of Lu Huaiyan’s cool, indifferent eyes and couldn’t help but laugh softly. “Don’t worry, I won’t fall for that kind of person.”

Cen Mingshu shot her a glance but didn’t say anything further.

She only ever interfered when it came to Jiang Se’s health; when it came to other matters, she never involved herself.

The two of them had dinner at a hotel before returning to the apartment. That night, after Jiang Se finished her shower, she sat on the edge of the bed looking at the information Mo Jichen had sent her.

She stared at the image of the bottle of rose rock candy on the screen, pressed and held her finger, and forwarded the image to an unsigned number.

In the chat, the most recent message above the image was about the property at No. 38, Jinxiu Alley.

Jiang Se lowered her head and slowly typed a new message in the chat box:

[Handmade rose rock sugar from an old brand in Beicheng—check the transaction records for the past six months.]

Once the message was successfully sent, she put her phone aside and closed her eyes for a brief rest. But after a moment, she suddenly opened them again, reached for the bedside drawer, and pulled out a tablet to access her stock account.

That day, after watching the surveillance footage of Hu, Zhang, and Gu’s second-generation heirs, Lu Huaiyan had told her:

“Why wait for the future? You don’t have to wait.”

There might be significant turbulence in these three companies soon.

As a businessperson, there was no need to be reserved when there was a share of the pie to be taken.

Without hesitation, Jiang Se invested all her available funds into a large batch of put options, betting against their stock prices.

Just as she completed the transaction, the phone beside her pillow suddenly vibrated with a new WeChat message.

Lu Huaiyan: [Time?]

Jiang Se stared at the message for two seconds.

A few months ago, their connection in Tongcheng had also started with a similar text.

She picked up her phone and replied slowly:

[Nine o’clock.]

—

The meeting was set for nine, but the next evening, Jiang Se still went downstairs twenty minutes early.

It was as if Lu Huaiyan had already anticipated this habit of hers. The moment she stepped outside, she spotted his car right away.

The black sedan was parked on the side with its hazard lights flashing. He was leaning against the hood, dressed in a long black coat, scrolling through his phone. The soft yellow glow of the streetlights illuminated his tall and lean figure.

Sensing movement from her direction, the man lifted his gaze from his phone and turned his head toward her. His eyes settled on her face, unwavering. As she approached, he raised his phone slightly and said,

“I was going to send you a message, but I also wanted to see how early you’d show up this time.”

Jiang Se asked, “How long have you been here?”

“Not long,” he replied, his gaze dropping to her left hand. “How’s the injury?”

Jiang Se answered truthfully, “Almost scabbed over. It’s a bit itchy.”

Lu Huaiyan lifted his eyes to look at her and said, “Even if it itches, you have to endure it.”

He slipped his phone back into his pocket, straightened up, and pulled open the front passenger door. From the seat, he picked up a meticulously sealed leather case and handed it to her.

“This is what I mentioned yesterday—the thing that will help you sleep better.”

As his hand extended, a warm, rich fragrance drifted over. Jiang Se didn’t even need to open the case to know what was inside.

She took the heavy leather case and looked at Lu Huaiyan. “Isn’t all the agarwood from the Lu family considered Grandpa Lu’s treasured collection?”

The Lu family’s agarwood was expensive and rare. Although they produced new incense every year, aged agarwood became increasingly scarce, and Grandpa Lu cherished it dearly, rarely giving it away.

Jiang Se had been enamored with this scent before and naturally recognized its quality. She knew that the incense cakes Lu Huaiyan had brought were made from aged agarwood—only such incense could emit its fragrance through the tightly sealed leather case.

Lu Huaiyan smiled indifferently. “Grandfather spares a few boxes for me every year. I don’t use them all.”

Jiang Se lifted her eyelids slightly and glanced at him.

Just a small reaction in the hospital was enough for him to notice her special attachment to this incense. He even realized that its scent provided her with a certain level of comfort.

This man was too perceptive—never someone who could be easily fooled.

Although snow was falling at night, it was much lighter than before. The tiny flakes drifted in the warm glow of the streetlights, resembling soft, falling cotton from spring.

Lu Huaiyan met her gaze and chuckled lightly. “You don’t want it?”

Jiang Se replied, “I do.”

He observed her for a moment, then nodded toward the leather case in her hands. “There’s a business card inside. It belongs to someone in Tongcheng who handles matters for me. If you run into trouble and need help, contact him.”

After saying that, he glanced at the apartment building behind her. “Go back inside. The snow is getting heavier.”

Jiang Se hummed in acknowledgment. “When will you be going to Tongcheng?”

Seemingly surprised that she was asking about his schedule, Lu Huaiyan raised his brows slightly, his gaze deepening. “Grandfather caught a cold a while ago. Once he recovers, I’ll head over.”

“Is Grandpa Lu’s illness serious?”

“Just a minor issue. He still scolds me over the phone with full energy and shows up on time for the morning meetings at Lu Corporation.”

Jiang Se smiled. “I wish Grandpa Lu a speedy recovery.”

After a slight pause, she added, “Goodnight.”

Lu Huaiyan lowered his eyes to her and responded, “Goodnight.” He only got into his car and drove away once her figure disappeared into the apartment lobby elevator.

Back in her apartment, Jiang Se opened the leather case and took out one of the incense boxes, bringing it close to her nose to take a light sniff.

Lu Huaiyan had even prepared a small incense burner for her, no bigger than the palm of her hand—delicate and exquisite.

But she didn’t light the incense.

After placing the incense box back in its original position, she retrieved the business card inside. With a calm expression, she locked the leather case inside her cabinet.

She had no intention of using the incense.

She had already quit. She wouldn’t allow herself to indulge again.

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