Chapter 31: Lu Huaiyan – “Looks Like I Need To Work Harder.”

The plane arrived in Tongcheng at 7 PM.

During holidays, Fuchun Street was always the busiest. Jiang Chuan and Yu Shiying were both occupied at Wangchuan, so they sent Jiang Ye to pick her up.

The young man arrived on Jiang Se’s small electric car. As he got out to carry her suitcase, he glanced at her face and said, “How come you look thinner after just a few days? Were your family over there mistreating you?”

Naturally, the Jiang family in Tongcheng knew nothing about what had happened in Beicheng, and Jiang Se had no intention of bringing it up. She kept her injured hand tucked into the pocket of her coat.

“Auntie wouldn’t let anyone dare,” she replied, glancing at Jiang Ye with a smile. “It’s rare to have a break—why aren’t you out on a date?”

Jiang Ye’s ears turned red. “Dad and Mom are busy at the bar, and Big Sis is working hard on set. If I went on a date, who would come pick you up? Do you have any idea how long you’d have to wait for a cab at this hour?”

Jiang Se said, “Then after you drop me off, go on your date. I’ll head to Wangchuan myself to see Dad and Mom later.”

Jiang Ye closed the trunk. “Dad made some slow-cooked soup for you. Have dinner first, then do whatever you want.”

After helping Jiang Se bring her luggage back to her apartment, Jiang Ye accompanied her to Liyuan Street.

As soon as they entered the courtyard, they saw that Yu Shiying had already returned and was coming out of the kitchen with a bowl of soup.

“Come and have some hot soup to warm up. Xiao Ye said you’ve lost quite a bit of weight. Your dad made your favorite plum pork ribs tonight—make sure you eat more.”

Yu Shiying’s nagging voice made the cold night feel warmer. As Jiang Se unwrapped her scarf, she responded, “Don’t listen to Xiao Ye’s nonsense. I was only gone for a few days—how much weight could I have lost?”

She headed into the kitchen to wash her hands. When she came out, Yu Shiying had set the bowl down and was now studying her face closely.

“Mom thinks your chin does look a little sharper.”

“…”

Jiang Se was about to say something to brush it off when Yu Shiying’s gaze suddenly froze, her eyes locking onto Jiang Se’s right hand.

“What happened to your hand, Se Se?”

Jiang Ye, who was drinking water, immediately put down his cup and walked over. He frowned as he looked at her hand. “How did this happen? Did someone bully you?”

“It was just an accident.” Jiang Se simply opened her palm, revealing the nearly scabbed-over wound. “It’s almost healed, don’t worry.”

Yu Shiying’s heart ached. “Does it hurt? Do you want me to apply some more medicine for you?”

“No need, it’s really almost healed.” Jiang Se smiled. “Can I have the soup now? I’m starving.”

Her words successfully diverted Yu Shiying’s attention.

Yu Shiying quickly lifted the lid of the clay pot and said, “Go ahead, but be careful, it’s hot.”

Jiang Se drank a bowl of soup, ate half a plate of plum pork ribs, and had half a bowl of rice before returning to Xiangshu Alley.

After unpacking her luggage, she stepped into the living room and noticed an international package sitting beside the sofa. Since she had left her apartment keys with Yu Shiying before leaving, it must have arrived in the past few days.

Peeling away the layers of cardboard and foam, she uncovered a vintage-style vinyl record player.

Resting on top was a card, filled with playful handwriting:

“My dear big baby, surprise or not?! I fought tooth and nail to get you this vinyl record player from the same year you were born. Do you like your New Year’s gift? If you do, hurry up and send me a kiss!”

Jiang Se’s lips curved into a smile. She took out her phone, about to video call Guo Qian, when Lu Huaiyan’s call came in at that exact moment.

Her fingers hadn’t even withdrawn when she accidentally tapped the answer button.

“…”

With no choice but to pick up, Jiang Se asked, “What’s up?”

There was a brief silence before he spoke. “What’s making you so happy?”

Even without seeing her in person, he somehow picked up on her fleeting joy.

The smile on Jiang Se’s lips hadn’t faded yet. Hearing his words, she reached out to touch the horn speaker of the record player and replied slowly, “I just received a vinyl record player from Guo Qian, shipped all the way from Houston. It’s as old as I am.”

She used to have a record player from the year she was born—a gift from Cen Li, something she had treasured dearly.

When she left Beicheng, she hadn’t taken it with her. It remained at the old residence.

Silence lingered on the other end of the call. After a moment, Lu Huaiyan asked, “If I hadn’t called, were you about to use it to listen to music?”

“Mm, I was going to video call Guo Qian first, then listen to it,” Jiang Se answered honestly. “And then your call came in.”

“So now it sounds like I’m the bad guy for interrupting,” Lu Huaiyan chuckled. “Would you mind switching up the order? Let me listen with you first, and then you can call Guo Qian?”

Before she could respond, he added, “Consider it a thank-you for those few boxes of agarwood.”

“…”

Jiang Se didn’t answer. Instead, she sat down on the floor and flipped through the vinyl records Guo Qian had sent along with the player. She randomly picked out a collector’s edition of Born to Die.

The record player came with a preamp and speakers. Jiang Se, already familiar with its setup, skillfully got everything ready and placed the vinyl onto the turntable.

The phone lay right next to the record player. As the silver needle touched the vinyl, a slow and lazy yet vintage melody filled the air.

The song had a melancholic undertone, yet it carried an unyielding sense of despair—fearless, unrestrained.

In the stillness of the night, the four-to-five-minute song seemed to stretch endlessly. The phone, like a bridge, connected two distant spaces, and on either end of the line, they quietly listened to the same song.

Guo Qian had sent this record because Jiang Se liked the song, though it had been a long time since she last listened to it.

In the past, hearing this song had always made her feel lonely. Even with the chatty Guo Qian by her side, that deep-rooted solitude remained unshaken.

But tonight, perhaps because she had grown older, that loneliness from her youth felt distant—even in this empty house, where she sat alone.

As the needle completed its cycle, Jiang Se lifted it from the record’s grooves, bringing an end to this song—a song that served as her return gift.

She picked up her phone and held it to her ear. “Did you receive your thank you? It doesn’t sound as good over the phone.”

Lu Huaiyan gave a soft “mm.” “If you think it’s a shame, we can listen to it again next time.”

“It’s fine,” Jiang Se answered honestly. “I don’t think it’s a shame.”

After all, she had enjoyed it—the one who didn’t get the full experience was him.

A light chuckle came through the receiver.

The sound of his laughter, carried by the faint hum of static, made Jiang Se inexplicably picture the smile at the corner of his lips.

She lowered her gaze slightly and got back to the point. “Why did you call me?”

“Just wanted to check if you got home,” Lu Huaiyan said casually. “Did you see my WeChat message?”

At his mention, Jiang Se remembered the message she received while leaving the airport—it had been him, asking if she had arrived in Tongcheng.

She had been busy looking for Jiang Ye at the time and hadn’t replied. Then, with everything that followed, she had completely forgotten to text him back.

“I saw it,” she admitted, “but I didn’t have time to reply.”

Having been completely ignored, Lu Huaiyan showed no sign of irritation.

He had never been known for his patience—it was a rare trait in him. Yet, when it came to Jiang Se, she seemed to be the exception to many of his rules.

After all, he had seen this girl turn her back on him without hesitation before. A late reply was hardly worth getting upset over.

He poured himself a cup of black tea, took a slow sip, and said leisurely, “Looks like I need to work a little harder.”

“Work harder at what?”

“At earning the right for you to message me first and let me know you’re safe.”

“…”

After hanging up the phone, Jiang Se stayed on the sofa and listened to two more records.

When she finished, she tilted her head back, gazing at the bright white incandescent light above. She stared at it for a long time before finally getting up and walking into her room. Sitting in front of her computer, she turned on the recording function.

Jiang Se looked directly at the built-in camera at the top of the screen. It took her a while before she finally pressed the record button.

“Se Se, I think that person may have appeared—the real mastermind behind your abduction seven years ago. Aside from Zhao Zhicheng and the other two who are already dead, no one else should have known you were given triazolam during that time.

If this isn’t a coincidence, if that person really has resurfaced, I’m going to bet on myself and take another gamble.”

On the screen, the girl with delicate features slowly curved her lips into a faint smile. In a soft voice, she said, “If I win, I’ll bring you back. If I lose, I’ll come keep you company.”

—

Early the next morning, Jiang Se drove to a café in the old district of Lian’an.

Since the launch of the old district’s redevelopment plan, many shops had shut down after signing demolition agreements. Although Zhang Xiu hadn’t signed the agreement, it had previously been involved in a property dispute and had been forced to close down as well.

“Master is a total homebody,” He Miao said as she sipped her latte in the café. “If she’s not at the qipao shop, she’s at home. I’ve asked her to go out with me so many times, but she never agrees.”

Jiang Se took a sip of coffee. “Has she been at home these past few days?”

He Miao nodded. “Miss Jiang, I heard you already hired a lawyer and filed a case about that painting. Is that oil painting really worth a million?”

Jiang Se replied, “More or less.”

Ji Yunyi was a well-known oil painter, and as her daughter, Jiang Se naturally had to understand the art. She had studied under a renowned oil painter since she was a child.

In the past, she had donated paintings at charity auctions, and they had all sold for at least a million each. If the case went to court, the estimated value of that painting would likely be referenced against previous auction prices.

He Miao let out a soft gasp. “Isn’t that such a waste?” She looked heartbroken at the thought.

Jiang Se shook her head with a smile. “Not at all. That painting was meant to be destroyed from the start.”

Although He Miao didn’t fully understand what Jiang Se meant, it didn’t stop her admiration for her from growing rapidly.

“Miss Jiang, I don’t know why you’re helping my master and me, but you really are a good person! Thank you!”

A good person?

Jiang Se set down her coffee cup and said half-jokingly, “Don’t be so quick to believe someone is a good person just because of a small favor—even if that person is me. I’m helping you because I need your master’s help with something. At the end of the day, it’s just a transaction.”

He Miao looked confused. “A transaction?”

Jiang Se smiled but didn’t say anything more. She waved for the server to bring the bill.

After parting ways with He Miao at the café entrance, Jiang Se walked to the parking lot to retrieve her car. As she got in, she called her lawyer. “About the mediation the other party mentioned in court last time—I’ve changed my mind. If they’re willing to accept my conditions and stop targeting the qipao shop, I can consider settling the case with them.”

With that matter handed over to her lawyer, the next few days were unexpectedly peaceful for Jiang Se.

Mo Jichen sent over a list of people who had entered and exited the tea room on New Year’s Eve.

The list included members of the Cen household, such as Butler Tong and Aunt Zhang, several servants responsible for serving tea, a few key event planners from the banquet company, and even three children brought by guests.

Jiang Se forwarded the list to an unsigned phone number in her messages: [Check if any of these people have purchased rose sugar.]

The reply came almost immediately: [Received. It’ll take some time to verify.]

Jiang Se knew this wasn’t something that could be rushed. Setting her phone down, she was about to get up and make tea when she caught sight of the record player by the sofa. Something crossed her mind, and she sat back down.

She casually picked a vinyl record and placed it on the turntable. As music played, she picked up her phone and began browsing the latest financial news. Seeing a few familiar company names, she switched to her stock app—and sure enough, the share prices of the Hu, Zhang, and Gu families had started fluctuating.

Lu Huaiyan had been in Beicheng for the past few days, and he clearly hadn’t been idle.

Just as she was thinking about this, her phone vibrated with a new WeChat message.

Lu Huaiyan: [Image.jpg]

Jiang Se tapped on the image—it was a flight itinerary for a trip from Beicheng to Tongcheng three days later.

Exiting the image preview, she saw another message pop up in the chat—this time, a short voice note.

Only three seconds long.

She tapped it lightly, and the man’s deep voice came through the speaker: “See you in three days.”

Jiang Se stared at the brief voice message for a moment, then held down the chat bar and replied with a simple text:

“See you in three days.”

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