Chapter 041: A Love Never Before Experienced

After settling the uncle in at the hospital, daylight had already broken.

As I left the hospital, I squinted up at the sky, stretched languidly, and rubbed my aching back.

“Jiang Huai.”

Tong Ruan called out to me from behind. Ever since we arrived at the hospital, she had been weighed down by her thoughts.

What had happened last night had completely overturned her understanding of the world.

She didn’t know how to express what she was feeling, as if all the years she’d lived had been in vain.

I turned to look at her, squinting. Tong Ruan jogged over to my side. “What exactly happened last night?”

Yawning, I replied, “Sister, can’t I at least wash my face before we talk?”

After a pause, I added, “I’m exhausted.”

Back at Tong Ruan’s house, we were met with shattered vases strewn across the floor and the security door lying on its side. Tong Ruan began silently tidying up as she called someone to come repair the door.

I washed my face, feeling much more awake, and sat on the sofa. Looking at Tong Ruan, I said, “A postdoc is a postdoc—decisive and eloquent. Look at you, you talked that uncle into a daze.”

Leaning back with my hands behind my head, I continued, “But your way with words is a blessing; at least the uncle won’t call the police, which saves us a heap of trouble.”

After clearing away the fragments of the vase, Tong Ruan looked at me, her expression complicated. “Jiang Huai, tell me what really happened. Why did that man want to kill us? And what’s going on with my father’s ashes?”

Her mind was turning fast. “Is it possible that my grandmother and your grandfather both know something but haven’t told me?”

By this point, there was nothing left to hide. I told her everything I knew, all in one go.

Pouring myself a glass of water, I drank it down. “Did you really think my grandfather and I are so shameless? That we’d force our way into your family at all costs? My grandfather just didn’t want to see you die.”

“But…” Tong Ruan’s gaze was full of turmoil, “But do such unbelievable things really exist in this world, the way you say?”

I didn’t answer her. Whether or not they exist, she already had her answer in her heart.

I stood up and stretched. “I can’t do this anymore, I really need to sleep. Once the door is fixed today, don’t go running off. Your grandmother is safe with my grandfather. Tomorrow’s your birthday—get ready.”

Back in the room, lying on the bed, I couldn’t help but ponder. Tomorrow was Tong Ruan’s birthday—why would that man in the black hat pull such a stunt now?

The backlash from this curse would demand a steep price; he’d waited twenty-three years, so why not just one more day?

As I turned this over in my mind, a sudden thought struck me. I sat upright, staring blankly out the window.

That man in the black hat had done it on purpose!

He used the soul-controlling heart curse to manipulate the uncle into coming to Tong Ruan’s house—not to kill her, but to test if there was anyone powerful by her side. Or rather, to see if my grandfather was truly bedridden and helpless in the hospital!

If that was the case, I’d fallen into his trap. By breaking his spell, I’d exposed myself. He would be on his guard now.

Perhaps he wouldn’t show up tomorrow, on Tong Ruan’s birthday?

I shook my head. He’d waited too long for this day; he would show up, but would surely be prepared for me.

I sighed deeply. I was still too young, too impulsive.

If I’d restrained myself last night, held back, he probably wouldn’t have truly harmed Tong Ruan. Then, when the real moment came, I could have caught him off guard.

Now, it seemed, tomorrow would be a fierce battle. I needed to rest well.

I closed my eyes, banishing my wandering thoughts, and soon drifted into sleep.

When I next opened my eyes, it was already three in the morning.

Peering into the darkness outside the window, I felt awkward being awake at such an hour. To my surprise, Tong Ruan was sitting on the sofa watching TV. With those dark circles, had she not slept at all?

Hearing me stir, she turned to look at me. “Why… why did he want to kill my whole family?”

I knew I couldn’t answer that. Rubbing my hair, I said, “Sister, you should get some sleep. You’ll have all the answers you want tomorrow, won’t you?”

She fixed her gaze on me. “Will you kill him?”

I stared at her in surprise. “Killing is against the law. But he will pay for what he’s done.”

“Pay for it?” she suddenly let out a bitter laugh. “So what if he pays? Will my family come back to life? Can he give me the love I never got to experience?”

Her face gradually dimmed. After giving me a long look, she said nothing more, turning her attention back to the variety show rerun “Where’s Daddy?”.

I left her to it. Whatever she chose to do was her right. My only task was to help my grandfather settle his lingering regrets and make sure Tong Ruan survived.

I sat on the guest chair scrolling through my phone. Neither of us said another word until dawn.

At nine in the morning, Tong Ruan suddenly stood up and walked over to me. “He told me if I want my father’s ashes back, I have to go to the brickyard my father once ran at noon. That’s where my father died, too.”