Chapter 109: The Sacrifice Extra Chapter for Diamonds

Shu Congxuan noticed my gloomy mood and said, “During the time you were missing, your family has been searching for you, especially your grandfather. When you have time, get in touch with them to put their minds at ease.”

I nodded but didn’t want to speak.

Before we even reached the courtyard house, I saw that familiar SUV. Naturally, I also saw the man standing beside it, and by his feet, Ajiu.

A sudden wave of comfort washed over me; my eyes and nose prickled with tears, and I felt like crying.

Shu Congxuan stopped the car, and I couldn’t wait to jump out, rushing into Luo Ange’s arms at full speed.

He held me, gently patting my back. “Be good. Take Ajiu inside. I’ll talk with Shu Congxuan.”

I clung tightly to his shirt collar. “No fighting.”

He hesitated for a moment before nodding. “Xibao is inside watching TV. Go keep her company. We’ll return to the villa later.”

I picked up Ajiu, waved goodbye to Shu Congxuan, and entered the courtyard.

Xibao brightened the moment she saw me and chattered incessantly about sleeping with me tonight, saying she never wanted to be apart from me again.

I glanced at A Yun, who looked helpless, softly explaining how he had repeatedly sped to make it back to Kang City within the time set by Luo Ange.

As I was tidying up my things in the bedroom, a warm chest suddenly pressed against my back.

The familiar scent brought me an unprecedented sense of peace. Luo Ange embraced me, burying his face in the nape of my neck, tickling me so much I wanted to squirm away.

He held me tighter. “What did you and Shu Congxuan talk about tonight?”

I thought for a moment and shook my head. I was too busy dealing with Xia Qi’s matters to have time for chatting.

Luo Ange grunted twice. “I’ll deal with you when we get back to the villa.”

Feeling a little guilty, I tried to push him away, but he pinned me against the wall and kissed me fiercely.

As the kiss deepened, his hands grew restless. I held onto him, forbidding him from going further. He seemed afraid I might have psychological scars and refrained from saying anything.

Back at the villa, Xibao naturally didn’t sleep with me because she had fallen asleep on the way, carried upstairs by Luo Ange.

The servants bowed and greeted me upon seeing me, making me feel somewhat awkward.

Luo Ange was truly a capitalist—he had woken all the servants in the middle of the night. Did he think they were superheroes who didn’t need sleep?

Lying in Luo Ange’s bedroom in that ridiculously extravagant bathtub, I couldn’t help but marvel at how capitalists knew how to enjoy themselves.

Such a luxurious bathtub could probably feed impoverished mountain children for half a year.

I rested my head on the edge of the tub and unknowingly fell asleep. In a haze, someone embraced me from behind.

I opened my eyes and saw Luo Ange holding me through the mirror. I smiled softly and leaned against his warm chest, murmuring, “Actually, today Shu Congxuan asked me if I had lost confidence in the future between you and me. Luo Ange, do you know?”

The water in the tub covered our shoulders, and with his embrace so warm, I didn’t feel cold at all.

He pressed close, whispering in my ear, “Hmm? What did you say?”

I turned to face him. Though this kind of naked closeness was not new, only this time did I feel truly safe.

My fingers traced his chest. “Luo Ange, I don’t know how far we can go. But you must promise me—if one day you stop liking me, get tired of me, you have to tell me yourself. Don’t worry, I won’t cling to you, because…”

He lowered his head, swallowing the rest of my words.

I clung to him like a greedy leech, entwining our breaths.

Our breathing grew heavy. Finally, he held me close and murmured, “Wuyou, I won’t allow that day to come. No matter life or death, honor or disgrace, rain or sunshine, we are destined to be together.”

I smiled foolishly, hanging onto his neck. “What if one day I forget you?”

Suddenly, he bit my shoulder. The pain made me cry out, and he laughed, “If you dare forget me, I’ll find a place to lock you up until you remember.”

Naturally, I took it as a joke. After soaking for so long, I was ready to have him carry me.

He wrapped me in a towel, carefully laid me on the bed, knelt down to wipe me, then used a hairdryer to dry my hair.

I didn’t even realize when I fell asleep, only waking thirsty in the middle of the night to find myself curled up in his arms.

By moonlight, I examined his brows and eyes, unable to resist reaching out to touch him, only to have him grab my hand.

I shrank back and settled into a comfortable position. In a half-dream state, his voice sounded especially soothing. “Wuyou, not sleepy?”

I understood what he meant and shook my head quickly. “Sleepy, sleepy. I’m going to sleep.”

He chuckled softly and tightened his embrace. “Don’t worry, you’re not fully recovered yet. I won’t eat you.”

Xia Qi didn’t see me for two days straight. On the third day, I went to the Xia family’s house, but Aunt Su said Xia Qi had left abruptly the night before to go camping with some backpackers.

Aunt Su didn’t know what had happened yet and casually told me not to worry.

How could I not worry? Girls roughly fall into two types: those who love themselves more than love itself, for whom no obstacle is insurmountable; and those who treat love as life itself, for whom a man is an impossible hurdle.

Clearly, Xia Qi belonged to the latter.

Jiang Chenghuan’s frozen sores were not just physical—they were her heart, her very life.

That night, I arranged to meet Jiang Chenghuan. His situation with Xia Qi was what I cared about most and found most painful. As devoted witnesses to their love story, Qilin and I desperately hoped the drama wouldn’t end prematurely.

More than anyone, I wished for their love to bloom and bear fruit.

We met at a café near the school, but unexpectedly, he came with Li Wanqiu.

Li Wanqiu wore a hat and mask, likely to hide the injuries on her face, so I couldn’t see her expression.

Jiang Chenghuan gently stroked her head and kindly suggested she explore the area.

She glanced at me, nodded, and left.

A sudden tightness gripped my heart. How could a love that had lasted so many years change so quickly in just a few days?

It takes years for plain rice to turn into the finest aged wine, so why was love so fragile under the test of time?

Nearly a week had passed, yet I refused to accept that all this had truly happened. Especially when I looked at Jiang Chenghuan sitting before me, still as silent as ever, his index finger flicking over the phone on the table.

The screen lit up and went dark repeatedly, displaying Li Wanqiu’s charming, smiling face.

I finally couldn’t hold back. “Jiang Chenghuan, why? Why is this happening?”

He was straightforward. “I know what you’re going to say. Don’t try to persuade me. I’ve made up my mind.”

Though I had expected this, hearing it firsthand was a shock. Men’s hearts turn faster than flipping a page.

“Why? What’s the reason?”

He stirred his coffee and after a moment spoke, “Haven’t you already figured it out?”

Thinking of Xia Qi, I was overwhelmed with guilt, as if I were the one stabbing her in the back. “Jiang Chenghuan, Xia Qi is innocent. You can’t treat her like this.”

He sneered, his voice trembling. “She’s innocent? Am I not innocent? My parents aren’t innocent? Do you know that the Xia Qi you defend so fiercely, she... she…”

His agitation caused him to spill his coffee. His chest heaved violently, and he turned his face toward the window. But I saw his eyes redden.

I didn’t dare speak, waiting for him to explain everything.

After several minutes, he calmed down. I followed his gaze and saw Li Wanqiu sitting under a large tree outside, holding a string of candied hawthorns, smiling at us.

No, smiling at him.

Jiang Chenghuan smiled. “Lanshan, you know, not everyone is as kind as you, nor as open and honest. I guess it’s just that Xia Qi and I are fated but not meant to be. This is the end.”

I pointed outside. “Is she really worth it?”

He looked out, his smile faint but serene. I saw clearly that such a smile, so rare and understated, had belonged only to Xia Qi for three years.

He stood to leave. I chased after him, calling his name.

He lowered his head, avoiding my gaze, rubbing his hands nervously. “Lanshan, it’s all my fault. Don’t blame Wanqiu. But Xia Qi and I really can’t go back.”

With those words, he turned and walked away. I stood there stunned for a long time before feeling the cold.

Someone approached—it was Li Wanqiu.

We walked to a secluded spot under a tree. She said, “I’m sorry, Lanshan. Don’t blame Chenghuan. It’s all my fault. I seduced him.”

I looked at her young, beautiful face and somehow felt a surge of dislike. “Li Wanqiu, do you even know what you’re saying?”

She laughed twice. “Lanshan, you shouldn’t be involved in this. Do you know that Chenghuan’s father nearly died a few days ago? Do you know why? Because the culprit was your beloved Uncle Xia.”

I stared at her, feeling an icy chill wash over me. “What nonsense are you talking about?”

She shook her head. “Lanshan, do you understand factional struggles? We’re all just victims of them. It’s that simple.”

As she continued, the world seemed to hush around me. Suddenly, I deeply missed Xia Qi.

It felt as if something vital was missing from my life—the six swordsmen had become five, and now even the five seemed destined to scatter across the horizon.

When Luo Ange found me, my throat was hoarse from crying. I kept calling Xia Qi, but she never answered.

Even if she had picked up, what could I have told her?

I dared not tell her how dirty the world she lived in had become. I dared not tell her that she and her love were casualties of factional strife. In my heart, she was still a little princess who couldn’t know such things.

Even if it was factional strife, could it be more brutal than the warlord era?

Even if it’s factional strife, must so many people’s loves be sacrificed?

I recalled many memories. Once, at a dinner party, someone forced me to drink. Xia Qi brought over a bottle of Moutai, drank half in one go, scaring the man into fleeing in terror.

I still remembered a time when Xia Qi didn’t return with Jiang Chenghuan but came back with me to the courtyard house. She fell while bathing, lay on the floor, saying it was nothing, then held me and cried bitterly, saying the only person who could bully me in this world was her. If anyone else bullied me, it would be as if they were crossing her, the young mistress.

“Nothing, nothing”—those were the most heartbreaking words I had ever heard.