Translator: Paperplane Editor: DarkGem
Once she finished speaking, Qiao Anhao raised her eyes and glared at Han Ruchu.
Han Ruchu’s expression was clearly tense, as though she understood the meaning behind those words. The grip on her spoon tightened.
Qiao Anhao ignored Han Ruchu’s strange behavior and pretended to look confused. She continued to act cute by saying, “That’s odd. Whenever I ate Aunt Xu’s swallow’s nest, I’d immediately became sleepy. This time, how come I’m still so awake after eating it?”
Qiao Anxia, who was completely oblivious to what was behind the swallow’s nest situation, couldn’t help but reach her hand out and smack Qiao Anhao on the head. “Qiao Qiao, what the hell are you saying? Swallow’s nest is just to relieve your body and mind. It’s not like they’re sleeping pills!”
Qiao Anhao pouted, all upset, then raised her hand and rubbed her own head. “Sis, I’ve told you so many times now. Stop always hitting my head…”
With that, Qiao Anhao turned her head again, then looked over at Xu Jiamu all pitiful and complained, “Brother Jiamu, Anxia hit me again…”
“Come, I’ll rub it.” Xu Jiamu reached his hand out with a conniving expression on his face, then stroked the area where Qiao Anxia had just smacked Qiao Anhao.
Qiao Anhao turned her head and proudly smiled at her sister. She looked as though she was innocent and said, “I really didn’t lie just now. The swallow’s nest Aunt Xu gave me worked better than sleeping pills!”
As Qiao Anhao said this, the crisp sound of chinaware crashing to the ground was heard in the house.
Qiao Anhao, Xu Jiamu, and Qiao Anxia, who were all messing about just now, turned their attention towards the source of the noise.
The bowl in Han Ruchu’s hands had fallen to the ground by accident, spilling the swallow’s nest onto her skirt.
“Madame, how could you be so clumsy?” said the housekeeper who hastily started to pull out tissues to help Han Ruchu wipe it off.
Han Ruchu’s complexion didn’t look too well. It was as thought she was a tad annoyed. She pushed the housekeeper’s arm away, stood up, and said in a composed voice, “I’ll go upstairs to get changed first. Wait here for a moment.”
–
When Han Ruchu changed her clothes and made her way back downstairs, Xu Wanli and father Qiao had already left for the study room to play chess. The others in the meantime were sitting in a circle on the sofa of the living room.
There was a steaming pot of tea on the marble coffee table that let out spirals of hot steam.
Qiao Anxia was on the phone with Chen Yang. Every now and then, she’d let out a laugh and occasionally complain to him in a tender way, “You’re so annoying!”
Qiao Anhao and Xu Jiamu were watching an old movie on the television. Han Ruchu only sneaked a glance, but she saw that it was a woman in red. Her face was dainty and her personality stood out among the crowd. Han Ruchu rarely paid attention to things in the entertainment industry, but she knew that in these past few years, the popular queen of movies was an actress called Song Xiangsi.
Han Ruchu sat down next to mother Qiao, who didn’t look at all interested in the movie, so they both started to gossip about what they had heard over Mahjong recently.
When Han Ruchu came downstairs, Qiao Anhao noticed her but pretended to be immersed in watching the television. She waited for Han Ruchu and mother Qiao’s gossip to be over before she suddenly said, “Lu Jinnian’s acting skills are truly impeccable.”
Everyone present knew that Lu Jinnian was Xu family’s illegitimate son, who later acquired the Xu Enterprise. Qiao Anhao’s one sentence turned the atmosphere in the entire room instantly awkward.
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Translator: Paperplane Editor: DarkGem
Mother Qiao looked over at Han Ruchu’s expression and smiled in embarrassment. She cleared her throat as a reminder for Qiao Anhao to avoid the taboo topic.
Qiao Anhao knew in her heart exactly what her aunt was suggesting, but she pretended to be ignorant. She turned her head and said in a natural tone, “I’ve filmed with Lu Jinnian. Because of his superb acting skills, he gave a me a lot of pressure. His mother was a celebrity, so I guess his skills were probably passed on from her…”
“Qiao Qiao!”
She couldn’t mention Lu Jinnian, let alone his mother. Mother Qiao saw Han Ruchu’s face gradually grow cold, and couldn’t help but open her mouth to stop Qiao Anhao.
Qiao Anhao stared at mother Qiao innocently and waited for a while before looking as though she had suddenly realized something. “I forgot, Lu Jinnian’s mother and Uncle Xu used to have…”
As she said that, Qiao Anhao suddenly stopped there and raised her hand to cover her mouth. Pretending to have spoken out of turn, she said, “Sorry, Aunt Xu, I didn’t mean to.”
At that moment, the expression on Han Ruchu’s face looked like it had already reached its limit.
Mother Qiao hurriedly turned her head and tried to calm Han Ruchu in a pleasant voice. “Ruchu, ever since Qiao Qiao was young, she always spoke before thinking. Don’t take it to heart.”
The biggest thorn in Han Ruchu’s heart was Lu Jinnian and his mother. At that very moment, on her birthday, for Qiao Anhao to actually bring up the fact that her husband betrayed her, it practically killed her mood in an instant. She was unbelievably annoyed inside, but with the Qiao family background behind Qiao Anhao, she couldn’t get mad.
All she could do was force herself to smile, pretend to be generous, and act as though she didn’t mind at all. “Why would I? I know Qiao Qiao didn’t mean it. How could I be angry at her…”
When mother Qiao heard what Han Ruchu said, she immediately turned her head and told Qiao Anhao, “Qiao Qiao, quickly apologize to Aunt X…”
Qiao Anhao knew what mother Qiao wanted to say, but she didn’t wait for her aunt to finish. She got up and beat her to it by saying, “I have to use the bathroom.”
Then, she didn’t wait for anyone to react before making her way to the bathroom.
Mother Qiao, who only spoke half her sentence, could only smile at Han Ruchu and say, “I’m so sorry. I’ll have to discipline her when we get back!”
“It’s nothing.”
As she heard Han Ruchu’s words, Qiao Anhao shut the bathroom doors. She leaned back against the wooden door and stood there for a while, then walked over to the sink. She stared at herself in the mirror with bone-piercing, cold eyes.
If it weren’t for Han Ruchu’s birthday, she definitely wouldn’t have taken a single step through the Xu family doors.
The only reason she came today was to make Han Ruchu suffer.
Didn’t she say “Happy birthday”?
Qiao Anhao gripped hard onto the cold sink and forcefully pursed the corner of her lips.
With knowledge of who killed her baby looming over her, how could she pretend that nothing had happened? Seeing her, did it really make her birthday happy?
–
When Qiao Anhao came out of the bathroom, the atmosphere in the living room had gone back to normal. There was a different channel on the TV and Qiao Anxia had hung up on her call.
Mother Qiao had probably felt apologetic for Qiao Anhao’s indiscretion earlier, so she said some things that Han Ruchu liked to hear. Qiao Anxia was hugging a pillow and every now and then, she would add in a few words.
As for Xu Jiamu, he was still watching TV in a daze, as though they were still watching the same movie as before. He looked like he was in a trance, perhaps thinking of someone or something.
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Translator: Paperplane Editor: DarkGem
Qiao Anhao walked over to the sofa and sat back in her original spot. After hearing them chat away, she pretended as though she had remembered something and turned her head towards Qiao Anxia and said, “Sis, a few days ago whilst filming, one of the female staff on the set told me something really sad.”
“What was it?” Qiao Anxia, who was sending Chen Yang a text at the time, put her phone down and shifted to face Qiao Anhao with a serious look.
Qiao Anhao purposefully spoke a little louder. “Well, she got married and her husband’s mother, her mother-in-law really wanted a son. However, their birth plan was rather strict and their family could only have one child, and they’d be fined for having a second one. On top of all that, their finances weren’t that great. In the end, her first pregnancy turned out to be a baby girl. ”
Qiao Anhao’s story clearly spoke about family and marriage issues, so mother Qiao and Han Ruchu took an interest in it, as parents to children of age.
So, just as Qiao Anhao paused for a moment, mother Qiao anxiously asked, “Qiao Qiao, what happened then?”
“Her husband really loved her, and although he also wanted a son, he didn’t have the heart to abort the baby. Because of that, the two of them decided to have the baby.
“Although the woman’s mother-in-law wasn’t happy about it, she still agreed, but she told them that they must try for a second child, and the second child would have to be a son.
“The two of them felt under immense pressure in Beijing, so they refused the mother-in-law’s suggestion. She cried, argued, and threw a tantrum for quite some time, but eventually, she came to terms with it because of her son’s strong will.
“Because of this whole issue, the mother-in-law didn’t contact them for over half a month. Later, for some reason, the mother-in-law went over to Beijing, claiming to come to take care of the woman.
“As it was her husband’s mother, and she was trying to be nice to her, she couldn’t exactly stand up to her. So she treated her like her own mother.”
“Her and her husband both had to work, and so when they were both very tired, they’d come home to the mother-in-law’s cooking, the chores done by her. For a while, life was great for them.
“After over half a month since the mother-in-law came over, the woman went to the hospital for a check up. The doctor told her that since her last visit, when they detected the baby’s heartbeat, the baby had passed away in the womb!”
Qiao Anhao deliberately emphasized the last few words – “the baby had passed away in the womb!”. So much so that she gritted her teeth, which caused Han Ruchu and housekeeper’s faces to freeze, as they listened carefully at the story.
Mother Qiao shrieked, “Yah!”. With a sympathetic look, she asked, “How did she have a miscarriage out of nowhere?”
“Right? How did she have a miscarriage out of nowhere? That’s what she asked herself. She thought that it was because she’d overworked herself, and she was so heartbroken over that. However, after her operation was over, the doctor told her that they’d did tests on her blood and found traces of sleeping pills.”
“Sleeping pills?!” cried Mother Qiao in shock. “She can’t take sleeping pills when she’s pregnant. What kind of mother was she?!”
“Because she was pregnant, she couldn’t take sleeping pills, but her mother-in-law put them in her food every day!” said Qiao Anhao slowly, in a gentle tone.
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Translator: Paperplane Editor: DarkGem
“Ah? Her mother-in-law gave her sleeping pills?” mother Qiao shook her head in disbelief. “This mother-in-law is just too vile! To actually be so cruel to kill a perfectly fine life! To kill so relentlessly. Sooner or later she’ll receive her karma!”
Qiao Anxia, who was never interested in such topics, after she heard Qiao Anhao’s story, she felt an indescribable sense of anger. “That mother-in-law is practically a freak! That scumbag!”
Qiao Anhao didn’t say anything else, but stared directly at Han Ruchu. When their eyes met, her lips curved into a smile.
Although mother Qiao and Qiao Anxia were cursing the mother-in-law in the story, in that very moment, Han Ruchu felt like they were cursing her. Perhaps it was because of Qiao Anhao’s smile…
As someone who was always so arrogant, she had never felt this sullen before. She tried her best to stay still on the sofa, but her enraged chest started to clearly heave in anger.
Though Qiao Anhao clearly knew why Han Ruchu was angry, she had no intention of stopping there. She continued to speak in a gentle voice to fan the flames instead. “Aunt Xu, why are you so mad? Don’t you think the mother-in-law is a piece of shit too?”
How could Han Ruchu not hear that Qiao Anhao’s words “piece of shit” were really meant for her? Suddenly, Han Ruchu tightened her grip on the cushion in her hand while staring at Qiao Anhao. The fury in her chest practically made her want to spit out fire, but because mother Qiao was next to her, she forced herself to hold it down. With a ridiculously frigid smile, she said in tense voice, “Yeah.”
“I think so too!” Qiao Anhao smiled sweetly at Han Ruchu for a moment, as though to seriously comfort her. However, in actual fact, her words angered Han Ruchu half to death. “But Aunt Xu, you don’t have to get so mad. Those wretched people who bring it upon themselves, don’t survive. Sooner or later, everyone will turn on them and their family would leave them, and they will die a horrible death!”
Qiao Anhao’s curse was so harsh, yet she spoke so naturally and smoothly, she managed to gain Qiao Anxia and mother Qiao’s support.
Han Ruchu slightly shut her eyes, and worked hard to keep her smile. In order to remain calm, she spoke particularly slowly next. “I don’t feel so well. You all sit for a while, I’ll go upstairs for a moment.”
As she spoke, Han Ruchu stood up.
Mother Qiao, who was completely clueless about the underlying conflicts between Han Ruchu and Qiao Anhao, asked worriedly, “Ruchu, are you alright?”
“It’s nothing. Ever since I fainted from anger, my body hasn’t been quite the same. I’ll get some rest and be fine.” Han Ruchu forced out a smile for mother Qiao.
“Madame, I’ll come with you,” said the housekeeper, as she supported Han Ruchu towards the stairs.
Since Han Ruchu headed upstairs to rest, there was no reason for mother Qiao to be there, and so she got ready to go home. Qiao Anxia remembered that she was busy in the evening and so she was ready to leave with her mother.
But before they left, mother Qiao and Qiao Anxia asked Qiao Anhao if she wanted to go back with them to the family estate. Qiao Anhao glanced over at Xu Jiamu, who sat in a daze in front of the television, then shook her head. She gave a warm smile and said, “I’ll stay for a while.”
The instant the four of them left, the huge living room became cold and lifeless.
Qiao Anhao sat beside Xu Jiamu for a while, then glanced up the stairs. She got up, walked over to the water dispenser, and got herself a cup of water.
Translator: Paperplane Editor: DarkGem
Qiao Anhao sat beside Xu Jiamu for a while, then glanced up the stairs. She got up, walked over to the water dispenser, and got herself a cup of water. When she walked back to the sofa, she called, “Brother Jiamu.”
Xu Jiamu didn’t react. His line of sight was so concentrated, his eyes never blinked.
“Brother Jiamu?” Qiao Anhao called his name again while patting his shoulder.
Xu Jiamu abruptly came to his senses. He realized that because he had been staring at Song Xiangsi on the television, he hadn’t a clue what had happened and how long he had blanked out for.
Ever since he left Hengdian studio in a fit of rage, he and her had never gotten in touch. Later on, Xu Enterprise was in trouble, and he was demoted from the Xu family’s young master to a department manager at the company. His status had changed so dramatically, he had never went to go look for her.
And as for her, she hadn’t had any jobs recently, so she stayed in Beijing all this time. She probably knew about his fall, but didn’t bother contacting him to see how he was.
For the past four months, the two of them were in the same city, but never met each other..
Actually, because he was so busy with work, sometimes he’d think about her, but only for a split second. Then he would push the thought in the back of his mind.
Tonight, if it wasn’t for Qiao Anhao’s choice for a movie, he wouldn’t have even realized that he actually… missed her…
Ah crap, he and Song Xiangsi only had a business relationship… so why was he thinking about her?
Xu Jiamu abruptly shook his head, then glanced over at Qiao Anhao. Perhaps because it had been quite some time since he spoke, his voice was a little hoarse. “What’s wrong, Qiao Qiao?”
Qiao Anhao brought a cup of water up to Xu Jiamu’s face. “Just now, Aunt Xu said she wasn’t feeling well, so she went upstairs to get some rest. You’d better bring her a cup of water.”
Xu Jiamu nodded, rubbed his face with his hand, then stood up and headed upstairs with a cup of water.
–
Back in the bedroom, Han Ruchu slammed the door shut behind her. She then reached her arm out in anger and wept the porcelain ornaments off from the shelves, sending them crashing to the ground, shattering to pieces.
“Madam, why are you getting so mad? Take care of your health,” said the housekeeper anxiously.
As though Han Ruchu hadn’t heard the housekeeper’s words at all, she completely ignored her and paced around the bedroom a few times. When she finally stopped, she took a long, deep breath, gritted her teeth and said, “Qiao Anhao, that little bitch, she’s always been so good and obedient. Who would of thought that she was so articulate when cursing others, doing it so well, so indirectly?! How skillful of her!”
“Tonight, she didn’t come to celebrate your birthday… she clearly came to trigger you! From when she asked for the swallow’s nest till the moment she mentioned that bastard while watching TV, and also when she told that story about the mother-in-law…” When she said this, the housekeeper stopped there, and continued with different words. “Madam, I’m afraid she already knows that it was us who killed her baby.”
At this, the housekeeper furrowed her brows. “There’s something fishy about that. Madam, you already got rid of that little bastard. With his personality, he definitely wouldn’t go looking for Miss Qiao, so how would she have found out about what had happened?”
Because of the housekeeper’s words, Han Ruchu suddenly calmed down, but she still wore a furious expression on her face.
After a while, the housekeeper said, “Madam, say… how much do you think Miss Qiao knows about us? Do you think she knows that it was us who pushed her down the stairs?”
Translator: Paperplane Editor: DarkGem
“If the Qiao family found out about this, then the family relations between us would probably be ruined. Currently, the Xu family is far from how it was, there are so many things that we still rely on the Qiao family for…”
“She knows, so what?” Han Ruchu didn’t wait for the housekeeper to speak by interrupting her and saying, “If she had any evidence, then the Qiao family wouldn’t have come to celebrate my birthday! She doesn’t have any evidence, which is why she was beating around the bush to target me! But it’s just so shitty that she made such a nice birthday party go up in smoke like that. Back then, how did we not make her fall to her death from the stairs…”
Han Ruchu hadn’t finished what she had to say when someone abruptly pushed open the door.
The two of them were scared stiff as they turned their heads to see Xu Jiamu at the door with a cup of water in his hands. The expression on his face was drearily tense.
Han Ruchu and the housekeeper looked at one another in terror. Han Ruchu was the first to snap back to reality. She pulled her lip corners slightly upwards into a hint of a smile and said in a soft voice, “Jiamu, why are you here?”
Xu Jiamu didn’t say word, but stood there at the door without moving an inch. His eyes stared right into Han Ruchu’s eyes.
Under his gaze, she felt herself trembling in fear. She stood there on the spot for a long while before striding in front of her son. She reached out and grabbed his hand, which he avoided.
His eyes never once left her face. Her then said in a low voice to suppress the anger in it. “What you both just said… is it true?”
From her son’s words, Han Ruchu figured that he had heard what she and Aunt Yun had just said. Yet she wasn’t sure just how much Xu Jiamu had overheard, so she stretched her arm out. “Jiamu, listen to what mama has to say…”
“I just want to know, was what you two just said true?” Xu Jiamu seemed to be afraid that Qiao Anhao downstairs would hear what was said, so he spoke in a low voice. It was clear he was more terrified than outraged. “Back then, did Qiao Qiao fall from the stairs because of the two of you?”
When Han Ruchu heard those words, she silently let out a sigh of relief. Thankfully, he had only heard half of it… “Jiamu, at the time, mama had no choice but to do that.”
“So you’re saying you really did do it?” Xu Jiamu enunciated every word when he asked again. His eyes then turned to the housekeeper at the side who was at a loss for what to do. “And you… the two of you… you’re both really something!”
Xu Jiamu suddenly smashed the cup of water in his hands to the ground. Shattered pieces of glass flew in all directions and water splashed on the ground. Xu Jiamu nodded and chuckled lightly.
That laugh put fear into Han Ruchu, who always loved her son. She instinctively grabbed his arm. “Mama was wrong. Let mama explain, it’s not what you think, son…”
“Did you want for Qiao Qiao to fall to her death for the situation to be like what I think?!” replied Xu Jiamu harshly. He then turned around and walked down the stairs, fuming.
“Jiamu, Jiamu!” Han Ruchu cried in a panic as she followed behind him. Because she had ran after him in a hurry, she accidentally sprained her ankle. Crouching on the ground, she cried in pain.
Translator: Paperplane Editor: DarkGem
“Madam!” the housekeeper cred out anxiously. She then rushed over and supported her up.
Han Ruchu struggled to stand, but she still continued to chase her son whilst limping.
The housekeeper called out in agony, as though she was going to cry. “Master, young master!”
Qiao Anhao was downstairs when she saw Xu Jiamu storming downstairs, fuming. She hastily stood up. “Brother Jiamu, what’s wrong?”
Xu Jiamu didn’t say a word, striding out the door.
Qiao Anhao glanced over at Han Ruchu at the bottom of the stairs. She grabbed Xu Jiamu’s arm and said, “Brother Jiamu, Aunt Xu tripped up.”
Xu Jiamu slightly halted, and looked as though he was going to turn his head back to sneak a glance, but eventually, he decided against it. He gently pulled away from Qiao Anhao’s grip, and walked out without saying a word, a dark expression on his face.
“Brother Jiamu!” Qiao Anhao cried his name out in distress, but she had no intention of chasing after him. She waited until he swung close the door before putting away her panicked expression and nonchalantly turning around with a composed face. She stared directly at Han Ruchu.
Some words needn’t be said. The look in the eyes is at times sufficient for the other person to understand what is being meant.
That’s right. Qiao Anhao knew that Han Ruchu would go upstairs, as she couldn’t vent her anger below. Since the housekeeper had followed after, she assumed that they would most probably be talking about her.
Actually, if Han Ruchu hadn’t mentioned that the housekeeper personally made the swallow’s nest over lunch, she wouldn’t have thought the housekeeper had anythign to do with this at all.
Honestly speaking, she wasn’t completely certain that Han Ruchu would talk about it with her housekeeper. She just thought she’d give it a try, so she gave Xu Jiamu the cup of water to see if it might be her lucky day.
The moment the doors were flung open with a great force, she knew that she had gotten lucky.
That split second when Han Ruchu met Qiao Anhao’s gaze, she instantly realized that she had gotten played. She opened her mouth in a rage, wanting to speak, but Qiao Anhao made a “shhhh” gesture with her hands.
She then pointed at the study room, and said in a neutral voice, “Aunt Xu, you son is already mad, do you want for your husband to come down to see you screaming at me and get angry with you too? Don’t forget, my uncle is still in your house…”
Just like that, the words on the tip of Han Ruchu’s tongue flew back, down to her stomach. Her entire face puffed up red out from rage.
The more she was like this, the sweeter Qiao Anhao smiled. She asked in a soft voice, “Aunt Xu, I wonder if you liked your birthday present?”
Han Ruchu was so pissed, her face was slightly contorted. She raised her hand to clutch at her chest and pointed at Qiao Anhao without saying a single word.
Qiao Anhao had fulfilled her objective, so there was no reason to continue on like this with Han Ruchu any longer. She slowly and gracefully picked up her bag, pulled the door open, and calmly left.
When she left the Xu family’s house, she finally let go of the relaxed and pleased look on her face that she had put on for Han Ruchu.
So sorry… She had used Xu Jiamu, who had always treated her so well.
But she had had no other way. She couldn’t do nothing after learning that Han Ruchu h ad killed her baby, and Xu Jiamu was the only person in the world that could trigger Han Ruchu.
Translator: Paperplane Editor: DarkGem
In this world, there are no people who are absolutely kindhearted. Those who are kind and naive are only so because no one had pushed them to their limits.
Han Ruchu sabotaged Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian’s relationship, made them miss out on being together time and time again. Perhaps if it weren’t for her, they might already be together.
The pain of losing a child, the break up of two lovers… Qiao Anhao had such deep-rooted hate and desire for revenge, so how could she possibly sit there and do nothing?
Han Ruchu owed her, and now she wanted to get it all back, bit by bit.
No only for her, but for Lu Jinnian, and the child they lost…
At this thought, a sharp light twinkled at the bottom of Qiao Anhao’s eyes, hints of a terrifyingly cold look appearing on her soft and tranquil delicate face.
It has to be known that it wasn’t all just talk, back there in the Xu family’s living room when she cursed out Han Ruchu.
Han Ruchu killed her child, and she wanted her to experience the pain of her son, who she had raised for almost thirty years, walking further and further away from her.
She wanted for everyone to betray her, and her family to leave her. That would be the final ending she prepared for Han Ruchu!
Tonight, was just the start.
–
When “Heavenly Sword” was released, there were five days left until the lunar New Year’s eve. After Han Ruchu’s birthday, the busiest day for Qiao Anhao was twenty eighth of the twelfth lunar month of the lunar calender. In the afternoon, they announced the release of “Heavenly Sword”, and in the evening, she went to its release party.
On the twenty-ninth day, Zhao Meng flew to Hunan with her boyfriend. Qiao Anhao, who hadn’t much to do, personally drove them to the airport.
At the time, it was already closing in to the end of the year, and so the roads of Beijing had only a third of the cars usually there, which resulted in barely any traffic. On her way home, Qiao Anhao received a call from her uncle urging her to come back to the Qiao family estate that night.
Though Qiao Anhao agreed, she only went back to the Qiao family in the afternoon of the thirtieth.
The servants there had already gone home for the New Year’s, and so when Qiao Anhao arrived, Qiao Anxia and mother Qiao were wrapping dumplings.
Just as Qiao Anhao pushed open the door, she hadn’t even taken her shoes off when she heard Qiao Anxia call out, “Qiao Qiao, hurry! Come wrap these dumplings.”
Qiao Anhao gave a quick response, then saw father Qiao standing right at the door, sticking rhyming couplets on the wall. As he was on his own, she didn’t feel right, so she went over to give him a helping hand. Later, she entered the house, washed her hands, and helped them wrap dumplings.
Father Qiao personally cooked the New Year’s dinner. After so many years, the Qiao family still followed the same old rules during New Year’s. The large dining table was filled with rich foods. They couldn’t be without a chicken, duck, and fish, and the main dish was always the three filling dumplings. As father Qiao would say, the meat filling recipe was originally invented by Qiao Anhao and Qiao Anxia’s grandfather. Though it didn’t taste surprisingly spectacular, it had a family-feel to it.
They started to cook the dumplings at seven o’clock, and Qiao Anxia went upstairs to get changed. She dressed herself up very nicely, and ran out the house with just her phone. Then, after about half an hour, just when the dumplings were all cooked, the doorbell rang.
When Qiao Anhao opened the door, there was an extra person behind Qiao Anxia. It was Chen Yang.
Qiao Anxia didn’t wait for Qiao Anhao to ask and said, “Chen Yang’s parents are abroad and can’t make it back, so I invited him to spend New Year’s celebrations at ours.”
In the four months Lu Jinnian hadn’t been around, Qiao Anxia and Chen Yang had went public with their relationship. She had brought him to the Qiao family estate a few times. If one looked back, Chen Yang was the only boyfriend of Qiao Anxia’s that had went past the door of the Qiao family house.
Translator: Paperplane Editor: DarkGem
Mother Qiao had always liked Chen Yang. After her daughter came back from their dates, she would even especially go and watch a few of his movies. She liked him so much that every time she played mahjong, she would often recommend her daughter’s boyfriend’s new dramas to her mahjong friends.
So when mother Qiao learned that Chen Yang had come over, she stopped cooking the dumplings and ran out of the kitchen to offer him a seat.
When New Year’s dinner officially started in the Qiao family home, New Year’s Gala just came on the television. Father Qiao went over to turn up the volume.
Even though people only kept saying that the New Year’s Gala got worse year after year, they couldn’t deny that it had become a tradition that made the New Year’s feel special.
In the past, father Qiao would be the only man at the table for New Year’s Eve, and Qiao Anxia would sometimes have a few drinks with him, but today there was Chen Yang. Father Qiao especially brought out a bottle of the good stuff he’d been storing.
Because there was someone to drink with, father Qiao was really happy. Before Chen Yang arrived, he had especially bought a gift. Mother Qiao received an emerald bracelet, which made her so happy that she couldn’t contain herself. Every one at the table ushered Chen Yang to eat more.
Chen Yang really did like Qiao Anxia from the bottom of his heart. When she asked him for a napkin on the table, he handed it to her so slowly that she impatiently rushed him a little too rudely. Chen Yang then hurriedly gave her the napkin to wipe her hands.
Mother Qiao would inevitably say a few words about Qiao Anxia, to which good-natured Chen Yang would just smile and say that it was fine. This made Qiao Anxia blink proudly towards her mother, who would helplessly shake her head.
Perhaps it was because Chen Yang was there, mother and father Qiao were focused on him and Qiao Anxia. Their conversations were all about the two, so Qiao Anhao couldn’t really get a word in, nor was she in the mood to talk. She wore a smile throughout dinner, but occasionally, when Chen Yang and Qiao Anxia did something lovey dovey, a tinge of gloominess would flash across her eyes. She would lower her head and quietly eat the dumplings in her bowl.
After dinner, Chen Yang wanted to help put the dishes away but was turned away by mother Qiao. She ushered Qiao Anxia to take him away.
Seeing the leftovers on the table, Qiao Anhao couldn’t let mother Qiao to tidy up by herself, so she helped clean it up.
She also picked the job to wash the dishes.
Mother Qiao grabbed some fresh fruit from the fridge, cut them up neatly, and carried them out on a tray.
Qiao Anhao placed the washed plates into the tableware sterilization cabinet. When she came out of the kitchen, she coincidentally saw Qiao Anxia grab a toothpick with a piece of apple and put it into Chen Yang’s mouth. Though Chen Yang, who was talking with father Qiao, didn’t turn his head to look at Qiao Anxia, he casually opened his mouth to eat the apple. Then he reached his hand out to hug Qiao Anxia’s shoulder.
When Qiao Anhao saw this, she couldn’t help but lower her eyes, as she remembered how she would sit to one side and watch TV in Ming Zhu Garden while Lu Jinnian was working in the evening. He was afraid she’d get bored, so he would prepare all sorts of snacks and fruit for her.
At the time, she did what she saw now before her eyes. As she ate, she would feed Lu Jinnian every now and again. He and Chen Yang were the same in one way, they didn’t look back. Sometimes, she would mischievously shove nutshells, watermelon seeds, and other things into his mouth. When he bit into them, he would realize something was wrong, then put everything down, turn around, and pounce on her.
“Qiao Qiao? Finished washing the dishes?” asked mother Qiao, while carrying a pot of tea into the living room, when she saw Qiao Anhao at the kitchen door.
Translator: Paperplane Editor: DarkGem
Qiao Anhao brought herself back to her senses, and quickly nodded at mother Qiao. Seeing that she was carrying a pot of tea, she reached her arm out. “Serving tea? Let me.”
“That’s all right.” Mother Qiao glanced over at Chen Yang and Qiao Anxia on the sofa, then gave a gleaming smile and said, “Chen Yang and Xia Xia are waiting for you. They said they wanted to go to the courtyard to watch the fireworks.”
Qiao Anxia heard mother Qiao’s words and stood up, forcefully pulling Chen Yang from the sofa. She then said to Qiao Anhao, “Qiao Qiao, let’s go! We’ve waited half a day for you.”
–
When Qiao sisters were little, before grandma and grandpa had passed away, everyone would go back to the family home every year to celebrate the Chinese New Year’s. Back then, Qiao Anhao’s parents were still alive. After New Year’s dinner, her father would take her and Qiao Anxia to the courtyard to watch the fireworks. Her mother would stand to one side with a smile on her face.
As time went by, setting off fireworks became a New Year’s Eve tradition, up until father passed away. Then, uncle would take them to light fireworks.
Tonight, Chen Yang was there. Father Qiao didn’t light the fireworks, but he personally prepared a large box of them in the courtyard.
As he lined up the fireworks, Chen Yang lit one up which set them all off. He then hurriedly ran back to Qiao Anxia’s side. About ten seconds later, the fireworks released one after the other.
In that instant, the skies were lit up with a dazzlingly gorgeous display of fireworks.
When Qiao Anxia saw the breathtaking display, she enthusiastically pointed up for Chen Yang to look up.
Qiao Anhao stood about two meters away from them. She lifted her head and stared at the endless exploding fireworks falling from the skies. The bottom of her eyes started to heat up, and just when the fireworks had come to an end, she brought her head back down to see Qiao Anxia hugging Chen Yang’s neck. Chen Yang had his arms around Qiao Anxia’s waist, and the two of them were making out.
Qiao Anhao stared at the two of them for a moment, then lowered her eyes. Just as she was ready to go back into the house, the phone in her pocket suddenly rang, which shocked Qiao Anxia and Chen Yang, who were kissing.
Qiao Anhao waved her arms at them, then looked over at the incoming call. It was from Zhao Meng, so she walked out of the courtyard to take the call.
“Happy New Year, Qiao Qiao!”
Through the phone, Qiao Anhao heard the sound of firecrackers now and then from Zhao Meng’s side. It really did feel like New Year’s over there. She said in a warm tone of voice, “Happy New Year!”
Zhao Meng could kind of hear a little sorrow in her voice, so she calmed her excitement and cheerfulness to ask worriedly, “Qiao Qiao, what’s wrong? Why can’t I hear you? You seem a little sad…”
Qiao Anhao had been better off had Zhao Meng not asked, for her eyes started to heat up again.
She wasn’t truly unhappy. Just that while everyone in China was celebrating the day, she suddenly really missed him.
“I’m fine.” When Qiao Anhao said these two words, tears started to roll down her face. She leaned back against a lamppost and lowered her head. She shut her eyes and dazed out for a while until she could compose herself. She then raised her hand to wipe her tears away and asked in a lighthearted tone, “You called me?”
“Yeah, I wanted to tell you to check Weibo. You and Mr. Lu have reached the hot search list!”
“What hot search list?”
“Look for yourself and you’ll know!” Zhao Meng said mysteriously.
Then, in the background, Qiao Anhao heard someone call Zhao Meng’s name. Her friend hastily said “Bye bye”, but didn’t forget to remind her to “Check Weibo!” as she hung up the call.
Translator: Paperplane Editor: DarkGem
When Qiao Anhao heard the doot-doot-doot sound of the call ending, she furrowed her brows and brought the phone down from her ear. She clicked on Weibo to find that it was just as Zhao Meng had said, the top most searched wasn’t about Chinese new year, but her and Lu Jinnian.
Lu Jinnian has been lying low for four months now. He didn’t have any new projects and he didn’t appear in front of the media. His exposure to the public has been extremely low, and besides filming “Heavenly Sword”, she had no scandals at all, so how exactly did the two of them make the headlines? What on earth had happened?
Qiao Anhao clicked open the most searched topic “Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao” with a heart full of suspicion, and found that the host had posted the words, “This year’s best screen couple goes to the supporting male and female of “Alluring Times”! This is the first time the best screen couple goes to supporting roles rather than the main leads, however this year’s actor happens to be Lu Jinnian once again. As for the actress, it’s no longer the queen of movies, Song Xiangsi, but Huan Ying Entertainment’s new young actress, Qiao Anhao.”
After that line, there was another link. She clicked it to reveal the results of the vote.
Her and Lu Jinnian actually beat Chen Yang and Song Xiangsi in second place by thirty million votes.
So this was what Zhao Meng had wanted her to see.
This was her dream when entering the entertainment industry. Because they couldn’t be a couple in real life, she wanted to be just like Song Xiangsi, and be a fantasy couple on the internet. When other people mentioned her name, they’d think of his name, and when his name was mentioned, they’d think of hers.
But she never imaged that her dream would actually come true with the movie “Alluring Times”. They were even selected as the best screen couple of the year.
Qiao Anhao stared at her phone screen and saw that the voting page had a picture of her and Lu Jinnian kissing in “Alluring Times”. Suddenly, large tears rolled down from her eyes. She tightly grasped her phone and lowered herself to the ground, as she couldn’t hold it in any longer. Crouched up against the lamp post, she sobbed there intermittently.
She used to chase her dream for him, but now that the dream had come true, he wasn’t by her side.
Lu Jinnian, my love. Just where are you?
Do you know… that I really miss you?
–
Qiao Anxia and Cheng Yang went into the house. After waiting for quite some time, Qiao Anhao still wasn’t back in. It wasn’t until mother Qiao asked for her whereabouts that Qiao Anxia got up and went out on her own to look.
When she reached the front door, she heard the sound of sobbing. Her feet suddenly halted, for she recognized the sound of Qiao Anhao’s cries. Her heart firmly tightened up, but she was about to rush over to her sister’s side to ask what was wrong, she heard the mumbled cries of a name.
Although Qiao Anhao was incomprehensible through her tears, Qiao Anxia could still make out some of the words – Lu Jinnian.
Those two words were like a hex, as they instantly made Qiao Anxia remember the dejected, handsome and cold man in the cafe under Qiao Enterprise. As soon as he saw her, he desperately asked where Qiao Qiao was. He then proceeded to wait at the Qiao family doors for three whole days and nights…
It was like someone had locked Qiao Anxia’s pressure points. She stood on the spot, unable to move an inch.
Was Qiao Qiao crying over Lu Jinnian? Which is to say… she liked Lu Jinnian?
Translator: Paperplane Editor: DarkGem
Qiao Anhao cried for a long time, before she randomly wiped her tears away with her hand. She glanced over at the door to the Qiao family estate, but turned to walk straight out towards the neighborhood.
Qiao Anxia didn’t even know what was wrong with her. When Qiao Anhao walked past the doors, she ran to a side and hid in a panic. Because she hid so quickly, she accidentally cut her wrist on the thorns of a dried out rose. She drew her breath in pain, but subconsciously covered her cut until she saw the figure of Qiao Anhao walk away from the doors. Then she stepped out and watched her sister’s back with a complicated expression.
“Xia Xia?” When Qiao Anxia heard the sound of Chen Yang’s voice and felt arms wrap around her shoulders, only then did she snap back to reality.
“What are you looking at?” Chen Yang asked in a gentle voice and followed her eyes towards the area under a lamp post on an empty street. He furrowed his brows. “Where’s Qiao Qiao?”
“She’s gone.” Qiao Anxia smiled at Chen Yang with a pale face.
“What’s wrong? Are you not well?” Chen Yang grabbed onto Qiao Anxia, all worried. He saw her tightly covering her wrist, and with his brows furrowed, he asked, “Are you hurt? How did this happen?”
“It’s nothing, I just accidentally cut it.” Qiao Anxia suddenly felt a little tired after she spoke, so she wriggled her way into Chen Yang’s arms and rested her head on his shoulder.
“How could you be so clumsy?” complained Chen Yang, as he hugged her back, feeling a little pained to see her hurt.
Qiao Anxia didn’t say a thing, but as she rested her head on his shoulder, tears started to roll from the corners of her eyes.
–
Qiao Anhao came out of the neighborhood and randomly chose a route, continuing to slowly walk onward.
The streets were empty on New Year’s Eve. There was practically no one around and no cars about.
At this time, the usually bustling shops on both sides of the road were closed, and occasionally, you could hear the sound of crackers from somewhere close or in the distance.
Qiao Anhao walked for a long time before coming to a stop. It was late at night on New Year’s Eve, so there were practically no taxis on the road. All she could do was walk over to the bus stop sign and take a seat below it.
After waiting for about ten minutes, she decided to no longer wait for the bus. It was also when she saw an old lady cross the street.
The elderly lady looked to be quite old from her snowy white hair, but she was able to walk well, and steadily.
Just as the old lady was about to reach Qiao Anhao’s side, a motorbike suddenly curved in at an alarming speed. The motorbike didn’t hit the old lady, but it flew right past her.
The old lady was so frightened that she lost her balance and fell to the ground.
The motorbike didn’t look like it had any intention of stopping. Instead, it sped up and disappeared without a sight.
The old lady sat there for quite some time and didn’t get up. Qiao Anhao had seen many news reports of kindhearted people who help fallen elderly only to find themselves being hit, so she was a little worried about meddling in other people’s business for fear of getting herself in trouble.
However, when she remembered it was New Year’s Eve, and how the elderly person was just like her—alone on the streets without any family members to accompany her—she begun to pity her.
Qiao Anhao hesitated for a moment, but eventually stood up and walked over. Before she could ask if the old lady was okay, the woman suddenly called out in surprise upon seeing her.
“Jinnian?”
