The call was connected quickly.
Hearing Jiang Nan Fang's voice from the other end, Zhan Bei Jue finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Where are you now? The hotel caught fire, are you alright?"
Jiang Nan Fang was also in the crowd of onlookers. She had rushed to bring the woman down as soon as the fire broke out, so everyone was fine.
"I'm fine, and Big Sister is fine. But that man..."
"Why don't you go first? This will probably take some time."
The fire was set by the man who followed them to the hotel and in the top floor corridor. Afterwards, he went to take the elevator and was trapped inside, dying by his own actions.
Next, Jiang Nan Fang would have to clarify the man's cause of death, help the woman handle the complicated procedures, and then help her find a job.
She had thought of many things, and it would take at least two to three days before she could return to Nan Cheng.
But Zhan Bei Jue directly rejected her suggestion: "No hurry, I'll help you sort everything out and we'll go back together."
The two went to the police station to make statements. When they finally came out after a long time, it was already dark.
Jiang Nan Fang casually pointed to a roadside fast-food restaurant, and the two went to have dinner.
During the meal, Zhan Bei Jue couldn't help but ask her why she was so determined to help the woman.
This was the first time Jiang Nan Fang had mentioned her family matters to him.
Although it was not right to confide in him at such a time, people always needed to vent.
Jiang Nan Fang said, "The moment I saw her, she reminded me not only of my mother back then, but also of myself."
"Can you imagine? My mother and I suffered the same beatings she did."
Zhan Bei Jue could not imagine.
Her mother was clearly such a gentle person.
"In this world, being good doesn't guarantee you'll be rewarded with kindness. Perhaps kindness equates to a certain degree of weakness."
"It's a pity my mother never understood this principle until she died. Thanks to her, I understood it from the age of seven."
"Suicide? Heh, it's utterly meaningless. Besides making loved ones grieve and enemies rejoice, it achieves nothing. I really didn't expect my mother to be so incompetent as to escape reality through death..."
But at this point, she suddenly paused.
Zhan Bei Jue saw that her expression was off. He seemed to be calculating something rapidly in his mind, thinking she had recalled a painful memory, and moved closer to comfort her.
Jiang Nan Fang grabbed his hand.
"Something's wrong! How come I never thought of this before!"
"Thought of what?"
"The truth about my mother's death!"
"?"
"This Big Sister, despite being so miserable and facing such hardship, never considered suicide for her child. Why would my mother?"
She knitted her brows tightly. "Even though things were tough back then, she was still so refined."
"With her around, I had enough to eat every day, clean clothes to wear, I could learn to dance, and go out for outings on weekends."
"She never showed any intention of committing suicide in front of me!"
Zhan Bei Jue understood what she meant. "So through this Big Sister..."
"Exactly! She definitely didn't commit suicide! On the contrary, because of her strength, her refusal to back down, she blocked someone's path, so..."
Jiang Nan Fang was trembling all over. Zhan Bei Jue had never seen her look so terrifying.
She almost clawed her own palm open.
"I actually let them go like that, I actually believed their lies!"
"My mother didn't commit suicide. She never thought of giving up on me... I'm so stupid!"
"You were only seven years old back then, you didn't see it happen..." Zhan Bei Jue tried to comfort her.
But Jiang Nan Fang trembled uncontrollably, shaking her head repeatedly, denying herself over and over.
"I'm so stupid, really too stupid. I actually lived with that damned woman for over a decade, I'm a pig!"
In the end, Zhan Bei Jue carried her home.
Jiang Nan Fang was drunk and unconscious, still muttering "Sorry Mom, I'm a pig" in her sleep.
They changed to another hotel. As they entered, Zhan Bei Jue, carrying her on his back, closed the door and tried to put her on the sofa.
As soon as they entered, she slid off his back.
Afraid she would fall, Zhan Bei Jue caught her back. Jiang Nan Fang clung to his neck, and their eyes met.
The smell of alcohol from her, along with her hazy gaze, made Zhan Bei Jue's hair stand on end.
But he could do nothing.
"Don't look at me like that. You should go wash up."
Jiang Nan Fang let out a drunken burp. "Are you disgusted with me?"
"How could I be... If you don't want to wash, just go to sleep like this."
"But I don't want to sleep."
"Then what do you want to do?"
Jiang Nan Fang cupped his chin, stood on tiptoe, and brushed her lips against his. "Kiss you."
"...Jiang Nan Fang, you're drunk."
Jiang Nan Fang still looked at him. "So?"
"You'll regret it when you wake up tomorrow."
"Why would I regret it?"
Zhan Bei Jue was speechless.
Why would you regret it? You should ask yourself!
Anyway, I can't wait for this to happen.
"Let's go, I'll help you inside."
The two stumbled into the room.
Near the foot of the bed, Jiang Nan Fang grabbed Zhan Bei Jue's neck and pushed him onto the bed.
They were close together, and she nestled against his chest. "Zhan Bei Jue, thank you."
Zhan Bei Jue was almost driven crazy by her, his heart pounding. "Thank me for what?"
"I'm not drunk. I know everything. I just wanted to thank you."
"..."
"But I can't get over this hurdle in my heart. I can't betray Ke Teng. You should leave. Let's never see each other again. I'm serious."
What is a roller-coaster of emotions, Zhan Bei Jue experienced it thoroughly with her.
One moment he was thinking of something sweet, believing they would get back together, and the next he was being asked to leave.
Jiang Nan Fang's warm tears dripped into his clothes, onto his chest.
"I think there's no possibility for us anymore. I owe Ke Teng too much."
"As long as he doesn't wake up, I'll stay by his side forever."
"If he wakes up and still likes me, I'll marry him."
"People say that between someone you like and someone who likes you, you must choose the one who likes you. Now I understand."
"Liking you is too hard. It's too bitter."
"I've liked you for twenty-two years, since the first time we met until now, and it's never been sweet."
"Let me go. Let me taste sweetness too in the future."
These words were more effective in making Zhan Bei Jue leave than any other means.
She was too miserable. He felt it.
From childhood to marriage, she had never truly experienced love.
She was so close to him once, and he hadn't given her what she wanted; it was his fault.
Perhaps he was really not suited for her.
At least his mother, compared to her father, didn't seem to express their feelings on the same level.
He wouldn't hate Jiang Nan Fang, and he would no longer be unwilling to let her go because of her departure.
Everything was his own fault, the best arrangement of fate. He finally understood at this moment.
If my letting go can bring you something better, then I am willing.
After a long silence, he released her.
"Okay. I'll leave after you fall asleep. Don't worry, I won't bother you again."
Jiang Nan Fang silently rolled away from him.