The car weaved through the night.
Si Tu Jun was driving, with Li Bowen in the passenger seat.
He couldn't help but ask, "What is Ze Xi really thinking?"
"He can't forget Jin Ning."
Li Bowen adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, a hint of sorrow flashing in his calm eyes behind them.
"He's just treating Xia Wanfu as a substitute."
"But Xia Wanfu doesn't look like Jin Ning at all!" Si Tu Jun was quite bewildered.
"Who knows, maybe she resembles her in some ways." Kuai Shu Ge
Li Bowen glanced at the rearview mirror. Two cars were following at a leisurely pace behind them.
He could only hope that the two Xia sisters wouldn't cause his brothers to turn against each other.
"Sigh," Si Tu Jun sighed, full of melancholy. "Ze Xi is suffering from separation and death, in unbearable pain. My sister has lost half her life."
"Is your sister... okay?"
A dark gleam flashed in Li Bowen's eyes, his gaze deepening.
Si Tu Jun stared at the road ahead, completely oblivious.
"How can she be okay? She's been like a lost soul, not eating, not sleeping, and not going to the law firm."
Li Bowen silently gazed out the window.
Moonlight spilled down, shrouding the night in a light veil. The stars in the sky still seemed dim and lusterless in his eyes.
Wen Xuanxuan sat in the passenger seat, the window open, half her head propped out.
The night breeze brushed her face, but her mood remained heavy.
Xia Wan Tang was also the same, her eyes cast down, gazing at the fleeting scenery outside the window, her emotions a little low.
Why were the people from the Xia family so persistent, like lingering spirits?
She thought she would have no more ties to them from now on, but who knew that Xia Wanfu would end up with Ling Yu Chen's best friend.
She and Ling Yu Chen were an accident. She just didn't know how Xia Wanfu got involved with Jiang Ze Xi.
They were not from the same world. It would be difficult for them to be together.
The car was quiet. Ling Yu Chen silently watched Xia Wan Tang, his gaze terrifyingly dark.
Jiang Ze Xi was his best friend, he had no right to comment on who he was with.
But this Xia Wanfu had character issues. Who knew what her intentions were in approaching Jiang Ze Xi.
If it was for money and power, he couldn't control it.
He was only afraid that she was using Jiang Ze Xi as a stepping stone, with Xia Wan Tang as her ultimate goal.
Everyone was lost in their own thoughts.
Xia Wanfu was the most uneasy.
She observed Jiang Ze Xi's expression.
She saw him gripping the steering wheel with one hand, his expression as usual as he looked ahead, his posture casual and languid.
He didn't seem to care about anything that had happened tonight.
It was as if it had nothing to do with him.
She should have been relieved, because her past was not glorious.
But now, she felt extremely distressed, because this indifference represented a lack of care.
This gave her a feeling of being both near and far, as if there was an insurmountable chasm between them.
In torment, the car finally stopped.
The wind on the mountaintop was strong. On a large expanse of lawn, there were tents, barbecues, tables, and chairs.
This was arranged by Si Tu Jun in advance.
Stepping out of the car, the approaching breeze was cool and gentle.
Ahead, the myriad of lights were as dazzling as a river of stars, merging with the dense stars in the sky, a sight so beautiful it was hard to look away.
Everyone gazed silently, all their worries cast aside.
Han Xiao was grilling skewers at the barbecue grill, very focused and responsible.
Ling Yu Chen put his arm around Xia Wan Tang's shoulders, looking at her with gentle eyes.
The starlit sky was brilliant, but it couldn't compare to her eyes, which were as bright as stars at this moment.
Si Tu Jun couldn't stand it and pulled Li Bowen away.
"Let's go, let's go. We two big lightbulbs are more dazzling than the moon."
Li Bowen's lips curved slightly, and he left with him.
This remark made Xia Wan Tang's face flush. She glared at Ling Yu Chen, signaling him to restrain himself.
Ling Yu Chen smiled indifferently, unbothered. Was it not allowed to look at his wife?
Since all the couples were together, Wen Xuanxuan suddenly felt that the scenery wasn't that beautiful anymore.
So she quietly turned and left, sitting with Si Tu Jun and Li Bowen.
Xia Wanfu had no mind for the scenery; her eyes were filled with the affectionate glances exchanged between Ling Yu Chen and Xia Wan Tang.
There was genuine love between them, just like any couple in love.
And this was precisely what was lacking between her and Jiang Ze Xi.
They were holding hands now, very close, so close that her skirt swayed and tangled with his pants.
But she could feel that he was within reach, yet incredibly far away.
Like the wind that blew past, impossible to grasp, fleeting.
Jiang Ze Xi gazed into the distance with heavy eyes. His dark pupils were dim and lusterless, without any sparkle. His entire body felt as cold as a frigid pool, his heart seemingly numb with cold.
At this moment, a hand with well-defined knuckles holding a cigarette was extended to him.
Ling Yu Chen had walked over to his side at some point, looking at him fixedly.
Xia Wan Tang had already left, going to sit with Wen Xuanxuan.
Jiang Ze Xi took the cigarette and said to Xia Wanfu, "Go sit over there for a while. I'll be there after a smoke."
"Okay." Xia Wanfu gave him a deep look, then turned and left.
Ling Yu Chen lit the cigarette in his hand and then tossed the lighter to Jiang Ze Xi.
His thin lips pursed the cigarette, he took a deep drag, and the smoke rings drifted away with the wind.
They smoked half a cigarette in silence. Then Ling Yu Chen said, "Are you planning to just keep waiting like this for the rest of your life?"
"What's wrong with that?" He didn't want to, but he just couldn't forget.
The sleepless nights were too painful, and life was meaningless.
Only when deafening music played in his ears did his heart find a moment of disturbance.
Large amounts of alcohol numbed him. He, fueled by drunkenness, tried to find her shadow everywhere, but it was all in vain.
At least, he had once possessed her again in Xia Wanfu, even if it was a fake, even if there was only a sliver of hope, he would be content with even a moment of possession.
Ling Yu Chen looked at the distant stars, his dark eyes devoid of any emotion.
He said, "You should see a psychologist."
"I'm fine. I'm happy to be at ease."
Jiang Ze Xi's expression was as calm as ever, his peach blossom eyes gentle and amorous.
Everyone said that the young master of the Jiang family was uneducated and changed women like clothes, but who knew.
Among a myriad of flowers, he only wanted his single jasmine.
"Why deceive yourself?" Ling Yu Chen turned to look at him and said in a deep voice, "It's been five years. You should wake up. Don't forget, you are the sole heir of the Jiang family."
Jiang Ze Xi pursed his lips, remaining silent, letting the burning tip of the cigarette inch closer to his fingers.
He gave a bitter laugh, "I can't wake up. I'm just a living dead man."
Ling Yu Chen was speechless. He dropped the cigarette butt on the ground and stepped on it to extinguish it.
He knew in his heart that if it weren't for Su Jin Ning's dying words, Jiang Ze Xi probably wouldn't have lived on.
He patted Jiang Ze Xi's shoulder, his voice softening.
"I believe Jin Ning's original intention wasn't for you to live a decadent life. Think about it carefully."