Chapter 13

Half an hour ago, Xiao Cheng had called Jiang Chuan and told him everything that had happened.

Xiao Cheng said, “Qin Tang said she would pay for us, and then those people left.”

Jiang Chuan stared at Qin Tang for a while until she looked up at him.

Qin Tang put away her phone, squinting her eyes like a lazy little cat, and said, “What’s up?”

Jiang Chuan said, “I remember I told you not to get involved in this.”

Qin Tang smiled. “What, should I just watch them get beaten and bullied?”

Jiang Chuan remained silent for two seconds. Qin Tang added, “There’s still tonight. If you can solve it, I won’t transfer the money tomorrow.”

This woman...

Jiang Chuan really wanted to grab her and pinch her, but said nothing and turned away.

Lü An walked up to her. “Qin Tang, thank you.”

Qin Tang asked, “It’s nothing. Did you find a solution?”

Lü An sighed and shook his head. “No, we don’t have that much money. It would have been possible a few years ago, but we really can’t take it out now. There is a solution, but we didn’t expect them to pressure us so much. Since you’ve said it, if the money doesn’t arrive tomorrow, you’ll be in trouble.”

Qin Tang bit her lip. No wonder Jiang Chuan looked at her with that expression. Did he think she was meddling or that she was stupid?

Probably both.

Qin Tang looked over at Jiang Chuan, who was crouched on the ground, repairing the table leg. She asked Lü An, “What trouble could there be?”

Lü An didn’t know how to explain it, so he just said, “Don’t worry, we won’t let you have trouble. If they come looking for trouble again, Jiang Ge will handle it. You just stay here and don’t run around.”

Qin Tang thought for a moment and asked, “Is it Zhao Qianhe?”

Lü An froze and asked, “You know Zhao Qianhe?”

Qin Tang replied, “I do.”

Before Lü An could say anything, Jiang Chuan glanced over, narrowing his eyes. “Come here if you’re free and help out!”

Lü An chuckled, waved his hand, and went to work.

Qin Tang stood there for a while, looking at the photos in her camera. After a while, Xiao Cheng said, “Ge, this chair is broken beyond repair, right? What about this table? How can it be fixed?”

Jiang Chuan stood up, dusted off his hands, and said, “Ah Qi, tomorrow you and Gui Sao go to the city. Buy anything we need. Let Xiao Cheng drive you both.”

Ah Qi nodded. “Okay, got it.”

Qin Tang put away the camera and walked toward the stairs.

When she came out of the shower, she saw Jiang Chuan standing in front of her door, holding an unlit cigarette. His thin lips were pressed tightly together as he looked at her.

Qin Tang walked over. “Is there something you need?”

Jiang Chuan stood up straight, much taller than her, and looked down at her. “You’ll go back tomorrow.”

Qin Tang furrowed her brows. “Why?”

Jiang Chuan lit the cigarette, took a few puffs with an expressionless face, and looked at her. “Your business is done. I’ll send Yueyue back in a few days. You don’t need to stay here.”

“Am I in your way by staying here?”

“No.”

“Is it because I eat too much and you can’t afford it?”

“...No.”

“Do you think I still owe that money, and it’s embarrassing for you?”

“...”

Jiang Chuan looked at her helplessly and said, “If you help pay such a large sum, they’ll think you... belong to me.”

Qin Tang: “...”

Jiang Chuan smiled faintly. His eyes were dark, and his gaze was intense. “My woman. Do you know what that means?”

She understood.

Qin Tang’s face flushed slightly. Luckily, the night was dark enough, and the hallway lights were dim, so he couldn’t see.

But if she hadn’t done this, the charity station would have been destroyed. Jiang Chuan and Lü An were different from the public welfare people she had worked with before. They didn’t have much money, and they were the ones putting in the effort. They weren’t greedy, so she didn’t have to worry about the resources or money they were entrusted with being swallowed up.

This charity station was also different from some other charity organizations.

She just wanted to protect it.

Jiang Chuan reminded her, “If you don’t want to cause trouble, leave tomorrow morning.”

Qin Tang didn’t respond, just looking at him. She still had things to do, and she didn’t want to leave.

Jiang Chuan also stared at her for a few seconds, then turned and went back to his room.

“Wait.” Qin Tang called to him.

“Is there something else?” Jiang Chuan turned around, holding a cigarette between his lips.

Qin Tang said, “I’m not leaving. Lü An said that after the money is paid, I won’t have any trouble. I’m happy to pay. You have no choice. I’m not helping you; I’m helping this charity station. Understand?”

After finishing her words, she walked over to the door handle.

Jiang Chuan grabbed her wrist from behind. Qin Tang wasn’t prepared, and the basin she was holding tilted. Shower gel and facial cleanser fell out. She let out a startled cry, and Jiang Chuan bent down to catch them, the small bottles landing one by one in his large palm.

He straightened up, glanced at the items in his hand, placed them back in the basin, and kept holding her wrist with the other hand. Her skin was white and delicate, slightly cool, and holding it felt like gripping a piece of fine silk.

Qin Tang turned her head, displeased, looking at him.

Jiang Chuan’s gaze was deep and intense. “I told you to go back!”

Qin Tang raised her chin. “I’m not going back.”

She struggled, twisting her wrist. His thumb was rough, and he squeezed hard, causing a prickling pain. Annoyed, she glared at him. “Let go! I paid you, why are you trying to kick me out?”

Jiang Chuan pressed his lips together, then, with restraint, licked his teeth. A few seconds later, his expression softened, and he said lightly, “Don’t regret it.”

He turned and went back to his room.

Qin Tang watched his tall, muscular back, her brows furrowing as she bit her lip, feeling angry.

After a while, Jiang Chuan came downstairs to eat noodles.

Lü An was slurping his noodles when he asked in a low voice, “What did you do to Qin Tang just now? We heard her scream downstairs.”

Jiang Chuan looked up briefly at Xiao Cheng and Ah Qi, and both of them quickly turned their heads to watch the TV. The screen showed an interview program with an elegant and beautiful woman sitting on a VIP sofa. Xiao Cheng said, “She doesn’t seem to age at all. She looked like this when I was a kid.”

Ah Qi said, “She takes good care of herself! People who live well always have good skin. You see, Qin Tang’s skin is so good...”

Xiao Cheng stared at the TV for a while, not speaking.

Ah Qi kicked him. “Why aren’t you saying anything?”

Xiao Cheng rested his chin on his hand, pointing at the woman on the TV, then scratched his head. “I just think... Qin Tang looks a bit like a movie queen... No, more than that, the more I look, the more she looks like her...”

“Really?”

“Yeah, look at her eyes and nose...”

“It does look like it.”

Jiang Chuan paused with his chopsticks, then glanced up. The TV screen had switched to the host.

Lü An nudged him with his knee. “Jiang Ge, Qin Tang already said it. The money has to be paid back. I know you don’t want to use the woman’s money, but we really can’t come up with that much right now. If we take another approach, we’ll have trouble with Jiang Kun again. Isn’t his goal to get you to go back? If you go back now, it won’t be so easy to leave again. Think it through. We can slowly pay Qin Tang back. It’s no big deal, she won’t mind.”

Jiang Chuan put down his chopsticks and pulled out a cigarette from his pocket.

“I know.”

“Then you...”

Lü An stopped, his voice cutting off suddenly.

Jiang Chuan looked up, and Qin Tang was standing at the door in a red dress.

Lü An smiled. “Do you want some noodles? Should I ask Gui Sao to make you a bowl?”

She rarely came downstairs after a bath, and Gui Sao thought she might be hungry. She quickly stood up. “Wait, I’ll make it quickly.”

Qin Tang quickly said, “No need to bother, I’ve eaten.”

Gui Sao said, “Okay, just let me know if you get hungry.”

Qin Tang smiled. “I’m really not hungry. I took Yue Yue out to play today and ate quite a bit. I’m still full.”

Lü An asked, “Is Yue Yue the little girl who got hurt at Sheepfold Mountain?”

Qin Tang nodded. “Yes.”

Lü An smiled. “The kids there never have a chance to leave the mountain. Some people spend their whole lives there. There’s a lack of water and supplies, and they can’t even bathe more than a few times a year. It’s really rare that this little girl can come out this time. It’s almost a blessing in disguise. I’ll go see her in a few days.”

Jiang Chuan, holding the cigarette, walked past her and said, “For the next few days, don’t go to the hospital. Let Xiao Bai and Ah Qi go.”

Qin Tang stared at the TV, not responding.

Lü An looked between the two, unable to help but smile.

Jiang Chuan wasn’t angry. He gave a faint smile and walked away.

Ah Qi stared at her for a long while.

Qin Tang noticed and asked, “What are you staring at me for?”

Ah Qi pointed at the TV. “Xiao Cheng said you look a lot like Jing Xin, so I’m just looking... and it really does seem like you!”

Qin Tang smiled, looking at the elegant and beautiful woman on the TV. “Really?”

Xiao Cheng quickly said, “Yeah! You really look like her!”

Qin Tang sat down beside them without speaking, watching TV together.

Many people said she looked like Jing Xin. She had never denied it, nor had she explained.

That was her mother.

…

The next morning, Aunt Gui didn’t take the cart out to sell breakfast; instead, she made buns and soy milk for everyone.

Aqi carefully reviewed the accounts in her little notebook before putting it into her bag. Xiao Cheng took the keys to start the car, while Xiao Bai and Xu Peng had nothing to do. Xiao Bai said, “Why don’t we go with you guys? Otherwise, we’re just sitting around, and after we’re done shopping, we can go visit Yue Yue at the hospital, then come back together after you’re done.”

There would be things to load onto the car later, and if they took two more people, it would take up space.

Xiao Cheng hesitated a bit.

Aqi said, “Let them go, anyway, you won’t be able to carry all the things on one trip. Let’s have Jiang Chuan send a truck to help later.”

Xiao Cheng thought about it and nodded. “Alright, then hurry up and get in the car. We’re leaving.”

Qin Tang was standing in the hallway on the second floor. Xiao Cheng waved at her: “Qin Tang Jie, look after the house for a while! We’ll probably be back in the afternoon.”

Qin Tang nodded slightly. Xiao Cheng smiled brightly. “Do you want anything? We’ll bring it back for you.”

“No need,” she said.

“Alright then.” Xiao Cheng climbed into the driver’s seat.

Soon, the black jeep drove out of the yard.

The red jeep had already left much earlier.

Qin Tang was in her room, working on the photos from her camera. Time passed quickly, and she began to feel a little hungry. Looking at the time, it was already past one.

She opened the door, planning to find something to eat.

At that moment, two cars pulled into the yard, and she leaned against the door, looking down.

Several men in black clothes got out of the cars.