WHCTIL - 63

Seeing him approach quickly, Qin Tang slowed her steps. Soon, he stood in front of her.

Qin Tang looked up at him. Jiang Chuan ruffled her hair, took her suitcase and backpack in his hands, and touched her face upon seeing her pale lips, “Are you cold?”

Qin Tang nodded, “Colder than Beijing.”

Jiang Chuan asked, “Did you bring a coat?”

Qin Tang replied, “Yes.”

Jiang Chuan smiled faintly, “I’ll get it out for you to wear in a moment.”

Qin Tang said, “Okay.”

Jiang Chuan looked at her for a few seconds, then held her hand—soft and slightly cool.

He tightened his grip.

Unlike hers, his hands were rough and warm. Qin Tang felt comfortable and gently scratched the palm of his hand with her fingertips.

He gripped even tighter.

Cao Sheng watched them and said, “I’ll go ahead.”

Jiang Chuan nodded, “Mm.”

Jiang Chuan led Qin Tang to the car, placed the suitcase in the back seat, and asked, “What’s the code?”

Qin Tang told him. Jiang Chuan unlocked the code, took out a coat, and handed it to her, “Put it on.”

Qin Tang handed him her shawl. Jiang Chuan folded it neatly, placed it in the suitcase, and locked it.

After getting in the car, Qin Tang asked, “Are we going back to Yizhan?”

Jiang Chuan replied, “No.”

Qin Tang looked at him, “Then to a hotel?”

“I’ll take you somewhere.”

...

Jiang Chuan drove into a residential area and parked under a building. Qin Tang turned to look out the window, surprised, then turned back to look at him. Jiang Chuan said, “Let’s go up and rest for a bit.”

Qin Tang followed him out of the car. The neighborhood was ordinary, with average greenery. The buildings weren’t new, low-rise, and without elevators, resembling houses from a few years ago.

Jiang Chuan led her to the sixth floor and opened the door with a key.

A seventy to eighty square meter two-bedroom apartment, simply decorated, with somewhat old furniture, but the house was very clean.

Qin Tang looked at him, “Whose house is this? Did you rent it?”

Jiang Chuan squeezed her hand, “It’s my house.”

Qin Tang was somewhat surprised. After a while, she said, “So you have a house…”

She became curious and examined the small apartment up and down.

Jiang Chuan gave a faint smile and said, “I bought it a few years ago. At that time, there were internal quotas, and Cao Sheng helped me secure one. The house is still under mortgage.”

Back then, he was twenty-three. Cao Sheng said having a house would make it easier to marry and have a proper home.

At that time, housing prices were much cheaper than now. With the help of housing funds and internal pricing, he managed to buy this small place. Every month, he paid off the loan. Back then, he was still working undercover near Zhao Qianhe. All the house-buying arrangements were handled by Cao Sheng. Later, after being stripped of his police status, this was the only property he had left.

After earning some money from Lu An’s transportation company, he had the house simply renovated but hadn’t stayed there many times.

“Did Lüsha ever stay here?” Qin Tang turned her head and asked seriously.

Jiang Chuan carried her luggage into the room and paused for a moment, “No.”

Qin Tang followed him, “Why did you bring me to stay here?”

“It’s safe here.” Jiang Chuan said, “The neighbors and those living around are all from the police station.”

“Oh.” She looked at him, “What about you?”

Jiang Chuan paused, and they stared at each other. Her eyes were calm.

Finally, Jiang Chuan said, “I live here too.”

Qin Tang said, “Okay.”

“Are you hungry?”

It wasn’t yet noon. Qin Tang hadn’t eaten breakfast; she had only drunk a cup of coffee and eaten a few biscuits on the plane. She nodded, “I’m hungry.”

Jiang Chuan asked, “What do you want to eat? There’s a noodle shop outside the neighborhood. If you want to eat at home, I can buy groceries and cook.”

Qin Tang said, “I want cold skin noodles.”

“I’ll go buy them for you. You rest for a while.”

“Okay.”

Jiang Chuan went out.

Qin Tang lay on his bed. The sheets were new and smelled of soap, somewhat like the soap scent on him—clean and fresh.

She closed her eyes, not expecting to fall asleep.

Jiang Chuan bought a bowl of noodles and cold skin noodles, stood outside smoking a cigarette, staring ahead. After a long while, he fished out his keys and opened the door.

He placed the food on the table and went to the room to find Qin Tang.

Qin Tang was sleeping, hugging the quilt with one foot sticking out. Jiang Chuan walked over and held her foot—it was small, slim, very white, and cold. He warmed it with his hands, then tucked it back under the quilt. He lay beside her and hugged her.

Jiang Chuan turned his face and kissed her ear, her cheek, and was about to kiss her lips when she opened her eyes.

Qin Tang hadn’t been in a deep sleep; she woke up when he was warming her foot.

Jiang Chuan hovered above her, his dark eyes intently watching her. Qin Tang smiled at him, her eyes curved like crescent moons, softly saying, “Didn’t you say you missed me so much? But now that we’ve met, I don’t see how much you miss me.”

Jiang Chuan immediately leaned down to kiss her lips—intensely, restrainedly, patiently, anxiously...

She could feel all of his emotions.

Qin Tang wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back.

The two passionately kissed, the quilt kicked aside by Jiang Chuan as his hand slipped into her clothes, but then he suddenly stopped, trying to get up. Qin Tang still held onto his neck, puzzled. Jiang Chuan pulled her hand down and whispered, “Be good, I’ll go close the curtains.”

Qin Tang’s eyes were moist and clear, her earlobes turning pink.

“Swish—”

The curtains were drawn tightly shut, dimming the room.

Jiang Chuan returned to hover over her, leaning down to continue kissing her—from her lips to her neck, collarbone to chest, kissing every inch of her body slowly and gently, attentively and reverently.

Qin Tang lay beneath him, letting out soft moans.

The wind stirred the curtains, rustling softly.

It was a bit chilly.

Qin Tang shivered slightly, and Jiang Chuan sat up, embracing her, “Are you cold?”

She shook her head lightly, holding him tightly. His body was scorching, transferring warmth continuously to her, “Not cold anymore.”

Jiang Chuan kissed her lips, supporting her hips, and slowly entered her.

At the same time, he released her lips.

Qin Tang closed her eyes, tilting her neck back in a graceful arc, softly moaning, “Ah…”

Jiang Chuan clenched his lips, suddenly thrusting hard, almost venting his frustrations. Her voice shattered into fragments, growing softer and more delicate, like water rippling through his heart, seeping into the depths of his soul, effortlessly gripping everything about him.

“Tangtang, be a little more delicate…”

“Mm…” Her breathing was uneven, opening her eyes to look at him, somewhat coyly.

Jiang Chuan flipped her over, supporting her waist and lifting her hips.

He moved wildly, and she let out delicate cries, unable to bear it.

Gradually, Qin Tang felt something amiss.

“Jiang… Chuan…”

She called out his name, intermittently, delicately fragmented.

It was as if he didn’t hear her.

Silently forcing her to accept everything about him.

…

In the end.

Qin Tang lay on the bed like soft clay.

Jiang Chuan embraced her from behind, tenderly kissing her neck, then flipping her over.

Qin Tang opened her eyes, her breath faint.

Sweat dotted his forehead, his jaw tightly clenched, his eyes like deep ocean waters, intently staring at her, enunciating every word, “Whatever you want is fine, except breaking up—I’ll agree to anything.”

He didn’t need to explicitly state it; they both knew.

Qin Tang’s eyes reddened slightly, slowly wrapping her arms around his neck, softly saying, “I don’t want to break up with you.”

One sentence lifted him from hell to heaven.

Jiang Chuan closed his eyes momentarily, still gazing at her, his body trembling slightly, his voice hoarse, “Say it again.”

Qin Tang tightened her embrace, “I said, I don’t want to break up with you.”

For her, falling in love with someone was so difficult—how could she easily let go?

Jiang Chuan’s throat tightened, “Then what do you want?”

Qin Tang lowered her eyes, momentarily lost, shaking her head, “I don’t know.”

She only knew that she didn’t want to break up.

If she wanted to break up, she wouldn’t have come this time.

By coming, she became even more certain of this.

That accident years ago brought near-destruction to several families: Zhou Qi fell into a coma for five years, Chen Jingsheng lost half a leg and died on the racetrack, Peng Ran went abroad, and only she endured alone.

Finally emerging from hardship, seeing hope, only to stumble into another dead end.

Qin Tang was afraid, afraid of putting herself in a difficult situation.

She yearned for dawn.

Jiang Chuan lowered his head, his forehead touching hers, “Being with me feels like pressure, doesn’t it?”

Qin Tang bit her lip, saying nothing.

Jiang Chuan kissed her lips, “Tangtang, put all the pressure on me.”

Qin Tang blinked, her lashes brushing against his face, “Don’t you resent it? Being stripped of your police status?”

“I did resent it.” Jiang Chuan said, “But later I came to terms with it. If this is the price, then I’ve already paid it.”

Jiang Chuan propped himself up and looked down at her, “What I’m afraid of is not being able to understand. No one expected that accident, and no one wanted it to happen, but it happened anyway. My biggest regret is that Lin Hao died—he was a life, my colleague, he could have lived; Zhou Qi became a vegetative state, sleeping for five years, Chen Jingsheng lost half a leg...” He paused for a few seconds, “I know what you care about most is Chen Jingsheng.”

Qin Tang looked at him and asked, “When did you recognize me?”

Jiang Chuan lifted her right hand, staring at the tattoo on the back of her hand—a Gesang flower symbolizing happiness, “On the first day, I recognized you when I saw your tattoo.”

Qin Tang looked at her right hand and fell silent.

Jiang Chuan rolled over to lie beside her, his hand encircling her waist.

After a long while, he softly asked, “Are you hungry?”

Qin Tang turned to look at him. Jiang Chuan picked her up and helped her put on her clothes, “Let’s eat first.”

Qin Tang held him back, kneeling on the bed and hugging his neck.

Jiang Chuan froze, leaning forward to face her.

Qin Tang straightened her back and looked into his eyes, “I’ve already said, I don’t love him anymore.”

There would still be some psychological pressure, some knots yet to be smoothed out.

But she knew what mattered most to her now.

“I know.” Jiang Chuan smiled, “You love me.”

“What about you?”

“The same.”

Right now, he loved her more than she loved him.

So what? He could wait.