The Smile Froze on His Face (3-in-1)
When lovers were being intimate, time always flew by. Even if they did nothing, even if they said nothing, merely looking at each other and smiling foolishly, rubbing noses, kissing cheeks—time still seemed to speed up and slip away unnoticed.
Actually, Jun Yueyue felt quite awful. Although she had fallen onto soft mud yesterday, which had saved her damn life, the impact had still been painful enough to leave her aching all over. Especially her chest, which had already been rather undulating to begin with, now felt even more swollen. Even her clothes brushing against it hurt in sharp little bursts.
Fuck.
But facing Fang Anyu, who was far more miserable than she was, Jun Yueyue still good-temperedly supported her poor old waist and leaned by his bed to comfort him. After all, he really gave Jun Yueyue the feeling that he was far too fragile. Besides… in this life or the next, Jun Yueyue thought, she would never meet another person who would heroically jump from a building just to see her once.
In the past, if she had seen this kind of situation in a novel or on TV, she would have been so embarrassed that goosebumps would rise all over her body. Across a screen or a page, no one could understand how someone could be this crazy and this foolish.
But when this kind of thing became reality before your eyes, when someone truly threw themselves forward for you without hesitation, only then would you understand how rare it was for someone to be willing to be so reckless and mad for you, regardless of the consequences—even if his brain might not be quite right…
Jun Yueyue had indeed concluded from this matter that Fang Anyu’s brain might not be quite right. After all, if he truly were a normal person with sound thinking, he would not be this mad.
Fang Anyu always said that his reactions were slow, but that he was not stupid. Jun Yueyue had previously believed that firmly. But after this incident, looking at Fang Anyu with his arm wrapped and leg suspended, she no longer dared to fully believe it.
But that did not matter much. When Jun Yueyue accepted him, she already knew how troublesome he was. She truly did not mind a little more.
She leaned over, supporting her old waist, and kissed Fang Anyu on the forehead. She wanted to go pee, but Fang Anyu tugged on her sleeve and refused to let go.
He was still using those two fingers with barely any strength to pinch her sleeve. She did not even need to struggle; if she straightened up, it would naturally slip free. But Jun Yueyue could not bear to. She swore she had never felt such soft-hearted pity for anyone before. In her eyes, Fang Anyu now was simply like a piece of tofu—edible from inside to outside, but untouchable. Touch him and he would break.
A helpless expression appeared on Jun Yueyue’s face. But she really was holding it in badly. Fortunately, this awkward situation was quickly rescued by the door being opened from outside.
A nurse pushed in the medicine cart to change Fang Anyu’s IV bag. As soon as she entered and saw Jun Yueyue standing in that position by Fang Anyu’s hospital bed, she immediately became anxious.
“Why are you out of bed? Lie back down quickly! Do you know there are still two examination results that haven’t come out yet? There could be internal bruising in your organs. Moving around so casually could be life-threatening!”
When Jun Yueyue heard this, her scalp tightened too. But before lying back down, she first had to go to the bathroom.
“I’m just going to the bathroom,” Jun Yueyue said nicely to the young nurse. “And checking on him while I’m at it. The injury on his head isn’t deep, right?”
Following behind the young nurse was an unfamiliar middle-aged woman. With one glance, Jun Yueyue knew she was Fang Anyu’s mother. Her skin was cool-toned and fair, and she was well maintained. But the only thing Fang Anyu resembled her in was his skin. She truly had nothing to do with gentleness. Her cheekbones were a little high, and her brows were drawn high as well. Even though she was good-looking, she gave off a mean, sharp impression.
Jun Yueyue asked the question, but the young nurse did not answer. Mother Fang replied, “The wound isn’t deep. No need for you to worry.”
The smell of gunpowder was strong. Jun Yueyue badly needed to pee and had no mood to clash with her. She did not even look at her, supporting her waist as she went to the bathroom.
“Aren’t you family? Why didn’t you help her? Didn’t you hire a caregiver?” While changing the medicine, the young nurse turned her head and looked at Mother Fang with confusion, whose expression looked terrible.
“Her examination results haven’t come out yet. She shouldn’t be getting out of bed. If her movements are too large, it could be life-threatening…”
When the young nurse said this, Mother Fang finally became a little frightened. She walked to the bathroom door. Jun Yueyue had already finished and opened the door to come out, directly shaking off Mother Fang’s attempt to support her.
It was not that she did not know how to respect elders. But some elders truly did not deserve respect. People like the Fang family’s two elders not only sold their son, but sold him again and again, even restricting Fang Anyu’s personal freedom. The fact Jun Yueyue could ignore her rather than do more was entirely because, luckily for Mother Fang, she was Fang Anyu’s biological mother.
Fang Anyu’s eyes followed Jun Yueyue from beginning to end. When she went to the bathroom, he stared at the bathroom door. When she struggled to lie back in her own bed, he turned his head and watched her. Neither of them looked at Mother Fang.
After the young nurse left, only the three of them remained in the room. Jun Yueyue lay on her side and looked at Fang Anyu, her eyes soothing him. The two people separated by hospital beds looked like a pair of mandarin ducks that had just been beaten apart with a stick.
Mother Fang was silent for a while, then said with a dark expression, “Our family has already signed the divorce agreement. From now on, Miss Jun has nothing to do with our Fang family. If you climb over the wall and enter in the middle of the night again, I’ll consider calling the police.”
Only then did Jun Yueyue spare her a glance. Lying on the bed, she gave a laugh and asked, “I heard from my grandfather that he only gave you two small projects. Just two small projects were enough for you to sell your son again and again, and even start restricting his personal freedom? He is my husband. If I haven’t signed the divorce agreement, then it doesn’t count. You illegally restricted someone’s freedom and forced him to jump from a building. Shouldn’t I be the one calling the police?”
Jun Yueyue had come back as soon as she heard the news. She had indeed not signed the divorce agreement yet. Mother Fang had not thought of this. Her expression was somewhat shocked. Like Fang Anyan, she did not believe that Jun Yueyue truly liked Fang Anyu. No one would believe someone who changed love interests within a few days. Besides, she knew what her own son was like. Even communicating with people was difficult for him. He did not have the ability to firmly hold onto someone.
But Mother Fang also did not quite understand why Jun Yueyue had not signed. Their family urgently needed those two projects. Both were projects that could quickly bring funds back. With that returning money, perhaps the Fang family could survive.
There could not be any mistakes. Mother Fang pursed her lips and said coldly, “If you hadn’t called him from downstairs, he wouldn’t have jumped.”
Jun Yueyue smiled and sat up, leaning against the headboard. “Then you are his mother. Logically speaking, you should understand him better than I do.”
Jun Yueyue’s smile was very cold. “Tell me, then. Why would he jump from a building just because someone called him? Is his brain not working properly? Or does he not know that jumping down could kill him? And why didn’t he go through the door? Why did he have to jump down from upstairs?”
Towards the end, Jun Yueyue’s voice suddenly rose. Mother Fang was startled by her and could not help shrinking her shoulders. Perhaps Jun Yueyue’s emotions were too agitated. After saying this, she coughed violently a few times, her face turning red. She took several deep breaths before finally calming down.
When she spoke again, her voice was very soft, but the words she said made Mother Fang’s expression grow increasingly ugly.
“You’re his mother. Did you raise him this big just so you could repeatedly sell him? Did you ask what he wanted? He is a person, not a dog that can be casually locked at home and tied up…”
Jun Yueyue thought of her previous life, of that sentence she had received after working hard until the very end: “She’ll be fine.” Her eyes reddened in a frightening way.
“You…”
Her voice choked. In the end, she did not say anything else. She only closed her eyes and lay on the bed, exhaling deeply.
Forget it. What use was there in saying anything? A few words would not change a person’s views. Embarrassment would only make her find more excuses for herself, then become self-righteous.
Jun Yueyue did not want to say another word to her. She did not want to look at her again. At this moment, she truly realised that she had to have the Jun family. Whether what awaited her was the coming apocalypse or a normal world, she had to hold the power to make choices in her own hands. Otherwise, things like this would only keep happening.
The hospital room fell silent again. Not long after, Mother Fang quietly left the room. Jun Yueyue took a while to settle her emotions, then opened her eyes and looked at Fang Anyu. She smiled at him, then suddenly remembered something. Slowly, she got out of bed again and opened the cabinet by the head of her bed.
Her clothes were all there. She rummaged through them without much hope, and to her surprise, she actually found the little turtle she had carried with her last night as a gift for Fang Anyu.
Because it had gone without water for a long time, its claws and shell were all dry. But it was surprisingly resilient and had not suffered much. It had withdrawn into its shell. Jun Yueyue poked it, and it shrank further inside.
Jun Yueyue smiled and carried the turtle to Fang Anyu’s side. She picked up her phone with its terribly shattered screen and typed again:
—This is the gift I wanted to give you last night. Look, it’s fine.
Fang Anyu’s eyes moved to the tucked-in turtle. It was not big, only about the size of Jun Yueyue’s palm. It was lucky it had not been crushed flat by the two of them last night.
Fang Anyu’s eyes were bright. The corners of his lips curved slightly. Jun Yueyue slowly asked him, “Do you like it?”
He looked at Jun Yueyue and nodded.
So Jun Yueyue placed the little turtle beside Fang Anyu’s pillow. Because it was scared, it did not dare come out, but from time to time, its little feet would move.
Jun Yueyue used her phone again and told Fang Anyu:
“It eats turtle food, but the seller said it’s better not to feed it that. You can feed it little fish, and also meat. The meat has to be lean…”
Jun Yueyue explained the precautions to Fang Anyu. When she got to the part about not putting this thing in the same tank as the big-bellied fish, otherwise it would eat the fish, the door opened again. This time, a doctor in a white coat came in, holding two sheets of paper.
“Hey, why are you out of bed?” The doctor frowned. “Lie back down. You need rest.” Then he lowered his head and looked at the papers in his hand. “Luckily, there’s no internal organ bruising. But you still need to pay attention and rest. The chest area received the heavier impact. Remember to come back for a follow-up in one or two months to prevent any lumps from being left behind. You’re married, right? I recommend not trying for children within half a year.”
Jun Yueyue obediently lay back down. Towards these angels in white, her attitude was especially good. Hearing this, she quickly nodded. “Oh, I understand.”
After the doctor left, Fang Anyu looked over worriedly. Jun Yueyue gently shook her head at him, then disobediently got out of bed again. She found a small basin for the turtle, filled it with water, and placed it inside. Then she sat down beside Fang Anyu, reached out to touch his forehead, and said one word at a time, “The doctor said I’m fine.”
Fang Anyu nodded. Jun Yueyue picked up her phone and typed:
—But promise me, from now on, you can never do such a foolish thing again.
After reading it, Fang Anyu nodded again. Jun Yueyue typed again:
—No matter what others say, don’t believe them. Only believe what I personally say. Protect yourself and wait patiently for me.
When this matter was mentioned, Fang Anyu’s eyes reddened again. Jun Yueyue looked at him, then looked at his left side. She simply walked around, slowly climbed onto the narrow bed, tried not to press on him, and lay sideways on the same pillow as him.
She handed him the phone, letting him use two fingers to slowly poke out the words he wanted to say.
—You still want me, right?
Jun Yueyue kissed him and said to him, “I do.”
Fang Anyu slowly poked again:
—Will you marry someone else?
Jun Yueyue did not immediately deny it. If Old Master Jun forced her harshly, she might really grit her teeth and marry someone first. If the other person was Li Li, they could still sign an agreement. These were all temporary measures.
After thinking it over, Jun Yueyue still carefully explained to Fang Anyu that this situation might happen.
After Fang Anyu read it, he slowly bit his lip.
—Will you have children with him?
Jun Yueyue almost choked on her own saliva. A smile appeared on her face. She leaned closer and kissed the corner of Fang Anyu’s lips.
—Even if I get married, it will be fake. I won’t have children with him. I won’t let anyone other than you touch me.
Fang Anyu looked at this for a while. His bitten lip loosened, and he slowly poked at the screen:
—Really?
Jun Yueyue patted her swollen chest and promised, “I swear.”
Fang Anyu was the easiest to coax. After Jun Yueyue said this, although his eyes were still full of unease, he did not ask anything more. He simply lay on the same pillow as Jun Yueyue, looking at each other from close up.
Jun Yueyue was actually very uncomfortable in this position, but she knew that no matter how uncomfortable she was, she was not as uncomfortable as Fang Anyu with his injured muscles and bones. He had not mentioned a single word and had not even frowned. In a certain sense, he was also a real man.
For the entire afternoon, apart from the nurses who occasionally came in, there were only the two of them in the hospital room. Jun Yueyue kept comforting Fang Anyu. Only after he finally fell asleep did she pick up the phone that she had muted but that had been ringing the whole time.
“Hello?”
“You really are capable now!” Old Master Jun’s furious voice came from the other side. “Running into someone’s backyard in the middle of the night and making their son jump from a building!”
Jun Yueyue took a deep breath. Ten thousand sentences of “fuck your mother” were stuck in her throat. This was obviously that woman from earlier complaining to the old man.
Jun Yueyue actually wanted to say that they had restricted Fang Anyu’s personal freedom, and Fang Anyu had only jumped because he had no way out. But what use would saying that be? She had no way to change anyone’s views with one sentence. To put it plainly, if it had not been for this old man using money to lure the Fang family, none of this would have happened. What was she supposed to expect from telling him? His pity for her? Or his pity for Fang Anyu?
Jun Yueyue did not need that kind of pity.
So after a long silence, her voice choked as she said, “I know I was wrong, Grandpa. Wuwuwu, I’m in the hospital now. My whole body hurts so much. The doctor said I might have internal bleeding. I’m so scared. The Fang family doesn’t care about me at all. Grandpa… wuwuwu…”
Jun Yueyue launched into a round of fake crying. Her voice had already been trembling from anger, so Old Master Jun’s stomach full of scolding was completely thrown into disorder by her crying. Because this eldest granddaughter had not acted spoiled and cried pitifully to him since she was very young.
For a moment, Old Master Jun could not scold anymore. He held it in until his face turned red. In the end, he only said irritably, “Let’s see whether you still run around now!”
Jun Yueyue immediately followed up with sobbing. “I won’t run anymore, wuwuwu…”
Old Master Jun sighed and said, “I’ve already sent someone to pick you up. They should be arriving at the hospital soon. Transfer to a private hospital in Qiuhai and have a proper check-up. It’s run by an old friend of mine. Stop crying! So useless…”
Jun Yueyue had actually long expected that this trick would probably work. She had merely disdained using it before. After all, this could also be considered deceiving feelings. But if she did not use it, she had no other path. She needed to go one last time to that place she had always been afraid to seek confirmation from. She also needed money—lots and lots of money she could mobilise.
Jun Yueyue was rarely this obedient. Old Master Jun had also learned about the situation on her side. It was indeed quite frightening. But he felt it was good to frighten her a little, so she would stop single-mindedly thinking about a fool.
Listening to Jun Yueyue’s voice, Old Master Jun paused before saying, “After you come back, sign the divorce agreement. It has already been delivered here.”
This time, Jun Yueyue did not hesitate. She obediently replied, “Mm…”
Old Master Jun breathed a sigh of relief and told her to wait patiently. After Jun Yueyue hung up, she looked at Fang Anyu beside her, feeling an indescribable discomfort in her heart.
Just thinking about it made her feel unbearable. But separating from Fang Anyu and temporarily showing her stance was the only way for the two of them to go further together in the future.
The person who came to pick Jun Yueyue up was none other than Li Li, who had brought her here. When Jun Yueyue saw him enter with people, she raised her brows in surprise.
Li Li stood at the door and spread his hands. “When I called the old man this morning, he directly told me to take you to Bingzhou Hospital. That day, when you ran out by yourself, he probably sent someone to follow you and saw you get into my car.”
Jun Yueyue also sighed. Fine. In any case, it would be difficult to untie herself from Li Li for a while.
“The paperwork is all done. Should I have someone help you change clothes?” Li Li looked at the person sleeping beside Jun Yueyue and raised his brows again. “But you seem fine to me. Is this your delicate flower?”
Li Li walked a few steps closer and looked at Fang Anyu’s quiet sleeping side profile. He said, “He really does have a good face. I heard he’s quite wild too. He even jumped from a building for you.”
Jun Yueyue smiled. “I didn’t expect it either. But I’ve already explained everything clearly to him. He’s very obedient. After we go back, we can discuss the cooperation in detail.”
Li Li tilted his head. “Your decision is right. If you don’t get the Jun family, you really won’t be able to afford this flower.”
Jun Yueyue helplessly curled her lip and said nothing more. Instead, she slowly got up, took the clothes from the cabinet, and went to the bathroom to change. Li Li wanted to call someone to help her, but Jun Yueyue refused.
After she went inside, Li Li could not help walking forward a little more, intending to properly size up Fang Anyu. But unexpectedly, the moment Jun Yueyue left, Fang Anyu opened his eyes.
Li Li’s eyes widened, just in time to meet Fang Anyu’s gaze as he turned over.
Their gazes met in the air. At first glance, because Li Li was standing and looking down from above, his aura seemed very strong. He had grown up among rough people, and even now, dressed like a refined scumbag, he still carried the air of a fierce bandit.
Meanwhile, Fang Anyu was lying injured on the bed, with his leg suspended and his face pale. He looked soft and harmless, fragile enough to break at a touch.
But when Li Li’s curious gaze met his in the air, the smile on Li Li’s face froze slightly. He swore he clearly felt hostility from Fang Anyu.
From those eyes half-covered by soft, messy hair, he sensed an obvious chill.
Surprised, he took a step forward, wanting to see more clearly. But just then, Jun Yueyue opened the door and came out. Li Li pointed at Fang Anyu and said, “He’s awake.”
But when he turned his head, Fang Anyu was still in the same position as before, looking as if he was sleeping particularly deeply.
Jun Yueyue glanced over, then looked at the slightly dazed Li Li. Misunderstanding him, she said, “Let’s not wake him.”
Jun Yueyue looked a little embarrassed. “I’m afraid he’ll cry. If he cries, I won’t be able to leave.”
Li Li opened his mouth, then looked again at Fang Anyu, whose breathing was steady and whose eyes were closed. He said, “He really was awake just now. He even glared at me…”
Jun Yueyue smiled. “Is that so?” She walked to Fang Anyu’s side, leaned down, and kissed his forehead. Then she said to Li Li, “Let’s go.”
Li Li still tried to explain, but in the end, he did not continue.
He had come to pick up Jun Yueyue, bringing people with him as well as a wheelchair. It had not originally needed to be so exaggerated, but Jun Yueyue was indeed sore everywhere. Besides, she had been coaxing Fang Anyu and had not rested properly.
Why make herself suffer? So she simply sat in it.
After Jun Yueyue left, Fang Anyu slowly opened his eyes. His gaze turned to the door, his expression lonely and helpless.
He knew she had wanted him to fall asleep. When she had been lying beside him earlier, she had said it several times. Fang Anyu had fallen asleep as she wished… but who was that person just now?
Was he her… marriage partner?
Fang Anyu lay on the bed and looked at the little turtle that had already stretched its head out on the supply cabinet beside him. He took a deep breath, then slowly breathed it out again.
He had to believe her. She had said she would not make him wait too long.
When Jun Yueyue came out of the hospital, she subconsciously looked at the sky. Sure enough, the spiderweb-like lightning had only become smaller; it had not disappeared. Jun Yueyue sat in the wheelchair as someone pushed her along. Deep down, she still did not quite want to believe it. She had to find time to go to the final place…
Jun Yueyue only stayed one night at Bingzhou Hospital. Because the green light had been given, all the test results came out that same night.
Indeed, other than external injuries and muscle strains, she had no other injuries. After being observed for one night, she could be discharged the next day.
On the return journey, she rode in a camper van that Li Li claimed he had borrowed from a friend. She lay down the whole way back. After arriving at the Jun residence, Old Master Jun said a few things to Jun Yueyue with a dark expression, but in front of Li Li, he did not say anything too harsh. He even told Jun Yueyue to properly thank Li Li for accompanying her in her nonsense.
Jun Yueyue was very cooperative. She said that another day, once she was better, she would treat Li Li to a meal. Li Li happily agreed. Also pleased was Old Master Jun, who watched the two of them interact.
That night, under Old Master Jun’s supervision, Jun Yueyue signed the divorce agreement.
The feeling of being forced by someone was truly fucking unpleasant. But apart from this, she could not think of any other way. She had to settle everything within these few months. Before the apocalypse arrived, even if she had to pile them up, she had to pile enough supplies for Fang Anyu to live worry-free for half a lifetime.
So when she privately discussed things with Li Li in detail, she gave up the most profitable entertainment area and chose the shopping area inside the scenic resort. She also insisted on building underground storage. Li Li had originally planned to allocate her the most profitable zone, but what she chose herself was the one with relatively the least profit.
“Build an underground storage space the same size as the supermarket?” Li Li could not help asking. “Why?”
Jun Yueyue looked at him. After thinking for a while, she did not hide it. “I need to store a lot of things.”
“But the supermarket allocation already comes with a large warehouse. This…”
“It’s not enough. There are too many things I need to prepare. Build the storage first. From the first batch of funds, I want one percent to use.”
“What exactly are you trying to do?” Li Li said. “The supermarket’s goods have to stay fresh. There’s no meaning in storing too much. Besides, one percent of the initial investment funds—what do you want to do with it? When we discussed this before, there was no such thing.”
His voice could not help becoming cold and hard. Jun Yueyue looked at the lightning outside that had not stopped for days, then looked at Li Li and said, “I can give up the entire scenic resort’s first-year profits in exchange for this one percent of the first-stage investment funds.”
Li Li stood up and looked at Jun Yueyue. “What exactly is going on? You have to explain clearly.”
The first-year profits were indeed very tempting, but he had to figure out what Jun Yueyue wanted to do.
“The engagement banquet is at the beginning of next month, right? Before that, I’m planning to go somewhere,” Jun Yueyue said. “After I come back, I’ll tell you what I need the money for.”
After saying this, Jun Yueyue looked outside at the grey, gloomy sky, which had not seen the sun for over a month. “Next month will be October, late autumn and early winter. Look at the leaves outside. Do they look like they have any intention of falling at all?”
Li Li did not know why Jun Yueyue had suddenly turned the topic to trees. But hearing this, he also frowned. Indeed, the weather had not been quite right recently… But the experts on TV had said it was caused by global warming.
But what did that have to do with her wanting to divert funds? He was the one in charge of the project, and the first-stage investment budget was already insufficient. Li Li moved his gaze back from the window and frowned at Jun Yueyue.
“Where are you going? To see your little delicate flower? Haven’t you already hired someone to watch near his house?”
Jun Yueyue shook her head. “I’m going to Qingshu County.”
The moment the name came out, Li Li froze. He frowned and thought for a moment, but he had never heard of the place. Then he took out his phone and searched it. Immediately afterwards, he could not help wanting to explode.
“At a time like this, why are you crossing half the country to go to that remote, poor place?!”
Jun Yueyue had forced him into becoming a tyrannosaurus. He paced in circles on the floor.
“It’s the twenty-fifth now. The engagement is at the beginning of the month. If you go now, when will you be back? The first-stage investment will also be in place soon. Won’t you go when construction starts?”
“How did I not realise earlier that you were this unreliable!”
Li Li put his hands on his waist and irritably grabbed his hair. By accident, he grabbed off his wig. He froze for a moment, then simply rolled up the wig and stuffed it into his pocket. Under the wig, he was not bald, but his hair was only a short layer of stubble. From behind his ears to the whole back of his head, there spread a large scar where his skull had once been split open.
“I’ll go and come back quickly. I’ll take a plane. I’ll definitely be back within five days. I’m just going to look…”
Jun Yueyue turned her head and looked at Li Li’s convict-like hairstyle. Her voice got stuck for a moment before she continued, “I’ll just go take a look and come back.”
“Who are you going to see? I’ve never heard that the Jun family has relatives that far away.” Li Li did not care at all about his fugitive-like appearance. But he also could not really lose his temper at Jun Yueyue, because she was truly an easy-going partner. He had taken so much advantage that he was almost embarrassed.
If not for the fact that Jun Yueyue spent every day hugging her phone and looking at the blurry photos of her delicate flower sent by the person she had hired, Li Li would have suspected that such selfless cooperation meant Jun Yueyue had gone mad with love for him.
However, Old Master Jun did not know about the private contract between the two of them. He had not fully returned power to Jun Yueyue’s hands. He would probably wait until after the engagement.
But Li Li was not anxious. Because the day Jun Yueyue truly became the Jun family’s person in power, the gifting contract between them would come into effect. Even if she ultimately failed, this project would still count as a cooperation with the Jun family, and he would still make a bloody profit without losing out.
His temper had always been explosive, but after suppressing it several times, he sighed and said, “Fine. I don’t care what you’re doing. Go if you want. But you must come back for the engagement. I’ll send two people with you. They’re bodyguards who have been by my side for quite a while.”
Jun Yueyue did not refuse. That very night, she took a car to Pingchuan. Recently, Old Master Jun basically did not ask where she went. As long as she used Li Li as an excuse, he would not notice even if she did not return for several days.
The next day, Jun Yueyue boarded a plane from Pingchuan and flew directly to Zhangguang. From Zhangguang, she transferred twice by coach. Only at noon on the third day did she finally arrive in Qingshu County.
After getting off the coach, Jun Yueyue stood at the familiar yet unfamiliar exit for a long time without moving. Everything here was exactly the same as in her memories from her previous life. This made her feel suffocated.
She did not immediately go looking for anyone. Instead, she first found a nearby inn and settled down. She took the two silent bodyguards following her to have a good meal, then slept properly. Only the next morning did she take a bus to the neighbourhood where she had lived in her previous life.
Walking along the still bumpy brick path that no one had repaired, the closer she got to the alley entrance of the home she once had, the more indescribably suffocated she felt.
Along the way, she had speculated about all kinds of possibilities. Ever since waking up in Jun Yue’s body, she had carefully calculated everything that had happened. In the end, she arrived at one conclusion: only one possibility could fit all the guesses and all the abnormal signs that had occurred.
Holding this indescribable, stifling feeling, Jun Yueyue stood at the mouth of the alley and looked at the old, unrepaired gate not far away. That was the gate she used to open with a body full of exhaustion and a sense of belonging whenever she returned from school in Zhangguang City.
That gate had once given her countless ordinary yet happy years. But now, Jun Yueyue did not have the courage to knock on it even a few times.
She stood at the alley entrance until her feet grew sore. People came and went, and some who saw her looked at her strangely. Jun Yueyue knew all of them. Auntie Wang next door, whose husband was a laid-off worker; their family of four relied on her making stuffed pancakes for a living, but they were harmonious and happy.
Uncle Zhang, whose children were not by his side and who lived alone, but was in good health and loved going to the sports square to play Chinese chess.
These people who had once lived around her and had been incomparably familiar had, after the apocalypse, become stiff-limbed living dead who opened their mouths and only knew how to chase people.
Jun Yueyue was truly afraid of such a world, but she also could not help forcing herself to face it. Because in this lifetime, she knew that her companion would not abandon her under any circumstances.
Thinking of Fang Anyu, Jun Yueyue took a deep breath and finally moved towards the courtyard at the alley entrance. But she had only taken one step when she froze stiffly in place, not even daring to turn her head.
Behind her came an incomparably familiar woman’s voice, chasing after a child who quickly ran past her.
“Xingxing! Wait, don’t run too fast, you’ll fall!”
Jun Yueyue gritted her teeth so hard that her teeth ached, only then managing not to cry out. Her voice was still so gentle. She had once been Jun Yueyue’s closest relative. Every time Jun Yueyue came back on holiday and gave her the money she had earned from part-time work, she would always say, “You’re grown up now. Keep it for yourself and buy some pretty clothes.”
Jun Yueyue bit down until the taste of blood filled her mouth.
She had once believed that after her father was gone, her mother and younger brother were the people closest to her for her entire life. But this voice, on a certain day when facing a life-or-death choice, had used the same tone to tell others, “You can do whatever you want to her. She’ll be fine…”
She’ll be fine.
Jun Yueyue raised her head slightly and forced the tears in her eyes back. She still could not help hating, could not help resenting.
Why was it fine to sell her out?
The woman was about to brush past her. Jun Yueyue suddenly spoke. The moment she looked at the woman, her tears still disobediently spilled out.
But she smiled. Clenching her hand tightly, she smiled and asked, “Are you Jun Yueyue’s mother? I’m her classmate. I came to find her for something.”
The woman froze for a moment. She instinctively glanced at her son, who was still clumsily opening the door, then looked at Jun Yueyue with some caution. Thinking of recent scam advertisements, she shook her head and said, “You’ve got the wrong person. I’m not.”
In that instant, Jun Yueyue felt cold all over. But she still suppressed the mountain-and-sea-like surge of emotion and continued asking, “How could that be? Jun Yueyue told me her family lives here. She’s at Zhangguang Normal University and is my classmate. She said she couldn’t come back during the holidays and asked me to bring some money to her mother and younger brother.”
When the woman heard it was about delivering money, her vigilance relaxed a little. But after hesitating, she still said, “I’m not Jun Yueyue’s mother. There’s no one called Jun Yueyue around here either. I only have one son.”
As she spoke, she pointed in the direction of the child who had already entered the door by himself.
“You’ve found the wrong place. I haven’t heard of any student called that in this area. There’s no one surnamed Jun either.” After saying this, the woman saw Jun Yueyue crying terribly. But she only hesitated for a moment before walking into the alley too.
The bodyguards were standing in the distance. Jun Yueyue cried aloud and crouched down, hugging her knees.
There was no person called Jun Yueyue. She had guessed correctly.
She had been reborn in the apocalypse as Jun Yue. Everything had started over again. If people truly had souls, then there was no longer a Jun Yueyue in this world.
And she had not transmigrated into a book. She had been reborn before the apocalypse. She herself… had lived in the collapsed world outside the plot.
The protagonists of this book lived in a normal world. Their story ended happily at the moment when they loved each other. But people like them, characters used to fill out the world, had lived in hell after the book ended.
This was the only explanation for why there had been no information about the protagonists during the apocalypse.
Jun Yueyue crouched on the ground. She did not cry for very long. This was already the ending she had expected. But personally verifying that she had disappeared from this world still gave her an indescribably unreal feeling.
The two bodyguards in the distance watched her crouching there. After a while, they also walked over and asked whether she was all right.
Jun Yueyue’s tears had already stopped, and her emotions had returned to normal. This was fine. She did not need any relatives, nor did she need to save another version of herself. She only needed to focus on preparing to welcome the coming man-eating world and live a long, long life with her beloved.
“I’m fine.”
As Jun Yueyue stood up, that heavy emotion and the shackles of family affection that had locked her down for two lifetimes fell away from her with her steps.
This was fine, she told herself.
On the return journey, she slept the entire way, as if she had never slept properly in this lifetime. The only times she woke were when she vaguely rubbed her eyes and looked at the photos of Fang Anyu sent to her by the detective she had hired.
He was feeding the fish. He looked quite well.
She was also quite well. Jun Yueyue put the phone away and smiled as she looked out the car window. It was the belated relief from her previous life.
She made it back before the engagement banquet at the beginning of the month. However, she still did not have much energy. She slept for a full day and night. Li Li teased her, saying that even if she had gone out to have an affair, she should not have been this tired.
Before the engagement banquet, Jun Yueyue got up to wash. Still dazed, she let the makeup artist and stylist fuss over her.
Once everything was done, Li Li personally drove over to pick her up. Jun Yueyue only regained some energy after arriving at the hotel. When she saw the balloon arch at the entrance, she thought of the time she and Fang Anyu went to buy fish. Although this was Pingchuan, she still could not help feeling that this balloon arch looked like the work of that wedding company.
Old Master Jun had not arrived yet, so the banquet had not officially begun. This time, the invited guests were all important figures from Pingchuan, along with some people from Qiuhai City who had investment interest in the project, as well as some of Old Master Jun’s old acquaintances.
Once Jun Yueyue entered the banquet, she put on a smiling mask. Her hand rested lightly on Li Li’s arm as she diligently played the role of a decorative vase.
Right now, she still had not fully obtained real power. Before Old Master Jun delegated authority, she only needed to be an obedient vase.
She maintained an elegant, standard smile, holding a wine glass and leaning birdlike beside Li Li as they exchanged pleasantries with unfamiliar people in the room. As long as they got through tonight, even if Old Master Jun was still unwilling to completely hand over power, he would at least feel more reassured about her. Perhaps they would not need to wait until she truly married Li Li for everything to be settled.
Li Li turned a corner. Jun Yueyue smiled, ready to give the person opposite them a fake smile. But when she saw who it was, her smile froze on her face.
Jun Yueyue’s first reaction was to quickly shake off the hand Li Li had placed on her shoulder.
Fuck! Why was Fang Anyu here?!
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