Chapter 031: I Invite You to My Place

“How could you see a scene like this at the Spring Festival Gala?”
The man, cold and serene as moonlight, lifted the corners of his lips ever so slightly, teasing her with a playful undertone.

Jiang Yao shot him a glare. “What are you doing on the hospital rooftop?”

“This is my place,” He Yunqing replied, approaching her with unhurried grace. He stood beside her at the edge of the rooftop, gazing into the distance. “Why shouldn’t I be here?”

Jiang Yao snorted. “You talk like you own the hospital.”

He Yunqing turned his head; his eyes, sharp and penetrating, fixed quietly on her small face where tears still lingered, not yet fully wiped away.

“Jiang Yao.” Suddenly, he spoke.

“Huh?” Jiang Yao rubbed her cheeks a couple more times, trying to look less disheveled.

“If you have nowhere to go, I’ll let you come to my place.” His voice was slow, earnest.

Jiang Yao simply assumed he meant this rooftop.

She waved her hand dismissively, propping her chin on her elbow against the railing. “Are you cursing me? Spare me, I have plenty of places I could go. But you—why aren’t you heading home to celebrate with your family after the gala?”

He Yunqing fell silent, quietly watching the distant city lights.

On the screen across the street, advertisements for the sports brand he modeled for played on repeat.

Above, fireworks blossomed in the sky, bright points of light strewn like stars across the heavens.

He was just a man, and yet to Jiang Yao, he seemed as deep and boundless as the ocean.

He was like a riddle—one she could never hope to solve.

Jiang Yao couldn’t tell whether he had worries tonight, or if she had said something she shouldn’t. After a moment’s thought, she pushed the box of dumplings toward him. “Here, try some dumplings. They’re stuffed with three delicacies.”

He Yunqing’s gaze swept coolly over the dumplings. He made no move.

“They’re a bit cold now,” Jiang Yao frowned at the dumplings. “If only we had a pot to heat them up. But then again, if we had a pot, why would we eat dumplings? Hotpot would be perfect for this time of year.”

She rambled on to herself.

Suddenly, He Yunqing turned around and, as if by magic, produced a portable gas stove from who knew where.

Jiang Yao scratched her head, half-joking, “Is this really your place? Don’t tell me your family really does own the hospital?”

He Yunqing shot her a glance and, as if conjuring from thin air, brought out a set of camping tables and chairs.

“He Yunqing, you’re like Doraemon!” Jiang Yao exclaimed, a little giddy, helping him set up the table and chairs. “Wait here, I’ll go downstairs to see if there’s anything else I can buy.”

He Yunqing watched her run off, then sat down, his gaze falling on the phone with the blue case on the table.

Jiang Yao’s phone.

Such a scatterbrain—how is she going to buy anything without her phone?

A faint smile flickered on his lips as he reached for the phone to bring it to her. Before he could touch it, the phone began to vibrate.

Bzzzz...

His hand hovered midair, hesitated, then picked up the phone.

An unfamiliar number flashed insistently on the screen.

He Yunqing’s brow furrowed. His long fingers swiped the screen, answering the call.

That was the first time He Yunqing heard that man’s voice.

Sinister, brimming with menace.

“My little princess, guess where I am right now.”

He Yunqing held the phone, his already cool face instantly turning icy as a winter lake. “Stay away from her.”

His tone was colder than the bitterest winter wind.

The caller fell silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed coldly. “Do you know who I am?”

“I don’t care who you are,” He Yunqing replied, voice like iron. “If you dare touch her, someone will make you pay.”

With that, He Yunqing hung up.

Perhaps because it was New Year’s Eve and everyone was home with their families, there were few shops open downstairs.

It took Jiang Yao a while to find a still-open twenty-four-hour convenience store. Just as she was about to enter, she realized she’d forgotten her phone.

“Jiang Yao, your brain’s all rusted over!” She tapped herself on the head in exasperation and turned back.

As she was about to cross the street, a large truck rumbled past.

She waited at the curb for the truck to pass, then, as she was about to step forward and glanced absently to the other side of the road, her steps froze.

Every drop of blood in her body seemed to congeal in that instant.

Trembling, she stared across the street, desperately wishing she was mistaken.

But the voice deep inside her told her otherwise—she would recognize that man even if he turned to dust.

The man who had once locked her in hell: Zeng Qiwen.

After ten years, this was the first time Jiang Yao saw Zeng Qiwen again.

She thought she was prepared, but the fear still surged from the depths of her soul, uncontrollable.

Jiang Yao slowly pressed a hand to her chest, where the name Zeng Qiwen had once been inscribed.

Across the street, the man was dressed all in black, a baseball cap pulled low over his head. He gave her a ghastly grin and drew his hand across his throat in a menacing gesture.

He knew she was watching.

Jiang Yao’s mind went blank. She stared dumbly at the man across the street, at a loss.

Suddenly, a large, cool hand covered her eyes.

That hand blocked her view—blocked out everything.

She hadn’t even noticed when He Yunqing appeared at her side, standing shoulder to shoulder with her, his gaze cold and sharp, fixed on the man across the road.

Another truck rumbled by.

When it had passed, the man across the street was gone.

Jiang Yao pried He Yunqing’s hand from her eyes and turned to look at him.

Under the dazzling fireworks, the man seemed cloaked in starlight.

“You...” Her body was still trembling. “What did you see?”

He Yunqing smiled at her as if nothing had happened, his smile like the gentle trickle of a stream after ice has thawed. “See what? You left your phone behind. I came to bring it to you.”

Jiang Yao looked down, took her phone, then searched his face with questioning eyes.

He smiled faintly, turned her by the shoulders, and gestured toward the fireworks in the sky.

“Jiang Yao, eyes are meant to see beautiful things.”

She couldn’t help but look up at the horizon.

Another brilliant firework burst, painting half the sky red, then rained down like a meteor shower.

Jiang Yao gazed up at the fireworks. In her yearning eyes, there was now a trace of bitterness.

That man had come again to seize her by the throat.

But this time, she would never give him another chance.

He Yunqing did not watch the fireworks. He watched Jiang Yao’s face, flushed crimson by the glow, his obsidian eyes filled with feelings too deep to fathom.

“Come on, didn’t you want hotpot?” he said softly.