Chapter 006 Don't Leave

“What kind of question is that?” Jiang Yao pressed her lips together tightly.

It sounded as if they were old friends.

She grumbled inwardly.

“Isn’t it good?” He Yunqing turned his head, lowering his gaze to her.

“Of course it’s good, why wouldn’t it be?” Jiang Yao lowered her head silently, the toes of her sneakers nudging the pebbles at the lake’s edge. “Work is going well, my friends are thoughtful, and every meal is delicious.”

He Yunqing observed her downcast head, his tightly pressed lips carrying a trace of inscrutable meaning.

Jiang Yao looked up just in time to catch that expression on his face. “What’s with that look?”

He Yunqing’s expression instantly returned to normal. “Is there any wish you haven’t fulfilled?”

Jiang Yao examined this suddenly odd-acting man in front of her with a probing gaze. After two seconds, a rather dangerous thought exploded in her mind.

In Jiang Yao’s own translation, what He Yunqing was really saying was: “Do you have any last wishes…”

She couldn’t help swallowing nervously, taking a step back in the opposite direction, eyeing him warily. “You’re not still holding a grudge about me hitting you, are you?”

Here, at Mirror Lake, at that moment, there was no one else but her and He Yunqing. The surface of the lake was shrouded in thick mist…

He Yunqing clearly understood the implication of her words. “What sort of nonsense are you imagining?”

“Nothing, that’s best.” Jiang Yao relaxed a little, her gaze pausing on the faint red mark on He Yunqing’s pale neck.

She wondered if that was from her scratching him the night before.

After a moment’s thought, she lowered her head and fished a band-aid from her backpack, extending it to the man at arm’s length. “Here. About last night—I’m sorry.”

He Yunqing accepted the band-aid, turned it over in his hand, and tucked it into his pocket, unused.

Jiang Yao paid him no further mind, focusing on fastening her backpack. Her eyes lingered briefly on the black leather wallet inside. “If I really have to say I have a wish, I’m looking for someone.”

“You’re looking for someone too,” He Yunqing narrowed his eyes. “Who?”

“Someone very important, of course,” Jiang Yao answered evasively, then suddenly realized, “Why did you say ‘too’? Are you looking for someone as well?”

“I’ve already found them,” He Yunqing replied, quietly watching Jiang Yao.

“Oh, then should I ask who you found?” It was a casual question, and Jiang Yao didn’t expect him to answer.

“Someone I owe a debt to,” He Yunqing said, unexpectedly earnest.

Jiang Yao nodded thoughtfully, speculating to herself that a man as handsome as him had probably left a trail of broken hearts behind.

“There are some debts you can repay, and some that can never be repaid. If I were that person, I’d rather never see you again,” she said.

He Yunqing fell silent, gazing at her for a long moment, then turned toward the lake, his eyes searching the unreachable distance.

Jiang Yao glanced at the time. “Oh no, I’m going to be late.”

With that, she hurriedly slung her backpack over her shoulder and ran back the way she’d come.

He Yunqing stood with his back to the direction she’d left, listening as her footsteps faded away—then, unexpectedly, drew nearer again.

“Hey!” Jiang Yao, who had run off, doubled back.

He Yunqing turned around.

Jiang Yao flashed him a faint smile. “Some debts may never be repaid, but with time, who’s to say she hasn’t stopped needing you to repay it?”

She waved at him. “Alright, I’m off.”

Jiang Yao’s smile was striking, and when raindrops fell on her dimples, she was even more beautiful—completely unlike the woman who had been cursing in the rain just moments before.

He Yunqing didn’t realize how long he had been staring in the direction she’d gone.

After a while, he finally took out his phone and made a call. “Help me find someone. It’s about something that happened ten years ago. Jiang Yao.”

He paused, then corrected himself. “Jiang Xiaoqing.”

In the makeshift dressing room at the banquet venue, Jiang Yao opened her makeup case and glanced at Ye Yiyi, who was sitting in the far corner, beaming.

Even without makeup, Ye Yiyi was beautiful enough.

“Yao, guess who I just ran into outside?” Ye Yiyi burst out excitedly.

Jiang Yao, uninterested, looked down and picked out a foundation that matched Ye Yiyi’s complexion. “Who?”

“He Yunqing. He Yunqing!” Ye Yiyi’s face lit up as she leaned in. “I didn’t expect him to be here too. He’s even more handsome in person than on camera.”

“He who?” Jiang Yao hadn’t caught the name and asked absently.

Ye Yiyi pouted. “You haven’t heard of He Yunqing? He’s really on the rise lately—he can sing, dance, and act, and most importantly, he’s gorgeous. I bet it won’t be long before he’s the hottest star in the industry. I’m about to become his fan.”

Jiang Yao had never cared about the entertainment business, nor did she have the time. She was working two jobs at once these days.

“Oh?” Jiang Yao grinned, tapping her head with the handle of her makeup brush as if in thought. “Didn’t you say last month you were a fan of someone else? And the month before that…”

“Yao!” Ye Yiyi puffed out her cheeks. “But he really is handsome. Let me show you his photo.”

She began scrolling through her phone. The handle of Jiang Yao’s makeup brush tapped her hand as Jiang Yao swiftly confiscated her phone. “Sit still. We’re running out of time.”

“Alright, I’ll show you next time,” Ye Yiyi conceded, sitting up straight. “But Yao, you’re so good at makeup. With your skills, you could have your own studio by now. Why don’t you?”

Jiang Yao’s grip on her brush tightened slightly.

“Isn’t it enough that I do your makeup alone?”

“That’s not bad either,” Ye Yiyi replied, her face breaking into a blissful smile.

By the time she finished Ye Yiyi’s makeup, the banquet was about to begin. The once lively dressing room quickly emptied out.

Jiang Yao sat alone in the corner, waiting for Ye Yiyi. She hadn’t slept all night, and after a day of rushing about, exhaustion overwhelmed her. She laid her head on the table and drifted off.

At some point, another person entered the dressing room.

He Yunqing, dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit, his tall figure leaning lightly against the makeup table, one hand in his pocket, the long, elegant fingers of the other tapping out a rhythm on his phone with an air of effortless nobility.

On his phone was a message he had received not long before.

“About Jiang Xiaoqing—since it was ten years ago, there isn’t much information. The few records indicate she was a victim in a case. The defendant was rather unusual—he was her mother’s boyfriend at the time. Uh, it was a sexual assault case…”

He Yunqing gazed quietly at the sleeping Jiang Yao.

Her lips were pressed together, a few stray strands of hair falling across her face. Even in her sleep, her brows were faintly furrowed.

Ten years ago, she would have been only fifteen.

He Yunqing pulled his thoughts back, gently adjusting the coat that had slipped from her shoulders, and turned to leave.

Suddenly, a soft hand reached out and held his.

“Don’t go,” Jiang Yao murmured.