Chapter 30

The entire hospital room was filled with He Xinyue’s cries, sorrowful and heartbreaking. She tried to use her tears to win back Qiao Bo’s heart, hoping he would start over with her.

In Qiao Bo’s eyes, there was struggle, tenderness, embarrassment, anger, helplessness, but in the end, all those emotions slowly dissipated into nothingness, and his heart grew calm.

Qiao Bo spoke slowly, word by word, “He Xinyue, you shouldn’t have lied to me. Let’s break up.”

“No, I don’t agree to break up, Ah Bo. I only have you left. Please don’t leave me,” He Xinyue’s tears flowed even more fiercely. “Ah Bo, can we start over?”

Qiao Bo turned away, unwilling to look at her any longer.

Seeing this, He Xinyue still wanted to get out of bed and stop him. “Ah Bo…”

Qiao Chuchu watched He Xinyue in her distressed state and sighed.

【What’s the point? At this point, why not just leave quietly? Leave with some dignity, and leave behind a good memory instead of hating each other later on.】

【In the end, He Xinyue didn’t really love Qiao Bo. What she wanted all along was just someone to rely on, no matter who it was.】

【No one is irreplaceable. He Xinyue is the same. She even aborted her own child, so what’s left that she would truly care about?】

He Xinyue’s body trembled suddenly. She looked at Qiao Bo with tearful eyes. The joy that had once been on his face had long since disappeared, replaced with coldness and unfamiliarity.

She suddenly remembered the Qiao Bo from her youth—cold, obedient, always serious, a diligent and excellent student. She had wanted to see what his smile looked like, and so she made him smile.

The smiling Qiao Bo was a rare angelic figure, a light in her otherwise dull life.

But this light, she had extinguished with her own hands.

She had lost her youth, her past. No, he had come back to her for a time, but she deceived him.

In Qiao Bo’s eyes, He Xinyue slowly turned into the lively, smiling, beautiful girl from her youth. He had chased after her, but that lively figure had disappeared before him, replaced by the pale-faced, crying girl begging him not to leave.

She had been so wonderful back then. We had been so wonderful back then…

—

“Qiao Bo received

— Ah Bo, I’m sorry. I lied to you. I don’t expect your forgiveness, but I hope that you, in the future, will be safe, happy, and everything will go well. I’m leaving, don’t miss me.

He Xinyue left.”

When Qiao Bo received this message, He Xinyue had already left. She deleted all of his contact information and erased every trace of her existence from his life.

No one knew where she had gone, including Qiao Chuchu.

All she could see was the letter He Xinyue left behind and the flight to City E that He Xinyue boarded. After that, the story became a blank page, signifying an uncertain future.

It was probably for the best that He Xinyue left. It was painful for Qiao Bo, though. The girl he genuinely liked, the one he thought he had reunited with, turned out to be part of a lie. That he hadn’t collapsed from this was impressive.

For three days, Qiao Bo hadn’t left his room. Qiao Chuchu and the others didn’t bother him either. In the world of adults, sometimes one has to come to terms with things on their own and find inner peace in order to resolve matters completely.

Three Days Later

After three days, Qiao Bo finally stepped out of his room. On the surface, he seemed to be doing okay, though it would have been better if there were no bloodshot veins in his eyes.

Qiao Chuchu carefully asked, “Big Brother, do you feel better now?”

【Anyone who goes through something like this would probably break down and cry for a few days. Qiao Bo looks strong on the outside, but it turns out he’s secretly wiping away tears. It’s understandable—after all, he was nearly tricked into becoming a father by the girl he loved so much. It’s only normal for him to cry.】

Qiao Cen couldn’t help but laugh softly, “Ha—”

He really didn’t expect Qiao Bo, who seemed as tough as a rock on the outside, to cry. When they were kids, even when Qiao Bo had a bad fall and bled a lot, he didn’t cry. But this time, he was really heartbroken.

Qiao Bo gave him a cold glance, and Qiao Cen quickly turned his gaze away, slowly moving behind Qiao Chuchu.

Qiao Bo then replied, “Little Sis, don’t worry, I’m fine.”

He needed to thank his little sister for this. If it weren’t for her, he would have been kept in the dark by He Xinyue.

Qiao Chuchu sighed in relief, “I’m glad you’re okay.”

Qiao Cen poked his head out and said to him, “If you need to talk, talk. If you want to cry, cry. We won’t laugh at you.”

Qiao Bo shot him a quick look and muttered, “Shut up.”

Then, he turned back to Qiao Chuchu with a gentle tone, “Little Sis, I came back in a rush and didn’t bring you anything you like. This two million is for your pocket money. Buy whatever you want. If it’s not enough, let me know.”

Qiao Chuchu was stunned, “Two million as pocket money? That’s more than enough for me.”

“Two million is nothing. Our precious daughter can spend as much as she likes. Go ahead and spend it. Your parents might lack a lot of things, but we’ll never lack money.”

At this point, Qiao Haiyi and Du Shuyu walked in holding hands, looking very affectionate. They were also very indulgent and loving toward their children.

Qiao Chuchu couldn’t help but feel amazed: 【Once again, the luxury of the rich is opening my eyes. My rich parents are so domineering, I absolutely love it!】

The four of them exchanged a smile upon hearing her thoughts. They were all very fond of their cute little Chuchu.

—

By the time the third episode of the variety show was set to air, the guest groups received a notice from the director that the recording would be postponed for three days.

Everyone knew the reason. The director had been hurt badly by He Xuan and was being ridiculed online by netizens. It seemed he was feeling too upset to focus on recording the show.

Indeed, the director had been deeply hurt. In a fit of anger, he packed up and went on a solo trip to the grasslands. He needed some time to clear his mind before he could face everything ahead.

The delay in the show’s recording timing was quite coincidental, as the third day turned out to be the wedding day of Tong Zhichen and Jiang Manwen. All the guests and crew members were invited.

If it had been a normal time, the director would have been more than happy to join in the festivities and perhaps even taste some juicy gossip from the wealthy circles. But now, he had no mood for that. Money had arrived in his account, but he was nowhere to be found.

The Tong and Jiang families were both prestigious names in the wealthy circle, and their marriage would definitely be a grand affair. On the wedding day, all the powerful figures in the wealthy circles were invited to attend.

Qiao Chuchu also received an invitation from Jiang Manwen to be her bridesmaid, but she politely declined.

【Being a bridesmaid is out of the question. I’ve watched a lot of wedding pranks videos, and they’re really scary. I’d rather quietly enjoy some dessert and maybe pick up a bit of juicy gossip from the rich circle.】

When Jiang Manwen heard this, she wasn’t as surprised as before. She smiled lightly and said, “Well, in that case, I’ll probably be very busy today as the bride, so I might not be able to take care of you. Please don’t mind.”

“You’re too polite,” Qiao Chuchu praised. “You look very beautiful today. I’m sure you’ll be very happy in the future.”

【After going through life-and-death experiences, Jiang Manwen will cherish life and love even more, building a happy home with Tong Zhichen. This outcome is already very satisfying for them.】

Hearing her own future, Jiang Manwen smiled sincerely. “Thank you, Chuchu.”

“If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be who I am now, and we wouldn’t be here together.”

“Chuchu, can you help me put on this veil?” Jiang Manwen asked seriously. “Can you?”

Having already declined the invitation to be her bridesmaid, refusing to help her put on the veil would seem disrespectful.

Qiao Chuchu nodded. “Sure.”

【It’s just putting on a veil, much simpler than being a bridesmaid.】

Just as she picked up the veil, the sound of a sharp voice came from the door. As the girl approached, she skillfully pushed Qiao Chuchu aside and stood behind Jiang Manwen.

“Wow, Wenwen, you look so beautiful today!”

“Wenwen, happy wedding! Congratulations to you and your loved one for being together. I wish you both an early son and a long, happy life together.”

When Qiao Chuchu was pushed aside, she was stepped on as well, causing her to frown.

【Who is this person? She has no manners at all! Not only did she step on my foot, but she also stepped on Jiang Manwen’s veil. How unlucky! Her behavior clearly seems intentional.】

Everyone in the room stopped what they were doing and looked over. From the mirror, Jiang Manwen saw that Xu Shanshan’s foot was indeed on the veil. Her brow immediately furrowed.

“Xu Shanshan, take your foot off the veil.”

Xu Shanshan, seeing the change in Jiang Manwen’s expression, pretended to be unaware and said, “Sorry, Wenwen, I didn’t mean to. I was just so focused on your beautiful figure that I didn’t notice my feet.”

Qiao Chuchu scoffed inwardly: 【What do you mean you didn’t notice your feet? You were clearly stepping on the veil on purpose, and you still have the nerve to say you didn’t mean to.】

“You—”

Xu Shanshan pointed at Qiao Chuchu, as if wanting her to provide proof, but then found herself unable to speak.

“What?” Qiao Chuchu said directly. “Take your foot off now.”

Everyone was watching. Xu Shanshan, feeling humiliated, reluctantly moved her foot away and shot Qiao Chuchu a glare, cursing her for sticking her nose in.

With the help of the makeup artist, Qiao Chuchu helped Jiang Manwen put on the veil. Afterward, she had no other tasks, so she found a corner and sat down.

Jiang Manwen had quite a few good friends. One after another, they came over to see her and gave her gifts.

Xu Shanshan was pushed aside by the others and was in an extremely bad mood. She just happened to spot Qiao Chuchu, who was sitting in the corner eating dessert. She deliberately mocked, “I know who you are now. You’re Qiao Chuchu, Qiao Cen’s sister, right? If it weren’t for Tong Zhichen kindly inviting you, how could someone like you, a poor nobody, get a chance to attend this kind of noble banquet?”

The variety show Dear Us was quite popular, and she had watched two episodes.

Qiao Chuchu glanced at her indifferently. She was bored anyway, and since Xu Shanshan had come to her, she wasn’t going to be polite.

【Xu Shanshan, got it.】

Xu Shanshan, confused, asked, “What?”

【Oh my gosh, Xu Shanshan is actually a 53-year-old aunt. I never would’ve guessed! She doesn’t look her age at all! 】