BDB Chapter 68 (Finale)

Old Madam Ma’s people were highly efficient in their actions.

The day after leaving the bar, they found out the whereabouts of that girl for her.

In August, the phoenix trees were lush and green, adding a peaceful atmosphere to the old-style residential compound.

However, when Old Madam Ma got out of the extended Lincoln and looked at the nearly peeling walls covered with various small advertisements, she couldn’t help but frown.

What troubled her even more came later.

Her legs had deteriorated over the year, and after being helped up several flights of stairs by her bodyguards, she realized they had only reached the fifth floor.

By the time she finally made it to the tenth floor, according to the address she had found, her hair was almost entirely soaked with sweat.

Standing in front of the rust-stained security door, she knocked, and after a while, footsteps approached from inside. Hearing this, Old Madam Ma hurriedly adjusted her scarf. What she didn’t expect was that the person who opened the door was not the familiar “granddaughter-in-law” but a young man who looked to be in his twenties.

The young man seemed to recognize her as well. Before she could react, she saw the door close faster than it had opened.

Old Madam Ma quickly continued knocking.

After knocking five or six times, the door was finally reopened from the inside. The young man glared at her fiercely and said, “What do you want?”

In her youth, Old Madam Ma had been as capable as any man, and in her old age, she naturally carried an air of righteousness.

She smiled and said, “I mean no harm. I know you are Jiang Rao’s big brother. I just want to meet her and have a chat.”

“She’s not home.”

It was clear that this was a lie. The private investigators Old Madam Ma hired were not useless and could provide accurate information.

From their reports, it was known that the girl had hardly left the house since moving in.

When the young man tried to close the door again, Old Madam Ma quickly signaled her bodyguards.

While the young man’s hands were restrained by the bodyguards, she swiftly found an opportunity to slip into the house.

Once inside, she found that the room was indeed very simple. Although it was modestly decorated with a warm ambiance, the furnishings and decorations were all inexpensive.

The young man behind her was still struggling, but his silent, frantic movements were enough to show that the person she was looking for was indeed in the house.

Sure enough, the room had decent soundproofing, but it only had two rooms, making it not too difficult to find someone.

When she pressed her ear against one of the doors, she heard a clear and distinct voice inside, “a, c, c, o… accompany, to accompany; a, c, c, u…”

Old Madam Ma knocked on the door, and the voice inside paused before answering, “I’m coming.”

To be honest, although she had already seen the girl’s real appearance from photos and recent movies, seeing her in person made Old Madam Ma sigh at how unfair creation was.

The girl had her hair styled in a bun at the back of her head, with only the bangs and some loose hair framing her face.

Her eyebrows and lips seemed to grow naturally, and with just this bare face, she outshone even the most carefully styled and dressed celebrities.

Old Madam Ma had prepared countless words of persuasion before coming, but upon seeing the girl in person, she suddenly felt that her scoundrel grandson was truly unworthy of this family’s young lady.

A person as beautiful as her would surely be pampered and cherished by any future partner, right?

Yet her grandson, because he couldn’t have her, harmed her and caused her to lose her memory—was this something a human being would do?

Despite her disapproval of her grandson’s actions, Old Madam Ma still needed to advocate for him due to her own selfish desires.

She smiled kindly, her voice betraying her earnest attitude. “Girl, could I have a private chat with you?”

Before Jiang Pei could utter any words of protest, he saw his foolish younger sister nodding her head, while his hands and feet were restrained by the uniformed bodyguards. He could only shout, “Raorao, you scored 8 points on your IELTS test. With that score, applying to a good school abroad shouldn’t be difficult. Are you really going to…?”

Before he could finish his sentence, he saw the Old Madam in a Tang suit, who appeared benevolent and dignified, wave her hand. Immediately, his mouth was covered by two large hands.

No matter how good-tempered a person was, it was hard not to lose their composure in such a situation. He regretted underestimating the shamelessness of the Li family.

After struggling for a few moments with no effect, he had to look at Jiang Rao with persistent eyes, hoping she wouldn’t disappoint him.

However, when her clear, bright eyes met his, she said, “Big brother, I’m sorry. Could you give us ten minutes?”

Jiang Pei felt a sense of despair.

What could he say or do? All he could do was be ‘dragged’ downstairs by these violent and unfeeling bodyguards!

Only Jiang Rao and Old Madam Ma remained in the room.

Jiang Rao looked at the Old Madam opposite her and asked, “Grandma, is something wrong?”

Old Madam Ma usually spoke in a loud voice, but facing the gentle little girl, she couldn’t help but lower her tone. “Raorao, that kid A’Yan has done something wrong again, so I don’t know if you still remember me. I am that reckless kid’s grandmother. The gold bracelet on your wrist was something I insisted on giving you. Don’t be afraid. I really just want to have a chat with you. Your big brother is too sensitive and has too many prejudices against A’Yan. I’m afraid he might cause unnecessary conflicts and misunderstandings between us, which is why I had him taken downstairs. After we finish talking, no matter the outcome, I assure you he will be just fine.”

Jiang Rao nodded. “What do you need to talk to me about?”

When it came to what she needed to discuss, a look of deep concern immediately appeared on Old Madam Ma’s face.

She fully explained the recent changes within the Li Group and the turmoil hidden beneath the surface that she had only discovered the day before. By the end of her explanation, seeing the girl opposite her remain calm and not even frowning, Old Madam Ma nearly couldn’t help but get down on her knees in front of the girl.

But she knew she couldn’t do that, as it would be too shameful.

Facing such an excellent little girl, she feared that using moral coercion to pressure her would bring about divine retribution in the future.

So, after finishing her words, she could only lower her head in defeat.

Then the girl beside her spoke up, “Grandma, don’t worry. Since he is behaving like this, he probably won’t easily take his own life.”

Old Madam Ma lifted her head. “How can you be so sure?”

“Grandma, I remembered everything.” Jiang Rao smiled. “I remembered everything.”

She didn’t know whether to feel grateful or helpless. Throughout two lifetimes, the remarkable talents that Li Jueyan sought were all those from the Buddhist monk and the Taoist priest.

Relieved because the limited skills of the two masters might have made her memory recovery happen so quickly.

Helpless because, if not for these two people, she wouldn’t have had to experience this lifetime again.

It was absurd that she once thought she had transmigrated into a novel; in reality, she had only returned to her rightful place.

She said, “Grandma, the people around him aren’t the type to gossip, and he isn’t irresponsible. If he really wanted to end his life, you wouldn’t have learned of it, because he wouldn’t want you to feel guilty or sad.”

For example, in her previous life, after she left alone, he tried countless methods to find her—invoking spirits, raising ghosts, spending a lot of money to try and communicate with the dead, and so on. Only then did he finally find the Buddhist monk and the Taoist priest.

However, every day without her felt like breaking his bones and swallowing the painful, bloody fragments.

The two masters took too long, and he couldn’t endure the torment of waiting.

So, he chose to leave this world in the same way as her, without notifying anyone.

By the time others found his body, a week had already passed.

She said, “Grandma, I love Li Jueyan. I am giving you an explanation now and will also give him one in the future.”

Across two lifetimes.

He had indeed made mistakes in his previous life, but the moment he personally etched their names onto the tombstones with a utility knife, those wrongs had long since been smoothed over by the calluses and scars that inevitably formed over time.

So in this life, after he pursued her for so long, she indeed owed him an explanation.

She added, “Grandma, please give me four years. After four years, I…”

Old Madam Ma had arrived with anxiety but left with satisfaction.

Although, Li Jueyan could not tell from her trip whether she had achieved a good result. Unbeknownst to him, the distance between Jiang Rao and him had increased from 30 kilometers to 3000 kilometers.

After learning this news, he immediately wanted to quit and leave. After all, his subordinates had prepared several candidates for the position of professional manager, so the company could operate smoothly regardless of when he left.

However, what he didn’t expect was that the Old Madam used her military connections to restrict his departure.

In his earlier years, he had been unruly, whether it was wielding a knife in his youth or charging recklessly in the business world as a young man. No one had ever restrained him. But now, as he got older, with an entire lifetime of memories, he feared death and also dreaded the irreparable consequences of choosing the wrong path.

The Old Madam threatened him with death, so he had no choice but to stay in the country temporarily.

That temporary stay turned into a full four years.

During those four years, Li Group’s position in the business world climbed to a new height.

Li Jueyan initially tried to use business connections to escape abroad, but when he realized that the Old Madam still had no intention of letting him go, he ultimately had to give up.

He even tried to secretly leave the country by buying a private jet. The airport was ready, but before the plane could take off, the military surrounded it with dozens of cars.

When Jiang Tang told Jiang Rao about these events, she was wearing her graduation gown and taking photos with the latest graduating class from H University.

Her profile was beautiful; time had not only preserved her youthful innocence but had also added a touch of scholarly elegance.

Jiang Tang was not jealous but felt a bit envious.

After those painful fifteen days, her mother seemed to have come to terms with things, and when she returned home, she had a big fight with her father about divorce. Jiang Tang, tired of such scenes and not wanting to stay in the country any longer, flew back to Country M that very day.

Although she had semi-retired and her reputation had been tarnished by a scandal on Weibo, having been a star for many years, she had enough savings to last a lifetime if spent wisely.

However, it was not possible to live on old savings forever, so she needed to plan for her future. After life returned to normal, she began studying and eventually, after a year of effort, she got admitted to a prestigious university in Country M.

What she didn’t expect was to see Jiang Rao at the school’s exchange dance.

She didn’t harbor much hostility toward her. Moreover, the community of international students was relatively small, so the two gradually got to know each other. Although they were not close friends, they were at least partners who could talk to each other far away from home.

Jiang Tang was a bit puzzled, “You said you’d go back to find him after a while? Then why did you come here in the first place? I thought that by not contacting him for so many years, you didn’t want to be entangled with him anymore. There are so many people chasing you at school. Even if you don’t like foreigners like Mike or Jimmy, you could find someone in the international student circle. Any of them would be better than Li Jueyan. Although he truly loves you, I think he’s sick, even more seriously than I was back then.”

Jiang Rao shook her head.

She was twenty-four years old that year, yet her eyes remained clear.

She looked at Jiang Tang with a smile, “There were many choices for those people besides me, but Li Jueyan only wants me.”

He only wanted me, and he had waited for me for so long. How miserable would he be if I didn’t want him?

Moreover, she had promised to give him an explanation.

It was mid-February again.

The spring chill was biting, but every household was joyfully preparing for the Spring Festival.

Although Li Jueyan was somewhat annoyed with the Old Madam for restricting his exit, it was still a day to enjoy the New Year’s Eve dinner with the family.

The Li family had always been from the north, where the tradition required setting off firecrackers before the New Year’s Eve meal. Although only the Old Madam and Li Jueyan remained in the old Li family, the Old Madam always wanted to maintain her prestige, and every year the firecrackers she set off were never behind those of other households in the military compound.

Li Jueyan had been tasked with this every year. This year was no exception. In the past, he had set off firecrackers reluctantly, but this year, as soon as the Old Madam spoke, he hurriedly grabbed matches and headed outside.

This year, he was annoyed because she started talking about wanting to hold her precious grandson.

Hold a grandson? She was preventing him from finding his girl; where was this precious grandson supposed to come from?

He opened the door with a cold face but found himself frozen as soon as he looked up.

Outside, the lanterns cast a bright yellow light. His girl stood in the light, her fair face bathed in a rosy glow from the lanterns.

His heart raced, and he stood there, too stunned to move or speak.

It felt like an unrealistic dream.

He thought God was too harsh. When he knew nothing, he dreamed of her every day. Now that he knew everything, God was stingy and didn’t even give him a single dream.

He was not a good person. He always thought he would slowly forget her after being restrained for a year or so.

But memories and longing seemed like wine; the longer it fermented, the deeper it became.

She spoke, “I originally wanted to finish my studies within three years, but sorry, I’m half a year late; I originally wanted to remember you and escape from you at first sight, but sorry, my brain was a bit uncooperative; I originally wanted to tell you that I’ve started to want to be with you, but sorry, I was a step too late, causing you to make mistakes again; I originally wanted to…” Her words became a bit confused and rambling.

Yet her tone was soft, and each word tugged at his heart.

She said a lot, some of which he couldn’t quite recall.

But he remembered the last sentence clearly. She said, “I originally wanted to come find you directly, but Grandma said I should come during the New Year, a time symbolizing family reunion, and that I should pretend to be the blind date she found for you.” She blushed slightly as she said this.

Her bright eyes gazed at him, “Li Jueyan, I’m back. Do you still want me?”

It was February, cold and freezing. Yet he felt his heart was warmer than ever at that moment.

He had been waiting for her.

Waiting for four years, waiting for two lifetimes.

He took ninety-nine steps toward her. Even if she had stood still, he would have given his all to embrace her, not to mention she had taken such a big step toward him.

“Want.”

I love you, and it has never changed, how could I not want you?

——
(End)