Other than sorrow, Jiang Nan Fang could taste nothing else.
"It's alright. Are you okay? Let me help you up."
However, Zhan Bei Jue’s strength was truly immense.
The bone in her shoulder blade felt as if it had shattered. She tried to lift her hand, but dared not.
Zhan Bei Jue watched Jiang Nan Fang, who was protectively shielding Ke Teng, her face filled with a shared distress with Ke Teng.
He was so angry that his liver, heart, spleen, and lungs felt as if they were spewing fire.
"Jiang Nan Fang, who told you to protect him? Get up!"
He was furious, his hands feeling as if they were covered in thorns as he reached to pull Jiang Nan Fang's arm.
Jiang Nan Fang was in so much pain that she wanted to cry.
She refused to get up.
She knew he had lost all reason. If she didn't shield Ke Teng, they would all be finished today.
She could no longer think of any words to comfort Zhan Bei Jue.
She felt so powerless. She desperately wanted to cry.
Everything had been fine just a short while ago, so how had it suddenly become like this again?
She pulled her arm away from Zhan Bei Jue’s grip, weakly cradling Ke Teng’s head.
"I beg you, please stop this. If Ke Teng dies, you won't be able to live either. When will this cycle of revenge end? Calm down."
Zhan Bei Jue’s chest heaved uncontrollably as he looked at her offending hands.
"Let go of him. Who in the hell are you working for? Let him go!"
"No."
Jiang Nan Fang looked stubbornly into his eyes.
"Unless you promise not to hurt him anymore."
"Jiang Nan Fang, are you trying to infuriate me to death?"
"Shen Min Er saved your life, and for her, you can lose your reason. Similarly, Ke Teng also saved me, and I must repay his kindness."
Two lines of weak tears streamed down her face as she said in a faint voice.
"If you really can't get past Shen Min Er, then let me pay for Ke Teng. Once this debt is repaid, my conscience will be clear."
These words were no less than a stab to Zhan Bei Jue's heart.
Because she knew that the reason she owed Ke Teng a favor was all because of Zhan Bei Jue's mother.
Without her crucial intervention, she might have already cut ties with Ke Teng long ago.
This was fate.
Zhan Bei Jue was utterly choked by her words, unable to utter a sound.
That's right. The reason she was protecting Ke Teng was all because of his mother.
Under the guise of acting for her son's good, she had left behind a handle that would control him for life.
What kind of mess was this!
With a clang, he stood up, picked up Jiang Nan Fang from the ground as if she were a toy, held her in his arms, kicked Ke Teng's door again, and stormed out.
---
No one knew exactly what happened inside, but Chen Jiao Jiao’s father chose to end his own life.
In a way, this was for the best.
The other people associated with him breathed a sigh of relief, and many matters came to a halt.
On the surface, it was merely a case of simple corporate operational failures leading to the legal representative’s suicide due to guilt.
The Chen family had fallen, and Jin Cheng returned to its peaceful state.
No one pursued further, and the Chen family did not have to lose more.
At this point, everything was his father’s doing. The clever Chen Jiao Jiao chose to let it go.
After a simple funeral, she returned to Nancheng with the Lu family the next afternoon.
Lu Ming Zhe drove, and Lu Mama sat with her in the back seat.
Although the current Chen family was no longer worthy of their Lu family.
But thankfully, Chen Jiao Jiao was a good person, and she had reached this point with Lu Ming Zhe.
Lu Mama had no intention of looking down on her.
"This is how things are, don't overthink it. Living your own lives together is what's most important."
"Mom knows you're under a lot of pressure right now and not in the mood to have children. You're still young, no need to rush. Go back and rest for a few days. Everything will get better."
Then she instructed Lu Ming Zhe.
"Don't just focus on work all day. Make more time to accompany Jiao Jiao. She needs you right now."
Lu Ming Zhe remained silent.
He drove his mother home in silence, then drove to the downstairs of their marital home.
He didn't turn off the engine, nor did he show any intention of getting out.
Chen Jiao Jiao waited for a moment, then came back to herself, turning to look at him.
"Are you going out again?"
Lu Ming Zhe did not hide his intentions.
"Your affairs are all settled. I haven't contacted her for two days. I should go see her."
Such a heartfelt statement.
But to Chen Jiao Jiao, it sounded so jarring.
"I never imagined that one day our relationship would turn out like this."
Was she dissatisfied with the current situation?
Lu Ming Zhe was not one to indulge her.
"Why didn't you imagine it? Am I just destined to be the sucker? Did you ever imagine this day would come when you stood before me holding Hu Jia Sheng's hand?"
Chen Jiao Jiao was so choked by his words that she had nothing to say.
After a two-second pause, she looked at him with a sincere expression.
"I was indeed wrong in the past. Whatever you say is what I should listen to."
"But you still have a little bit of feeling for me, don't you? Since we've already reached this point..."
Lu Ming Zhe suppressed the urge to bring up divorce right then.
"Don't say any more. You're in a bad mood now, and I don't want to say anything hurtful to bring you down. Let's leave it at that. Get out of the car."
Chen Jiao Jiao refused to get out.
She had so many things she wanted to say to him, and she felt an indescribable attachment to him.
She had encountered too many things recently, and he had been by her side every time. Lu Ming Zhe's image in her heart had become far greater than anyone else's.
"Consider it my plea. I was wrong in the past, and I will change in the future..."
Lu Ming Zhe interrupted her again.
"Chen Jiao Jiao. It's best if you return to who you were before. Being so humble and subservient is truly off-putting. I don't like seeing you like this."
"Then what do you want me to be? I can do anything! Can you give me a chance?"
As she spoke more passionately, Lu Ming Zhe didn't want to hear her speak anymore.
"Alright, if you don't get out, I will."
He parked the car, closed the door, and walked onto the road without any hesitation.
A great sense of loss, melancholy, and unwillingness washed over Chen Jiao Jiao.
She sat there watching his retreating figure until Lu Ming Zhe got into a taxi, then she snapped back to reality.
A strong voice in her mind urged her: Chase after him, chase after him, chase after him!
Then, without thinking further, she started the car and chased after him.
On the way, Lu Ming Zhe called Xiang Wan, asking if she was asleep.
Xiang Wan's voice was cheerful, incredibly pleasant to hear.
"You're back?"
Lu Ming Zhe's bones felt as if they were melting.
"I'm back. I miss you so much. Can I come over now?"
Xiang Wan replied playfully, "Guess."
He smiled.
"Wait for me downstairs, okay? I'm really eager to see you. I wish I could grow wings and fly over."
The taxi driver chuckled at his romantic words.
After hanging up the phone, he looked back at him.
"Calling your girlfriend? It's good when young people are in love. Unlike us, an old couple, we don't even feel anything when we're not home all day."
With that, as if to accommodate him, he sped up the car.
Soon, the taxi reached the entrance of the residential complex.
From a distance, Lu Ming Zhe saw Xiang Wan waiting for him at the entrance.
She was wearing a black dress with a soft white shawl draped over it, her long hair unbound.
She looked so gentle and charming, radiating a radiant glow.
As soon as the car stopped, he eagerly rushed out.