Chapter 392: Goodbye My Youth, Goodbye My Love (2)

 Paperplane  Editor: DarkGemQiao Anhao pulled out some wipes from her bag, and also grabbed her phone to use as a mirror. She wiped the tears from her face, and was ready to put her phone back into her bag when a call came through…

–

Just when Lu Jinnian was rather deep asleep, he woke up to the unusually bright sunshine from the windows. He raised his arm to shield himself from the light. As he turned his head, he saw that there wasn’t anyone on the other side of the bed.

He furrowed his brows, but didn’t mind too much. He assumed Qiao Anhao just went downstairs when she woke up, and so he pulled his covers off and walked into the bathroom. He got a quick shower and put on some random clean clothes when he came out.

Out of habit, when he walked out of the changing room, he patted his trouser pocket, and realized it was empty. Then he remembered that his wallet was still in his clothes pocket from yesterday, so he picked up his trousers from the dirty laundry basket. He felt around for his wallet and strode out of the door.

Suddenly, he remembered that he had shoved the follow-up results into his wallet yesterday, so he walked into the bathroom and pulled the paper out from his wallet. He ripped it up and chucked it into the bin, before he relaxed and walked down the stairs.

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Madam Chen had already made breakfast. Seeing Lu Jinnian come downstairs, she was unusually happy when she said, “Good morning, Mr. Lu.”

“Morning,” replied Lu Jinnian lazily. He walked into the dining room, and saw that the room was empty. He then asked, “Where’s Missus?”

Madam Chen stared at him oddly. “Missus hasn’t woken up yet?”

Lu Jinnian furrowed his brows. “When I woke up, Missus had already gotten up.”

Madam Chen made an “Ah” sound, then searched the entire mansion up and down, but in the end, she still couldn’t find Qiao Anhao. She also ran to the floor-to-ceiling window to look at the garden outside for her. Before she could say “It seems like Missus isn’t home” to Lu Jinnian, he had already pulled out his phone and dialed her number.

–

When Qiao Anhao saw who the call was from, her emotions were all over the place. After a while, she picked up the call. Before she could speak, Lu Jinnian asked, “Qiao Qiao, where did you go?”

Qiao Anhao lowered her eyes, and lied in her usual gentle voice, “I went to see Brother Jiamu.”

Lu Jinnian’s lips pursed tightly when he heard those words. After a while, he said “How’s Jiamu?”

“Much better.” Qiao Anhao thought about Han Ruchu’s words, and added, “After another week he can be discharged.”

Lu Jinnian didn’t linger on the topic of Xu Jiamu for long, giving a light “mm”. He naturally changed the topic. “Will you come home soon?”

“No, Zhao Meng will come pick me up to the set.”

“Mm.” Lu Jinnian then said, “Then both of you take care.”

“I will,” replied Qiao Anhao obediently, as she usually would to his care. Her voice was so gentle, it made people soften up. “I’m hanging up. Bye.”

“Bye,” replied Lu Jinnian. Just as he was ready to hang up, he heard Qiao Anhao’s say, “Lu Jinnian…”

He didn’t say a word but put the phone back to his ear. After a few seconds of silence, she added, “There’s a new Hollywood movie out on Friday. How about we go watch it together?”Chapter 393: Goodbye My Youth, Goodbye My Love (3)

 Paperplane  Editor: DarkGemWhen she was young, Qiao Anhao often saw classmates around her secretly dating from a young age. As they were afraid to be caught by the teachers, they pretended to be strangers in school, but as soon as school was over, they would hold hands when they walked.

In the weekends, the girls would take off their simple school uniforms to wear beautiful dresses. They’d lie to their parents by saying they were going out with their girl friends, but they were really going out with the guy they liked, to watch a movie, buy a big box of popcorn and two cokes. Such a simple date, yet it was simply beautiful.

Back in those days, she would fantasize: Just when will I be able to watch a movie with Lu Jinnian..?

That was the most wonderful childhood dream of hers. A thirteen year old dream that never came true.

If they weren’t destined to be together, then, let them relive the end of the days where they cried, laughed, felt touched, and hurt. Let her have a beautiful, lasting memory.

Lu Jinnian was a little taken aback by the affection in Qiao Anhao’s suggestion, and so he blanked out for a minute. An unspeakable, wild feeling of happiness surfaced in his heart. Even his usual tone of voice sounded particularly upbeat. “All right, I’ll book the tickets.”

The tears that were completely dried out fell again. Qiao Anhao curved her lips into a smile, and said in a relaxed tone of voice, “Mm, but I have to film our last scene that very night, so you’d best book it for later that afternoon.”

“All right,” Lu Jinnian agreed with no objections. He casually asked, “Is there anything else?”

“No…” Qiao Anhao bit her lip. She said “Bye”, as he hung up the phone. She raised her head, looked up at the bright blue skies, and took a deep breath, pushing back the tears that wanted to flow continuously.

He was the man who she deeply loved for thirteen years. She once swore to herself that she would only love him in this lifetime.

“In my whole life, I will only love you” were the most beautiful, romantic words she had written for him.

But the man she had loved with all her heart had hurt her so deeply.

When the evidence was put in front of her one-by-one, she had lost her right to ask him, and so now, she didn’t dare ask him, “Lu Jinnian, did you or did you not abort my child?”, to which he would answer “Yes”. In that moment, in front of her, just how unbearably awkward would that be?

Qiao Anhao kept her head up, and shut her eyes for a long time. She then pulled out yesterday’s abortion papers and today’s check-up results. She tore them up into bits, and threw them into the bin beside her.

–

Since today was the weekend, there were six days from now till Friday. When Lu Jinnian hung up on Qiao Anhao’s call, he couldn’t wait to call his assistant to help him book two VIP tickets.

He passed on Qiao Anhao’s words to him, “Friday night, Qiao Qiao and I have to film our last scene, and so book it for late that afternoon… She’d probably want to rest a bit, so book it for three… Oh, and remember to book the seats for the non-smoking area. Qiao Qiao doesn’t like the smell of cigarettes…

“Also, they have to be center seats. It’s uncomfortable to watch from the side. Remember to prepare a blanket in the car in advance. The movie is two hours long, if the air con is too high, she’ll get cold…

“Oh, right, prepare two cushions as well, in case we get uncomfortable, so we can support our lower backs.”

‘It’s just a movie, Mr. Lu’s too much!’ thought the assistant, secretly complaining in his head. Yet he appeared very respectful and agreed to everything, then asked, “Mr. Lu, do you have any other requests?”

Chapter 394: Goodbye My Youth, Goodbye My Love (4)

 Paperplane  Editor: DarkGemLu Jinnian thought about it in detail, until he was sure there was nothing else to add. Just as he was ready to press the button to hang up the phone, in that very moment, he worriedly repeated everything he had just said to the assistant.

As Lu Jinnian had just reminded him to book three o’clock tickets, the assistant said, “Mr. Lu, I’ve got it. Three o’clock tickets. No smoking. Prepare a blanket and pillow, because you’re afraid Miss Qiao…”

Lu Jinnian didn’t even wait for his assistant to finish speaking and hung up without hesitation.

–

The filming of “Alluring Times” was drawing to an end. Every day, there were actors who come into the set to film their final scenes, and leave.

There were fewer people each day at the rowdy villa, until the very end, when it appeared especially empty. Before, the hotel restaurant was packed full, now, over a half of the seats were left practically empty.

Qiao Anhao pretended to not know that she had been pregnant and had lost her child. She seemed no different than before. Whilst filming, she was whole-heartedly in character. When there weren’t any scenes to shoot, she would sit at a side and watch other people’s scenes. She would also chat and laugh with other actors and staff members.

Every now and then, her line of sight would fall on Lu Jinnian. When her eyes met his, she would even curve her lips into a sweet smile. Once they turned away from one another, she’d lower her eyes to mask the pain and sadness that crept up on her.

During the day, she looked very normal, but when the night came, it was hard for her to fall sleep, and she had many dreams even if she did. In the dreams, there would always be a cute, white, chubby baby looking at her, calling her mama. When she would reach out to touch it, the baby would disappear. Then, she would wake up and rub her belly. Tears would inexplicably start to fall.

–

On Friday, the weather in Beijing was remarkably clean. The skies were clear, without a hint of smog.

Early that afternoon, Qiao Anhao drove the car from the set back to Mian Xiu Garden. After she had lunch, she took a shower, and then searched through her entire wardrobe, trying on some outfits. In the end, she chose a white dress with lace at the bottom. It looked youthful and clean.

Qiao Anhao’s long hair was digitally permed in Spring. Now, though it had grown out a little, it was still beautifully curled. Yet she asked Madam Chen to help straighten it for her. At last, she looked into the mirror and put a layer of barely visible, light and natural makeup.

Just when she had pretty much finished up, she looked at the time. It was half past two. She grabbed her bag and went downstairs.

Lu Jinnian had just driven home from Huan Ying Entertainment and stood in the living room. Before he could even finish his cup of water, he saw Qiao Anhao come downstairs. In the middle of taking a swallow, he abruptly stopped.

Just like time travel, in that moment, it was like he instantly when back to the days of his youth and saw the straight-haired Qiao Anhao in her graceful white dress.

She walked over to him and smiled gently. “Can we go?”

Without taking his eyes off of Qiao Anhao’s smile, Lu Jinnian stood as if his pressure points had been triggered. He stood still, watching her, a perfect match to the memory of her former high-school self.

After a long while, his long eyelashes gently fell and rose again. He raised his head and downed the water. His long fingers put the cup down, and he said in pleasant voice, “Let’s go.”

Chapter 395: Goodbye My Youth, Goodbye My Love (5)

 Paperplane  Editor: DarkGemWhen they were about to reach the door, Lu Jinnian glanced beside him at Qiao Anhao’s outfit, and back at his own. He stopped. “I’ll go up and change.”

Qiao Anhao gave a nod. She walked to the entrance on her own. First, she put on her shoes. She’d originally wanted to wear her white strappy heels that she had bought recently, but just as she put her right foot in one shoe, she paused. In the end, she took the shoe off and opened the shoe cabinet. After looking through it for a long while, in the end, she chose to wear a pair of platform canvas shoes.

She bought these canvas shoes this spring, when she and Xiao Anxia had made plans to go hiking. However, because of something last minute, hiking was canceled, and so she left those shoes in a box in the shoe cabinet, and never touched them again.

Qiao Anhao wore the canvas shoes, and stood in front of the floor mirror. After a few glances at her long straightened hair, she asked Madam Chen to give her a black hair band, with which she tried her hair up. Satisfied, she picked up her bag and made her way out the house.

Lu Jinnian saw Qiao Anhao standing at the door, when he had finished changing his clothes. Her long black hair became a youthful, pretty ponytail. He spaced out again for a moment, before reaching for his car keys. He pressed on button, as he walked down the stairs and pulled the car door.

It was two something in the afternoon, the time when the summer sunshine was at it’s brightest. Lu Jinnian wore a pair of Dior sunglasses, and a simple white shirt with his sleeves casually rolled up. Two buttons on his collar were unbuttoned, and he wore a long pair of beige trousers. Under the sunshine, he looked captivating and stunning.

Qiao Anhao stared at him for around five seconds before coming over to him. When she brushed past his chest and bent down to sit in the car, she smelled the same dull scent she had smelled years ago. It had never really changed in this many years.

Lu Jinnian started up the engine, which made the air conditioner blow a light breeze and music go off. The car slowly drove out of Mian Xiu Garden and followed the road.

There were many tall trees on both sides of the road in Beijing. They hid most of the sun’s light. All that could be seen were small round dots of sunshine between the tree leaves. As the car drove through, there were intermittent flashes of light and dark.

There was a soothing English song playing in the car that made you feel unexpectedly calm.

After a long while had passed, at a red light, Lu Jinnian turned his head and glanced at Qiao Anhao’s outfit. “Did you went to get your hair done earlier this afternoon?”

“Nope.” Qiao Anhao paused for a moment, then said, “I asked Madam Chen to help me straighten it. When I wash my hair, the curls will come back.”

“Oh.” Lu Jinnian’s line of sight stopped at her fair white neck behind the ponytail. Then he pulled his eyes away and straight at the red light that had changed to green in front of him. He stepped on the accelerator and continued to drive on.

The car was silent for about a minute. Then Qiao Anhao turned her head, blinked at Lu Jinnian, and asked, “How do I look?”

As Lu Jinnian paid attention to the road ahead, he turned his head and glanced at Qiao Anhao, saying, “Good.” After a while, he added, “You look just like you did in high school.”

Qiao Anhao’s eyes curved like the crescent moon, as though happiness emitted from her heart. “So many years have passed, and you still remember how I looked in high school? Even I can’t really remember.”

Lu Jinnian didn’t make a sound. In his heart, he said, ‘Not only high school. If I close my eyes, I can clearly remember your soft and innocent look in middle school as well.’

Chapter 396: Goodbye My Youth, Goodbye My Love (6)

 Paperplane  Editor: DarkGemQiao Anhao looked at Lu Jinnian without saying a word or making a single sound. The car was silent for a minute, until it turned into the car park ahead.

The cinema attendant had already given Lu Jinnian the tickets in advance. When they got out of the car, he also brought along the bag with the blanket and pillows his assistant had prepared for him.

There were ten minutes left before the movie was due to start. Before they went through the ticket inspection, Qiao Anhao ran over to the counter and bought a big box of popcorn and two cokes. When they walked into the theater itself and found their seats, the movie was just about to start. The place that was originally rowdy, instantly became quiet.

Qiao Anhao put the popcorn in-between her and Lu Jinnian’s seats. As she stared firmly at the big screen, every now and then she would reach for a popcorn and shove it in her mouth.

The air conditioner in the room was on high. After about ten minutes into the movie, Lu Jinnian already felt cold. He took out the blanket from the bag, and laid it out across Qiao Anhao’s legs.

Qiao Anhao turned her head towards him. His irresistibly handsome side profile was practically stuck to the tip of her nose. Her racing heart skipped a beat. She waited for him to cover her with the blanket and go back to his seat, then hurriedly grabbed a fistful of popcorn and shoved it in her mouth.

She instinctively realized at that moment that, since Lu Jinnian had sat down beside her till this moment, the popcorn hadn’t been touched, and so she nudged his arm and pointed at the box.

Beside the popcorn was a bottle coke. Lu Jinnian thought that Qiao Anhao wanted him to help her take the cap off, so he grabbed for the bottle, took off the cap, and put a straw in for her, then handed it to her.

Qiao Anhao took the coke, tilted her head, and whispered into his ear, “Do you want to eat popcorn?”

Lu Jinnian nodded to show he understood, and the two of them continued to watch the movie. Every now and then, Qiao Anhao would feel Lu Jinnian beside her take some popcorn.

Half-way through the movie, there was a rather raunchy scene. Most couples’ first choice is to go to the cinemas for a date, and so raunchy scenes like those would always fill the room with an air of romance. Some couples that were a bit touchy would already start hugging and kissing.

Qiao Anhao could even hear the man and woman behind her hugging and kissing, making raunchy noises. This, mixed with the gasping from the movie, made people blush and hearts race.

It wasn’t like Qiao Anhao hadn’t experienced it before whilst watching TV at home. She wasn’t really bothered by revealing scenes like these, but at that moment, she found it a little awkward watching such raunchy scenes on the big screen with Lu Jinnian sitting right next to her.

Her pupils wandered everywhere, but every now and then, they would land on Lu Jinnian’s side profile. He sat casually beside her, watching the big screen without so much as a blink. There weren’t any emotions evident on his face, as though the entangled naked bodies didn’t exist.

Qiao Anhao reached for the popcorn, coincidentally at the same time as Lu Jinnian. That was how their hands touched one another.

Lu Jinnian, who originally stared directly at the big screen, turned his head and looked at Qiao Anhao. Deep within his eyes, it was like there was a bright shimmer of light that shone vigorously.Chapter 397: Goodbye My Youth, Goodbye My Love (7)

 Paperplane  Editor: DarkGemQiao Anhao suddenly froze when her eyes met Lu Jinnian. The raunchy sounds from the movie echoed ceaselessly. Lu Jinnian’s eyes had become scorching hot, as he stared at Qiao Anhao. The air conditioner was clearly on high, but Qiao Anhao could feel a heat creep up up her body.

The raunchy scene on the big screen was over, and the kissing couples parted with the dissipating air of romance. Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian were still looking at each other when suddenly a loud noise erupted. The movie had cut to a fighting scene, which abruptly woke the two. Qiao Anhao subconsciously pulled her hand away from the popcorn, but Lu Jinnian was one step quicker and caught it.

Qiao Anhao’s body stiffened slightly, but she didn’t pull her hand away from Lu Jinnian. She turned her head and looked at the screen. Lu Jinnian stared at her side profile for a while, then also turned his head to the screen.

Since quite sometime had passed since they looked away, they struggled a little to catch up, but the two of them were adamantly focused on the movie. They seemed completely into the story, but little did they know that both their hearts were racing extraordinarily fast.

After the credits rolled, everyone started to leave one-by-one, but Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao still sat in their seats. They held hands up until the entire screen was empty. With only the two of them left in the room, they were still reluctant to let go, even as the cleaning staff came in to collect rubbish. Only then though did they get up at the same time, cleaned up the things by their seats, and walked one after the other out of the theater.

It was already five o’clock when the movie finished. The last scene they had to shoot was scheduled for eight o’clock in the evening. There was no time to eat in the city, and so they bought something simple from the supermarket whilst Lu Jinnian was in the car, ready to drive Qiao Anhao back to the set.

On the way there, the two of them didn’t speak. They seemed to look calm, as per usual, but their hearts were still in the cinema, holding hands for as long as forty minutes.

When they arrived back on set, it was already seven o’clock. Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao went straight to the make-up room. Other actors had already finished their make-up and were on set trying to get in character.

Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian sat back-to-back in front of their dressing tables. As the make-up artists raised their heads towards the mirror, their eyes would always accidentally meet, which made them reminisce about holding the warmth from their hands in the afternoon.

–

In “Alluring Times”, Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian played a married couple who had been living separately for quite some time now. Due to issues with their family, they planned to get a divorce certificate the next day. In that moment, the character Lu Jinnian played realized that he was only unwittingly obsessed with the woman he was with.

In actual fact, he was in love with Qiao Anhao’s character, who he pushed away because of marriage matters. However, because he had done things to her that went too far, he couldn’t really ask her for forgiveness. What’s more, after they had lived apart for so long, she had gotten closer to another fine man.

The scene they had to shoot today was where the other man proposed to Qiao Anhao’s character on her birthday. This woman, who had given up on Lu Jinnian’s character, nodded her head to say ‘yes’.

After she took the ring, Lu Jinnian’s character was left in despair. When she went to the restroom alone, he couldn’t hold down his emotions, and, after dragging her away, finally confessed to her.

Chapter 398: Goodbye My Youth, Goodbye My Love (8)

 Paperplane  Editor: DarkGemLu Jinnian’s make-up was simpler than Qiao Anhao’s. When he finished, hers was just halfway done. He got up. As the make-up artist was checking on her work, Qiao Anhao’s phone rang.

The phone was on the table. When Lu Jinnian heard the ringtone, he instinctively turned his head to see the two words on the screen “Aunt Xu”.

Qiao Anhao made an apologetic gesture at the make-up artist, and then picked up the phone from the table. She pressed to take the call. “Aunt Xu?”

There were only a couple people left in the make-up room, so it was really quiet. Lu Jinnian, who stood behind Qiao Anhao, could clearly hear Han Ruchu’s voice.

“Qiao Qiao, you’re shooting your last scene tonight, right? Tomorrow, you’re free, right?”

Qiao Anhao gave a gentle “mm”, and Han Ruchu’s voice continued, “Qiao Qiao, tomorrow Jiamu will be discharged. Remember, to go pick him up.”

Lu Jinnian’s hand gently curved into a fist, his lips tightly pursed without making a sound, and he stood on the spot with a calm expression until the make-up artist said “You’re good”.

He then turned around and walked out of the make-up room door. The moment he was going to push the door, he heard Qiao Anhao’s usual soft voice say from behind him, “I know, Aunt Xu. I’ll go tomorrow. I’m about to start filming now. I can’t talk right now… Mhmm… Bye.”

Lu Jinnian strode down the stairs. Who knew what happened, but he missed a step. Luckily, his assistant behind him was quick to react and pulled him up. He then asked in low voice, “Mr. Lu, are you okay?”

Lu Jinnian didn’t speak, but composed himself, and strode right over to the set.

Tomorrow, Xu Jiamu will be discharged… Didn’t they say it’d be as soon as a month, or as long as two months’ time? It had only been half a month, how come Xu Jiamu’s about to be discharged? With Xu Jiamu discharged, then will he, as his replacement, bow out with his mission accomplished?

Bow out with his mission accomplished… Did it mean that they wouldn’t be able to pretend to be husband and wife any longer?

This afternoon, they went to the movies, and the atmosphere was clearly good. How did the winds suddenly turn and break the two of them up again?

–

After Qiao Anhao finished her make-up, she walked on set. Lu Jinnian wasn’t there. After the director instructed her on what to focus on during the shoot, it was then that she saw Lu Jinnian emerge on his own, walking over the wooden bridge from behind the forest.

Seeing Lu Jinnian walk over, the director immediately signaled for all the staff to get into position. After adjusting the lighting and cameras, they officially started filming.

The scene started off with a group of people sitting in a room, drinking and singing. Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian never really interacted with each other, so much so that they didn’t even once glance at the other.

When the cameras had enough of those shots, Qiao Anhao and a striking male actor started to sing a song together. Lu Jinnian drank one cup after another of the water that was supposedly wine. He kept his head down, never looking up at the perfect couple singing together.

When the singing finally stopped, everyone clapped. Just when everyone thought both of them were ready to move on, the man who Qiao Anhao had sung with unexpectedly crouched down in front of everyone and gave a heartfelt proposal, “Will you marry me?”

Chapter 399: Goodbye My Youth, Goodbye My Love (9)

 Paperplane  Editor: DarkGemLu Jinnian, who had his head down and only cared to drink, raised his head when he heard those words. He stared directly at Qiao Anhao.

Qiao Anhao seemed as though she were shocked by this sudden scene, looking startled, giving no reaction at all.

The man recited every word from the script with deep emotion.

Following his lines, a hint as if she was being torn appeared on Qiao Anhao’s face. The people in the room of her birthday party all egged her on to say ‘yes’!

Lu Jinnian, who had a glass of wine in his hands, started to tighten his grip. In that split second, when Qiao Anhao nodded, he couldn’t help but stand up and quietly leave.

Qiao Anhao, who hadn’t even glanced at him, looked over to see his back. As though she was hesitating over something, she finally accepted the ring from the man on one knee.

The entire room was filled with cheers. Lu Jinnian, who stood outside, looked particularly lifeless.

The atmosphere in the room was beaming with joy, whilst outside, Lu Jinnian was alone in despair.

Following the director’s signals, Qiao Anhao found an excuse to leave the room. When she was out, she was face-to-face with Lu Jinnian, who stood outside the door. The two of them didn’t speak, but their eyes silently crossed. Then Qiao Anhao trotted over to the restroom in her high heels.

When she came out from the restroom, Lu Jinnian, who originally stood at the door, appeared near the restroom. Just like before, their eyes never met. This time, Qiao Anhao said her lines, “You go in first.”

Then, she even gave Lu Jinnian a gentle smile as she strode towards him. Walking alongside her, Lu Jinnian balled up his hands into fists. Because of the strength, his knuckles were prominently white.

When he couldn’t see her from the corner of his eyes anymore, he suddenly raised his arm and accurately grabbed Qiao Anhao’s arm behind himself. Then he pushed her body up against the wall, lowered his head, and kissed her lips.

Qiao Anhao struggled, wanting to push Lu Jinnian off of her, but he had clamped her arm down hard. It wasn’t easy for her to fight back the deepening kiss.

Qiao Anhao struggled even harder. In the end, unsure of where the strength came from, she suddenly pushed Lu Jinnian off. She raised her hand, according to the script, and slapped him across the face.

Of course, as they were filming a drama, the slap looked as though it was hard, but in fact it only lightly brushed him. Then, with her whole body trembling, Qiao Anhao recited her line, “What the hell do you want?”

Lu Jinnian, who had just been slapped, stared straight at Qiao Anhao with trembling lips. “I just want to ask you one question…” After Lu Jinnian said this, he remained quiet for a long time. “If I told you that I fell in love with you, would you fall in love with me again?”

“No!” Qiao Anhao didn’t hesitate to reply with that one word. An expression of hopelessness started to cross Lu Jinnian’s face. His hand that held her shoulder gradually loosened up, and just when he really was about to pull away from her, she recited, “Because I never stopped loving you.”

Lu Jinnian was stunned. Then, he suddenly kissed Qiao Anhao’s lips again.

This time, the two of them needed to act like they were really into the kiss. And with that kiss, it would be the end for their filming together.Chapter 400: Goodbye My Youth, Goodbye My Love (10)

In the instance that Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian’s lips touched, the two of them could no longer differentiate whether it was an act or reality.

Even though they had been acting as a couple for at least eight months, they only became close after entering “Alluring Times’” set.

The filming had gone on for about three months, and in this short time, they had spent more time together than in the past thirteen years. In these short three months, there were tears, laughter, warmth, and a ton of heart fluttering moments…. But at this moment, the filming was coming to an end ,and in reality, their act as a couple was also coming to an end.

Their kiss deepened, turning passionate as they immersed themselves in all the pent up love.

The director observed at the side through the screen, satisfied with the take. When he felt that it was enough, he raised the speaker, but just when he was about to shout “Cut”, he suddenly saw tears streaming out of Qiao Anhao’s shut eyes.

Many times, when actors immersed themselves in the role, they would follow the emotions of their role. The director lowered the speaker, thinking that Qiao Anhao was adding scenes. He turned and signaled for the rest of the crew to continue filming while he continued to look into the screen, observing what was happening

The tears streamed down Qiao Anhao’s face, entering her kiss.

The moment Lu Jinnian sensed the moisture, he froze briefly before deepening the kiss further.

After kissing for a long while, they broke apart panting.

The moment Qiao Anhao opened her eyes, tears started to pour out, and Lu Jinnian, who didn’t have any sand in his eyes, started to feel his eyes sting. The two of them looked up and gazed into each other, and as though they had practiced beforehand, they spoke at the same time.

“I love you.”

This was not part of the script. When the director saw the scene, he started getting excited. After two minutes of them gazing lovingly at each other, he raised the speaker excitedly to shout “Cut!”

The scene ended perfectly. The crew members came forward hurriedly to pack up, while the director ran over to Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao. “Mr. Lu, Xiao Qiao, that was amazing! You actually added such a beautiful scene. That was absolutely perfect, stunning and emotional!”

The director threw in a long chain of praises, pulling both Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao back to reality. The two of them looked at each other for a long while before finally looking away.

Lu Jinnian was able to conceal his emotions quickly, his usual demeanor returning.

Qiao Anhao had a smile on her tear stained face as she casually thanked the director while using the tissue that Zhao Meng had passed over to wipe her face. She turned back to bid farewell to both Lu Jinnian and the director before leaving to remove her makeup.

Lu Jinnian, do you know? From today onward, every time I’ll remember our story, the movie in the afternoon will be considered a loving date and the confession in the scene tonight would be my confession to you.

Lu Jinnian, do you know? Before our story became just a memory, I cried for you.Chapter 401: Goodbye My Youth, Goodbye My Love (11)

The next day, Qiao Anhao woke up early in the morning. She looked out and found the weather in a horrible condition. The skies were cloudy and the entire city seemed to be covered with a thin layer of fog.

Zhao Meng had already packed all her items and the hotel staff was already bringing them to their car. Before leavig Qiao Anhao specifically went to the set to bid farewell to the director, Cheng Yang, Song Xiangsi, and the other crew members who still had one last scene.

Regardless of how they entered the set, or how they had quarreled regarding their screen time, when it was time to leave, all of it no longer mattered. Everyone had slogged hard for this movie for about three months. It was a set that was filled with happiness, sorrows, tears, and everyone’s hard work.

Qiao Anhao wasn’t a dramatic person, but when she bid farewell to everyone, she started to feel tears welling in her eyes.

She didn’t go back to Mian Xiu Garden but instead got Zhao Meng to send her to the hospital that Xu Jiamu was at. As for her luggage, she tasked Zhao Meng to send it to her house, planning to claim it afterwards.

After Zhao Meng’s car left, Qiao Anhao entered the hospital. Xu Wanli wasn’t around but Han Ruchu and her housekeeper were in the ward, helping the nurse pack, while Xu Jiamu was taking some tests.

Qiao Anhao walked forward to help Han Ruchu pack Xu Jiamu’s clothes. She scanned the room to ensure that they didn’t leave anything behind before getting to the housekeeper to place the items in the car. After about ten minutes, the doctor came out to inform them of the next checkup, and hey entered the car.

The car headed straight to Xu family’s house. Even though Xu Jiamu was already able to walk, his body was still weak from being in a coma for such an extended period of time. That’s why when they returned, Han Ruchu got the maids to support him into his room to rest the moment they reached the house.

Before Han Ruchu had gone to fetch Xu Jiamu, she had gotten the maid to make him some herbal porridge. Once he was settled in, the housekeeper instructed the maids to bring the porridge up.

In a enthusiastic and coaxing tone, she said, ” Young master, you have been busy the entire day. Mrs. Xu got the maid to prepare some herbal porridge for you, you should have some.”

Han Ruchu sat at the bedside. She faced the bed with a warm smile on her face. “Son, let mum feed you some.”

As she said that, she reached her hand towards the housekeeper. The housekeeper immediately passed the porridge over, but before Han Ruchu could take it, Qiao Anhao had already grabbed it. She turned and said, “Let me do it instead.”

Han Ruchu paused, but she didn’t object, standing next to the housekeeper. “Let Qiao Qiao do it.”

The housekeeper politely passed the porcelain bowl over. Qiao Anhao took it with two hands before sitting in front of Xu Jiamu. She scooped a spoonful and blew on it softly before sending it to his mouth.

Xu Jiamu opened his mouth. He looked at the people surrounding him and frowned, then waved his hand. “Mum, can you all get out, its getting suffocating.”

Qiao Anhao scooped another spoonful and blew on it with a smile on her face. She turned and said, “Auntie Xu, you guys can entrust him to me.”

Chapter 402: Goodbye My Youth, Goodbye My Love (12)

Han Ruchu saw them as two lovebirds who were trying to get some time alone. She smiled indulgently before sending a glance to the housekeeper. The woman understood instantly, exiting the room with the maid.

Han Ruchu was the last to leave. Before she left, she glanced at Qiao Anhao and Xu Jiamu. She hesitated slightly before taking out her phone to take a few photos of them secretly.

Lu Jinnian reached Huan Ying Entertainment early in the morning and had meeting all the way till late in the afternoon. During it, he wasn’t able to focus and would occasionally fall into a daze. By the end of the meeting, the board members were all aware of the abnormality.

After enduring through the meeting, Lu Jinnian returned back to his office to face a thick stack of documents. As he sat on his desk, he couldn’t process anything, his entire mind filled with the image of Qiao Anhao and Xu Jiamu.

When it was 11 am, his assistant came in with an urgent document. Lu Jinnian flipped through the document in frustration before placing it back down on the table. Just then, the phone rang. He ignored it and continued to flip through the document, but after the phone vibrated several times, he turned to look at it impatiently. It was an anonymous number that had sent him some photos.

He stared at the screen for a long while before forcing his gaze away. Without any expression, he lifted the pen to sign his name.

In the instance that he was about to pass the document back to his assistant, the phone vibrated again. It was from the same anonymous number, and he could vaguely guess who it was. After a moment of hesitation, he placed the document back down on the table and answered the call.

It was indeed who he had guessed. Han Ruchu’s arrogant and frosty voice came through. “Did you see the photos I just sent? Now that Xu Jiamu is out of the hospital, it’s an end for you and Qiao Qiao.”

Lu Jinnian tightened the grip he had on the phone, his lips quivering.

Han Ruchu was confused by his silence. With a sharp voice, she continued, “What is it? You can’t bear it? Or did you forget that you are the extra in their relationship. If Jiamu didn’t get into an accident, you would never have gotten the opportunity to get close to Qiao Qiao. It’s just a business deal, and you’ve already earned so much, it’s about time you learned to stop!”

Lu Jinnian’s face darkened instantly, and he snarled menacingly, “You can say anything you want about me, but let me warn you, don’t you dare to humiliate Qiao Qiao. She was never a business deal!”

“Not a business deal? Why did you even act as her husband in the first place? Even if you want her, you can only have her when my son has had enough, you’re only worthy of what he doesn’t want!”

“Let me tell you one last time, you can humiliate me but not her!” Lu Jinnian stood up in agitation. “Don’t assume that I won’t try to snatch her over from Xu Jiamu. The only reason I would let them be together is because I’m not enough for her and wouldn’t want to bring her any inconvenience.”

Lu Jinnian hung up and smashed the phone against the floor.

Chapter 403: Goodbye My Youth, Goodbye My Love (13)

“THUD!”

A loud, thundering sound emitted from the office. Lu Jinnian’s assistant stood at the side, not daring to make a single sound.

Lu Jinnian’s chest puffed up and down. He rose from his desk and pulled open the closet to look for his cigarette box. He removed a stick before tossing the entire box into the trash bin abruptly. Taking large strides to the window, he turned his back to his assistant, staring outside silently

After a seemingly long while, he seemed to have calmed down and turned to face his assistant. He asked, “Have you found out about the Xu Enterprise board situation? How is it going?”

“I’m almost done with it.”

Lu Jinnian nodded

His assistant continued, “Mr. Lu, have you really decided to do that?”

Lu Jinnian was silent, staring out the window.

After a long minute, he murmured a muffled “Yea”, his voice faint and emotionless. “Just do as I planned.”

The assistant did not try to convince Lu Jinnian otherwise. “All right, I’ll go prepare it.”

Lu Jinnian remained silent. The assistant took the document, wanting to leave silently, but after taking two steps, he hesitated. With an uneasy heart, he asked, “Mr. Lu, are you prepared to leave Miss Qiao just like this?”

Lu Jinnian stayed silent, sorrow starting to envelop him

His assistant raised his hand to rub his own nose. “Your relationship with Miss Qiao has been much better. Even if she had once liked Mr. Xu, that does not mean that she cannot fall for you. If she changed and is no longer willing to be with Mr. Xu anymore, will it not be a pity if you just let her go so easily? ”

Even after such convincing, Lu Jinnian stood nonchalant. His assistant lifted his hand to rub the nose once more before awkwardly finishing, “Er… Mr. Lu, you can just forget what I just said. If there isn’t anything more, I’ll go now.”

Lu Jinnian was paralyzed. Once the footsteps of his assistant faded into the distance, he turned back to look at the cloudy skies, the words of his assistant repeating in his mind conterminously.

–

Qiao Anhao placed the empty bowl on the side of the table and helped Xu Jiamu wipe his mouth with a wet towel. She raised her lids and looked toward him, asking, “What exactly happened on the day of your accident? You didn’t even drink, how could the collision be so serious?

Anger flashed past his eyes, before he laughed lightly, brushing her off. “I did not react in time, causing the accident. But I’m fine right now, am I not?”

“Luckily you’re fine,” she chastised . Then her face turned serious, and in a solemn tone, she asked, “Brother Xu, have you always known about our marriage agreement?”

Xu Jiamu was silent.

After a moment of silence, she spoke again. “I’m sorry, but I cannot marry you.”

Chapter 404: Goodbye My Youth, Goodbye My Love (14)

Xu Jiamu seemed to know that Qiao Anhao’s sentence wasn’t finished. He leaned back lazily, finding a comfortable position. Without any sign of anger or confusion, he glanced at her, waiting patiently for her to continue.

Qiao Anhao moved her lips slightly. “Only after your car accident did I found out that I was betrothed to you. Because of the car accident, rumors that the Xu family no longer had a successor started to fly, causing the board of directors of the Xu Enterprise to raise objections. In the end, the only solution was for Lu Jinnian to act as you and for us to act as a couple so that the Xu family could pass through the crisis.

“Other than me, no one in the Qiao family is aware of your condition, and since Auntie Xu specifically came to find me…”

At that time, she only agreed to the suggestion after knowing that she was going to act as a couple with Lu Jinnian. She had always loved him, but she had never let anyone know. Even Xu Jiamu wasn’t aware of it even though he had seen her love letter…

Qiao Anhao paused for a while before continuing, “We have been friends for so many years, so I couldn’t just leave you in a plight, that’s why I agreed to the suggestion, but now.,.”

“Now that I’m awake, you have already finished what you promised initially, hence you want to end the marriage with me, am I right?” Xu Jiamu finished her sentence for her.

Qiao Anhao lowered her lashes, hesitating slightly before nodding her head.

“Sure, I understand. I’ll take care of the matter,” Xu Jiamu agreed instantly, without any hesitation or doubt.

Qiao Anhao raised her head in shock. “Brother Jiamu, how are you going to settle it alone?”

“You don’t have to bother about that, I can’t have you asking for a divorce yourself. Don’t forget that ever since your parents died, Qiao Anxia’s parents have been taking care of you, and for this marriage, you are representing not only yourself but the Qiao family.

“If you were to suddenly ask for a divorce, how would you face your aunt and uncle in the future?” Xu Jiamu explained the situation in detail before reassuring her, “Qiao Qiao, you don’t have to worry about a thing, I’ll settle the issue, you can just sit back and wait.”

Truthfully, Qiao Anhao had never thought of the Qiao family when she decided on the divorce, but after he had mentioned it, she was suddenly struck with the problem of how to face her aunt and uncle. She was touched, remembering that ever since they were young, Xu Jiamu had always been thinking out for her.

She nodded her head, replying lightly, “Brother Jiamu, thank you.”

“Qiao Qiao, why are you being so formal with me?” Xu Jiamu smiled and reached with his hand to softly ruffle her hair. “But Qiao Qiao, you’ll have to wait a while, I don’t even have the strength to leave the house right now…”

When Qiao Anhao returned back to Mian Xiu Garden, it was already 9 pm. She had eaten dinner at Xu mansion, so she informed Madam Chen not to prepare anything before heading upstairs.

Lu Jinnian wasn’t back yet. Even though she hadn’t done much the entire day, she was exhausted. After taking a bath, she limped to the bed but couldn’t seem to fall asleep. At about 12 pm, she suddenly heard the sound of a car engine coming from downstairs.

Chapter 405: Goodbye My Youth, Goodbye My Love (15)

The mansion was silent and no matter how good the soundproof walls were, she could still hear Lu Jinnian talking to Madam Chen.

As his footsteps became louder, the bedroom door suddenly opened. Qiao Anhao’s eyes remained shut as she pretended to be asleep.

Lu Jinnian’s footsteps were light. He seemed to have stood at the side of the bed observing her for a long while before going to the bathroom. After about ten minutes, he came out and climbed lightly onto the bed, careful not to wake her up.

The light scent from the soap mixed with his familiar scent and flew towards Qiao Anhao. She inhaled slightly, the warm heat from his bath entering her system. Her eyes started to sting slightly, tiny droplets framing her lashes before falling onto the pillow.

Lu Jinnian thought that she was asleep and didn’t disrupt her. The two of them lay apart for a long while before she suddenly turned, waking Lu Jinnian who was about to fall asleep. He opened his eyes in shock, looking at her before calling softly in a sleepy voice, ” Qiao Qiao.”

Qiao Anhao didn’t reply, her bright eyes looking straight at him under the faint glow from the bathroom light.

Lu Jinnian’s mind cleared instantly. Using his elbows to prop himself up, he asked, “What’s wrong?”

Before he could finish his question, he froze, for she pounced onto him, crashing his propped up body back onto the bed. Lu Jinnian was confused by her sudden actions. He frowned but didn’t object as his lips were violently covered by hers.

Her kiss was awkward, just like the first night when they were both drunk. With the power of liquor, she had pounced on him just like now, biting his lips randomly, her hands all over his clothes. But she didn’t have much strength. Regardless of how much she tried, she couldn’t rip his clothes off, releasing only the front two buttons of his shirt. Reaching under his shirt, she started to feel his warm chest…

Lu Jinnian’s mind was still confused, but he was sent completely ablaze by her actions. He had restrained for a month, now that she had taken the initiative, how was he to control himself?

After being in a daze for about five minutes, he hugged her waist and flipped her over, pressing onto her body, covering her lips violently, his hands ripping off their clothes efficiently.

She was the only woman he had touched and they didn’t do it often, so he was still considered an amateur, his actions based purely on his instincts.

He was the only man she had touched, so she didn’t have much experience. With shyness and a lack of courage to let herself go, she was akin to a puppet, following after him without much excitement.

Even so, without any techniques, they were still able to hit climax, they were still able to touch their deepest, innermost desires.

Deep into the night, with only their panting, even if they didn’t say a word, they could sense the simplest form of love that their bodies were expressing.

After a month of abstinence, they started to yearn for more, getting passionate. When it ended, they seemed to have fought a war, lying in fatigue.Chapter 406: Goodbye My Youth, Goodbye My Love (16)

Lu Jinnian lay on top of Qiao Anhao for a long while, taking deep breaths before finally getting his senses back from the afterglow. He reached out to wipe the sweat off her long hair before lowering his head to lightly kiss her forehead. Turning back to his side of the bed, he reached out to bring her into his embrace and shut his eyes.

When Qiao Anhao finally heard his breathing turn deep and long, she slowly opened her eyes to touch her forehead, where he had just kissed. Even though a long while had passed and it was already cold, she seemed to be able to feel warmth, but deep inside, her heart had turned to frost, her mind filled with the image of his signature on the abortion form. Her eyes started to fog, and in the end, she could no longer hold it in, the tears streaming down her face.

The next morning, when Lu Jinnian woke up, he could feel his entire body aching, but he felt satisfied and ready for anything that awaited him. He turned and realized that Qiao Anhao was not around. Without even bothering to wash up, he ran downstairs.

“Madam Chen! Madam Chen!”

Just then, the kitchen door flew open and Qiao Anhao walked out. Her long hair was tied up and an apron was tied around her waist as she held onto a spatula.

Lu Jinnian froze. “Where’s Madam Chen?”

“Madam Chen had something on at home,” Qiao Anhao replied before running back into the kitchen to lower the fire. She stuck her head out once again. “I made breakfast, you can come have some after washing up.”

She made breakfast?

Lu Jinnian looked at the kitchen incredulously before running back up in anticipation. He took a quick shower, dried himself, and changed in record time, then swiftly went to the dinning area. Qiao Anhao stood beside the dinning table, scooping porridge. Lu Jinnian stood motionlessly while looking at her, mesmerized.

Qiao Anhao seemed to have sensed him. She raised her head and smiled lightly towards him. “Sit.”

Lu Jinnian walked to the dinning table silently. The table was filled with dishes that weren’t meant for breakfast. He looked towards her questioningly. “You made all these?”

Qiao Anhao placed the bowl of porridge in front of him. “It’s the first time I made it, so I’m not sure if it’s nice.”

Lu Jinnian paused momentarily. Just when he was about to have a taste, he noticed a tissue she had on her hand. There was blood oozing out of it. He stood up abruptly, grabbing onto her hand. “You’re injured?”

“It’s fine, I cut it while I was cutting the vegetables.” Qiao Anhao tried to hide her hands instinctively.

Lu Jinnian frowned. He cautiously removed the tissue. When he saw the cut, his frown deepened and he left the dinning area.

He was back in an instance with antiseptic and a plaster in his hands. He knelt in front of her chair and took hold of her hand. Using the antiseptic, he first disinfected the wound then carefully covered it with the plaster. “If Madam Chen isn’t around, you can call for delivery. Don’t ever cook again.”

Qiao Anhao lowered her head to look as he treated her wound with seriousness. She looked away, for her eyes started to sting, tears threatening to form.Chapter 407: Goodbye My Youth, Goodbye My Love (17)

Qiao Anhao lowered her head to look as Lu Jinnian treated her wound with seriousness. She looked away, for her eyes started to sting, tears threatening to form.

Only after he covered her wound with a plaster did he stand up. Qiao Anhao hurriedly took in a couple deep breaths, suppressing her unstable emotions, turning to face Lu Jinnian with a smile. “Lets eat, it’s going to get cold.”

“Yea,” Lu Jinnian agreed lightly. He raised his hand to ruffle her hair, tossing the cotton wool he had used into the bin before retrieving a wet tissue to clean his hands. Returning back to his seat, he took up the chopsticks.

Before he could take anything, Qiao Anhao beat him to it, picking a water spinach and placing it into his bowl. Lu Jinnian was startled. When he raised his head to look at her, she met his gaze with a bright smile on her face, cheekily teasing him, “It’s the first time I cooked. I don’t even have the courage to try it, as the guinea pig, you should try some.”

Lu Jinnian’s lips curled into an indulgent smile. Without another word, he placed the spinach into his mouth.

“How is it?” Qiao Anhao asked, anticipation visible in her eyes.

Lu Jinnian swallowed the vegetable before replying seriously, “Not bad.”

“Really?” Qiao Anhao picked up a piece suspiciously, placing it into her mouth. After chewing twice, her face scrunched up into a wrinkled frown. Using all her will power to stop herself from spitting it out, she swallowed the vegetable, then chucked down a glass of water. “SALTY!”

Lu Jinnian smiled silently. He didn’t coax her like how other men did, he didn’t try to praise her with sugarcoated words. Instead, he continued to eat the dishes she had made silently.

Qiao Anhao’s first meal was not fantastic. It was edible at most, but Lu Jinnian continued to eat it as though it was the finest meal in the world.

Qiao Anhao couldn’t help feeling moved by his silent actions.

He was indeed good to her, but this wasn’t love… was it?

When Lu Jinnian was half full, he realized that Qiao Anhao hadn’t touched her chopsticks; she had been staring at him the entire time. His chewing gradually stopped. Without saying a word, he returned her gaze, seeing his reflection in her eyes. This was the first time in his life that he had found himself stunning.

The dinning area was silent, the sunshine from outside spilling in. In that instance, Lu Jinnian suddenly remembered what his assistant had told him the day before, “Even if she had once loved Mr. Xu, that doesn’t mean that she can’t fall for you now. It’s clear that she genuinely cares for your well being…”

Lu Jinnian’s heart started to turn. When he had come back the previous day, he had been debating whether or not to ask her about her feelings.

His hesitation was because he was afraid that if he didn’t hear what he wanted to, they couldn’t even be friends.

Lu Jinnian had struggled for a long time until he finally decided. “Qiao Qiao…”

The exact moment he spoke, she spoke as well. “Lu Jinnian…”