Chapter 556: I’ve Loved You for Thirteen Years (27)

 Paperplane  Editor: DarkGemThe night view grew darker, the stars became clearer, and the lights of the forbidden city turned brighter, while the flames from the burning candles on the table danced higher.

Time was everlasting while waiting, and Lu Jinnian started to throb with anxiety. Eventually, they gradually subsided to nothing, and those feelings were replaced with restlessness and worry.

Lu Jinnian sat under the romantically decorated scene with a notably majestic air about him. However, the expression on his face started to grow tense.

A hint of impatience emerged in the assistant’s heart, as he incessantly raised his wrist to check the time. At twenty past eight, he finally couldn’t help himself but break the tension in the air. “Mr. Lu, do you want to call Miss Qiao? Perhaps something has happened to keep her back.”

Lu Jinnian gave a gentle nod, then pulled out his phone and called Qiao Anhao.

The sound doot-doot-doot rang in his ear over and over again, until the voice of the customer service lady said, “I’m sorry, the person you are trying to reach is currently unavailable.”

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“What’s wrong? Miss Qiao didn’t pick up?” Following his question, the assistant glanced over at Lu Jinnian, whose eyes had become colder, and so he hurriedly changed his tone. “Perhaps Miss Qiao didn’t hear it.”

Lu Jinnian forcefully pursed his lips, trying to call Qiao Anhao again. He didn’t know how many times he repeated this, but with every call, it would always end with the customer service lady’s automated response.

The atmosphere on the terrace grew increasingly more tense.

Under the shimmering multicolored lights, the assistant noticed that Lu Jinnian wore no expression on his face whatsoever. There wasn’t even the slightest hint of fear in his heart. The assistant, who stood to one side, didn’t dare take a deep breath, as he saw Lu Jinnian ceaselessly try to call her.

At nine o’clock, a sudden knock was heard from the doors of Lijing Pavilion.

Only then did the assistant secretly let out a sigh of relief. With hints of surprise, he first said to Lu Jinnian, “Miss Qiao has arrived”. He followed with a response to the knock, “Come in.”

As the doors opened, Lu Jinnian abruptly stood up from his seat and stared directly towards the door. But when he saw that it was just the Lijing Pavilion’s manager who had entered, his hand subconsciously grabbed the back of the chair.

“Mr. Lu, it’s already nine o’clock. Excuse me sir, but shall we start preparing the dinner you ordered?” the manager asked politely.

Lu Jinnian lowered his eyelids and turned his head, staring silently off towards the glistening lights of the forbidden city.

The assistant was afraid that the manager would set off Lu Jinnian by asking about the dinner, and so he hastily waved at him.

The manager seemingly felt that the energy was off, and so bowed and left the room.

After the manager shut the doors, the assistant distinctly felt that the atmosphere on the terrace had grown more stifling. So much so that he didn’t dare take a second glance at Lu Jinnian, who stood before the large dining table under the shimmering romantic backdrop.

Lu Jinnian stared at the lights nearby with an indescribable feeling.

Ever since the moment he fell in love with Qiao Anhao, he had waited for the day he could be worthy of her.

Later, when he finally managed it, he found out that she was engaged to Xu Jiamu, so he continued to wait. When he saw them split up, he allowed himself to love her.

He had waited for so many years that waiting had become a habit he no longer found painful.

However, waiting tonight made him feel a pain he had never felt before.Chapter 557: I’ve Loved You for Thirteen Years (28)

 Paperplane  Editor: DarkGemIt was almost half past nine. Two hours had passed since the time they had agreed to meet. Did this mean that she wasn’t coming?

Ah, thirteen years… Lu Jinnian had waited thirteen years for this day to finally come. He really didn’t want to miss his chance before he died. He wasn’t willing for them to come to such an end.

He pulled his eyes away from the shining lights from afar and picked up the phone from the table and called Qiao Anhao again. This time, the phone rang three times before it was picked up. A hint of surprise flashed across his eyes. Just as he cried a single word “Qiao”, the phone was hung up and the doot-doot-doot of the busy tone rang from the phone.

After Lu Jinnian tried to call again, he received no answer as before.

Why did she hang up the phone after picking it up just now? Was she still mad at him for acquiring Xu Enterprise? Was she still mad at him for how he had acted out in anger and left her in the afternoon?

But she picked the phone up, which meant she could check her phone… As though he suddenly saw a glimmer of hope, he hurriedly released his phone from his ear and sent her a message. [Qiao Qiao, I was in a bad mood this afternoon. I shouldn’t have thrown you aside and walked off. I’m sorry.]

As he sent that message, Lu Jinnian saw the words “Message sent” appear on his screen and knew that Qiao Anhao had already read it. So then, he quickly sent another. [Qiao Qiao, I know you can see my messages. I’m still waiting for you at Lijing Pavilion. Come and we’ll talk, okay?]

In the end, he never received a reply to the messages he sent. Lu Jinnian held his phone and waited for a while before trying to call Qiao Anhao again. Still no one answered, so he sent another message. [Qiao Qiao, I’ll wait here until you come.]

After waiting for an extensive amount of time, Lu Jinnian sent another message. [If you don’t come, I’ll still be waiting.]

With this message sent, Lu Jinnian raised his phone and rubbed it against his face. Then he straightened himself up and stood in front of the fence of the terrace, staring at the lights far away.

He didn’t know just how long he stood there for, but after some time, the phone in his palms vibrated for a moment. With hints of excitement, he brought the phone in front of him to find that it was just 10086 sending him the weather report.

Somewhat disappointed, Lu Jinnian let his arm hang loose.

At eleven o’clock, the manager of Lijing Pavilion came over to tell Lu Jinnian that it was time to turn off the lights.

The assistant glanced over at Lu Jinnian, who stood stubbornly in front of the terrace fence without moving an inch. He made a hand gesture at the manager and walked out of the room with him. Outside, he gave the manager a figure, and requested for them to wait with them a little longer.

Perhaps it was because tonight was Chinese Valentines day, but Beijing was still quite lively even at eleven o’clock. Although they were on the top floor of Lijing Pavilion, they could still hear the faint sounds of people standing on the Sky Bridge and singing.

“Do you know that I’m waiting for you? If you really care about me,

“How could you leave me to spend these never-ending nights alone…”

Waiting is the most torturous and draining thing to one’s patience. After the sound of the clock striking twelve at night, the initially bustling city of Beijing instantly fell silent.

The stillness allowed Lu Jinnian to hear the crisp sound of his heart beating in panic, unease, and fear.

He was really afraid to lose her just like that…Chapter 558: I’ve Loved You for Thirteen Years（29）

If it was in the past and Qiao Anhao was a far away dream, Lu Jinnian might not be as anxious as he was feeling, but now that she was in reach and there was hope, the sudden despair… was too much. Lu Jinnian had no idea how to accept that reality.

In the end, she still forsook him for Xu Jiamu and the Xu family?

That’s right, he knew that since young, they were far more important to her than him, and now that they were in trouble, she would choose to stand by them without hesitation. She wasn’t even willing to hear his explanation…

Even if she didn’t trust him, he still kept convincing himself not to give up.

His entire life, from his humble beginnings to now, he had never requested anything from anyone, but at this moment, the fear of losing her allowed him to throw his pride and arrogance. He started to beg. [Qiao Qiao, I beg you, can you come?]

After sending the text, he seemingly quietened, returning back to his seat and placing both hands on the table as he waited silently.

As the night fell, the street lamps started to brighten and flicker, but just like a statue, Lu Jinnian sat motionlessly.

His assistant never once interrupted him, allowing him to sit silently by himself.

When it was 2 am, the originally clear skies suddenly started to darken more, and gradually, big fat droplets started falling down.

The assistant cleared his throat. “Mr. Lu, it’s raining, why don’t you wait inside.”

Lu Jinnian ignored him, sitting with his back straight, not leaving the seat at all.

Often, the late Beijing rain was brief and abrupt, but two minutes after the assistant had spoken, the amount of dark clouds started to increase and the rain got increasingly heavier.

The assistant hurriedly ran forward, trying to forcefully pull Lu Jinnian into the shelter.

Lu Jinnian reached out to yank his assistant away before replying forcefully, “I said that I would wait here. I’m not leaving, I will wait for her here.”

The rain grew so heavy that their vision was blurred, and the both of them became drenched instantly. Regardless of how hard the assistant tried, Lu Jinnian remained firm, and in the end, the assistant couldn’t hold back anymore. “Mr. Lu, it’s already 2 am, Miss Qiao might not come!”

Lu Jinnian clenched his lips together as sorrow clouded his eyes. Stubbornly, he clenched his teeth and forced out, “I will wait for her here.”

Giving up, the assistant sighed and ran indoors to get an umbrella to shelter Lu Jinnian.

After an hour of pouring, they were both drenched, even with the umbrella.

Lu Jinnian remained on the balcony all this while. Gradually, the skies began to brighten. When the sun was finally up in the skies, the quiet city was bustling once again, the forbidden palace was crowded with tourists, Lu Jinnian’s drenched clothes were already dry, and he continued to sit in his place without a moving.

Only at 10.30 am did the silent Lu Jinnian finally stand up.

Chapter 559: I’ve Loved You for Thirteen Years（30）

After accompanying Lu Jinnian for the entire night, the assistant started to doze off while standing against the wall. When he saw Lu Jinnian suddenly leave the balcony, he woke up instantly. “Mr. Lu, where are you going?”

Lu Jinnian ignored him, taking large strides towards the door to the staircase.

The assistant followed closely behind, asking once more, “Mr. Lu, what are you going to do?”

Lu Jinnian had waited sixteen hours for her, but she didn’t turn up, so now, he was going to find her.

If she wasn’t willing to forgive him, that was the end and they would become strangers again, but he wanted to fight one more time. If the outcome was disastrous, he would accept it.

His assistant hesitated slightly before asking, “But, Mr. Lu, do you know where Miss Qiao is right now?”

Lu Jinnian moved his lips but nothing came out. When the elevator reached the first floor, he walked out swiftly.

One he was out of Lijing Pavilion, Lu Jinnian walked to his car. His assistant reached for the back seat’s door out of habit, but Lu Jinnian said faintly, “I’ll drive.” Turning to the other side, he pulled open the car door to sit in the drivers seat.

The moment his assistant sat down, he slammed onto the accelerator, flying forward.

Lu Jinnian sped the entire ride, but just as his assistant had said, he had no idea where she was. Beijing was a big city filled with people, so how was he supposed to find her…

But even if he couldn’t find her, he was still bent on doing so. He first went back to Ming Zhu Garden then Huan Ying Entertainment, but Qiao Anhao was nowhere in sight. He then drove to the mall that she frequented, the coffee shop, the supermarket, the restaurant…

Ever since yesterday, Lu Jinnian hadn’t eaten or slept, but he couldn’t seem to feel his exhaustion as he went around Beijing, trying to finding her. In the end, he went to Zhao Meng’s house before going to a few other of Qiao Anhao’s friends houses. In an urgent and pleading tone, he had continuously nagged at them, to please inform him if they learned of where she was. After making them save his name, he had even given them his namecard.

In the end, he headed to Qiao Enterprise helplessly.

–

Qiao Anhao was in a critical condition after hitting her head. The Qiao parents, Qiao Anxia, and Xu Jiamu didn’t sleep the entire night, waiting anxiously outside the operating room.

Only at 1 pm in the afternoon did her condition finally stabilize, but she was still in a coma.

Qiao Anxia had a meeting at 3 pm, but since she didn’t sleep the entire night, her skin looked pale and sickly and she piled on a thick layer of makeup. Grabbing her documents, she was about to enter the meeting room when her office phone suddenly rang.

It was a call from the front desk. “Miss Qiao, there’s a Mr Lu here that wants to see you.”

Mr. Lu?

Qiao Anxia didn’t know many people with the “Lu” surname, the only one seemed to be Lu Jinnian.

But then moment she thought of him, she laughed self-deprecatingly, why would Lu Jinnian look for her?

Decisively, she replied, “I’m having a meeting now, get him to leave his contacts.”Chapter 560: I’ve Loved You for Thirteen Years (31)

 Paperplane  Editor: DarkGemWhen Qiao Anxia finished speaking, she wanted to hang up, but then she heard a familiar voice from the other side, “Miss Da Qiao…”

Qiao Anxia suddenly paused what she was doing.

Lu Jinnian’s assistant? Could it be that Lu Jinnian was looking for her? Why was he looking for her?

An array of skeptic thoughts instantly flashed across Qiao Anxia’s mind. She paused for just ten seconds, then brought the phone back to her ear. “I’m on my way down.”

With that, she hung up. Qiao Anhao then threw the documents for the meeting onto the desk and turned to leave the office. She didn’t even wait for the secretary in the meeting room to speak before she throwing at her, “Push back the meeting by an hour”. Then she stomped over, swiftly and decisively, towards the elevators in her high heels.

As she stepped out of the elevator, Qiao Anxia glanced over at Lu Jinnian’s assistant, who stood at the entrance of the lobby.

At the sound of Qiao Anxia’s high heels striding over toward him, the assistant turned his head and immediately said, “Miss Da Qiao, Mr. Lu is looking for you.”

Qiao Anxia lifted her chin up slightly and scanned all around her. With Lu Jinnian nowhere to be seen, she furrowed her brows. “Where is he?”

“Mr. Lu is waiting for you in the car outside,” the assistant said.

Qiao Anxia gave a quick nod, then strode through the doors. After taking just two steps, she suddenly pointed at a nearby cafe. “If there’s something he has to say, let’s talk there.”

“All right, I’ll inform Mr. Lu.”

Qiao Anxia didn’t say a word, walking straight towards the cafe.

She found a quiet corner in the cafe and took a seat. Just as she ordered two cups of coffee with the baristas, she saw Lu Jinnian walk through the doors. A trace of shock instantly rose from her furrowed brows when her eyes fell on his body.

His clothes were creased up, and there were water stains from what seemed like the rain. There were circles of mud marks, his hair was a mess, and his face was pale white. He looked rather worse for wear.

In all the years Qiao Anxia had known Lu Jinnian, this was the first time she’d ever seen him like this.

From what she remembered, even during middle high, though the poor Lu Jinnian always wore his school uniform, he’d always looked clean and tidy.

What got into him? How did he end up looking so depressed?

Lu Jinnian pulled the chair opposite Qiao Anxia and sat down. He gave her a slight nod of greeting.

Qiao Anxia put away the skepticism in her heart and simply asked, “I ordered coffee, hope that’s alright?”

Lu Jinnian nodded once again, paused for a moment and added, “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Qiao Anxia raised her hand and flicked her hair. Then stared at Lu Jinnian and asked, “You wanted to see me?”

“Qiao Qiao?” said Lu Jinnian the moment Qiao Anxia popped the question. With an unusually rushed voice, he then asked, “Where is Qiao Qiao? Tell me, I want to see her.”

So he was looking for her because of Qiao Qiao… That’s about right. She should have known… Lu Jinnian always had Qiao Anhao in his heart. In the past, he’d used to make the effort to talk to her only to find out more about Qiao Anhao.

If it weren’t for Qiao Anhao, why would he have made an effort to come see her?

Qiao Anxia pushed down the precarious feeling in her heart. “Why are you looking for Qiao Qiao?”Chapter 561: I’ve Loved You for Thirteen Years (32)

 Paperplane  Editor: DarkGem“I have something I want to talk to her about.” Lu Jinnian paused for a moment and asked, “Do you know where she is right now?”

Being quick-witted, Qiao Anxia guessed that some kind of misunderstanding must have happened between Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao, based on the impatient look on Lu Jinnian’s face. Not only that but, he looked like he hadn’t slept all night. He also looked like he was caught up in the rain last night. He couldn’t have been looking for or waiting for Qiao Anhao all that time, could he?

And yet, he didn’t know that Qiao Anhao had fallen down the stairs, that she had only come out of a critical condition just two hours ago, or that she was under heavy watch after slipping into a coma…

With that, a thought flashed across Qiao Anxia’s mind. If she opened her mouth, Lu Jinnian would be able to find Qiao Anhao.

She didn’t directly answer his question, asking in a speculative way, “Did Qiao Qiao and you get into an argument because of what happened with Xu Enterprise?”

Lu Jinnian didn’t answer, but the tight pursing of his lips suggested that she had guessed right.

Qiao Anxia remained quiet for about half a minute. This time, when she opened her mouth to ask him something, her tone of voice had a certain conviction to it. “You don’t want to lose Qiao Qiao, so you came to find me and ask where she is. Am I right?”

Lu Jinnian still didn’t make a sound.

The waiter came over with two cups of coffee.

Qiao Anxia said “Thank you” in a low voice, and waited for the waiter to leave before she stirred the coffee a little and took a gulp. Then she went on her own tangent and said, “Lu Jinnian, I can tell you where Qiao Qiao is, but you have to answer me one question.”

Lu Jinnian didn’t touch the coffee in front of him. He quickly nodded and agreed without hesitation the very moment Qiao Anxia’s words were spoken. “Ask.”

Qiao Anxia took a deep breath and said in a calm and composed voice, “I know that Xu Jiamu woke up not too long ago and that the person who Qiao Qiao was pretending to be husband and wife with was you. I just want to ask… If I was the person Xu Jiamu was engaged to, and you and I pretended to be husband and wife would our relationship be closer right now?”

Just as Lu Jinnian was going to answer her question, Qiao Anxia beat him to it and said, “Lu Jinnian, you know the answer I want to hear. As long as you agree, I’ll tell you where Qiao Qiao is right now.”

Lu Jinnian knew exactly what Qiao Anxia meant by her words. Without a hint of hesitation on his face and bloodshot eyes, which hadn’t rested all night, he stared directly at Qiao Anxia, and said, “If you were the person Xu Jiamu was going to be married to, I would have never agreed to pretend to be Xu Jiamu.”

Qiao Anxia curved the corner of her lips into a gentle smile and lowered her eyelids. She glanced over at the cup, and after a while, she lifted her head and stared at Lu Jinnian. She asked him, “Lu Jinnian, if you just say you would, then I’ll immediately tell you where Qiao Qiao…”

Lu Jinnian didn’t wait for Qiao Anxia to finish before getting up from his chair and saying in a dull voice, “Sorry”. Then he placed two notes on the table and got ready to leave.

Seeing Lu Jinnian’s actions, Qiao Anxia jumped up with him. “Lu Jinnian, did you forget why you came to find me?”

When he turned to leave, his expression didn’t change.

Qiao Anxia hurriedly stretched her hand out and grabbed his arm. “All you have to do is lie to me, and you’ll know where Qiao Qiao is…”

Chapter 562: I’ve Loved You for Thirteen Years (33)

 Paperplane  Editor: DarkGem“If I had to say such flirtatious words to another woman to find out where she was, then I’ll pretend as though I never looked for you.” As usual, Lu Jinnian didn’t give Qiao Anxia the chance to continue speaking, straight up interrupting her. “Because I don’t want to become unworthy of her.”

With Lu Jinnian’s words, she raised her hand, and he pulled his own free from her grasp. Then, taking large strides, he walked out of the cafe.

Even if she didn’t meet with him because of the Xu Enterprise incident, and even if he couldn’t find her, he couldn’t sully his love for her.

He hadn’t cleared his name yet. If they were to get together, people who criticized him could also go and antagonize her. All he could do now was to continue loving her like before.

Even if that meant that all he could do now was to reject all the other advances in the name of her unconfirmed love.

–

Seeing Lu Jinnian emerge from the cafe, the assistant immediately opened the car door for him to sit inside. He hastily got in the car as well and asked with anticipation, “Mr. Lu, do you know where’s Miss Qiao is now?”

Lu Jinnian shook his head flatly, not saying a word.

In that instant, the anticipation in the assistant’s face turned to disappointment.

The car was silent for quite sometime, until Lu Jinnian suddenly said, “Go home first.”

“Then, Mr. Lu, you…”

“I’m fine, go on now.” Lu Jinnian’s tone sounded extremely dull, but there was a trace of insistence within it.

The assistant hesitated for a moment, but eventually nodded. He handed Lu Jinnian the keys, then got out of the car and left.

Alone in the car, Lu Jinnian sat there for a while before ultimately starting the car up and slowly driving off.

If he couldn’t find her, then he would choose the silliest way possible – to wait for the rabbit to come out of the hole. Even if she hadn’t forgiven him and didn’t want to see him for what happened to Xu Enterprise, she still had to go back home to the Qiao family, right?

He drove to the entrance of the Qiao family estate and waited for her. If she turned up in a day, then he’d wait that whole day. If she turned up in forever, then he’d wait forever.

–

This was the second time Qiao Anxia woke up in the middle of the night to find Lu Jinnian’s car outside the window.

That car has been parked at the entrance of the Qiao family estate for a day and two nights. It practically never left the spot.

When the car first parked there, the doors never opened, nor did the person inside come out. If you didn’t know better, you’d think it was an empty car.

If you stared at the car long enough, you’d realize that the car window would come down every so often, and a hand would stretch out, holding a cigarette.

The person in the car was just as silent as the car itself. He never disturbed anyone.

Qiao Anxia knew that the person in the car was waiting for Qiao Anhao, who was still unconscious.

In the middle of the night, Qiao Anxia had the urge to go out once or twice, to tell Lu Jinnian that Qiao Anhao was in the hospital.

But whenever she walked to the entrance, she would feel a little reluctant.

With him waiting there, her heart also felt just as tormented.

One morning, after the car had been parked outside the Qiao family entrance for fifty six hours, it finally left.

–

Qiao Anhao eventually woke up after being comatose for four days and four nights.

When she opened her eyes, she noticed from the light outside the window that night had just fallen. She suddenly scanned all corners of the hospital room, having some difficulty in turning her head.

She had laid in bed for quite a long time when she felt her head surge with excruciating pain.

Chapter 563: I’ve Loved You for Thirteen Years (34)

 Paperplane  Editor: DarkGemQiao Anhao had laid in bed for quite a long time when she felt her head surge with excruciating pain.

She instinctively wanted to lift her arm and touch it, but soon realized that there was some kind of pull on her wrist. Her pupils turned towards her wrist to find that she actually had a tube in her.

Qiao Anhao felt slightly groggy. How did she end up on an IV drip?

Then, she scanned her surroundings, and realized that she was in a hospital.

Her brows furrowed at the thought of what the hell had happened, when suddenly, she heard someone’s erratic voice. “She’s awake! The patient in room 101 is finally awake!”

A woman wearing a pink nurse uniform came running to her beside. “Miss Qiao, you’ve finally woken up?”

As she said this, the hospital’s room doors were suddenly flung open.

“Qiao Qiao!”

“Qiao Qiao, you’re awake?”

Qiao Anhao heard two familiar shrieks of joy draw closer, and Aunt Qiao and Xu Jiamu’s faces appeared in front of her. Behind them were a few doctors, who surrounded her and started to perform all sorts of checks on her.

After quite a long time had passed, the lead doctor took off his face mask, pointed at Aunt Qiao, and asked Qiao Anhao, “Do you know who she is?”

How could she not recognize auntie… Qiao Anhao glanced at the doctor with an odd look, then cried, “Auntie”. That’s when she realized that her voice sounded a little weak.

“Who is he?” The doctor then pointed at Xu Jiamu.

“…Brother Jiamu.”

The doctor nodded in satisfaction, then turned to Aunt Qiao and Xu Jiamu, who stood behind him and said, “Miss Qiao’s memory is just fine, and her heart pressure is normal. Probably because she fell quite severely, her brain was seriously shaken, which is why she fell into a coma for quite some time. But, now that she’s awake, there aren’t any major problems. She’ll be well enough to go home after a few days.”

When the doctor left, Aunt Qiao came to Qiao Anhao’s beside and grabbed her hand. The rims of her eyes suddenly became red. “Qiao Qiao, you’re awake? You almost scared auntie to death.”

“I’m fine,” reassured Qiao Anhao in a quiet voice. Then she suddenly remembered that she had had a dinner date with Lu Jinnian, and so she turned her head to glanced out the window. Seeing as the skies had darkened, she impatiently asked, “What time is it?”

Xu Jiamu lifted his wrist to check the time. “It’s almost eight o’clock.”

So late? Qiao Anhao abruptly sat up, but because she’d gotten up so forcefully, she felt a little dizzy. Her vision darkened for a moment, and she almost fainted again.

Xu Jiamu hurriedly came to support her back onto the bed. “Qiao Qiao, you’ve only just woken up. You can’t be moving around.”

“No… I have plans to have dinner with someone.”

Aunt Qiao then answered, “You had dinner plans with someone that night? But you’ve been unconscious for four days and four nights.”

Four days and four nights? Qiao Anhao’s heart suddenly jumped, and she instinctively felt around her pillow. “Where’s my phone?”

“Your phone is probably at my house. Whatever it is, it can wait until you’re slightly better. Tomorrow, I’ll go get it from my house.”

Aunt Qiao went along with Xu Jiamu and also tried to persuade her. “That’s right. Qiao Qiao, you’ve only just woken up, don’t think of anything else. Hurry and get some rest.”

Qiao Anhao wanted to borrow Xu Jiamu’s phone for a second, but remembering what had happened between him and Lu Jinnian over the Xu Enterprise incident, she eventually didn’t say a word.Chapter 564: I’ve Loved You for Thirteen Years (35)

 Paperplane  Editor: DarkGemIt hadn’t been long since Qiao Anhao first woke, but she soon fell asleep. Perhaps it was because she’d been unconscious for quite some time, this time, she didn’t sleep for long. When she woke up again, it was already late at night.

The entire world sounded spectacularly silent. Xu Jiamu might’ve not slept well for a few days, and so when she finally woke up, he fell deep asleep in the other bed. Her wrist was still on a drip, which looked like an IV.

This time, when she woke, her head was a lot clearer than the first time. She remembered how she bumped into the Xu family’s housekeeper and fell down the stairs. They told her that she’d been unconscious for four days and four nights… four whole days and nights. Could Lu Jinnian have tried looking for her?

Before she fell unconscious, she got into an argument with him. She originally wanted to apologize to him. What if he tried to look for her these few days and she didn’t reply…

The more Qiao Anhao thought about it, the more confused her heart became. She turned her head and glanced over at Xu Jiamu, who was deep asleep. She bit her bottom lip, lifted her arm up, yanking the needle from her wrist. Then, she quietly removed her covers and climbed out of bed.

The moment her feet touched the ground, Qiao Anhao felt stars appear before her eyes. She used the bed to support her up and waited a moment to feel more comfortable. She then let go of the bed and slowly moved her feet. It didn’t feel entirely painful to walk, and so she tiptoed all the way to the door.

There were no other clothes in the hospital, and so she could only wear the hospital gown out. Just before she walked out the door, she realized that she didn’t have any money on her and so she went over to the wallet Xu Jiamu put on the table and pulled out two notes.

Luckily it was late in the night at the time, and so the nurses on the late shift were spread out on their desks, dosing off. She used that chance to casually slip out.

Qiao Anhao had only reached the entrance when she felt that her body was at it’s limit. She waited by the road for a while, and raised a hand to hail a taxi.

–

Qiao Anhao entered the passcode and opened the door to her apartment in Ming Zhu Garden. The apartment was pitch-black, with no lights coming through whatsoever.

She turned on the lights, then changed her shoes at the entrance, went upstairs to her bedroom, and saw that everything was just as it were on the day she left. Her changing room was a complete mess. After she had tried on every outfit, she had randomly thrown all her clothes in every direction.

Qiao Anhao walked to the bedside and collapsed there. She grabbed for the home phone on her bedside table and called Lu Jinnian.

“I’m sorry, the number you dialed cannot be reached within your service area.”

Qiao Anhao furrowed her brows. Not in the service area, was the phone out of battery?

She put the phone down and nestled there in bed for a while. Only when she regained her strength a little did she sit up. Seeing that the iPad was on the coffee table, she walked over and put in her WeChat ID and password.

After it took a long time for it load, she finally got into her account. A ton of messages popped up one after the other. So much so that one of her group chats had almost ten million unread messages.

Qiao Anhao searched for Lu Jinnian’s name, and was disappointed to find that he hadn’t sent her a single message. Nevertheless, she still sent him one, [I’m home at Ming Zhu Garden.]

After she sent the message, Qiao Anhao scrolled through her other unread messages. The first name she clicked on was Zhao Meng. She’d sent her a ton of messages, which mostly were “You here?” or emojis.

First, Qiao Anhao replied to Zhao Meng with a “Yeah”. Just as she was about to write more, Zhao Meng suddenly replied with an exclamation mark. Then she sent her a voice note. “Qiao Qiao, you’re still alive? Do you know that Mr. Lu has been looking for you like crazy?!”Chapter 565: I’ve Loved You for Thirteen Years (36)

 Paperplane  Editor: DarkGem“Qiao Qiao, you’re still alive? Do you know that Mr. Lu has been looking for you like crazy?!”

Qiao Anhao originally wanted to ask Zhao Meng why she wasn’t asleep when it was so late, but when she heard those words “Mr. Lu has been looking for you like crazy”, her fingers on the iPad suddenly stopped.

Zhao Meng continued to send her endless amounts of voice notes. Before Qiao Anhao could even click on them, the other sent her a video chat request.

Qiao Anhao accepted the call. In her iPad, she saw Zhao Meng in a pair of large framed glasses, pajamas, and with an erratic expression on her face. She asked, “Qiao Qiao, I called you but you didn’t pick up. Just what the hell got into you?”

“I don’t have my phone on me…”

Qiao Anhao only got those few words in before Zhao Meng interrupted her, as though she had other important matters to tell her. “Forget it, forget it. I’ll deal with you for that later. Right now, I’ve got three important things to tell you. First, “Heaven’s Sword” is set to continue shooting from next Wednesday. Second, Mr. Lu has been looking for you. Third, yesterday morning, you’ve been caught in a scandal!”

It sounded like Zhao Meng wasn’t going to take a breath, nor give Qiao Anhao time to ask her the questions on her mind, as she jabbered on until everything was said. “Qiao Qiao, do you remember when you filmed “Alluring Times” with an actress called Wang Ying who played Cheng Yang’s secretary? She’s quite good looking and she has a great personality. She was in an incident that later dragged you into it…”

Qiao Anhao furrowed her brows for a moment. “How did it drag me into it?”

“Her boyfriend is a very popular singer in Hong Kong. The two of them were caught taking drugs the day before yesterday at eleven o’clock. News got out, and it reached the top of Weibo’s headlines.

“At first, everyone was hot on the two of them, but at twelve o’clock, someone released a photo of you and Wang Ying on the set of “Alluring Times”. There were some other photos from an outtake that made her look tired. Those photos look like drugs were taken.

“As you were the second female lead of the recently popular drama, “Alluring Times”, your followed count has increased But then, everyone thought that you were taking drugs too, and then someone found photos of you and Wang Ying together…

“You know what the people on the internet are like. They basically never go and find out the truth, they just follow the trends, and so the rumors started to spread everywhere in a moment’s notice. Everybody’s saying that you took the drugs, so you’re in the headlines.”

Qiao Anhao didn’t think that she’d fall down the stairs and be unconscious for several days, and when did wake up, colossal changes would have happened. She hastily clicked onto Weibo, but she didn’t search her name. Her brows couldn’t help but furrow when she thought that Zhao Meng was pulling a prank on her.

But then Zhao Meng said, “Headlines like these, about taking drugs, is a career killer for celebrities. On top of that, other celebrities would brutally stay far away from you. Then to top it all off, the nation is extremely strict on these things, so after these rumors came out, a lot of people didn’t dare speak out for you.

“Apart from Song Xiangsi, who came out to say something. But in the end, even she received backlash. They said that even she might be taking drugs! Finally, at around three in the morning, Mr. Lu saved you.”Chapter 566: I’ve Loved You for Thirteen Years (37)

 Paperplane  Editor: DarkGem“Lu Jinnian?” Qiao Anhao whispered puzzled. As she checked the Weibo’s top ten headlines, she noticed that six of them were were all about Lu Jinnian. She instinctively asked, “How is he? Why does he have so many hit threads on the top searched?”

“Qiao Qiao, I really didn’t want to tell you.. you say you want to mingle in the entertainment circle, right? Yet you don’t even check the entertainment news!” said Zhao Meng, full of resentment. Then she continued to elaborate on how the whole situation unfolded.

“Just when your scandal reached its peak, suddenly, someone spread rumors about Mr. Lu. They said that he’s the illegitimate child of the Xu Enterprise that he just acquired!

“In recent years, Mr. Lu’s follower count was undefeated. On top of all this, he recently acquired Xu Enterprise, and so everyone were quick to draw their attention to something like that. As a result, the news instantly and completely killed your scandal, burying it deep away.”

“Qiao Qiao, honestly speaking, after knowing Mr. Lu for so many years… I mean, he and I are considered classmates from middle high school. I’ve always thought he was an orphan. I never imagined that he was actually Xu Jiamu’s step brother!

“But, Qiao Qiao, whoever’s behind all this against Mr. Lu, they actually went out and started talking about his mother.”

After Zhao Meng said that, Qiao Anhao had already clicked onto the top searched topics.

It was like the internet had exploded into chaos! Everyone’s discussions were far more sensational than what Zhao Meng had described. After so many years, Lu Jinnian had accumulated quite a lot of fans, but of course, the more popular a person is, the more people there are who hate them.

And so, when the fans, random netizens, and haters clamored together, their discussions were incredible. It was so chaotic that, in fact, marketeers and meme makers all started to jump on it, stretching out a day old piece of news. The more people talked about it, the more heated it got, and it didn’t seem like it was going to simmer down.

“Qiao Qiao, I really didn’t know that Mr. Lu’s mother used to also be a celebrity, who starred in a few pornos, and someone put those videos up on the internet, and… His mom seemed to also be an escort… Mr. Lu is quite pitiful.”

Zhao Meng was still talking on the video chat, making Qiao Anhao’s fingertips gently tremble with her words. She scrolled through the screen non-stop, looking at netizens trash, support, mock Lu Jinnian, and an unspeakable pain crept into her heart.

“Qiao Qiao, it’s late. I have to get off now, my boyfriend is calling me to go sleep. Oh right, get in touch with Mr. Lu. He couldn’t find you before, and came over to my place a few times.

“The first time he came, it looked like he hadn’t slept at all. His clothes were dirty and all crumpled up. His eyes were bloodshot, and he looked particularly worse for wear. Honestly speaking, in all the years I’ve known Lu Jinnian, in my heart, he had always represented perfection. I’ve never seen him like that.

“When he saw me, he grabbed my shoulders and asked where you were, wouldn’t I tell him where you were? His voice sounded… Even I felt pity for him. He was like a desperate child.”

With that, Zhao Meng snorted and said “Bye bye”. Just as she was going to end the video call, it seemed like she had just remembered something. She paused for a moment, then said, “Qiao Qiao, to be honest, the moment Mr. Lu came to find me, I really thought that he loved you. Like, that really really deep kind of love.”

This time, when Zhao Meng finished speaking, she didn’t pause at all and just hung up the video call.