When a "Sea King" is Bound to a System [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 38.2

He held Jiang Yan’s hand, repenting word by word, but the person on the bed was unconscious, sleeping peacefully. No worldly sound could disturb her tranquility.

Meng Fanyi didn’t dare to cry too loudly, biting her lower lip fiercely. When Li Wei pushed the door open, Meng Fanyi had bitten two holes in her lower lip.

Heartbroken, Li Wei pulled Meng Fanyi into her arms, stroking her back in a comforting gesture. “Silly girl, if you want to cry, let it out. Don’t torture yourself.”

Meng Fanyi seemed carefree, but she was actually very sensitive and cried easily. The two of them could cry watching an idol drama. How could she hold back in this situation?

Meng Fanyi buried her face in Li Wei’s arms and sobbed loudly, soaking a large portion of Li Wei’s chest.

“I don’t want this! I don’t want Yanyan to die! I don’t want this!”

She kept repeating the same sentence, which made Li Wei’s eyes turn red too.

Life and death are fated. Everything is predetermined.

In the afternoon, Jiang Yan woke up. She saw Jiang He and called him Father, not as resistant as she had been the previous few days.

Perhaps, on the verge of death, the hatred in her heart had also dissipated.

She found Meng Fanyi in the corner and waved her over. Meng Fanyi quickly went to her, took her hand, and cried uncontrollably.

“Do you want to tell me something? I’m listening. Tell me.”

“Yiyi, my bag is in the bedside cabinet. Get it for me.”

Meng Fanyi quickly retrieved the bag and held it out to her. “Here’s the bag. What now?”

“There’s a ring box inside. It contains a pair of matching rings. After I die, put one in my urn, and give the other to Chu Qinghan. Tell her that I already have someone I love and that she shouldn’t look for me anymore. Tell her that all the happiness and joy I had while I was with her was fake, just to deceive her, and that I stopped loving her a long time ago.”

The more Meng Fanyi listened, the more distressed she felt, and tears streamed down her face.

“There’s no need, Yanyan. Are you still thinking of her even now?”

Jiang Yan smiled brightly, and her dull eyes lit up again.

“I’m not thinking of her; I want her to remember me forever.”

As long as that ring is there, no matter who she ends up with, she will think of me.

That’s enough.

Meng Fanyi clutched the ring box in her hand and nodded solemnly. “Okay, I understand. I will do as you say.”

“Thank you, Yiyi. Having you as a friend, my life wasn’t lived in vain.”

Meng Fanyi forced a strained smile, hugged her tightly, and cried for a long time.

Li Wei pulled her up and whispered to her, “Stop crying. Give Jiang Yao and Uncle Jiang some time. They surely have things to say to Jiang Yan too.”

Meng Fanyi realized this and moved aside.

Jiang Yao touched Jiang Yan’s forehead and asked softly, “Are you uncomfortable anywhere? Should I call the doctor?”

Jiang Yan shook her head. “No need. I’m not uncomfortable anywhere.”

In reality, her entire body was aching, but calling the doctor would only waste time.

“Brother, thank you for being so tolerant of me all these years. I was still hoping to see you get married and have a cute little nephew, so I could buy him beautiful clothes, treat him to delicious food, and slowly watch him grow up. But now, circumstances don’t really allow it, do they?”

Jiang Yao suppressed the stinging in his nose but still comforted Jiang Yan, “Don’t say such depressing things. You have to hold on. You can’t leave your brother.”

Watching her grow from a tiny child into an elegant young woman had always filled him with a sense of accomplishment. He had wanted them to grow old together. He wouldn’t allow Jiang Yan to be absent from his future.

Jiang Yan saw her brother’s tears, raised her hand to wipe them away, and teased, “Didn’t you always say a man doesn’t shed tears, only blood? What kind of behavior is this, crying like that? I’m just going ahead to see Mom. There’s nothing to be sad about.”

Jiang Yao was too sad to speak. He got up and rushed out of the hospital room.

Jiang He’s eyes were wet. He wanted to approach but didn’t dare, standing there awkwardly until Jiang Yan called his name. Only then did he rush forward.

“Don’t be afraid, Yanyan, don’t be afraid. We are all here to keep you company.”

“Dad, I’ve resented you for so many years. Did you ever think I was unreasonable? After all, what happened back then wasn’t entirely your fault.”

“No, never. I’ve always felt remorseful about your mother’s death.”

That’s why he was so resistant to that city. Staying abroad, rather than wanting to give his children a better life, was more a way of escaping.

Jiang He clearly recognized his own selfishness, which made him feel even more guilty towards his daughter.

“Yanyan, I’ve already resigned from Chu Corporation. As long as you get better, I will be with you every day.”

Jiang Yan nodded. “Alright. You can’t lie to me.”

“Mhm, Daddy won’t lie to you!”

Jiang Yan slowly closed her eyes. She was so tired; she just wanted a good sleep.

In a daze, she seemed to see Chu Qinghan. She was glowing, reaching out a hand to her, asking, “Yanyan, would you like to come to my side?”

Yes, I would. Why wouldn’t I? Even though you said those words, I still want to.

Almost instinctively, she reached out her hand.

The electrocardiogram began to flatline. Everyone present was startled. Meng Fanyi lifted her head from Li Wei’s embrace and saw Jiang Yan, eyes closed, on the bed. She frantically lunged forward.

“Yanyan, don’t sleep! I’m going to find the doctor! The doctor can definitely save you!”

Li Wei embraced Meng Fanyi, pressing her head into her chest. “Yiyi, don’t let her leave restlessly.”

Meng Fanyi struggled for a while, then gradually gave up, sobbing hysterically.

Jiang He held Jiang Yan’s hand, watched the flatlining electrocardiogram, and lowered his head.

He came from poverty, relying on his own efforts to change his situation step by step. He had a beautiful wife and a pair of lovely children. He thought life would be happy from then on.

Yet, he had to suffer the blow of losing his wife in his youth and his daughter in his middle age.

Why was Heaven so cruel to him?!

Jiang He trembled, asking “Why?” countless times in his heart.

Jiang Yao stood outside the door the whole time. When he heard Meng Fanyi’s wails, his fists clenched, and the veins on his forehead bulged.

He couldn’t watch the little girl he had raised die in front of him. He wouldn’t be able to bear it.

His heart felt as if it were being pricked by countless needles, a constant, unbearable, fine-grained ache.

Suddenly, dark clouds overcast the hospital room, and snowflakes drifted outside.

Chu Qinghan stood by the French window, watching the swirling snow. Her heart suddenly constricted.

She clutched her chest and slowly crouched down.

Seven days had passed, and Jiang Yan was nowhere to be found. She had searched everywhere she could think of, but still came up empty-handed.

In these few short days, she had traveled to North City twice, but Jiang Yan’s old neighbors said they had moved away three years ago, and they didn’t know where exactly they had gone.

She went with hope and returned with disappointment. Her heart became numb from the repeated torment.

Jiang Yan’s funeral was scheduled for February 29th, a day that only comes once every four years.

This was a date she chose herself. To lessen the sorrow of those who lived on, she had already thought this through at the beginning of her illness.

Xia Yuzhi rushed back to attend Jiang Yan’s funeral, crying inconsolably with Meng Fanyi.

Fu Jing and Li Wei stood nearby, watching them weep, their own expressions also very solemn.

Jiang Yao came over to thank Fu Jing. If it hadn’t been for her help, Yanyan wouldn’t have been able to spend her last days in peace.

Fu Jing said simply, “It’s what I should do. We’re all old classmates. Of course, I’d help with such a small favor. Jiang Yao, the dead cannot be brought back. Please restrain your grief.”

Jiang Yao nodded, his bloodshot eyes fixed immovably on the photo on the tombstone.

After the funeral, Meng Fanyi and Li Wei went together to find Chu Qinghan. At the time, she was at home, looking utterly desolate.

Upon receiving the call, she flew downstairs, her hope rekindled.

She didn’t realize anything was wrong until Meng Fanyi produced the box.

“Senior, Yanyan asked me to give this to you. Consider it a keepsake from her.”

Chu Qinghan took the box, opened it, and saw the rings inside. She was confused. “Where is she? Why did she ask you to give this to me? And what do these rings mean?”

Meng Fanyi dug her nails into her palm, preventing herself from showing any lapse in composure. She spoke in a calm tone, “Yanyan has gone abroad, to a beautiful place, with the person she loves.”

The box in Chu Qinghan’s hand dropped. The rings fell out and rolled several times before stopping.

“What do you mean, ‘with the person she loves’? I don’t quite understand. Didn’t she love me?”

Meng Fanyi took a deep breath, her expression cold. “Senior, you shouldn’t be so conceited. Yanyan stopped loving you a long time ago. She originally went to the class reunion, and you brought her home. Of course, she took the opportunity to make you pay the price for what happened back then, didn’t she?”

“So, she lied to me?” Chu Qinghan’s lips trembled. She didn’t dare think further.

“Yes, she lied to you. It was just a game. Time’s up, and you should both return to your respective places. Don’t look for her anymore. You won’t find her, and even if you do, she won’t come back with you.”

After saying that, Meng Fanyi turned and left, her steps hurried.

She was afraid she might accidentally cry and let Chu Qinghan see through the pretense.

Chu Qinghan stood stunned. After a long time, she crouched down to pick up the rings, covering her face and sobbing.

She had thought she found happiness, but it was all fake. She had been lying to her.

Heartbreak happens in an instant.

Chu Qinghan cried for a long time before returning home. After staying home for a month, her assistant called her to attend Jiang He’s farewell party.

She looked at the still gloomy weather outside. She really didn’t want to go, but if she stayed home any longer, she would go insane.

After this incident, Jiang He fully understood that nothing was more important than accompanying his children as they grew up.

He resigned from Chu Corporation, planning to find a leisurely job, help his son raise his children, and occasionally go to talk to his wife and daughter. That would be his life from now on.

He wasn’t in the mood to say goodbye to all the unfamiliar colleagues, so he arrived at the company early, handed over the documents sent from the German branch, and walked out with his belongings.

Chu Qinghan happened to exit the elevator, and the two ran into each other.

“Minister Jiang, your colleagues are waiting to hold a farewell party for you. Are you leaving just like that?”

Jiang He knew the decisive and authoritative Vice President, but he was no longer an employee of Chu Corporation, so there was no need for him to stay.

“CEO Chu, a farewell party is unnecessary. I’m not in the mood for it right now.”

Chu Qinghan also disliked crowds, so she thought this was fine. However, her eyes caught sight of a photo in the box he was carrying.

It was a joint photo of Jiang Yan and Jiang Yao!

A flash of insight crossed Chu Qinghan’s mind, connecting all the pieces.

“Minister Jiang, how is your daughter?”

“Thank you for your concern. My daughter, she…”

Jiang He didn’t finish his sentence, but his expression said it all.

Chu Qinghan grabbed his arm, her expression frantic. “What exactly happened to her?! Didn’t she go abroad with the person she loves?!”

Jiang He didn’t understand why her emotions were so agitated, but he still told her the truth.

He knew Chu Qinghan was Yao Yao’s classmate and might have known Yanyan too, so he didn’t hide anything.

After Jiang He finished speaking, he left. Chu Qinghan stood for a while before realizing she needed to ask him where Jiang Yan was buried. Before she could take two steps, her knees buckled, and she collapsed to the floor.

The elevator opened at that moment, and an employee saw her fainting and quickly rushed her to the hospital.

Chu Qinghan woke up at night. She pulled out the IV needle on her hand, put on the hospital gown, and rushed out, hailing a taxi to the company.

Jiang Yao wasn’t talking to her anymore. Now she could only pin her hopes on Jiang He, hoping his contact information was in the company’s files.

The company building was dark. She entered in her hospital gown, nearly getting thrown out by the security guard, who only opened the door after recognizing her.

She flipped through the HR archives and finally found Jiang He’s phone number. Her hand trembled as she dialed the number, but no one answered after a long time.

She slumped onto the floor in despair, finally breaking down into hysterical sobs.

Why was she so cruel?

Everyone knew you were sick, except for me. I thought your drastic change was you saying goodbye to the past. It turned out you were saying goodbye to this world.

Chu Qinghan sat on the cold floor for half the night, then stumbled downstairs. She used her family’s influence and finally got Jiang He’s address at dawn.

When she showed up at his door, Jiang He was clearly surprised, thinking Chu Qinghan had come because his work handover hadn’t been meticulous enough.

“Minister Jiang, I need to know where Jiang Yan is buried.”

As Chu Qinghan spoke, her eyes held deep despair. Coupled with her pale, haggard face, it deeply touched Jiang He.

“Yanyan is in Nanshan Cemetery.”

Chu Qinghan turned to leave, forgetting to ask for the exact location in Nanshan Cemetery. So, when she arrived, she started searching from the very first gravesite.

The weather was gloomy, and she was thinly dressed. Her lips soon turned blue from the cold, and the wind made her bones ache.

There were thousands of graves. She searched for an entire morning before finally finding Jiang Yan’s tomb.

Looking at the photo of the smiling girl on the tombstone, tears streamed down her face. She crouched down, stroking her face, her voice hoarse.

“Why were you so cruel to me? Why did you specifically ask Meng Fanyi to tell me those things? Did you think I would forget you after hearing them?”

I won’t forget you. Never.

Chu Qinghan talked to Jiang Yan for a long time until dusk began to fall, and she slowly left.

The next day, she returned and continued to chatter endlessly.

The third day, the fourth day, the fifth day…

After ten days, she fainted in the cemetery. If someone hadn’t happened to be visiting a relative’s grave, she would have been completely missed, hidden behind the tombstones.

The attending doctor happened to be her cousin, who forced her into the hospital because she was having heart problems. Chu Qinghan’s parents also rushed to the hospital. Her mother cried, urging her to rest and stop running around. Her mother even stayed in the room with her at night.

Chu Qinghan lay awake, staring blankly at the ceiling, unable to sleep.

As soon as she closed her eyes, she would think of Jiang Yan. Thinking of her made her feel that she was the one who deserved to die.

If only she had known they would have such a short time together, she should have gotten together with her sooner. She had wasted so much time, and even during those three years, she hadn’t made up her mind to find her.

How helpless must she have been during the time she was getting treatment alone?

Thinking of this, tears flowed again. Hearing her mother’s shallow breathing, she cried all night.

Chu Qinghan’s mother didn’t know what had happened to her daughter. Watching her become more haggard day by day, she could only worry helplessly.

They had been abroad all these years, rarely paying attention to their daughter. She had always been very independent and took care of everything well, never giving them cause for concern. If her cousin hadn’t told them about her heart problem this time, they wouldn’t have known anything.

“Huanhuan, is there anything you want to eat? Mom will have the chef at home prepare it and send it over.”

Chu Qinghan’s eyes moved, and she looked at her mother. “Mom, I want to eat spicy food. The spicier, the better.”

This child has never been able to eat spicy food since she was little. When did her taste change?

Her mother was confused but still indulged her daughter, asking the chef to prepare a few Sichuan and Hunan dishes and send them over.

Eating the dishes that were so spicy they dulled her tastebuds, Chu Qinghan subtly curved her lips.

Yanyan, you couldn’t eat these, so I’ll eat them for you.

She smiled, then started to cry. Large tears splashed onto the food. Her mother was startled.

“What’s wrong, Huanhuan? Does the food not suit your taste? Is it too spicy?”

“It’s fine, Mom. It’s not spicy at all. You should go eat too. Don’t stay here with me. I’ll stay in the hospital obediently.”

Her mother was still worried and sat down nearby. “Mom’s not hungry. I’ll go after you fall asleep.”

Chu Qinghan didn’t try to persuade her again. She endured the severe pain in her stomach, ate all the dishes, and then lay down in bed, pretending to sleep.

Her mother waited for about ten minutes, then called her name twice. Chu Qinghan didn’t answer.

The sound of the door closing echoed. Chu Qinghan slowly opened her eyes and sat up, pulling out the needle.

Her heart problem wasn’t severe; it was just a minor issue caused by long-term staying up late and the succession of recent blows. It would heal quickly with proper rest, but she no longer wanted to be cured.

Living alone was too painful. She wanted to go find Yanyan sooner.

Chu Qinghan escaped from the hospital again. This time, she didn’t go home. She went straight to the airport and boarded a plane to North City.

In North City, she visited Jiang Yan’s old neighbors, the kind old couple.

From them, she learned the exact time Jiang Yan first felt unwell. Her heart started throbbing again.

So, she knew about her physical discomfort so early. No wonder her attitude towards Chu Qinghan softened that semester; it was because of this.

After leaving the neighbors’ house, she visited Jiang Yan’s former kindergarten, primary school, junior high, and high school. Apart from the high school, she couldn’t enter the others and could only look in from the outside.

Imagining Jiang Yan studying inside, a faint smile touched her lips.

Yanyan was so beautiful. She must have been a goddess in school. Such a beautiful girl loved her and was so good to her, yet because of her own uncertainty, she said such excessive things to her. People like her really don’t deserve love.

After her trip to North City, Chu Qinghan threw herself into work, more fiercely than before. Her parents tried to persuade her, but nothing worked.

Eight years later, 32-year-old Chu Qinghan was a renowned young talent in the business world and the dream goddess of countless men and women.

But she remained single, wearing a ring on her right ring finger. No one knew who was lucky enough to be her partner.

On February 29th, at the launch of Chu Corporation’s new product, a reporter asked some product-related questions, then tried to trick her.

“CEO Chu, on behalf of the many single young people, may I ask if you are married?”

Chu Qinghan nodded, looking incredibly elegant in her form-fitting black suit.

“To have married you, your husband must be exceptionally outstanding, mustn’t he?”

Chu Qinghan spoke faintly, correcting him: “Not my husband, but my wife.”