Chapter 5

After dropping Tian Qinghe off at her home, Cheng Yan politely declined Uncle and Aunt Tian’s invitation to stay for dinner and returned alone to her cold, empty house.

Calling it cold and empty wasn’t entirely accurate.

It had only been about a month since her last visit. Aside from some furniture collecting a bit more dust, every other object remained exactly where it was left. It definitely wasn’t the physical emptiness of a vast, barren space that made it cold.

It was just that a house devoid of any human trace, no matter how clean, still radiated a certain chill.

Cheng Yan pulled off the dust covers and, as familiar as ever, flopped onto the sofa.

The lingering rays of the setting sun climbed over the windowsill, inadvertently scattering a few golden particles of light onto the sofa, illuminating its mottled marks of age.

This sofa had been bought many years ago. The style was outdated, the surface cracked and wrinkled. It wasn’t as comfortable to lie on as the models currently selling like hotcakes.

But Cheng Yan was perfectly fine with it.

After lying there for a while, she felt a bit hungry and wanted to throw something together. Opening the fridge, she suddenly remembered she had emptied it completely the last time she left.

So it was empty inside.

She closed the fridge door without a furrowed brow, clearly long accustomed to such mishaps.

Though she’d probably forget again next time.

She tapped away on her phone and ordered some takeout. While waiting for the delivery, she returned to her home screen, tapped into WeChat, scrolled down a bit, and found a group called “Loving and Caring Gentle Wind Alley Family.” She clicked in, browsed through the chat history, and caught up on the recent progress of the Gentle Wind Alley demolition and relocation matter.

She had come back precisely because of the Gentle Wind Alley demolition.

Gentle Wind Alley was built over a hundred years ago. Over these past few decades, Mingjiang City had developed rapidly, attracting many people from other places. Skyscrapers shot up swiftly, and everything was changing with each passing day. Until now, the geographically advantageous Gentle Wind Alley had become increasingly incompatible with the development of the modern metropolis. A well-known real estate company won the bid, coordinating with the city government to demolish the old Gentle Wind Alley and plan a new international commercial district.

This was a great thing for the people of Gentle Wind Alley. Having such a good fortune as demolition fall upon them, especially when the developer was Shihong Company, a subsidiary of the Jun Group—wealthy and powerful, with guaranteed credibility, plus the government backing it—it felt like they couldn’t lose no matter what.

Looking further at the compensation packages they’d listed, everyone’s faces split into wide grins.

But not everyone was willing to be relocated willingly.

Recently, the group chats were all discussing this matter, trying to persuade the stubborn Old Li family.

Seemingly because someone had run into Cheng Yan at the alley entrance today, people were now @ing her in the group.

【@Cheng Yan Have you signed the demolition agreement for your house yet? Did you come back today specifically to handle this? If there’s anything you don’t understand, just ask us! We’re all neighbors, uncles and aunties who watched you grow up. Your parents are gone, and such a big matter—if there’s anything you can’t handle on your own, we can help advise you.】

【Right, if you’re afraid you might not understand something, we can accompany you when signing the agreement. That way, those people won’t try to cheat you just because you’re a young girl.】

Once someone started, several more replies followed underneath.

Every single one showed concern.

Cheng Yan lowered her head to reply: 【Thank you everyone for your kind intentions. If I need anything, I definitely won’t stand on ceremony.】

【Right, no need for ceremony with us.】

【If you need anything, just tell your auntie. Auntie knows a lawyer.】

…

After a few polite replies, Cheng Yan closed her phone. Yet in the empty house, she seemed to feel a few strands of warmth again.

Gentle Wind Alley was nice, but Cheng Yan didn’t consider herself one to dwell in the past.

Everyone had to move forward, towards a beautiful future.

When a pie fell from the sky into her lap, why should she refuse to catch it?

After finishing her takeout, Cheng Yan entered the master bedroom, which hadn’t been inhabited for years. She turned on the light and buried herself in sorting through the belongings left behind in the dust-covered past.

…

A few days later.

The top floor, the fifty-fifth floor, the exclusive office level of the current head of the Jun Family. Floor-to-ceiling windows spanned most of the room, bright, clean, and cold.

“How is the progress of the Shihong project going?”

Jun Jianqing finished the last sharp stroke of her signature, handing the contract to the person beside her, suddenly mentioning this matter.

Chen Yuehong, standing by ready at any moment, reported: “Young President Jun said yesterday that she plans to personally visit Gentle Wind Alley in the next couple of days.”

Hearing this, Jun Jianqing frowned, displeased: “That matter still hasn’t been resolved?”

A few knocks sounded on the office door.

At the same time, the internal line phone rang. Chen Yuehong bent down to answer it, and turned her head two seconds later to report to Jun Jianqing: “Young President Jun is here.”

Jun Jianqing nodded. With her approval, Chen Yuehong spoke into the phone to the secretarial office: “Please show Young President Jun in.”

The door opened, and a woman in a white suit walked in.

The woman was tall and slender, bearing some resemblance to Jun Jianqing. Her light golden hair was in big waves, looking slightly frivolous against the severe, icy backdrop of the office.

“Cousin!” Jun Lijiang wailed as soon as she entered, “Look how worn out I’ve been these past few days. I even have wrinkles at the corners of my eyes!”

Jun Jianqing swept a glance over her face, which was glowing with health, and scoffed.

Seeing her mocking laugh, Jun Lijiang leaned on the nearby sofa, twirled a lock of her hair, and shot her an annoyed look: “I had to help arrange Uncle’s funeral all by myself, yet Cousin couldn’t even be bothered to show up. Making a mere branch family daughter like me toil for so many days.”

Jun Jianqing smiled faintly: “If only the perfume on you was a little less strong.”

The smile on Jun Lijiang’s face dimmed. She put down the hand twirling her hair, cleared her throat, and switched to serious matters: “From the cremation to the burial, you didn’t show your face even once. Has anyone from the board or the main family given you any trouble?”

Jun Jianqing took a light sip of the tea before her.

“Would they dare?”

Jun Lijiang was stunned for a second, then the smile at the corner of her mouth gradually widened.

“Of course they wouldn’t dare!”

“A pack of hyenas, loyal only to whoever feeds them milk. Whoever gives the most benefits, they cling to like an unpluckable patch of grass, fearing they’ll be fed one bite less of flesh!”

“Right now, they wish they could cling to your pant leg, wagging their tails and fawning. Who would dare defy you!”

“Hehehe, what goes around comes around!”

Crude words echoed in the office. Chen Yuehong stood like a deaf statue, head bowed, immobile.

Jun Jianqing noticed Jun Lijiang’s small gesture of rubbing her two fingers together. Her voice was flat: “If you want to smoke, get out and smoke.”

“I know,” Jun Lijiang flashed her a brilliant smile. She dug out a piece of candy from her pocket and popped it into her mouth, staving off the sudden nicotine craving. “I plan to go to Gentle Wind Alley tomorrow. Cousin, since you don’t seem to have anything going on right now, want to come with me?”

Jun Jianqing subconsciously frowned.

Jun Lijiang knew this would be her reaction. Before she could refuse, she quickly spat out the rest: “Speaking of this Gentle Wind Alley, sis, there’s definitely something that would interest you.”

Jun Jianqing didn’t think there was anything that could possibly interest her.

But Jun Lijiang was putting on an expression of tantalizing suspense. She looked at her, signaling for her to continue.

“Just ten years ago, a massive fire burned down one of the houses in Gentle Wind Alley. A family of three—the husband and wife couldn’t be rescued and died in that fire. It even made the local news back then.”

“People online were saying at the time, the husband and wife keeping each other company, even on the road to the Yellow Springs they wouldn’t be lonely. They just felt sorry for the child, left to live alone in this world.”

The expression on Jun Jianqing’s face gradually turned icy.

Jun Lijiang saw this and her heart trembled slightly. But the words had already started; she couldn’t stop midway.

“It was this very news report that your mother, who was emotionally unstable at the time, saw. That led to the incident later.”

Clearly, Jun Jianqing remembered too.

She remembered that ordinary afternoon, returning from school to the main residence to visit her mother, seeing a newspaper laid out on her desk.

She had been a bit puzzled then; her mother usually didn’t read newspapers. Why was there one on her desk that day?

A few days later, the main residence was set ablaze.

No one else was hurt. Only the arsonist died completely in that fierce, raging fire.

People at the time said she wanted to die for love, wanting the chronically unfaithful man to die with her.

That was why the old man later loathed mentioning her so much, why he loathed seeing her, Jun Jianqing.

Initially, Jun Jianqing had thought so too.

But in the passing years later, when she was sorting through the remaining mementos of that time, she suddenly understood.

She had originally intended to drag him to death with her, unrelated to any notion of dying for love. But when it came down to it, she feared that man would sully her solitary journey to the Yellow Springs.

So she chose to die alone.

The fire was fierce and scorching hot, but it cleansed her soul.

…

“Why did you bring her too?”

Jun Jianqing looked at Jun Lichun, who was sitting obediently in a delicate dress, frowning at Jun Lijiang.

Jun Lichun obediently answered: “Cousin, I asked my sister to bring me to Gentle Wind Alley to find my classmate.”

Jun Lijiang spread her hands: “She’s just hitching a ride.”

Jun Jianqing’s brow twitched slightly: “How could you have a classmate living here?”

As a member of the Jun Family, Jun Lichun attended an international school. Students who enrolled there were either rich or noble. How could there be a student living in Gentle Wind Alley?

Jun Lichun’s eyes curved with a smile as she answered: “Because she’s super amazing. She was specially recruited. She’s incredibly smart, always in the top three for every exam and competition. The teachers all really like her.”

Jun Jianqing glanced at her without another word.

Social classes were rigid, but a brilliant mind could also be a tool to climb over and bypass obstacles.

Jun Lijiang said with a grin: “I think it’s not just the teachers. You like her too, right?”

Jun Lichun nodded: “Of course!”

Jun Lijiang continued, still smiling: “Then how come I saw you yesterday, holding hands and kissing another girl?”

Jun Lichun’s eyes went round, looking at her own sister innocently: “Is that not allowed, sis? I’ve seen you do the same thing?”

Jun Lijiang: “…”

Jun Jianqing glanced at her, warning: “Control yourself. Mind the boundaries.”

Jun Lijiang sat up straight. “Don’t worry, Cousin. I definitely won’t let the little brat catch me again.”

Cousin hated disloyalty in romantic relationships.

But Jun Lijiang hated it too.

So she never got emotionally involved. It was all money for pleasure, mutually willing, clearly understood, perfectly comfortable.

On the way to Gentle Wind Alley, Jun Lijiang quietly glanced at her cousin, who was resting with her eyes closed, silently pondering. All these years, she had never seen a lover by her side. Could it be that her cousin didn’t have any physical needs?

As a caring younger sister, how could she drop the ball on this?

She couldn’t just look after her own happiness. It was time to pay some attention to her cousin.