ACMS 38

Chapter 38: The Past

Qiao Le turned his head and saw a woman who was both familiar and unfamiliar. For a moment, he was dazed.

When the woman saw him, her face lit up with surprise. “Lele, it really is you!”

Qiao Le snapped out of it and greeted her, “Auntie Hong.”

The woman in front of him was Jiang Hong, a former upstairs neighbor of their family and a friend of Liang Shuling who had gone to work in Shen City with her.

Back then, after Liang Shuling and Jiang Hong went to Shen City, neither of them returned to Yunjing City.

Unlike Liang Shuling, Jiang Hong had lost her husband early and had no children. When they left and never came back, many people gossiped that Jiang Hong had remarried.

Qiao Le hadn’t expected to run into her at Chen Hao’s house.

Seeing Jiang Hong dressed with elegant refinement, and recalling Chen Hao mentioning that his parents were divorced and only his stepmother was hosting today’s party, a thought surfaced in Qiao Le’s mind.

Jiang Hong hadn’t expected to see Qiao Le here either. She took two steps forward, her tone slightly emotional. “It really is you. Just now I thought I might’ve mistaken someone else for you—I didn’t even dare to call out. Why are you here? You’re—”

Today was also Chen Hao’s birthday. He hadn’t been in Yunjing City long, and the only ones who’d come to the house were his classmates.

She seemed to guess Qiao Le’s identity and paused. Qiao Le finished her sentence for her. “I’m Chen Hao’s classmate.”

“I thought so too.” She smiled at him. “I heard you got into Yunjing University. That’s amazing.”

Back when Jiang Hong and Liang Shuling had just gone to Shen City, Liang Shuling would occasionally call home, but gradually stopped.

But Jiang Hong said she’d heard that Qiao Le got into Yunjing University.

Who did she hear that from?

Qiao Le considered two possibilities: either she was still in contact with old acquaintances, or she was still in touch with his mother, Liang Shuling.

He didn’t dwell too much on guessing and asked directly, “Who did you hear it from?”

When Jiang Hong heard this, she sighed. “You’re wondering if it was your mother who told me, aren’t you?”

Qiao Le pressed his lips together and nodded. “Yes.”

“It was your mother who told me, last year—”

“Qiao Le!”

Chen Hao’s voice came from behind.

Jiang Hong cut herself off and said to Qiao Le, “I’ll talk to you later. Xiao Hao is coming over, and your classmates should be arriving soon.”

Her meaning was obvious—she didn’t want Chen Hao to know they were acquainted.

Qiao Le was unwilling to let it go. He wanted to know more about Liang Shuling—where she had been all these years, whether she ever thought of him and Qiao Man.

But Chen Hao had already entered the living room carrying drinks, and Qiao Le could only temporarily suppress the questions that had haunted him for so many sleepless nights.

Chen Hao came over and saw Jiang Hong. “Auntie, you’re done with the setup? This is my classmate, Qiao Le.”

Jiang Hong smiled at him. “I know, he just spoke to me. You two chat—I’ll go check on the decorations.”

Chen Hao said, “Okay, thank you.”

As Jiang Hong walked out, Qiao Le subconsciously wanted to follow. Just as he moved, Chen Hao asked, “Where are you going? Not drinking anything?”

Qiao Le froze mid-step. Chen Hao handed him a glass of freshly squeezed juice and casually introduced, “That was the aunt I mentioned before—my stepmother.”

So Qiao Le’s guess had been right. He tightened his grip on the glass and gave a short “Oh,” before asking offhandedly, “Is your aunt from Shen City too?”

“No, I think she’s from Jiangcheng,” Chen Hao replied. “She used to be an accountant at my dad’s company. They got married earlier this year, and she became a full-time housewife. After I got into Yunjing University, she came with me to take care of me.”

“Actually, we have a housekeeper and an auntie at home, so there’s no need. But my dad said having family around is more attentive.”

Chen Hao continued chatting, but Qiao Le wasn’t really listening.

He was thinking: Jiang Hong only married Chen Hao’s dad this year and just returned to Yunjing—then what about his mother? Was she still in Shen City? Still working at Chen Hao’s dad’s company? Had she come back with Jiang Hong?

Countless questions flooded his mind, leaving him overwhelmed.

He glanced toward the front door, planning to find a chance to speak with Jiang Hong again.

He didn’t have to wait long. Soon, the classmates Chen Hao invited arrived one after another. While Chen Hao was busy greeting them, Qiao Le seized the opportunity to go find Jiang Hong.

Their earlier conversation had been interrupted, and Jiang Hong seemed to know what he wanted. As they brushed past each other, she whispered for him to wait for her in the side hall later—she still needed to help host the guests for now.

As more people arrived, the party grew livelier. Chen Hao had even invited a band to perform. Laughter and singing filled the air.

When the time seemed right, Qiao Le excused himself and headed to the place they had agreed on.

Jiang Hong was already there waiting. When she saw him, she said, “I know what you want to ask. But your mother and I haven’t been in contact for a long time.”

All this time, Qiao Le had been wondering what kind of news he would get. He’d even mentally prepared himself for the possibility that Liang Shuling had remarried and started a new family.

But he hadn’t expected this.

At the moment he heard it, there was a ringing in his ears. It felt like something had clawed at his heart, squeezing it tight—he was in pain.

When Liang Shuling had first left, he’d wanted to find her, to know if she was doing well, to ask why she abandoned him and Xiao Man.

When he’d finally begun to accept that she didn’t want them anymore, Jiang Hong had suddenly reappeared.

The moment he saw Jiang Hong, he thought he might finally get some answers. But now she said she and Liang Shuling hadn’t been in contact for a long time.

Qiao Le tried to speak but found his throat unbearably dry. “When was the last time you two spoke?”

“Last year,” Jiang Hong said after a pause, looking at him with a touch of sympathy in her eyes. “After your father had his accident.”

After his father had his accident.

So Liang Shuling knew what had happened at home. She knew his father had taken his own life. She knew what he and Qiao Man were going through.

And still, she never came back. Not even a single word passed through someone else to them.

She really doesn’t care about himself, or about Xiao Man?

Qiao Le’s throat tightened as he felt a sharp pain in his chest, which had been heavy before, now becoming so unbearable that he could hardly breathe. He took deep breaths, repeating them several times before he finally managed to regain some control.

Jiang Hong had always had a good relationship with Liang Shuling. Their families had been neighbors, with Qiao Le growing up under her watch. Seeing him like this, Jiang Hong couldn’t help but feel sympathy. “Lele, are you okay?”

Qiao Le took a deep breath, trying to suppress the bitterness rising in his chest. “I’m fine.”

“I’m fine,” he repeated, then asked Jiang Hong about the circumstances surrounding their move to Shen City.

It wasn’t the right time or place, but if possible, Jiang Hong would have liked to sit down with him and talk. However, she knew Qiao Le wouldn’t want that. He was desperate to know more about his mother.

Jiang Hong knew she could avoid answering, but she couldn’t bear to lie to him. Some truths were better known than clinging to unrealistic hopes.

After she and Liang Shuling arrived in Shen City, both of them started working at Chen Hao’s family company, but Liang Shuling only lasted six months before she moved to another company.

The next time they met, Liang Shuling was accompanied by a man, whom she claimed was a colleague. But their actions didn’t seem like those of colleagues.

Last year, when she heard that Qiao Le had been accepted into Yunjing University, she asked Liang Shuling if she planned to visit him. Liang Shuling hesitated, and after some probing, Jiang Hong learned that she was about to go to Hong Kong with that man.

After Liang Shuling went to Hong Kong, their contact became less frequent. The last time she heard from Liang Shuling was when Qiao Le’s father had an accident. She relayed the news to Liang Shuling and again asked if she wanted to come back to see him.

“I’m sorry to Lele and Xiao Man, but I have my own difficulties. Things aren’t as good for me here as you might think.”

“If you ever go back, just tell them I’m sorry. Consider me as good as dead.”

Liang Shuling had hung up the phone herself, and since then, they never spoke again.

Seeing Qiao Le’s face turn pale, Jiang Hong couldn’t help but reach out and pat his shoulder. “Lele, I know you’re hurting, but sometimes, knowing the truth helps you let go. Don’t keep looking back.”

Qiao Le remained calmer than expected. He slowly loosened his grip and said to Jiang Hong, “I understand, thank you.”

“Thank me for what?” Jiang Hong shook her head. “I don’t know if telling you all this is good or bad, but I hope you don’t blame me.”

“I wasn’t talking about that.” Qiao Le continued, “Last year, Aunt Wang from the first floor gave me 20,000 yuan, saying someone asked her to pass it to me. I thought it was from my mom, but it was actually from you, wasn’t it?”

Jiang Hong nodded. When the Qiao family went through such difficulties, she sympathized with Qiao Le and Xiao Man. But back then, she wasn’t able to help much.

“Lele, if you ever need anything, just tell me,” she said to him. “I’ll help however I can. Here, give me your account number, and I’ll send you—”

“No need, Aunt Hong.” Qiao Le interrupted her. “Everything’s been taken care of. I’ve transferred the 20,000 yuan back to you. Thank you for thinking of is.”

As he said the last part, “thinking of us,” his voice faltered.

Why can strangers show kindness and care, while those connected by blood can leave without a second thought?

Jiang Hong didn’t want the 20,000 yuan. She wasn’t short of money now; for her, it was just a pair of shoes or a piece of clothing. But she knew how important that 20,000 yuan had been to Qiao Le at the time.

She looked at his clothes, realizing he wasn’t just putting on a brave face. She saw the determination in his eyes to return the money, and since she didn’t have her phone, she gave him her number.

Qiao Le wrote it down, stepped back, and thanked her once more before leaving.

Jiang Hong watched him leave, sighing quietly.

After washing his face in a restroom, Qiao Le looked up and saw his red eyes in the mirror.

“Pathetic,” he muttered to himself.

He went out and found Chen Hao. He told him he had to leave early. Chen Hao was surprised. “You’re leaving now? The party just started.”

“Mm, something came up at home. We’ll hang out next time.” Qiao Le smiled. “Happy birthday.”

“Okay then,” Chen Hao said. “I’ll have someone drive you—”

“No need, someone’s coming to pick me up. They’ll be here soon.”

“Then let me walk you out.”

“No need. The butler will take me out. You’re the guest of honor here.” Qiao Le reminded him, “You enjoy yourself, I’ll head back.”

Seeing he wasn’t going to insist, Chen Hao let the butler take Qiao Le out.

At the gate of the community, Qiao Le took out his phone to call a cab. He had only mentioned someone coming to pick him up to brush Chen Hao off.

But as soon as he turned on the screen, he saw an unread message from Shen Hechuan.

[Shen Hechuan: Let me know when you’re done. I’ll come pick you up.]

Qiao Le stood in the wind, reading the message carefully.

His hands and feet, which had been numb from the cold, slowly warmed up in that instant.

He moved his stiff fingers and replied to Shen Hechuan.

[Qiao Lele: Come over.]

Qiao Lele: [Location]

Shen Hechuan arrived quickly. By the time he got there, Qiao Le was sitting on a stone bench by the roadside, staring off into space, lost in thought.

The night was cold, but Qiao Le hadn’t worn a coat. The wind messed up his hair, and under the streetlights, he looked lonely and isolated.

The light stretched his shadow long. He sat there alone, like a lost sheep waiting for someone who might never come.

Shen Hechuan took off his coat and walked over quickly, draping it over him.

Qiao Le snapped back to reality, looking up at him. “Shen Hechuan, you’re here.”

“Mm.” Shen Hechuan reached out and touched his face, finding it cold. “Why aren’t you wearing a coat?”

“I forgot,” Qiao Le replied, leaving it behind at Chen Hao’s house.

“You’re freezing,” Shen Hechuan said, reaching out to pull him. “Let’s get back to the car and warm up.”

But Qiao Le remained still. Shen Hechuan noticed something was off. “What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

Qiao Le smiled at him, but his eyes were red.

“Shen Hechuan.”

His voice was thick with emotion, “Can you hold me? Please.”

Hold me. I’m in so much pain.