Chapter 14: Boarding and Departure

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Jian Tang looked up at the dark night sky over Sifang City and took a deep breath. “Thank you.”

The lawyer said, “The private jet has been arranged... Miss Jian, when would you be available tomorrow? I’ll bring the remaining documents that need your signature.”

Jian Tang thought for a moment. “Let’s meet at the same café as last time.”

After the call ended, Jian Tang stood alone on the city streets, feeling the wind blow for a long while.

The streets were lined with dazzling lights, and traffic flowed ceaselessly.

Chen Bozhou, this midsummer, I won’t be with you anymore.

Not far away, inside a black business car, Shen Suinian silently watched her through the dim light for a long time.

The driver, who had accidentally turned on the headlights last time, constantly observed the boss’s changing expressions through the rearview mirror—a million-dollar salary was earned through keen observation.

According to Sifang City’s rules, the day before the wedding, the bride and groom must not meet.

Thus, the moment Jian Tang stepped out of the club, the chapter between her and Chen Bozhou was already closed.

She wandered aimlessly through the city she had lived in for twenty-two years, and somehow found herself in front of her old high school.

The school gates were firmly shut, with only two dim yellow lamps glowing.

Just like the love and family bonds in her life that had gone off course—faint and gradually seeping into her heart—all her affections were drowned in the closing act of her youth.

Jian Tang sat quietly on the steps by the school gates.

She recalled every little moment with Chen Bozhou over the years.

She thought of his reckless gaze, his passionate and beautiful love, and also his arrogant betrayal after breaking his vows...

After a long time, before leaving, she couldn’t help but glance back at the campus one last time, reviewing the innocence of her youth.

Amid a sea of melancholy, she seemed to see the seventeen-year-old, sunlit and handsome boy, standing in time, waving at her with a smile, saying, “Tang Tang, don’t forgive him.”

If time had a portal, even the seventeen-year-old Chen Bozhou wouldn’t forgive the twenty-two-year-old Chen Bozhou.

Jian Tang bid farewell to her youth.

That night, a tall, slender figure lingered quietly behind her—not too close, not too far.

Compared to the boy of years ago, he now carried a solemn steadiness.

Sixteen hours before the wedding.

At the café.

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After signing the remaining contracts, Jian Tang handed a bank card to the middle-aged man opposite her in thanks.

Liu De smiled but didn’t accept it; instead, he looked at her with eyes seasoned by life. “I never intended to take money from a young girl like you. It was just that you were so guarded with everyone around you back then, so I had to charge you a high price.”

“I remember thinking, if your mother saw her daughter being treated like this, how heartbroken she would be.”

Jian Tang was stunned. “You...”

Liu De’s expression deepened with reminiscence. “I’m an old acquaintance of your mother.”

But back then, he was young, and Jiang Yunong, Jian Tang’s mother, only saw him as a naïve little brother.

Jian Tang paused, recalling that this senior lawyer, Liu De, seemed... still unmarried.

Perhaps sensing her thoughts, Liu De chuckled softly. “I’m telling you this old story today to remind you, child, that in life, you’ll meet many people. Some will come into your life and then leave—that’s normal.

“There are faithless people, yes, but you’re still young; don’t lose hope in the whole world because of a few. I believe you will meet the right person again someday.”

Jian Tang’s eyelashes trembled slightly. “If it were that easy to find the right person after a failed relationship, why are you still single?”

Liu De paused, then smiled gently. “You’re quite the kid.”

Jian Tang lowered her gaze.

Even Chen Bozhou, who once loved her so deeply, changed—what loyalty could there be after that?

None.

Fourteen hours before the wedding.

Jian Tang returned home and sat by the window, burning each photo of herself and Chen Bozhou.

At the same time, Chen Bozhou was entangled with Shen Feiyu by the window. A sharp ache tightened his chest, and despite Shen Feiyu’s relentless physical advances, his enthusiasm abruptly vanished.

Flushed, Shen Feiyu lifted her head and kissed his jaw. “I want to squeeze every last drop out of you, so you won’t be able to leave tomorrow morning.”

Chen Bozhou had indulged himself thoroughly that day and was completely spent. “I’m going to take a shower.”

Shen Feiyu clung to his strong waist. “I still have a wedding dress battle outfit I haven’t worn. Don’t you want to tear it off? My delicate body can’t handle your roughness.”

Chen Bozhou tilted her chin up, smiling. “You’re insatiable.”

Shen Feiyu pouted. “I just want to be your bride once in advance. Tonight is... our wedding night.”

Chen Bozhou’s lips twitched. “My bride is only Jian Tang.”

Shen Feiyu whined, “What about me?”

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Chen Bozhou replied, “A sex toy.”

Shen Feiyu said, “You’re so mean~”

Preparing for tomorrow’s wedding, Chen Bozhou had no intention of staying up late. Before entering the bathroom, he casually told Shen Feiyu to leave.

She pinched her fingers but didn’t go. Instead, calculating the time, she slipped a pill into the milk Chen Bozhou often drank before he emerged from the bathroom.

Wrapped in a robe and steaming wet, Chen Bozhou saw she was still there and cast a quick glance while wiping his short hair. “Still not leaving?”

Shen Feiyu handed him the milk. “Your sister called you just now.”

Hearing this, Chen Bozhou immediately grabbed his phone and saw a missed call from Jian Tang, then called back at once. “Tang Tang, I was just in the shower. Calling me at this hour—are you nervous?”

While he was on the call, Shen Feiyu handed him the milk again.

This time Chen Bozhou didn’t refuse. He took it and drank it all while listening to Jian Tang’s voice on the other end. “Tomorrow, I want to go to the wedding venue by myself.”

As he swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbed. He didn’t say it was against the rules but patiently asked, “Why the sudden idea?”

Jian Tang replied, “I’ve always been passive in relationships all these years. This time, I want to take the initiative and go to you by my own will.”

“I’ve already informed the family...”

Chen Bozhou barely paid attention to her words after that, his heart swelling just hearing her say she wanted to take the initiative to approach him. A smile tugged at his lips, impossible to suppress. “Alright, whatever you say.”

He wanted to talk more, but Jian Tang had already hung up.

He raised an eyebrow and chuckled softly, his eyes full of anticipation for tomorrow.

On the eve of dawn, only four hours remained until the wedding.

Jian Tang, sleepless all night, arrived at the back gate of the Jian residence. She casually tossed the phone with the tracking device into the trash bin and got into the car that had long been waiting.

She had always known Chen Bozhou had installed tracking on her phone.

At first, it was for her safety; later, it conveniently facilitated his affair with Shen Feiyu.

Half an hour later, Sifang City brightened with daylight.

The Chen family had chosen an auspicious day, and the weather was truly bright and clear, the sky a vivid blue, the breeze gentle.

Jian Tang boarded the private jet, glanced back at the city one last time, and then entered the cabin without hesitation.