Jiang Weifeng’s eyes turned red instantly.
It was a feeling difficult to describe—like having the air slowly squeezed out of his lungs, or being pricked by something sharp. It was a dull, heavy ache that, once realized, felt like an inescapable descent into misery.
Lin Jiang, however, was still smiling. She looked faint and delicate, like a small white flower in a greenhouse. "Am I lucky or unlucky? I’ve encountered this twice, yet both times, I didn't let them have their way..."
Slowly, in a gentle tone—as if she were telling a touching bedtime story—she recounted her ordeal to him, word by word.
Jiang Weifeng listened with a furrowed brow until she finished, nearly unable to stop himself from storming out the door.
He took a sharp breath and pulled her into a tight embrace, hiding his trembling lips from her sight.
Instead, it was Lin Jiang who comforted him. she stroked his back rhythmically, just as she had done three years ago when she told Shen Yan about it.
Lin Jiang pulled back from his arms and cupped his face, forcing him to meet her eyes. "I’ve been thinking about this for a while, and today, I’ve finally made a decision."
"What is it?" Jiang Weifeng stared at her intently, as if she might vanish in the next second.
Lin Jiang tilted her head and smiled. "To face it."
When a person is hurt, there are two paths: escape or confrontation.
She had tried escaping, and it hadn't worked.
She could only face it.
If she wanted to heal, there was no other choice.
Jiang Weifeng took a deep breath, lifted her hand to his lips, and kissed it, mimicking her tone. "Together."
Lin Jiang smiled, her eyes shimmering like starlight. She nodded. "Pinky swear."
As their pinkies hooked together, the last glow of twilight faded from the horizon.
***
Soon, the night grew deep and silent.
When Jiang Weifeng walked out of the Happiness Apartments, the night was at its thickest. The surroundings were so quiet that even the wind was audible. Gu Xiang’s car was parked not far away.
He opened the door and sat inside. Gu Xiang was lighting a cigarette; seeing him, he tossed him one. When the lighter flickered to life, both men saw the dark circles under each other's eyes.
"Wang Jiaqian said she’ll handle the matter with Qin Zhao," Gu Xiang said, the cigarette clamped between his teeth.
Jiang Weifeng kept his eyes on his phone. The screen lit up: 1:37 AM. He spoke dully, "What does she plan to do?"
"That girl... she says she has evidence of Qin Zhao embezzling and falsifying accounts." Gu Xiang blew a smoke ring. "Qin Zhao has left a trail of romantic debts. One of his mistresses even added Wang Jiaqian on WeChat and sent her a lot of material."
"Is it reliable?" Jiang Weifeng asked.
Gu Xiang scoffed. "They say she’s become a shrewd businesswoman for a reason; she hasn't aged in vain. It’s true she was avoiding the issue, but she was smart enough to keep that evidence. As soon as this happened, she sent Zhou Wan to investigate."
The cherry of the cigarette in Jiang Weifeng’s mouth glowed and faded. He remained silent for a long time.
Only after finishing the cigarette did he speak. "I remember Wang Jiaqian’s shop is positioned as an 'influencer' brand? That Zhou Wan has quite a few followers, doesn't she?"
Hearing the tone in Jiang Weifeng’s voice, Gu Xiang felt a faint surge of excitement. He quickly pulled out his phone to search. "One hundred and twenty thousand followers on Weibo. Three hundred and forty thousand on Douyin."
"That’s enough."
Jiang Weifeng pressed his phone; the screen lit up again. 1:40 AM sharp. He stood up to leave. "A hardworking, beautiful female entrepreneur, deceived emotionally and financially by the boyfriend she started a business with... Do you think this story will hit the trending searches?"
Jiang Weifeng smiled, revealing his uneven dimples. In the dark of the night, he looked both cruel and tender. "Find some marketing accounts to set the pace. Once public opinion ferments, what do you think will happen to him, besides the legal consequences?"
For a moment, Gu Xiang’s reaction lagged. Looking at this friend he had grown up with, he felt a sudden sense of trance. It wasn't until the embers of his cigarette burned his finger that he remembered to ask, "How do you want to play this?"
"Have you heard of a term?" Jiang Weifeng leaned out of the car, then bent back in to look at Gu Xiang.
"What?" Gu Xiang almost forgot to breathe.
Jiang Weifeng’s smile deepened as he told him, word by word:
"Social death."
***
The moonlight was silent. In the distance, an ambulance roared past, its familiar siren wailing.
"But what if Wang Jiaqian isn't willing?" Gu Xiang asked.
"Impossible."
"Why do you say that?"
Jiang Weifeng turned his back, the corner of his mouth twitching imperceptibly, but he said nothing.
The wind rustled the leaves, and summer insects chirped along the path. Jiang Weifeng pushed the door open and entered the apartment at 1:47 AM. Lin Jiang was still fast asleep.
The days passed second by second.
For the following week, Lin Jiang requested leave from Teacher Cheng, citing physical discomfort.
To stay with her, Jiang Weifeng rarely went to his studio, which made Lin Jiang feel quite guilty. Once, when she came out of the bathroom, she accidentally overheard someone from the company calling him. From the voice, it was Zhang Yijia, and her tone seemed unpleasant because his reply was sharp and prickly.
That night at dinner, she asked him, "Is it really okay if you don't go in?"
He laughed with total nonchalance. "What could possibly happen?"
Lin Jiang wanted to say more, but he rubbed her head with righteous confidence. "I'm the boss!"
Lin Jiang dropped the subject.
The days that followed were quiet and comfortable.
The news hit the trending searches on the first day of September.
Lin Jiang was drying her hair after a shower while scrolling through Weibo when she saw the 34th spot on the hot search list: *Zhou Wan*.
Without thinking, she clicked in. The top post was from Zhou Wan. She read it silently, her heart pounding, her mouth agape in shock.
It was an extremely long article. Two names appeared: one was "Qin Zhao," and the other was an anonymous "Qian." The entire text denounced Qin Zhao’s deception and the harm he caused Wang Jiaqian, complete with screenshots of evidence at the end.
Lin Jiang read every single word twice before pulling out her phone to call Wang Jiaqian.
The other woman answered tentatively, "Hello?"
Hearing her voice, Lin Jiang finally broke down. Her tears poured out like a waterfall. "Thank you."
The other side was silent for a few seconds, then a laugh came through. "What are you thanking me for? That scumbag got what he deserved. Besides, I’m helping myself too. You should see how fast Zhou Wan’s followers are growing today, and my shop’s sales are skyrocketing."
As Wang Jiaqian spoke, she began imitating the actress Ma Li, her clumsy Dongbei accent making Lin Jiang laugh through her tears.
Lin Jiang hadn't contacted Wang Jiaqian since that night.
Knowing how impulsive Wang Jiaqian usually was, the fact that she hadn't reached out meant she had her own things she couldn't face. Thus, Lin Jiang hadn't dared to be the first to initiate.
"I'm sorry, A-Jiang," Wang Jiaqian said, her own voice choking up when she heard Lin Jiang laugh.
Lin Jiang sniffled. "Don't be."
After hanging up, Lin Jiang stared at herself in the mirror for a moment and made a decision.
A short while later, Jiang Weifeng returned. He had just gone to the fried chicken shop across the street to wait in line and had also bought half a watermelon.
Lin Jiang watched him in his flip-flops and oversized shorts, his T-shirt hanging loosely on his frame—unkempt yet completely at ease.
She walked over to help him with the plates and called his name softly. He was mid-bite into a piece of fried chicken, his cheeks puffed out as he looked at her. Lin Jiang’s expression suddenly softened. "I thought of a phrase."
Jiang Weifeng smiled upon hearing this, hurriedly swallowing the chicken. "What is it? Moved by the fried chicken? Going to confess your love?"
Lin Jiang’s face darkened with mock annoyance, and she pinched him. "Then I won't say it."
"You wouldn't dare!" he protested.
Lin Jiang smiled deeply and answered him, "The warmth of the mundane."
Jiang Weifeng was stunned for a moment. When he realized what she meant, he wore a smile that suggested the world was at peace.
*Peaceful years.*
When those words were put together, they always carried a sense of harmonious comfort.
Like back in school, when she would hear the sound of the TV from the entryway every time she came home. Or during evening self-study, when she would work on problems at a desk piled with books, a small earbud hidden in her ear. And now, as he scooped out the very center of the watermelon and fed it to her.
Watermelon juice sprayed in Lin Jiang’s mouth. She thought for a moment and suggested, "I want to go to the outskirts to see the stars."
Jiang Weifeng didn't hesitate. "The weather is perfect today."
There was no time like the present.
The city lights were always exceptionally bright at night, but the dense steel forest always blocked the stars. Jiang Weifeng drove her to the suburbs. Along the riverbank, there were scattered decorative lights, and the fields of grass and trees were shrouded in hazy moonlight.
Jiang Weifeng reclined the car seats and opened the sunroof. During those few minutes, Lin Jiang picked a few flowers from a nearby rose garden.
There were too many mosquitoes outside, so they had to huddle in the small space. Lying flat and looking up, the sea of stars above was burning bright.
For a moment, Lin Jiang thought of a song she used to play on repeat:
*How to possess / a rainbow*
*How to embrace / a summer breeze*
*The stars in the sky / are like the people on earth*
*Always unable / to feel like it’s enough*
Back then, she was seventeen, secretly liking someone—it was like falling in love with a star.
Later, after graduating high school, she went to Nanjing alone to attend a Mayday concert. When the melody of "Contentment" played, she had been moved to tears.
"What are you thinking about?" Jiang Weifeng leaned closer to her, his voice low.
Lin Jiang smiled. "What about you?"
Jiang Weifeng took a deep breath, sliding his hand deep into her hair. "These flowers are so fragrant."
Lin Jiang paused, then reached back to hug him, resting her head on his shoulder.
Jiang Weifeng’s body stiffened instantly. "Babe, there are a lot of trees and flowers around here. We can't go playing with fire."
Lin Jiang laughed before he could finish. "Thank you."
They were pressed very close. Jiang Weifeng didn't dare move. Hearing this, he lowered his chin slightly. "Hmm?"
"For everything lately... thank you." In the darkness, Lin Jiang’s eyes sparkled.
Jiang Weifeng tightened his grip on her. "You’re not allowed to say those words to me." Feeling that wasn't enough, he leaned down and bit her shoulder lightly. "Every time you say it, I’ll bite you."
Lin Jiang flinched from the ticklish sensation and didn't dare move for a long time.
He looked up seriously at the stars, while she stared dazed at his profile, tracing his features with her hand.
He stayed obediently still. He said, "Lin Jiang, I thought of a song," and then he began to sing to himself:
*You gave me a secret / letting me touch the stars*
*On a summer night / I walked into your forest...*
It was also Mayday.
Jiang Weifeng only hummed those few lines before stopping. He laughed. "Sigh, my singing isn't great." He turned and held her even tighter. "But I just wanted to sing it for you. I’d feel restless if I didn't."
In Lin Jiang’s impression, Jiang Weifeng had a cold personality. Of course, it wasn't true indifference, but rather a loose, casual simplicity. He spoke in short bursts, rarely in long paragraphs, and was never one for banter.
But lately, he seemed to speak in long stretches and loved to nag, even asking her how much butter to use when searing a steak.
What moved Lin Jiang even more was his singing just now, and his words: "But I just wanted to sing it for you."
Lin Jiang pursed her lips, silently unsure of how to respond.
Then, she cupped his face and kissed him.
Jiang Weifeng was truly stunned. To his surprise, she smiled and whispered into his ear:
"Shall we?"
A wildfire instantly swept across the plains.
***
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Waiting for the Wind to Come | Chapter 51 | Social Death | Novela.app | Novela.app
