Chapter 334: Chapter 224: This Is a Confession Letter

The thirteenth day of the first lunar month, two days before the Lantern Festival, the streets of Lanjing were decorated with lanterns and colored banners. The major shopping malls, usually packed with people, were draped in red lanterns, and at night, even the streetlights on either side of the road cast a red glow.

The weather was fickle, a sudden return of cold after a brief warm spell. A bitter wind raged.

From morning till night, the sky was veiled by a gloomy film of churning, dark clouds. By afternoon, pellets of snow began to fall, followed by a drizzle as fine as ox hair that dampened the entire city.

A rare bout of sleet.

Several days had passed since that fiasco. He didn’t know what Jiangg Ning and Jiangg Yao were thinking, but after that ordeal, Chen Yuan’s life had finally fallen silent.

He hid at home alone, silent, spacing out, trying to sort out his chaotic feelings without anyone to disturb him.

He didn’t even have to turn on his phone.

He didn’t really care how time passed. In a silence so complete you couldn’t even hear the BUZZ of a mosquito, the exact hour and minute didn’t matter much.

It had been a long time since he’d lived such a lonely life.

He leaned against the bay window by himself, watching the fine, drizzling rain blur the glass. He suddenly felt drowsy and fell asleep. When he woke, the rain was still falling just as lightly.

Outside the window, it was still a blurry, watery haze.

Unlike before, without Yaoyao’s chatter and Jiangg Ning’s thoughtful reminders, his ears just felt strangely itchy.

He bizarrely suspected he was going deaf. He even turned on his powered-off phone and listened to a very loud song, but after just three seconds, he felt his relaxed nerves jolt and tremble, giving him a splitting headache.

So he turned it off.

Over the past two days, Chen Yuan had done a lot of thinking.

When he wasn’t thinking, he’d open his computer and play some single-player games to kill time.

He tidied up the house, did his laundry, and organized his suitcase.

The breakup wasn’t as sad as he’d imagined.

At least, after venting all his emotions, he suddenly felt... that it was all rather pointless.

Not even as interesting as his games.

「Noon.」

Chen Yuan took a call. He spoke calmly for a long time, and after hanging up, he tossed his phone onto the sofa and went to take a shower.

After he got out, he dug up a *Detective Conan* manga he’d bought a long time ago but never read. He’d only just unwrapped it; it still smelled of fresh ink.

And just like that, he began to read leisurely by himself.

The only sound in the living room was the turning of pages. The official manga was thick, and each page had a satisfying texture as he turned it. Even the corners felt slick with ink, and he would occasionally rub the very edge of the page numbers with his thumb.

...

CLICK—

The door to 1301, across the hall, suddenly opened.

Jiangg Ning walked out first, with a timid Yaoyao following behind her. The two of them stood one after the other in front of Chen Yuan’s door.

They were still in their loungewear, loose and casual. Both had red, swollen eyes, and their complexions weren’t looking so great either.

Jiangg Ning tidied her messy hair, then turned and tugged at Jiangg Yao.

"Why are you hiding so far back?"

"I... I’m scared."

"Now you’re scared? When you were coming up with that brilliant idea of yours, you were full of fancy sayings like, ’Only the brave can forge a new path.’ Now that it’s all gone to hell, you’ve finally learned to be a coward."

"What if we go in and he yells at us?" Yaoyao wasn’t emboldened by Ningning’s words; she only grew more afraid.

"If you’re scared of getting yelled at, then don’t go. I’ll go by myself." Jiangg Ning was exceptionally resolute at this moment, her whole body radiating a stern aura as she moved to open the door. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

"Hey, hey, hey, wait a second. Can’t we prepare ourselves mentally first... Sis?"

"We spent all morning preparing mentally at home. What more do you need to prepare for? You weren’t such a coward when you were arguing with me."

"This is different. I’m scared of the Young Master."

"I’m only giving you five minutes," Jiangg Ning said, crossing her arms. In truth, she was nervous too. She took a deep breath and turned to look at the closed door with a complicated expression. "Is your script ready?"

"Uh-huh."

"It has to be done eventually. Hang in there."

She patted Yaoyao’s shoulder.

Five minutes passed in the blink of an eye.

Jiangg Ning didn’t give her sister any more chances to delay. The sound of KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK echoed, and with it, their hearts began to race. They didn’t even dare to breathe, listening carefully for any sound from inside.

"There’s no sound..."

"Is he not home?"

"No way. I’ve been watching the door across the hall the whole time. I haven’t seen the Young Master open it once."

"Maybe he went out last night. Whatever, I’m just unlocking it."

BEEP—

A green checkmark appeared, and the lock clicked open. Jiangg Ning mustered her courage and stepped inside. As she entered the foyer, Jiangg Yao clung to her shoulder from behind, peering into the apartment.

"Are the lights on?"

"It looks like the living room light is on."

"Then he probably didn’t go out..."

The two whispered to each other.

Just then, Chen Yuan, who was curled up on the sofa, heard the noise and turned his head to glance at the two who were sneaking in.

Their eyes met.

Jiangg Ning subconsciously lowered her head. Perhaps due to her shame, she took a few steps forward to the edge of the living room rug, mentally rehearsing the tone she should use.

"I—"

She had just opened her mouth.

When she heard a THUD beside her. The spineless Yaoyao had dropped directly to her knees on the rug, wailing, "I was wrong!"

Jiangg Ning’s eyes widened, so angry her hair could have stood on end.

She kicked her sister forcefully and said in a clipped tone, "What the hell are you doing?! Get up."

Crystal-clear tears rolled down Yaoyao’s cheeks. As if she hadn’t heard her sister, she spoke miserably, "My sister and I have gone through some incredibly deep self-reflection, and we truly realize the ridiculous mistake we’ve made..."

She shuffled forward a couple of times on her knees.

"I know that nothing I say can make up for the harm I’ve caused the Young Master, but people deserve a chance to turn over a new leaf, right? My sister and I are willing to confess everything and beg for lenient treatment..."

Jiangg Yao wiped a tear from the corner of her eye, biting her lip. Her shimmering, tear-filled eyes were utterly pitiful.

It was a truly heart-wrenching sight.

After crying for a moment, she looked up and asked Jiangg Ning in a tiny, bewildered voice, "How come you’re not kneeling?"

"I..."

Jiangg Ning’s face flushed red.

Her pride and self-respect made it truly difficult for her to be as shameless as her sister. They hadn’t discussed this part before she came.

Uncharacteristically, Chen Yuan’s gaze shifted between the two of them. He set down his manga, his expression exceptionally calm.

There wasn’t even a hint of mockery in his eyes.

"Confess what?"

"Here..." Jiangg Yao pulled two folded pieces of paper from her pajama pocket. "This is my imperial edict of self-criticism."

"What ’imperial edict of self-criticism’?! It’s a confession letter!" Jiangg Ning said urgently.

"Right, a confession letter. I wrote it all last night. My sister wrote all night, too. See, my eyes are all swollen. We really know we were wrong..."

Jiangg Yao shuffled forward on her knees again, trying to get Chen Yuan to look at her eyes.

"I’m not looking."

"Okay."

"Then... I’ll start reading it."

"You don’t have to kneel, Jiangg Yao. I’m not refusing to talk."

"Don’t call me Jiangg Yao, Young Master... Don’t be so cold. It’s worse than if you just yelled at me. Why don’t you just yell at me?"

"I’m not going to yell at you. If you have something to say, say it."

Chen Yuan put down the manga in his hands and glanced up at Jiangg Ning.

But Jiangg Ning hastily turned her face away, feeling both embarrassed and guilty.

Now, she couldn’t even bear to make eye contact.

"I... I confess!"

"I confess, too."

Jiangg Ning lowered her head, and as if accepting her fate, she sat down cross-legged on the floor and silently took out her own confession letter.