novelraw Chapter 0140 The Night Watch
Chapter 0140 The Night Watch
It's winter.
Night falls particularly early in the old town.
The cold wind swirled withered yellow sycamore leaves in the empty streets.
The streetlights here are old, the light is dim and yellowish, and the voltage is unstable, flickering occasionally.
Compared to the brightly lit CBD, this place seems somewhat desolate.
8 PM.
A black Maybach appeared on time across the street from the art studio.
The car turned off.
All the car windows were covered with dark privacy film, making it impossible to see inside from the outside.
It rested quietly between two sturdy plane trees, hidden in the deep shadows.
Like a lurking, silent beast.
inside the car.
Jiang Ci sat in the driver's seat.
He didn't turn on the heating.
The cold air kept him awake and allowed him to perceive things more clearly—
He and she breathed the same cold air.
He lowered the car window halfway.
I lit a cigarette.
He didn't smoke it; he just held it between his fingers, letting the smoke swirl around his fingertips.
He tilted his head slightly upwards.
Those bloodshot, yet unusually deep eyes were fixed intently on the other side of the road.
The second floor.
That window, emitting a warm yellow light.
That was Wen Ning's studio.
The curtains were not fully drawn.
Occasionally, a slender silhouette can be seen swaying in front of the window.
Sometimes I'm adjusting colors, sometimes I'm stretching, and sometimes I'm just sitting quietly.
Whenever that shadow appears.
Jiang Ci's gaze would soften instantly.
That ruthless and decisive aura he displayed in the business world vanished at that moment.
All that remained was a kind of almost base greed.
"Still there..."
He looked at the shadow and murmured softly.
A very faint, satisfied smile curved at the corners of his lips.
As long as I can see her.
As long as we know she's still there and safe.
His heart, which had been hanging in mid-air, could briefly fall back into his chest.
……
This is a rule he set for himself.
It is also a ritual of atonement.
I will absolutely not go upstairs.
I will never appear within her sight.
I will never disturb her life.
He knew how afraid she was of him and how much she wanted to escape from him.
If he appeared before her now, it would only remind her of that golden cage, and those days and nights of being forced into it.
She would be terrified, she would tremble, and she would retreat back into her shell.
He couldn't bear to part with it.
and so.
He chose to become invisible.
Be a night watchman hiding in the gutter, gazing at the stars.
"Knock knock".
Someone gently knocked twice on the car window.
Jiang Ci turned his head.
Zhang Annian stood outside the car, holding an insulated bag, rubbing his hands together to keep warm.
"Brother Ci".
Zhang Annian handed the bag in.
"Dinner. Still hot."
Jiang Ci accepted it: "Thanks."
Zhang Annian looked at his boss.
The once spirited and ambitious President Jiang now spends every night like a perverted (crossed out) stalker, guarding this place.
Moreover, he stayed by her side all night until Wen Ning turned off the lights and left.
"Brother Ci..."
Zhang Annian couldn't help but offer his advice.
Why would you do this?
"There's a ton of stuff waiting for your approval at the company. I also need to fly to New York tomorrow morning to discuss the final details of the IPO."
"You've been working non-stop for three days straight. Even an iron body can't take it."
He pointed upstairs.
"If you really miss her, why don't you go up and see her?"
"Even if it's just pretending to be passing by, even if it's just offering a helping hand?"
"If you stay here and keep watch, your sister-in-law won't know."
"I can't go."
Jiang Ci's voice was deep, yet it carried a hint of stubbornness.
He opened the insulated bag and took out a cup of black coffee.
I took a sip.
The bitter taste stimulated my nerves.
"She's doing very well now."
Jiang Ci looked at the window with a gentle gaze.
"She's painting, doing what she loves."
"If I go there, this light will go out."
"She can run away."
He knows her too well.
The bird that has just learned to fly will fall again if it is frightened.
"But you..."
Zhang Annian looked at the dark circles under Jiang Ci's eyes and hesitated to speak.
"I'm fine."
Jiang Ci waved his hand.
"Go back. The meeting tomorrow morning will proceed as scheduled."
"...Alright then."
Zhang Annian sighed and turned to leave.
After walking a few steps, he looked back again.
The black Maybach remained parked in the shadows.
It stands like a silent monument.
……
The night grew deeper.
There were fewer people on the street.
Only the occasional passing vehicle, its headlights piercing the darkness.
It was cold inside the car.
Jiang Ci pulled his coat tighter around himself.
He took out his tablet and, using the dim light, began to process his emails.
Read a document.
Look up at the window.
Let's look at another document.
Take another look at the window.
This became his only source of emotional support for the past month.
before.
He was her jailer.
He used ankle bracelets, surveillance cameras, and bodyguards to keep her firmly by his side.
He thought it was love, but it was actually hurt.
just now.
He was her night watchman.
He used distance, he used forbearance, and he used these cold, biting nights.
A protective circle was drawn outside her world.
As long as he's there.
No one can bully her.
No thugs dared to harass her.
Even if the streetlights on this street break down, someone will come and fix them immediately the next day (of course, it's arranged by him).
He turned himself into a wall.
It blocked all the wind and rain.
Just so that she could paint that tree in peace inside the wall.
"Click".
The lights upstairs went out.
Jiang Ci sat up straight instantly.
He put down his tablet and stared intently at the dark stairwell entrance.
A few minutes later.
A figure wearing a beige trench coat walked out.
Wen Ning carried her easel and wore a scarf, walking briskly.
She didn't see the car across the street.
She stood under the sycamore tree for a while, seemingly enjoying the evening breeze.
Then, he turned and walked towards the subway station not far away.
Jiang Ci started the car.
The car lights were off.
He followed her like that, neither too close nor too far.
Maintain a distance of fifty meters.
I watched her walk into the subway station.
I watched her disappear at the end of the escalator.
Until it was confirmed that she had safely left the old town.
Jiang Cicai leaned back in his chair.
He looked at the empty streets.
He revealed a very faint, self-deprecating yet reassuring smile.
"Good night."
He spoke to the air.
"I used to keep you in a cage."
"Now, I'm guarding outside the cage."
"As long as you're happy flying."
"I'm willing... to be your night watchman for the rest of my life."