Kyoto Night Kiss

Zhao Yao had other things to do and had to leave first.

Qu Yun walked to the bedside and saw Cheng Chongchong smiling with his nose wrinkled. She couldn't help but pinch his little cheek. "What are you grinning about?"

Cheng Chongchong's iPad vibrated. He picked it up and exclaimed excitedly, "It's a video call from Dad!"

As soon as the video call connected, before Cheng Tongzhou could even ask how his son was doing, Cheng Chongchong, his thick eyebrows twitching like caterpillars, loudly boasted, "Dad, Sister Yun'er just confessed her love to you!"

She said she loves you very, very much.

Qu Yun stood by the cabinet next to the door, soaking the granules.

Hearing Cheng Chongchong's awkward retroflex ending, his shoulders trembled.

I'm certain he's been eavesdropping a lot, and he's picked up Zhao Yao's accent from it!

Speak of the devil, and he shall not leave.

Zhao Yao looked at Lu Junhe standing outside the ward without any surprise, and deliberately raised his voice: "Oh, the child's father, what a coincidence."

Qu Yun paused in her action of pouring water.

All that was heard was that hoarse voice saying, "Get out."

Cheng Chongchong stayed in the hospital for seven days. Every day, she would stare longingly out the window, then clutch her heart and say, "Mom, it feels like little mushrooms are growing in my heart."

Qu Yun glanced at him. "The heart is on the left side."

"Oh, I forgot you're so old and still can't tell left from right."

She always managed to make Cheng Chongchong so angry that he couldn't speak.

The doctor said the surgery was very successful, with no bleeding or infection, and that I just need to rest quietly for another month.

After much deliberation, Qu Yun decided to arrange a leave of absence for the chubby boy, fearing that he might not be able to resist running and jumping around at school.

She took Cheng Chongchong to that villa.

The moment Qu Yun pushed open the door, her breath caught in her throat.

Nothing seemed to have changed here; everything was still the same as it was seven years ago, even the little ornaments she had casually placed on the shoe cabinet were still there.

Lu Junhe's traces were everywhere in the room.

Pairs of slippers, toothbrushes, water cups... there were even half of the clothes left behind by that man in the closet.

Qu Yun leaned against the door frame, feeling somewhat unsteady on her feet.

She pounded her heavy chest.

No... she can't live in this villa.

Cheng Chongchong was very excited. In just a few minutes, he had quickly explored the entire first floor. He exclaimed, "Wow, there's a big garden and a big swimming pool here!"

"This also allows Cheng Chongchong to live the life of a rich second-generation, hahaha!"

Qu Yun has recently taken many days off from the hotel to take care of Cheng Chongchong, and has accumulated a lot of work.

She received a text message from a colleague expressing her concern, and knew that she had to go back to work.

But what about the child?

Finding a nanny right now isn't realistic. She's afraid the nanny might be a bad person, and Cheng Chongchong might slap her in the face. What should she do?

If she carries it with her, she...

Qu Yun then thought of Cheng Chongchong lying motionless on the ground.

"I'm fine on my own!" Cheng Chongchong sat on the sofa, looking for a TV series to watch, his short legs dangling as he said, "Brother Yun, you should just storm the hotel, seize that throne, and then you'll be the emperor, and we'll all be generals. How wonderful!"

Qu Yun's face darkened.

Sure enough, the TV started showing "Water Margin," a story that was also shown on hospital TVs.

Upon arriving at the hotel, Qu Yun went to the security room first. Instead of barging in, she gently knocked on the door.

When the security guard poked his head out, she handed him the two boxes of beautifully packaged pastries she was carrying, and said with a smile, "Sir, thank you for your trouble. I have something urgent to do and need to check the surveillance footage. I'll only watch it for a little while, it won't interfere with your work."

The security team leader recognized her and specifically called her away a little.

"Manager Qu, I know you came here today to see the surveillance footage of the time when the child had the accident, but... I won't lie to you, for some reason, all the footage from that day has been lost."

Qu Yun had anticipated this.

This further confirms that Cheng Chongchong's accident was probably not an accident.

But Cheng Chongchong said he didn't remember anything.

"It's nothing, thank you." Qu Yun smiled, not wanting to make unrelated people feel guilty.

The captain watched Qu Yun walk a few steps before suddenly remembering that the day after the incident, someone seemed to have come to copy a surveillance video.

Qu Yun is preparing to leave work on time.

She timed it perfectly and had just stepped out of the hotel when two unfamiliar faces approached her. They explained that they were police officers from the local police station and needed her to give a statement regarding the robbery at Mingzhu Garden.

Qu Yun thought of Cheng Chongchong waiting for her at home and wanted to postpone it for a few days.

"Ms. Qu, we've already given you plenty of time, considering you're raising your child alone. You were supposed to come and give a statement when your child was hospitalized," one of the police officers said.

"But it's really not possible today, my child is home alone..."

No sooner had she finished speaking than Qu Yun's phone rang.

Cheng Chongchong spoke between bites, her words slightly slurred: "An uncle brought me some grilled salmon fillets, they were so delicious..."

Upon hearing the word "uncle," Qu Yun's heart leaped into her throat.

Her voice cracked: "What uncle?"

"You opened the door for a stranger? Cheng Chongchong, that's dangerous..."

Another voice suddenly came from the other end of the phone.

Lu Junhe's voice was slightly hoarse: "It's me."

"Should I send a lawyer over?"

Qu Yun felt a jolt in her ears.

It was cold in the interrogation room.

The police officer said, "The injured person suffers a level two serious injury with a ruptured major blood vessel in his abdomen. If he insists that you intentionally injured him, you will be charged with excessive self-defense and will definitely have a criminal record."

Qu Yun sat in the chair, her back ramrod straight.

She looked up to meet the other person's gaze, her voice low but clear: "First, that person broke into the house late at night with the intention of robbing me, which constitutes illegal intrusion into a residence and attempted robbery. I was on the defensive the whole time."

Secondly, I retaliated the moment he had me under control and was about to harm me, with the aim of stopping the attack, not hurting him.

Third, you only mention his serious injuries, but not my defensive wounds or the signs of struggle at the scene. This isn't an investigation; it's preconceived notions.

The police officer was taken aback, not expecting the rhythm to be so clear and logical.

Qu Yun remained composed and assertive: "The law clearly defines legitimate self-defense. In the face of ongoing violent attacks, one is exempt from liability for injuries sustained in self-defense. If you only accept one side's testimony and ignore the physical evidence at the scene, I will request a re-examination and report this to the higher-level supervisory department."

She paused, her gaze turning cold. "I have no background or connections, but I know the law and I dare to defend my rights."

The policeman sitting opposite her changed his expression slightly and stopped pressuring her. After all, he was acting on someone's behalf. He said he would verify it again and then let Qu Yun leave.

Night fell heavily.

Qu Yun felt sore all over when she came out of the police station.

Twenty-nine years old, approaching thirty.

She's really not young anymore.

The villa was quite far from the hotel, and Qu Yun looked completely exhausted. She bent down to change her shoes, and the light in the entryway turned on.

In the quiet living room, the boy named Lu Jinxing was sitting at the table doing his workbook, while Cheng Chongchong was building blocks next to him with his bottom sticking out.

Lu Junhe was also there, lounging casually in the sofa, one long leg draped over his shoulder, his phone in his hand, the screen lit but he barely looked at it.

Hearing the sound of the door opening, the three of them turned their gazes towards it.

Qu Yun felt a sudden tightness in her chest, and a sour feeling welled up in her throat.

She suddenly understood that some missed opportunities are not temporary, but real, representing another kind of life.