Kyoto Night Kiss

Moisture accumulates in the lower layers of the eye.

Qu Yun could barely make out the words on the business card until a tear silently fell onto the three characters "Lu Junhe," completely blurring them.

She quickly wiped away her tears with the back of her hand, but the more she wiped, the more tears she shed.

Why did Lu Junhe do this behind her back?

Not long ago, he impatiently complained that she always brought up her father.

Why is he being hypocritical?

Qu Yun bit her lip tightly, not daring to let the people in the room hear.

If she had known about this back then, Lu Junhe would have been seen as someone with a get-out-of-jail-free card in her heart.

No matter what he did, she would forgive him.

Even if she goes abroad, she'll probably come back.

But what does this mean now?

The two of them missed each other for seven whole years. What did all the suffering and resentment she endured during those seven years matter?

After hesitating for a long time, Qu Yun finally picked up her phone.

She called Lu Junhe, wanting to get to the bottom of things.

The phone was pressed against my ear, and all I could hear was the monotonous waiting tone, looping over and over again.

Qu Yun held her phone quietly, her eyelashes drooping.

Never mind, that man just had his wedding yesterday, he must be exhausted.

Let bygones be bygones.

She gave up.

Qu Yun added the number in front of her to her blacklist.

"Buzzing—"

Inside the seizure bag on the corner of the interrogation room table, a cell phone, closed, vibrated continuously, its vibrations particularly clear in the quiet room.

The man sitting opposite the light was wearing a well-tailored black suit with a subtle matte finish. He had been sitting there all night, and his tie was loosened slightly.

However, his jawline remained cold and taut, and his eyebrows and eyes were shrouded in a lingering shadow.

Lu Junhe's gaze swept over the phone, which hadn't been quiet since he came in, and his brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

The phone call inexplicably made his heart tighten, as if he had been pricked by a fine needle, and a dull pain rose up.

The police officer, holding a statement, said sternly, "First, explain the matter of illegal imprisonment."

Lu Junhe pressed his thin lips together, remaining silent.

The atmosphere remained tense all night, and the police officer, getting impatient, slammed the file folder on the table. "We've been questioning you for so long, and you won't say a word?"

His voice rose, his brows furrowed with anger, and the tables and chairs rattled slightly.

Lu Junhe slowly raised his eyes, his dark pupils sweeping across the room, instantly creating a sense of oppression.

He spoke calmly, saying only three words: "Let me go."

The police officer was momentarily stunned by the aura emanating from the man. Just as he was about to continue arguing, his older colleague quickly reached out and pulled him back, lowering his voice to advise, "Don't be impulsive. This is someone we can't afford to mess with. You'd better think about how you'll keep your job after today!"

In fact, when the bureau chief found out they brought Lu Junhe back last night, he got furious.

The evidence submitted by those anonymous individuals was simply insufficient.

The Lu family's lawyers are working against them one by one, and only the final procedure is needed to release them. They will also file a countersuit against the Public Security Bureau.

Qu Yun went to the kitchen, scooped up a handful of cold water to wash her face, and only returned to her mother's bedroom after calming down.

Aunt Qiuhong had already dried her mother's hair.

Qu Yun picked up a comb from the side and gently combed her mother's hair.

"Did you see the business card I brought?" Aunt Qiuhong asked, her heart warming at the thought of the burial scene years ago.

Mr. Qu died of cancer. The funeral hall was deserted. Although a few relatives came, they all looked hesitant and shrank back. No one was willing to step forward to carry the funeral banner.

They were probably worried that Mr. Qu had unresolved old grievances and that he might get tainted by trouble and bad luck.

They kept delaying, and the time for the burial was almost missed.

Just then, Lu Junhe, dressed in plain clothes, pushed through the crowd and walked straight to the coffin, bowed deeply three times.

As if he had learned about the village's customs in advance, Lu Junhe picked up the funeral banner and walked at the head of the funeral procession up the mountain.

Seeing Lu Junhe's dedication in carrying the coffin, some villagers couldn't help but become suspicious and asked, "What's your relationship with this family...?"

Lu Junhe didn't stop walking and replied in a low voice, "I am his daughter's lover. She is in a foreign country and can't come back."

"I will walk this road for her."

Qu Yun listened quietly to this story, but her gaze was vacant.

Aunt Qiuhong started peeling an apple, the red peel swirling around and almost falling to the ground.

She continued, "Later, every year on the anniversary of your father's death, he would bring offerings to pay his respects. Everyone in the village said that Yunyun had really found a good man."

"But in the fifth year... I saw with my own eyes that shortly after he arrived, another very impressive car came, and a woman dressed in very fine clothes got out, pointed at his nose and started cursing."

Qu Yun's eyes flickered, guessing that Yan Suling had probably followed them.

"How long are you going to remain so stubborn?" Yan Suling was filled with dissatisfaction. If it weren't for her son, she would never have set foot in such a poor little village in her life.

She accused, "You two are not legitimate, you don't even have a proper title. Every year you come here to sweep the grave of an unrelated outsider. What will people say about the Lu family if word gets out?"

Lu Junhe remained motionless, standing still, without offering any explanation.

"Instead of taking care of their own elders, they're always worrying about a woman's family affairs." Yan Suling scoffed, stepped forward, and said in a voice only she and her son could hear.

"Come to this place again, and don't force me to send someone to Vancouver."

Where Lu Junhe can go, she can too.

The apples have been peeled and neatly arranged on a plate.

Qu Yun stopped eating, clenched her fists, and asked, "Then...did he come again later?"

Aunt Qiuhong shook her head. "No, she hasn't come back. I haven't seen her since."

"Here he comes... Brother is here..."

Mother Qu, who had been sitting quietly with cloudy eyes, brightened up after calling out "brother." She raised her hand and pointed vaguely towards the door, "Brother has come to see me..."

"Brother?" Qu Yun was taken aback. She remembered that her mother was the eldest child in the family, with only two younger brothers.

Who is this so-called "older brother"?

Moreover, the area outside the door was empty, and no one came.

Aunt Qiuhong was used to it. She forked the apple flesh from the plate and fed it to Qu's mother, explaining, "Your mother has this problem. In the past two or three years, she has been talking about her brother from time to time. I have never seen him in person."

Mother Qu slowly fell asleep, and Aunt Qiu Hong went back to prepare dinner.

Qu Yun had just tucked her mother in when a loud, jarring blast of music suddenly came from outside, growing ever closer.

Immediately afterwards, the sound of an electric scooter screeching to a halt could be heard at the door.

Qu Yun frowned, just about to get up.

The door was slammed shut with a loud bang, and a rough shout pierced through the door: "Whoever's inside, get out right now!"