I'd Recognize You Even If You Turned to Ash!

"...Huh?"

Jiang Nian took a moment to realize Cheng Jing seemed to be testing him, so he continued:

"I don't have a boyfriend. I've been alone ever since we split up. My mom was sick for two years... Besides, you never agreed to break up back then, so I wouldn't have dared find anyone. I was afraid you'd get revenge on me when you came back from the army. I haven't even dared look twice at a handsome guy these past two years."

When he finished, he added:

"Really. If you don't believe me, go check."

He'd already died once, so he had to put his mouth to good use and be a little more shameless, all in hopes of getting lenient treatment. He'd said even more outrageous things when he was pursuing Cheng Jing.

Of course, for all his smooth talk now, he was still a believer in pure love. Otherwise, he wouldn't have dared get involved with someone like Cheng Jing.

They'd barely started dating, and Cheng Jing had already planned their wedding. It was outrageous.

"..."

After a long while, Cheng Jing gave a cold snort.

"You'd better be telling the truth!"

"Of course I am."

Jiang Nian breathed a sigh of relief and asked:

"So can I come find you? We can settle things between us while I'm there."

He'd play the sympathy card and bring up settling old scores at the same time. First, he just had to meet Cheng Jing. As long as they met, he'd have a chance.

"I'll pick you up when you get to Qingyun Station."

Cheng Jing finally agreed.

Jiang Nian's delight gave way to surprise.

"You... you're in Qingyun City?"

Good grief, had they really been that close to each other?

But in his previous life, he'd heard Cheng Jing's security company was in the capital, North City. Was that not true?

"Beep, beep, beep-"

Cheng Jing didn't answer and simply hung up again. Soon afterward, though, he used Jiang Nian's number to add him on social media, giving him a way to save face.

Jiang Nian let out a long breath. Whatever else happened, the most important matter had been settled. He'd at least managed to latch onto a powerful backer's toe.

Next, he had to find a way to scrape together some money. No one would lend him any anymore, so he could only get cash from the credit card he'd just paid off and take what he could from online lending platforms. The apocalypse was coming, so whatever.

After all that, his account balance rose to over 70,000 yuan.

That money wasn't even a drop in the bucket if he wanted to stockpile supplies for the apocalypse, but at least he had it. If something went wrong when he went to find Cheng Jing, this little sum would be enough to keep him going for a while.

When he sold the house, he'd left all the furniture behind too, packing only a few changes of clothes, some daily necessities, his mother's memorial portrait, and a photo album in a suitcase. So he didn't have many belongings; one suitcase and a backpack were enough.

Handing over the short-term rental to the landlord was simple too. That afternoon, Jiang Nian dragged two suitcases to a hotel.

A little after eight that evening, his father called and asked if he wanted to come stay for a few days. Jiang Nian refused.

He had to keep himself steady now. No matter how much he hated them, he had to hold it in. If he broke down now, he was afraid he wouldn't be able to pull himself together.

However, after learning he'd sold the house to pay his debts, his father blamed him for not discussing it with him and said his stepmother could have bought it at the low price he'd sold it to someone else for.

Father and son went back and forth for a while. In his previous life, Jiang Nian had been very restrained in arguing back. This time, he'd made up his mind to fall out with him and started arguing on the spot.

When the man, feeling that his authority as a father had been offended, lost his temper and furiously said without restraint that both he and his mother were ungrateful, Jiang Nian instead calmed down. He took several deep breaths, wiped away his tears, and through gritted teeth tore away the last shred of civility between them:

"Chen Shanmin, you can curse me, but leave my mom out of it! My mom was too conscientious, and that's the only reason I'm calling you Dad today. Apart from our biological connection, you really don't deserve it!"

"Back then, when you chose to divorce my mom because she insisted on having me while you were starting your business, whatever bond we really had as father and son came to an end! To you, I was just an ill-timed accident. That's why my surname is Jiang, and I'm Jiang Xueyun's son! Your surname is Chen, and you're Chen Yue and Chen Lin's father!"

In his previous life, before his mother passed away, she'd asked him to get along peacefully with his "biological father," so he would at least have someone to consult if anything happened. He'd agreed.

After the apocalypse descended, he'd thought that blood was thicker than water, and with the world in chaos, father and son should put aside their differences and live on together. Unfortunately, it was only wishful thinking on his part.

Perhaps in Chen Shanmin's heart, even though he'd grown up, he would always be an accident, and at most, later on, a tool to save Chen Yue's life. His occasional kindness toward Jiang Nian was much the same as giving handouts to stray cats and dogs.

Jiang Nian had dragged Chen Shanmin's shameful past into the open and torn it to shreds, leaving him unable to save face as a successful man. After harshly declaring that he would act as if he'd never had this son and sever ties with him, he told Jiang Nian to pay him back immediately and stop playing the victim, then hung up.

Jiang Nian didn't delay. As soon as the call ended, he transferred 20,000 yuan to him, sent a message saying they were square, and blocked him on every channel.

He'd considered simply not paying him back. With the apocalypse coming, Chen Shanmin couldn't do anything to him anyway, especially given what had happened in his previous life. But this was a debt incurred for his mother's treatment. He didn't want it used to guilt-trip him if they happened to meet again. They could say what they liked about him, but not his mother.

Everyone followed different moral principles. Having died and come back, he wanted a cleaner break, so that if he had a chance at revenge, he could take it without scruples or any psychological burden.

Having settled one shitty matter, Jiang Nian lay on his back on the hotel bed, breathing hard as he let his overheated mind slowly calm down.

After about half an hour, he got his emotions under control, took out his phone, and bought a ticket to Qingyun City for the next day. Then he sent Cheng Jing a screenshot.

Cheng Jing coldly ignored him, so Jiang Nian had to make conversation:

[Send me a photo of yourself. Otherwise, with so many people at the station, it'll be hard to find you. I'll send you one too.]

People changed over two years apart.

This time, Cheng Jing replied quickly:

[No need. I'd recognize you even if you turned to ash.]

[...]

Jiang Nian's hand stopped just as he was about to open the camera. Good grief, somehow he could sense Cheng Jing gritting his teeth from those perfectly ordinary words.

He sent Cheng Jing a string of ellipses to show he was speechless, then said:

[But I want to see you.]

Cheng Jing didn't reply again or send him a photo. No matter what flirty nonsense Jiang Nian said after that, Cheng Jing ignored him, and his messages disappeared without a trace.

Jiang Nian felt as if he'd gone back to the days when he'd been a simp pursuing Cheng Jing. That was what Cheng Jing had been like before they got close: aloof and indifferent. Jiang Nian would send ten messages, and Cheng Jing would reply with a single "oh."

That haughty attitude was enough to drive anyone mad, but Jiang Nian had been happy to keep simping.

The next day, August 14, Jiang Nian arrived at Qingyun Station at one thirty in the afternoon.

Cheng Jing wasn't waiting for him at the exit. He'd only sent Jiang Nian the location of his parking spot.

With a long drought and the hottest days of summer upon them, even the air smelled restless.

Five minutes outside meant two hours of sweating. By the time Jiang Nian dragged his suitcase to the parking area, his head felt like it was buzzing from the heat.

Sitting in his car, Cheng Jing saw the approaching figure in the rearview mirror, and his chest inexplicably tightened.

A white T-shirt, casual pants, and flat shoes-the same simple, relaxed outfit made that face look even more appealing. No matter when it was, he could pick Jiang Nian out of a crowd at a glance.

They hadn't seen each other in two years, but the little ingrate hadn't changed much. He'd only gotten thinner, and the sight made Cheng Jing's hands itch!

Even so, he had to admit that angry as he was, when he received Jiang Nian's call, he'd felt more delight than surprise.

The first time, his pride had made him hang up, and he'd regretted it immediately. The times afterward, when he'd pretended to be reserved, he'd worried that Jiang Nian would stop calling.

Even without the sad news of Jiang Nian's mother passing away, and even though he felt there had to be something behind this unusual turn of events, he still couldn't refuse Jiang Nian's request. He could deceive others, but not himself: he couldn't let go of this bastard!

When Jiang Nian finally reached a black Hummer, he was drenched in sweat and feeling hot and irritable. Looking at the glossy paint, he suddenly had a flash of inspiration and thought of two clickbait titles:

Shocking! My ex became wildly successful after breaking up with me!

Humble abandoned husband gets dumped, then goes on to reach the pinnacle of life!