Take Me Away, My Love - Chapter 44 - The Matchmaker

After dropping off Jian Qingtian at kindergarten, Li Minchun brought Jian Yiqing and Ru Long to Chen Zhen’s neighborhood.

Looking at this familiar neighborhood, Ru Long couldn’t help but sigh.

Living in the same city, and with their children attending the same kindergarten, there was no way Ru Long wasn’t aware of Chen Zhen’s residence.

Unfortunately, every time he tried to approach Chen Zhen, she would coldly keep him at arm’s length.

With no other choice, Ru Long had to give up. He even thought that as long as he could catch a glimpse of her from afar and know that she was doing well, that would be enough.

However, with Li Minchun’s intervention, he felt a renewed sense of hope. His eyes sparkled with anticipation, yet were filled with doubt: “Are you sure she really wants to see me? I’m still not confident.”

Ru Long, usually so adept in social circles, seemed unusually downcast when facing Chen Zhen today. Such a lack of confidence was entirely out of character for him.

“Women don’t like men who lack confidence. Stand tall,” Li Minchun encouraged him convincingly.

Her encouragement was effective.

Indeed, even if he lost face in front of Chen Zhen, it didn’t really matter, life would go on.

With this thought, Ru Long’s spirits were lifted once again.

As expected, when Chen Zhen opened the door and saw Ru Long behind Li Minchun, her previously relaxed expression instantly tightened. She looked slightly displeased and asked, “Why is he here?”

By observing their expressions, Li Minchun could pretty much guess that something must have happened between these two in the past.

“May we come in to talk?” Li Minchun asked with a gentle smile.

Later, they entered the room.

Seeing the spotless environment and the neat, tidy arrangement, Li Minchun felt a warmth in her heart. In terms of housekeeping, she admired Chen Zhen the most.

Among their group, Chen Zhen’s private life was the cleanest. Naturally, she was always a model for them to emulate.

Seeing such a scene again today, Li Minchun felt as if she had returned to the past.

“Don’t you think it’s time to have a proper conversation about this?” Li Minchun said directly, as they all knew the purpose of today’s meeting.

Chen Zhen furrowed her brows and replied, “I don’t want to talk about this.”

Here she goes again.

Whenever it came to topics she didn’t want to discuss, she was like this. Avoidance was Chen Zhen’s habit, and throughout her life, there were too many issues she wanted to escape from, too many problems she oversimplified.

“Chen Zhen, avoiding the issue won’t solve anything. It’s been years, and there’s still no resolution between you two. Whether it’s love, dislike, or if you want to never interact again, you should honestly tell Ru Long everything. If you keep going like this, it will only make your relationship more complicated, you know?”

Li Minchun frowned and began to counsel Chen Zhen.

“I don’t want to be with him. I’ve already clearly rejected him before,” Chen Zhen argued, defending herself.

If someone said that Chen Zhen deliberately held onto someone and wasn’t willing to lower herself to marry, it would cause her enormous harm.

“Chen Zhen, you know my feelings for you are sincere. Please believe me; I’ll take care of you and Jian Ru for a lifetime,” Ru Long said, his eyes shining with sincerity, fixed intently on Chen Zhen.

Her stunning beauty had captured Ru Long’s attention from the very first moment they met.

It was as if he was bewitched, and from that moment on, there was only room for her in his heart and mind.

No matter what happened afterward, no matter what choices she made or what mistakes she committed, Ru Long was always ready to forgive her unconditionally and treat her as affectionately as ever.

Because of this, Chen Zhen’s sense of guilt towards Ru Long only intensified. Whenever she recalled those past actions of hers, she felt ashamed to face him again.

Faced with his persistent pursuit, Chen Zhen’s only response was to reflexively reject him.

In truth, even she didn’t know if she had fallen in love with Ru Long.

“I think I need to tell you something,” Li Minchun said with a solemn expression.

“What?” Chen Zhen felt a bit bewildered.

“Cheng Mo and Cheng Duo have been killed by the organization, buried at sea.”

Li Minchun’s words were like a loud thunderclap, exploding in Chen Zhen’s mind.

Her vision went dark, and she almost fainted from the news.

Seeing all this, Ru Long and Li Minchun felt a sharp pain in their hearts.

Chen Zhen, helplessly, asked, “What happened?”

For some time, there had been no news from Cheng Duo and Cheng Mo, and she couldn’t even reach the organization. Due to her strong aversion and indifference towards them, she hadn’t paid attention to it.

But when Li Minchun told her the truth, tears started flowing uncontrollably.

Cheng Duo, the first man Chen Zhen ever loved.

The memories of those early days flickered in her mind like scenes from an old film. Even after all the times he hurt her, Chen Zhen found herself forgiving him repeatedly.

Her emotional resilience when it came to Cheng Duo had reached a point that even she found hard to believe.

Often she would ask herself when this kind of life would end. Yet, the outcome was always the same-over the years, she remained the same Chen Zhen who didn’t know how to defend herself when humiliated and bullied.

Now, Cheng Duo was gone, gone forever. This news was an overwhelming blow to Chen Zhen.

For a man she both loved and hated, Chen Zhen’s heart would never be at peace.

Seeing her emotional turmoil, Li Minchun knew she needed some quiet time. She gently pulled Ru Long outside, but as soon as they closed the door, gut-wrenching sobs erupted from inside.

Left alone, Chen Zhen’s grief exploded like a volcano, releasing pent-up emotions.

In this quiet setting, there was no one to mock her, no one to hurt her-only herself, always alone.

“Should we check on her?” Ru Long, worried about Chen Zhen, was about to rush back inside without a second thought.

But Li Minchun stopped him.

“Let’s give her some time alone. Maybe after a while, she’ll feel a bit better.”

“So, what should we do now?” It was surprising to see the typically composed Ru Long reduced to a clueless lover when it came to Chen Zhen.

With a sigh, Li Minchun patiently guided him step by step, “Let’s head back for now. In a couple of days, you can come by to offer some support, okay?”

“But…”

“No buts. I’ll teach you how to handle it once we get back.”

From then on, Li Minchun became Ru Long’s love strategist.

Who knew Chen Zhen better than Li Minchun? Naturally, she understood the root of Chen Zhen’s issues, and knowing how to address them was fairly straightforward.

And indeed, as a love strategist, Li Minchun did a terrific job.

Someone had their eyes on Li Minchun. Before long, Xian Cheng found her and said, “Come with me.”

Seeing Xian Cheng in front of her made Li Minchun’s heart skip a beat. He knew more about her situation than anyone else. Was there something important going on for him to come find her now?

As these thoughts raced through her mind, Li Minchun’s anxiety was palpable.

If the organization discovered that she had deceived Madam Li, the consequences would be terrifying.

“What do you need from me?” Despite her nervousness, Li Minchun maintained a calm exterior, lightly blowing the tea leaves on the surface as she asked.

Xian Cheng’s face was serious as he spoke, “Have you left the organization now? Madam Li agreed, right?”

“Yes. Shouldn’t you be congratulating me?” Li Minchun replied with a smile, showing no signs of tension.

But Xian Cheng’s expression remained stern as he pressed on, “Su Xin-or rather, Li Minchun. I think I know it was you who fired that shot the other day, wasn’t it?”

“What?” Li Minchun feigned ignorance.

“You know exactly what I mean. You were the one who shot at the Ling Kong chief, and you delivered the fatal blows to Cheng Duo and Cheng Mo, right?”

“When did you start caring so much about them?” Li Minchun scoffed.

“Answer me.”

“Yes, it was me who shot them back then. Now that the Ling Kong chief is dead, my mission is complete and my deal concluded, so I’m free. As for Cheng Mo and Cheng Duo, I don’t know for sure. They were pursued by people from the organization. I heard they drove off into the sea, but I really don’t know the details.”

Li Minchun spoke the truth; whether Xian Cheng chose to believe it was another matter.

Xian Cheng nodded, lowering his voice as he asked, “I assume I should ask you a few questions?”

“Go ahead.”

On the surface, Li Minchun remained calm, but her heart was pounding. Xian Cheng was formidable in every respect; facing someone like him required her full focus, or she risked being completely overpowered.

Xian Cheng asked, “Can you explain why I saw you with Jian Yiqing so often?”

Li Minchun answered seriously, “That was because he had some dealings with the Ling Kong chief, which is why he frequently appeared around me, leading to those connections.”

“What kind of dealings?” Xian Cheng continued to probe.

“The power behind Changyun Group includes Ling Kong,” Li Minchun replied flawlessly. Since it was a collaborative relationship, it was akin to how the overseas criminal organization related to Changyun Group.

However, Xian Cheng still found something puzzling in her response.

“Perhaps you should explain this person to me.” With that, Xian Cheng presented a drawing in front of Li Minchun.

This person, though with eyes closed, had facial features strikingly similar to Jian Yiqing. If there were no subtle differences, many would mistake him for Jian Yiqing.

This individual was the stand-in arranged by Li Minchun. She had made him resemble Jian Yiqing, specifically to deceive the people in Ling Kong, allowing them to spread rumors that the chief had indeed appeared.

Then she had this man take a bullet from her.

Later, while attempting to save him, Li Minchun ripped off the mask from his face.

To achieve the perfect deception, she had chosen a double who bore a close resemblance in appearance and build to Jian Yiqing.

He had been imitating Jian Yiqing for some time, so naturally, after he lost consciousness, he was mistaken for Jian Yiqing.

“There are many people in the world who look alike; you must be mistaken. That person simply bears a resemblance to Jian Yiqing. I was startled when I first saw him too,” Li Minchun said, covering her mouth as she chuckled, while subtly checking Xian Cheng’s expression.

Seeing his frown and silence, a faint smile appeared on Li Minchun’s face.

Perhaps Xian Cheng was starting to believe her.

“You…” This time, what Xian Cheng was about to say puzzled Li Minchun. She had anticipated his first two questions, but she was unsure what his third query would be.

So, she simply gazed at Xian Cheng with her large, expressive eyes, studying his every expression. Watching his long, conflicted face and tight lips, Li Minchun wasn’t the least bit anxious.

She calmly blew the tea leaves aside, took a sip, and savored the fragrant taste.