Chapter 64 Why Did They Stop Looking?

Qiao Xu shook her head. "It wasn't like that. He called me and he said..."

"He told me, if I couldn't bear to wait any longer, I should stop loving him."

Meng Zhe did not know how to comfort her, nor could he find the words to do so.

Ye Yurou handed the suit to Qiao Xu. Thinking that Qiao Xu would put it on, she was surprised to see her clutch it tightly to her chest instead.

"Brother, Xiao Rou, you two should go back. I'll be fine on my own."

The young couple exchanged glances. Ye Yurou crouched down and hugged her. "No, we can't leave you like this. We're worried."

Qiao Xu forced a smile at her. "I won't seek to end my life. He traded his life for mine; how could I ever dare to die?"

Perhaps her legs grew tired from squatting, but Qiao Xu slumped casually onto the ground, drawing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them.

She reached into the pocket of the suit, took out the recovered bracelet, and wore it alongside her hexagram pendant.

"You guys go. I'll wait here alone."

Meng Zhe pulled at Ye Yurou gently, knowing well enough what his cousin's temperament was like.

"Then be a good girl and don't give Auntie cause to worry."

Mentioning Qiao's mother caused a flicker in Qiao Xu's lifeless eyes. "Brother, please help me take Mom back to our hometown. I probably... won't have the time to look after her."

"No way, Auntie won't be at ease with you in this state."

Qiao Xu lowered her head, burying her face in the fabric of the suit. "I'm begging you, Brother."

Realizing that this whole tragedy had unfolded precisely because Qiao's mother had been kidnapped, Meng Zhe had no choice but to agree.

After Meng Zhe left, the cordoned-off bridge was left with only Qiao Xu, alongside Si Shen and He Yanxun in the distance.

He Yanxun's eyes were bloodshot, and cigarette butts littered the soles of his shoes.

Just as he pulled out the last cigarette to light it, it was snatched away from him. "Stop smoking. Smoking yourself to death won't help."

"I just can't stand the sight of her right now. Nobody even knows whether he's dead or alive, and she's putting on this act of misery—who is she trying to show it to?"

「To think I actually hoped the two of them would make up. What a damned bleeding heart I am.」

Si Shen held the cigarette between his fingers without lighting it. "Yanxun, this isn't her fault."

"Suddenly, I feel rather sorry for Qiao Xu. It was true four years ago, and it's true now."

He knew the logic; he understood it all. But with his brother's life and death hanging in the balance, he was subconsciously projecting his anger onto Qiao Xu.

Si Shen glanced at the young woman who had been crouched in the cold rain and wind for hours. "Glaring at me won't change anything."

"Four years ago, it was because of the Xu family and Shen Zhiwei that she broke up with Xiao An. Four years from then, it's once again because of Shen Zhiwei that she's been dragged into this desperate plight."

"And now it's even worse than four years ago. Back then, it was at least just a breakup. But with things as they are now, I'm terrified that Xiao An will haunt my dreams, blaming us for failing to protect the person he gave his life to save."

He Yanxun swallowed back the flood of retorts building up in his chest.

"Do you think he'll die?"

Si Shen lit the cigarette in his hand. "I don't know. Chang Yi jumped in after them to pull people out. If he couldn't find anyone, he would have surfaced by now. Right now, all we can do is gamble—gamble that the rescue team hasn't found him yet, and gamble that Chang Yi managed to find him."

Yu Chuan, who had remained silent the entire time, walked over to where his car was parked, retrieved a bottle of liquor, and approached Qiao Xu.

"Here!"

Qiao Xu looked up at him, lowered her gaze, and did not take it.

Yu Chuan unscrewed the cap and placed the bottle beside her. "When you two broke up four years ago, he came over to my place to drink. A grown man in his twenties was crying so hard he couldn't catch his breath."

"Back then, I thought to myself that for someone as devoted as him, whoever dumped him was utterly unworthy of his love."

"But looking at you right now, you look a lot like he did back then."

"Miss Qiao, Sian and I are friends. I could tell how deeply he loved you, whether it was four years ago or right now."

"So, don't waste the chance he bought with his own life so that you could live."

With those words, Yu Chuan turned and left. Soon after, members of the traffic police detachment came over to negotiate. "Mr. Si, Mr. He, the prime window for search and rescue has closed."

"According to the traffic police department's surveillance footage, the vehicle experienced violent shaking on more than one occasion, showing suspected signs of a struggle. Furthermore, bloodstains matching Mr. Xu's DNA were extracted from the seats inside the car."

"The vehicle only exploded after plunging to the riverbed. Although there may have been a window of a dozen seconds to escape, Mr. Xu had injuries on his body, making those odds even slimmer."

The officer glanced at Qiao Xu, who was still sitting in place. "The criminal suspect is already dead. We will hand over all evidence concerning the accident to the judicial departments."

Si Shen nodded, his tone carrying a trace of pleading. "Is there any way... to have people search a little longer? Following the river current, for at least twenty-four hours."

"Don't worry about the expenses. Whatever amount it takes."

"I'll report the situation upwards."

Seeing the rescue team's speedboat docking at the shore, Qiao Xu hurriedly tried to stand up.

The prolonged period of crouching made her lose her balance, and her body tipped forward uncontrollably.

Qiao Xu did not struggle. She closed her eyes, quietly waiting to fall into the exact same depths where he had vanished.

She never expected that someone would grab her and yank her back up.

Traces of panic and terror were clearly visible on He Yanxun's livid face. "Are you out of your damned mind? Do you want to die?"

Qiao Xu nodded like a wooden puppet.

He Yanxun was boiling with rage. "Dammit all, Qiao Xu, can't you for once show a shred of pity for that idiot Xu Sian?"

With hollow eyes, Qiao Xu stared fixedly at the docked rescue boats. "Why... why have they stopped searching?"

"They probably can't find him anymore."

"Let's go back." He Yanxun looked at the suit clutched tightly in her arms, a sharp pang hitting his chest.

He held out a hand. "Give me your phone. I'll have someone take it in for repairs. If it can't be fixed, I'll have them extract whatever is inside and give it to you."

Qiao Xu gripped her phone tighter, her eyes rimmed with red, yet completely devoid of moisture.

From the moment she arrived here until now—nearly ten hours—she hadn't shed a single tear.

He Yanxun felt a knot of discomfort in his heart.

Back in college, they had studied together and eaten together, and he had served as the third wheel on countless occasions.

He had seen Qiao Xu in all her various moods.

Back then, even though her family background was ordinary, there had been light in her eyes, confidence in her step, and love in her heart.

But now...

Those dark eyes were entirely dead and desolate.

[Actually, President He was terrified. Not only was he A-Si's childhood friend, but he had also witnessed their relationship firsthand. He was afraid Qiao Qiao wouldn't be able to hold on. People inevitably blurt out harsh things when they are breaking down, but later on, you'll realize that isn't who he truly is.]