Last Love chapter 122

Han Jiangque’s subordinate, Manager Cai, could discern something unusual from Han Jiangque’s abrupt command and strange tone. He couldn’t help but ask, “Mr. Han, is something wrong? Where are you now? It’s too urgent to ask the detention center to release someone immediately. This doesn’t follow the usual procedure; it’s too difficult.”

“…” Han Jiangque took a deep breath. Before he could speak, he felt a dagger against his throat, and an Alpha beside him coldly held a knife, staring at him.

“I’m fine,” Han Jiangque said calmly, “Do it as I say immediately. I don’t care how you do it or how much money you spend, but within ten minutes, I must have Zhuo Yuan’s father’s procedures completed to leave the detention center. The paperwork can be supplemented later, but this matter must not be delayed. Understand?”

Zhuo Yuan took a drag of his cigarette, gestured for his subordinate to bring the phone.

Sitting on the hood of another car, he looked at Han Jiangque, who was leaning against the Land Rover with a gloomy look. There was an unusual turmoil in his expression, as if he were intensely contemplating something without making a decision.

The two of them faced each other in silence and vigilance, without much conversation.

One minute, two minutes, five minutes, eight minutes…

Until a crisp ringtone sounded. One of the Alphas beside Zhuo Yuan, who had been silent all along, answered the phone. After a few “yes” responses, he leaned in to Zhuo Yuan’s ear and whispered, “We’ve received a message from there. Our people have picked up the old man, and inside information says that they’ve received significant new evidence. They’re sending the case back, and the procedures will be handled later.”

“Zhuo Yuan, anything else?” Han Jiangque asked.

Han Jiangque was also looking at Zhuo Yuan, and for some reason, Zhuo Yuan’s expression still made him feel vaguely uncomfortable.

Zhuo Yuan didn’t answer immediately.

From any logical perspective, Zhuo Yuan had already obtained what he wanted.

In a short time, the Zhuo family had indeed suffered a severe blow, but stumbling in the same place again would be difficult. At least in the coming days, Zhuo Ning could quickly escape overseas.

For Zhuo Yuan, this was undoubtedly a massive blow.

But even if he didn’t play dirty and directly kidnapped Han Jiangque, the counterattack was still an illusion—

Moreover, Zhuo Li, the official, was fully protected throughout the process. Although Zhuo Ning was almost sacrificed, as long as Zhuo Li was still there, the Zhuo family had a chance to rise again.

This was a crucial step in turning defeat into victory, but even Zhuo Yuan himself didn’t understand why he still felt so uneasy.

He stared at Han Jiangque, who was backed against the entrance of the parking lot, where the winter sunlight shone like a dazzling radiance from another world.

At that moment, Zhuo Yuan suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of desolation.

He knew that even if he won today, Han Jiangque would still live in a different world with Wen Ke, a warm world he had never set foot in.

This feeling stimulated an unprecedented pain in him.

“Zhuo Yuan?” Han Jiangque urged, squinting slightly.

Zhuo Yuan lowered his head, looked at the cigarette ash in his hand, blew on it, then suddenly said, “Is tonight Wen Ke’s product launch for ‘Last Love’ app? Right?”

Han Jiangque suddenly felt a strong sense of unease, but he couldn’t clarify why.

He covered his chest. In fact, over this brief moment, the pain in his chest had become increasingly intense when inhaling. He knew that his physical condition urgently required medical attention, so he had to quickly respond, “Yes.”

“I can let you go. But you have to make another call.”

Zhuo Yuan smiled, extinguished the cigarette in his hand, then jumped off the car hood, “I want you to call Wen Ke, tell him to cancel the launch of the app and inform the media to release a temporary statement, stating that a major flaw was suddenly discovered in the app’s development, and it won’t be able to launch normally within a year—”

“What?” This question was asked not only by Han Jiangque but also by the secretary-like Alpha beside Zhuo Yuan. Obviously, this was a sudden change, and even the people on Zhuo Yuan’s side were completely unaware.

“Mr. Zhuo, time is of the essence. We are too close to the Han family here. We shouldn’t go too far…” The secretary furrowed his brows, wanting to intervene, but was immediately stopped by a wave of Zhuo Yuan’s hand.

“I’ve made myself clear, haven’t I?”

Zhuo Yuan said indifferently, “Han Jiangque, you make Wen Ke cancel the product launch, and I’ll let you go.”

Han Jiangque stared at Zhuo Yuan in astonishment, his voice hoarse, “Zhuo Yuan? What does this have to do with Wen Ke’s app? He worked so hard to successfully launch it. Why would you…”

Zhuo Yuan closed his eyes. For a few seconds, he questioned himself:

Why?

Haven’t you already achieved what you wanted?

He took a deep breath. When he opened his eyes again, there were almost traces of bloodshot in his eyes.

He suddenly smiled at Han Jiangque.

It was a smile… that Han Jiangque would never forget.

Zhuo Yuan’s eyes were black. It wasn’t just a color, but a darkness that engulfed people like entering a terrifying swamp. His smile gave people a shudder.

Zhuo Yuan smiled and said softly to him, “Because what I least want is to see Wen Ke succeed.”

In that moment of speaking these words, Zhuo Yuan felt an unprecedented satisfaction.

“I don’t hate Wen Ke, but Han Jiangque, now that he’s left me, I truly wish him to live in perpetual failure and misfortune.”

The opposite of love, it turned out, wasn’t hatred.

It was malice.

When a person finally faces the malice in his heart, it is surprisingly gratifying.

Compared to the hatred of the Zhuo family towards Han Jiangque, he believed that the most ultimate pain in his life—

Was seeing someone else gain the happiness he could never have.

To prevent this happiness from existing in the world, he would rather destroy himself along with it.

Zhuo Yuan handed the phone he had in his hand to Han Jiangque and said, “Call him, Han Jiangque.”

Han Jiangque felt the air he inhaled into his chest trembling.

He had never felt such a profound fear, not even when his life was in danger a few minutes ago.

He felt his soul torn in half. One half was a little boy crying in pain in the corner, and the other half was an adult roaring, wanting to tear Zhuo Yuan apart.

His eyes stared straight at Zhuo Yuan, dark eyes filled with intense disgust and hatred.

But at that moment, Zhuo Yuan didn’t care at all, calmly repeating, “Call him.”

Han Jiangque knew that any argument was meaningless now. Nothing could persuade Zhuo Yuan anymore.

Even if he knew clearly in his heart that ‘Last Love’ was all of Wen Ke’s hard work, Zhuo Yuan wouldn’t care.

The moment he took the phone, a raging flame had already ignited in his heart.

His fingers trembled, but he didn’t waste any time. He dialed Wen Ke’s number digit by digit.

The sunlight outside the parking lot became increasingly scorching, as if shining directly on his back. A glistening drop of sweat appeared on the tip of his nose.

“Beep… Beep…”

The phone rang twice, and a familiar voice came from the other end: “Hello? May I ask who’s calling?”

“… It’s me.”

Han Jiangque took a deep breath. In front of Zhuo Yuan and the surrounding fierce-looking Alpha, he held the phone tightly, as if embracing the gentle Omega on the other side.

“Han Xiaoque?”

Wen Ke seemed pleasantly surprised, bombarding with questions, “Did you change your number? Did you go home? Is everything done?”

“Xiao Ke.”

Han Jiangque whispered, “I have something to tell you.”

“I’m listening.”

Wen Ke smiled.

The Alpha wearing a black vest beside him approached, lifting a dagger menacingly, silently staring at him, obviously urging him.

But at that moment, Han Jiangque’s heart was remarkably clear and calm.

Facing Zhuo Yuan and the Alphas surrounding him, he softly said, “I miss you, Xiao Ke. Can you promise me one thing?”

Han Jiangque’s sudden cleverness emerged.

His confession was followed by another crucial statement. Even Zhuo Yuan frowned but did not stop him.

Wen Ke, however, keenly sensed that something was wrong, “Han Xiaoque? What’s wrong? Did something happen to you?”

“Ge, I love you.”

Han Jiangque suddenly smiled gently, whispering, “Promise me, never forget the time in our love— all my love for you is there. Don’t forget me.”

“Han Jiangque! What are you saying? Where are you!”

Wen Ke’s voice suddenly raised sharply, “Han Xiaoque—!”

“Damn it.”

Zhuo Yuan finally realized something was wrong, cursed fiercely, and rushed forward with other Alphas, trying to grab the phone.

But it was too late. Han Jiangque had already thrown the phone heavily on the ground and stomped on it with all his might. It looked irreparable.

Another robust Alpha directly punched Han Jiangque, knocking him to the ground, creating chaos.

His mind was not as meticulous as Fu Xiaoyu and Wen Ke’s, but he had an instinctive, beast-like survival intuition. The more it came down to life and death, the more intense his sharpness and willpower burst forth.

This life and death struggle even surpassed his personal life; it was a desperate fight between good and evil.

While his head heavily hit the concrete ground, Han Jiangque’s heart was incredibly calm.

The whole world became chaotic, but it seemed like a comedy played in slow motion.

Everyone’s actions appeared sluggish, their hands and feet elongated by the sun, looking absurd.

Zhuo Yuan cursed something, unbuttoned his overcoat, tossed it aside, and then ruthlessly extended his hand towards his subordinate.

One of them handed him a randomly discarded, thick steel rod from the parking lot.

Han Jiangque covered his head with his hand, protecting his vital parts skillfully. But someone immediately twisted his arm, and another person’s leather shoe harshly stepped on his fingers, crushing them. His fingers instantly fractured.

While others firmly pressed down on his struggling limbs, Zhuo Yuan raised the steel rod high and struck it forcefully on the back of his neck—

…

The moment he raised the steel rod, Zhuo Yuan thought about a lot of things.

At which second in life is there no turning back?

Later, he thought, it’s actually this second.

But he was in too much pain.

Over time, he couldn’t even distinguish whether he fell in love with Wen Ke first and then developed jealousy towards Han Jiangque, or if he had already deeply hated this Alpha.

However, there was a secret he had never told anyone.

During the second year of high school, in the inter-school sports meeting, Han Jiangque had a severe cold for two weeks. Consequently, many events that he initially took on were temporarily delegated to other Alphas in the class. Zhuo Yuan ended up with the substitute, a relatively straightforward 400-meter run, scheduled for the last day of the competition.

Being inconspicuous, he practiced running on the school track every day before dawn to achieve good results. After ten days of training, he was full of confidence, hoping to win a championship for the class.

However, he never expected that on the last day, Han Jiangque would recover from his illness.

The class teacher naturally returned the running event to the sports prodigy Han Jiangque. Without suspense, Han Jiangque led by a considerable margin and won the first place.

That day, everyone in the class was very happy, raising their cola glasses together.

No one cared about his feelings—

Why was it on the last day? Why was his event taken away?

Ten years later, no one knew about this small incident.

But not a day went by when he forgot the day he sat in the corner, silently watching others congratulate Han Jiangque. This, of course, included Wen Ke, who circled around Han Jiangque like a “dog.”

He envied Han Jiangque.

Too much envy.

Sartre said: “Hell is other people.”

Han Jiangque was his hell.

Few people could understand that extreme envy is a terrifying emotion beyond hatred.

The jealousy was so intense—

As long as the fact that Han Jiangque existed in this world, it was torment for him. As long as Han Jiangque existed, he would forever live in the infernal realm of comparison.

Han Jiangque having Wen Ke was just the heaviest and final blow in this jealousy.

Zhuo Yuan had thought countless times: If only Han Jiangque could disappear from this world.

But a person couldn’t vanish into thin air.

So, every second Han Jiangque didn’t disappear was another layer of torture for him.

From today onwards, he wanted complete liberation.

It was no longer about the hatred of the Zhuo family; it was about his own shackles.

…

The winter sunlight gently poured in from outside, as if fragmented golden time, softly falling on Han Jiangque’s face.

In the golden light, blood splattered onto the Land Rover.

Through the blood-stained shattered car window, Han Jiangque’s eyes kept staring at his phone inside the Land Rover.

Before the crash, he was recording a time capsule for “Last Love.”

And this recording program had not stopped yet. From the moment he was hit by the car, to revealing the crucial information about the abandoned parking lot on the road, to the entire process of him being beaten.

Once the time capsule recorded for more than 20 minutes, it would automatically upload the entire audio to the terminal server. As long as Wen Ke went to retrieve the audio file, he would certainly get it.

Han Jiangque still remembered the first time he participated in a boxing match. His coach was an American who encouraged him, repeatedly telling him, “Han, you just gotta have a little faith.”

Faith.

Before making this decision, Han Jiangque bet on three things with faith.

First, he bet that Wen Ke could understand his words.

Second, he bet that the years of boxing competition experience had toughened him enough to endure a beating.

Third, he bet—that good would prevail over evil.