Rapid Collapse (GL) - Chapter 21

After Han Ning returned home, she removed her makeup and lay listlessly on her bed in the bedroom.

Outside the door, Lightning quietly walked in, gently jumped onto the bed, sat beside her arm, and meowed twice while tilting its head.

Hearing the sound, she lifted her head. Her eyes were red as she reached out to stroke the cat’s head. Lightning closed its eyes, enjoying her touch. Han Ning murmured, “I followed Shen Xi’s advice… you really have become much more obedient.”

Lightning licked the back of her hand, curled up in her arms, and purred contentedly with its eyes closed.

Han Ning kissed its forehead, feeling a little better. But as soon as she thought about possibly seeing Shen Xi on set the next day, her heart started pounding. She had no idea how to face her.

She was afraid Shen Xi would talk to her, but she was also afraid that she wouldn’t…
She turned over, waking Lightning, who meowed twice. While grabbing her phone to send a message, she comforted the cat, “Okay, okay… just a second.”

Her fingers flew over the keyboard, and within a minute, she read over the message before sending it to Zhou Heyang.

Zhou Heyang’s phone vibrated twice. He opened the message, read it, and replied with a single word: “Okay.”

Seeing his response, Han Ning let out a small sigh of relief, hugged her cat tightly, and gave it a big kiss. “Shall we go to Anhua? Let’s visit your grandma.”

The cat let out a soft hum, groomed itself in her arms, and soon fell asleep again. Han Ning stared blankly at the cat, thinking about Jiang Sujie, and sighed.

She lifted the blanket, turned off the bedside lamp, and closed her eyes while hugging the cat. She knew that taking leave wasn’t entirely because of Shen Xi. In a few days, it would be Jiang Sujie’s memorial day. She had simply moved the date forward.

The next morning, Han Ning had no work scheduled. She packed a few clothes, grabbed her bag, and carried her cat to the garage. Ten minutes later, her car left the neighborhood and headed toward Anhua City. The autumn wind made the leaves outside the car window rustle and glisten. Han Ning drove with a relaxed expression, temporarily putting her worries aside.

Meanwhile, the film set was as busy as ever in the morning. Shen Xi arrived around nine o’clock. She looked through the crowd but didn’t see Han Ning, which puzzled her.

Last night, after leaving Han Ning alone at the restaurant, she had trouble sleeping and only dozed off around two or three in the morning.

At first, Shen Xi was angry at Han Ning’s well-intended advice, feeling that she was overstepping boundaries and meddling too much.

But as time passed, her rationality returned. She realized she might have overreacted. Han Ning barely knew about her and her mother’s situation. She wasn’t intentionally trying to make things difficult—she was speaking from her heart.

Tossing and turning in bed, Shen Xi had wanted to call Han Ning but figured she was already asleep. Plus, she wasn’t sure if Han Ning would just start yelling at her over the phone…

“Make sure the props are in order. Mistakes will cause trouble, so stay focused,” Zhou Heyang instructed as he walked past.

Shen Xi turned toward him and asked, “Director Zhou, isn’t Han Ning supposed to have a morning scene? Why isn’t she here?”

“She took three days off,” Zhou Heyang recalled, pulling out his phone to check Han Ning’s message. “Oh… she went back to Anhua to visit her mother’s grave.”

Zhou Heyang sighed and added, “That girl has had a tough time. She always looks like a little ball of sunshine, but…” He shook his head and walked away.

Hearing the words “visit her mother’s grave,” Shen Xi felt a buzzing sound in her head, and everything went blank. She stood frozen in place like a wooden stake, not even reacting when people bumped into her.

“She’s your mother. Treat her well. Don’t be like me…”

Han Ning’s words from last night echoed in her mind.

“Don’t be like me…”

Shen Xi clenched her fists. Last night, she had been too upset to fully process what Han Ning had said. But now, after Zhou Heyang’s words, she understood—Han Ning had used her own pain and scars to persuade her. And yet…

Thinking about it, Shen Xi closed her eyes and shook her head. Her breathing became unsteady, and a wave of guilt surged through her.

After a long while, the set had emptied as everyone got back to work. She sat alone, staring at Han Ning’s contact on her phone. After hesitating for a few seconds, she pressed the call button.

The phone rang for a long time. In those few seconds, Shen Xi’s mind raced with thoughts—what to say, how to apologize, and how to brace for Han Ning’s possible yelling.

But none of that mattered. The call eventually ended with an automated voice saying no one was available to answer.

Shen Xi stared at her phone’s blank screen, propping her head up with one hand, lost in thought…

Two hours later, Anbei District, Anhua City

After a sixty-second wait, the traffic light turned green. Cars moved forward, merging into the flow before splitting off at different intersections.

Han Ning’s car turned left onto Jinqi Avenue. Ten minutes later, she parked near the entrance of Jinqi Old Street.

She got out, bought a bouquet of white chrysanthemums, and returned to her car. Without stopping, she headed straight for the cemetery.

Jiang Sujie had insisted on not being buried in her stepfather’s family plot. Han Ning had promised to honor her wishes.

As she neared the cemetery, sadness and fear filled her heart. Getting out of the car, she secured Lightning’s leash and carried the bouquet as she entered the cemetery.

After climbing a few steps, Jiang Sujie’s photo came into view. Han Ning burst into tears.

Her earlier fears suddenly made sense.

Jiang Sujie was buried here, out of reach. Sometimes, Han Ning would wake up thinking her mother was still alive, still someone she could call and complain to.

But now, staring at her mother’s gentle face on the tombstone, she truly felt the loss.

Jiang Sujie was gone, and no one would ever love her the same way again.

Han Ning sat on the steps, leaning against the cold tombstone, covering her face as she sobbed uncontrollably. She wondered why she felt even sadder now than on the day of the funeral.

Wiping her tears, she hugged Lightning and sniffled. “Mom, look… I have a cat now.”

She forced a smile. “Her name is Lightning. She’s a little girl, and she’s really well-behaved now.”

Lightning jumped down and sniffed a few yellow flowers near the grave, sneezing a few times. Han Ning picked her up. “Don’t mess with Grandma’s flowers.”

The breeze blew gently as Han Ning sat on the cement ground, plucking at a blade of grass and talking nonstop.

“I’ve been lucky. I won an award early on, and the company values me. I made them a lot of money, though.”

“Whenever I get paid, I want to buy you something. But you’re not here… Maybe I’ll burn some big gemstones for you next time, along with luxury cars and mansions. You’ll be a stylish old lady.”

Han Ning leaned against the tombstone, closed her eyes, and for a moment, it felt like a warm embrace instead of cold stone.

She didn’t expect to fall asleep there for over an hour…”