Chapter 74: Epilogue (I)

While half asleep, Sui Ning was embraced by a cool and comfortable embrace, and the scent of pine awakened her consciousness.

“Sui Ning, did I wake you up?” A gentle voice came from her side.

Sui Ning shook her head, her voice filled with the confusion of just waking up. “No, I’m a light sleeper.”

His slender hand gently patted her back. “Sui Ning, you’ve been working hard.”

Since becoming pregnant, Sui Ning’s sleep has become increasingly shallow. She often got up in the middle of the night and had trouble breathing, which made it difficult to fall asleep.

He knew that pregnancy was not easy for women. It wasn’t until Sui Ning became pregnant that he realized that childbirth was not only physically demanding but also mentally stressful for women.

Sui Ning would feel upset about gaining weight, and she would cry secretly in the middle of the night because of the stretch marks on her belly. She would unconsciously cover her belly when they were in bed together, not letting him see.

But he didn’t think she was ugly. He would gently remove her hand and kiss her fair belly. In his eyes, she had never changed. She was still so beautiful.

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Mblal oyp ds osxyd kd vbl osaze obs nswze nsxryal vs bla.

Dkl Ubydtgbsw’p byde tldvzu nshlale bla poszzld clzzu. “Rp vbl cycu tkhkdt usw vaswczl?”

Fwk Lkdt pbssj bla blye. “Ls, kv’p hlau olzz-clbyhle.”

Tl bwttle bla vktbvla yde obkprlale kd bla lya, “Fwk Lkdt, R’x psaau.”

Fwk Lkdt’p lulp qkzzle okvb vlyap, yde pbl bwttle bkx vktbvzu. “Dkl Ubydtgbsw, kq usw alyzzu qllz psaau qsa xl, vbld vyjl tsse nyal sq xl yde swa nbkze qsa vbl alpv sq swa zkhlp.”

“El pvkzz byhl bwdealep sa vbswpydep sq ulyap vs ts. Zsw byhl vs cl okvb wp qsalhla.”

“Mblal yal pvkzz ps xydu rzynlp ol byhld’v clld vs, yde usw byhl vs vlynb swa nbkze bso vs alye, oakvl, yde zlyad prlzz. Pked’v usw pyu vbyv kq kv’p y eywtbvla, usw’zz tkhl bla flolzau lhlau ulya?”

Gp kq lytla vs rashl psxlvbkdt, pbl prsjl sdl pldvldnl yqvla ydsvbla, bla osaep ydmkswp yde watldv.

Xie Changzhou patted her back and rubbed her head against hers.

He said softly, “Okay, Ningning.”

Sui Ning tightly clutched his clothes around his waist, suddenly feeling a sense of despair.

She struggled to calm her trembling voice and forcibly suppressed the sourness in her heart.

After a while, she spoke softly, “Xie Changzhou, I hate deception the most.”

“Don’t ever deceive me.”

Xie Changzhou was stunned, remaining silent without responding to her.

After a long time, a soft voice dissipated.

“Okay.”

Sui Ning’s tears fell, burying her face in his embrace and hiding her tears.

***

White mist surrounded Sui Ning as she walked in confusion through the strands of mist.

She instinctively touched her belly but found it flat and unchanging.

Sui Ning was surprised. Did she lose her child in this dream?

She decided not to think about it and continued walking into the mist, wondering what she might dream of this time.

The more she walked, the thinner the white mist became, until finally she saw the familiar building that she knew inside out.

The skyscrapers were lit up with neon lights in the evening, and the wide asphalt roads were crowded with cars, with the blaring of car horns piercing the air.

Snowflakes drifted in the black night, and pedestrians hurriedly walked under umbrellas.

This was where she had lived for twenty years.

In the evening, the tall buildings were lit with neon lights, and the wide asphalt roads were bustling with traffic, with the blaring horns of cars ringing in the ears.

Amidst the pitch-black night, snowflakes drifted down, and pedestrians hurriedly walked, holding umbrellas.

This was the place she had lived for twenty years.

It was even… near her home.

It was a place from an even older time.

Sui Ning could hardly believe it. She knew this was an illusion—her memory—but for so many months, she hadn’t dreamed of the world she used to know.

Furthermore, it appeared to be in the vicinity of her home from many years ago.

The facilities looked old, and people’s clothing styles were from a previous era.

Her legs trembled as she walked along the familiar path.

She walked faster and faster until she began to run, rushing towards her own home.

Finally, she reached the familiar intersection and the familiar front door, but she suddenly stopped, hesitating to go any further.

Sui Ning stood at the intersection, staring in astonishment at her own front gate.

Suddenly, the door opened from inside, and two people walked out—a man and a woman. The man was tall and imposing, with a handsome and dignified appearance. He wore silver-framed glasses and exuded a polite and cultured demeanor.

The woman was dressed in a fashionable manner, wrapped in the latest style of cotton jacket. She held a small quilt tightly in her arms, covering it securely.

The man held an umbrella for the woman with one hand and cradled her in his arms with the other, softly reminding her to be careful of the slippery road.

The woman responded with a smile, occasionally lifting a corner of the quilt to take a look.

Tears rolled down Sui Ning’s face, and the sourness in her chest threatened to engulf her. 

The two people seemed to ignore her and walked past her. Sui Ning heard the weak cries of babies as they passed by. 

She stuttered, “Dad, Mom…” 

She stared at her father and mother as they supported each other and left cautiously with the baby. 

Sui Ning was dazed for a while before slowly lifting her frozen heels to follow them. 

Her eyes were flooded with tears, and everything in front of her was blurred. 

Sui Ning followed closely behind them, listening to the two people in front of her teasing and playing with the baby in their arms. 

That was her childhood. 

The two people arrived at the hospital and went to the pediatric ward with the baby. Sui Ning followed them into the examination room. 

Her mother handed the baby to the doctor, and her father took out the report from his pocket. 

The two of them looked worried and panicked as they watched the doctor examine and take X-rays of the baby. 

The female doctor finished the examination and asked, “The child does have an inherited heart disease, but it’s not too serious. Do both parents have a family history of inherited diseases?” 

Sui Ning’s parents’ faces turned cold, and her mother burst into tears, watching little Sui Ning cry uncontrollably on the examination table. 

Sui Ning’s father quickly hugged her and comforted her, saying to the doctor in a low voice, “The child is not our biological child. We found her a year ago and reported it to the police, but they didn’t find anything. The police were going to send her to an orphanage, so we decided to adopt her ourselves.” 

Sui Ning felt like her brain had been struck hard, making her dizzy and causing a ringing in her ears.

She couldn’t see anything clearly, with only her adoptive father’s words echoing in her mind: “You’re not our biological child.” Not their own child? The ones who had been with her for twenty years, despite strict discipline, had also been extremely loving. She couldn’t believe that she wasn’t their biological child. After they adopted her, did they never have any children of their own? 

With a choked and hoarse voice, Sui Ning called out to her parents, “Dad, Mom…” She trembled, wanting to embrace them, but she only felt a chill as she passed through them, not even sensing their body warmth. She walked up to her mother and crouched down to look at her pained face, wanting to wipe away her tears with shaking hands, but she failed once again. 

Tears fell from her eyes, but she met her mother’s open gaze. Suddenly, Sui Ning woke up, gasping for air. She recognized the familiar mosquito net above her head, and the bedroom was scented with a sleep-inducing aroma. She was at her own courtyard. She touched her cheeks with both hands and realized that she was crying.

She shivered and curled up, desperately wanting to see her biological parents after two years. She just wanted to meet them, even if it was just once. Her baby in her belly seemed to sense her crying and kicked her gently, as if afraid of hurting her mother.

Sui Ning stroked her belly, crying uncontrollably.

She buried her head in the pillow, tears streaming down her face.

Suddenly, a loud noise interrupted her crying.

Sui Ning looked up in shock, and the curtains were gently swaying, but the windows and doors were closed tightly, and there was no sound of wind.

It wasn’t an illusion……

She hurriedly put on her shoes and ran into the courtyard. The sun was shining brightly outside, and warm sunlight was sprinkled on the small courtyard.

The previous swaying had disappeared, and Sui Ning leaned on her waist with one hand and protected her swollen belly with the other.

She waited quietly in the courtyard until her legs became slightly numb and the courtyard was still peaceful.

It was as if it was just an illusion.

But her intuition told her that it wasn’t an illusion.

It was real.

The space she was in was shaking just now.

It was really shaking.

Sui Ning’s heart was beating faster and faster, and she looked up at the empty space, carefully examining the high sun.

The intense light made her eyes sore, and she couldn’t see things clearly.

She struggled to look at the rising sun in the empty space, and her throat seemed to be choked by something.

Until now, she finally realized a terrifying thing that made her spine numb.

For the past few months, the sun has been shining every day, and there have been no cloudy days.

But the town of Gusu, as she understood it, had a variable and unpredictable climate, often rainy and humid.

After becoming pregnant, she focused all her attention on her child and her lost memories and never realized this.

As she was stunned, the emptiness in front of her seemed to be violently impacted, and Sui Ning saw–

A crack appeared in the void, right in front of her, with a twisted shape like the pattern of shattered glass.

As if something had broken.

But in just a moment, the cracked pattern was instantly smoothed over, as if nothing had happened.

However, Sui Ning saw clearly that it was a crack.

What was it? What was this?

The tightly closed door slowly opened, and she met a pair of glass-colored eyes.

She hadn’t seen him in half a month.

The two stood facing each other across the small courtyard without speaking.

Xie Changzhou walked towards her step by step, calm and composed, with layers of fluttering clothes.

Sui Ning didn’t move, staring at him closely as he walked up to her.

The cold fragrance of pine filled the air, and he stood in front of her, his tall figure firmly enveloping her, the glaring sunlight pouring down from behind him, and his handsome facial features sharp and clear.

At this point, Sui Ning was surprisingly calm.

She asked softly, “Xie Changzhou, you still lied to me.”

Xie Changzhou didn’t speak, tightly pursing his lips and saying nothing.

Sui Ning laughed lightly, with a mocking smile on her lips. She lowered her head and caressed her protruding belly, tears falling like broken beads.

Seeing her tears, Xie Changzhou suddenly panicked, and he hugged her, apologizing, “Ningning, I’m sorry.”

He reached out to wipe away her tears, but Sui Ning sidestepped and backed away a few steps. She wiped away her tears herself, took a deep breath, and lifted her head. Her dark eyes were filled with coldness, and she looked at him with a gaze devoid of the former tenderness, as if he were a stranger.

Xie Changzhou’s straight back suddenly bent slightly, his heart aching from her gaze. He couldn’t even stand up straight.

“Sui ning…”

“Don’t look at me like that. Don’t be so indifferent.”

Sui Ning spoke word by word: “Xie Changzhou, you lied to me.”

“Sui Ning, I’m sorry…”

“All of this was fake. You deceived me for seven months.”

“Sui Ning…”

“You erased my memories, trapped me in an illusion, and you thought it was for my own protection.”

“I’m sorry, Sui Ning…”

Sui Ning tried not to cry, but tears still fell uncontrollably. She cried out, “Xie Changzhou, what are you hiding from me? What are you planning to do?”

She suddenly walked closer to him and grabbed his sleeve tightly, and her beautiful face was red and swollen from her tearful eyes.

“Xie Changzhou, what do you want to do? What are you going to do?”

Sui Ning’s last sentence was almost a scream, and Xie Changzhou’s heart shattered from the despair in her voice. He suddenly burst into tears, ignoring everything, and hugged Sui Ning tightly.

Sui Ning struggled with all her might, but her body was weak from crying, and she leaned on Xie Changzhou to prevent herself from falling.

Xie Changzhou whispered in her ear, his voice filled with panic and confusion: “Sui Ning, I’m sorry.”

“Ningning, listen to me; only then can I protect you.”

“Let go… Let go of me!”

“I can’t bear to lose you again, Ningning; trust me!”

“What are you trying to do, Xie Changzhou?”

Xie Changzhou held her tightly, tears falling on Sui Ning’s neck, making her heart race and her body tremble as if there was static electricity passing through her.

Sui Ning could vaguely sense what was happening outside, but her fragmented memories made it hard for her to understand what Xie Changzhou was doing.

Her heart told her that Xie Changzhou was going to do something dangerous, something related to her.

But she was powerless to stop him. Xie Changzhou had deceived her for so long.

This feeling of powerlessness was like watching her lover die before her eyes.

She almost gave up hope.

Sui Ning cried and pounded on his chest, “Xie Changzhou… Xie Changzhou, tell me…”

Xie Changzhou just held her tightly and kept apologizing in her ear.

He couldn’t tell her. If he did, he would lose Sui Ning.

The previously quiet void shook again, and Xie Changzhou suddenly tightened his grip on her hand.

Sui Ning saw that the previous cracks had reappeared.

This time it almost instantly split open, revealing the outside world.

Sui Ning saw a world full of scars.

There were corpses and severed limbs everywhere, and occasional spacetime fissures flashed in the void.

Crawling out of the fissures were eerie green flames.

Hideous faces and a nauseating stench.

They were evil spirits.

She was stunned, and her consciousness became blurry, falling into a familiar embrace.

A soft, clear voice sounded on her forehead.

“Sleep, Ningning.”

“Don’t be afraid.”

Sui Ning’s fluttering long eyelashes reluctantly closed, and shiny tears ran down her face.