Chapter 6.1

Late at night, with the moon shrouded in mist, Xin Zhihuan drove his car to the front of the restaurant and stopped deftly.

It was Friday, the eve of the weekend. The restaurant stayed open until two in the morning, still several hours away. 

He didn’t know when she would leave, but he was determined. No matter how late, he would wait. He had to wait for her. He couldn’t let her escape. 

He reclined his seat slightly and lay back, staring quietly out the window. The restaurant’s sign hung high in the night, the neon lights faintly stinging his eyes.

“New York Ex,” except for New York.

Why choose such a name? Did she really not want to see him again?

It had been six years. 

During those six years, he had been waiting for her to explain the accident that day. Why was she with her ex-boyfriend? Why did the accident happen, leading to a miscarriage?

The following parts of the text will be scrambled to prevent theft from aggregators and unauthorized epub making. Please support our translators by reading on secondlifetranslations (dot) com. If you are currently on the site and and you are seeing this, please clear your cache.

Jwv pbl alxykdle pkzldv, plyzkdt yoyu vbl vawvb.

Tl bye vbswtbv pbl oswze ts cynj vs bla lm-csuqaklde, cwv pbl eked’v. Tl bye zssjle kdvs kv; vbyv xyd dso ayd y pxyzz vymk cwpkdlpp vbyv oypd’v eskdt hlau olzz, fwpv tlvvkdt cu.

Eyp kv clnywpl vblka ynbklhlxldvp olal ps hypvzu ekqqlaldv vbyv vblu eakqvle yryav?

Lso, pbl bye xydu pwkvsap, rzldvu sq qzsolap yde eyvlp. Ohld Wydt Kkyfwd, vbl uswdt blka sq y zkpvle nsxrydu, oyp wdela bla prlzz. Fbl nlavykdzu bye ds alypsd vs rkdl qsa vbl uswvbqwz zshl sq vblka rypv.

Gde vblka xyaakytl bye clnsxl y pbynjzl kd bla rwapwkv sq byrrkdlpp.

Fbl oydvle vs calyj qall yde qzu, yde bl wdelapvsse. Jwv psxlbso, bl nswzed’v cakdt bkxplzq vs zlv ts okzzkdtzu.

Tl yexkvvle bl oyp rlvvu. Fvaydtlzu, kd qasdv sq bla, bl vwadle kdvs y pwrla nbkzekpb yde yojoyae xyd. Tkp qaklde, Eydt Ckmwyd, pyke kv oyp bkp pwcnsdpnkswp plljkdt bla nyal—akeknwzswp! Tl oypd’v y nbkze okvbswv y xsvbla; obu oswze bl pllj bla nyal?

Skeknwzswp, vawzu akeknwzswp…

Xin Zhihuan muttered in his heart, irritated, with waves of emotions surging within him.

He had already waited for nearly two hours. When would she appear?

He warned himself to be patient, but he was growing increasingly uneasy. When he dropped her off at the restaurant that afternoon, she didn’t look well. Could she be sick?

As he was lost in his thoughts, two figures suddenly appeared at the restaurant entrance. A man was forcefully dragging a woman out.

He sat up straight with a jolt. If he wasn’t mistaken, the woman was Feifei, and the man… Fang Jiajun?!

He rolled down the car window, and their argument drifted over with the wind.

“Why are you treating me like this? Why won’t you accept me?” Fang Jiajun pulled at Qi Feifei’s arm, his voice obviously drunk. “You know how much I love you!”

“Jiajun, let go of me, you’re drunk.” She tried to reason with him.

But he stubbornly pulled her closer, his hazy eyes locking onto her. “Qi Feifei, tell me why! Am I not as good as that man?”

“Jiajun, can we talk about this another day? I really can’t today…”

“I don’t want another day! It has to be today! You must tell me clearly today, what’s wrong with me? Didn’t you say you were going to divorce him?”

Hearing Fang Jiajun’s roar, Xin Zhihuan frowned. So, Feifei had told him? Had she divulged everything about their unresolved marriage?

“I am going to divorce him…”

“In that case, why won’t you accept my proposal!”

He proposed?

Xin Zhihuan was shocked, his entire body freezing. He stared at Qi Feifei, waiting to hear her answer, his nerves taut.

But she didn’t speak, her eyes lowered, her hand on her forehead. She looked pale, with sweat faintly visible at her temples.

Was it a headache? Was she feeling unwell?

The thought had just crossed his mind when Xin Zhihuan immediately opened the car door. As he stepped out, he saw Qi Feifei collapse forward, falling to the ground.

Fang Jiajun was stunned. “Feifei? Feifei? What’s wrong?” He called out, reaching to help her.

Xin Zhihuan moved first, rushing over like a whirlwind. He knelt and scooped the fainted Qi Feifei into his arms.

“It’s… it’s you?” Fang Jiajun recognized him, his drunken eyes widening with anger.

Xin Zhihuan said nothing, silently turning away.

Fang Jiajun stomped his feet behind him. “Wait! How can you just take Feifei away? She’s mine, mine!”

She’s his?

Xin Zhihuan abruptly turned around, his eyes cold. “If you really cared for her, how could you not notice she was unwell? Why make things difficult for her when she’s suffering like this?”

“I’m not making things difficult for her. I just want an explanation!” Fang Jiajun retorted, not realizing his fault at all.

“Just an explanation, and you can’t wait a bit longer?”

“I’ve already waited several days!”

“So what? I’ve waited for her for six years!” Xin Zhihuan shouted back. As the words left his mouth, he suddenly realized what he had said. He felt a pang of regret, angry at Fang Jiajun and even angrier at himself.

What was he doing? Why bicker with a drunk?

He gritted his teeth and carried the woman in his arms into the car, carefully laying her down in the passenger seat. He fastened her seatbelt, took off his own jacket, and covered her with it.

“Hey! Where are you taking her?” Fang Jiajun continued to shout.

Ignoring him, Xin Zhihuan got into the driver’s seat, closed the door tightly, and gently pressed the gas pedal. He skillfully controlled the steering wheel, driving smoothly and quietly to avoid disturbing her slumber.

She had a high fever.

He drove her to the hospital and carried her into the emergency room. After examining her, the doctor said she had a high fever and asked the nurse to start an IV.

Xin Zhihuan requested that she be admitted to the hospital, but the doctor smiled.

“It’s just a fever from a cold. She’ll be fine with rest and plenty of fluids. No need for hospitalization.”

“But her fever is very high!” he protested. “She’s unconscious and very weak!”

“Mr. Xin, I understand you’re worried about your wife, but occupying a hospital bed for a fever wastes medical resources.”

This left Xin Zhihuan red-faced. Noticing the curious glances from others in the emergency room, he had no choice but to accept it. After she finished the IV, he took her home.

She fell asleep again as soon as she got into the car. He carried her upstairs and laid her on the bed, staying by her side all night.

With no experience in taking care of a sick person, he followed the nurse’s advice and tips from online sources. He prepared an ear thermometer, ice packs, towels, and blankets. He used the blankets to help her sweat out the fever, checking her temperature every half hour. As her temperature rose, he paced the room anxiously. Just before dawn, her fever finally started to subside.

Overjoyed, he removed the blanket, made an ice pack, and placed it on her forehead to help reduce her temperature. He then used a cold towel to wipe her limbs.

After a night of tending to her, he saw her complexion improve, a faint color returning to her cheeks, and finally felt at ease.

Feeling the sweat on his sticky neck, he smiled wryly and went to the bathroom to take a shower and change into casual clothes. As he reached her bedroom door, he heard her talking.

Was she awake?

Delighted, Xin Zhihuan rushed into the room and called out, “Feifei, you’re awake? How do you fe—”

His voice trailed off as he froze.

She wasn’t awake. She was having a nightmare, clutching the quilt tightly, her expression full of pain.

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry, it’s my fault. Don’t be angry, it’s all my fault…”

What was happening? He stared at her in shock.

Who was she apologizing to? Why did her voice carry such deep sorrow?

“I’m sorry, it’s all my fault… I caused the baby’s death. It’s my fault, my mistake…”

The baby!

Xin Zhihuan’s heart raced, pounding against his chest.

So, in her dream, was she apologizing to him?

“Zhihuan, Zhihuan, don’t blame me, don’t be angry, okay?”

She was calling his name, his name! She was indeed apologizing to him in her dream. He was the one haunting her nightmares, causing her such pain—

Xin Zhihuan stood there, feeling cold and numb, slowly approaching Qi Feifei, this woman who could still tug at his heart even in her sleep.

“Feifei, Feifei,” he called her softly, not knowing what to say. What could he say? For six years, he had waited for her explanation, for her apology, and now she was giving it to him in her most vulnerable moment.

Could he blame her? Could he question her?

All he felt was a deep tenderness for her, especially now, in her illness, still haunted by the night they decided to part six years ago.

“Silly girl,” he couldn’t help but mutter, kneeling beside her and gently stroking her troubled face. “What are you thinking? I really don’t understand.”

If she wanted to apologize, why didn’t she say it six years ago? Why wait until now, in a dream?

“Am I that bad? So harsh to you? Why couldn’t you just tell me you’re sorry? I would have forgiven you, no matter the reason, as long as you apologized, you know?”

He lovingly caressed her, speaking the thoughts he would never dare say to her while she was awake.

He leaned down and kissed her forehead gently. Suddenly, a melody of crystalline notes rang out.

He paused, realizing the sound came from a music box with an alarm function on her bedside table. He picked it up, studied it for a moment, and turned off the alarm.

Did she still keep the music box he gave her?

He stood up and took a serious look around her bedroom. In the corner, there was a glass cabinet filled with a dazzling array of music boxes.

She had finally started to fulfill her wish of collecting music boxes?

He walked over to admire her collection. There were music boxes of various shapes and materials, and the one he had given her was placed in the most prominent position on the top shelf.

Was this the best VIP seat?

He smiled slightly, gently touching the crystal music box before picking up a nearby ceramic one to play with. This music box was shaped like a cherubic angel with a bow and arrow, crafted with exquisite detail. As he turned the knob at the base, a delicate melody began to play.

Behind the little angel was a compartment that could be opened. He opened it and found a rolled-up note inside. Curious, Xin Zhihuan took out the note and unfolded it. On the pastel blue patterned paper, her thoughts were neatly written:

---

Today, I wanted to cry again!

I thought about my lost baby and remembered the little socks I once knitted for him. Where did those socks go? Why can’t I find them?

I really want to cry, but I swore I would never cry again.

My baby is in heaven, surely more lonely and desolate than I am. What right do I have to shed tears?

Tears are for those who are truly heartbroken. What right do I have to feel heartbroken?

Baby, please forgive mommy, I’m sorry.

---

What is this?

Reading the tear-stained words on the note, Xin Zhihuan felt a tightness in his chest, his mind blank. After a long moment, he put down the cute little angel and opened another music box, finding another scented letter inside. His hands trembled as he read:

---

They say my first restaurant’s success is a sign of divine favor, that I’m very lucky.

But what luck? Do they know how many years I prepared to open this restaurant?

When I was just a baby, my mom carried me while working in the market. While other children played with building blocks and dolls, my toys were vegetables and fish.

I could recognize fresh fish and the best cuts of meat. I knew which farms produced the best produce and the unique flavors of different ingredients.

While my classmates drew pictures of the sky and flowers, I drew dishes.

When they were still in bed, I was pushing a food cart, and when they went to bed, I did my homework.

That’s how I came this far.

They say it’s divine favor?

If the heavens ever pitied me, why couldn’t I keep my marriage? Why did I lose my only family member when I needed them most?

If the almighty had any compassion for me, they wouldn’t have let my mom worry about me on her deathbed, fearing I couldn’t find happiness!

Mom, I promise you, I will be happy.

Even if no one is by my side, even if Zhihuan doesn’t want me, I will be happy. Even if I live alone for the rest of my life, I promise you, I will be happy.

So don’t worry about me. I hope you are at peace in heaven. In a few decades, we will meet again.

Baby, you and I, we will be reunited then.

---