It Turns Out I Really Love You - Chapter 8

She suddenly remembered an old, worn-out philosophy of love: falling in love is easy, getting along is too difficult.

As soon as she got off the plane, she rushed straight to the hospital. Sang Papa was still in the intensive care unit, with an oxygen tube in his nose.

Sang Mama said that when they were watching TV that day, Sang Papa suddenly complained of a headache and then fell into a coma. When he was sent to the hospital, the doctor said it was a cerebral hemorrhage. If they hadn’t rushed him in time, there would have been no hope.

Sang Papa needed at least a week to pass the danger period. Now he seemed to be recovering well, already conscious and able to speak. Sang Mama was a very capable person, managing everything inside and out by herself, in an orderly manner.

The doctor said, “Fortunately, he was brought in time. A few minutes later, and it would have been too late.”

“Will there be any after-effects?” Sang Wuyan asked.

“If the bleeding is in the left or right brain, it can cause hemiplegia, but the patient had brainstem hemorrhage, and his breathing stopped at the time, which is the most severe type of cerebral hemorrhage, but also the luckiest. Currently, there are no apparent issues. But if it recurs, he won’t be so lucky. We’ve encountered some patients who were older when they fell ill, with no one around, and by the time they were brought in, it was often too late.”

Sang Wuyan returned to the ward and looked at the temples of the sleeping Sang Papa; some gray hairs had appeared. She resembled her mother, with the same petite and energetic build as her mother when she was young. But her hair was inherited from her father, black and thick. Before, her father would playfully hoist her onto his shoulders, and when she saw white hairs, she would pluck them for him. However, later, in high school and college, every time she returned home, she would find those white hairs increasing, no longer something that could be solved by pulling out one or two.

Father was always very kind, completely different from Mother.

Father used to be the backbone of his unit. The unit offered to send him abroad for further study several times at public expense, but he declined each time because he couldn’t bear to leave his daughter and his family. As a child, she didn’t quite understand; she only knew to tug at her father’s coattails, wiping her tears and saying, “Daddy, you’re not allowed to go, not allowed to go, not allowed to go.”

“Yanyan, isn’t Mama here?” Sang Papa said.

“I don’t want Mama, I want Papa. Only Papa,” little Sang Wuyan cried.

“Okay, okay. Papa won’t go.”

Later, when she grew up and started applying to universities, she finally understood how rare such opportunities were for her father.

Night fell deep, and Sang Mama insisted that Sang Wuyan go home. “I’ll keep watch.”

“Mom, let me keep watch. You go back and rest.”

“Go, go, go. What does a child like you know? Hurry home and sleep.”

“Mom—I’m really not a child anymore. I can do my part. This family has a part of me.”

She originally thought Sang Mama would get angry hearing these words, but her mother looked at her and quietly asked, “Your father needs to be turned every two hours. Can you do that? The IV fluid needs to be changed until two or three in the morning; you have to call the nurse when each bag is almost empty. Are you sure you won’t fall asleep? Do you know how to use the bedside commode? Can you really do these things, or is it just talk? Your only task is to visit your father, to make him happy when he sees you, to give him something to think about, that’s enough. If it were me lying here, it wouldn’t matter whether you came back or not, you could go wherever you pleased. People raise children for old age, but we have pensions, so we don’t need you to support us. We just ask that you can support yourself in the future.”

“Mom—” Sang Wuyan’s eyes welled up.

“I don’t have the extra energy to argue with you, and I don’t want your father to hear it inside. I’ve told you good words and bad words. If I say too much, you’ll think we’re hindering your life. That day, your father was lying in the intensive care unit. After he recovered, his first words were about you, saying he couldn’t let go of you. He blamed me for saying those words about not caring about you. Wuyan, he’s about to die, and he’s still thinking of you, but what about you? Is a parent’s love so worthless, so taken for granted?” Sang Mama sighed.

Sang Wuyan sat in the taxi going home, her heart aching unbearably. She checked the time; it was already past midnight. Su Nianqin hadn’t called her, perhaps he was still angry with her.

He was three years older than her, but when he threw a tantrum, he was more like a child than she was.

Because it was late, there weren’t many cars on the Third Ring Road, and the taxi was driving a bit fast. She looked at the streetlights flying past outside the window, remembering in her dreamy youth, she had once imagined that the person she loved in the future would be tall and handsome, would love her, cherish her, spoil her, tolerate everything about her, never get angry with her, and if she wanted something, even the moon, he would pluck it down, so perfect he seemed not of this world.

These principles were taught to her by Xu Qian, steeped in romance novels.

But what about reality?

The next day, Sang Wuyan went to the hospital early.

While Sang Mama was away, Sang Papa held her hand and said, “Wuyan, yesterday, I heard everything you and your mother said.”

Sang Wuyan nodded unnaturally, continuing to peel an apple.

“Your mother, do I not understand her? She’s the type who’s tough on the outside but soft on the inside. Actually, she already figured it out. She even told me that your life is your own, and a grown daughter will eventually fly away, and it’s right not to impose what she thinks is right on you. From now on, if you get married, just bring your family back to see us occasionally, that’s enough.”

“No way,” Sang Wuyan said. “What ‘occasionally come back to see you’? I’m going to bother you every day. I’ll make you wish you could drive me away.”

Sang Papa chuckled.

It was in those one or two days, staying by her mother’s side and taking care of her father without leaving his side, that Sang Wuyan slowly realized that, eventually, people grow old. Whether it was her parents or anyone else, they would all gradually age without her noticing.

Thinking of this, she suddenly felt as if a burden had fallen on her shoulders.

Especially for only children like them, who were nurtured and protected by two generations since childhood, while soaking in sweetness, they suddenly realized that the parents who supported their sky had already grown old.

Walking into the hospital garden, she dialed Su Nianqin’s number, but it didn’t connect.

She tried again in the evening, but it was still a busy signal. Then she thought of contacting Yu Xiaolu. After finding the number in her phonebook, Sang Wuyan thought about it again and gave up.

While accompanying Sang Papa for dinner at the hospital, she suddenly received a call from A City.

Yu Xiaolu said anxiously, “Wuyan, come back. Nianqin’s father is dying. I’m afraid Nianqin won’t be able to bear it.”

“Xiaolu, don’t rush, speak slowly. What happened?”

“Old Mr. Su was diagnosed with liver cancer a month ago and had been undergoing conservative treatment, but his condition suddenly worsened yesterday. Nianqin… Nianqin…” Yu Xiaolu, who always handled things methodically, also started to choke up.

Sang Wuyan suddenly stood up from her seat, knocking over her bowl. The food spilled all over her, and her chopsticks fell to the floor.

“What happened to him?”

“He’s sitting in the ward, not eating, not drinking, not speaking. He doesn’t respond to anything anyone says. We don’t know how to handle him. So… Wuyan… can you come back? I beg you,” Yu Xiaolu said.

Sang Wuyan hesitated.

Sang Papa smiled, “If you have something to do, go ahead. I’m doing well.”

“But, Dad, I don’t want to leave you.”

“Your father told you to go, so go. Anyway, you’re just getting in the way here,” Sang Mama said.

“I… but…”

“No buts, just go do what you want to do,” Sang Mama continued. “You weren’t such a difficult child before.”

Sang Papa chuckled, “Your mother is a bit too harsh on you; she can even turn good words into something like that.”

That morning, she had just shaved his beard. Sang Papa’s chin was clean and looked particularly spirited. Father used to love to rub his beard against her tender cheek as soon as he got home.

“Wuyan,” Sang Papa called her. “Be careful on the road.”

Sang Wuyan looked back at him. Sang Papa smiled at her, his wrinkles deepening with his smile. No one knew that this glance would be a farewell.

Later, Sang Wuyan thought, If she hadn’t left for Su Nianqin like that, would the outcome have been different?

Learning there were no more flights, Sang Wuyan quickly rushed to the bus station on the highway. It was already dark, and she managed to flag down the fastest long-distance bus heading to A City. The bus would travel for eleven hours on the highway, arriving early the next morning.

The bus was not a regular service vehicle from a formal station. The air conditioning was broken, and she couldn’t open the windows on the highway. Many people were smoking, making the car stuffy and smoky.

Sang Wuyan, however, paid no attention to any of this. She only prayed in her heart that she wouldn’t be delayed.

A thousand miles away, Su Nianqin lay in the hospital bed.

His face, which rarely saw the sun, was even paler. His brows were tightly furrowed, as if in a dream, his fingers clutching the white bedsheet. His breathing, however, was steady, rising and falling. The medication kept him in a deep sleep.

The air conditioning in the ward was on full blast, so Yu Xiaolu stepped forward to tuck him in. She thought: I hope Sang Wuyan can appear before he wakes up tomorrow, otherwise no one will be able to handle him. Two days without eating, drinking, or sleeping, even a healthy person couldn’t stand it. He looks exactly like someone committing slow suicide.

Yu Xiaolu gently closed the door and returned to the third-floor intensive care sterile ward.

Through the transparent glass of the intensive care ward, she saw Yu Weilan standing by Su Huaishan’s side, never leaving him. There’s another person risking their life here, Yu Xiaolu thought.

She knocked on the window.

Yu Weilan turned, and Yu Xiaolu held up her thermos, gesturing to her.

Only then did Yu Weilan walk out of the ward.

“I cooked some porridge,” Yu Xiaolu opened the lid, wanting her to eat a little.

“Xiaolu, I don’t want him to die.”

“He’s a benefactor to our Yu family; no one wants him to die.”

“No, you don’t know, I once thought that.”

Yu Xiaolu looked at her sister and didn’t speak.

“On the day Father wanted me to marry him, he said Mr. Su liked me, and whether I agreed or not, he hoped I could repay the Su family’s kindness for him.”

“You’ve always been very wronged because of me,” Yu Xiaolu lowered her face.

“I once told you, I used to like a boy.”

“I think I remember.”

“That child was a few years younger than me. He had just lost his mother and was extremely helpless. I really wanted to help him. So pity evolved into a faint liking.”

Yu Xiaolu remained silent; she was not unaware of this story.

“Only later did I realize I was just using him as a shadow, and who I truly loved was Su Huaishan. Xiaolu…”

“When Sister wakes up, tell him again. Now you need to close your eyes and doze off for a bit,” Yu Xiaolu listened to Yu Weilan reminiscing while letting her lean on her shoulder to rest.

“Xiaolu, don’t be as confused as your sister, loving for so long and still not figuring out who is the shadow and who is the real thing.”

“Xiaolu, if I reduced my lifespan by half, do you think he would get better?”

“Before, when Father was too poor to raise us, he always thought money was best. But now that we have money, many things still don’t go as planned. Don’t you agree?”

“Xiaolu, if you get a boyfriend, you must bring him to see your sister first…”

Yu Xiaolu let her ramble on, finally waiting until she fell asleep.

Apart from his visual impairment and occasional eccentric nervousness, Su Nianqin was a remarkable person in terms of appearance, temperament, and family background. Sometimes, even the disability that caused him inner discord was a target of others’ attention.

He never went to malls to buy clothes; he just said he never shopped. All his seasonal clothes were handled by Yu Xiaolu. Yu Xiaolu didn’t have much time either; she just had them delivered according to size. The colors were simply gray, white, and light blue. Even if he couldn’t distinguish colors and randomly mixed and matched, he would never make a big mistake. The hourly maid, every time she cleaned the house, would sort the clean clothes by color—white, gray, light blue—and then from right to left, from light to dark. Unless they were worn out, Su Nianqin didn’t mind, even if they were faded from washing.

They were all very comfortable and casual styles.

When Sang Wuyan and Wang Lan were shopping, she once paid attention to the brand Su Nianqin wore. Her personality was very casual, and she usually didn’t pay much attention to fashion magazines. After seeing it, she realized how astonishingly expensive they were. And Su Nianqin’s clothes came from there.

She began to regret all the times she had wiped her nose and tears on him. Last time, she even took one of his camel-colored checkered handkerchiefs to wipe the table. Sang Wuyan prayed it was just a cheap, two-dollar item.

But Su Nianqin seemed completely oblivious to the expensiveness of his outer appearance.

She asked Yu Xiaolu.

Yu Xiaolu said, “Isn’t it exciting to see him wear those clothes looking more charming than the models walking the runway in fashion magazines? And,” Yu Xiaolu smiled, “and he earns all that money, but he has no hobbies at all. If I don’t try hard to help him splurge a bit, what’s the fun in life?”

Sang Wuyan thought, No wonder Ye Li and the others said he had an aristocratic air; it turns out it was piled up by luxury goods.

She still found it amusing when she thought about it.

She changed her sitting position, feeling her legs were a little numb. She bent down and rolled up the cuff of her jeans to look; it seemed a little swollen. Maintaining a single posture for a long time in a confined space was indeed not easy.

A child in the back finally stopped crying, and then she heard a man’s snoring. The smell in the car was unbearable, her clothes stuck to her like a membrane, already soaked and dried with sweat, then soaked again. She tried to open the window a little, but pulled too hard, leaving a large gap. The whistling air poured in, making it almost impossible for her to breathe, and other people’s belongings in the back seat were also blown over, immediately drawing complaints. Sang Wuyan quickly closed the window, leaving only a tiny crack.

She put her nose to this faint crack like someone who had found sweet water, breathing ravenously, enjoying that tiny bit of cool air. She hadn’t had time to grab anything except enough money on her person. Sang Wuyan wanted to check the time, so she reached for her watch. It was a mechanical watch specifically for the blind, which allowed one to open the cover and feel the time. She searched for a long time before she found one very similar to the one Su Nianqin wore. She took off Su Nianqin’s and wore it herself, giving him the new watch.

“Now your precious watch belongs to me,” Sang Wuyan said, smiling as she put it on. The watch face was shiny, but the strap already had scratches. “Trading old for new, you got a good deal.”

Su Nianqin touched the old watch on Sang Wuyan’s wrist with a hint of nostalgia, “It looks a bit big on your hand, not delicate.”

“It’s fashionable now for women to wear men’s watches, especially one with so much personality.”

Su Nianqin smiled faintly, “As long as you like it.”

Sang Wuyan leaned her head back against the seat, remembering as she stretched out her wrist, her face pressed against the surface, as if she could feel Su Nianqin’s body temperature. She had never been such a strong person, but for him, she seemed to have to be strong.

In the middle of the night, a fire alarm suddenly went off in another intensive care ward.

Medical staff hurriedly rushed over with equipment and medicine, startling Yu Weilan awake.

“It’s not sister,” Yu Xiaolu said, letting out a long breath.

Yu Weilan stood up and looked through the window at the man lying quietly on the bed. His hair was somewhat gray, and his faint breaths became intermittent white mist within the oxygen mask. Various instruments each emitted faint sounds.

“What time is it?” Yu Weilan rubbed her cheeks.

“It’s not dawn yet,” Yu Xiaolu suddenly remembered the eight-treasure porridge she had cooked. She brought it over, and no one had eaten any yet. But, thankfully, it was still edible cold.

She served some to Yu Weilan.

Yu Weilan took it, saw another box, and asked, “Your brother-in-law can’t eat either, why make so much?”

“There’s a portion for Nianqin too.”

Yu Weilan paused, “Oh, right, where’s Nianqin?”

Walking to the other ward, seeing Su Nianqin’s sleeping face, Yu Weilan’s nose stung a little.

He had lost a lot of weight. His stubble had grown out, making his contours deeper, and he looked more haggard.

Su Nianqin had stayed up all night for two consecutive nights in the corridor, caught a cold and developed a high fever, refusing to take medicine or eat. The doctor feared he would collapse from exhaustion, so they gave him an IV drip while he was unconscious.

Yu Weilan sat by the bed, stroking his face, murmuring, “Nianqin, I remember the first time I saw you was at your mother’s funeral, and my father was still Huaishan’s driver. You were so small then, not even as tall as Xiaolu, and you were just as thin. You fell on the floor, and when I tried to help you up, you wouldn’t let me…”

When Su Nianqin woke up, it was already dawn. He raised his hand and found something foreign on it. He touched it and realized it was an IV needle. He was immediately annoyed and was about to call someone when he suddenly felt the quilt on his other side was heavy and heard someone breathing softly.

“Wuyan?” When he called out this name, his heart was extremely complex.

The other person didn’t respond, seemingly sleeping very deeply.

So, he cautiously reached out to touch her hair. His fingertips trembled—it was Yu Weilan.

Su Nianqin smiled bitterly. Sang Wuyan no longer wanted anything to do with him, so why did he still imagine she would suddenly appear like an angel and save him?

Su Nianqin didn’t dare to move, fearing he would disturb Yu Weilan’s good sleep. He could only maintain his original posture.

But Yu Weilan still startled awake, sat up, and called out, “Nianqin.”

Su Nianqin didn’t answer her. He pulled back the covers, intending to get out of bed.

Yu Weilan immediately stopped him. She looked at the liquid in the IV tube and gently coaxed him, “Don’t move. The medicine will take a while to finish dripping. Just bear with it a little longer.”

“When did it start infusing?” Su Nianqin frowned.

“Last night, you don’t even know how high your fever was. Why are you so disobedient?” After saying this, Yu Weilan’s hand cupped his five fingers in hers.

Su Nianqin turned his face away, stiffly pulling his hand back.

“Do we really have to continue like this?” she sighed.

He didn’t respond to her.

She continued, “Nianqin, I loved your father, very, very much. I swear, although I don’t know when it started, I still love him very much until now. So, I don’t feel wronged at all. Huaishan hasn’t treated me badly. I’m very happy now, and I hope you are too.”

He listened to her words, silently, his lips pursed, his eyes fixed on the window, his gaze empty, making him look heartbreaking. He didn’t move for a long time.

A moment later, Yu Xiaolu entered the ward to deliver breakfast. A moment after that, she called the nurse to remove the needle. During this time, Yu Weilan and Su Nianqin remained in a standoff, motionless.

The sunlight outside the window shone through the blinds onto the bedside table, gradually warming up.

Yu Xiaolu secretly peeked through the crack in the door a few times, then sighed and left. After a while, she returned, and deliberately cleared her throat, saying, “Sister, he…”

Yu Weilan instantly stood up and asked, “What?”

At the same time, Su Nianqin’s face turned pale, and he also nervously waited for Yu Xiaolu’s next words.

“Sister, his nurse just told me that the porridge at their hospital is terrible. Oh, and Nianqin, you’re so picky, should I go home and cook something fresh for you?”

Yu Weilan listened and knew her sister was there to break the tension. She faintly smiled to herself.

“How am I picky?” Su Nianqin countered.

“Then why aren’t you eating the food I’ve made for you these past few days? You weren’t like this before. You used to eat whatever I made. Has Miss Sang ruined you?”

“You said eat, so just eat. Why bring her up for no reason?” Su Nianqin said.

“Nianqin, you really are protective.”

“Alright,” Yu Weilan smiled. “It’s early in the morning, and he’s still sick. Why are you arguing with him?”

“Sister, you’re also quite protective.”

By the time Yu Xiaolu left, the atmosphere in the room had greatly changed.

Last night, Su Nianqin had gone to bed with his clothes on, so when he woke up, his clothes were wrinkled. Yu Weilan sat by the bed and couldn’t help but reach out, straightening the creases in his clothes and his upturned collar.

This time, he didn’t pull away.

“You used to always forget to flip your collar too,” Yu Weilan smiled.

“Who told me I never see a mirror?”

“Only those who aren’t good-looking spend time preening in front of the mirror. For our Nianqin, it’s completely unnecessary.”

“I’ve never seen myself. I don’t know what I look like; I only hear it from you.”

“Is there still a need for doubt? Haven’t you noticed that many young girls are surprised and gasp when they first see your face?”

“Is it because I’m too ugly?”

Yu Weilan chuckled.

“Do you want to know what part of you is most attractive?”

Su Nianqin shook his head, “What’s the point of a man asking such things?”

“Then do you know what aspect of you is most unbearable?”

“I don’t want to,” he showed no interest.

Yu Weilan was amused by his reaction.

“Nianqin,” Yu Weilan’s hand paused on his shoulder, “You haven’t spoken to me so calmly in a long time.”

“My mood has improved greatly.”

“He will definitely get through it, because you are here. So you don’t need to neglect yourself out of self-reproach. No one blames you.”

“I never fulfilled my responsibility as a son, and I only understood this when I saw his heart stop beating.”

“Nianqin,” Yu Weilan gently called his name again. “Actually, both of us feel that he is more important. You love him more than you love me, and so do I.”

“Mm-hmm,” Su Nianqin nodded.

“When your father gets better, go find Miss Sang and apologize to her.”

“I’m not wrong. In her family’s eyes, my presence is a joke, a burden. They think I’m not good enough for her, that I’ll drag her down…”

His words were stopped by Yu Weilan. “Nianqin, never belittle yourself.” Then Yu Weilan gently hugged Su Nianqin. Although her movement was very gentle, it still startled Su Nianqin a little, and he didn’t know where to put his hands.

“Nianqin, this was originally a hug from your stepmother, but it’s twenty years late,” Yu Weilan closed her eyes, smiling, her smile exceptionally frank.

Su Nianqin paused for a moment before wrapping his arms around her.

“Don’t even think I’ll change how I call you,” Su Nianqin said awkwardly.

“And I don’t want to become that old either.”

Su Nianqin stood with his back to the window. The morning sunlight streamed in through the curtains behind him. The humidifier intermittently sprayed mist, emitting rhythmic sounds.

Yu Weilan in his arms, though haggard, had a look of peace.

Sang Wuyan, who was standing at the door, was utterly stunned, looking at the two embracing figures in the room. She had seen this woman before, in the photo that Su Nianqin had torn to shreds, the woman holding hands with Yu Xiaolu.

Sang Wuyan looked up and knocked on the door.

Yu Weilan stepped out of Su Nianqin’s embrace and looked towards the door over Su Nianqin’s shoulder. She had seen Sang Wuyan from afar, so she spoke, “Miss Sang?”

Su Nianqin’s body stiffened upon hearing these two words. He slowly turned around.

“I…” Sang Wuyan was flustered. “I… received Xiaolu’s call.”

Yu Weilan patted Su Nianqin’s back, “You two talk properly. I’ll go out and take a look.” She then left them alone in the ward.

“Didn’t you say you were already tired of me? Why did you come back again?” Su Nianqin said with a cold sneer.

“Xiaolu said you weren’t eating or drinking, and wouldn’t listen to anyone, so she asked me to come and see.”

“Oh? Then you’re really something. How do you know I’m definitely going to listen to you?”

“I…” Sang Wuyan bit her lip, unable to think of anything to retort for a long time.

Her heart was in a complete mess.

Yes, she was truly self-righteous. Thinking she was so different to Su Nianqin, the only princess who could conquer him.

She had never seen Su Nianqin speak to her with that gentle expression before. She also had no mind to study what sweet nothings they were murmuring.

She thought he loved her; she had always thought so, which was why she could tolerate his nervousness again and again. She even thought only she could redeem the suffering Su Nianqin. She had only been gone for a few days, and someone had already replaced her to comfort him.

The two stood at opposite ends of the room, silent for a long time.

“Are you done watching?” Su Nianqin asked blandly.

“Huh?”

“If you’re done, you can leave,” he said.

Sang Wuyan was startled at first, then couldn’t help but mock herself internally. She had foolishly rushed here, single-mindedly wanting to save a man who didn’t even consider her important, only to bring humiliation upon herself.

“What are you laughing at?” Su Nianqin was slightly annoyed.

“Nothing,” she shook her head, then turned and quickly left.

On the first floor, she bumped into an intern doctor carrying some things in front of the elevator.

The tray was knocked over, and pills scattered everywhere.

“Hey, how do you walk?” the young intern doctor complained as he picked up the items. He looked up and saw Sang Wuyan’s face covered in tears.

“Don’t cry. I didn’t mean to scold you. It’s my fault for not seeing you while walking,” he quickly explained.

Sang Wuyan, however, slowly squatted down on the floor, burying her head and crying loudly.

At this moment, her phone rang.

She picked it up. Before seeing the caller ID, a flicker of hope still lingered in her heart, dimly hoping it was Su Nianqin calling.

But it was Sang Mama. She wiped away her tears, walked to the row of waiting chairs by the door, took many deep breaths, and only called her mother back when her voice had returned to normal.

“Wuyan, have you arrived?” Sang Mama asked concerned.

“Just arrived.”

“How’s his father?”

“Don’t worry about it. Just take good care of my dad,” Sang Wuyan casually placated her mother for a few sentences, then hung up.

“It was his luck that you didn’t slap him then,” Cheng Yin sighed. “That Su guy, his conscience must have been eaten by a dog.”

“I’ve never slapped anyone. My hand won’t allow it,” Sang Wuyan said.

“It’s okay; just practice more in the future, and you’ll get the hang of it.”

That afternoon, she received a call from Nie Xi, who asked about work matters and unexpectedly invited her out to dinner again.

“This restaurant has the most authentic taste. I used to come here often. I’ve been saying I’d treat you to dinner for a long time; there’s no time like the present,” Nie Xi chuckled.

“How’s your father doing? You took leave so suddenly; it was quite worrying,” Nie Xi asked concerned.

“He’s alright; I just caused you all some trouble.”

“Didn’t Su Nianqin go back with you?”

“No.”

The two sat together. Seeing Sang Wuyan nervously burying her head in her food, Nie Xi asked again, “Not in a good mood?”

“No.”

“Did you fight with Su Nianqin?”

“No.”

“You two have such a good relationship, you definitely wouldn’t fight. I guess good news is coming soon, right?”

Sang Wuyan didn’t speak.

“It’s just… I wonder if it will be awkward seeing Yu Weilan?”

“Yu Weilan?”

“Yu Xiaolu’s sister! You mean you don’t know?!” Nie Xi added.

Hearing this, Sang Wuyan finally remembered Yu Xiaolu had said that she and Su Nianqin grew up together, and there was another layer to their relationship: she was also Su Nianqin’s stepmother’s sister.

Stepmother’s sister? Yu Xiaolu’s sister?

“His stepmother?” Sang Wuyan asked.

“That’s right. It almost became a scandalous headline in A City. Yu Weilan is the daughter of a prominent family in the Su household, but her family background isn’t good. However, she got along well with this young master of the Su family. Although they weren’t at the stage of marriage, the two were intimately close. Anyone with discerning eyes could tell that Su Nianqin liked her. Unfortunately, Yu Weilan later married Su Huaishan.”

Sang Wuyan’s face was filled with shock, too surprised to speak.

“How did you know?”

“Yu Weilan and I were classmates. At that time, her decision to abandon her studies and marry into a wealthy family was truly a sensation and big news throughout the school…”

Sang Wuyan didn’t even know how she finished that meal and bid farewell to Nie Xi. She just walked blankly into the supermarket to buy things. Inside the supermarket, Xu Guanpu’s “Swallows on the Beam” was playing.

Peach leaf after peach leaf, boundless spring breeze.
Young master Wang goes to the ferry,
With a smile from peach leaf, courteously speaking softly.
Two joys, touching the gentleman who picks alone,
Just cross without hardship, thread by thread, sweet as honey.
Lingering.

Thousands of years later, there is Wuyi Lane, there is Peach Leaf Ferry, there are swallows on the beam.
Elegance.
Mist and clouds on paper, emotions in poetry, meaning in paintings, torment in the heart.
Fluttering.
Coming here year after year, tiles on the roof, nests under the eaves, new mud, old twigs.

She stood frozen in front of the shelves, listening, and couldn’t help but feel tears welling up. Only then did she realize that she was not his peach leaf.

Sang Wuyan cried as she bought several cans of beer in the supermarket. The cashier secretly glanced at her with a strange look, but she didn’t mind at all.

She went to the rooftop on the top floor, sat down, and chugged can after can of beer.

After a while, she found her phone vibrating muffledly in her pocket. She took it out and looked at the screen; it was Yu Xiaolu.

Sang Wuyan squinted her drunken eyes and smiled bitterly. She didn’t answer and just put the phone on the stool where the beer cans were.

After a while, the phone started vibrating again. She picked it up and saw it was still Yu Xiaolu calling, so she put it back, letting it continue to vibrate. The screen lit up again and again, then dimmed again. Finally, the phone vibrated to the edge of the table and clattered to the floor, rolling under the stool.

She then ignored it.

Sang Wuyan stared blankly at the night sky, repeatedly thinking about Nie Xi’s last words.

“Has anyone ever told you that your laughter sounds a lot like Yu Weilan’s?”

She finally understood Su Nianqin’s strangeness. It turned out it wasn’t simply because he was abandoned by his father like an orphan, then wandered outside for six years, or his visual impairment, or his mother’s early death, but also because of Yu Weilan.

She cried, drunk there, not even remembering how she curled up and fell asleep on the rooftop chair.

In the morning, she woke up with a splitting headache and looked for her phone. After searching for a long time, she found it under the deckchair, completely dead. She went back downstairs into the house and charged her phone. Only when her phone turned on did she find several missed calls, most of which were from Sang Mama.

Sang Wuyan’s hands trembled as she quickly dialed back. She had a premonition of bad news.

“Wuyan,” it was Wei Hao who answered the phone.

“Where are you?”

“My mom and I came after receiving the notice.”

“What notice? Where’s my mom, where’s my dad?” she asked, her voice trembling.

Wei Hao paused, then slowly said, “Wuyan, listen to me carefully.”

“Where’s my dad?” She grew anxious, her wrist shaking violently.

“Your father… he… passed away last night.”

A simple sentence, like a serrated sharp sword, deeply pierced Sang Wuyan’s heart, and then slowly withdrew, leaving blood and her flesh on the blade.

“Impossible,” she said.

“Are you alone? Don’t be alone.”

“Impossible,” she said again.

“Where’s Su Nianqin? Ask him to stay with you,” Wei Hao said anxiously.

“I want my dad to answer the phone,” she said.

When she was in kindergarten, Sang Mama was transferred to work out of town for a period and didn’t have time to take care of her. Especially in the mornings, there was no one to comb her hair, so her mother wanted to cut it short. But her father disagreed, saying that long hair was cute for girls. So he learned to braid pigtails for his daughter, clumsily, for many days.

Another time, the school organized students to watch the movie “Mom, Love Me One More Time.” After watching it, Sang Wuyan liked to hum the song, but she was always tone-deaf, and her humming would be off-key, making her classmates laugh. After her father found out, he found the sheet music and taught her to sing the song, over and over again. When Sang Mama came back and saw it, she just shook her head, “You two are both terrible singers. That’s enough, don’t sing anymore. Others suffer listening to you.” Her off-key singing was entirely inherited from her father. Later, Sang Wuyan changed the song to “Only Dad is Good in This World.”

How could such a father bear to leave her so early?

“Wuyan, listen to me, Uncle passed away.”

“You’re lying!” she shouted into the phone. “Haozi, you’re lying!”

She threw her phone, grabbed her bag, and clattered downstairs. Tears blurred her vision; she could barely see the road. She flagged down a taxi.

It was rush hour, and there were almost no empty taxis. The more anxious she became, the harder it was to find one, and the harder it was to find one, the more anxious she became. After about twenty or thirty minutes, she slowly calmed down and remembered that she could actually walk through the small alley in the district to the intersection opposite, where there was a bus to the airport.

So she turned back and happened to see Yu Xiaolu coming out of the small building where she lived, followed by Su Nianqin, who was leaning on his white cane.

Yu Xiaolu signaled to Su Nianqin, and Su Nianqin walked towards her.

“What a coincidence, Su Nianqin,” she said.

“It’s not a coincidence; I came specifically for you,” he said blandly.

“For me?” Sang Wuyan sneered. “To see me make a fool of myself? To continue to mock and ridicule me? Or to see how crazily heartbroken I am for you?”

“In your heart, have I always been like this?” He lowered his gaze, tightly clutching the white cane in his hand.

“Do you think there’s any meaning in you asking these questions?”

“Or is there none left?”

“I truly hate you. I hate hearing your voice, I hate your face, I hate your arrogant demeanor. Now, just thinking about it, I feel especially, especially disgusted.”

Upon hearing this, his face instantly turned pale, almost like a blank sheet of paper. Then he turned his head away, and after a moment, said coldly, “Then why did you provoke me in the first place?”

She smiled mournfully, “Yes, it’s all my fault. My mom was right: no matter how regrettable things you do, you can’t find a magic cure for regret. So it’s all my fault.”

If she hadn’t come back to him, perhaps her father wouldn’t have had problems; if she hadn’t gotten drunk because of him, she wouldn’t have even said her last words to her father.

God must have been punishing her in the dark. She hadn’t been a good daughter.

For a man who didn’t love or cherish her, she so easily gave up her father’s love.

“You regret it,” his anger was wrapped in despair, heavy and suffocating.

“Yes, I hate that I ever met you.”

A simple sentence, almost driving him to tears of despair. He desperately forced himself to stand still calmly, holding the white cane in his hand, yet not daring to exert more force, fearing it would break in his grip. He stood there, motionless, his heart seemingly having stopped, but he stubbornly held his head high, with his usual pride, his expression normal, and even opened his mouth to ask her, “Is there anything else you want to say? You can say it all at once.”

Sang Wuyan looked at his face and said blandly, “I’m sorry, Nianqin. I think I never want to see you again in my life. Goodbye.”

She didn’t like wearing high heels, so her footsteps were light. As she left, the surrounding street was noisy, so he didn’t even hear the sound of her leaving footsteps clearly.

All along, she had called him by his full name. So many, many people called him “Nianqin,” but she liked to call him by his full name.

Her voice was especially pleasant and beautiful, which was why she was so popular whenever she hosted a show.

Even such ordinary four words would be recited by her with a unique charm. Her breath would gently flow from her tongue and lips, carrying warmth, as wonderful as the spring breeze.

However, he had never imagined that in such circumstances, he would hear her call him “Nianqin” so intimately for the first time, and then say “goodbye.”

She said: goodbye.

She said: we will never meet again.