Su Youtian completely broke down. Stretching out her neck, she shouted at the system:
“Another obliteration?! My neck is right here, go ahead and erase me! Go on!”
【What did you say yesterday?】
Su Youtian suddenly remembered the bold words she had declared yesterday. Reflexively, she looked toward Yuan Wei. Yuan Wei seemed to notice something was wrong with her and stood up with a frown.
【Think about what you said. Didn’t you say you’d listen to me from now on?】
Right. Even if not for herself, she had to do it for Yuan Wei. If she did not complete the mission, how could Yuan Wei rise to greatness?!
“You’d better not be tricking me!”
【Stop stalling. Jump!】
Damn it, it’s just one jump, right? If she ended up bedridden and paralyzed, she would cling to the system for lifelong support!
Gritting her teeth, Su Youtian shut her eyes and leaped.
“Holy shit!”
“Director! Someone rolled down the hill!”
“Sheng Xia rolled down the hill!”
“Sheng Xia!!!”
Clutching her head, Su Youtian rolled all the way down the slope. The weeds and rocks scraped against her painfully, making her bare her teeth. Squinting through the chaos, she seemed to catch sight of Yuan Wei’s panicked face, and immediately closed her eyes in peaceful resignation.
Kiddo, Mommy can only do this much for you. Once you become successful and powerful in the future, don’t forget me. No, actually, just go easier on me when you torment me later. Otherwise, I won’t even be able to die in peace!
【Mission complete. Don’t worry, Host, your sacrifice was worth it.】
A tear of relief slid down Su Youtian’s eye.
“There’s only one mission left. Once Yuan Wei leaves, I can finally look for my second spring romance, hehe.”
【If I sympathize with you any further, my surname won’t be Zuo anymore!】
In that split second, a sharp pain shot through Su Youtian’s right foot. Her body jerked, and she collapsed motionless onto the ground.
Yuan Wei’s eyes nearly split apart with fury as he dashed forward. Before anyone around could react, he had already rushed to Su Youtian’s side. Seeing her lying there without moving, he dropped to his knees with a thud.
“Sheng Xia?”
His voice was so soft, as though afraid a single breath might scatter her away, and the hand resting on her shoulder trembled uncontrollably.
Su Youtian groaned and bared her teeth while climbing up.
“I-I’m fine!”
But the moment she lifted her head, she froze.
Yuan Wei’s eyes were bloodshot. His nostrils flared violently, veins bulged from his forehead, and with a hoarse voice he shouted at her:
“Are you an idiot?!”
The next second, he pulled her fiercely into his arms.
Feeling the trembling of his body, Su Youtian realized she had genuinely frightened him. Struggling slightly, she poked her head out and gently touched Yuan Wei’s fingertips with her own.
“I was wrong… I won’t be this careless next time.”
Yuan Wei’s brows twitched. He flung her hand away, his pale lips pressed tightly together as he gripped her shoulders hard.
Her hand jerked from being thrown aside and accidentally struck her twisted ankle. The sudden burst of pain shot straight into her brain, frightening Su Youtian so much that she immediately howled:
“My foot! My foot! My foot hurts!”
With tears brimming in her eyes, she wailed loudly:
“Yuan Wei, my foot hurts! Am I crippled?! I don’t want to be crippled!”
Yuan Wei released her. Seeing her still trying to paw at it, he quickly grabbed her hand.
“Don’t move!”
Just then, the crew members rushed over in a panic. One of the doctors carried a medical kit and carefully examined Su Youtian’s ankle.
Frowning slightly, Yuan Wei gently lifted Su Youtian’s “little hoof” and slowly helped the doctor remove her shoe.
The doctor said, “It’s nothing serious, but to be safe, it’s best to go to the hospital and rest properly for a few days.”
The director added, “You should head to the hospital and get checked out. Don’t worry, it’s only a few shots, we can make them up later.”
Big Sister Red walked over.
“It’s good that you’re alright. Sheng Xia, go get checked at the hospital.”
Little Sister Blue also chimed in.
“Better safe than sorry, you should go.”
Su Youtian let out a sigh of relief.
As long as her foot was saved, everything was fine. If she really became crippled, how was she supposed to spend these three years having fun?
But Yuan Wei misunderstood her relief, thinking she was relieved because she had managed to keep the role. It made his feelings even more complicated. She really did seem to care deeply about acting.
What Su Youtian did not know was that although the director had said that, whether she would actually be allowed back into the crew after resting enough was another matter entirely.
Su Youtian lifted her foot and looked at it. It was swollen into something resembling a pig’s trotter, bright red and practically shining. She could not help sniffing.
“System, I’m hungry.”
【Perfect timing. Chop off your trotter and use it to nourish your brain.】
Su Youtian did not want to bother with it.
Struggling to her feet, she solemnly handed the equipment strapped to her back over to Big Sister Red.
“Big Sis, your little sister here has been wounded and can no longer continue the revolution alongside you. I can only entrust this family heirloom to your care. Please protect it well!”
Big Sister Red solemnly accepted the shield and gripped her hand with equal gravity.
“Go, comrade. We’ll all be waiting for your return!”
Tears glistened in Su Youtian’s eyes. Just as she was about to say a heartfelt farewell, Yuan Wei suddenly scooped her up into his arms.
The people around them gasped. Several young girls covered their faces and squealed, though they still could not resist peeking secretly.
Big Sister Red was the most excited of all. She gripped the shield so tightly it creaked and could not help whispering to Little Sister Blue:
“I knew Sheng Xia and that guy had something going on!”
Su Youtian jolted in surprise and reflexively wrapped her arms around Yuan Wei’s neck. Their breaths were close enough to mingle. Her eyes widened as she stared at Yuan Wei’s tense face, hardly daring to breathe.
Inside her mind, Su Youtian screamed wildly at the system:
“System! Did you see that?! I got a princess carry! I got a princess carry, so hurry up and…”
【I’ve already taken screenshots. Full three hundred and sixty degree, no blind spots. From Yuan Wei’s back of the head all the way down to the blackheads on your face, over a thousand pictures total. Enough for you to slowly savor during lonely nights.】
“…….”
Yuan Wei asked, “You’re grimacing like that. Does it hurt a lot?”
Su Youtian hurriedly smoothed out her expression.
“No, it doesn’t hurt.”
Then she stretched her neck backward and shouted toward the others:
“The revolution has not yet succeeded, comrades must still work hard!”
【Please shut up, okay? My head hurts…】
Yuan Wei pressed his lips together and shook his head helplessly, seemingly at a complete loss with her.
All the way to the hospital, Yuan Wei carried her inside and placed her onto a chair.
“Sit here obediently while I go register. Don’t wander around, got it?”
Su Youtian obediently nodded.
Yuan Wei rubbed her head once before turning and disappearing into the crowd.
Su Youtian let out a breath, inexplicably feeling her heart pound rapidly.
She sat ramrod straight, craning her neck to watch Yuan Wei standing in line farther away. He was handsome and tall, and all the aunties and grandmas passing by could not stop staring at him.
One curly-haired auntie said to the daughter beside her:
“Look at that young man. Handsome and treats his wife so well. If you could find me a son-in-law like that, I’d already be satisfied.”
Wife?
What wife?
Su Youtian looked baffled.
The young girl secretly glanced at Yuan Wei and quietly blushed. But after hearing her mother’s words, all the little romantic feelings she had while admiring the handsome guy instantly vanished. Turning back to look at Su Youtian, she saw her disheveled appearance and strange costume that looked like cosplay, and immediately replied speechlessly:
“What wife? They don’t match at all. Maybe they’re just ordinary friends.”
The curly-haired auntie clicked her tongue.
“How are they not husband and wife? I just saw how gentle that young man was toward her. They’re obviously a couple.”
The girl refused to accept it and frowned.
“I don’t think so. That man is way too outstanding to…”
But the moment she turned back around, she nearly bit her tongue.
Because she saw Su Youtian lowering her head and gently rubbing her stomach with a loving expression, her face practically radiating maternal glow.
When she noticed the girl looking at her, she even smiled and nodded.
The girl jumped in fright and quickly whipped her head back around.
The curly-haired auntie exclaimed:
“They already have one! See? I told you they were a couple!”
The girl huffed angrily and did not say another word.
Meanwhile, Su Youtian proudly puffed out her stomach and sighed.
“I should’ve brought Tuotuo with me. Stuffing it under my shirt would’ve looked even more convincing.”
The system could not bear it anymore.
【What exactly is the point of winning this argument?!】
Su Youtian ignored it and continued rubbing her stomach.
Suddenly, a voice sounded beside her ear.
“Sheng Xia?”
Su Youtian froze in confusion. She had never heard this voice before. The moment she looked up, she was met directly with a huge belly.
That looked at least seven months along…
Startled, she raised her eyes further and saw a plump pregnant woman glaring at her with raised brows.
“Why are you here?”
As she spoke, her gaze shifted to Su Youtian’s stomach. The moment she saw it, the anger on her face intensified. She pointed a thick finger directly at her.
“Yuan Wei hasn’t even shown up yet, and you’re already pregnant with another man’s child?!”
Su Youtian’s hand trembled. Who exactly was this woman?!
Why was she pointing at her nose and scolding her right away?
The pregnant woman planted one hand on her waist, her face flushed with anger.
“How can you be so heartless?! Have you no shame toward Yuan Wei? He went to prison because of you, and this is how you repay him?!”
Su Youtian was practically being pointed cross-eyed. Just as she was about to explain, the burly man beside the pregnant woman spoke up:
“Baby, don’t get angry. Why waste words on someone like her? Don’t upset yourself and hurt your health.”
The people around them all turned to look, pointing and whispering at her. Anyone unaware of the truth would probably think she was some mistress who ruined another family!
Oh, now that really pissed her off!
Su Youtian rolled up her sleeves and was just about to stand up when a voice suddenly came from behind the couple:
“What are you two doing here?”
The pregnant woman and her husband both froze. Turning around, they saw Yuan Wei standing there with the registration slip in hand, frowning at them.
“Yuan Wei!!!”
The pregnant woman’s husband became so excited he practically jumped up, immediately rushing over to throw his arms around Yuan Wei.
“Why did you only show up now?!”
Yuan Wei frowned and dodged the hug. Bending down, he looked at Su Youtian.
“How are you? Did they scare you?”
Su Youtian shook her head and patted her stomach again.
“I’m fine. I’m not that easy to scare.”
The pregnant woman’s husband hugged nothing but air and looked at the two of them in confusion.
The pregnant woman looked at Yuan Wei, then stared at Su Youtian’s stomach for a while before fixing her gaze firmly on the registration slip in Yuan Wei’s hand. After a long pause, she asked in a trembling voice:
“You two… have a child already?”
Yuan Wei: “???”
Su Youtian: “???”
Seeing that the matter could not be explained clearly anytime soon, the group found a café and sat down to talk slowly.
Su Youtian’s foot was wrapped layer after layer in gauze. Resting her chin on her knee, she listened as Yuan Wei spoke with the married couple. Yuan Wei listened expressionlessly while the two of them talked animatedly, as though trying to pour out ten years’ worth of words in one go.
Inside her mind, Su Youtian called out to the system:
“System, who are they? I don’t remember ever writing characters like this.”
【The woman is called Gan Wenwen, and the man is Qian Liyuan. They were Sheng Xia and Yuan Wei’s high school classmates. The world probably auto-completed them, so it’s normal that you don’t know them.】
Su Youtian suddenly felt that this world contained many secrets she knew nothing about.
The pregnant woman took a sip of milk and inhaled deeply.
“So… after getting out of prison, you stayed in this city the whole time?”
Yuan Wei nodded.
Gan Wenwen sighed.
“Then why didn’t you contact us? Do you know how worried we were about you?”
As she spoke, her eyes reddened. Qian Liyuan wrapped an arm around her and wiped away her tears.
Su Youtian glanced at Yuan Wei. He still looked expressionless.
Meeting old high school classmates, and judging from how close they seemed before, wasn’t his reaction a little too cold?
Su Youtian secretly nudged Yuan Wei’s hand and whispered softly:
“She’s crying already. How can you not react at all?”
Yuan Wei said nothing. He simply grabbed Su Youtian’s paw-like hand and rubbed it in his own.
Su Youtian jolted. Her hand felt as though it had been stuffed into a furnace. The heat startled her so much that she became restless in her seat.
She repeatedly shot meaningful looks at Yuan Wei from the side.
Hurry up and let go already!
Yet Yuan Wei continued listening to Gan Wenwen without even glancing sideways, his expression unchanged while his grip remained firm.
“I didn’t want to trouble you guys.”
After calming Gan Wenwen down, Qian Liyuan looked at Yuan Wei again.
“What trouble? What kind of friendship do we have between us?”
Yuan Wei fell silent once more.
Qian Liyuan gave a bitter smile.
“You’re still just as quiet as before. I remember back in school, you could go an entire day without speaking. Only when Sheng Xia was around would you finally open your mouth.”
Yuan Wei’s expression softened slightly.
“You too. Still just as huge.”
What kind of compliment was that?!
Su Youtian was speechless.
Fortunately, Qian Liyuan was already used to Yuan Wei’s personality. He laughed.
“What’s the use of being huge? I still remember getting pinned to the ground and beaten by you back then. I didn’t even have the strength to fight back. Now that married life’s made me fat and content, I’m even worse off.”
As he spoke, he proudly puffed out a stomach nearly as large as his wife’s.
Su Youtian’s eyes lit up instantly. Yuan Wei had been that strong back then? He could pin down a guy this huge and beat him up?
Excited, she leaned forward eagerly, wanting to hear more gossip. She even forgot that Yuan Wei was still holding her hand down.
Gan Wenwen wiped her tears and smiled.
“Enough about your embarrassing histories. Let’s talk about the present instead.”
Her gaze shifted toward Su Youtian.
“So it looks like you two got back together? How many months along is the baby?”
Yuan Wei paused and looked at Su Youtian.
Su Youtian reflexively covered her stomach.
“Why are you looking at me? I’m still a pure, untouched maiden!”
Yuan Wei rubbed his forehead.
Gan Wenwen and Qian Liyuan looked baffled.
“But just now she was…”
Yuan Wei sighed.
“Don’t you know her by now? She’s crazy and silly all the time. You can’t believe anything she says or does.”
Su Youtian: “…Hey!”
Gan Wenwen sighed in disappointment.
“So there’s no baby after all? I thought you two were together.”
No, we do have a child. It just happens to be extra furry, has poor limb coordination, can’t walk upright, and still can’t call me “Mom.” It only knows how to bark.
Yuan Wei smiled faintly.
“No, we are together.”
Su Youtian stared in shock.
“What do you mea…”
Yuan Wei squeezed her palm, then smiled at her in a way that left no room for objection.
Su Youtian shivered. Somehow, that smile carried a threatening undertone.
Could it be… he just didn’t want to lose face as a single dog in front of this married couple, so he forcibly claimed they were dating?
Su Youtian scratched her chin and could only assume that was the reason.
Otherwise, he had still been avoiding her just two days ago, so why was he suddenly this proactive today?
For the dignity of single dogs everywhere, she would endure it!
Su Youtian nodded heavily.
“That’s right! We’re together.”
After she said that, Yuan Wei paused slightly, then spread his fingers and intertwined them with hers.
Su Youtian’s palm instantly became drenched in sweat. It felt like her entire arm was about to melt away.
Gan Wenwen brightened, her cheeks flushing even redder.
“Congratulations, really. It wasn’t easy for you two.”
Yuan Wei glanced at her stomach.
“Congratulations to you too.”
Qian Liyuan grinned smugly.
“That’s because I’m amazing!”
Gan Wenwen shot him a glare, though she still could not suppress the smile tugging at her lips.
Damn it, how were single dogs supposed to survive this?
Su Youtian widened her eyes and, unwilling to lose, immediately leaned herself against Yuan Wei.
Amused, Yuan Wei looked at her, having no idea what strange fantasy she was imagining again.
After finishing a cup of coffee, Qian Liyuan said he needed to use the restroom and secretly gave Yuan Wei a look.
Yuan Wei paused, then stood up and said to Su Youtian:
“Stay here obediently and don’t move.”
Tilting her head up to look at him, Su Youtian muttered:
“I’m already like this. How am I supposed to run? Crawl?”
The corner of Yuan Wei’s lips curved upward as he pinched lightly at her clothes.
Hey! He was still calling her a turtle at a time like this!
Su Youtian glared at him indignantly. Yuan Wei rubbed her head, then left with Qian Liyuan.
The moment the two men walked away, the air became quiet. Being stared at so directly by Gan Wenwen made Su Youtian inexplicably uncomfortable.
Gan Wenwen said, “You’re still the same as before. You haven’t changed.”
Su Youtian was baffled. What hadn’t changed?
Gan Wenwen took a sip of milk and smiled.
“You’re still just as silly.”
Su Youtian: “……”
So high school classmates automatically got the right to insult people?!
Gan Wenwen rubbed the side of her cup, seeming to drift into old memories. Her expression became slightly dazed.
“You and Yuan Wei finally managed to get together, so cherish it. As for the things that happened before, we’ll pretend we never saw or heard them. As long as you treat him well, Qian Liyuan and I can continue pretending to be deaf and blind.”
If there’s something to say, just say it directly, thank you very much, sister.
How am I supposed to understand all these riddles?
Su Youtian scratched her chin.
“Oh.”
Gan Wenwen suddenly laughed.
“You’re still the same as before. Whether you’re happy or unhappy, you bark like a dog.”
Su Youtian: “???”
Can we even continue this conversation?!
Gan Wenwen became even happier.
“Yes! That exact confused expression! I finally get to see it again, hahaha!”
Su Youtian: “……”
Meanwhile, in the restroom smoking area, Yuan Wei and Qian Liyuan stood side by side. Qian Liyuan blew out clouds of smoke while Yuan Wei stood with his arms crossed, silently watching him.
Qian Liyuan smiled.
“I still remember Sheng Xia back in high school. She was silly and noisy, always howling whenever something happened, circling around you every day. I thought you were completely focused on studying and would never date anyone. Who knew she’d win you over in less than a semester? Everyone’s jaws practically hit the floor back then. In the blink of an eye, you two broke up and got back together over and over, and now Wenwen and I even have a child.”
Yuan Wei pressed his lips together.
“We never broke up.”
Qian Liyuan flicked ash from his cigarette and frowned.
“Never broke up? But after graduation, didn’t you two…”
Yuan Wei said quietly,
“She and I never once said the words ‘break up.’”
Qian Liyuan immediately straightened up.
“That’s not what she said.”
After speaking, he bit down on the cigarette filter and glanced toward Gan Wenwen before lowering his voice.
“Wenwen told me not to say this to you, but you’re my brother. I can’t let you stay in the dark. Right after graduation, Sheng Xia completely changed like she became another person. She ignored both me and Wenwen, and never mentioned you at all. She became… strange.”
He glanced at Yuan Wei’s expressionless face and continued:
“The last time we heard you got out of prison, we couldn’t find you, so we thought maybe she’d have some clues. Guess what I saw? She was with another man!”
Yuan Wei’s face was hidden in shadow. His lips were pressed tightly together, but he still said nothing.
Qian Liyuan sighed.
“When I asked where you were, she said… well…” He clicked his tongue, seemingly unable to repeat the words. “Anyway, none of it was good. She sounded completely disgusted with you. If you still like her, listen to your brother here and think it over carefully, okay?”
Yuan Wei pulled a cigarette from Qian Liyuan’s pocket but did not light it. He held it in his palm for a long while before placing it back.
Qian Liyuan knew Yuan Wei used to smoke, but Sheng Xia disliked it, so he had gradually quit.
The two of them had once been so deeply in love. He truly did not understand how things had reached this point.
If it were not for his concern for his brother, he would never have said such things or tried to separate them.
Yuan Wei slowly let out a breath, his voice hoarse.
“I’ve always known.”
Qian Liyuan looked confused.
“Then why…?”
Yuan Wei lifted his eyes. They seemed to contain melted starlight, blazing brightly as he looked at him.
“I’ve always been by her side. Ever since I got out of prison, I’ve stayed with her the whole time.”
Qian Liyuan stared at him speechlessly.
“I know everything she says and does.”
“……”
Yuan Wei patted him on the shoulder and said seriously,
“Thank you for telling me all this.”
Qian Liyuan replied,
“What’s with the formalities between brothers after all these years?”
Yuan Wei looked toward Su Youtian’s direction. A faint smile flashed across his lips before vanishing.
“There are some things I can’t tell you. But I want you to know that the Sheng Xia you saw isn’t the real Sheng Xia. The only real Sheng Xia is the one who’s with me.”
Qian Liyuan looked utterly baffled.
Yuan Wei added,
“She’s never changed. Just think of it as… her brain being broken.”
Cold sweat dripped down Qian Liyuan’s back. Helplessly, he nodded.
Just as Yuan Wei was about to leave, he added:
“Right now her mind isn’t very clear, so don’t bring up too many high school things around her.”
“Alright, alright.” Qian Liyuan’s head hurt from all the PDA. “Whatever you say goes.”
Damn it. He had come here intending to break up the lovebirds, yet somehow ended up getting showered with romance instead.
Back at the table, Gan Wenwen said,
“Since we finally ran into each other after so long, let’s have a meal together.”
Su Youtian immediately raised her paw enthusiastically.
“I want hotpot!”
Yuan Wei glanced at her swollen foot.
“Patients and pregnant women both shouldn’t eat spicy food. I’ll cook for you instead.”
Qian Liyuan laughed.
“Then we’re really lucky. It’s not easy getting to eat Yuan Wei’s cooking.”
The group then headed to Yuan Wei’s home.
Su Youtian was settled onto the sofa. Sitting at the far end, she watched Gan Wenwen and Qian Liyuan whispering secretly to each other. From time to time, they cast sympathetic looks at her, scanning her body as though looking at a fool. They especially focused their gaze on her head.
Did she have some kind of grudge with this married couple?
Verbal attacks were not enough, now they had upgraded to psychological attacks too!
Su Youtian became so annoyed her head hurt. Limping slightly, she headed into the kitchen to find Yuan Wei.
Yuan Wei had bought a huge pile of vegetables, covering the entire counter.
Su Youtian rolled up her sleeves.
“I’ll help wash the vegetables.”
Yuan Wei turned to look at her.
“No need.”
Su Youtian replied,
“I’m not like that married couple. Just eating without doing any work.”
The corner of Yuan Wei’s lips lifted slightly. His lip bead seemed dampened with water droplets, looking even more enticing than the apples sitting on the coffee table.
“You do not like them?”
Su Youtian froze for a moment, then quickly replied, “That married couple keeps attacking me mentally and treating me like I am an idiot.”
After saying that, she resentfully fiddled with the vegetables on the counter.
Yuan Wei rubbed her head with his wet hand.
“Aren’t you an idiot?”
Su Youtian glared. “You too?”
Yuan Wei shook his head and pushed the vegetables toward her.
“Wash the vegetables.”
Su Youtian muttered under her breath. She had a poor memory and liked amusing herself, so while washing, her anger gradually faded.
Seeing Yuan Wei concentrating on cooking, she turned around and secretly took two eggs, placed them on the cutting board, then took a cucumber and put it in the middle.
“Heh heh.”
“Heh heh heh.”
She grinned for a while, baring her teeth in delight, but suddenly felt that the area beside her was far too quiet. Turning around, she saw Yuan Wei tilt his head slightly, looking at her faintly.
Su Youtian: “……”
W-why don’t you have one?
Her face turned bright red.
Yuan Wei lowered his eyes and reached out one hand. Su Youtian instantly went cross-eyed, watching helplessly as he took one egg, cracked it against the edge of the pan, and let the egg liquid fall into the pan with a sizzling pop.
【Host, your egg has been broken.】
Su Youtian: “……”
For some reason, she felt a pang of pain…
Yuan Wei cracked the other egg into the pan to fry it, then took the cucumber, placed it on the cutting board, and with one chop, split it into two halves with a bang.
Su Youtian shrank her neck.
Finally, Yuan Wei took out some flour, added water, and kneaded it into dough before tossing it in front of Su Youtian.
“Go play with it.”
Su Youtian: “……”
“System, they really are treating me like an idiot.”
【Aren’t you one?】
“Scram!”
Su Youtian decided not to get in the way there anymore. She wandered off and ended up in front of Yuan Wei’s bedroom.
His bedroom door was not closed. The box on the bedside table was gone, and in its place was a small ring.
Su Youtian paused and could not help walking forward to pick up the ring.
It was an ordinary ring, but inside were crookedly engraved letters: “Y&S”.
Y and S?
Yuan Wei and Sheng Xia?
As if burned, she quickly put the ring down.
After leaving the room, her face was still burning, but her heart felt blocked somehow, unbearably stifled.
She hammered her chest with her hand and said in confusion, “What is wrong with me?”
At the dining table, Gan Wenwen and the others talked to Yuan Wei about high school. Su Youtian could not join in, so she absentmindedly ate her plain rice.
Yuan Wei put some greens into her bowl.
“What is wrong?”
Su Youtian shook her head, then suddenly asked Gan Wenwen, “Sheng… what were Yuan Wei and I like before?”
The way she asked made it sound as though she had forgotten everything from the past. Fortunately, Qian Liyuan and Gan Wenwen had already been informed that her mind was not very clear right now, so they said:
“Nothing much, just like any other couple, always sticking together every day.”
“Yuan Wei helped you with your schoolwork and even brought you breakfast. His grades were so good that even the teachers turned a blind eye.”
“Whenever you two had time, you would go out and have fun together. Yuan Wei even skipped class on your birthday, and since he loved studying so much, skipping class was rare for him. We all helped him pick out your gift, and those little girls were so jealous.”
Su Youtian listened silently, eating without tasting anything.
Yuan Wei kept watching Su Youtian’s expression. Seeing that her face looked wrong, he shot a glance over, and Gan Wenwen stopped speaking.
Yuan Wei said, “Before was before, now is now. Eat.”
Only then did Su Youtian start shoveling rice into her mouth in big bites.
After sending Gan Wenwen and her husband off, Su Youtian sat on a tall stool and helped Yuan Wei wash the dishes.
Yuan Wei looked at her puffed-up cheeks and asked with amusement, “You are still angry?”
Su Youtian shook her head. She did not know why either, but her heart felt blocked for no apparent reason.
It was as if ever since Gan Wenwen and the others appeared, an invisible person had entered her and Yuan Wei’s world. This person could not be seen or touched, yet truly stood between the two of them. She had known this person existed all along, but had never really paid attention to it. Yet today, she truly and vividly felt its influence, appearing in her life at every moment.
She felt inexplicably strange.
Inexplicably angry, inexplicably restless.
Could it be that she was entering menopause soon?
Su Youtian shook her head.
“Just take me as an idiot.”
Yuan Wei curved the corner of his mouth and patted her head.
After returning home, Su Youtian rummaged through everything looking for something.
【What are you looking for?】
Su Youtian did not answer. She searched through the boxes and drawers until she finally found a ring in a bedside drawer.
She took it out and looked.
Inside were the letters: “Y&S”.
Her hand shook, and she nearly dropped the ring.
“Looks like the two of them really loved each other very much…”
Yuan Wei and Sheng Xia both had this ring. Even after the two of them broke up, Sheng Xia had never thrown hers away. She still must have had Yuan Wei in her heart.
Su Youtian bit her lip, carefully wrapped the ring in cloth, and put it neatly into the deepest part of the drawer.
“System, if the two of them were so good together before, why did they break up? Was Sheng Xia really able to fall out of love so easily?”
【High school romance cannot be taken seriously.】
Su Youtian frowned.
“How can you say that! Yuan Wei can keep loving Sheng Xia forever, he never changed.”
After saying that, she frowned, suddenly feeling a bitter taste in her mouth.
She drained the water in her cup in one gulp.
“Anyway, I do not want to get involved in their business anymore. Once I send Yuan Wei away, I will look for my second spring romance!”
【Go ahead and look. In the novel, Sheng Xia has countless springs. I am afraid you will not be able to handle it.】
“Who said that?” Su Youtian rubbed her hands excitedly. “I will welcome anyone who comes!”
She happily lay down, but that night she had a dream.
In the dream, she saw a younger-looking Yuan Wei, dressed in a school uniform, his skin so fair it almost glowed.
He stood on the steps, lowering his head slightly to look at her. His soft hair fluttered lightly in the wind.
“What are you dawdling for? Hurry up and come up!”
The sunlight was so bright that Su Youtian felt her eyes sting with tears. Then she heard herself say:
“I’m tired, I’m not climbing anymore!”
Yuan Wei replied, “The others are already ahead. We’ve fallen far behind.”
She heard herself speaking in a spoiled tone. Her view lowered, as if she were about to flop onto the ground.
“I’m not climbing. I’m tired!”
Yuan Wei sighed helplessly and bent down. The fresh scent of a teenage boy surrounded her.
“Stop rolling around. It’s dangerous here.”
She instantly stood back up.
“Carry me.”
Yuan Wei nodded helplessly, but there was still a smile at the corner of his lips.
He crouched slightly and said, “Get on.”
She cheered and jumped onto his back so hard that she nearly knocked him over.
Yuan Wei said, “You’re this heavy already. What am I supposed to do if I can’t carry you in the future?”
She grinned mischievously. “Then you can carry me princess-style.”
Yuan Wei: “…dream on.”
She wrapped her arms around his slender neck. Her vision bobbed up and down as he carried her all the way to the mountaintop.
Then the scene shifted, and Gan Wenwen walked over. Her face was covered in sweat, still carrying the youthful innocence of a teenage girl.
“Sheng Xia, let’s take a photo together!”
She laughed. “Okay, but I want to take one with Yuan Wei first!”
Gan Wenwen huffed, “You value boys over friends!”
She burst into laughter, hooked an arm around Yuan Wei’s neck, stood on tiptoe, and kissed him.
Her lips felt a soft warmth.
She saw a faint smile at the corner of Yuan Wei’s mouth.
The sunlight was dazzling enough to make people cry.
When Su Youtian woke from the dream, she took a deep breath and sat up, struggling to breathe properly. She touched her face and found it tight and dry. Even the pillow towel beside her still felt damp.
“System, I think I cried in my sleep last night.”
【Or maybe it was drool.】
“Impossible. I didn’t dream about pig trotters last night.”
【……What did you dream about?】
“I dreamed about Sheng Xia and Yuan Wei in high school. About that photo. Sheng Xia kissed Yuan Wei on the mountaintop.”
【Why are you sad?】
Su Youtian sniffed. “I don’t even know why I’m this sad.”
【Stop being sad. Higher-ups gave me a reply. They said there’s an abnormality in this world’s spatial data. Maybe things aren’t as bad as you think.】
Su Youtian had no idea what it was talking about, but she still felt touched that the system was actually comforting her.
“Thank you, System. You’re actually comforting me.”
【What else am I supposed to do? There are even sadder missions waiting for you later, hehe.】
Su Youtian: “…Get lost!”
At noon, Yuan Wei sat in the courtyard carving wood.
Sunlight spilled over him, tinting even the tips of his hair golden.
He carefully carved neat hexagonal patterns into the head of a wooden stick, occasionally gripping it in his hand to test the feel of it.
Suddenly, his phone buzzed.
He frowned and looked at the message.
Another text.
“Tomorrow.”
His lips pressed tightly together. He casually tossed the phone aside, but when he resumed carving, his heart could no longer calm down.
In the end, he set the wood down and let out a deep sigh.
Just as he was about to stand up, someone knocked on the door.
He frowned and opened it.
The woman outside the door was elegant and graceful, smiling calmly.
“I knew you’d be here.”
“Auntie?”