“Hey, wake up.”
Almost as soon as she spoke, Xia Anxin realized she was dreaming.
She was dreaming again of the first time she’d met A-Ting.
In the dream, she was eighteen. She’d gone up the mountain to gather firewood with the nanny, when a sudden thunderstorm sent her hurrying into her secret hideout.
She had a large black birthmark on her face, and the village children called her an ugly monster. Hardly anyone wanted to play with her.
She often went up the mountain by herself, and after discovering this cave, she would hide there and play alone.
She never expected that a man would intrude into her secret hideout that day.
He was so handsome that Xia Anxin could hardly believe she wasn’t dreaming.
Only when she got closer did she notice that, though he was very good-looking, his face was pale and there was a faint smell of blood on him.
He looked as if he had stopped breathing.
Terrified, Xia Anxin gathered her courage and reached out to poke his cheek.
It was warm.
Before she could say anything, the man suddenly grabbed her wrist. Then he opened his eyes and looked straight at her.
His deep, icy gaze pinned her in place—and bound her to him for the rest of her life.
“A-Ting.”
Xia Anxin’s voice was choked with tears and all the grievance she’d held inside.
Someone suddenly shook her. A familiar woman’s voice came faintly from beside her. “Anxin, Anxin, wake up.”
The dream shattered.
Xia Anxin jolted awake. Right in front of her was Wen Li’s worried face.
She stared at Wen Li, dazed.
Wen Li sighed and looked at her with concern. “You were dreaming just now. You kept crying.”
Xia Anxin instinctively wiped her cheek and felt the dampness on her hand.
Embarrassed, she sat up. Wen Li promptly handed her a tissue. Xia Anxin wiped her face a few times and murmured awkwardly, “I’m sorry… I woke you.”
Xia Anxin had planned to rent a place with Xia Yinuo, but Wen Li had flat-out refused, stamping her feet in protest.
After leaving the high-speed rail station, the two of them had taken Xia Yinuo back to Wen Li’s small apartment.
Wen Li had a real knack for decorating, and she’d made her apartment warm and comfortable.
She’d insisted on sharing a bed with Xia Anxin, declaring that they would talk all night.
But after a whole day of traveling, Xia Anxin had drifted off after they’d barely exchanged a few words.
She hadn’t expected the first night back in Yecheng to bring back memories of the past.
Wen Li patted her. “What kind of relationship do we have? Stop saying ‘sorry’ and ‘thank you’ all the time.”
Xia Anxin smiled faintly.
It was too soon to fall back asleep, so the two of them leaned against the headboard.
Wen Li glanced at her with concern, then lowered her voice. “Anxin, are you… all right? When you were dreaming just now… you kept calling for A-Ting…”
Even Wen Li didn’t know much about Xia Anxin’s past with A-Ting, and she had no idea what the man looked like.
All she knew was that he’d appeared out of nowhere, then suddenly disappeared, leaving Anxin and her child behind.
She couldn’t stand that so-called A-Ting!
And in the three years since, Xia Anxin had never once mentioned A-Ting to her.
Wen Li had thought she’d moved on.
But now she understood: Xia Anxin hadn’t moved on. She’d simply buried it too deep.
At Wen Li’s words, Xia Anxin froze for a moment, then smiled. “I haven’t thought about him in a long time.”
Wen Li hesitated, but in the end couldn’t help asking, “Anxin, has that man… contacted you at all these past few years?”
Seeing the worry in Wen Li’s eyes, Xia Anxin smiled. “It’s better if he hasn’t. I’m actually afraid he’ll contact me. What if he comes to take my son away?”
Wen Li’s expression changed at once. She puffed up indignantly. “He’d better not! You nearly died for Nuonuo, and that man hasn’t raised him for a single day. If he dares come and take Nuonuo, I’ll be the first to say no!”
Wen Li’s outraged expression made Xia Anxin’s eyes redden slightly. “Lili, thank you for everything these past few years,” she said softly.
Wen Li froze, then put on an exaggerated voice. “Oh, come on! We’re sisters. What’s with all the mushy stuff?”
As she spoke, Wen Li leaned over and hugged Xia Anxin. Her expression turned serious. “Don’t worry. I’ll always have your back. You just focus on finding my eldest son. I’ll take good care of Nuonuo for you. Besides, I can’t handle the pain of giving birth, so from now on your son can be my own. That way, I won’t have to give birth!”
Xia Anxin patted her. “Don’t be ridiculous. When you get married, I’m still going to give you a big red envelope.”
They chatted a little longer, but Wen Li was so tired that she soon fell asleep.
Xia Anxin looked at Nuonuo, who was sleeping beside her, his face sweet and peaceful.
Nuonuo looked almost exactly like A-Ting—a miniature version of him.
Seeing Nuonuo every day made it impossible for Xia Anxin to forget A-Ting.
Because of the dream, she couldn’t help remembering the past.
Back then, after she’d poked A-Ting’s cheek, he’d grabbed her wrist. But the very next moment… he’d passed out again.
She discovered that he was badly injured and burning with a fever.
Terrified, she searched everywhere for herbs and did everything she could to save him.
When A-Ting woke up, she realized he had amnesia. He remembered nothing except that his name was A-Ting.
He had nowhere to go, so Xia Anxin let him recover in her secret hideout and visited him every day to look after him.
She couldn’t help feeling secretly glad that although he’d seen her that first time, he didn’t remember what she looked like.
Later, afraid he might reject her too, she wouldn’t let him see her face. She found a piece of cloth and covered it.
She couldn’t help falling for him. She was afraid that one day he would regain his memories and leave, and she was also afraid he would despise her appearance.
But he left anyway.
Just as suddenly as he’d appeared, without leaving even a single word behind.
Xia Anxin smiled bitterly and sat awake all night.
Early the next morning, she hurriedly got ready and headed to the office.
She had already found a kindergarten for Nuonuo in Yecheng and hired a woman to take him to and from school.
Three years earlier, Yunzhou Group, the leading company in Yecheng, had suddenly invested in developing the resources in the mountainous area near their village, turning it into a resort. It had even set up a branch in the town.
After Xia Anxin returned to the village with Nuonuo, she joined the branch and stayed there for three years.
She’d worked herself hard for all that time. At last, she’d managed to secure a transfer to the Yecheng headquarters, and she had to report for work first thing that morning.
As usual, she wore a mask and hurried toward the elevators. She hadn’t yet joined the queue when she suddenly heard someone murmur a low “Mm.”
Xia Anxin snapped her head up and looked toward the sound.
Two men were walking one behind the other, apparently talking.
They passed not far from her, then headed straight for the private elevator nearby.
Xia Anxin’s gaze locked onto the man in front.
She couldn’t see his face, but his back was so familiar. It had appeared in her dreams countless times. She would recognize it even if it were reduced to ashes!
She staggered forward two steps. “A-Ting!”
The man walking in front paused, then quickly resumed his normal pace.
Xia Anxin watched the two men enter the elevator and rushed after them. “A-Ting! Wait! Wait for me!”
She hurried to the elevator doors and frantically pressed the open button.
But the elevator required a fingerprint to operate.
The person inside had pressed the close button, and the elevator was already rising.
Someone nearby saw Xia Anxin’s strange behavior and frowned. “Are you crazy? That’s President Leng’s private elevator. Ordinary employees aren’t allowed to use it.”