That night passed dreamlessly, and Jiang Nan woke up just as the sky was beginning to lighten.
As she opened her eyes and adjusted to the dim light, she saw that the lamp was still on and Zeng Yu had fallen asleep at his desk.
She moved quietly, not wanting to wake him, and slipped into the bathroom. There, she noticed that the clothes she had changed out of the night before were hanging on a wire, freshly washed and nearly dry. The sight made her blush furiously, feeling both shy and overwhelmed with affection.
After washing up and getting dressed in her still slightly damp clothes, Jiang Nan didn’t mind the discomfort at all. She gently turned off the lamp and stood there, watching Zeng Yu sleep. Even the drool at the corner of his mouth seemed adorable to her.
Nothing happened that night, but in Jiang Nan’s heart, Zeng Yu’s place became even more important.
At this moment, Wang Zheng was in a remote mountain village.
Early in the morning, Wang Zheng packed his backpack, ready to leave. Behind him stood an elderly couple, looking at him with timid and ingratiating smiles. They were Ye Xi Yan’s parents. It was here that Wang Zheng learned about Ye Xi Yan’s past.
Ye Xi Yan had an older brother. When Ye Xi Yan was in her third year of high school, her parents, desperate to marry off her brother who couldn’t afford a bride, decided to make plans for Ye Xi Yan. They arranged a marriage for her, hoping to use the bride price for her brother’s wedding. Upon learning this, Ye Xi Yan decisively chose to give up the college entrance exam and fled from this place.
Over the years, Ye Xi Yan’s parents had no idea where she was, but they received regular remittances from her, totaling more than 200,000 yuan. Thanks to this money, Ye Xi Yan’s brother was able to get married.
As Wang Zheng was about to leave, Ye Xi Yan’s brother drove him on his motorcycle.
“Xi Yan is stubborn; don’t take it to heart.” Ye’s mother advised before Wang Zheng left.
Wang Zheng told them that he and Ye Xi Yan were married, but after a quarrel, she left in anger. He thought she had returned home, so he came to apologize.
“She’s been like this since she was a kid. She thought her name sounded bad and insisted on changing it.” Ye’s father added, worried that Wang Zheng might abandon their daughter because of this.
Although he didn’t find Ye Xi Yan, Wang Zheng still went to the county bank and got a card with 500,000 yuan, which he gave to the elderly couple, saying it was to make up for the bride price.
Wang Zheng felt that his trip hadn’t been in vain; at least he had done something for her.
Wang Zheng had a feeling that Ye Xi Yan was still in Shanghai, and maybe she had already returned to their rental apartment, quietly waiting for him. He hurried back, arriving in Shanghai at dusk. Wang Zheng rushed straight to the apartment, and as he stood at the door, he took a deep breath and unlocked it with his key.
Disappointment hit him instantly. The apartment was empty—there was no sign of Ye Xi Yan or any of her belongings.
A wave of immense loss swept over him. Wang Zheng dropped his backpack on the floor, his strength drained, and he slumped down at the entrance. After a long while, he stood up and started tidying up the place.
This was work that Ye Xi Yan used to do; Wang Zheng had always been hands-off.
After cleaning, he was both exhausted and hungry. Wang Zheng ordered takeout, then sat on the bed and took out his phone, staring blankly at the photos of the two of them. In the photo, Ye Xi Yan was hugging Wang Zheng’s waist, smiling happily. Wang Zheng remembered clearly that this was taken during their trip to Wuzhen, the only time they had traveled together.
Wang Zheng walked to the window, lifted the blinds, and glanced outside.
It was late at night, and there were still quite a few people on the street, but there was no sign of Ye Xi Yan. Disappointed, Wang Zheng lowered the blinds and sat down in the chair, murmuring to himself, “I will find you.”
Meanwhile, behind a tree downstairs, someone was complaining, “Seriously, you’re already here, so why not just go up?”
Ye Xi Yan slowly turned around and said softly, “Ah Hong, you don’t understand. He doesn’t need me now. Even if I go back to him, he’ll just find me a burden.”
As she spoke, Ye Xi Yan tripped on a step in the road and almost fell.
Ah Hong looked at her and sighed deeply, “Whether I understand or not doesn’t matter. What matters is that you can’t go on like this. Either you forget him completely, or you go back.”
Ye Xi Yan remained silent.
Zeng Yu got out of the car and waved goodbye to Jiang Nan, who had driven him.
Yesterday, Jiang Nan had helped Yuan Lei prepare for the wedding. No matter how tired she was, she still came to have dinner with Zeng Yu. Today, Jiang Nan didn’t stay—not because she didn’t want to, but because she had to visit Zeng Zhan Hao in the evening.
As Zeng Yu entered the complex, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a familiar figure passing by. He hesitated, but when he looked again, the person had already turned the corner and disappeared.
When he reached the door of the rental apartment, he saw that the light was on in the opposite unit. He knocked a few times, and the door suddenly swung open.
Wang Zheng, seeing that it was Zeng Yu, let the hope in his eyes fade, replaced by disappointment. “It’s you… I thought it was… never mind, forget it.”
“You didn’t find Ye Xi Yan?” Zeng Yu asked, recalling the familiar figure he had just seen.
Wang Zheng shook his head. “I went to her hometown, but it was a dead end. She hasn’t been back in five or six years. Her parents kept apologizing to me, hoping she would come back to visit them. What could I say? I didn’t tell them the truth; I just said Ye Xi Yan left after we had a fight and that we’re already married.”
Zeng Yu looked around the apartment and asked in surprise, “So you’re still staying here? Not moving out?”
Wang Zheng shook his head. “If I move out, what if Ye Zi comes back and can’t find me?”
Zeng Yu was silent for a moment, then turned to leave.
Wang Zheng called after him, “I won’t give up.”
Zeng Yu didn’t look back. “Good luck.”
At this moment, what Wang Zheng needed most was solitude. This apartment held too many memories worth revisiting. People are like that—only when they lose something do they realize its true value.
Wang Zheng took a deep breath and wiped his eyes. He sat down at his desktop computer and began typing earnestly. After finishing, he posted what he wrote on his WeChat Moments and Weibo, hoping that Ye Xi Yan might see it.
To Ye Zi:
There are some things that you can’t see or touch but are still very important, like air. Without air, a person would suffocate, and I’m no exception
My name is Wang Zheng, and I’m looking for Ye Zi
I admit it; I’m not a good man. From the first day I was with Ye Zi, I planned to leave her someday. I always thought that the city was big and that two equally lonely people who came together to keep each other warm would eventually drift apart. But I didn’t expect this period to last so long—long enough for me to get used to eating the meals you cooked, wearing the clothes you ironed, and getting used to your scent.
Because of my bad temper, I misunderstood you, and you left.
Now I realize that you are like air to me. Without you, I can hardly survive. You left, and you took away the air I need to breathe.
I know I don’t deserve you, so I’m begging you to give me a chance to apologize to you in person.
The world is vast, but without you by my side, I’m just a walking corpse.
Ye Zi, I know I owe you a lot, but the most important thing I owe you is a few words I want to say to you face-to-face. I hope you can see this and give me a chance.
Ye Zi, I love you!
I am Wang Zheng, and I’m looking for Ye Zi.
After posting this, Wang Zheng stared at the computer, refreshing the page repeatedly, hoping to see a response from Ye Xi Yan. But, unfortunately, throughout the entire night, there was no reply from Ye Zi, and no news about her.
Wang Zheng could only hope that someone who knew Ye Xi Yan would see it.
He didn’t just sit around waiting. The next day, he went to the place where Ye Xi Yan used to work.
Jiang Nan, carrying a lunchbox, arrived at the hospital again. When Fu Yu saw her, her face lit up with a smile full of wrinkles.
A patient in the neighboring bed looked at Fu Yu with envy. “Your daughter is so filial.”
Before Fu Yu could respond, Jiang Nan quickly clarified, “Oh, it’s a misunderstanding. I’m not her daughter; I’m Fu Auntie’s son’s girlfriend.”
Hearing this, Fu Yu was even more pleased. She grabbed Jiang Nan’s hand and started chatting with her.
Lying in bed, Zeng Zhan Hao couldn’t help but chuckle. Every time Jiang Nan came, Fu Yu would forget all about him, the patient.
But Jiang Nan was sharp and quickly changed the subject with a smile. “Uncle, you haven’t had breakfast yet, right? I brought chicken soup to help you recover faster.”
Just then, Yuan Lei called, urging Jiang Nan to hurry over. Jiang Nan made an excuse about having something to do and left.
After Jiang Nan left, Fu Yu got a bit grumpy. “Would it kill you to eat a little later? Didn’t you see I was talking to Xiao Jiang? She’s such a good girl. If I don’t pamper her, it’ll be on you if she leaves!”
Zeng Zhan Hao thought to himself, I didn’t say anything.
The patient in the neighboring bed chimed in, “You two are really blessed. She’s treating you so well even before she’s officially your daughter-in-law. I bet she’ll only get better once she is.”
Another patient laughed, “I can tell that girl comes from a good family.”
Fu Yu’s mood finally brightened, and she smiled proudly. “My son isn’t bad either, or how else would a girl like that be interested in him?” She then started boasting about Zeng Yu, saying how he had started his own company just a year after graduating.
Time flew by, and as Yuan Lei’s wedding approached, Jiang Nan was busy helping with the preparations, leaving the company’s affairs entirely in Zeng Yu’s hands. However, there was one thing Jiang Nan never forgot—making sure to have dinner with Zeng Yu every night.
After each dinner, Zeng Yu would always send Jiang Nan home.
One evening, after finishing their meal, Jiang Nan played with Zeng Yu’s hand and apologized, “I’m sorry. With Yuan Lei’s wedding coming up, I’ve been so busy helping her that I hardly have any time to spend with you. We only get to see each other during dinner, and after that, you always send me away.”
“There’s so much to do to prepare for a wedding. You’re already exhausted from helping out all day, and yet you still make time to come have dinner with me. It breaks my heart to see you tired. How could I let you go to my little place to rest after all that?”
“But today’s the weekend.” Jiang Nan pouted, shaking his hand playfully.
Seeing her insistence, Zeng Yu didn’t argue further. He took her hand and led her to the car. “I’ll drive, and you can rest.”
Back at Zeng Yu’s apartment, he went to shower first. Jiang Nan glanced at his open laptop and remembered something, so she took out her phone and sat down at the computer.
When Zeng Yu came out, he saw that his desktop wallpaper had been changed to a photo of Jiang Nan.
“From now on, this will be your desktop background. Don’t change it.” Jiang Nan declared.
“Okay, I won’t change it.” Zeng Yu agreed without hesitation, his eyes never leaving Jiang Nan.
Suddenly, the lights went out with a “click.”
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