A beautiful summer night

Before he could finish speaking, Yao Qin's personal maid rushed in to say that she had woken up and was making a fuss. Without a moment's hesitation, Liu Shubai left, leaving Xie Qiyan and the other man behind.

His steps were hurried and disordered, as if he were anxious and fearful that if he arrived even a moment later, he would lose his beloved.

Xie Qiyan stood there for a very long time.

After learning about his mother's condition from Liu Shubai, his pupils lost focus. He hadn't rested well for the past two days, and the excessive tension made the bloodshot veins in his eyes more and more obvious, with the corners of his eyes filled with obvious red. He stared blankly, his eyelashes trembled, and a tear silently slid down his cheek.

The excruciating pain pierced his heart and lungs, and Xie Qiyan struggled to breathe.

A breeze picked up, and it wasn't until Xia Wanzhi's loose hair was blown across his neck that he stiffly and slowly came back to his senses.

"It's not true, is it?" Xie Qiyan asked in a hoarse voice.

Xia Wanzhi bit her lip, enduring the stinging in her eyes. She dared not shake her head, nor did she dare nod.

Even she couldn't accept this outcome.

Moreover, Xie Qiyan.

He has suffered a lot, but no matter how hard it gets, he will never bow his head and cry.

These shoulders that once propelled the Xie family back to the pinnacle of business, these upright shoulders, trembled slightly upon hearing the news of his mother's long-standing illness, as if the conviction that had sustained him all these years had suddenly collapsed.

He just looked at Xia Wanzhi and asked repeatedly in a humble, timid tone, "She'll get better, won't she?"

It's ok.

She only temporarily forgot about him.

He can accept it.

Xie Qiyan did not believe in gods or fate. He had the strength to fight against destiny, but when fate was about to bring suffering upon the people he loved, he had no choice but to submit.

He had lost all his strength and hoped that God would open his eyes and take a good look at the world.

He wanted to ask why.

Why torture one person? Why hurt his family too?

He trembled as he looked down at Xia Wanzhi.

He doesn't believe in God; he believes in Xia Wanzhi.

He just stared at her, at the only god he believed in.

Xia Wanzhi held back her sobs, wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him tightly, nodding firmly: "Yes, it will get better, it definitely will."

Xie Qiyan's vision gradually blurred. He bent over, slowly slumped his shoulders, and shifted half of his weight onto Xia Wanzhi.

-

After settling Yao Qin in, Liu Shubai invited Xie Qiyan and Xia Wanzhi in. It seemed that he had spoken to Yao Qin beforehand. Yao Qin, sitting in her wheelchair, slightly raised her eyes to look at the two people not far away, and smiled at Liu Shubai, saying, "Shubai, your guests have arrived."

That smile was so warm, like the gentle spring sunshine.

Xie Qiyan was somewhat dazed.

It felt like he was back in his childhood, playing nearby. When he turned around, he would see her with a kind smile, gently calling to him, "Ayan, slow down, don't fall."

She has changed, yet it seems she hasn't changed much.

Perhaps Xia Wanzhi had drawn the Yao Qin she had envisioned, because Xie Qiyan found her very familiar.

She looks very much like Yao Qin, who is 47 years old in the painting.

He's aged, with wrinkles, but still has a kind and gentle face.

But she had lost weight, looked haggard, and aged.

Time flies, and my once black hair has turned white.

Xia Wanzhi held her breath and looked nervously at Yao Qin, who was sitting there holding a rag doll.

She smiled, just like any other person.

But when Xia Wanzhi's gaze swept over Liu Shubai, she could clearly see his tension and worry.

Yao Qin gently touched Liu Shubai's fingers, and he responded with a trembling voice: "You forgot? I just told you, they're here to see you."

Yao Qin suddenly realized, and paused for a moment: "My guest?"

Liu Shubai said slowly, "Yes, your guest."

Yao Qin looked up, squinted slightly, and then smiled: "How could that be? How could I have guests?"

The air seemed to stand still as Yao Qin's gaze fixed on Xie Qiyan, her smile gradually fading.

Everyone watched her reaction with bated breath.

Xie Qiyan's breathing became slightly heavy. He took his first step with difficulty, his first step toward his mother, with a sense of tentativeness, hesitation, and deep longing.

The light was blocked by the tall figure in front of her. Yao Qin frowned. As he was about to approach her, she lowered her eyelashes, revealing a timid and flustered expression, and suddenly hugged the doll in her arms tightly: "Ayan, Ayan..."

Xie Qiyan's chest trembled, and his eyes were filled with helplessness as he looked at Yao Qin. His eyes instantly reddened, as if he was surprised but also afraid that it was just a dream.

Liu Shubai and Xia Wanzhi also looked at Yao Qin in shock, their hearts pounding with anxiety.

Xie Qiyan's lips were trembling.

He was so close to Yao Qin, so very close.

A distance within arm's reach.

He squatted down, kneeling on one knee, and slowly lowered the other knee as well. His eyes were filled with tears, and his fingertips trembled. He placed his palm on Yao Qin's knee, and as the tears finally slid down, he rested his forehead on it.

Just like when I was a child, I rested my head on my mother's lap, snuggled up to her, and listened to her tell stories from her childhood.

"Mom," Xie Qiyan said hoarsely.

"Mom..." His longing was silent; for more than twenty years, he could only call out "Mom" in his heart.

No one knows how much he misses her.

He longed for the day they would meet, for him to call her name and for her to respond softly.

"Little Ayan..." Yao Qin tightened her arms, clutching the doll in her arms defensively, shrinking back, and whispering, "Little Ayan, don't cry, don't cry..."

Holding the baby, she gently stroked "Little Ayan" in her arms with her face, then looked up at Xie Qiyan with a hint of reproach in her eyes: "Keep your voice down, you scared my Little Ayan!"

Xie Qiyan only raised his head, his hands still resting on Yao Qin's knees.

Even though I was mentally prepared, I still felt utterly devastated.

He just stared blankly at Yao Qin, who didn't recognize him.

But thankfully, she still remembered Xiao Ayan.

Yao Qin frowned and looked at Liu Shubai: "Shubai, your guest is disturbing us."

"Okay, I understand. I'll tell him to be quiet." Liu Shubai agreed, looking at Xie Qiyan with a troubled expression.

To Yao Qin now, Xie Qiyan is a complete stranger.

Xia Wanzhi walked over and helped Xie Qiyan up, her hand holding his was warm and strong.

"Hello, Ayan's mom, may I get to know you? My name is Xia Wanzhi." After calming herself down, Xia Wanzhi slightly bent her knees to greet Yao Qin, her bright eyes filled with kindness.

Yao Qin was very wary of strangers. Before replying, she tentatively glanced at Liu Shubai, and only after receiving Liu Shubai's nod of agreement did she smile and say, "My name is Yao Qin, and this is my little Ayan..."

As she spoke, she handed the doll in her arms to Xia Wanzhi. Her slightly parted lips seemed to have something to say, but she stopped abruptly as if she had forgotten what she was going to say.

A hint of heartache flashed in Xia Wanzhi's eyes as she gently stroked the plush toy's head, trying her best to maintain a smile: "His name is Xiao Ayan, and my name is Xiao Wanzi."

The doll was fluffy and covered in Yao Qin's body heat and scent.

Yao Qin immediately became excited: "Is 'Little Maruko' your nickname? My little Ayan is also a nickname, his full name is Xie..."

As soon as the word "thank you" was uttered, Yao Qin's expression suddenly changed, and her kind eyes narrowed sharply: "Thank...thank you..."

"What is it? What am I trying to say?" Yao Qin's expression turned sharp. "Who are you? Were you trying to trick me into revealing information? What is your relationship with Xie Tianqi?"

Yao Qin, who was sitting in a wheelchair, suddenly stood up. Her emotions were so intense that she felt dizzy for a moment due to the rush of blood to her chest. Liu Shubai quickly reached out to support her, holding her tightly in his arms and gently rubbing her back: "Ah Yao, Ah Yao! They are my guests, they are guests, they have nothing to do with Xie Tianqi..."

Yao Qin's face turned pale instantly, but she quickly took Liu Shubai's words to heart and stared blankly at Xia Wanzhi: "It has nothing to do with Xie Tianqi?"

Liu Shubai nodded and coaxed her, "No, it's okay..."

Xia Wanzhi was somewhat startled by Yao Qin's sudden reaction. As she stepped back, she bumped into Xie Qi's outstretched arm. When he pulled her into his arms, Xia Wanzhi subconsciously looked up at him.

Those eyes held mostly suppressed sorrow.

Secondly, there is hatred.

The resentment and hatred towards Xie Tianqi.