Their flight at noon was bound for a city they hadn't set foot in for four years.
A week earlier, Chen Jin had said it was almost his grandfather's birthday, and he wanted the old man to meet his great-grandson. During the journey, Lin Wan felt a mix of emotions churning inside her. The past played in her mind like a film on fast-forward. Only the soft breaths of the child in her arms and the sound of the man beside her flipping through documents gave her a sense of peace.
After landing, Chen Jin dropped his mother and son off at the apartment before returning to his company to handle some business.
Xiao Bao had slept soundly on the plane and was now full of energy, looking around curiously at "Daddy's house."
Standing in the living room, Lin Wan felt a sense of surreal familiarity—every detail so unchanged it made her feel like she had never left. She remained frozen in place until a shout came from the bedroom.
"Mom, come look!"
She walked over, and the moment she stepped into the room, she stood still in shock.
The wall was covered with photos—large, poster-sized ones. Pictures of her, of Xiao Bao, and of the two of them together.
That was the only thing different from the past.
That evening, she had dinner plans with Sisi and Milan.
Milan was still dazzling and bold in her words and actions. Her daughter was a few months older than Xiao Bao, and the two kids quickly became friends, chattering away like old pals. Sisi, who had struggled with infertility after marriage, finally gave birth to twin boys six months ago after much treatment—a spectacular result after a long wait. Postpartum, she'd gained some weight and gasped in envy at Lin Wan's still-slender figure, vowing to start dieting.
During the meal, Xiao Bao needed the restroom. While washing her hands, a tall woman was touching up her makeup in front of the mirror.
"I'm a boy," Xiao Bao muttered.
Lin Wan laughed. "Once you can reach the toilet on your own, you can use the one next door."
She looked up at the mirror and realized the woman beside her was staring. When their eyes met, the woman smiled and asked, "Miss Lin, do you still remember me?"
After a moment's thought, Lin Wan replied calmly, "Miss Zhang. What a coincidence."
Zhang Yunyi lowered her gaze to look at Xiao Bao. "Is this Chen Jin's son?"
Lin Wan nodded and said to her son, "Say hello to Auntie."
"Hello, Auntie," the little boy chirped in his sweet voice.
A flicker of something dark passed through Zhang Yunyi's eyes, but she quickly smiled. "Very cute. He looks just like him."
Lin Wan grabbed a paper towel, wiped her hands, then picked up her son to leave. But Zhang Yunyi wasn't done.
"I visited him a few times while he was in the hospital," she said.
Lin Wan replied with a nonchalant, "Thank you."
"He never told you what he's been going through these past few years, did he?" Then, suddenly, "Lin Wan, do you love him?"
Lin Wan stiffened. Xiao Bao squirmed in her arms. She turned around and saw that Zhang Yunyi's smirk had morphed into a look of pity. "He's a fool," she said.
Lin Wan smiled, her tone mild but firm. "Miss Zhang, when it comes to feelings, it's like drinking water—only the person drinking knows whether it's warm or cold. Besides," she paused, then asked, "What makes you think I don't love him?"
Then she said to her son, "Say goodbye to Auntie."
"Goodbye, Auntie," the little boy waved.
Zhang Yunyi kept a faint smile on her face until her mother and son disappeared behind the door. Then she turned to the mirror. The woman in the reflection was impeccably dressed, but the smile on her face had stiffened into something ugly.
Her mind drifted back to four years ago. Back then, she had said she would go after Chen Jin—and she did. Even when he was lying in a hospital bed with an uncertain future, she had faith he would recover. Lin Wan had left. That, she believed, was her perfect chance.
Ignoring her family's objections, enduring the cold stares of his childhood friends, she humbled herself and tried everything to get close to him. She remembered how he'd replied, always indifferent: "You're using soft and hard tactics. Ruthless, calculating. You and I are actually quite alike. But don't waste your time—it's useless."
She had asked, "Aren't people who are alike more compatible?"
He shook his head. "Everything you have, I already have. But what I need—you can't give."
She had never understood what he meant. Not until this moment.
A person can love another for a thousand reasons—or for none at all. Either way, it wasn't her burden to bear anymore.
With that thought, she took out her phone, pressed the speed dial. "It's me. I've decided to accept what you said yesterday." A burst of joy came from the other end.
"Pick me up at the Royal Hotel in half an hour. Bring the ring."
She hung up neatly, looked at herself in the mirror again. There was light in her eyes once more. She gave herself a smile. For a woman who had once loved everything she had, to end up marrying a man who loved her wholeheartedly—maybe that was the best ending.
When Chen Jin returned, Lin Wan was sitting on the sofa browsing the internet on his laptop. Xiao Bao was rocking on a little wooden horse, watching cartoons. The horse was clunky but solid and comfortable. Lin Wan asked, "Did you make this?"
He sat beside her and shook his head. Then, glancing at their son, he said in a low voice, "Someone asked if Xiao Bao could call him 'uncle.'"
Lin Wan paused her typing. After a moment of silence, she answered, "Isn't your relationship clear enough?"
Chen Jin wrapped an arm around her shoulders and kissed her hair. "Thank you, Wanwan."
"There's one more thing. He's been on good behavior these years. Recently he saved someone in an accident. He might…" Chen Jin hesitated, looking at her face, "...he might get a reduced sentence."
Seeing her expression unchanged, he added with sincerity, "Wanwan, I'm sorry."
Lin Wan sighed. "You don't need to apologize for that."
Chen Jin said nothing more. He found her hand and held it tightly.
Xiao Bao burst into giggles at something on the screen. Their eyes were drawn to him, and watching their son rocking unsteadily on the horse, they both smiled.
"I ran into someone today," Lin Wan said.
"Who?" Chen Jin asked.
She looked at him. "A woman."
Chen Jin thought for a moment. "Zhang Yunyi?"
Lin Wan hummed in reply. "She really seems to love you."
Chen Jin laughed. "Are you jealous?"
"No."
He groaned, "Am I that unremarkable, I can't even make my own woman jealous?" Then he leaned in and whispered in her ear, "Guess I'll have to work harder tonight."
Lin Wan turned away and pinched his waist.
The next morning, Chen Jin took his son to visit his great-grandfather for his birthday.
Xiao Bao's arrival sent a ripple through the entire family. Madam Yuan sighed emotionally—"The little guy's grown so big already." In a room full of strangers, Xiao Bao wasn't shy at all. He politely greeted, "Great grandpa, I wish you a fortune as vast as the Eastern Sea and a life as long as the Southern Mountains!"
Old General Yuan looked at the delicate, doll-like child and was overwhelmed with joy. But soon, he turned to scold Chen Jin: "You little rascal, you've had a son all this time and never said a word?" Then he pointed at Chen Jin's parents and roared, "You've all conspired to keep this from me? Your own grandson out there all these years, and none of you thought to worry?"
Those being scolded lowered their heads in silence. Xiao Bao, unafraid of the booming voice, said sweetly, "Don't be angry, Great-grandpa." That immediately softened the old man's face. He patted the boy's hand and asked, "Tell me your name."
The little one stood up straight and said, "My name is Liu Xiaobo."
The old man froze at that and glanced at Chen Jin in confusion. Scratching his head, Chen Jin laughed, "We'll… we'll change it later."
The general huffed. "Why didn't you bring the child's mother? Still hiding things at a time like this?"
Others chimed in too. "The child's already this big. You two should really get your papers sorted."
Chen Jin kept nodding. "Soon, very soon."
The general glared at him in exasperation, then turned to Xiao Bao with a gentle smile. "Bao, your dad's a coward. Don't follow his example."
Then he personally led the little boy around the house, pointing out his shelf of antiques and teasing him to pick anything he liked. Xiao Bao replied crisply, "I want the most expensive one."
The whole room burst into laughter.
That afternoon, when Chen Jin came to pick up Lin Wan, she was in her grandmother's courtyard, beating the sun-dried quilt with a wooden stick. The scent of sunshine lingering in the fabric brought her back to the years she'd lived alone with her grandma.
Chen Jin took her for a drive. When he stopped at a florist and bought a large bouquet of calla lilies, Lin Wan understood where he was taking her.
They arrived at the cemetery and stood before a familiar gravestone. Chen Jin bowed and placed the flowers down, then stood silently beside Lin Wan, both gazing at the photo of the young man on the headstone. In his heart, he said: I'm sorry.
They stood there in silence for a long time. Eventually, hearing soft sobs beside him, he pulled out a handkerchief and placed it in her hand, giving her trembling shoulder a gentle squeeze. In a low voice, he said, "Stay with him for a while. I'll wait outside."
He stood by the car at the foot of the hill, smoking cigarette after cigarette, the haze curling before his eyes while emotions surged in his chest. Winter days were short, and the sun quickly dipped westward. After smoking more than half a pack, Lin Wan finally came down.
He hurriedly stubbed out his cigarette, chewed a piece of gum, then walked over and opened the car door for her.
Before leaving, he glanced back at the pine-covered hillside and said silently to the man resting there: Don't worry. I'll take care of her.
Lin Wan's eyes were a little swollen, and she clutched his blue handkerchief tightly. After a while, her voice came out hoarse: "I want to go…"
"I know. I'll go with you," Chen Jin said.
She turned her face slightly to look at him and softly replied, "Okay."
She wanted to visit Wang Xiao's parents. It was time to face everything—to confront the promises she once made, the years she had spent avoiding them, and to acknowledge her selfishness, hoping for their forgiveness. Having Chen Jin with her… would make it easier.
After a moment of silence, Lin Wan asked, "Have you been there before?"
Chen Jin nodded. "Six years ago."
Lin Wan recalled the moment in the rain and asked, "That was you?"
Chen Jin met her gaze in the rearview mirror and nodded again.
She clenched the handkerchief tighter, then murmured, almost to herself, "When I gave birth to Xiao Bao, it took hours. The pain was unbearable. At that moment, nothing else mattered—I just wanted to live. I even thought… if I made it through, I'd go find you."
Chen Jin's heart ached at the mention of her suffering. When he heard her last sentence, his eyes shot up, staring at her through the rearview mirror.
"No matter your health, no matter what others think of me," she continued in a voice barely audible, "When someone stands at the edge of life and death, all pretenses fall away. Only then can they hear their true heart."
Chen Jin felt the blood in his veins freeze, but his hands, almost with a will of their own, remained steady on the steering wheel. During her long wait in the cemetery, he'd been overwhelmed with conflicting thoughts—even a tinge of despair. No matter how much he did, he feared he would always come second in her heart…
But then, he felt a sudden warmth in his right hand—her pale, delicate hand covering his.
He heard her say softly, "Turns out… I once made a very brave decision."
His Adam's apple bobbed twice. He hit the brakes, and the tires screeched slightly as the car stopped by the roadside. After a pause, he managed to squeeze out a sentence, stiff and awkward:
"Are you testing my driving skills?"
Then came a soft laugh.
He slowly turned his head like a puppet. There she was—the woman he loved most—eyes brimming with tears, smiling at him.