CHAPTER 58: CHAPTER 58: DOES HE CHEN HAVE A WHITE MOONLIGHT IN HIS HEART?

He Chen recounted the story with a steady tone, but his rugged face still bore an unmistakable sadness.

He looked at Ye Manman’s leg, gently pressing it, but his gaze seemed to drift towards the past, sinking into memories.

"The little boy didn’t understand what it meant to lose his mom and dad; he later found out that ’lost’ meant they were dead. His parents went to town to buy him candy, and on the way back they saw someone fall into the river; his dad went down to rescue them."

"But it was too cold, the river too icy. His dad pushed the person who had fallen into the river back up, but he himself never resurfaced."

"The little boy’s mom couldn’t accept the reality of his dad’s death, insisting on jumping in to retrieve him, and as a result, she never surfaced either."

"When the little boy returned home, the first thing he saw were his parents lying in the courtyard. Before dying, his mom found his dad underwater, clinging tightly to him. When they were retrieved, their bodies were stiff and couldn’t be separated, so they were buried just like that."

At this point, He Chen’s voice trembled almost imperceptibly, and his eyes reddened slightly, clearly trying hard to suppress his grief and longing.

Ye Manman felt extremely uncomfortable as well. From He Chen’s first words, she knew the little boy in the story was him, because the original text mentioned that He Chen had been outstanding from a young age, until an accident led to the loss of his parents.

Yet it wasn’t until she heard He Chen personally recount this long-buried past that she truly understood how cruel these few words were when applied to someone’s real life.

She wanted to hug He Chen, but she saw him awkwardly raise his head to glance at her.

"I’m sorry, the story I told is a bit frightening, did it scare you...?"

He Chen’s eyes were still somewhat red; even now, he was considering her feelings.

Ye Manman really wanted to hug him, but rationality made her shake her head.

"No, it’s not scary. I’m very moved."

"I didn’t expect there to be such a heartrending love in this world. The little boy’s parents were wonderful, they are heroes."

"I want to hear the rest of the story."

She wanted to know how He Chen spent those years after meeting that girl.

For the first time, Ye Manman wished to fully understand a person.

Perhaps for the first time, He Chen heard someone praise his parents like this, a bitter smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Afterward, the little boy dropped out of school, which closed down within two years, becoming desolate. After his parents died, a couple came to the little boy’s house. The woman claimed to be his mom’s older sister, there to take her place in caring for him."

"The little boy thought all parents in the world were the same and believed he would have new parents, but all he got was three days of care and concern."

"After three days, the couple stopped caring about the little boy, even ordering him to chop wood, cook, and wash clothes every day, and demanded he complete ten work points before coming home to sleep. He couldn’t eat at the table, nor have meat or candy."

"Unable to accept this, the little boy went to seek justice from the team leader, but both he and the villagers thought he’d been too badly affected and didn’t want to accept others’ kindness, because for the first few days, the couple had treated him like their own, something the whole village had witnessed."

"Later, the little boy searched for answers several times, having been taught by his parents to be grateful, but to also fight for fairness. Yet no matter how he spoke, no one believed him, and people even openly or secretly mocked him as an ungrateful wolf."

Despite recounting all this, He Chen remained calm, like the little boy in the story, having given up.

Ye Manman was about to comfort him, but He Chen’s face showed a faint smile.

"The little boy gave up, no longer fixated on the matter, planning to leave that place that couldn’t be called home. On the day he left with his bag, he met a little girl picking peaches in a peach tree."

"The little girl was very pretty, her body covered in bruises as if she’d been pinched, yet she wasn’t crying, eating peaches cheerfully, though she was too short to dare come down from the tree."

"The boy was already fourteen, growing quickly and easily rescued the little girl. Later, they spent a few days on the mountain together, and the boy developed feelings for the quirky, cheerful, and confident little girl, planning to escape the village with her, but on the last day it rained heavily, and the little girl developed a high fever."

"The boy had no choice but to give up, bringing the little girl back to her home. He intended to take her away after she recovered, but after her fever broke, she forgot about him."

"The boy and the little girl had pledged to leave together, grow up and marry, and live happily ever after like his parents, but the little girl forgot him."

He Chen paused, then looked into Ye Manman’s eyes.

His gaze was complex, as if silently crying, yet also exploring something in her eyes, looking pitiful.

Ye Manman thought the story was dramatic, but she really couldn’t understand, nor why He Chen was looking at her that way.

Her eyes were filled with confusion and bewilderment.

Seeing this, He Chen stopped looking at her that way and continued.

"The boy didn’t believe the little girl would never remember him or their agreement. He didn’t choose to leave alone but stayed in that un-home-like place, quietly watching over the little girl, hoping she’d one day remember him."

"The little girl’s situation was also miserable. Perhaps she’d been bullied too badly, no longer the proud, confident, lively child the boy once knew, becoming more timid, afraid of everyone. The boy worried about her, but every time he tried to talk to her, she would run away."

"Later, the boy also gave up, only watching the little girl from afar, watching her grow into a girl, a young woman."

"Until the young woman got married, the boy stopped watching her from afar."

"Well, the story’s over. Such a dull story, did it make you sleepy?"

He Chen feigned a cheerful smile, trying to dispel his internal turmoil.

Ye Manman wrinkled her pretty nose, feeling like her heart was being scratched by a cat.

"What kind of ridiculous story is this? The girl didn’t remember the boy and even got married? Don’t they just end without any resolution? This ending is just..."

She stopped abruptly.

Goodness, if the girl remembered the boy and married him, wouldn’t there be no place for her?

Besides, the original text didn’t mention anything about He Chen having someone dear to him before marrying Ye Manman. Where did this mysterious girl come from?

Suddenly, she felt incredibly uncomfortable, jealous!

She never expected that having just accepted He Chen, she’d find out he might still hold someone else dear, making her extremely unhappy.

Aaagh!

She was so unfortunate. In both her lives, the first time she fell for someone, there was someone else in their heart!

Ahhh, so frustrating!

"Forget it, I’ll get some sleep first, this story is terrible."