CHAPTER 60: CHAPTER 60: THERE NEVER WAS ANYONE ELSE

A week went by, just like the time when my childhood self was bitten by a snake and slept for a week before waking up.

The little girl at this time was no longer me.

She was still the timid and cowardly original owner from before.

The boy left feeling desolate. For several days, he came over wanting to ask what was wrong with the little girl, but she would turn pale and run away terrified every time she saw him.

The boy didn’t know what was happening, assuming she had temporarily forgotten him. He stopped pushing her to remember him and instead returned home, working hard in silence.

From a distance, he quietly watched her during those moments when he could see the little girl.

Time flew by, and Ye Manman watched the boy grow up at a visibly rapid pace, becoming tall and strong, finally turning into the man she knew well today.

The boy’s face no longer showed any emotion apart from numbness, except for the occasional bitter memories and nearly impossible fantasies for the future when he saw the girl.

That day, as usual, he was at home working. Li Hongmei suddenly came back from outside, telling him she’d arranged a marriage for him with a girl who’s obedient, sensible, remarkably pretty, and only requires a bride price of fifty yuan.

Without even thinking, the boy wanted to refuse, but then Li Hongmei mentioned that the girl was the Ye Family’s youngest daughter, and he froze.

"Really?"

His facial muscles twitched, barely able to control his inner joy. After getting Li Hongmei’s confirmation, he was overjoyed, hurriedly tidied up the room.

Li Hongmei saw this and thought he was just so happy to finally get a wife at his age. She kept urging him to remember her kindness, to be filial together as a couple.

However, he heard none of it. He cleaned his room thoroughly, struggled to sleep due to excitement and joy for several days until the night before the wedding when he stayed up all night.

With no money or gifts, he thought of a way and went to the mountains, leaving at dawn, almost combing through the entire mountain, finally gathering some beautiful flowers.

He remembered that the little girl once said proposals should come with roses, roses are red, and the petals are beautifully clustered together. He didn’t know what they looked like, so he picked many roses-like climbing roses.

After arranging various flowers in the room, he even stuffed the best-looking one into his clothes, repeatedly simulating the scene of giving flowers to the girl.

Ye Manman wanted to laugh watching this, but as she laughed, she felt a blockage in her heart.

It turns out the girl from He Chen’s story was indeed her.

She was the one he had kept in his heart all along.

There was never anyone else.

Ye Manman wanted to cry, felt deeply hurt, even began to find it hard to breathe.

She wanted to keep following He Chen, follow him to the wedding, but the surrounding colors suddenly twisted, then rapidly retreated from her.

She reached out, calling out He Chen’s name.

Yet all she saw was returning to the pure white.

Ye Manman tried hard to open her eyes, realizing she was dreaming, but no matter how she opened them, everything in front remained white.

She didn’t know how long it had been. Just as she was about to give up, she faintly heard someone calling her name, a voice very familiar, moving from far to near.

It’s He Chen!

With a rush, Ye Manman felt her head light, and took a deep breath, suddenly opened her eyes.

At this time, she felt like she’d just crawled out of water, all drenched in sweat, her long hair spread over the pillow, wet strands sticking to her forehead and cheeks.

"Manman, what did you dream about? Was it a nightmare? I called you but couldn’t wake you. I was worried..."

The He Chen she couldn’t grasp in the dream was right by her side, eyes red, face full of anxiety and worry. Seeing this face, Ye Manman couldn’t hold back.

She burst out crying, raising her hands to hook around He Chen’s neck, deeply kissing his lips.

He Chen, not knowing what was going on, still responded passionately and carefully.

He gently embraced her, helping her sit up, watching her quivering eyelashes as she kissed him with concern.

Watching her tears, like beads cut loose, slide down her eyelashes, He Chen gently raised a hand to wipe them.

Ye Manman finally confirmed she could touch him, slowly pulling back, leaving his lips, but their breathing seemed even more entangled.

With a voice filled with sobs and slight trembling, she looked at him, cried as she spoke.

"He Chen, I remember everything, I’ve remembered it all."

"I’m sorry I came too late, I’m sorry for making you wait alone for so long..."

She looked into his eyes, her tender lips gently trembling.

"I was that little girl, wasn’t I, He Chen, we knew each other as kids, didn’t we?"

"We promised to marry when we grew up. Thank you for the ’roses’ you prepared for me, I really like them!"

She finally understood everything, realized why He Chen treated her so well since their wedding, why he respected her without demanding marital duties, why he occasionally looked at her with an indescribable complex gaze.

It turns out that even after they married and lived together, he was still waiting for her in his heart, waiting for her to remember, truly and fully embrace him from the heart.

"Silly."

He Chen’s voice also suddenly trembled, seemingly not expecting her to suddenly remember the past. Having finished telling the story at night and seeing her still confused, he was already ready to give up.

Yet she actually remembered.

He Chen didn’t know what word could truly express his inner joy and jubilation at this moment.

Simultaneously, he felt deeply hurt.

Ye Manman remembered their past, which made her suffer like this.

Seeing her weakened, clothes drenched with sweat, hair strands plastered to her face, exhausted appearance, he almost wished she wouldn’t have this dream.

He never wanted to see her in such distress again.

"You’re all sweaty, change your clothes, or you’ll catch a cold."

He supported her slender waist with one hand, cupping her delicate small face with another, protecting her as if she were a rare treasure regained.

Ye Manman also belatedly sensed the cold against her skin from clothes sticking tightly to her. She responded with an "Um."

The turbulent emotions from waking up slowly began to settle, as He Chen got down from the bed to fetch clothes for her, a slight breeze blew over, making Ye Manman shiver directly.

"He Chen, hurry up, I’m about to freeze to death."

"I want to take a bath; can I? I’m all sticky, and it’s really uncomfortable."

The uncomfortable emotions had long vanished, leaving only the happiness of having her partner by her side. She tilted her neck to He Chen, acting coquettishly, her tone softer and more charming than usual.

Seeing her completely accepting him, at this moment, his heart was also entirely filled with overflowing happiness.

First, he draped his coat over her shoulders before leaning down to kiss her cheek.

"Your knees and hands shouldn’t touch water, bathe in a few days, I’ll heat some water and use warm towels to wipe down other areas, okay?"

Ye Manman always enjoyed watching him awkwardly coax her before, now He Chen was even more gentle, and she liked it even more.

So she leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Okay~"