Cheng Yu stared at him in surprise, her heart inexplicably stirred. From the time she met Deng Ruofan until now, that man had never cooked a single dish for her. Even making instant noodles, he expected her to serve him.

But this man was willing to cook congee for his wife.

“You should eat quickly!” Du Lingyun seemed uncomfortable under her surprised gaze. He frowned, about to turn and leave, but then he glanced at her pale face and hesitated. “Can you eat by yourself?”

“If I can’t, will you feed me?” Cheng Yu asked, not sure why she wanted to know.

Du Lingyun’s brow furrowed, as if considering something. Then, reluctantly, he pursed his lips, pulled a chair to the bedside, and picked up the bowl of congee.

He was really going to feed her? Cheng Yu was stunned.

“It’s only for Yang Yang.” Du Lingyun’s expression was blank. “He’s very worried about you.”

So, if it weren’t for not wanting to disappoint his son, he wouldn’t bother with her at all?

No matter the reason, at least he didn’t completely ignore his wife. When his wife needed him, he was still willing to help.

Thankfully, he wasn’t a bad man, not another Deng Ruofan.

Cheng Yu couldn’t describe the feeling in her heart. If there were a sky in front of her now, it would be breaking through the clouds, revealing a warm, orange sunlight.

She opened her mouth and took a sip of the congee, then asked softly, “Why is Yang Yang afraid of me?”

Du Lingyun paused. “Do you really remember nothing?”

“Yes, I can’t remember.” She tried to keep her expression calm, not wanting him to see that she was lying.

She wasn’t suffering from amnesia; she had reincarnated into another body. She wasn’t his real wife, just a selfish woman who wanted to start her life over, using the excuse of losing her memory.

The man stared at her with a complex expression, his dark eyes behind his glasses reflecting a pure and innocent face.

It was Jian Lanxi’s face, not as beautiful as her original one, but still a pretty face.

“If you can’t remember, then don’t try to,” Du Lingyun finally said calmly after a while. “From now on, just be a good mother to Yang Yang and don’t hurt him anymore.”

Did he mean that Jian Lanxi had hurt Yang Yang before?

How could a mother bear to hurt such a lovely and kind child?

Cheng Yu found it unbelievable and bit her lip hard.

Du Lingyun was silent for two seconds, then said softly, “No matter what, Yang Yang still wants to be close to you. He’s still young and needs a mother.”

He only mentioned Yang Yang but said nothing about himself.

Yang Yang needed a mother, but what about him? Did he need a wife?

Or perhaps the feelings between them as a couple had already been irreparably damaged…

Cheng Yu looked at the man who was silently feeding her congee, spoonful by spoonful, and felt a pang in her heart.

Du Lingyun went to his son’s room, where little Yang Yang was sitting at his desk, staring blankly at a coloring book, holding a crayon in his small hand, unconsciously squeezing and releasing it.

Seeing his father come in, Yang Yang jumped off the chair and ran towards him. “Dad!”

Du Lingyun picked up his son.

Yang Yang wrapped his small arms around his father’s neck and asked softly, “Has Mom eaten?”

“Yes, she has.”

“Is she feeling better?”

“Yes, she’s much better.”

Yang Yang smiled happily upon hearing this, but his expression quickly turned gloomy again. “Did I make Mom angry again?”

He remembered how his mother had hugged him tightly earlier, so tightly that it hurt and he could barely breathe.

Du Lingyun stiffened, and his expression softened as he smiled reassuringly at his son. “No, Mom is not angry.”

“What about Dad?”

“Dad is not angry either.”

The little boy looked up at his father with hopeful eyes. “Dad, can you and Mom promise not to fight anymore?”

Du Lingyun felt a pang in his chest, remembering how his wife had hardly given him a kind look since they got married. A mocking light flashed in his dark eyes.

He didn’t respond, but put his son back on the chair and ruffled his hair. “What are you drawing, Yang Yang?”

“A Gundam robot.” Yang Yang’s voice became excited as he talked about his favorite drawing. “Dad, do you think it would look better in blue or red clothes?”

“What do you think?”

“I think both blue and red look good, but I don’t know which one is better.”

“Then why not give it both colors of clothes?”

“Oh, right! Then Dad, come draw with me.”

“I’ll just watch you draw.”

“No, I want Dad to draw with me. Let’s have a contest to see who draws better!”

“Okay, then you draw on this page, and Dad will draw on this one.”

“Okay!”

In the room, father and son happily colored their drawings with crayons, creating a harmonious atmosphere.

Outside the room, Cheng Yu stood quietly by the door, peeking at this warm scene and listening to the occasional laughter. Her thoughts drifted, as if she were crossing a foggy forest and opening a door that had been closed for a long time.

She returned to that year, that moment.

She saw a little girl leaning on the dining table, smiling as she scribbled with her new crayons.

“Are they good to use?” A dark-skinned man walked over, his hands rough from years of working in a garage, but his touch was gentle as he ruffled the little girl’s hair.

“Yes, they’re good! Dad, I want to use this box of watercolor crayons to enter a drawing contest.”

“Of course, our little Yu draws so well, you must win a prize.”

“I want to win first place!”

“You think you can just say you’ll win? You should be more modest.” Another soft female voice chimed in, teasingly.

“Why should I be modest? I’m really good at drawing.” The little girl pouted, not convinced.

“That’s right, our little Yu is going to be a great artist someday, right?” The man praised his daughter.

“Yes, and when I grow up, I’ll sell my paintings for lots of money and buy a big house for Dad, Mom, and me to live in, so we won’t have to rent anymore.”

“Great! Our little Yu has big dreams. Then Dad and Mom will wait for you to buy us a big house.”

“Oh, I don’t dare to think about that. You know, those artists on TV often can’t even support themselves. But it’s okay, little Yu, if you can’t make money, Mom will arrange a marriage for you. With the good looks you inherited from me, you should be able to find a good husband…”

“Mom! Why do you always have to put down your daughter like that?”

“That’s right, our little Yu won’t just marry anyone. What man in this world is good enough for our beautiful and lovely daughter?”

“Old Chen, you’re just boasting about your own melons.”

“Honey!”

“Mom!”

Both father and daughter protested in unison, and soon the room was filled with laughter. It was filled with happiness.

At that time, she never imagined that her parents, who were laughing happily with her, would be gone the next moment.

She never imagined that happiness could disappear so easily…

Tears suddenly welled up in Cheng Yu’s eyes, like a string of pearls, falling silently one by one.

Even she was surprised.

How long had it been since she last thought about that time?

Ever since the earthquake, ever since she drifted from one foster home to another like a floating weed, she had locked away those memories, telling herself never to think about them again.

Even after she was with Deng Ruofan, she never allowed herself to reminisce.

Why did she suddenly remember now?

Why did she return to that past, which she knew could never be relived, at this moment?

Why…

“Dad, look! Doesn’t my drawing look good?”

The little boy’s soft voice startled Cheng Yu, and she quickly hid herself behind the door, but her gaze lingered on the scene inside the room.

This kind of scene, this kind of happiness, wasn’t it what she had always longed for?

She wanted this happiness, no matter what, even if she had to die for it.

She took a deep breath and told herself over and over again that she must find a way to keep all of this.

Even if it didn’t belong to her.