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Chapter 46: Miss Yan is Back

This time, she felt no panic or chaos in her heart, nor did she want to go explain anything to him.

Instead, there was a sense of peace, as if everything had finally settled.

Yan Man simply put her phone on silent and set it aside, then closed her eyes.

Out of sight, out of mind.

When she came downstairs, Zhang Wanying immediately instructed the maid, “Yiyi, I made your favorite sweet and sour ribs.”

“Mom, I’ll eat later. I’m heading out for a bit.”

Yan Man wore a simple, elegant outfit with no makeup, her hair casually tied up.

“Where are you going?” Fang Shengnian stood up and asked, “Want Dad to drive you?”

Since Yan Man was home, he had deliberately taken the day off from work.

“No need, Dad. I’ll go myself.”

She smiled at her parents and walked out of the house.

“Hey—” Fang Shengnian was about to say more, but Zhang Wanying shot him a look to stop him.

The two of them watched Yan Man walk into the distance. Zhang Wanying sighed, “You know where she’s going—why say so much?”

Fang Shengnian also sighed, “She goes every year on this day. I’m used to it.”

Zhang Wanying, who took excellent care of herself, still looked like she was in her thirties despite being in her early fifties. But now, her face showed a trace of worry as she asked, “Do you think our Yiyi really likes Qingshuo?”

Fang Shengnian put an arm around her shoulders. “You ask this every year. Haven’t you figured it out yet?”

“It’s the first time I can’t read our daughter.” Zhang Wanying shook her head.

“It’s okay not to. Yiyi’s grown up now.”

Fang Shengnian was comforting both his wife and himself.

——

Yan Man didn’t ask the driver to take her. She drove off in a Bentley from the garage herself.

Though the Fang family lived in the city, their home was in one of the quietest and most peaceful areas—convenient to everything, but secluded.

Nearly twenty minutes later, Yan Man drove to the base of a scenic mountain.

On a large stone near the main entrance were the words: Heluoshan Cemetery.

Yan Man had already made arrangements with the cemetery staff yesterday. She signed in and headed straight for the private burial section with ease and familiarity.

Even cemeteries have ranks. Tang Qingshuo’s grave was in the highest class area—surrounded by mountains and water, with excellent feng shui.

At the time, his parents were too devastated to handle any of the funeral matters, so the Fang family took care of everything.

Tang Qingshuo had died in a plane crash, and no remains were found. His parents placed the clothes he loved most in a coffin and made a cenotaph in his memory.

A few minutes later, Yan Man stopped in front of a grave.

On the tombstone was a photo of Tang Qingshuo—taken on his graduation day by Yan Man herself.

She spoke in a calm voice, like she was chatting with him as she used to, telling him about her year:
“Qingshuo-ge, you probably wouldn’t have guessed, besides modeling, I’ve also acted in a few films. You once asked what I would do when I returned to China. I didn’t know then, so I didn’t answer. But now, I’ll tell you—I’ll keep being a model and actress, at least for now, until I get tired of it.”

“And you? Are you doing okay? You’d be 24 now, right?”

Yan Man wiped a tear from the corner of her eye with her knuckle, then continued,
“Uncle and Auntie Tang seem to be doing okay now. Yingying and Brother Zhou Jin often visit them, and I stop by to chat whenever I’m home. So don’t worry.”

She looked up at the photo on the tombstone—Tang Qingshuo remained young, full of life.

But time had flown. Four years had passed, and Yan Man was now 24, while he would forever be 21.

She gently touched the photo and smiled,
“A couple of years ago, I told you I met someone who looked a lot like you. But the more I got to know him, the less he seemed like you.”

“Your personalities are completely different. You were gentle and kind, like you had a natural gift for healing others. But he…”

Yan Man paused, unable to find the right words to describe Tan Qishen, then smiled again,
“Never mind, let’s not talk about him.”

In a calm voice, she added,
“I dated him for nearly two years.”

A pause, then lightly,
“We’re probably about to break up too.”

…

She sat in the cemetery for nearly an hour, speaking whatever came to mind. Before leaving, she left behind one final sentence:

“Qingshuo-ge, you shouldn’t have fallen for me.”

The wind rustled the trees, offering nothing but a gentle breeze in response.

——

That evening.

Yan Man rushed to the airport, where her family and friends came to see her off.

Tears welled up in Zhang Wanying’s eyes, full of reluctance,
“Stay a few more days next time you’re home.”

Yan Man hugged her and promised,
“I will, next time for sure.”

“Yiyi, make sure you’re home the day I give birth.”

Wen Mo Ying was over five months pregnant now. Yan Man had initially not wanted her to come, but she insisted.

“Of course. I’ll definitely be there.”

After saying goodbye to everyone, Yan Man boarded her flight just before takeoff.

——

Meanwhile, on Beijing’s Second Ring Road.

Tan Qishen had a dinner meeting with Mr. Chen from ‘Huaxin’, which had been rescheduled to today. He had just finished the social event.

Loosening his tie, he undid two buttons on his shirt. His neck was slightly red from the alcohol.

At this stage in his career, no one dared to pressure him into drinking—either they were long gone, or hadn’t been born yet. Mr. Chen even told him to take it easy, but Tan Qishen insisted on drinking as well.

Mr. Chen was so flattered he drank even more, and by the end, he was completely passed out. The dinner ended there.

Tan Qishen leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes, pretending to nap, but a shadow lingered between his brows—his mood clearly far from calm.

Wen Bo, in the passenger seat, received a call. He usually wouldn’t answer when his boss was resting, but this call was too important.

He only said a couple of “mm-hmms” before hanging up.

Wen Bo hesitated, unsure if he should tell Tan Qishen. When he turned to glance at the backseat, he met Tan Qishen’s sharp gaze.

His voice was low and icy,
“Is it about the film crew?”

Wen Bo braced himself and nodded,
“Yes.”

“Miss Yan… is back.”

——

Author’s Note:
Tang Qingshuo is confirmed to be deceased. He will not come back later. This is a modern romance novel, not a mystery.

Tan Qishen does look very similar to Tang Qingshuo—around 70-80% resemblance—but the two are not related.
It’s like Bai Baihe and Wang Luodan—I couldn’t tell them apart when I was a kid.

Just a bit of that “look-alike but not alike” literary trope…

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