Extra 2

Since He Cheng’an was imprisoned, Lu Yun began to lose weight.

Previously, she had devoted herself entirely to Chen Zhiqiang and had never thought much of He Cheng’an.

Now, however, she could only hate herself for not being able to return to her younger days, to treat He Cheng’an well, to be with him, and to marry him.

Although He Cheng’an was in prison, some of his businesses were still operating normally. If any issues arose, Zhang Hao was the one handling them.

This was a particularly busy time, and Zhang Hao often found himself only able to sleep three or four hours a day. Even so, he still made time to visit Lu Yun, though he was always sullen and silent.

Sometimes, Zhang Hao would bring food for Lu Yun, and at other times, he would help clean her home. A big man like him was not accustomed to such chores, but he made an effort to tidy up as best he could.

Zhang Hao and Lu Yun rarely spoke; he came mainly to take care of her. At that time, the trend of hiring housekeepers was becoming popular, and Zhang Hao thought about finding a nanny to manage Lu Yun’s daily meals. However, Lu Yun rejected this idea.

In addition, Zhang Hao noticed Lu Yun’s changes.

She had grown silent and increasingly reluctant to speak.

There were even times when he visited, and Lu Yun wouldn’t show herself.

—o—o—o—

One day, Zhang Hao came over as usual. He looked around the almost unchanged room and said nothing.

He picked up a mop and began to clean the floor. It was at that moment that Lu Yun stepped out and stood watching him. Zhang Hao continued working with his head down.

Lu Yun said, “I want to see He Cheng’an.”

Zhang Hao paused his actions, wanting to say something sarcastic, but in the end, he swallowed it back. “Okay,” he replied.

After all, He Cheng’an had asked him to take care of Lu Yun, and whatever she said, he would comply.

However, Zhang Hao had already decided that if it had anything to do with Chen Zhiqiang, he would refuse to help.

After all, He Cheng’an was in this situation partly because of Lu Yun’s involvement with Chen Zhiqiang.

When he looked up, Zhang Hao noticed how thin Lu Yun had become; her clothes hung loosely on her. He opened his mouth to say, “You should eat something.”

It was half a month later that Lu Yun finally saw He Cheng’an.

She stood behind the glass partition, and as soon as she laid eyes on him, she broke down in tears without uttering a word.

He Cheng’an stood up, reaching out his hand but only able to touch the glass. His expression was anxious as he asked her many questions.

“Don’t cry anymore,” He Cheng’an said.

“Have you been wronged?” he continued.

“Talk to me, and I’ll help you solve it.”

“Later, when you go back, ask Zhang Hao to come by. I’ll find a way.”

Lu Yun didn’t respond—her gaze lowered as tears fell.

After a long pause, she said, “He Cheng’an, will you marry me when you get out?”

He Cheng’an stood there, momentarily at a loss.

His eyes brimmed with tears, and he struggled to speak.

“Do you not want me anymore?” Lu Yun asked.

He Cheng’an didn’t know what to say; all he could do was repeatedly assure her, “Yes, yes, how could I not want you? Wait for me to get out, and I’ll marry you, okay? Please don’t cry, don’t cry.”

When they were leaving, Zhang Hao was waiting outside for Lu Yun. She walked up to him and spoke very seriously. “We need to find a lawyer. We need to appeal this case; it definitely has something to do with Chen Zhiqiang. At the very least, we should try. Let’s try again. We won’t use a lawyer from the provincial capital; we’ll find one from the capital.”

Zhang Hao, who had already been planning this and had been making arrangements, looked at Lu Yun for a long moment before nodding.

A month and a half later.

He Cheng’an finally had his case overturned. Chen Zhiqiang’s associates were sent to prison, and He Cheng’an was released without charge.

During this time, Lu Yun and Zhang Hao had been running around for He Cheng’an, and their hard work paid off as they managed to find evidence proving He Cheng’an’s innocence.

Standing at the prison gates, Lu Yun appeared fragile, like a lily swaying in the wind.

She tightly grasped the hem of her dress.

At the moment the prison gates opened, Lu Yun saw He Cheng’an walking out.

Unable to hold back her tears, they fell like raindrops.

He Cheng’an quickly strode over, tension evident in his demeanor as he wrapped her in his arms, continuously soothing Lu Yun.

“Let’s go to the Civil Affairs Bureau,” Lu Yun said.

He Cheng’an’s voice had grown hoarse. “What did you say?”

“I said, let’s go to the Civil Affairs Bureau,” Lu Yun repeated.

Before coming over, Lu Yun had already made up her mind that she wanted to marry He Cheng’an.

She had Zhang Hao take her and He Cheng’an to the Civil Affairs Bureau, where they obtained their marriage certificate together.

In fact, before arriving, Lu Yun had even bought wedding candy, which she gave to the staff at the bureau while they were processing their marriage certificate.

Afterward, she walked out of the Civil Affairs Bureau with He Cheng’an.

Lu Yun looked at He Cheng’an, who seemed to be holding their marriage certificates tightly in his hands. He gripped them so hard that his knuckles turned white.

She stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek, then they continued to walk forward.

However, a few steps later, Lu Yun noticed something was off; He Cheng’an was starting to walk in sync with her.

“Hey!” Lu Yun exclaimed.

After obtaining their marriage certificate, He Cheng’an began to prepare for their wedding.

Having gone through the ordeal with Chen Zhiqiang, the Lu family now accepted, was satisfied with, and even felt guilty toward He Cheng’an, so they were very supportive.

He Cheng’an was throwing money into the wedding preparations—determined to give Lu Yun the best.

However, Lu Yun realized that He Cheng’an seemed to lack confidence.

Even after they had obtained their marriage certificate, this insecurity made Lu Yun feel distressed.

She wanted to do more for him, but she found that she hardly had the chance to show her affection.

He Cheng’an took care of everything, from the grand occasions to the mundane tasks, always worrying about whether he was causing Lu Yun any distress.

In addition to this matter, there was another reason for Lu Yun to feel happy, and that was concerning Zhang Hao.

Although Zhang Hao had initially disliked Lu Yun, their relationship had improved after she married He Cheng’an and because of her actions later on.

He even greeted her politely as “sister-in-law” whenever they met, all for the sake of He Cheng’an’s happiness.

Of course, what mattered most to Lu Yun in this relationship was that she didn’t want to make things difficult for He Cheng’an.

During the month, Lu Yun often invited Zhang Hao over for dinner.

However, she rarely cooked; most of the time, He Cheng’an prepared the ingredients, and Lu Yun would just stir-fry for a bit. Every time she cooked, there were never any leftovers; He Cheng’an ate everything cleanly.

Since they had not yet held their wedding, Lu Yun and He Cheng’an still slept in separate rooms.

One night, when Lu Yun woke up, she found herself both crying and smiling.

She hadn’t expected that if she hadn’t continued stubbornly clinging to Chen Zhiqiang, their outcome would have turned out like this.

It was wonderful. However, even though Lu Yun envied their ending, she felt that she should treasure He Cheng’an even more.

Outside, He Cheng’an knocked on the door anxiously, his voice deep. “Ah Yun?”

After Lu Yun let He Cheng’an in, she noticed that he hadn’t turned on the bright lights; he had only switched on the lamp. She rushed to him and hugged him tightly. “He Cheng’an, I had a dream.”

He Cheng’an spoke softly, his voice soothing. “Don’t be afraid. I’m always here.”

But Lu Yun kissed him, and in the moment that He Cheng’an looked at her in disbelief, they found themselves wrapped in each other’s arms, not knowing how they had gotten there.

Lu Yun didn’t mention her dream, while He Cheng’an remained restrained. When they awoke, it was already the next afternoon.

As He Cheng’an watched Lu Yun wake up, he was extremely anxious. He called out, “Ah Yun.”

Lu Yun opened her mouth, her voice sweet. “Cheng’an?”

Whether it was because she directly married He Cheng’an or because they had gone through so much to finally be together, Lu Yun felt that as long as she had He Cheng’an by her side, that was enough.

She hoped that in that world, both she and He Cheng’an would be well and happily together.

He Cheng’an said, “I just woke up and wanted to make you some food, but I was worried you’d wake up and not see me. Now, I’m going to make you something to eat.”

Lu Yun replied, “I want some plain congee.”

“Okay,” He Cheng’an said.

“Egg custard,” Lu Yun said.

“Okay,” He Cheng’an replied.

The two of them exchanged glances, and He Cheng’an waited for Lu Yun to continue.

However, Lu Yun didn’t have anything else she wanted to eat; instead, she recalled what He Cheng’an had said to her yesterday: “I love you.”

She didn’t know how many times he had whispered that phrase in her ear.

With a smile, Lu Yun told him, “He Cheng’an, right now, I only like you, but one day, I will love you very much, just like you love me.”

He Cheng’an felt his eyes welling up with tears.

He never expected that one day he would hear Lu Yun say those words.

She liked him; she said she liked him, and she also said that one day, she would love him deeply.

After a while, when He Cheng’an went to the kitchen to cook for Lu Yun, she watched him and smiled softly.

—o—o—o—

Once Lu Yun woke up, she took a big gulp of the mineral water she found on her bedside table.

She was surprised to have dreamed about these things, dreaming of the continuation of their story as if from a novel, imagining her and He Cheng’an’s ending.

While she was lost in thought, He Cheng’an got up beside her, turned on the lamp, and pulled Lu Yun into his arms, gently comforting her. Lu Yun hugged his waist tightly.

“Darling, we got married; we ended up getting married,” she said.

It took He Cheng’an a few seconds to process her words. His gaze softened as he replied, “I knew it; my Ah Yun would always marry me.”

Lu Yun continued, “Yeah, after your case was overturned, you came out of prison. I asked you if you wanted to go get our marriage certificate together, and then we got our marriage certificate at the Civil Affairs Bureau. You looked like a fool, and then we held our wedding. Although you were behind Chen Zhiqiang, your business started to do better and better. The following year, I got pregnant with twins.”

He Cheng’an looked at Lu Yun, who smiled back at him. She nodded, “Well, yes, it’s them.”

They both laughed.

In that parallel universe, they lived happily and well.

In that parallel world, they would eventually love each other without reservations.

—End of side story

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T/N: I really feel bad for Cheng’an, I’m happy that he finally got what he wanted T__T

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