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Du Lingyun held his son, and the four eyes, big and small, silently gazed at the woman lying on the hospital bed.
Her forehead had a slight abrasion, her left arm was bandaged, her face was pale, her hair was disheveled, and she looked haggard.
Other than that, she seemed normal, but her eyes, staring at him, held an emotion akin to panic and fear.
Was she afraid of him? Did she not want to see him?
Du Lingyun felt a chill in his chest and tried not to show any emotion towards this woman in front of his son. “Are you… okay?”
She didn’t answer, still looking at him with that panicked gaze.
“Do you want to go home?” he asked calmly, with a hint of indifference.
She remained silent.
“Mom…” Yang Yang stirred in his father’s arms, his clear eyes timidly fixed on his mother. After a while, he mustered the courage to ask, “Are you… not going to want Yang Yang anymore?”
The little boy’s eyes welled up with tears.
She looked at him, startled.
Yang Yang sniffed, trying to hold back his tears. “Yang Yang will be good from now on, don’t leave me and Dad…”
Du Lingyun took a deep breath, suppressing the emotions surging in his heart. If it weren’t for Yang Yang, he wouldn’t want to deal with this woman anymore, but the child still needed his mother…
“Come home. We can discuss anything, and if you want a divorce, I won’t object, but regarding Yang Yang’s custody…”
“I want the child!” she suddenly interrupted him, her voice sharp, her cheeks flushed with excitement, and her eyes bright.
He was taken aback. “Do you really want him?”
He remembered not long ago, she had complained that her life was ruined by him and Yang Yang, that she could have lived freely and happily, but now she was trapped in an unhappy marriage.
Had she forgotten her resentment after leaving home for a while?
“I want him! Don’t take him away from me, give him to me, give me the child…”
As she spoke, she suddenly burst into tears, her voice broken and sobbing, her expression filled with despair and sorrow, as if she were trapped in a maze that had confined her for years, unable to escape.
He looked at her tear-filled eyes and red nose, feeling a mix of pity and confusion, his heartstrings tugged inexplicably. After a long silence, he finally spoke in a hoarse voice—
“Jian Lanxi, what’s wrong with you?”
Jian Lanxi.
Cheng Yu repeated this name over and over in her heart, staring blankly at the ceiling.
She had always thought life was fragile, that one could die at any moment. She didn’t expect life could also be so tenacious.
She was still alive.
In the moment the truck hit her, she thought she was dead for sure, feeling that death would be a relief since she didn’t have long to live anyway, and life held no meaning for her.
But she was still alive!
Breathing the air of this world, her heart beating strongly, though her body was still weak, she was undoubtedly alive.
But not as Cheng Yu.
She was alive, but her soul was attached to another woman’s body, a woman named Jian Lanxi, a few years younger than her, in the prime of her youth.
Was this what they called reincarnation?
When the car accident happened, Jian Lanxi happened to be following behind her, and both of them were hit one after the other. She died, but her soul was transferred into Jian Lanxi’s body.
Jian Lanxi’s body suffered less impact and only sustained minor injuries, while her body was severely damaged, with all her internal organs displaced, truly dead.
Occupying another woman’s body, she felt very sorry, but she couldn’t bear to give it up.
Because Jian Lanxi had a child.
That little boy named Yang Yang, who had given her a piece of candy, turned out to be her son!
In the hospital, when that man appeared in front of her with Yang Yang in his arms, she felt both panic and a glimmer of hope. Could this be heaven’s way of compensating her?
Giving her another healthy body, giving her a child, allowing her to live a good life again.
She thought that the man must have been shocked by her sudden breakdown. Not only did he immediately take her home, but he also half-forced her to lie in bed and rest, not allowing her to get up.
For an entire day and night, she lay there in a daze, her thoughts chaotic.
This was truly unbelievable. She could live on in another woman’s body!
It was like a dream. But even if it was just a dream, she didn’t want to wake up. She wanted to indulge in this dream…
Knock, knock!
The sound of a gentle knock on the door startled her from her thoughts.
Soon, Yang Yang pushed open the door and walked in quietly, stopping a few steps away from her bed, looking nervous.
“Mom, are you feeling better?” Yang Yang asked softly, his big, round eyes fixed on her, his long eyelashes trembling slightly, as if he was hesitant.
Cheng Yu couldn’t help but reach out her hand to him. “I’m much better. Come here.”
Yang Yang’s eyes lit up, and he started to run towards her, but then he suddenly stopped, his small lips pursed.
This reaction made Cheng Yu feel a pang of sadness. Why wouldn’t this child come near her? Was it because, deep down, he sensed that she was not his real mother?
“Why won’t you come here?” she asked hoarsely.
The little boy shivered slightly, his small hands clasped together, as if he was nervous.
After a while, he finally spoke softly. “Yang Yang will be good. Mom, don’t be angry.”
Cheng Yu was taken aback. Did she look angry?
“I’m not angry.” She clarified, trying to make her voice and expression gentle.
Yang Yang looked at her cautiously, not saying a word.
“Come here to Mom.” Cheng Yu reached out her hand again.
Yang Yang hesitated for a moment, but finally, he couldn’t resist the longing for his mother’s embrace and walked slowly to the bed.
Cheng Yu hugged him tightly, as if she were hugging her own unborn child. Her heart surged with emotions, and she tightened her arms, afraid that if she let go, she would lose him again.
Yang Yang struggled, feeling a bit suffocated, and pleaded softly, “It hurts… Mom, Yang Yang hurts…”
“Let him go!” a stern voice commanded like a bolt of lightning.
Cheng Yu was startled and involuntarily let go. Yang Yang stumbled back and turned to hug the man’s legs tightly.
“Dad!” the little boy’s voice held a hint of grievance.
Was he that afraid of her?
Cheng Yu’s heart sank as she stared blankly at the man holding a tray.
He was Yang Yang’s father, Du Lingyun, the man who had held an umbrella for her when she was crying in despair.
She had thought he was gentle and kind, but now his gaze was cold and stern, and his tone was harsh.
She felt like she was seeing another Deng Ruofan.
Did this man also despise his wife? Were all men the same? Kind and warm to other women, but cold-hearted to their own wives.
Cheng Yu felt a chill in her heart.
She saw Du Lingyun smile warmly at his son. “Yang Yang, go back to your room and draw for a while. Dad will come and play with you later, okay?”
“Okay.” Yang Yang nodded obediently, then looked timidly at his mother on the bed and said softly to his father, “Dad, don’t be angry with Mom.”
Du Lingyun’s expression froze for a moment, then he sighed. “Dad won’t. Yang Yang, don’t worry, go back to your room.”
“Okay.”
As soon as the child left, Du Lingyun’s smile faded, and his expression turned cold again.
He placed the tray on the small table by the bed, and a salty aroma filled Cheng Yu’s nostrils. She turned to look and saw that the tray held a bowl of savory congee with egg and green onions, along with two side dishes of pickled vegetables.
“The doctor said you need to rest for a while, and it’s best to eat light during this time.” As if sensing her confusion, Du Lingyun explained calmly.
“Did you… cook this yourself?”
“Yes.”