Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Xia Yanran probably came over from time to time.
The flowers planted around the cave were the types that she liked. It was originally a shabby place, but she had managed to make this place feel extremely warm and romantic.
Xiao Yi’s chest could not help but flutter.
Looking away from the flowers, Xiao Yi bent down to enter the cave.
With a simple glance around the cave, he easily spotted the woman who had fallen asleep on the desk.
There was a small lamp placed on the desk, while she buried her face in her arms, her figure looking thin and slender.
Xiao Yi slowed down his steps and slowly walked over.
It had been a long time since Xia Yanran had a proper sleep. Ever since she came here and did her best to relax her mind and body, the quality of her sleep had gotten a lot better too.
When Xiao Yi was standing beside her, she did not feel anything at all.
Xiao Yi noted that she was holding a romantic novel in her hands still, and he slowly took the book out from her hand.
The page she had stopped at was at a scene where the female protagonist and the male protagonist had broken up, and there seemed to be some tear stains on the page.
This girl even cried after reading such a book?
Xiao Yi glanced at the book casually. The content in the book was roughly about the couple breaking up, but sleeping together once more before the female protagonist left and went to a place alone where the male protagonist could not find her.
The female protagonist left the male protagonist because she had a severe illness that prevented her from being with the male protagonist for the rest of her life.
If it was in the past, Xiao Yi would definitely scoff at this type of storyline.
However, he could not laugh at it now.
She probably cried after reading it because she understood how the female protagonist felt!
Really, she was such a foolish girl!
Xiao Yi put down the book and carried her from the chair to place her on the bed.
She opened her eyes slightly, staring at him with sleepy eyes. “Xiao Yi…”
Xiao Yi thought that she was awake, so he sat by the bed and grabbed her small hand. “Sleep, we’ll talk tomorrow.”
Xia Yanran did not wake up fully and thought that she was only dreaming.
Whenever she came over here, she had always dreamt that Xiao Yi had appeared in front of her.
However, when she was about to jump into his arms, he would disappear again.
It was probably the same this time!
It had to be her imagination.
She blinked, saying with a sad expression, “Xiao Yi, I’m so scared.”
Xiao Yi’s eyes constricted a little, his hold on her hand tightening slightly as he wrapped his hand over her hand fully.
“Don’t be afraid, I’m here.”
Xia Yanran’s eyes were covered in a thin layer of mist. She sniffled and choked, “You wouldn’t be here, this is just my dreams, right? You already have Qin Peipei, and I’m nothing anymore…
“I remember everything you said to me, that we don’t owe each other anything and for us to never meet again.”
Hearing her say this made Xiao Yi’s heart feel like a steel rod was poking it ruthlessly and continuously, every poke stabbing at the depth of his heart.
It was a twisting, bone-crippling pain!
At the same time, he also understood that him saying these words to her that day at Elder Dong’s house was terribly cruel and cold-hearted!
It was because he did not want to implicate her, and did not want to pull her into his world again.
However, he had ignored her feelings.
He never asked her for her opinion and always made the decision for the two of them, thinking that it was the best!
“Xiao Yi, leave and never come into my dreams again!” Xia Yanran muttered as he looked down. It was like she was speaking to him, yet at the same time, it was like she was speaking to the air as well. Her voice was extremely sad. “In my next life, I will never love you again, Xiao Yi. The taste of loving a person but not being to be together with them is too painful and bitter.”
Xiao Yi lifted his hand to caress her small face.
There was a single sparkling tear by the corner of her eye, and it fell onto the back of his hands.
The scorching temperature felt like a whip had poked at the bottom of his heart ruthlessly.
“Yanran, I’m sorry.”
Xia Yanran shook her head. “Don’t say sorry. I’d already accepted that many things cannot be forced… Xiao Yi, I’m tired already. Leave and never come back again.”
She lay back down on the bed, facing away from him.
She merely treated his appearance as a scene in her dream, as she fell asleep again quickly.
Hearing her calm and balanced breathing, Xiao Yi felt his innards churning, his emotions extremely mixed.
He did not sleep and sat by the bed for nearly the entire night.
His deep eyes never moved away from her face.
…
Xia Yanran had never slept so well in a long while.
When she woke up the next day, she only felt extremely at ease and relaxed.
She stretched lazily, not feeling as bad as she did a few days ago.
Indeed, living in a quiet mountain made her calm down a lot better than the bustling city.
Xia Yanran lifted the blanket and sat up on the bed, before she took her washing products and started walking towards the small creek.
However, she took a few steps before she realized something was wrong.
Hadn’t she fallen asleep on the table last night? Before she fell asleep, she was even reading a romantic novel with a sad ending.
She fell asleep while reading it afterwards.
How did she end up on the bed?
After she slept on the bed, she had even dreamt of Xiao Yi. Thinking about it now, why did that dream feel so realistic?
Xia Yanran hesitated for a few seconds before she returned to the cave.
Apart from her, no one else was present in the cave.
Xia Yanran felt that she was really funny. Xiao Yi already had a child with Qin Peipei, why was she still hoping that he would come here?
Xia Yanran arrived at the creek to wash her face and brush her teeth.
She did some stretching exercises before she turned around, planning to return to the cave.
“Sister Xia!”
The young girl that had saved Xiao Yi before ran over excitedly. “Sister Xia, are you really here? I heard from my neighbor that he saw lights in the cave last night, and I thought he was lying to me!”
Xia Yanran smiled. “I’m planning to stay here for a while.”
“That’s great, Sister Xia. It’s been a long time since you came, I missed you so much… Oh, Sister Xia, Mr Xiao is here too?”
Xia Yanran shook her head. “No, he wouldn’t come here.”
The young girl pointed up at the mountain. “But the person standing there looks like Mr Xiao!”
Xia Yanran turned around immediately.
When she saw the black figure standing by the cave, she almost thought that she was hallucinating.
“Sister Xia, I’m not wrong, right? That’s Mr Xiao, right?”
Xia Yanran kept her smile, her eyes moving away from that black figure.
Seeing that Xia Yanran was no longer smiling, the young girl asked with confusion, “Sister Xia, aren’t you happy that Mr Xiao is here?”
“Xiao Meng, go and tell him that I don’t want to see him, tell him to leave!”
Xia Yanran sat by the creek, not glancing at Xiao Yi once more.
Xiao Meng glanced at Xia Yanran, then at Xiao Yi who was afar, confusion written in her eyes.
Everyone in the village knew that Sister Xia really liked Mr Xiao, but now that Mr Xiao was here, why did she want him to leave again?
Xia Yanran hugged her knees with her hands, burying her face in her arms.
Everything would be fine if she didn’t see or hear anything. Like this, she could just treat the man as if he was nothing.
After about half an hour, Xia Yanran did not hear anything, so she slowly looked up.