Dai Chukong’s heart ached.
Qi Bufan’s words were cruel to her, but she had no choice but to listen.
“Lovers kiss and make love, but whenever I think of kissing and making love with you, I feel guilty.”
“I’ll always remember how adorable you looked when you didn’t know how to braid your hair and pestered me with a comb to make me comb your hair. I learned how to tie my hair and taught you how to do it. Just thinking about how I’m going to be with this child I raised as a daughter makes me feel guilty. I feel like a pervert…”
Qi Bufan was in pain.
If he still had some love for Dai Chukong, then no matter who Dai Chukong was, what identity she had, or what age she was, he would dare to love and marry her.
“My feelings for you are pure. It’s a father’s love and indulgence for his daughter, an elder’s patience and tolerance for the younger generation, but there’s no man’s deep love for a woman.”
“Chukong, I’m sorry. Dad promised you so many requests, but this time, Dad will disappoint you…” Qi Bufan’s narration was incoherent. His tone was painful and confused.
Dai Chukong listened to his inner monologue and felt especially upset. She did not know that her love for this person made him suffer so much. Perhaps she knew but just did not dare to think too deeply.
“Stop talking.” Dai Chukong stopped Qi Bufan’s hand.
She could roughly guess why Qi Bufan had brought her to her father’s grave.
She bent her body and stood up. Dai Chukong looked up slightly and stared at Qi Bufan’s red eyes. She suddenly asked him, “You want to cut ties with me, right?”
Qi Bufan closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. “Yes!”
Then, Dai Chukong closed her eyes in resignation. “Why?”
“You already have feelings for me that you shouldn’t have. We can never be family, right?” Qi Bufan caressed Dai Chukong’s hair with heartache as he looked at the little girl’s beautiful face.
He had raised this child single-handedly.
He felt both proud and pained.
“Every day you spend with me has become a kind of pain for you.” Qi Bufan retracted his hand, took off the jade cicada carving around his neck, and hung it around Dai Chukong’s neck.
Dai Chukong looked down at the pendant and cried as she asked, “What’s this?”
“Madam carved the jade cicada herself. She said that the jade cicada means rebirth. Chukong, you should have another life. Leave me and treat it as having a new life.”
Dai Chukong wanted to cry again. “I don’t want to leave you!”
Qi Bufan suddenly raised his voice and shouted at her, “You have to leave me! Dai Chukong, you’re still young. You’re only 21 years old. You’ll experience countless beautiful accidents! You’ll always meet another person. He must be a good man. He’ll treat you very well and treat you like a treasure! When you meet that person, you’ll understand why I did what I did today.”
Seeing that Dai Chukong was in a daze, Qi Bufan realized that he had scared her. He softened his tone and said, “You’re my child. I hope you’ll be happy.”
Qi Bufan stood up and coughed. His chest hurt terribly. He pressed his chest and slowly left the cemetery. He had only taken a few steps when a series of footsteps suddenly sounded behind him.
Qi Bufan knew that Dai Chukong had caught up.
“Qi Bufan!” Dai Chukong shouted his name hoarsely.
Qi Bufan stopped in his tracks.
Should he turn around or not?
He stood where he was, in a deadlock.
Dai Chukong was standing behind him. She looked up at him and said, “Turn around and look at me, okay?”
Qi Bufan’s heart softened. He slowly turned around. Just as he turned around, a beautiful face suddenly enlarged in his vision. There was a hint of gentleness on Qi Bufan’s lips.
He did not move.
After being stunned for two to three seconds, Qi Bufan lowered his eyes and saw Dai Chukong’s long eyelashes trembling and a few drops of tears falling from the corner of her eyes. He regained his senses and suddenly pushed Dai Chukong away.
Dai Chukong took a few steps back from his push.
She touched her mouth and said, “You already said you were leaving. When I called you to turn around, your heart softened again.”
Qi Bufan’s lips moved, but he was speechless.
Dai Chukong said, “You’re lying.”
“Wh… What?” Qi Bufan was confused, not knowing what Dai Chukong meant.
Dai Chukong slowly walked forward and pressed her hand on Qi Bufan’s chest. She felt the rhythm of his heart under the man’s body and laughed while crying. “You’ll never be able to love another woman in your life.”
Qi Bufan looked indifferent.
Dai Chukong added, “You know that if you don’t chase me away, I’ll move in here.” Her fingers scratched Qi Bufan’s chest as she said, “You’re afraid. You’re afraid that you’ll fall in love with me. You’re afraid that with me here, you won’t be able to bear to let me go anymore.”
Qi Bufan’s expression became flustered.
“Nonsense!”
He took a step back.
He looked very calm. He sighed softly and turned to leave without saying anything else.
Dai Chukong did not chase after him. She only watched as Qi Bufan left. When he really left, she returned to Dai Ruoheng’s tombstone. Dai Chukong knelt in front of the tombstone.
After Qi Bufan left the cemetery, he took a taxi to Binjiang City.
He bought a plane ticket and took a few hours to reach Binjiang City. Before he reached Fang Yusheng’s house, he received a call from the front desk of the Shen City Hotel.
“Mr. Qi, do you want to check out of the room? It’s already two in the afternoon. If you don’t intend to renew your room, please come to the front desk to get your deposit…”
Qi Bufan grasped the main point and asked the receptionist, “She’s not back?”
The other party was stunned for a moment before understanding who Qi Bufan was referring to.
She said, “No.”
Qi Bufan was a little flustered.
She was not back yet. Where had she gone? She was a girl, alone in a strange city. Could she have gotten into an accident? Qi Bufan was at a loss, his heart beating wildly.
The car had already entered the city center of Binjiang City. Qi Bufan looked at the tall buildings outside the car window and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, his eyes were filled with resignation. “Back to the airport!”
Four hours later…
Night fell in Shen Chen. In the afternoon, it started to snow in this city. The snow in this city was not small-scale. The snow could break branches. The streets were covered in a layer of snow, and this city became dreamy again.
The taxi stopped in front of the cemetery. The driver said to Qi Bufan, “Guest, we’re at our destination.” How interesting. The cemetery was a place where people died of old age. It was the ultimate destination of a person’s life.
