When she finished speaking with Yan Zhen, Xu Zixi climbed into the car and was immediately folded into Yan Yincheng’s arms, pinned at his side. He looked at her with a sour, possessive smile.
“You two talked for so long. I heard from Wei Shu that you left him something. What was it?”
Xu Zixi couldn’t help laughing. “Cheng, your jealousy is ridiculous. You know I’d never give a second thought to someone like Yan Zhen.”
“You may look down on him, but he’s not done with you. Before he knew the truth he wanted it all—kept his options open. Now that he knows, he’ll only try harder to win your forgiveness.” Yan Yincheng’s analysis was swift and accurate; every word landed.
She laced her fingers through his and said, “I won’t give him that chance. I told him the truth—that Yuan Xi is dead. He needs to learn that not everything can be fixed with a kneel and an apology. He made the wrong choice and trusted the wrong people; he has to live with the worst of the consequences. I won’t forgive him for Yuan Xi—his distrust is what led to her death.”
Yan Yincheng’s voice softened. “I was wrong too. After it happened, I failed to take responsibility. I didn’t protect her. Why did you forgive me?”
Xu Zixi cupped his cheek. “Because you were given a second chance and you didn’t waste it. You noticed when things were off, you chased down the clues, you brought back the truth from four years ago, and you made sure everyone involved paid what they should. You fought to give her the justice she deserved. For that, you’ve done more than Yan Zhen ever could. You deserve forgiveness; he doesn’t.”
He bent his head and kissed her lightly, smiling. “Thank you, Miss Xu, for your forgiveness. I can finally sleep peacefully.”
“Cheng, what if Yan Zhen still won’t punish Yuan Ya’er?” Xu Zixi asked. “Do we step in?”
“That’s his choice,” Yan Yincheng said. “You’ve already done enough for Yuan Xi. From now on, you’re just Xu Zixi. How other people end up is no longer our concern.”
She smiled. “You’re right.”
A mischievous thought struck her. “You know, Cheng, you really are an excellent boyfriend. You always know how to make me happy.”
“Of course,” he said, then stopped himself when the memory of Jiang Changan’s lessons flashed across his mind. He wouldn’t admit he’d learned a few tricks from their friend—that would ruin it if Xu Zixi ever started using them back on him.
“Learned what?” she pressed, catching the change in his expression. She poked the corner of his mouth with a finger. “Learned how to use that mouth to say sweet things?”
“You have no idea how talkative I can be,” she teased, “it’s nothing like you look.”
She laughed as she spoke. “The first time I saw you I thought you’d be taciturn and hard to get along with. I told myself to keep my distance—don’t make trouble for myself.” She remembered the early days in Haicheng, the awkward moments, and how she’d once nicknamed him “the grumpy uncle.” The children had shouted it with such delight that even he had let it slide.
Yan Yincheng thought of the day he’d noticed her mood was off and had pressed her gently until she opened up. If he hadn’t, they might still be living under that misunderstanding.
“I don’t like wasting words,” he said with a small smile. “I don’t like talking to fools. But you’re different. I want to talk to you more. I want to know more about you. That… that uniqueness is only for you, Xu Zixi.”
Xu Zixi blinked and seized on the trap in his words. “So if one day you stop talking to me, it means you don’t care about me anymore? You don’t like me? Is that it?”
He felt the familiar, perilous question—the kind Jiang Changan would laugh and call a ‘death sentence.’ It was hard to answer, but Yan Yincheng was not uncrafty.
“If that day ever comes and we’re speaking less,” he said carefully, “it’ll mean we’ve become so in tune we don’t need words to understand each other. But that kind of thing is rare. I fully expect to be nagging you until I’m a hundred. So don’t blame me for being a chatty old man.”
Xu Zixi reached up and pinched the face that reminded her of their children, smiling with curved eyes. “You can’t be sure—you might be the one who gets boring first. Then I’ll be the nagging one, and you won’t be allowed to complain.”
His fingers went through her hair again and again, gentle as a promise. “Zixi, we told the kids we’d stay in Fengcheng three more days. We’ve settled White Crane, so our schedule’s open. What do you want to do with the time?”
She hadn’t thought about it. “Since we’re in Fengcheng, why not look around? See how it compares to Jingshi. I’m curious—are the landmarks the same as in my last life? I want to visit my old home, the places I used to go. I want to walk through them properly.”
She hesitated, then shook her head. “But… you’re hurt. Maybe another time. You should rest.”
“It’s just my hand,” he protested. “I can walk. I even came out with you tonight to catch White Crane and nothing happened. Besides, I’ve got you to protect me, Miss Xu.”
He pushed his case earnestly; she suppressed a laugh at his theatricality.
“All right,” she relented. “We’ll go look around. But tonight you’ll go back to the hospital. The doctor has to check you.”