"Xing Yi, I’ve come to see you!" Lin Yixun bowed down and placed the orchid in her hand in front of his grave, "Look, I didn’t even know what your favorite flower was, so I could only guess and bought you a bunch of orchids. The orchid suits your temperament the best. I think you’d like it."
She spoke softly, but her only response was the biting cold wind.
Lin Yixun gave a bitter smile, her eyes lowered to the photo on the tombstone. In the photo, he still looked as gentle and jade-like as he was in life, his brows full of tenderness.
Lin Yixun reached out her hand, wiping the dust off the photo, and said quietly, "You might blame me for not coming to see you for so long. I wanted to, but I didn’t dare. Not seeing you allows me to deceive myself into thinking that you are still alive, living well in some corner of the world. Coming to see you takes away even that last bit of hope."
"Oh, I haven’t told you, I’m in love. His name is Ouyang Hao. You should know him, though I can’t recall if you two ever met." Lin Yixun’s lips suddenly curved into a smile, talking to herself.
"He’s just like you, he doesn’t care about my past, doesn’t care about my family background, doesn’t even care about the scar on my face. Isn’t it strange that besides you, there’s another fool in this world who can love me unconditionally?"
"But there really is such a person. I... I really like him too. Do you think you’ll be angry that I’ve fallen for someone else?" Lin Yixun shook her head, "You won’t. I know your nature. As long as I’m happy, even if I fall for someone else, you’d give me your blessing."
For some reason, Lin Yixun’s smile dimmed, vanished into the night, and tears fell silently, "But I don’t have that luck. I can’t hold onto this happiness."
Lin Yixun slowly straightened up, giving a bitter smile, "Maybe it’s because I did too many bad things in the past, destroying Leng Yixiu and Cheng Ying’s happiness, that this is my retribution."
She forcefully wiped her tears, twisted her lips into a forced smile, "Look, why am I telling you these sad things? It’s late, I should go back. I’ll come see you again."
When Lin Yixun returned to the hospital, the caregiver was cleaning Lin’s mother’s body. Seeing Lin’s mother so emaciated and haggard, Lin Yixun couldn’t help but feel heartbroken.
"Auntie, let me do it." She took the towel from the caregiver’s hand and carefully wiped Lin’s mother, whispering softly, "Mom, you have to get better soon. I’m still waiting to eat the meals you make for me. By next year, Dad will be back too, and then our whole family can sit around the table for a warm New Year’s Eve dinner."
The caregiver, watching from the side, felt a pang of sadness and gently patted Lin Yixun’s shoulder, "Xiao Lin, don’t worry, your mom will get better."
Lin Yixun nodded heavily. No matter what the cost, she would find a way to keep her mother by her side.
Time flew by, and it was already the next evening. Lin Yixun gave a long, deep look at Lin’s mother on the sickbed, then turned and walked out of the ward, immediately dialing Leng Yixiu’s number.
The phone rang for a long time with no answer. Just when Lin Yixun was about to hang up, the call connected, and a man’s icy voice came through.
"So, have you made up your mind?"