Chapter 21: The Final Wish

She revealed a faint smile.

Deep down, she knew this was just an illusion left to her by Liang Youjia.

Virtual, like a dream.

Seeing the label "personal ownership" on the property deed, Xianyu had to admit that Liang Youjia did have genuine feelings for her. He was willing to give her a sense of security, but he couldn’t promise the rest of their lives together.

Then what was the meaning of this house?

Xianyu had considered selling the house, but selling it so soon after acquiring it would surely alert Liang Youjia. Even if he didn’t mind, Yu Qingzhou would certainly catch wind of it and come after her.

She stuffed the property deed into her bag.

She had the thought of turning this new house into a solitary fortress.

On the way, Liang Youjia talked to her about the details of the house—when she could furnish it according to her wishes and transfer items from the small villa to the new home.

But he never mentioned when he would come or how many times a week he would visit.

When the familiar tune of “Stay With Me” played, Liang Youjia stopped talking to her, connected the Bluetooth, and prepared to answer the call.

Xianyu turned her face toward the window but kept her ears alert, listening to the conversation between Liang Youjia and Du Ruanruan.

“Yes, it won’t be delayed tomorrow.”

“I’ll come over tonight.”

Where were they going tomorrow?

Where would he be going tonight?

Xianyu wanted to ask clearly, but Liang Youjia obviously had no desire to explain.

She had no choice but to hold back, as asking would be tactless.

Liang Youjia drove her back to the villa and seemed to suddenly remember he hadn’t seen Zhu Yue these days. “Has Zhu Yue resigned?”

Xianyu explained, “No, there’s some family matter. She’ll be back in a while.”

“Alright. Do you want me to find someone else for you?” Liang Youjia lightly pinched her waist.

“No, I can take care of myself.”

“Okay then.” Liang Youjia glanced at his watch and prepared to leave in his Pagani.

“Ah You!”

Xianyu suddenly called out to him. Liang Youjia stopped and turned back.

Her phoenix eyes sparkled, her brows slightly raised, showing helplessness and a hint of impatience.

“What is it?”

“I just wanted to remind you that the day after tomorrow, you’ll accompany me back to my grandmother’s, right?”

“Definitely.” Liang Youjia had already taken a few steps away but turned back to ruffle her hair.

Beneath the twilight, the golden sunset stretched like a richly woven tapestry, two figures standing under the vast sky.

---

One forced a smile while looking up; the other gave a false, downward glance smile.

It was at this moment that Liang Youjia noticed Xianyu’s hair color had changed.

His lips tightened abruptly, his expression darkened, and a colder aura settled over him.

“Why did you suddenly dye it black?”

Xianyu knew Liang Youjia didn’t like pure black hair, so to please him, she regularly dyed it in colors he preferred.

Among all those colors, the one she liked best was still black.

When she was a child, her grandmother always said she had thick, jet-black hair.

As she grew older, her hair became darker and shinier.

Xianyu grew reluctant to cut it, perm it, or dye it.

If it weren’t for her lover, she would never have dyed or permed it.

“I took photos with friends, and they required black hair. If you don’t like it, I’ll dye it back later,” Xianyu shook Liang Youjia’s arm, standing on tiptoe with pleading almond-shaped eyes.

Liang Youjia couldn’t bring himself to scold her and eventually smiled, “Alright.”

“I knew it. You’re always the best to me.”

The twilight shifted from orange to bright red, then from bright red to pale purple.

Liang Youjia drove away.

In the rearview mirror, his figure grew smaller and smaller.

Xianyu remained lost in thought.

She silently resolved that if Liang Youjia didn’t return the day after tomorrow, there was no need to dye her hair back.

That night, Xianyu dreamed of a little girl running toward her from the beach, calling her “Mom,” her laughter like silver bells.

Xianyu tried to see the girl’s face clearly, feeling it was familiar and intimate, her features a blend of herself and Liang Youjia’s.

Looking at her melted one’s heart.

The girl clung to her, acting spoiled for a moment, then suddenly lifted her head and looked opposite with wide, joyful eyes.

“Daddy!”

Xianyu turned around naturally, but Liang Youjia had already approached, lifted the little girl high in the air.

Sunlight shimmered on the sparkling sea, backlit, Liang Youjia and the girl smiled brighter than the sun.

The little girl was not afraid at all; her two braids drew beautiful arcs in the sky.

Xianyu, however, felt a lingering fear and wanted to step forward to take the girl.

At that moment, the dream abruptly ended.

It felt like having just won a lottery worth billions, only to have it shattered suddenly.

---

That hollow feeling.

Xianyu sat up and found her pillow wet.

She touched her belly, wondering if the little girl was the child she had lost before.

She didn’t know.

They say what one thinks during the day appears in their dreams at night. Perhaps she felt too guilty toward that child, which was why she dreamt of her in the middle of the night.

She spent the night sleepless.

The next entire day, Liang Youjia did not appear.

Xianyu messaged him, saying she had booked two plane tickets to her grandmother’s, specifying the time, and reminded him not to forget.

After a long wait, she finally received Liang Youjia’s reply.

“We’re at an auction right now.” Beneath the message was a photo of the two of them with their faces close together, the background a grand Chinese-style auction hall with rows of heavy, lacquered wooden chairs.

Xianyu felt her blood run cold all over, like snow falling in June, wishing she could be buried in it.

She couldn’t stop shivering, and even wrapping herself in a blanket on the sofa didn’t help.

As if this wasn’t enough, Du Ruanruan soon sent her a friend request.

Xianyu guessed that Du Ruanruan must have found her WeChat from Liang Youjia’s phone; otherwise, how would she know?

She hesitated for a long time, her fingers trembling, before she stiffly tapped “Accept.”

Du Ruanruan wasted no time and sent a stream of photos from various angles.

There were pictures of sitting side by side, helping her carry water and bags, and Liang Youjia lighting sky lanterns for Du Ruanruan.

The more she looked, the more her hands shook, and her body grew colder.

Dizziness swept over her; after a moment, she managed to calm herself.

Like a thousand needles piercing her heart, Xianyu closed her eyes and almost lacked the courage to open the “original” photos.

“Today, I don’t think Ah You can accompany you. Don’t bother messaging him; he won’t reply.”

Reading those words, Xianyu clutched her chest, almost gasping for breath.

She didn’t reply to a single word of Du Ruanruan’s message.

Though heartbroken, she still had some sense.

Du Ruanruan’s words aimed partly to make her jealous, partly to discourage her, and perhaps more cruelly, to make her break down and cause a scene, hoping she would leave Liang Youjia’s life for good.

Just as Xianyu had promised Yu Qingzhou, she only wanted Liang Youjia to accompany her back to her hometown once—that was her final wish.

If it weren’t for that wish, she might no longer be in this villa, nor in this city.