Song Hengjue watched her clumsily make her way into the room. It was 30 degrees Celsius, and she was shivering from the cold even though she was wrapped in a blanket.

If your face looks smaller, it's because you haven't been eating properly and your hair hasn't been taken care of; it's dry and tangled.

No amount of speculation could compare to the shocking sight of witnessing it firsthand.

He opened his mouth, but his throat seemed to have been poisoned, and he couldn't utter a single syllable despite having so much to say.

As he watched her tremble as she got out of bed and fumbled for a blanket on the cabinet, he hesitated before reaching out to hug her shoulders. Her spine pressed against his chest. In just one week, the flesh he had painstakingly nurtured for her had dwindled to nothing but a skeleton.

Song Hengjue wanted to cry, to burst into tears without caring about his image, but he couldn't.

She was already sad enough; he couldn't add to her sadness.

"Meng Xu?" Yang Qingheng knew it was impossible, but she preferred this answer.

"It's me," Song Hengjue said cautiously.

"What are you doing here?" Yang Qingheng's face turned cold, her voice as indifferent as if she were talking to a stranger. Then she laughed, as if showing off, "Did you see my boyfriend? The one from earlier, wasn't he much gentler than you..."

"Yang Qingheng, I don't believe it." Song Hengjue covered her mouth. Her words didn't anger him, but only made him regretful, wishing he could kill himself.

In his past life, he had clearly found the outside of the courtyard, so why didn't he come to confirm? She was right, he must be the biggest idiot in the world.

Yang Qingheng frowned and struggled.

Song Hengjue knew she was about to start yelling again, hoping to drive him away like before. She was quick-witted and always managed to infuriate him.

He hugged her tightly, as if grasping at a last straw, almost pleading, "I'm going to die, please, take me in just this once? Have mercy on me just this once, okay?"

"You idiot, what nonsense are you spouting? Your dog mouth should be poisoned and rendered mute!" Yang Qingheng couldn't stand hearing him say the word "death." She used her fists and feet, baring her teeth and claws, wishing she could shove the words he had just said back down his throat.

Song Hengjue will never let her go again: "Really, I have late-stage stomach cancer. Please take me in, I beg you, have pity on me just this once, just this once in your life."

"You idiot, you idiot!" Yang Qingheng wanted to beat him to death. She screamed and burst into tears.

Song Hengjue felt as if he had been forced into a pool of water, suffocating, overwhelmed with grief and helplessness, wiping away her tears again and again: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I was wrong..."

When Meng Xu came over the next day, the two were sunbathing in the yard. Yang Qingheng had a rare smile on her face as she grabbed Song Hengjue's clothes and chattered on and on.

Song Hengjue wasn't good at chatting, but he didn't let a single word go unanswered. He answered every question seriously and carefully styled her hair.

Upon seeing him, she greeted him with a smile, "Dr. Meng."

"Hello, hello." Meng Xu was genuinely happy for Yang Qingheng and kept telling him about Yang Qingheng's condition and to pay attention to his diet.

"I've written it all down." Song Hengjue nodded, then stared blankly at the white hairs on the comb.

Yang Qingheng asked curiously, "What's wrong?"

Song Hengjue's smile was more like a grimace, yet he still tried to cheer her up: "No, I was thinking about what to make for you tonight. Is there anything you'd like to eat? How about fish? It's your favorite."

"Um."

"Song Hengjue, aren't you bored doing this every day? Why don't you go out for a walk?"

Song Hengjue slipped the pink hair tie into her hair, admired it for a while, and then shook his head: "Do you want to go out? I heard the roses on South Ring Road are in bloom. I'll take you to smell them, and we can buy some osmanthus cakes that you like on the way back."

"I don't seem to know what you like to eat," Yang Qingheng said blankly, turning around and grabbing his hand. "Song Hengjue, we've been married for so many years, do you regret it?"

She never truly loved him.

Unfortunately, it was too late.

“Never,” Song Hengjue said, taking her outstretched fingers in his hand and placing them on his face. “I have always been happy, and I am happy now.”

He was truly content to have the chance to make up for the regret he couldn't have with her in his past life.

fool.

Yang Qingheng placed her hand on his lips, feeling his hot breath.

I like you.

Song Hengjue suddenly looked up, completely forgetting about the rose, and just pulled her into his arms tightly.

"Mom, why is Dad crying?" Yang Jinle asked worriedly, peering at Song Hengjue's face and carefully wiping away his tears, but she couldn't stop them. Her eyes reddened with worry.

Yang Qingheng carried her to the bed and gently patted Song Hengjue's back to comfort him, saying, "Daddy just had a nightmare."

Upon hearing this, Yang Jinle lost her previous concern, put her hands on her hips, and showed a look of disdain, just like Song Hengjue's usual expression of disgust: "Eh, you're so old and still afraid of having nightmares, you coward."

Yang Qingheng was speechless for a moment, not knowing how to explain to her that her father had just grown up, not become a superman.

He waved his hand and said, "Alright, alright, you're just making things worse. Go out and have some fun."

Yang Jinle, I don't know whose bad temper she inherited from, put her little hands behind her back and rushed out.

She's not some troublemaking brat.

Yang Qingheng was worried when she saw that Song Hengjue's tears kept flowing and he couldn't wake up: "Song Hengjue, don't sleep, wake up."

"Hey, the company wants you to go back for a meeting."

Seeing that none of these moves worked, he gritted his teeth and used his ultimate move: "Your daughter got into a fight again."

"Who? Who?" The man, who had just been crying, reflexively jumped up and stared blankly at his surroundings.

“You didn’t fight today, you were well-behaved. I even wiped your tears when I saw you having a nightmare, so sweet,” Yang Qingheng said, resting her chin on his shoulder. “Where did you dream about? You couldn’t wake up no matter how I called you, and Jinle was terrified.”

Song Hengjue stared intently at Yang Qingheng in front of him, making sure that her complexion was rosy and that she did not look sick at all. He couldn't stop his tears again and collapsed into her arms, saying, "Wife, even if you beat me to death, I will never leave you. Don't abandon me."

"I promise you, I promise you," Yang Qingheng said speechlessly, "You're so old, while other women are still beautiful in their old age, you're just getting more and more prone to crying."

(over)