"Ge'er, I've come to see you." Jiang Yan walked to the tombstone that Li Shang had erected for Li Ge and slowly knelt down on one knee. He looked up and gently stroked the tombstone, as if he were gently touching Li Ge's face.

Before Jiang Yan came, he specifically asked Li Shang where he had taken Li Ge's ashes. He regretted it a little. If he had known that Li Shang was also coming to the Northwest, he would never have entrusted Ge'er to someone else.

Before him lay Ge'er's cenotaph. Li Shang knew that his aunt loved freedom and did not want to be bound to the dark and sunless earth, so he found a windy slope, scattered his aunt's ashes into the wind, and let the wind carry his aunt to fly freely. Then he set up a cenotaph for his aunt so that he could come and visit her whenever he missed her.

"You're all alone here, I wonder if you're lonely. If possible, I'll stay and keep you company. Oh dear, look at my memory, you're the least afraid of being alone," Jiang Yan said with a bittersweet feeling.

“Ge’er, do you know? Ji Mo’an is still alive. How could you, how could you be so foolish? You left so early for him.” Jiang Yan said with a heavy heart. He muttered to himself, laughing and crying at Li Ge’s tombstone. If a passerby saw this, they would definitely think that he had gone crazy.

Fortunately, only Jiang Yan and Li Ge were there, and no one disturbed them.

“Ge’er, sometimes I wonder what’s so good about the Northwest that makes you miss it so much. It’s poor, the climate is bad, and it’s desolate. It’s nothing like the water towns of Jiangnan. This time I came here and finally experienced the beauty of the Northwest’s vast desert and the setting sun over the long river. If I could turn back time, I would definitely take you back to the Northwest.”

"When the time comes, you can stay in Qingzhou if you want, or stay closer to home if you want. As for me, I'll do some small business here to support ourselves. If we have two more lovely children, that would be even better. Then our whole family can live together happily," Jiang Yan said with anticipation.

But he knew it was impossible; Ge'er was gone, and his heart was dead too.

“Ge’er, I’ve never told you this before, but when your father came to me, he said he wanted to marry you to me. You know how happy I was. I was so happy that I couldn’t sleep all night. The next day, I begged my father to come to my home to present the betrothal gifts. I was always afraid that the betrothal gifts I gave you weren’t enough, that the things I gave you weren’t exquisite enough, or that the wedding dress wasn’t made of soft enough material. Back then, I personally oversaw every single thing about the wedding.” Jiang Yan continued, lost in his memories.

"I was overjoyed to marry you, thinking that God had heard my love and brought you to me. But later I learned that you were deeply in love with Ji Mo'an. I don't know how I felt at that time. I felt sad, lost and heartbroken. I didn't dare to tell you my true feelings. I just kept giving in and giving you the freedom you wanted."

"You know, if only I had been more assertive back then. If you liked someone else, I would have forcefully pushed him out of your heart. I would have done it even better than him. Would you have liked me then?"

"But I didn't dare back then, and I didn't. I just respected your opinions and choices. I could only silently accompany you, watching you become more and more depressed, watching your body become weaker and weaker. Li Ge, I regret it."

“I don’t dare to gamble. I’m afraid that if I’m too assertive, you won’t like me anymore. I also don’t know how to compete with a dead person. It’s like he’s forever imprinted on your heart.”

"I should have tried my best to be good to you, to make you forget him, to make you fall in love with me. I was so stupid, Li Ge, I was so stupid. I only realized this now. Can you come back and give me another chance? Please come back and see me. I'm not doing well, Li Ge." Jiang Yan's tears fell slowly. He choked up as he pleaded with Li Ge, begging God to send Li Ge back to his side.

Jiang Yan wiped away his tears with his sleeve and looked apologetically at the tombstone, saying, "Li Ge, did I scare you? I've just been dealing with too many things lately and couldn't control my emotions. I'm sorry, Li Ge."

"Ge'er, I can stay with you for another whole day. Tomorrow morning, I'm leaving for Huangzhou. I won't be by your side anymore, so remember to take good care of yourself. If you miss me, come visit me in my dreams, okay?"

“This time I’m leaving, and maybe the next time we meet will be after I’m dead. At that time, I should be able to see you again. Actually, I’m looking forward to that day coming sooner.” Jiang Yan kept talking, sitting there with Li Ge from mid-morning until the stars filled the sky.

The moon slowly rose, making the stars appear somewhat dim. The moonlight shone softly on the tombstone. Jiang Yan lay on the tombstone, closing his eyes to rest. For a moment, he felt that Li Ge was right beside him.

As the moon faded from the sky and the sun slowly rose on the horizon, Jiang Yan woke up. He stood up happily and rubbed his lower back. He had slept very well the night before and even dreamed of Li Ge. Although it was brief, he had at least seen Ge'er.

He missed Ge'er terribly; the longing tormented him day and night.

Seeing that it was almost time, Jiang Yan bent down and stroked Li Ge's tombstone, saying, "Ge'er, this time we really have to say goodbye. I won't be able to stay with you anymore. Take care, I'll come to find you soon."

"Li Ge, I'm going to see Ji Mo'an. I'll ask him why he lied to you and caused you to lose your life for nothing."

"Even if he lied to you, do you still like him? Ge'er, I'm so jealous, jealous of your unwavering love for him. In the next life, I will hold you tightly in my hands and never give you up to anyone else."

"Sigh, I've talked to you so much again without realizing it. Ge'er, I really have to go. Forgive my selfishness for keeping your ashes with me for decades, for not setting you free, and for unilaterally demanding that you stay with me."

“Ge’er, this time, I’ve finally made up my mind to give you your freedom. I’m leaving.” Jiang Yan took a deep breath and turned to leave. After taking a few steps, he stopped again. His hands were trembling slightly. He would never see Li Ge again, not even her ashes. He couldn’t bear to leave.

Jiang Yan forced himself not to turn around, but he eventually did, his eyes red as he looked at Li Ge's tombstone. He seemed to see Li Ge waving to him with a gentle smile.

Jiang Yan's tears fell instantly, and he said with some grievance, "Li Ge, you said you have feelings for him, that you can't forget him, but what about me? What am I supposed to do? You said you're sorry to me, that you only feel guilty towards me, that you owe me, but how will you repay me?"

I clearly love you more than him, and I met you before him. Love is never about who came first, it's about whether you love someone or not.

"Li Ge, in the next life, can you love me first? I will definitely treat you very, very well, even better than in this life."

After Jiang Yan finished speaking, he left without looking back.