Chapter 62. At that moment, I suddenly realized that I had never stopped loving you for a single moment during these five years.

After half a bottle of IV fluid was administered, Song Huai's mind gradually cleared, and he realized that Bai Xiao had been by his side the whole time he was receiving the IV.

He felt very embarrassed. "It's quite late now, why don't you go back first?"

But Bai Xiao insisted, "It's okay, I'll take you home. I don't have anything else to do anyway."

Song Huai looked embarrassed, but still said politely, "Really, it's not necessary. You should go back. I'll just take a taxi back myself later."

"Song Huai," Bai Xiao's voice deepened, pausing for a moment, "Do you have to be so distant with me?"

"No... I, I just thought you were too much trouble..." Song Huai's rebuttal was weak and feeble; he didn't even believe his own words.

Bai Xiao seemed to be bewitched, staring intently at Song Huai, gazing hungrily at Song Huai's lowered eyes—those eyes were still as breathtakingly beautiful as ever, captivating and mesmerizing, making one yearn for them day and night.

After a long pause, he suddenly laughed, "Song Huai, you don't still like me, do you?"

"I didn't!" As if he had been poked in the shoulder, Song Huai stiffened, his face flushed as he said firmly.

"In that case, we were husband and wife before, so we should still be considered friends, right?"

"Hmm..." Song Huai's head drooped lower and lower.

"That's good." Bai Xiao stood up, no longer pressing him. "I'll go buy some food and come back. You wait here for a while."

Bai Xiao stepped on the gas and sped up the car to its maximum speed, almost running a red light. He drove around half of the city and finally arrived at the porridge shop that Song Huai used to love the most.

When he finished buying the porridge and rushed back, Song Huai was nowhere to be seen in the observation room.

He held the still-warm porridge in one hand and stopped a passing nurse with the other, breathing rapidly, "Where is the person who was getting an IV drip inside?"

“Him,” the nurse said, having a particularly strong memory of the patient who had acted strangely earlier, “he suddenly said he had an emergency, and asked me to remove the needle before the IV was finished, and then he left. What, are you looking for him?”

Bai Xiao froze on the spot.

Seeing that Bai Xiao didn't answer, the nurse continued walking hurriedly, muttering to herself as she went, "What's wrong with these young people these days? They don't take their health seriously at all..."

Bai Xiao stood in the hospital corridor for a long time, silently took out his phone, and opened the chat box that he had always pinned to the top of his chat list.

Be careful on the road, and let me know when you get home. You caught a chill today, remember to make some ginger soup when you get back.

He quickly typed out a message, but his finger hovered over the "send" button, unable to press it.

He pondered for a long time before finally deleting the passage and retyping a few more words.

Be careful on the road.

Bai Xiao put her phone back in her pocket and strolled slowly toward the hospital entrance.

As he stepped out of the gate, he casually tossed the freshly cooked porridge into a roadside trash can.

Back in the car, he tried to resist for a few moments, but couldn't resist taking out his phone again.

It was completely empty; there wasn't a single message.

He tossed his phone heavily onto the seat beside him, restarted the car, and gave a faint, self-deprecating smile.

I laugh at myself for becoming so indecisive and anxious, knowing full well there will be no answer, yet still clinging to that sliver of hope.

--

Song Huai didn't care that he was still halfway through his IV drip. As soon as Bai Xiao left, he fled in panic.

He knew he couldn't stay with Bai Xiao any longer; he simply couldn't bear to spend even a second more with her. It had taken him five whole years to barely adapt to life without Bai Xiao. But the psychological defenses he had painstakingly built up over those five years crumbled instantly the moment he encountered her.

Even though for the past five years, every time he picked up a pen to write music, Bai Xiao's image would always linger in his mind; even though for the past five years, every time he cooked, he would habitually make the dishes that Bai Xiao liked; even though for the past five years, every time he drowned his sorrows in alcohol, he would dream of Bai Xiao's gentle kisses—he would still constantly deceive himself, telling himself that he no longer loved Bai Xiao, and that he would be fine without her.

He was almost convinced of his deception when he saw Bai Xiao again.

In that brief moment of their reunion, Song Huai finally realized that he had never stopped loving Bai Xiao in the past five years. Love would not disappear; it would only become more unforgettable with the passage of time.

Song Huai was sitting in the taxi he had just hailed at the hospital entrance when suddenly, a message from Bai Xiao popped up.

Without even reading the message, he swiped left on his phone and deleted the chat with Bai Xiao.

Immediately afterwards, he cracked open the car window, and a cold wind rushed in, making his forehead feel chilly, which made him feel a little better.

After returning home, Song Huai fell ill again.

But it's nothing. He's been living alone for most of the past few years, and he's long been used to these minor illnesses and ailments.

Although he was almost completely exhausted, he still managed to cook a pot of porridge with practiced ease. After ladling out a bowl, he put the rest of the porridge in the refrigerator to save for the next meal.

After finishing the porridge, he rummaged through the medicine cabinet at home for fever-reducing medicine, brewed it, and then swallowed the bitter medicine in one gulp.

According to Song Huai's experience, this illness should have healed in a day or two, but for some reason, it dragged on for several days before he was barely cured.

During this time, Song Huai's mind was in a daze. He vaguely remembered that Bai Xiao had been sending him messages over the past few days, but he didn't know what he was afraid of. He would delete the messages without even reading them.

Having just recovered from a serious illness, the Maple Leaf Film Festival is about to begin.

This is also the purpose of Song Huai's return to China. The jury of the Maple Leaf Film Festival is composed of performing arts experts from many countries. It is the oldest, most authoritative, professional and influential film award in history. The film festival is held every five years in major cities around the world, and this year it just so happens to be S City's turn.

The film *Hometown*, a collaboration between director Alan Howard and Song Huai, lived up to expectations, garnering widespread acclaim and receiving multiple award nominations at the Maple Leaf Film Festival. It also topped the global box office that year, and Song Huai received a nomination for Best Original Film Score at this year's Maple Leaf Awards for his outstanding score. This also marked the first time Song Huai completely stepped out of the shadow of his mother, Gu Tan, and stood before the world.

Overnight, people all over the world learned about this talented composer from the East. In just a few months, Song Huai received countless offers from internationally renowned directors. Song Huai, who was not very busy to begin with, became even busier.