From that night on, Xian Mingyu and Bai Xiaoruo fell into a complete cold war.

Even though they still slept in the same bed every night, they no longer communicated with each other.

They didn't even make eye contact.

During the day, they sit together to eat without saying a word.

Both Xian Shaodong and Fang Peiru could tell that the young couple had a disagreement.

Xuan Mingyu spends most of his time alone in his room, or he sits in his wheelchair and is pushed somewhere by himself, and Bai Xiaoruo never asks about it.

In the past few days, every time Bai Xiaoruo woke up in the middle of the night, she could feel the mattress next to her sinking deeply, as if someone was pushing it down with great force. Then, she could hear the sound of a wheelchair rolling.

Tonight, she was half asleep when she heard that voice again.

When the sound completely disappeared, she squinted and slowly peeked through the crack, turning around to take a look. The man who had been lying next to her was nowhere to be seen, and his wheelchair was gone too.

Where did he go in the middle of the night?

Bai Xiaoruo was a little worried, so she put on her slippers, opened the door, and went out.

She circled the first floor but couldn't find Xian Mingyu. Just as she was about to go out to look for him, she suddenly noticed that a door at the end of the floor was lit up. She tiptoed over there.

The door wasn't completely closed, perhaps because the person closing it didn't have the strength to close it completely, leaving a small gap.

Bai Xiaoruo moved closer to the door frame and peered inside—

This is a room that Bai Xiaoruo has never been inside before.

The space wasn't large, but it was filled with a lot of professional equipment.

She saw his wheelchair, and she also saw the man she had been looking for for so long.

Hsien Ming-yu is using his hands to support himself between two horizontal bars, slowly walking forward little by little.

What would be an easy few steps for a normal person is, for him, a journey that requires countless drops of sweat and perseverance for every step he takes.

It was extremely difficult for him to forcefully begin rehabilitation training before he had regained sensation in his legs.

How can two legs that have no feeling take a step?

He was struggling to stay upright; sweat soaked his entire face and dripped onto the smooth floor.

Several times, Hsien Ming-yu ran out of strength and fell heavily to the ground in a disheveled state.

Bai Xiaoruo covered her mouth with heartache, not daring to make a sound.

She longed to go in and help him up, to coax him back to his room and stop him from practicing.

But she knew, she knew all too well, that his indomitable spirit was something no one could shake.

If she goes in now and he sees her, he won't be happy; instead, he'll be angry and feel even more inferior.

Watching him struggle to get up each time, only to fall heavily again and again, tears welled up in her eyes instantly.

Bai Xiaoruo covered her mouth tightly with her hand, trying her best not to make any noise that might disturb him.

She felt sorry for him, really sorry for him.

Why do you have to push yourself so hard? Why can't you wait a little longer? Why hide it from her and stay up late to practice?

He clearly didn't need to work so hard; he could have simply taken advantage of her and let her continue taking care of him.

But he didn't. No matter how difficult or unbelievable it was, he was determined to persevere and do his best once he made up his mind.

You idiot! Hsien Ming-yu, you big idiot!

Do you know how much it hurts and hurts my heart when I see you like this?

I wish I were the one who was injured, the one sitting in the wheelchair, the one who would bear all this pain for you.

She stood silently outside for a long, long time, crying her eyes out, until she saw Xian Mingyu about to climb back into his wheelchair. Only then did Bai Xiaoruo hurriedly leave, afraid of being discovered by him.

***

A few days later, Bai Xiaoruo discovered that Xuan Mingyu no longer came home to sleep at night, nor did he eat with them. They couldn't see him in the morning, noon, or evening.

"Dad, where has Mingyu gone these past few days?"

Just then, Bai Xiaoruo saw Xian Shaodong carrying Xiaoyouyou into the house and went up to ask.

"Oh, I see. Mingyu has moved out and won't be coming back for a while. He said he was afraid of disturbing your sleep at night or something."

They moved out?

Why does he always like to do things on his own initiative?

What do you mean, "I'm afraid of disturbing her sleep at night"? What kind of lame excuse is that?

With so many rooms in the villa, if he didn't want to sleep in the same room as her, where else could he stay?

He's clearly avoiding her on purpose.

Fine, if he doesn't want to see her, he can just say so. At worst, she can take Youyou and move back to her grandfather's place, so she won't be in his way.

Let him leave if he wants; she won't care anymore! If he thinks she's superfluous, then he can go to her himself!

Bai Xiaoruo didn't want to live on the first floor anymore, so she moved back to the master bedroom on the second floor.

This was the room where they used to sleep together. Opening the door, everything inside was exactly the same as it was four years ago, completely unchanged, except for the addition of a photo wall.

When was this put up?

Each of their group photos was framed in an exquisite way, with a sticky note crookedly pasted on one of the frames.

Bai Xiaoruo tiptoed and tore off the sticky note. The beautiful, flowing handwriting on it was his.

[Only after you left did I realize how much I missed you. I loved you to the core, and no one can replace you. If we could do it all over again, I wouldn't bully you or make you cry. I would treat you even better, so well that you wouldn't want to leave me either.]

This must have been written by him after their divorce and her departure. Bai Xiaoruo couldn't help but laugh when she read the last part.

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