Chapter 51

“It’s him,”

The blinding sunlight shone on the floor, filling the bedroom with bright light. Chen Zhiyu struggled for a long time before slowly waking up from his chaotic sleep.

The hangover was still quite severe; his head was foggy, and his memory was fragmented. Chen Zhiyu only remembered being forced to drink too much alcohol while in a daze, and then, through sheer willpower, he managed to walk up to Qiao Xi before losing consciousness.

His eyelids felt heavy and swollen, and Chen Zhiyu lay in bed for a while before finally sitting up. He slipped on his slippers, his hair a mess, and walked sleepily out of the bedroom. As he passed the kitchen, the aroma of food immediately drew him in, whetting his appetite.

Chen Zhiyu swayed as he walked to the dining table.

"Awake?" Hearing the noise in the living room, Josh, wearing an apron, poked half her body out of the kitchen. When she saw Chen Zhiyu, she had an inscrutable smile in her eyes. "Go wash up first, lunch is coming soon."

Lunch? Chen Zhiyu was still a little dizzy. He looked at his phone and saw that it was already noon. "Did I sleep for that long?" After saying that, he froze, his voice hoarse and so bad that he didn't want to speak anymore.

Did he go to karaoke yesterday?

"There's freshly made pear soup on the table, pour yourself some while it's hot and drink it," Josh called out again as he returned to the kitchen to continue his work.

"Oh," Chen Zhiyu replied, obediently picking up the health pot and pouring himself a cup of pear water.

Josh probably didn't add sugar; the pear water was very weak, with only a faint pear flavor. After drinking a glass of warm water, Chen Zhiyu's throat felt much better, and after regaining his senses, he went to the kitchen to help.

A dozen minutes later, seeing the table laden with delicious food, Chen Zhiyu exclaimed in surprise, "So many dishes!"

“It’s almost Chinese New Year.” Qiao Xi rarely cooks such a big meal. She had been preparing these dishes since early morning. “Is your stomach upset?” She first ladled a bowl of rice porridge and handed it to Chen Zhiyu.

"I'm not feeling unwell." Chen Zhiyu took the bowl from Qiao Xi's hand, took a sip, and glanced at the ring on her right ring finger. The porridge got stuck in his throat, and he almost choked.

He subconsciously looked at his hand, and sure enough, he was wearing the same ring. Looking at the ring on his hand, Chen Zhiyu lowered his head and fell into deep thought.

Noticing the confusion in his eyes, Josh stretched out her hand to show him the ring that Chen Zhiyu recognized so well, and deliberately asked, "Is it pretty?"

Hangover and the resulting memory loss made Chen Zhiyu's thinking sluggish and unable to keep up. After a pause, he honestly replied, "Beautiful, exceptionally beautiful."

“I think it looks good too.” Josh happily withdrew his hand.

Of course it looks good; he carefully selected it. But when did he send it to him? Chen Zhiyu's mind was a complete blank.

"What are you standing there for? Eat!"

"Ah, oh." Having failed to recall the past, one can only submit to reality.

With three days left until the Lunar New Year, Chen Zhiyu finally fulfilled his wish to prepare New Year's goods with Qiao Xi. After dinner, they went to the supermarket together to shop and also picked out Spring Festival couplets and the character "福" (Fu, meaning good fortune).

Spring cleaning, pasting up the character "福" (good fortune), preparing the New Year's Eve dinner—amidst these essential and closely-knit procedures for celebrating the New Year, New Year's Eve quietly arrives.

Newly printed "福" (good fortune) characters adorn the living room, and paper-cut window decorations symbolizing auspicious wishes are printed on the glass windows. Chen Zhiyu and Qiao Xi began preparing the New Year's Eve dinner early, working together seamlessly and dividing the tasks.

From that morning on, Chen Zhiyu became more clingy than before, squeezing into the kitchen with Qiao Xi, even cooking together. He needed Qiao Xi by his side while he chopped filling, occasionally hooking their fingers or holding hands.

Josh looked helplessly at the ceiling. It was the Lunar New Year, and the child was still a kid. What could he do but spoil him?

This fact proves that sometimes one plus one is not necessarily greater than two. Due to uncontrollable factors, this year's New Year's Eve dinner was later than in previous years. The Spring Festival Gala had already started for quite a while before the two of them finally got to eat.

After dinner, while relaxing, the coffee table was filled with fruits, snacks, and cola drinks. Chen Zhiyu and Qiao Xi snuggled on the sofa watching TV.

However, things subsequently developed in an uncontrollable direction.

The warm, soft lighting in the living room cast a shadowy figure on the sofa, leaning back slightly. In a moment of passion, one of the black straps of the dress silently slipped down, revealing a smooth, rounded shoulder. The figure swayed, long, jet-black hair cascading down, disheveledly obscuring the flush on her face.

Chen Zhiyu's large hand rested on her waist, forcefully holding her in his arms.

The sounds of fabric rustling and television swirling together created a chaotic scene. "I haven't finished watching it yet," Josh said, finally managing to escape with his hands on broad shoulders, panting as he vented his frustration.

"Watch the replay." Chen Zhiyu forcefully rejected her request, got up in his current position, and went into the bedroom.

He had been putting up with this nightgown for a long time.

......

The clock struck midnight precisely, and the dark night sky was suddenly illuminated by fireworks. The crackling sound of firecrackers, like surging waves, continued unabated, drowning out the New Year's greetings on the television. Colorful spots of light were projected onto the glass windows of the living room, bright and dazzling. The New Year had finally arrived.

This is the first time since they started celebrating the Lunar New Year together that they haven't watched the entire Spring Festival Gala.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, as in previous years, Josh and Chen Zhiyu first visited Liu Weifeng and his wife, stayed there for lunch, and then went home and stayed there.

This continued until the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, when the two of them couldn't stand it anymore and finally planned to go out and have fun.

Tang Ning was still at her maternal grandmother's house and hadn't returned yet, so only Qiao Xi and Chen Zhiyu were on this trip. However, they followed Tang Ning's suggestion and planned to go to the nearby Chongming Temple.

Josh and Chen Zhiyu prepared to set off early in the morning, hoping to catch the original vegetarian meal if they were lucky.

The winter morning was shrouded in layers of mist, with vast swathes of fog seeping from the top of the city to its very foundations. The city resembled a lion just awakened, with the warm sun slowly rising from the east.

As they neared their destination, Josh, exhausted, stopped and stood on a high point, gazing into the distance. The biting mountain wind blew against his body, while a warmth emanated from within, like drinking a glass of strong, sweet sorghum liquor, a cool yet warm current spreading from his heart throughout his body.

A long line formed in front of the mountain gate. This group of people had been waiting since before dawn. Qiao Xi and Chen Zhiyu hid in the line and moved forward little by little with a slow and orderly pace.

During the wait, Josh took out his phone to buy tickets online in advance. Just as he was about to pay, his phone suddenly froze for a moment, and then the screen switched to the call interface.

The caller ID showed it was Aunt Li.

Aunt Li usually doesn't call her unless there's something important, but thinking about the scam incident a few days ago, Josh answered the phone immediately. The next second, Aunt Li's anxious voice came through the receiver, "Josh, come back quickly, a thief has broken into your house."

*

A few years ago, a serious vandalism incident occurred in the old town area. After that, security measures were strengthened in the community, and no accidents have occurred since.

After receiving Aunt Li's call, Qiao Xi was extremely anxious and rushed home with Chen Zhiyu.

When Josh arrived home, a crowd of onlookers had formed the outermost circle, like a thick wall completely enclosing his front door.

Josh and Chen Zhiyu squeezed their way into the crowd.

Aunt Li, who was guarding the door, saw Qiao Xi and called out to her first, explaining the situation to her, "It happened this morning. I was fine when I went out for my exercise this morning, and only two hours later, I saw that the door was ajar."

"At first I thought you two had forgotten to close the door, so I shouted into the house." Aunt Li patted her chest with lingering fear as she said this, "But when I saw what was inside, I was terrified."

The security door was ajar, and a draft of wind blew through the hallway, making a whistling sound from the crack in the door.

The door had obvious scratches, the security door handle was crookedly hanging halfway on the door, and a discarded screwdriver was stuck in the lock cylinder. When Aunt Li finally realized what was going on, she quickly glanced into the house and was immediately startled, fearing that something had happened to the two people. She quickly told her son to call the police.

Police officers were already conducting an investigation in the living room.

Josh took a deep breath, slowly opened the door, and stepped into the entryway, looking into the living room and around.

The scene was a complete mess.

The once tidy living room looked as if it had been swept by a tornado, with cushions on the sofa and fruit cups on the coffee table swept to the floor.

The window was open, and a cold wind blew in, violently tearing down the pasted "Fu" characters and paper-cut window decorations. They rolled on the ground with a crisp sound.

Chen Zhiyu stood by Qiao Xi's side, his gaze falling on her trembling hands. He gently took them in his hands, his cold fingertips being drawn into his palm.

Unaware of the chill creeping up her spine, as if she were in an ice cellar, Josh's gaze slowly swept over the overturned tables and chairs, as if struck by painful memories, growing increasingly horrified with each look. Suddenly, as if remembering something, she broke free from Chen Zhiyu's hand and stumbled into the bedroom.

Both bedrooms were destroyed.

The wardrobe door was open, revealing clothes scattered everywhere, and the mattress on the bed had been moved. Josh's gaze fell on the wooden crate under the bed.

The box was overturned, the lid was open, and all the items that were originally stored inside—award certificates, household registration booklets, graduation certificates—were pulled out.

The thief seemed to be looking for something with a specific purpose. Thinking of this, Josh stopped moving. When she finally understood why, the color drained from her face in an instant.

Chen Zhiyu, who was following closely behind, noticed Qiao Xi's expression, and gently turned her trembling shoulders, constantly reassuring her, "I checked it out, and there wasn't much damage."

But his comforting words were ineffective. Fearful words stuck in Josh's throat. Chen Zhiyu rarely saw her so flustered. Her condition instantly brought him back to that night a few years ago, helpless and desperate, making him feel sorry for her. "Josh, what's wrong?"

Chen Zhiyu held her in his arms and tried to bring her back to her senses with comforting words.

Josh could no longer hear any sound from the outside world. His face was drained of color, and he was trembling all over. All his past memories kept flooding back. Finally, he couldn't hold on any longer and collapsed to the ground.

“It’s him,” Josh murmured, head bowed, hands covering his eyes.

"What? Who is it?" To make it easier to hear, Chen Zhiyu knelt in front of her. "Qiao Xi, tell me who it is."

“It was him,” Josh murmured repeatedly, the painful memories bringing out a deep-seated fear that she couldn’t escape. Perhaps she didn’t even realize that thinking of that person again easily dragged her back to the abyss of hell.

Josh's shoulders trembled, and her desperate attempts to suppress it were futile. She raised her head, her eyes bloodshot, and said in a hoarse voice, "Qiao Dacheng is back."

When Qiao Dacheng left home, no one inquired about his whereabouts. For Qiao Xi and Qiao Mai, his departure was the end of their nightmare.

Whether they died or never came back, it was a stroke of luck for Josh and Joe.

Indeed, Qiao Dacheng disappeared without a trace after leaving. So much so that, over the years, if Qiao Xi hadn't deliberately thought of him, she would have forgotten he even existed.

But now, not only is he not dead, he's back.

Qiao Dacheng is the demon lurking in her subconscious, once again turning this family upside down, and once again awakening the fear and pain buried deep in Josh's heart.

Josh fell into deep despair.

Those painful memories, those deeply etched in her childhood, were like a tangled mess, binding her tightly, from which she could not break free.

The shoulders held down by Chen Zhiyu trembled more and more violently, and only weak murmurs could be uttered from his throat, which sounded more like a desperate accusation, "Qiao Dacheng is back."