“Ah Li…”
The phone rang once and then connected. Fu Yanci's voice on the other end was slightly hoarse and sleepy, as if he had just fallen asleep. "Where are you? Have you arrived at the hospital?"
"Fu Yanci!"
I had to grip my phone tightly to keep my voice from trembling.
Ye Li asked in a deep voice, "You went to his hospital room on the day Dad passed away last year, didn't you?"
There was a moment of silence on the other end, as if he had been thinking for a while, then he said, "Yes."
"Why?"
In the dark computer screen, Ye Li could see the reflection of her own reddened eyes. "Why did you go to the hospital? What did you say to Dad? Why have you never told me about this before?"
The girl asked several "whys" in a row.
Fu Yanci seemed to have fully woken up and sat up in bed. "Ali, I passed by that day and saw the red cross on the roof of the hospital. I thought of my father in the hospital, so I went up to see him."
"When I came in, he gestured for me not to wake my mother. We only exchanged a few words before I left."
Later that day, he learned that Ye Mushen had passed away.
He even visited the Ye family villa for this reason.
Everywhere you look is white, with wreaths, flowers, and elegiac couplets everywhere.
Luxury cars came and went in a constant stream, but the people in the cars left their belongings behind, and after saying "Please accept my condolences, Mrs. Ye" to Aunt Lan, they left without even going through the door.
I wanted to go see if her eyes were swollen from crying.
I also want to tell her, "Ah Li, you still have me."
But when he realized he didn't have the qualifications, he turned and left.
The next day, it was learned that Li Xueqing had fainted outside the emergency room.
His visit was nothing more than a trivial matter.
At that time, Ye Li had to endure the pain of losing her father while also taking care of her sick mother.
She only had Aunt Lan to rely on for the time being.
But soon, the company went bankrupt, creditors came knocking, and Ye Li faced one predicament after another.
Not only the Ye family villa, but she couldn't even keep Aunt Lan, the only person she could rely on for a short time.
As if recalling the situation at the time, Fu Yanci said in a deep voice, "Ali, it was just a small matter, which is why I didn't mention it to you."
"So... what did you and Dad talk about?"
The girl's voice was mournful, and Fu Yanci immediately stood up. "Ali, where are you? I'm coming to find you."
"Need not!"
Ye Li's voice was cold, "Fu Yanci, I'm not at the hospital. I... I'll talk to you later. First, tell me, what did you and Dad talk about?"
Fu Yanci stopped halfway through putting on his suit.
In the year since their marriage, Fu Yanci has thought about what happened back then more than once.
If it were him, knowing that he would soon die, then every single moment when he was lucid would only be spent holding Ali's hand and telling her again and again, "Ali, I love you!"
But the moment he entered the room, Ye Mushen, lying on the hospital bed, gazed at the sleeping Li Xueqing with eyes full of reluctance.
She even shook her head when she saw him, signaling him not to wake her.
"Master Fu...Master Fu..."
"Uncle Ye, you can just call me Yan Ci!"
“Dislike of words…”
From fainting to hospitalization, it was only a week. The man who used to be gentle, refined and elegant seemed to have all his strength taken away. He was weak, haggard, and skin and bones.
I don't know if it's because I'm too weak and have no energy.
It was because I didn't want to disturb Li Xueqing.
Ye Mushen spoke in a breathy voice, "Yanci, thank you for coming to see me. If I may, may I ask you for a favor?"
"Uncle, please speak!"
“I…I probably don’t have much time left. Yanci, your uncle has watched you, Ali, and Hechen spend so many years together. Although your uncle has never given you any special treatment, could you please, for the sake of the Zhou family and for your sister’s sake, look after Ali for me?”
When Ye Mushen mentioned his beloved daughter, his eyes welled up with tears.
He wasn't worried about Li Xueqing.
He knew his wife, the woman he loved his whole life.
Even though he's gone, and she's devastated and can't bear it, a mother's strength prevails. For Ali's sake, she will be alright.
When Ali graduates from university, when she marries Zhou Hechen, when she has children... then, Li Xueqing will probably gradually wither and fade away until she withers and dies.
But by then, Ali had already grown up.
His Ali is so sensible, like a sunflower in a nursery, making people happy just by looking at her.
When his wife misses him and wants to go to the Bridge of Helplessness to find him, Ali will definitely take good care of her and not let her overthink things.
When that day comes, both his Xiaoxue and his Ali will be alright.
The two women he loves most in this world will take good care of each other.
He could die in peace.
Therefore, right now, his Ah Li is of utmost importance.
"Yan Ci, please, okay?"
Ye Mushen's eyes pleaded.
I promise you!
Fu Yanci nodded, "Uncle, I promise! In this life, as long as I live, I will definitely protect Ali and make sure she and Aunt Ye are well."
It is said that when a person is about to die, their soul has already left their body.
Fu Yanci had no idea where he had slipped up.
It was because of his words that Ye Mushen became aware of his hidden feelings.
Ye Mushen's eyes lit up.
She seemed to have perked up a bit, and holding his hand, she asked, "Yanci, you, you... what about Ali..."
"Uncle, I like Ali! I've liked her for a long time!"
Perhaps feeling that he might miss his chance if he didn't speak up now, Fu Yanci grasped the hand that was unusually thin due to illness and said in a deep voice, as if making a promise, "In the future, if Ali marries He Chen, then I will bless her. I will protect her as her uncle and take good care of Aunt Ye. If..."
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