There was a knock on the door. Yi An opened the door and was stunned to find Duan Sisi standing there.
Duan Sisi glanced inside and politely asked, "May I come in?"
Yi An belatedly led Duan Sisi inside and poured her a cup of hot water.
Duan Sisi, holding a cup of hot water, smiled and said, "You must be very curious as to why I suddenly came to find you."
Yi An sat opposite her, a floor lamp beside the sofa illuminating a small space and half of her face.
Her profile was bathed in the soft yellow light, her gentle face revealing a deep weariness.
Seeing that he didn't speak, Duan Sisi took the initiative to get to the point: "You called me several times before, wanting to know about Su Yan's past, but I didn't tell you because I felt that would be a betrayal of our sisterhood."
She lowered her head and smiled, "But after this incident, I suddenly realized that not telling you was the real way I hurt her."
Yi An looked at her without speaking, using silence to signal her to continue.
Duan Sisi: "The fact that Su Yan's parents divorced..."
Before she could finish speaking, Yi An interrupted, "I know about this. She got divorced because her mother cheated on her. Did this have a big impact on her?"
Duan Sisi was somewhat surprised, but quickly returned to normal.
She gently shook her head. "Do you know who discovered her mother's affair back then?"
Yi An was stunned by her meaningful question. An answer instinctively popped into his mind, but he dared not say it aloud.
Duan Sisi spoke for him: "That's right, it's Su Yan. Because of this incident, Su Yan has always believed that she is the culprit of her parents' divorce and has been punishing herself for her mother's mistakes for so many years."
Yi An finally understood why Su Yan was so disappointed after returning from that wedding.
Duan Sisi suddenly changed the subject: "But that's not the key reason I came to see you tonight."
Yi An was startled and stared intently at her, waiting for her to say something next.
But Duan Sisi didn't intend to say anything. Instead, her gaze gradually lost focus, as if she were lost in memories.
"I met Su Yan in high school. Even back then, she was different from normal girls."
She seemed to have thought of something, and her brows furrowed immediately.
“Su Yan has always firmly believed in a sexless marriage. If she hadn’t met you, she probably would never have had children in her life. Xiaoyu and Xiaobao are both a blessing and a punishment in her life.”
"Six years ago, after she found out she was unexpectedly pregnant, she rushed home in a panic and told her father about it, but then something happened. I don't know exactly what happened, but I do know that it was devastating to her."
“After that incident, she went abroad. For five years, she thought about coming back, but as soon as she set foot on this land, she would immediately buy a plane ticket and fly back. If it weren’t for Xiaobao, she probably would never have been able to come back in this lifetime.”
Duan Sisi's gaze finally focused, and she called out Yi An's name: "Yi An, Su Yan is sick, very sick. I want to save her, but I can't, so I want to beg you to save her and pull her out of that nightmare that has tormented her for the first half of her life."
After Duan Sisi left, Yi An sat alone in the spot where Duan Sisi had been sitting.
He closed his eyes, and a series of events that had happened before flashed through his mind.
Su Yan's resistance to being touched, He Ziming's vicious words—all these fragmented pieces were finally connected by an invisible thread.
The only thing missing is the final knot, which is probably the incident Su Yan went through six years ago because of her pregnancy.
Yi An recalled Duan Sisi's last words: "Su Yan's illness is not caused by her mother, but by her father."
The only way to completely cure Su Yan is to start by investigating Su Xuehai.
Duan Sisi quietly returned to Su Yan's house. As soon as she entered, she found Su Yan sitting on the sofa.
Duan Sisi was startled. "Why aren't you sleeping? You're sitting here! You almost scared me to death!"
Su Yan slowly turned her head to look at her, staring intently, and asked slowly, "Where did you go?"
Duan Sisi touched the back of her neck and casually made up a lie.
"I couldn't sleep, so I went for a walk. You can't sleep either?"
She changed her shoes and sat down next to Su Yan.
Su Yan walked past her, glanced at the shoes Duan Sisi had taken off by the door, and already knew the answer in her heart.
"I can't sleep, will you stay with me?" she pleaded like a child.
Duan Sisi was naturally willing and pulled her into the room.
The two lay flat on the bed, just like when they were in school.
Duan Sisi turned her head and looked at Su Yan's profile through the darkness.
"Honey, how long has it been since we slept together like this?"
Hearing her ambiguous words, Su Yan couldn't help but laugh and said, "No matter how long it takes, it won't change the feelings between us."
Duan Sisi hugged her arm tightly and nodded in agreement: "That's true, unlike those stinky men, who lust after bodies but can't settle their hearts."
Su Yan placed her hand on Duan Sisi's hand and whispered, "Don't think about those things anymore, it's all in the past."
Duan Sisi smiled but didn't answer. Because both of them knew in their hearts that some things couldn't be simply forgotten. They both kept saying it, but neither of them could truly let it go.
After a long silence, just when Su Yan thought Duan Sisi had fallen asleep, Duan Sisi suddenly spoke again.
“My dear, even though I’ve been through that, I still believe in love and I still look forward to it.”
Su Yan was stunned for a moment, then turned to look at her and saw that her eyes were still shining even in the darkness.
Duan Sisi: "I can win and I can lose. If I fall, I'll just get up. I can't give up on all opportunities to receive warmth just because I've been cold once."
Su Yan knew there was a hidden meaning in her words; she had been like this all day, every word she spoke was meant for her.
Seeing that Su Yan didn't react, Duan Sisi pulled her arm and decided to be blunt.
"Darling, although some lousy men aren't worth it, there are still men who are very sweet! You've already tasted them, aren't you tempted?"
As Duan Sisi was talking, they entered the highway.
Su Yan was stunned, and coughed twice. "Watch your mouth! Who's being greedy? Get up first, then we'll talk!"
Duan Sisi immediately perked up, seized on this statement, and said loudly to Su Yan, "You said it! As long as I get up, you should face your own heart and give Yi An a chance."
As soon as Su Yan finished speaking, she immediately regretted it and wanted to take her words back, but Duan Sisi didn't give her that chance at all.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com