Ji Huaizhi stopped and looked at her without blinking, waiting for her next words.
Li Yang tried to sort out his thoughts amidst this turmoil, but they only grew more chaotic. He could only follow his heart and said, "Could you give me some more time to think this over?"
Having experienced such a hopeless marriage in her previous life, she didn't want to go through it again, but she also didn't want to miss Ji Huaizhi because of her cowardice.
It seems a bit impulsive to agree immediately, but it would make her feel uncomfortable if I refused. The most responsible way for both of us is to think carefully before answering. This is good for everyone.
Hearing that Li Yang did not refuse, a smile returned to Ji Huaizhi's eyes. He hugged her, his voice trembling imperceptibly, "Okay, I'll wait for you."
*
Li Yang had a dream, a very long dream.
She dreamed of her previous life, which was a scene many years after her death.
The cemetery west of Guangzhou is covered with lush trees on the hillside. With the arrival of a rain, it is shrouded in a hazy white mist. It is Qingming Festival that day, and there are occasional people coming to pay their respects.
At the foot of the mountain, a black car stopped. The front passenger seat opened, and a smart-looking middle-aged man holding a black umbrella got out of the car. He walked quickly to the back seat, opened the door, and respectfully said to the person inside, "Mr. Ji, we're here."
Then a slender leg stepped out of the car, and a large hand with distinct joints took the umbrella from the subordinate's hand. The umbrella was slightly tilted, and the other person's face could not be seen clearly. I only knew that he was a tall and thin man.
The man said, "Wait for me downstairs."
The subordinate hesitated a little: "But, the road is slippery in the rain, sir, your legs..."
The man interrupted his subordinate nonchalantly, "She likes quietness. If you're around, she'll feel awkward."
Hearing this, the subordinate stopped talking and stepped aside. He then took out a flower basket and a small box from the trunk of the car. The flower basket was filled with red roses. The small box was tightly covered, and the contents could not be seen. The subordinate handed it to the man: "Mr. Ji, this is for Miss Li."
The man took the things, held up an umbrella, and staggered up the bluestone path, step by step.
As the man walked away, the young driver leaned out and motioned for his subordinate to get into the car to avoid the rain. He sighed, "You said the gentleman came here every year. Who is buried there? The gentleman never married in his life. Could that person be his lover?"
In response to the driver's question, the subordinate pointed to the mountain and shook his head: "You'd better not mention the matter of the person above in front of the master. He won't like it."
Not only did he not answer the driver's question, but it aroused his curiosity even more.
But those who work under a man are always aware of the current situation. The driver knew the seriousness of the matter and kept his mouth shut.
The man was familiar with the way up the mountain, but even so, it still took him more than half an hour to arrive.
He came to a tombstone, put down the umbrella in his hand, walked forward and carefully cleaned up the weeds and dead leaves in front of the tombstone, and then placed the flowers and the small box in front of the tombstone.
The cemetery is usually managed and is not deserted. It is just that over time, some dust has inevitably fallen on it. The man stood up and carefully wiped the black and white photo on the tombstone with his sleeve.
The photo shows a young woman with a pair of bright eyes under her brows that are slightly melancholic, a straight nose, and small lips. Her whole body exudes a gentle and charming aura.
In contrast to the photo, the man has an old face and gray temples, but his handsome appearance in his youth can still be vaguely seen through his facial features.
The man looked at the person in the photo, his eyes slightly red. He said, "I'm old now. After this year, I don't know if I can come to see you next year. We have too few opportunities to spend time together in this life. I just hope that when the time comes, you can be my neighbor and don't think I'm noisy."
The man sat down and leaned the flowers against the tombstone. "One time, when you were leaving get off work at the factory, I followed you and heard you tell your coworkers that you liked red roses the most because they were expensive and because you had never received any before."
He picked up the small box again and opened it, revealing neatly stacked dumplings inside. "The owner of the dumpling shop at the entrance of the alley is getting old, and his son didn't inherit his business. He went into sales instead. Luckily, his wife's cooking skills are just as good as her father-in-law's, so I had her steam a basket for me this morning."
The man looked at the dumplings, his eyes moist, the mist in them about to gather into tears and roll down: "When you left that year, I said I would buy you dumplings from this shop, but unfortunately I came too late, and you didn't get to eat them..."
The man seemed to be lost in memories, closing his eyes. Tears could no longer be controlled and slid down his cheeks: "Li Yang, how could you be so cruel? Wait for me a little longer..."
The man sat in front of the tombstone and talked for a long time. He waited until everyone who had come up the mountain had gone down and the rain had stopped before he slowly stood up.
He glanced at the photo on the tombstone, as if saying his final goodbye: "Li Yang, this time, you have to wait for me. I will be here soon."
After saying that, he turned around and walked down the mountain step by step.
But this time, every step he took became heavier, and finally he stepped on empty air and fell backwards.
At the moment he fell to the ground, there was still a faint smile on the corner of his mouth.
He looked up at the gray sky, as if searching for something. Finally, his smile widened and he stretched out his hand toward the sky: "Li Yang, here I come."
*
When Li Yang woke up from his dream again, he found that his face was covered with tears.
Her chest heaved violently, as if she had experienced the scene in her dream, but she could only watch from afar, watching the man fall in front of her.
Her heart ached because she recognized the man in her dream, it was Ji Huaizhi, and the photo printed on the tombstone was hers.
Ji Huaizhi also woke up because of her sobbing. Without turning on the light, he reached out and hugged her: "Li Yang, what's wrong with you? Did you have a nightmare?"
Hearing the familiar voice and the still youthful handsome face reflected in the moonlight, Li Yang could no longer hold back and threw himself into Ji Huaizhi's arms, hugging him tightly: "Ji Huaizhi!"
Ji Huaizhi thought Li Yang was having a nightmare. He hugged her, patted her back, and comforted her, "It's okay, it's okay. Dreams are fake. Don't be afraid."
Li Yang didn't look up in his arms, and choked up as she said, "That wasn't a dream, it was all real."
If it was a dream, why was the pain so clear?
She had never done anything for him, and even stayed away from him like the other children in the hunting village. Even if she had done him a favor, she did not deserve his treatment.
Didn't he still have Bai Yueguang? Didn't he have many female confidantes? Why would he want to be lonely until old age?
She raised her head from his embrace, tears streaming down her face, and asked, "Ji Huaizhi, you liked me before, didn't you?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
