write a letter
Time is a fair thing; it doesn't give you the power to forget, but rather makes those memories even more vivid. The food on the white solid wood dining table was still steaming. Yu Xi closed the contract and sat down at the table before Zhang Jinhua could call her.
"Chen Miao." Yu Xi called out habitually, but when she turned her head, the corner of the sofa where Chen Miao used to sit was empty.
She regretted it as soon as she said it. She was the one who chased the ghost away, but now she hoped it would appear here.
Zhang Jinhua stood aside, not daring to say a word. She had overheard Yu Xi and Chen Miao's argument in the kitchen earlier that day, and knowing Yu Xi's personality, she didn't get involved.
Just like when Chen Miao first came to this house, he clung to Yu Xi, only to be chased away by Yu Xi herself in the end.
"Let's call Zeze down to eat with us," Yu Xi said to Zhang Jinhua, trying to hide her disappointment.
Zhang Jinhua took off her apron and walked upstairs. "Zeze, Xiaojun, come down for dinner."
"Okay, sure." Two voices responded at the same time, and the piano music stopped abruptly. Meng Yun took Meng Qingze's hand and walked out of the music room.
Meng Qingze asked, "Second Uncle, did Dad used to be able to play this piece?"
He overheard Yu Xi and Chen Miao arguing. Chen Miao had finally left when Meng Qingze brought up Meng Chou again. Even though Meng Yun was unwilling, all her resentment disappeared when she saw the child she had raised herself.
He laughed and said, "Of course, and he plays much better than I do."
Meng Qingze shook her head. "No, Second Uncle played very well too. If it's good, there's no need to compare who played better."
"You're such a clever little devil." Meng Yun picked him up and quickened her pace as she went downstairs. "Your second uncle's piano skills are only good enough to teach you some simple pieces."
"Come on, let's go downstairs to eat and see what delicious food Auntie has made."
He acted as if he were the true master of the house, naturally coming to the dining table, pulling out a chair for Meng Qingze, lifting him up, and sitting down beside him, serving him food as usual.
He also reminded her, "You need to eat both vegetables and meat so you can grow taller."
As Meng Yun spoke, Meng Qingze echoed him, and he even made a playful face at Meng Yun.
Yu Xi's chopsticks lingered carelessly on the empty plate for a long time. She didn't have much of an appetite, but she wanted to have dinner with Meng Qingze, so she forced herself to eat a couple of bites.
After a while, Meng Qingze seemed to suddenly realize something and looked up at Yu Xi, asking, "Mom, where's Sanshui? Why isn't he eating with us?"
Yu Xi didn't know how to explain to him the fact that she would never see Chen Miao again. She idly swiped her chopsticks on the empty plate for a long time without saying a word.
"He has important things to do and probably won't be able to come over anytime soon," Meng Yun said, noticing Yu Xi's predicament and speaking up for her, smiling as she gestured for Yu Xi to remain silent.
Meng Qingze pressed further, "Is that really true?"
“Yes, that’s right. He’s very busy, so he can’t come.” Meng Yun repeated, but dared not look him in the eye as she spoke.
He hated Meng Chou and also disliked Chen Miao.
He couldn't bring himself to hate the child he had raised, nor could he bring himself to hate him, simply because he was Yu Xi's child. The time he had invested in this child had long made him special and irreplaceable.
Meng Qingze turned to Yu Xi in disbelief and asked, "Mom, is Brother Sanshui so busy? Can you give him less work?"
“I really want him to be here, playing with me like before. Mom, please.” He blinked, those eyes so similar to Meng Chou’s, yet he spoke in such a tone.
Yu Xi was even more reluctant to part with him, but she knew very well that it was better to end it sooner rather than later, and Chen Miao would leave sooner or later.
From the moment he first appeared, the time he spent by her side began to count down. And since he shouldn't have met Meng Qingze in the first place, Yu Xi couldn't explain to a child that ghosts existed.
She didn't dare to look up, stirring the pasta in her plate, and said, "Zeze, be good, he has his own things to do."
"All right."
Upon hearing her say that, Meng Qingze stopped making a fuss and immediately looked disappointed, burying his head in his food in a sullen mood.
"How about your second uncle takes you to the amusement park tomorrow?" Meng Yun comforted him, casually placing a peeled boiled shrimp with sauce into his bowl. "How about we go buy your favorite cotton candy?"
“Okay, okay.” Meng Qingze immediately cheered up. The little guy was very sensible. “If Brother Sanshui is busy, I also want to chat with Dad. Zeze will write him a letter every week and have Mom send it to him.”
"He will definitely reply to me, just like my father did."
Upon hearing this, Yu Xi's tense emotions suddenly broke down like a snapped string. She had no appetite for dinner to begin with, but she picked up her chopsticks and took a couple of bites to keep Meng Qingze company.
The dining table was silent, the atmosphere so cold it didn't feel like a family dinner, but more like a silent interrogation.
"Yes, Zeze will receive his reply." Yu Xi forced a smile. "Mom has finished eating and still has some work to do. Zeze, eat your food obediently, Mom is leaving now."
"Okay, Mom, go ahead and get busy!" Meng Qingze was already used to this kind of scene. Many times, Yu Xi really did have to deal with work, and would often leave halfway through a meal to get busy.
Her life revolves around Meng Qingze and work; her time is completely occupied, leaving her no time to think about anything else.
Until Chen Miao appeared, everything was completely shattered.
Those who bring about change are forced to leave.
Yu Xi ran back to the bedroom as if the wind was blowing, closed the door, leaned against the white carved wooden door, squatted down weakly, and tears dripped onto her light brown dress.
Since Meng Chou left, her world has been filled with tears.
Countless times she had thought of following Meng Chou, but when she felt his heart beating inside her body, Yu Xi hesitated.
Thinking of Meng Qingze's happy face, she felt even more reluctant to part with him.
She thought that perhaps when her heart stopped beating, she should go see Meng Chou, at least to return the heart that rightfully belonged to him.
"Do you know? I wrote so many letters to Zeze for you, each one filled with love and expectations for him." Yu Xi staggered to her feet, a needle-like pain spreading from her heart throughout her body.
With trembling hands, she opened the drawer and took out a keychain that Meng Chou had given her from a gift box. With just a light press, she could hear his recording: "Little Fish, be happy and live a good life with my love."
Yu Xi had listened to that sentence, along with the voice messages she had exchanged with Meng Chou on her phone, countless times.
Five years have passed, but her WeChat profile picture and the songs she listened to with Meng Chou on her phone have never changed.
The world changes in an instant, but she only wants to hide in those memories and is unwilling to come out.
“Look, now I not only need to write letters for you, but also for another ghost.” Yu Xi placed the keychain close to her heart, as if the recording could penetrate her heart, striking her deepest recesses and stirring up unsettling waves.
This room holds too many memories she created with him. Even though everything has been put away, she can't forget those images.
The more you try to forget, the clearer you remember.
—
As usual, Yu Xi was sitting at her desk looking at a pile of documents. As the scroll wheel rolled, the sounds of arguing outside drifted over, and she couldn't help but look in the direction of the noise.
Through the gap in the blinds, a man with a full head of curly hair, wearing a red sweater, and looking to be in his forties, was arguing with Assistant Liu and a group of security personnel on duty at the company entrance.
A group of people blocked her from entering Yu Xi's office, while the people in various departments working in the office area were unaware that they were secretly watching the commotion.
The woman's words and actions were extremely aggressive. She shouted into the CEO's office, "Yu Xi, now that you're rich and a big boss, you don't recognize me as your mother anymore? How can you face your conscience? Do you know how hard it was for me to raise you all those years?"
"Now you're all set, all rich and hiding in the city." The woman used all her strength to push aside a security guard. "And you sent so many people to block me. If I hadn't given you a bite to eat, would you be where you are today?"
"You ungrateful wretch, I've wasted my time raising you."
Assistant Liu immediately reprimanded her, saying, "You've already barged into the office area, and now you're shouting like this? Do you believe I'll call the police if you keep this up?"
The woman perked up at the suggestion and said, "Great! Calling the police is great! Let the police come and show them how this company's big boss treats my parents!"
"What are you all standing there for? Hurry up and pull this troublemaking old lady away!" Assistant Liu said, pointing to the security personnel beside him. Only after receiving the order did the others dare to take action and pull the person away.
They all knew about Yu Xi's background, and when this person suddenly appeared, claiming to be Yu Xi's mother, no one dared to approach her rashly. However, they dared not let her into the president's office until they had Yu Xi's confirmation.
"Who are you calling an 'auntie'? Is that how you address your boss's mother? I'll fire you!" The woman pointed at Assistant Liu and angrily cursed, "You little brat, who do you think you are? How dare you talk to me like that?"
"Go check if a patient escaped from the mental hospital today?" Assistant Liu retorted, rubbing his forehead with one hand.
The argument was so loud that Yu Xi could hear it clearly in her office, and all her long-forgotten memories suddenly came flooding back.
She didn't want to remember those things, and she was even less willing to face such a family member.
The place she risked her life to escape, the people she wanted to get rid of, have now reappeared in her life, as if constantly reminding her of what happened back then.
The lake water was icy cold in winter, and it was Meng Chou who saved her and gave her hope to live.
Now, just a wall away, it's that same person again.
This time, no one will stand in her way; she must face it herself and reopen her unhealed wounds.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
