196, does that mean I'm being affectionate?
In the place where they grew up, on this road they have walked for more than a decade.
Huo Yanxi's bittersweet unrequited love and unspoken affections all poured out at this moment.
Regardless of whether they were on a busy street, he strode over and pulled the bright, sunny girl into his arms.
He cupped her face in one hand and lowered his head to kiss her lips.
Xie Yaoyao was stunned for a moment until something slid into her mouth, and her mind went blank.
Huo Yanxi's kiss was passionate, as if he wanted to absorb her whole body into his.
Xie Yaoyao's legs went weak from his kisses, and her hands unconsciously clenched his clothes.
The two kissed passionately until they were breathless, at which point they gently separated.
Xie Yaoyao pressed her burning cheek against his chest.
Huo Yanxi's heart was pounding so hard it was deafening, vibrating in Xie Yaoyao's ears.
She suddenly felt like crying.
Tears rolled down her cheeks unexpectedly, and Huo Yanxi was startled when he heard her sobbing.
He quickly put the small basket he was holding on the ground, cupped her face in his hands, and saw that she was crying with tears streaming down her face.
Why are you crying?
Xie Yaoyao shook her head, choking back tears and remaining silent.
She felt it was a waste that they had missed out on those five years; they clearly loved each other.
Huo Yanxi panicked, "Did I kiss you too affectionately?"
His fingers gently traced her rosy lips. He was a little flustered, afraid that he had really hurt her.
Xie Yaoyao: "You silly goose, why are you so good to me?"
She was timid and cowardly. If she had been braver back then and asked him if he liked her, perhaps they wouldn't have missed each other for so many years.
Moreover, Huo Yanxi will not suffer so much afterward.
The electric shock wounds on his body healed only to be covered by new ones. Some of the scars were shallow, but the marks were deeply imprinted in his heart.
It was her fault.
She wasn't brave enough.
Huo Yanxi lowered his head and wiped away the tears on her face. The tears were salty and somewhat bitter.
He was heartbroken. "Because that person is you, Manman. I love you, I love you so much. I can't live without you in this life."
Xie Yaoyao cried again.
"We were both fools. If we had told each other how we felt earlier, we might not have missed each other for so many years."
Huo Yanxi said, "It's okay, the past is the past, we won't mention it again."
"What matters now is our future, and I will do everything I can to love you."
Xie Yaoyao raised her hand, cupped his face, and gently stroked his cheek with her fingertips.
Her eyes were still filled with tears, but she smiled.
"Yes, we have many, many more days ahead of us, and every day in the future, I will love you even more."
Huo Yanxi lowered his head and lightly pecked her lips, then pecked them again.
"I love you, Manman!"
Xie Yaoyao nodded, her voice choked with emotion, "I love you too, Huo Yanxi."
After exchanging heartfelt words, Xie Yaoyao felt both at ease and sweet, and the two continued to deliver the invitations hand in hand.
The last invitation was for Grandma Zheng, who lived a little further away.
Huo Yanxi visited more than a month ago and learned about Xie Yaoyao's background at that time.
When Grandma Zheng saw Xie Yaoyao, she took her hand and wiped away her tears.
“Poor child, we haven’t seen you for five years. When the houseboat caught fire, everyone thought you hadn’t escaped.”
Xie Yaoyao had just finished crying, and now she couldn't hold back anymore, saying with tears in her eyes, "Grandma Zheng, I'm fine, I ran away."
"You silly child, you ran away without telling us, making us worry for so long."
“You haven’t come back to see your grandmother all these years, only Xiao Huo comes every year.”
Xie Yaoyao said, "I've been here before, always arriving early. I didn't want to disturb you since it was too late."
“You treat us like outsiders. The fire was burning so fiercely back then that we didn’t find out until the next day.”
The neighbors were still gathered in front of the burned-down houseboat, searching for her remains for a long time.
The remains were not found, but people said they saw someone engulfed in flames and plunge into the sea at night; they probably either burned to death or drowned.
Then it was swept away by the waves to who knows where.
Everyone sighed, lamenting the many misfortunes that befell the Chi family.
Of course, Huo Yanxi was nowhere to be seen at that time, and everyone said he was heartless.
The Chi family raised him, and when Chi Xiaoman was burned to death, he didn't even come back to see her.
A few months later, everyone saw him return. At that time, Huo Yanxi had been tortured beyond recognition at Xiaojian Mountain.
He stood before the burned-down houseboat, emaciated, clutching the nearly burned bean bun in his arms.
It's heartbreaking to see a person and a dog like that.
These people couldn't bring themselves to say anything harsh, nor were they sure if Chi Xiaoman was dead.
Everyone could only comfort him, saying that perhaps Chi Xiaoman had gone to the mainland to escape the chaos.
Seeing that Chi Xiaoman is still alive, Grandma Zheng is greatly comforted.
Xie Yaoyao said, "At the time, someone was following me, so I didn't dare to go to you, afraid of causing you trouble."
"You treat us like outsiders. How did you manage to handle such a huge thing all by yourself?"
Xie Yaoyao simply said, "It's all in the past."
Actually, she was really struggling back then. Her grandmother died, Huo Yanxi left, and she was all alone. Even her house was burned down.
Later, even the steamed buns disappeared.
In this world, she was all alone, with no money, no phone, nothing at all.
She actually considered suicide at that time.
But she was pregnant.
That very night, she became pregnant with Huo Yanxi's child. The child came at just the right time, giving her the courage to live on.
She changed her name and surname, found someone to have a fake marriage, and gave birth to Xie Ziyu safely.
Although these years have been tough, her heart is full.
She thought, Grandma isn't hers, Huo Yanxi isn't hers, and Doubao isn't hers either.
But Xie Ziyu belongs to her.
He was her pillar of support, the motivation for her to live, and she wanted to give him the best life.
Later, she gained a renewed drive in her life, watching Xie Ziyu grow up day by day and seeing Huo Yanxi become stronger day by day.
She thought that even if he wasn't in her world in the future, she would still raise their child to adulthood.
If he has someone he loves, she will never disturb his life.
She would stay in some corner and silently bless him.
Grandma Zheng still felt sorry for Manman, "Before your grandmother passed away, she entrusted me to take care of you. It's my fault for not taking good care of you."
Xie Yaoyao smiled and wiped away her tears, "No, you have already helped me a lot, Grandma Zheng, you are my best friend."
Grandma Zheng's aged face was also covered with tears. "Yes, your grandma and I used to fight when we were young. But we became friends after that fight."
Speaking of the past, Grandma Zheng smiled again and told Xie Yaoyao many interesting stories about Grandma Chi.
As she spoke, she wiped away tears again.
Xie Yaoyao felt a pang of sadness, and the thought of her grandmother brought a bittersweet feeling to her heart.
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