Chapter 52: Crying

Xia Yehe burst into tears in an instant.

The dam in her heart, built from self-esteem and tenacity, collapsed completely at this moment, and the accumulated grief and sorrow poured out like a flood.

She wailed loudly, tears streaming down her face incessantly; for many days, she had wanted to cry like this, but reality had forced her to suppress even her tears.

Until this very moment, she finally let herself go. She was finally able to release everything to her heart's content.

Although it was only a dream, Xia Yehe felt she was already satisfied.

She kept crying like this, running forward rapidly; one of the shoes on her feet fell off, but she didn't even pause—she had to seize every second, because perhaps the next moment, this dream would wake up.

Xia Yehe practically threw herself into Chen Nuo's arms.

But she was too thin, and Chen Nuo didn't even budge.

She wept bitterly in his arms, not sparing her tears and snot as she smeared them onto his chest; Chen Nuo opened his arms to embrace her, and as his hands closed around her, he found he could barely feel her presence.

Chen Nuo sighed.

The crying suddenly quieted; Xia Yehe opened her eyes, which were blurred with tears, looked up blankly, and said in a voice so hoarse it was almost unintelligible, "...Can you say something?"

Chen Nuo said softly, "Alright, if there is anything I can help with, just tell me."

Xia Yehe closed her eyes in contentment. If the dream were to wake up now, she would feel it was worth it.

Come to think of it, what she regretted most now was that on New Year's Eve, even though she had so much she wanted to say, why were the text messages she sent so short?

Sometimes Xia Yehe really couldn't understand herself; it was like, why did she give him the most precious thing she had kept for over 20 years, yet stubbornly insist on calling it a one-night stand?

She had scolded herself for being a fool countless times, yet in the end, she still chose to be a fool.

What the young girl didn't know was that love is just like this. No one can possess wisdom while possessing love.

A warm embrace, a heartbeat that made one feel secure—only then did Xia Yehe realize that in a dream, a person's heart could also go thump-thump.

"Sis, is this your friend?" A confused and bewildered voice came from behind; Xia Yehe was muddled at the moment and didn't hear it very clearly.

The voice grew a little louder: "Sis, are they your friends?"

Xia Yehe thought to herself, why does that sound like my brother's voice?

"Sis?"

It really was her brother.

She really didn't want to leave that embrace, but Xia Yehe still struggled to pull away from him just a little, looking back.

Xia Bing looked at her and asked again, "Sis, is this your friend?"

Xia Yehe realized something was wrong; why was the tactile sensation of her body so real, why was the scene exactly the same as in reality, and why was her brother in the dream?

Xia Yehe didn't speak, but Chen Nuo felt he had to say something, so he opened his mouth: "Hello, I am a friend of Xia Yehe, my name is Chen Nuo. Are you Xia Yehe's brother?"

"I am. You're her friend? What kind of friend?" Xia Bing scrutinized him vigilantly.

Chen Nuo felt a bit awkward and said, "A good friend, I suppose." "Wait..." Xia Yehe gave Chen Nuo a sudden push, her body bouncing out of his arms, her large eyes wide open, blinking incessantly as she stared at Chen Nuo's face, her mouth repeating like a broken record, "Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait..."

"What's wrong?" Chen Nuo asked.

Xia Yehe's voice suddenly became very loud, "Don't talk yet!" Then she turned around and said to Xia Bing, "Brother, are you my brother?"

Xia Bing asked in confusion, "Sis, what's wrong with you?"

"You are my brother, Xia Bing." Xia Yehe nodded as if to confirm, then suddenly turned her head back again, staring at Chen Nuo: "So, you are Chen Nuo?"

Chen Nuo nodded: "Yes, I am Chen Nuo."

Xia Yehe's expression became very strange, as if she were puzzled, yet also as if she had understood something, "Where did you come from?"

"Shanghai."

"How did you find me?"

"Uh... it was..."

"It was me." Qi Yuntian had already gotten out of the driver's seat; he had been watching with his arms crossed, and now he interjected: "I went to ask the people in your troupe, and they told me your home was here. Then we drove for over six hours to get here~"

Xia Yehe rubbed her face vigorously with both hands, looking at Chen Nuo through her fingers, and muttered, "I'm not dreaming?"

Qi Yuntian let out a 'ha' and said, "You couldn't dream of a beauty like me."

At this moment, a harsh, gong-like female voice came from afar: "Xia Yehe, what are you all doing! Who is that! Did you pick up your second uncle?"

After this sentence, the driver's side door of the Mazda that had been parked to the side suddenly opened a crack, and a middle-aged man revealed his face from that gap, saying somewhat awkwardly: "Um, Xia Bing and Xiao He, right? I am your second uncle."

Xia Yehe and Xia Bing kowtowed to the man; the man and his wife also got out of the car, hugged the two siblings, offered a few words of comfort, and then went toward the mourning hall, leaving the four young people staring at each other.

"Sis, I'm going over first," Xia Bing said.

Qi Yuntian said, "That... brother, take me to where you're keeping the accounts."

Xia Bing rubbed his head and said honestly, "Is that necessary?"

"It is, why wouldn't it be~ Come on, come on, take me there."

Qi Yuntian and Xia Bing left; Chen Nuo looked at Xia Yehe's frail body and said, "Are you tired from standing? Do you want to go sit in the car?"

Xia Yehe stood there like a silent sculpture, her gaze staring blankly at the ground, and let out a low "Mm."

Chen Nuo opened the back door for her, and Xia Yehe stepped on the vehicle's side step and climbed into the car.

Chen Nuo walked around to the other side of the car, opened the door, and also sat in the back seat.

As soon as the door closed, Chen Nuo felt a pair of soft hands wrap around his neck.

Immediately after, two warm and soft lips pressed tightly against his.

(End of chapter)