Chapter 133: You Have No Idea How Much I Missed You

Cheng Yanchi swallowed subconsciously.

Looking at Jiang Yao’s face, flushed red from the cold, he reached out to touch her forehead. "Are you running a fever?"

Jiang Yao brushed his hand away. "Do I look like I'm talking nonsense to you?"

"Yes, very much so," Cheng Yanchi replied with certainty.

Jiang Yao rolled her eyes at him. She was being so earnest about discussing this with him, yet to him, it was all just a joke.

"Fine, I’ll say it again. Cheng Yanchi, I am willing to marry you. Are you willing to marry me?"

It was obvious to anyone with eyes that Father Cheng did not have much time left. Besides, she could no longer be with He Yunqing, and she and Cheng Yanchi had been close for many years. She was willing to fulfill Father Cheng’s wish. Setting everything else aside, Cheng Yanchi’s family background and character were beyond reproach.

Cheng Yanchi stared steadily at Jiang Yao. After a long pause, he said slowly, "Just like before—is this another act?"

Jiang Yao pursed her lips slightly. She hadn't considered that.

Watching her slightly awkward expression, Cheng Yanchi reached out, draped his long arm over her shoulder, and pulled her along as he started walking. "Let’s go."

"Where are we going?"

The man glanced sideways. "Aren't we getting married? We should at least pick out the wedding rings, shouldn't we?"

Cheng Yanchi knew there was someone else living in Jiang Yao’s heart. He did not want to force her to forget that person, nor did he mind whether her intent to marry him was genuine or a facade. If she was unwilling, he would respect that; if she said she wanted to marry, then he would marry her. The only thing he cared about was whether Jiang Yao was truly happy.

News of the second young master of the Cheng Group getting engaged soon spread like wildfire, and the internet was flooded with discussions about it.

"Who is the fiancée?"

"Is it that same Jiang Yao?"

"I thought he was just playing around. I didn't expect it to be real."

"I bet it's a shotgun wedding; otherwise, it wouldn't be so easy to marry into that family..."

Cowering in her room, Jiang Yao read the online comments and couldn't help but wipe the sweat from her brow. These people really dared to imagine anything. If they kept making things up, they’d probably have her children off to school by next week.

Ye Yiyi lay on the bed and asked, "Yao, are you pregnant?"

Jiang Yao turned around and glared at her. Ye Yiyi had only recently undergone surgery, and her face was still pale; she had been staying with Jiang Yao lately. She stuck her tongue out at Jiang Yao and pointed at the phone. "Why are you glaring at me? It’s all written by people on here."

"They’re spouting nonsense, and you’re joining in? You’ve been with me this whole time—don't you know whether I’m pregnant or not? Do you want me to do a few backflips for you?" Jiang Yao poked her forehead.

Ye Yiyi pouted. "Alright, alright, I’m just teasing. Still, I should congratulate you on finally getting together with Cheng Yanchi."

Congratulations? "What’s there to congratulate? It’s just to put Uncle Cheng at ease," Jiang Yao said, pointing to her own head. "You know my situation."

Ye Yiyi, who had been gnawing on a chicken foot, lost her appetite the moment Jiang Yao said that. "Yao... about this... are you going to tell Cheng Yanchi?"

"Tell him, so he can wrap me up like an endangered species? I don't think so," Jiang Yao replied, disapproving. "Uncle Cheng is in such a state lately; that’s already enough to break his heart. If he finds out about my condition, wouldn't it just be a double blow?"

Ye Yiyi nodded; that was true.

"Besides, I’ve been taking my medication on time, and I don't feel any discomfort. I suppose the condition is well-managed."

Ye Yiyi sighed with concern. "Maybe if you wait a little longer, the success rate of your surgery will increase? Medicine is advancing so fast these days, right? It’s so frustrating—why didn't I study medicine back then?"

Jiang Yao pinched Ye Yiyi’s cheek. "If you had studied medicine, wouldn't that have been a waste of this beautiful face? Someone as beautiful as you is meant to be a superstar."

Ye Yiyi lifted her chin, basking in the compliment. "Speaking of beautiful... is there still no news from He Yunqing?"

Jiang Yao shook her head. Ever since he went abroad, there hadn't been a single word. She didn't know how his treatment was going. It was perhaps for the best that he wasn't back yet; he wouldn't have to face the fact that she was marrying Cheng Yanchi.

As usual, Jiang Yao went to work at 'Spring Breeze Ten Miles.' By the time she finished, it was late at night. The sky had begun to drift with white snowflakes again. Jiang Yao walked alone on the snowy ground, lifting her hand to let the flakes fall into her palm, allowing the chill to melt against her skin. She couldn't help but feel that this winter was far too long.

As she walked, she found herself standing in front of her favorite snail noodle hotpot restaurant. Her stomach chose that moment to growl. Without hesitation, she pushed the door open and went in.

The waiter, who was still the same one from before, greeted her warmly. "Miss, it’s been a long time since you were here."

Jiang Yao smiled and sat down in an inconspicuous corner—the exact spot where she and He Yunqing used to sit. Before long, the steaming, pungent hotpot began to boil. Jiang Yao watched the vegetables rolling in the pot, but she no longer had the appetite she once possessed. So much had happened in the past year—far more than she could handle.

She took an exquisite jewelry box from her bag. Inside lay the engagement rings Cheng Yanchi had bought for her. Beside them was another ring—the couple’s ring that He Yunqing had once given her. She stared at it in a daze, then smiled faintly and tucked He Yunqing’s ring away. From now on, she would wear the ring Cheng Yanchi had bought.

Steam from the hotpot billowed upward. When she looked up again, a person had suddenly appeared across from her. A sharp, angular jawline, refined and cold features.

He Yunqing...

Jiang Yao stared blankly at the person sitting across from her, swallowed hard, and then gave a light, hollow laugh. "Jiang Yao, it seems your illness is getting worse. You’re actually hallucinating at a time like this," she muttered to herself with self-mockery. "I even took my medicine; it seems the pills are useless."

She thought to herself that perhaps having hallucinations wasn't such a bad thing. At least in these visions, she could see the person she longed for. With that thought, she picked up a mouthful of vegetables and shoved them into her mouth, looking at the person opposite her once more. "Since you’re here, don't leave too soon."

"Why?" the man asked slowly.

"Because..." Jiang Yao’s eyes turned slightly red, "you don't know how much I miss you."

He Yunqing looked at Jiang Yao, his eyes clouded by a thin mist, perhaps from the steam.

"I miss you when I eat, I miss you when I sleep, and I miss you in my dreams," Jiang Yao choked out. "But I can’t tell you any of this. I can’t tell anyone. He Yunqing, do you know? I feel like I’m going crazy."