Chapter 068 Forget That Night

Jiang’s mother’s funeral was held with utmost discretion. Jiang Yao buried her not far from Chen’s grave.

The sky was dull and overcast. Jiang Yao, dressed in black, stood silently before her mother’s tombstone. The portrait on the stone depicted her mother’s frail face, adorned with a faint smile.

Jiang Yao reached out, gently tracing the cold surface of the grave. “All our lives, it was either you leaving me or me avoiding you. The days we spent happily together were so few.”

She bent down, picking a small yellow dandelion from the grass and holding it in her hand.

“It’s better now. You’ll stay here, never able to run away again,” Jiang Yao said softly, placing the tiny flower on her mother’s tombstone. “You always loved beautiful things—this little flower is for you. I’ll only give you one each time, but I’ll visit often. Each time, I’ll bring you one. Mom, I’m trying to learn to let go. I hope you can let go, too.”

A gentle smile appeared on her lips as she finished speaking. Then she turned and slowly walked away.

A fresh breeze swept over the grass and trees, lifting the yellow flower and carrying it far into the distance...

Suburban villa.

He Yunqing had just been discharged from the hospital. As usual, he took a bottle of milk from the refrigerator and sat out on the balcony.

At that moment, his phone rang.

Irene’s chiding voice came through the receiver, “You should drink warm milk, Yunqing.”

He Yunqing glanced at the bottle in his hand, couldn’t help but smile, and replied, taking a sip as he spoke.

“How am I supposed to stop worrying about you? You were hurt so badly, yet you insisted on running out in the pouring rain, spent another week in the hospital for nothing. And now you won’t let me stay by your side to take care of you,” Irene sighed. “You go to such lengths for her, but what about her?”

He Yunqing turned his head, gazing toward the neighboring balcony.

Countless times before, Jiang Yao had stood there, lost in thought as she watched the sun rise and set, clouds gather and scatter.

“Yunqing, are you even listening to me?”

“Firewheel He, I suggest you find yourself a boyfriend,” He Yunqing said calmly.

“What? A boyfriend?” Irene was stunned for a moment, then realized what he meant and shouted into the phone, “How many times do I have to tell you, don’t call me Firewheel He!”

He Yunqing smiled quietly, held the receiver farther away, and then hung up.

He looked at the neighboring balcony, and in his mind’s eye, Jiang Yao appeared, opening the door and stepping onto the balcony.

Suddenly, the balcony door swung open.

Jiang Yao stood there, her face radiant with a brilliant smile, her whole presence shining as she looked at him.

He Yunqing was stunned for a moment, almost unable to believe his eyes.

Jiang Yao waved, “He Yunqing!”

He Yunqing frowned slightly, narrowed his eyes, and after confirming that she was not a figment of his imagination, finally responded softly.

“Come over and have hotpot with us.”

He Yunqing wondered if he’d heard her wrong.

This Jiang Yao was almost unrecognizable—there was no trace of sadness or pain, she was luminous and vibrant, as though she’d never been hurt, as enthusiastic as the blazing sun on the horizon.

“Why are you just standing there? Are you coming or not?” Seeing him silent, Jiang Yao urged him again.

He Yunqing glanced at the milk in his hand, “Alright, I’ll change my clothes.”

The hotpot gathering included not just Jiang Yao, but Cheng Yanchi and Ye Yiyi as well.

Cheng Yanchi rolled his eyes at He Yunqing as he arrived, “Weren’t we supposed to celebrate my discharge? Why did you invite him?”

Jiang Yao patted Cheng Yanchi’s shoulder helplessly. “He was just discharged too. Shouldn’t we celebrate?”

Seeing He Yunqing sit beside Jiang Yao, Cheng Yanchi moved his chair, leaving an empty seat between himself and Ye Yiyi. “Sit here.”

Four people gathered around the hotpot table—something unprecedented.

Jiang Yao ate with a cheerfulness that made it seem she’d forgotten all about her mother’s death.

“A-Yao, I heard that the man named Zeng escaped? The police are searching everywhere for him now?” Cheng Yanchi asked.

Opposite, Ye Yiyi discreetly kicked him under the table.

“Why did you kick me?” Cheng Yanchi protested. “Between us, what do we need to hide?”

Ye Yiyi shot him another glare.

Jiang Yao paused midair with her chopsticks, then continued to serve herself.

She smiled and nodded, “Yes, there’s nothing we can’t say. He won’t get far. Sooner or later, he’ll be caught.”

“Come on, eat up,” she urged, adding more ingredients to the pot.

“A-Yao, are you really alright?” Ye Yiyi asked, concerned.

“Do I look like I’m not?” Jiang Yao pointed at her own face, then raised her glass. “Cheng Yanchi, congratulations on your discharge. May you stay healthy from now on. Medical advances are happening every day—maybe there’s hope for your hand yet…”

Cheng Yanchi glanced down at his hand and opened his mouth to speak.

Jiang Yao understood and popped a fish ball into his mouth.

Cheng Yanchi ate the fish ball, then gave He Yunqing a challenging look. “Thanks for your blessing. Maybe I’ll just go home and take over the family business.”

Jiang Yao drained her glass and turned to Ye Yiyi.

“Yiyi, you’ve been busy lately. Make sure you’re careful choosing men.”

Ye Yiyi lifted her chin, knowing Jiang Yao was hinting at Luo Yixian. “Oh, don’t worry. He’s just a friend. Right now, my priority is still work.”

“Really?”

“Of course!”

Jiang Yao pinched Ye Yiyi’s cheek and raised her glass again. “Alright, then here’s to our future superstar—may your career soar.”

She finished her second drink.

At last, she looked across the table at He Yunqing.

“He Yunqing.” Two glasses of wine left Jiang Yao feeling unexpectedly melancholy.

She sniffed, “I hope you…”

He Yunqing held his chopsticks elegantly, gazing at her, eyes narrowed, ready to listen earnestly. “Hope for what?”

“I hope you can forget that night completely.”

The air at the table seemed to freeze.

“What night? Which night?” Cheng Yanchi instantly furrowed his brow.

Ye Yiyi kicked him again under the table.

“Hey, Ye Yiyi, I may be out of the hospital, but my injuries aren’t fully healed. Kicking a wounded man—don’t you have a conscience?” Cheng Yanchi protested.

Ye Yiyi rolled her eyes. “No one will mistake you for mute if you keep quiet.”

Jiang Yao looked at He Yunqing. “That night ten years ago—it wasn’t your fault.”

“Whose fault was it, then?” He Yunqing asked quietly.

“It was fate,” Jiang Yao tilted her head back and drank another glass. “In the face of destiny, no one can escape. It’s been so long now—we all need to learn to let go…”