Chapter 165

Chapter 165

Xia Wanzhi’s heart refused to settle.

She stepped forward and took the cup Xie Qiyan was gripping tightly, then tentatively touched his fingertips.

Xie Qiyan came back to himself and clasped her hand.

His reaction was different from what she had imagined.

Even he felt he should have been overwhelmed with emotion right now.

But the instant he saw that painting, the heart that had wandered in uncertainty for so many years suddenly settled.

In its place came peace.

An incomparable peace.

“She’s still alive,” Xie Qiyan said, his voice slightly hoarse. “She’s still alive…”

Tears welled in Xia Wanzhi’s eyes. She rose onto her toes and gently stroked the reddened corner of his eye. Softly, she said, “Mm. She’s still alive. We found her.”

Xie Qiyan’s lashes trembled. He lowered his gaze, closed his eyes, and a tear dampened Xia Wanzhi’s fingertip.

She wiped it away gently, then slowly leaned into his chest and wrapped both arms around his waist, holding him tight. “Ayan, it’s okay. If she doesn’t come to us, we’ll go to her. I’ll go with you to find her.”

–

That night, Xie Qiyan had Yu Fei book tickets to Yuncheng for the next day.

In Beicheng’s winters, stars and the moon were rarely visible at night, but Xie Qiyan spent that entire evening gazing up at the sky.

His thoughts drifted away with the wind, only to be called back by Xia Wanzhi.

“The wind’s strong. Let’s go inside.” Xia Wanzhi draped the blanket in her hands over Xie Qiyan’s shoulders.

Xie Qiyan withdrew his gaze, turned sideways, and pulled Xia Wanzhi in front of him, holding her. The blanket was large enough to wrap around them both.

After standing in the wind for an hour, Xie Qiyan’s hands were very cold. Afraid he would chill Xia Wanzhi, he didn’t touch her hands.

“When I was little, whenever Venus appeared beside the moon, she would take me up onto the roof to watch it. After I came to Beicheng, I could still see it sometimes when I looked up, but there was no longer anyone by my side telling me stories about the stars and the moon.”

Xia Wanzhi lifted her head to look at the vast, boundless night sky. She raised her hand and covered the icy backs of the hands around her waist, saying gently, “It’s rare in winter. When summer comes, take me to see it with you.”

Xie Qiyan chuckled softly and agreed.

The next day, when they boarded the flight to Yuncheng, Xie Qiyan held Xia Wanzhi’s hand firmly and closed his eyes to sleep.

Xia Wanzhi pressed the call button and asked for a blanket. After covering Xie Qiyan with it, she turned on her side and watched him.

She knew that after she told him last night about the innkeeper from back then, Xie Qiyan had not slept all night.

The sea of flowers in Youqin Town had been painstakingly created by the innkeeper for the woman he loved.

And the woman the innkeeper loved was Xie Qiyan’s mother.

The “Qin” in Youqin Town was Yao Qin.

After telling Xie Qiyan, Xia Wanzhi thought it over carefully and felt that perhaps Yao Qin had started a new life, which was why she had never come to see Xie Qiyan all these years.

But she hoped that wasn’t the case.

She was afraid too-afraid that if it really was true, Xie Qiyan would be devastated.

Letting out a silent breath, Xia Wanzhi pushed those wild thoughts out of her mind.

Xia Wanzhi couldn’t remember the events from back then very clearly. After all, they had only met twice. Thinking about it now, she vaguely felt that something had been off about Yao Qin at the time.

But too much time had passed, and Xia Wanzhi wasn’t sure, so she didn’t tell Xie Qiyan. She was afraid it would only add to his worries. She thought perhaps they would only be able to confirm it after asking around in Yuncheng.

Ten minutes before the plane landed, Xie Qiyan opened his eyes. Xia Wanzhi stroked his tightly furrowed brow and smiled with her lips pressed together. “We’re almost there.”

Her fingers were gripped by a sudden force. Sensing Xie Qiyan’s tension, Xia Wanzhi laced her fingers back through his and patted his hand. “I’m here. Don’t be afraid.”

It was an hour and a half from the airport to Youqin Town. Xia Wanzhi had stayed awake on the plane watching over Xie Qiyan, and now her eyelids were drooping. She had meant to force herself to stay awake, but Xie Qiyan gently pressed her head onto his shoulder.

“Sleep for a while. Be good.” Xie Qiyan’s eyes were full of heartache. Noticing Xia Wanzhi’s hesitant expression, he finally managed a faint smile and rubbed her head. “With you by my side, I’m not afraid of anything.”

Only then did Xia Wanzhi close her eyes in relief.

More than an hour later, they passed along a mountain road. The car jolted, and Xia Wanzhi opened her sleepy eyes. The scenery outside the window caught her attention, and her drowsiness immediately faded.

When they arrived at their destination, Xia Wanzhi felt uneasy. She instinctively looked up at Xie Qiyan, but she couldn’t read any emotion on his face.

“Hello, is your boss here?” Xia Wanzhi went straight to the front desk to ask.

The receptionist looked Xia Wanzhi and Xie Qiyan over a few times, then called toward the tearoom next door, “Boss’s Wife, someone’s looking for you.”

“Coming, coming. Who is it?” The woman who came out was about thirty and dressed in local ethnic clothing. When she saw Xia Wanzhi smiling at her, she paused, then smiled back. “Looking for me? What can I do for you?”

Anxious, Xia Wanzhi stepped forward and showed her the photo on her phone. “I’d like to ask you about someone. Take a look.”

The Boss’s Wife was holding a handful of sunflower seeds. As she cracked them, she leaned closer to look. With just one glance, she shook her head. “I don’t know her.”

Xia Wanzhi froze slightly. “You don’t know her? Think again. She was the former owner of this inn’s… beloved.”

When she said the last word, Xia Wanzhi subconsciously looked toward Xie Qiyan.

Xie Qiyan met her gaze and shook his head slightly, indicating that he didn’t mind.

His mother had always been outstanding. Perhaps even as a young woman, she had already been the beloved of many.

If only she had never met Xie Tianqi…

At the mention of the former owner, the Boss’s Wife immediately realized who she meant and smiled. “You’re talking about Boss Liu, right?”

“I don’t know his surname. I came here ten years ago, and at the time I only dealt with him once or twice. I just called him Boss. He was… tall and thin, very gentle, a learned middle-aged man.” Xia Wanzhi described the owner’s features.
The Boss’s Wife looked amused. “That’s him, that’s him. This place has only ever had one former owner, so the moment you said former owner, I knew it had to be him. All refined and scholarly, right? He was my teacher. As early as…”

She counted on her fingers, then smiled. “As early as eight years ago, he took his wife and settled overseas. That sweetheart you mentioned just now should be his wife, I think. But I’m not too sure. Teacher’s wife was ill up here and almost never left the house. I only saw her a few times, so I don’t really remember what she looked like.”

Seeing her point at her head as she said the woman was ill, Xia Wanzhi’s heart suddenly tightened.

“They went abroad?” Xie Qiyan’s brows drew together slightly. “Which country?”

Xie Qiyan’s urgency was so intense that when he spoke abruptly, he startled the Boss’s Wife. Xia Wanzhi stepped forward and used her left shoulder to subtly block him, then said to the Boss’s Wife, “I’m sorry, that was a little rude. Do you have their contact information? It’s a long story, but we urgently need to find them.”

“Oh… Of course I have their contact information. Though they went to Ireland, Boss Liu thinks about his flower fields every single day. Seven or eight years ago, running a guesthouse here barely made any money. If he hadn’t offered me an outrageous salary to manage this whole sea of flowers, I wouldn’t have wanted the job.”

Xie Qiyan heard none of the rest. He only caught that she had a way to contact them and said urgently, “Please help me contact him. I want to know the exact address so I can visit them in person.”

The Boss’s Wife grew suspicious. She flung a hand out and took several steps back, her expression turning unfriendly. “And what exactly are you to my teacher? How am I supposed to know whether you’re good people or bad people? You come up asking for phone numbers and addresses right away…”

“I’m the son of your teacher’s wife.” Xie Qiyan’s low voice brought the Boss’s Wife’s fussing to a stop.

The Boss’s Wife froze. “I… I never heard about that.”

“Yao Qin is my mother.” Xie Qiyan met her appraising gaze.

The Boss’s Wife rubbed her nose. “Where would such a grown son come from…”

But she knew her teacher’s wife was indeed named Yao Qin.

“Then wait a minute. I’ll make a call.” The Boss’s Wife dialed the number. After waiting nearly a full minute, just before the call was about to disconnect automatically, it was finally answered. She exchanged a few pleasantries. “Hello, Teacher. How have you been lately…”

The voice cursing on the other end was loud and forceful, and Xie Qiyan could hear it fairly clearly.

Half a minute later, when the Boss’s Wife mentioned Xie Qiyan, the other party hung up without the slightest hesitation.

The Boss’s Wife froze, then spread her hands innocently at Xia Wanzhi and Xie Qiyan. “Well, that’s got nothing to do with me.”

Xie Qiyan’s gaze darkened slightly, his entire body shrouded in a sinister gloom.

Why had he hung up?

Over all these years, he had imagined countless reasons why Yao Qin had never come back to see him even once. The only possibility he had never considered was that someone had not allowed her to come back.

So was it this man?

Was this man the one who had kept her trapped?

“Could you call again?” Xia Wanzhi had a faint feeling that there had to be some other reason behind all of this.

The Boss’s Wife laughed dryly. “I’ll give you the number. You can call yourselves.”

No sooner had she said that than her phone rang. The Boss’s Wife huffed. “He’s calling back.”

The call connected, and the other person said directly, “Give him the phone.”

The Boss’s Wife had an energetic, mischievous personality. Curious, she teased, “There are two people here. Who do I give it to?”

The other side fell silent for a few seconds. “Your teacher’s wife’s son.”

The Boss’s Wife’s pupils contracted. When she handed the phone to Xie Qiyan, she looked him over several more times.

So there really was a son.

Taking the phone, Xie Qiyan parted his lips slightly, but his throat seemed to have gone hoarse, and no sound came out.

After a long while, a deep, resonant voice flowed from the other end. “Ayan?”

Xie Qiyan was silent. Only after a long pause did he speak. “My mom. Where is she?”

“My surname is Liu. My name is Liu Shubai. I was your mother’s high school classmate. We’ve met before…”

“I asked you where my mom is.” Xie Qiyan repeated himself.

Liu Shubai paused, gave him an address, then said slowly, “Don’t get agitated. Listen to me first. Your mother may not recognize you anymore. When you come… be mentally prepared.”

“Little Ah Yan, she’s ill. Very seriously ill.” Liu Shubai’s voice was filled with the weight of years.

The journey from Yuncheng to Ireland, then to Yao Qin’s current residence, required a transfer and took a long time. Xie Qiyan’s nerves were strung tight the entire way.

He showed no expression. Wherever they went, he only needed to hold Xia Wanzhi’s hand.

Only when he felt Xia Wanzhi’s warmth did he feel like he was still a living thing.

He did not know what he was feeling right now.

Should he be happy?

Happy that Yao Qin had not rejected him, had not abandoned him.

She had only fallen ill. She had only forgotten him.

But he was in so much pain. He was so heartbroken.

Because Yao Qin was ill. Because she had forgotten him.

During all those years when he had suffered in the Xie Family, Yao Qin had also fallen into the abyss of illness. In another way, she had suffered hardship alongside him.

But Xie Qiyan would rather she had abandoned him.

At least then she would have been healthy and happy. At least then she would have been living well.

After arriving in Ireland, Xia Wanzhi got in touch with Liu Shubai and got into the car he had sent. As the car drove into a luxurious estate, Xia Wanzhi’s previously chaotic mind suddenly became clear.

Liu Shubai’s financial strength was far from simple.

If he had been the one by Yao Qin’s side all this time, then perhaps he was also the person who had received news in advance and saved Yao Qin back in Yangliu Lane.

Or perhaps, after Yao Qin fell into the lake, he was the one who rescued her as well.

But even if Yao Qin was ill, he should not have taken her away on his own authority, much less kept even the slightest bit of news from Xie Qiyan, leaving mother and son without a single meeting for more than twenty years.