Sunshine Filled with Thoughts

When Linlin woke up, An Jinmo was reading a book-“The First Meeting,” a romantic novel filled with misunderstandings and coincidences, which Linlin loved. Linlin’s mother had said that Linlin would often hide in her room and cry while reading it. An Jinmo had been absorbed in the book for a long time, chewing over the delicate words, yet he could never quite grasp Linlin’s sadness; perhaps his thoughts had always diverged from hers.

She opened her eyes with some pain, squinting as the blinding sunlight streamed through the gap in the curtains, making it hard for her to fully open her eyes. In the light stood a man with his back to her, absorbed in a book. Linlin’s mind felt blank; shards of memories suddenly shattered and scattered around her, only to be evaporated in an instant by the sunlight-leaving nothing behind.

The memories that had been drifting in her dreams were gone, replaced only by flickering shadows that also faded away into oblivion.

An Jinmo heard the breath behind him become a bit hurried. Turning around, he was met with a pair of innocent, unblemished eyes, reminiscent of many years ago-the eyes of a girl no older than eleven or twelve stood before him, greeting him with such a soft voice. Seeing those eyes seemed to trigger a multitude of memories in his mind.

He found himself stepping closer, disregarding the bandage wrapped around her head and the oxygen tube attached to her body. Just gazing into those beautiful eyes revealed so much; her world was now untouched. Did this mean her world was now his? Perhaps it was for the best that she had no memories. For him, this version of Linlin-without any memories-completely belonged to him. In this state, she would always be his.

“Who are you?” Linlin’s voice was muffled by the oxygen mask, and all that came through was that one faint question.

“I am An Jinmo. I am your husband.”

This was Linlin’s first conversation since her rebirth. It felt strange, yet An Jinmo boldly stepped into Linlin’s world in this authoritative manner, creating a profound sense of reliance on him before she had fully come to her senses. In biology, young swans or chicks instinctively consider the first moving thing they see as their mother. So, the first person to appear before Linlin was An Jinmo, making him an essential figure in her renewed life.

An Jinmo called the doctor, and the final examination results revealed that Linlin’s intelligence hadn’t deteriorated severely; she was roughly at the cognitive level of a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old. This wasn’t too far off from her current age of twenty-two, so it wasn’t a major issue. However, the concerning part was that she had lost all her previous memories.

When these results were announced, Linlin’s mother cried heavily. Linlin’s father tightly embraced his wife as they sat together on the sofa in the hospital room, comforting her.

“As long as she’s alive, that’s all that matters. As long as she’s alive, she will always be my daughter…”

Even though she was their daughter, the lost memories would never return.

Momo stood dumbfounded in front of Linlin, taking in the familiar face that looked so worn and frail. Linlin had been in a coma for several days, and Momo had hardly slept at all. She either sat by Linlin’s bedside or wandered around the familiar places in Beijing that had once meant so much to them.

Now, Momo had to face a Linlin who had lost her memories. Even with her strong heart, tears couldn’t help but fall in such a heartbreaking situation.

“Do you… do you remember who I am?” Momo’s voice trembled as she spoke, nearly choking on the words. Her eyes were filled with red veins from crying.

“I’m sorry… who are you?”

Such polite and distant words came out of Linlin’s familiar mouth, and Momo’s tears overflowed, landing on her pure white sweater, leaving behind sad stains.

Momo instinctively covered her mouth and turned away, crying against the wall.

Zhaozhao walked over, placing his hands on her shoulders, trying to comfort her grieving heart.

Linlin quickly began to recover; as long as she was awake, could eat, and her bodily functions returned to normal, her external injuries would soon heal.

When the bandages were being removed, Linlin stared wide-eyed at her reflection in the mirror as the last sections of the bandage came off. Upon seeing her bald head, she cried sorrowfully. The tears pooling in her eyes broke An Jinmo’s heart, leaving him desperate to find a way to make her stop crying.

“It’s okay; your hair will grow back soon. Don’t worry, no matter how you look, you’ll always be my wife, and I won’t leave you!” An Jinmo declared emphatically, placing his hand on Linlin’s smoothly shaven head, appearing almost comical. Linlin, with red eyes, looked at An Jinmo, and trust filled her gaze.

After the bandages were removed, Linlin noticed a prominent scar on the back of her head. At first, she thought that it wouldn’t matter once her hair grew back, so she didn’t pay much attention. However, when she took a shower that evening and saw a long, noticeable scar on her side in the mirror-a result of being hit by a car and scraping against the ground-it struck her deeply.

Such a scar would be difficult to bear for a girl.

Because of the scars on her body, Linlin felt sad for a long time. Sometimes, while looking at An Jinmo, who was sitting on the sofa watching TV, she couldn’t help but think how handsome and charming he was. Why would such an outstanding man like him be interested in someone who looked like her? She didn’t feel attractive at all.

This sense of frustration and inferiority made Linlin especially withdrawn since returning to the villa where An Jinmo and Yanyan lived. Even when Yanyan came over to play and be affectionate, she instinctively shied away. Aside from mealtimes, when she would occasionally eat with them, Linlin mostly spent her time in her room surfing the internet or sleeping.

Meanwhile, An Jinmo didn’t seem to want to sleep in the same room as her. Through her online browsing and the influence of some web novels, Linlin learned that couples were supposed to sleep together. Yet, An Jinmo hadn’t even entered her room, and during lunch, he never asked what she had been doing.

On the other hand, Yanyan, who was eating dinner, watched as his mother hastily finished her meal and went upstairs without even looking at him. He felt a mix of frustration and sadness. He threw his chopsticks on the dining table and pouted, shooting a displeased glance at his father. “Did I do something wrong? Does Mom not like me?”

“Not at all… I think you’re doing great! Besides, you haven’t wet the bed in over three months…” An Jinmo said cheerfully while he ate, trying to uplift his son.

“Dad!” the two-year-old Yanyan exclaimed with dissatisfaction.

Nobody wants their embarrassing moments to be mentioned, especially not little Yanyan, who, despite his young age, was already aware of the concept of dignity.

An Jinmo was in a good mood and didn’t want to dwell on it with his son. He quickly replied, “Your mom is feeling unworthy compared to your handsome dad, which is why she’s feeling down. I think we need to come up with a plan to help her fall in love with us again…”

Notice here that he used “we.” An Jinmo hoped that by including his son, Yanyan would feel more involved, as there was only so much he could do alone.

Starting the next morning, Yanyan began waking his mom up every morning, especially at seven o’clock, when Linlin was still sound asleep. He would knock on her door repeatedly until she finally woke up. Then he would take her outside for morning exercises.

“Why do we have to go running so early?” Linlin asked with sleepy eyes, a hint of fatigue in her voice.

“Dad said running is good for your health, so we need to get up early to do it every morning. Since Dad is sick right now, I had to ask you to come with me,” Yanyan explained.

Linlin felt a flash of concern at Yanyan’s mention of his father being sick. Just yesterday at dinner, An Jinmo seemed perfectly fine. How could he suddenly be unwell?

Worry crept into her mind, but she didn’t know how to excuse herself to go check on him.

While she was lost in thought, Yanyan quickly picked up on his mother’s feelings.

“Mom, do you want to go check on Dad later? He has been sleeping all day,” Yanyan tilted his head as he spoke.

By this time, they had already stepped outside, ready to run around the house. Hearing her son’s words brought a smile to Linlin’s face. “Sure!”

For a girl with the emotional maturity of a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old, the bubbly scenes of romance were enticing, and it was impossible for Linlin to deny her affection for her dashing husband. Yet, she felt the need to remain composed. If she acted too eager, would it come off as desperate? Then again, considering they already had a child, perhaps it was alright to be a bit closer. But the thought of herself twisting and teasingly calling out, “Darling!!” sent shivers down her spine.

After their run, Linlin collapsed onto the sofa, completely breathless, while Yanyan excitedly dashed to the kitchen. He retrieved some oatmeal and milk from the fridge, prepared them on his own, and set two bowls on the coffee table-one for himself and one for his mother.

Seeing her son approach with his bowl of oatmeal made Linlin feel a bit embarrassed; she realized she couldn’t even match her son’s capabilities. She quickly got up, taking the breakfast he had made for her.

“Yanyan, you’re amazing! You can make breakfast for Mommy?” she praised.

“Mom, I just took the milk out of the fridge and mixed it with the oatmeal. Am I really that silly?” Yanyan replied, clearly unappreciative of the compliment. He felt his intelligence was being questioned. Stunned by his response, Linlin fell silent, realizing she had misstepped and choosing not to speak further.

After finishing breakfast, Linlin swiftly collected the bowls and went to wash them in the kitchen.

Although An Jinmo didn’t wash dishes himself, he had always taught Yanyan to take responsibility for his own things and not trouble others. As a result, many of Yanyan’s good habits came from his father’s lessons. Even without Linlin, Yanyan saw his dad as an equal counterpart to his mom.

After Linlin finished washing the dishes, Yanyan tidied up the coffee table and decided to give his dad a call to report what had just happened. He wanted his father to get ready because he and his mom were on their way.

Linlin felt a wave of nerves wash over her as she finished up in the kitchen, but as she held Yanyan’s little hand, she found a sudden surge of strength. With newfound courage, she headed toward An Jinmo’s bedroom on the third floor. It felt strange; Yanyan and Linlin lived on the second floor, while An Jinmo had arranged his study, billiard room, media room, and bedroom all on the third floor.

As they climbed the stairs, Linlin instructed Yanyan to knock on the door. Although Yanyan appeared obedient, as soon as he turned away, a look of disdain crossed his face. It was evident that he held a slight contempt for his mother, feeling bravely fond of his dad but not daring to look at her.

Yanyan walked up to the heavy wooden door and knocked a few times. He heard An Jinmo cough inside before a voice called out, “Come in…”

Only then did Yanyan push open the large, solid door. Upon entering, he found the room empty, which piqued Linlin’s curiosity. She wanted to see what was going on. The room was spacious, revealing that the study was connected to An Jinmo’s bedroom, allowing him to easily move between areas to handle work at any time.

The space was furnished simply, filled with pieces that hinted at a sense of time. The study was bright, designed with excellent natural light flowing in, and the walls were lined with books, imparting an academic atmosphere upon entering.

Even though Linlin had heard An Jinmo cough earlier, she didn’t see him anywhere in the room.

“Where’s your dad?” Linlin asked, looking down.

Isn’t he your husband? Why don’t you look for him yourself? Yanyan grumbled in his mind, but he wore a worried expression and replied, “He was here when I woke up this morning!”

With a touch of urgency, Yanyan rushed toward a door on the side of the study. He pushed it open and called out, “Mom, Dad is in here! Come quickly!”

Without waiting for Linlin, he dashed inside and raised his hand with a triumphant gesture towards his dad!