With a click, the office door opened from the inside.
Almost the moment they heard the door open, Grandma Sang, Grandpa Sang, and Sheng Xinhao, who had been sitting on chairs in the hallway, shot to their feet, their eyes all turning toward it.
Sang Yuwan appeared in the doorway.
Grandma Sang quickly walked over. “A Wan, how did it go? How was the treatment?”
She had barely finished speaking, about to say more, when she saw that Sang Yuwan’s eyes were red-rimmed and filled with tears as she looked at her.
In that instant, Grandma Sang froze for a moment, then tears began to fall from her eyes as well.
“You’ve regained your memories, haven’t you?”
“You are my A Wan, aren’t you?”
“Mom’s A Wan… has finally come back!”
Grandma Sang’s words, though phrased as questions, carried certainty.
Because the way Sang Yuwan looked at her was exactly the same as before. Even though over a decade had passed, Grandma Sang had not forgotten.
Sang Yuwan stepped forward and embraced Grandma Sang tightly, tears streaming down her face. “Yes, Mom, I’ve regained my memories.”
“Mom, I’m sorry. You and Dad must have been so sad, so heartbroken back then.”
“I’m sorry for being an unfilial daughter, for not being able to stay by your side all these years.”
Sang Yuwan knew very well how much her parents loved her.
They had only her as their daughter. Back then, her mother could have had more children, but she chose not to.
Her mother had said: One daughter is enough. A daughter is just as good as a son. I want to give all my love to her.
Since her birth, she had grown up in a happy, loving family.
She knew how deeply her parents loved her.
And she knew how much grief and pain her “death” must have caused them.
In truth, Sang Yuwan already knew she had made a mistake.
Perhaps she shouldn’t have gone to the border back then, shouldn’t have been so stubborn. Then maybe everything would be different now.
“Silly child, don’t talk nonsense. The most important thing is that you’re back.”
Grandpa Sang quickly added, “Yes, some things are just the cruel twists of fate. What matters is that everything is finally getting better.”
Perhaps it was only after losing something that one truly understood the value of regaining it.
After embracing Grandma Sang, Sang Yuwan also hugged Grandpa Sang. When she released him,
her eyes turned to Sheng Xinhao.
She didn’t intend to hug him.
Sheng Xinhao, who had been preparing to embrace A Wan as well, was left hanging.
The look Sang Yuwan gave Sheng Xinhao was complex.
With her memories restored, she recalled her younger days with Sheng Xinhao, their feelings for each other, and the moments they had shared.
There was no doubt that he was an exceptional man, and she had loved him.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have resolutely followed him to the border back then.
But now…
Sang Yuwan had to admit that her love for Sheng Xinhao had nearly been exhausted.
Not only because of what had happened over the past decade, not only because of Henry, but also because…
Sang Yuwan slowly stepped forward and said to Sheng Xinhao, “I heard you remarried just a year after I died?”
As soon as she said this, Sheng Xinhao looked as though his cover had been stripped away, his face flushing with shame.
“Yes, A Wan, I’m sorry. But Fang Wanrong and I have already…”
Before he could finish, Sang Yuwan raised her hand to cut him off.
“What you do with other women is none of my concern.”
“After all, our marriage ended the moment I ‘died.’”
“A Wan…” Sheng Xinhao’s eyes were filled with hurt.
“So, I won’t blame you for wanting to marry someone new.” After all, Sheng Xinhao had been young back then, holding such a high position, and there had been many women eager to marry him.
I won’t blame Sheng Xinhao for that.
But…
“I also heard that you treated A Xi badly?”
“You pushed A Xi into joining the military early, and you held him back. Is that true?”
“As expected, with a stepmother comes a stepfather.”
Sheng Xinhao looked into Sang Yuwan’s disappointed eyes and felt nothing but shame.
Because he knew that on this point, he had no defense.
Back then, he had indeed been too domineering, intolerant of any dissent.
He had even been somewhat authoritarian.
It was only later that he realized he had been wrong.
But by then, the damage was already done. Aside from trying his best to make amends, he had no other recourse.
Sheng Xinhao silently lowered his gaze, no longer daring to meet Sang Yuwan’s disappointed eyes. “Yes, I was wrong back then.”
“I know I was wrong.”
Sang Yuwan didn’t fault Sheng Xinhao for remarrying. What she faulted him for was how he had treated their only child.
“Forget it. I believe you and A Xi have your own way of resolving your conflicts and getting along. I won’t say anything more.”
But even as she criticized Sheng Xinhao, Sang Yuwan inwardly blamed herself as well.
If she hadn’t gone to the border back then,
If she had been by A Xi’s side all these years, then he wouldn’t have suffered either.
So she, as an unworthy mother, also bore some responsibility for A Xi’s pain.
Just as Sang Yuwan finished speaking and turned to leave, Sheng Xinhao grabbed her hand.
Sang Yuwan frowned.
Sheng Xinhao held on tightly, as if letting go would mean losing Sang Yuwan from his life forever.
“A Wan, what happened in the past was a cruel twist of fate.”
If it weren’t for that despicable Henry, their family would never have ended up like this.
That was why Sheng Xinhao truly hated Henry!
“But since you said not to talk about the past, I won’t.”
“I just want to ask one thing.”
“A Wan, do we still have a chance?”
Even though he knew the answer Sang Yuwan would likely give, Sheng Xinhao still wanted to ask.
What if, just what if there was a chance?
Unfortunately, the one-in-ten-thousand hope Sheng Xinhao held onto never came to be.
“Not a chance!” Sang Yuwan’s voice was clear and distinct.
It felt like a bucket of cold water had been dumped over Sheng Xinhao’s heart, instantly chilling it.
Sheng Xinhao lowered his gaze, his eyelids hiding his reddened eyes. Slowly, he released his hand…
Footsteps echoed as Sang Yuwan left with Grandma Sang and Grandpa Sang.
It seemed a tear fell from Sheng Xinhao’s eye onto the floor, but no one noticed.
……
In the evening, as soon as his duties ended, Sheng Zexi hurried back to the courtyard house.
He knew that today was the day Ningning was treating his mother to restore her memories.
He wondered how the treatment had gone.
Had her memories been recovered?
Did his mother still remember him?
As he was about to step through the front door, Sheng Zexi felt a little nervous.
But then he remembered that his mother was staying at his grandparents’ place, so she probably wasn’t at the courtyard house.
With that thought, he felt relieved.
He would ask Ningning first, then go to the Sang family home.
Just then, the courtyard gate opened.
Someone he hadn’t expected appeared before him.
The person opening the gate was none other than Sang Yuwan.
At that moment, the setting sun cast its slanted rays over Sang Yuwan. Even her tear-filled eyes, as she looked at Sheng Zexi, seemed to be tinged with the glow of the sunset.
Leave a Reply