For the past few years, he had been like a gentle breeze in her life. He would show up just in time whenever she needed him, but he never put any pressure on her or asked for anything in return.
Yan Xia stared out of the window, a sense of loss creeping over her.
"What are you worried about?" Fang Jiangyi asked. "Even if you go back to China with me now, it won't actually make much difference. Lu Qianzhou can't cover the sky with one hand. You don't have to be afraid of him."
But what he was really worried about was that Yan Xia still couldn't let go of Lu Qianzhou.
As long as it wasn't this possibility, he could accept anything else.
"It has nothing to do with Lu Qianzhou. It's my own problem."
She turned around and walked into the living room, avoiding the topic.
He couldn't persuade Yan Xia. Seeing that the time for Lan Yuzhou to be released from prison was approaching, Fang Jiangyi had even bought a ticket for Lan Mengfan. He was just waiting for the time to send her back to China. But before the time came, another unexpected guest showed up.
On a weekend, Yan Xia and Lan Mengfan were at home watching cartoons when they heard someone ringing the doorbell outside the yard.
Yan Xia left the child in the house and went to open the door alone. From afar, she saw a tall figure standing on the lawn. It was spring, and new buds were sprouting. The man's figure was strong, giving a sense of vitality.
The back view seemed familiar. She squinted her eyes. The wind blew across her cheeks, lifting the hair beside her temples. Yan Xia unconsciously tightened her coat and walked forward slowly.
Suddenly, she saw the man's handsome side face, and her heart skipped a beat uncontrollably.
The man finally saw her too. He turned around, squinted at her for a while as if to confirm her identity, and finally smiled with his eyes bent. He pointed at her with one finger and said with a smile,
"Cheng Yan Xia, Miss Lu. I don't think I'm mistaken, right? I knew you were here!"
The voice overlapped with the one in her memory. Yan Xia finally recognized the person in front of her. It was actually Shangguan Yao!
Shangguan Yao in front of her had a neat crew cut. He was much darker than before, but he looked more muscular. His figure was strong, completely different from his previous slacker look. There was even a hint of awe - inspiring righteousness on him, as if he had become a different person.
Who could have thought that the once - evil young man could change so much? If she hadn't heard his voice, Yan Xia wouldn't have dared to confirm it was him.
But... why did Shangguan Yao come here?
She had never told anyone her location, and Fang Jiangyi wouldn't disclose her address to others without her permission. So how did Shangguan Yao find her?
Yan Xia finally took a deep breath. She seemed not to want to talk to him for another second, so she turned around and walked away.
"Sorry, you've got the wrong person."
"Cheng Yan Xia, I won't mistake you. If I wasn't sure, I wouldn't have come here to find you." Shangguan Yao put one hand on the wooden gate and watched as her thick long hair was fluttered by the wind. "You don't have to be so defensive against me. I'm not in the same league as Lu Qianzhou or Fang Jiangyi, and I won't hurt you. After all, you're my goddess."
Sure enough, although his temperament had changed greatly, his glib nature remained the same.
Yan Xia said, "I said you've got the wrong person, and that's that. There's no Cheng Yan Xia in this world. Shangguan, I don't want to see anyone related to my past. Go back."
She knew that this kind of escape was a cowardly decision, but she couldn't control herself. Once a person had enjoyed a beautiful and peaceful life, they didn't want to be involved in the disputes of the past anymore.
"You'll go back." Shangguan Yao shouted at her back from a short distance. "I didn't come here to force you to do anything. I just want to ask you some questions about your father's car accident. I'm here to help you. You can trust me."
Yan Xia closed her eyes tightly and finally went back to the room heartlessly.
But Shangguan Yao was not discouraged at all. He still lingered outside shamelessly. The wind was strong recently, so he leaned against the courtyard wall, looking pensive, with a blade of grass in his mouth, completely unaffected by the external environment.
Yan Xia was in a complete mess. What on earth was this man doing here? She had already made up her mind not to go back. Why did he have to come here?
Lan Mengfan, lying on the sofa, sensitively noticed her mood. She got up and nestled into her arms. "Mommy, what's wrong? Are you unhappy?"
Yan Xia looked down at the child's innocent and clear eyes and shook her head.
Lan Mengfan asked again, "Who was that person outside just now? I've never seen him before. Mommy, that uncle is still outside. Did you guys quarrel?"
Although the child was simple - minded, Lan Mengfan was very sensible. She was good at observing people's emotions. She could quickly notice the emotions of ordinary people. Many things that Yan Xia thought she didn't understand, she actually did.
"We didn't quarrel." Yan Xia hugged her tightly. "It's just that your daddy will come to pick you up and take you back in a few days. After I send you back, I won't be able to see you. I'm a bit reluctant to part with you."
Lan Mengfan had known for a long time that she was going back to China. In fact, after three years, she had almost forgotten what Lan Yuzhou looked like. It seemed that this person had become an optional character in her life. But Yan Xia was the closest person to her now.
She originally thought that Yan Xia would go back to China with her so that she could see her mommy at any time. But unexpectedly, Yan Xia wasn't going back with her. She was going to go back and live with her daddy alone.
A child's instinct was to rely on the trusted elders. Hearing this, Lan Mengfan panicked instantly. She grabbed Yan Xia and refused to let go, on the verge of crying.
"Why? Won't mommy go back with me? I don't want to be separated from mommy. If mommy doesn't go back with me, then I won't go back either." She would rather give up her so - called biological father than be separated from her mommy.
"No, you can't." Yan Xia said seriously. "Your daddy had the courage to face his mistakes and correct them because of you. You must go back. Otherwise, how sad he would be!"
Lan Mengfan opened her mouth, and tears streamed down her face. "But I'm also very sad. I don't want to be separated from mommy either."
Yan Xia was a bit helpless. Lan Mengfan was usually very well - behaved, but perhaps because she had been abandoned by her daddy once, she was very sensitive. A little something would make her feel insecure.
She stroked her head as a way to comfort her. "Mengfan, be a good girl. Your daddy will also be very good to you. And as long as I have time, I'll go back to China to see you."
"I don't believe you. You're lying to me." Lan Mengfan wailed. No matter how Yan Xia tried to console her, she wouldn't stop. She even let go of Yan Xia and squatted in the corner alone. "Mommy doesn't want me anymore. Mommy doesn't want me..."
The child's crying was like a stream flowing past her ears. The little figure squatting in the corner made Yan Xia's heart ache.
Especially the words "Mommy doesn't want me anymore", which were like knives, cutting into her heart one by one.
"I'm not abandoning you, Mengfan. You can't be so unreasonable. Will you listen to me carefully?"