—I'm back.
Four words—the sweetest homecoming a wanderer could ask for.
But when Qing Nianyi said them now, they carried a different meaning.
They held both genuine longing and a false, grasping desire…
The call was like a tiny pebble tossed into a vast, dead sea. It sank to the bottom without raising even the faintest ripple.
The dark world ahead gave no answer. It couldn’t answer anymore…
Qing Nianyi stared expressionlessly into the darkness ahead, her eyes downcast. Her golden pupils slowly dimmed, fading back to their original smoky purple. Even so, the emptiness within them kept consuming the little life still left in her eyes…
Who knew how long she’d stood frozen in the entryway? At last, Qing Nianyi moved. As if she were used to this, she stepped barefoot into the room and slowly made her way toward the living room.
In the utter darkness, even her shadow no longer kept her company. All that sank with her was a deathly silence that didn’t utter a sound.
As Qing Nianyi walked barefoot through the darkness, pain from one collision after another rose from all over her body. Still, she dragged her feet onward, paying no attention to the strange sensations in her body…
When Qing Nianyi reached the center of the living room, she stopped. Her swaying figure was like a candle guttering in the wind, ready to fall at any moment.
Her eyes remained downcast as she stared blankly ahead. That familiar call sounded once more.
“I…’m back.”
……………………
The voice was swallowed by the darkness again, without the faintest echo.
Qing Nianyi’s shoulders began to tremble. She wrapped her arms around herself and gripped her shoulders tightly. There in the heart of the darkness, her tall figure seemed so small. A crystal-clear bead of ice jade slid down her cheek, leaving behind a beautiful curve and a mark…
Who knew how much more time passed…
Perhaps the woman’s earnest call had been heard. Or perhaps it answered her desperate longing and impossible hope.
In the darkness, a woman’s ethereal voice rang out from somewhere, at some unknown time.
“Nianyi, why are you still standing there like a silly goose? Come eat!”
That dreamy, distant voice plucked at Qing Nianyi’s fragile heartstrings. She turned around in disbelief.
She saw the darkness around her slowly brighten. In the faint light stood a beautiful woman, smiling with her arms open as she gently called to her…
The tears in her eyes could no longer be held back. One by one, they soaked Qing Nianyi’s lovely cheeks. She slowly reached out, her throat churning like a rising tide and her lips trembling uncontrollably…
She struggled to control her emotions, trying to call out and answer the figure in the faint light.
“Mo—”
“Mom!!”
Before Qing Nianyi could get the word out, a sudden, childish shout completely drowned her out.
At some point, a pretty, adorable little girl had appeared where Qing Nianyi stood. Like Qing Nianyi now, she wore a long white dress. A large pink bow was tied in her waist-length hair, making her lively, sweet appearance even more endearing.
The girl took dainty little steps, hopping now and then as she twirled in her beautiful white dress. At last, she threw herself into the beautiful woman’s arms.
“Mommy, D-Daddy just said he’s hungry. Let’s hurry up and eat, okay~?”
The girl blinked her big, tear-bright eyes and pouted at the beautiful woman beside her.
The beautiful woman smiled and gently tousled the girl’s hair, then pinched her tiny nose.
“Is Daddy the one who wants to eat, or is little Nianyi hungry~?”
“Didn’t I remind you at lunchtime not to get carried away playing~?”
At her mother’s words, the girl in her arms blushed. She shyly buried her face against the beautiful woman and continued to wheedle in her little voice.
“I-I really mean it! D-Daddy’s the one who wants to eat~”
“Hehe~ Is that so? Then I’ll go upstairs and ask Daddy~”
“Ah!? N-No need, Mommy! D-Daddy just told me he’s already full! Really!”
……
………
Watching the girl and her mother share such an intimate bond from behind them, Qing Nianyi finally managed a faint, gentle smile…
The blurry scene shifted again, bringing them to the dining table. This time, a kind-looking middle-aged man was there too. The family of three sat together, enjoying their meal.
The man placed a piece of meat in the girl’s bowl, then looked toward his beloved.
“Dear, I heard from the teachers that our little Nianyi is really popular at school. Lots of kids want to play with her, and even many of the teachers adore her.”
The beautiful woman was delighted to hear that too.
“That’s because our little Nianyi loves to smile~ And her smile is so sweet and comforting~ Isn’t that right, Nianyi?”
The girl beside them proudly straightened her little waist, pursed her lips adorably, and nodded like a pecking chick.
“Mm-hmm!!!”
She seemed to know just how cute she was.
Seeing this, the father couldn’t help laughing out loud. Then he asked the girl,
“So, Nianyi, are you happy at school?”
“Mm-hmm, there are lots of cute kids at school who play with me~
, and Nianyi’s really happy!”
The man and the beautiful woman exchanged a look. Then Mommy spoke up.
“So, little Nianyi, would you like a little brother~?”
“A little brother!”
The moment the beautiful woman finished speaking, little Nianyi bounced excitedly in her seat. Her already pretty, adorable eyes now gleamed with eager anticipation.
“Yes! Nianyi wants a little brother!!!”
The beautiful woman covered her mouth and giggled.
“Then you’ll have to ask Daddy to work extra hard for one~”
The girl didn’t understand what her mother meant, of course. She could only think about having a little brother, and eagerly pleaded with her father.
“Please, Daddy~ Nianyi wants a little brother. Please~?”
“I-I promise I’ll give him all my good stuff!”
“Please, Daddy~”
The man’s face went bright red. He looked at his beloved.
“Dear, w-what are you doing? How am I supposed to answer that?!”
The beautiful woman chuckled to herself, then looked at the girl.
“And once Nianyi has a little brother, you’ll have to share all your sweet smiles with him, too~ Help him grow up as lively and adorable as you, okay?”
“Mm-hmm! Okay~”
Somewhere in a hospital, a middle-aged man paced anxiously back and forth outside a room. A woman stood there with him.
Unlike the middle-aged man, who paced in agitation, the woman remained rooted in place.
Her eyes were cold, her expression utterly calm—if you ignored her right hand, clenched so tightly it was white-knuckled…
Her fist was clenched so tightly that her nails had dug into her flesh. Thin trails of blood ran from her fingertips…
Who knew how long it had been before a doctor in green scrubs finally came out of the room with its green light on.
The middle-aged man hurried forward to ask, his voice already trembling with anxiety.
“H-How is she?! Is she all right?!—”
The doctor glanced at the man, then finally looked toward the woman beside him, whose face was icy. He shook his head with difficulty.
“…I’m sorry, Mr. Wei. The young miss survived, but the other two had already… by the time they were brought in.”
………………
