Chapter One Hundred and Twelve: Stay and Talk

Hilarious—do they even dare to speak up now?
As long as they stay obediently hidden behind the internet, it’s fine.
Right now I don’t care about anything else, I just want to know if Lan Qing will still be with Shen Jin.
Of course they’ll stay together—who else would handle the trash if they didn’t?
This is so surreal, it’s practically magical.

Sang Yijia glanced at the trending topics and comments on Weibo, and couldn't help but recall how half a month ago, the original Sang Yijia was mocked in the same way.
She wondered how the male and female protagonists would deal with this crisis.
Sang Yijia leaned back against the headboard, stretched languidly, and yawned. Now that the affairs of the main characters no longer concerned her, she had no reason to pay attention to them anymore.

“It truly is wonderful,” she whispered. This was what it meant to be reborn. Sang Yijia set her phone aside and was about to get out of bed when a knock sounded at the door.

“Yijia, it’s me.” Lu Wenchuan’s voice came through after the knock. “Are you awake? May I come in?”

“Please, come in.” Sang Yijia was curious why Lu Wenchuan had arrived so early. She glanced at her phone—only seven thirty.

“Good morning.” Lu Wenchuan entered, seeing Sang Yijia already washed and dressed. “I brought you breakfast.”

“Thank you.” Sang Yijia looked at him, noticing the dark circles beneath his eyes. He must not have slept well last night. But for what reason?

She fell silent, gazing at Lu Wenchuan as she pondered. After a while, she spoke slowly, “You didn’t sleep well last night?”

She pointed to her own eyes. “Your dark circles are pretty serious.”

“Just some work at the company,” Lu Wenchuan replied, offering a casual excuse and shifting the topic. “How are you feeling now?”

“Is there anywhere you feel uncomfortable?”

“No.” Sang Yijia opened the thermos, and the rich aroma of congee greeted her. “What’s this?”

“Century egg and lean pork congee,” Lu Wenchuan answered. “I thought you might like it.”

“Yes, I do.” Back at the welfare home, meat was never a daily fare—especially breakfast, which was usually just plain congee and pickled vegetables.

Sometimes, not even the pickles were available.

To have a bowl of century egg and lean pork congee was nearly impossible.

Sang Yijia once got a chance to try it, and ever since, her greatest wish had been to eat a whole bowl herself.

Looking at the steaming congee, Sang Yijia seemed to see her past self at the welfare home. Her lips curled up. “Thank you, I really like it.”

“I’m glad you do.” Lu Wenchuan remembered how, years ago, she was locked in the dark room by kidnappers, not given a crumb to eat, and in her sleep, she murmured that all she wanted was century egg and lean pork congee.

After they escaped and hid in the grass, avoiding the kidnappers’ search, Lu Wenchuan had asked her what she wanted to eat once they were safe.

She replied that all she wanted was a whole bowl of that congee.

But, regrettably, Lu Wenchuan never got the chance to give it to her.

“Eat while it’s hot—once it cools, it won’t taste as good.” Watching Sang Yijia’s satisfied smile, Lu Wenchuan felt that at last, he could deliver the congee of those years past.

“Hey, Lu Wenchuan,” Sang Yijia took a bite and looked up at him, her obsidian eyes reflecting his puzzled expression.

“I remember everything from before.”

In that instant, Lu Wenchuan froze, taking a while to realize what she meant.

Seeing his stunned face, Sang Yijia smiled, “What’s so surprising about that?”

“I thought you’d be angry.” After all, if it hadn’t been for him, Sang Yijia wouldn’t have been kidnapped with him, locked in that dark room, buried by landslides, her life hanging by a thread.

“I’m truly sorry for what happened back then,” Lu Wenchuan apologized earnestly. “I’m sorry.”

Sang Yijia shook her head. “It wasn’t your fault.”

The original abduction wasn’t part of the story; her appearance had shifted the threads of fate, so it was partly her own doing as well.

For a moment, the ward was so quiet that only their breathing could be heard.

Lu Wenchuan didn’t know what to say, and Sang Yijia was equally at a loss.

After an indeterminate time, another knock came from outside—the Sang family had arrived.

Sang Zheng was the first to enter, hoping to be the first sight his daughter saw upon waking. But when he opened the door, it was Lu Wenchuan he saw, and his face turned green.

“What are you doing here?” Sang Zheng had come early enough—how was Lu Wenchuan already there? And…

He noticed the bowl of congee on Sang Yijia’s table, which only made his heart sink deeper.

“Yes, Lu Wenchuan came by,” Sang’s mother remarked, not particularly bothered by his presence. After all, the past was behind them; holding grudges wasn’t right.

Sang Qiwu was the last to enter, peeking in and exclaiming, “Lu Wenchuan, how did you know my little sister’s favorite breakfast is century egg and lean pork congee?”

Sang Zheng realized immediately it was from back then, and he grunted twice, stopping Lu Wenchuan from answering.

“So early—don’t you have to work?” Sang Zheng wanted Sang Yijia to know that Lu Wenchuan wasn’t such a good person, skipping work first thing in the morning.

With her parents and second brother there, Sang Yijia smiled, eyes squinting. “Good morning, Dad, Mom, Second Brother.”

“Where’s Big Brother?” She tilted her head, blinking as she asked, “Did he go back?”

“Yes,” her mother replied. “He had urgent matters at the company and rushed back last night.”

Sang Yijia widened her eyes in surprise. “So urgent?”

“He should have stayed at the company yesterday to handle it.” Sang Yijia touched her nose, a bit embarrassed, then realized the room was getting crowded—only one chair remained.

“Second Brother, could you ask the nurse to bring in a few more chairs?” Sang Yijia wanted to get up herself, but as the patient, none of her family or Lu Wenchuan would let her do such things.

Sang Qiwu nodded. “Sure, leave it to me.”

Lu Wenchuan had hoped for some time alone with Sang Yijia before her family arrived. Now that they were all there, he couldn’t very well stay.

“Since everyone’s here, let’s sit down and have a nice chat,” Sang’s mother said, sensing Lu Wenchuan’s intention to leave and speaking up to make him stay.

Sang Zheng turned away in annoyance, refusing to look at Lu Wenchuan.

“Mom, Dad, what’s wrong?” Sang Yijia was puzzled by their reaction, and looked at Lu Wenchuan, hoping to understand what was going on.

(End of chapter)