Perhaps it was the hope brought by the new life, or perhaps Yu Li finally realized that her recent emotional instability might be due to hormonal changes after pregnancy.
At the wedding, Yu Li smiled happily. Liu Chen even felt that in Yu Li’s smiling face, he could see the glow of motherhood…
As an important guest invited by Yu Li and Guo Da, Liu Chen was seated next to the parents of both sides, just a stone's throw from the stage.
Therefore, Liu Chen couldn't help but notice that when Yu Li’s mother saw her wedding dress, she would instinctively glance at Guo Da’s parents every now and then, with a guilty expression, as if worried about her daughter’s "deception."
“Let us congratulate the newlyweds and wish them a happy and fulfilling life in the days to come!”
After the wedding ceremony, countless streamers burst from the sides of the stage. The curtains that had been drawn were reopened, and the bright sunlight streamed into the banquet hall, making the small downy hairs on Liu Chen’s face appear golden, adding a touch of cuteness and childishness.
Ren Yu sat beside Liu Chen. He had been observing Chen Chen’s attitude towards the wedding and now it seemed that Liu Chen was not opposed to it.
After the ceremony, the next part of the program should have been the newlyweds toasting each table in turn. With Yu Li’s drinking capacity, she could handle the baijiu in the glass without diluting it.
But who knew Yu Li was pregnant now?
Not only was the baijiu in her glass replaced with Sprite, but her high heels were also replaced with soft sneakers. Not to mention the fishtail dress prepared for toasting, which was directly changed into a high-waisted elastic dress.
With this attire for toasting, those who were quick to react immediately understood.
Yu Li was…
“Lili, you are…?”
A middle-aged woman in her forties, upon seeing Yu Li’s attire, asked with a surprised smile, somewhat tentatively.
Yu Li glanced at Sister Xu, who had initially helped her with real estate speculation, her eyes brimming with tears. She nodded gently.
“Sister Xu, I am pregnant with Guo Da’s child.”
Although Sister Xu had guessed, she couldn’t help but clap her hands together in front of her when she heard Yu Li’s confirmation.
“I knew it! I knew it! Lili, you are a good child, and heaven will not treat good children unfairly! Let me tell you, you should rest after toasting. You’ve just gotten pregnant, you can’t get tired. Guo Da, you too, must take good care of Lili. This child has suffered too much in her life, you must cherish her well.”
Sister Xu said this with a smile, but the seriousness in her eyes made Guo Da understand that she was speaking sincerely.
Guo Da quickly explained:
“Sister Xu, please don’t worry. Sister Li is my treasure. I can’t cherish her enough. I originally asked her not to come to toast and to inform everyone, and they would surely understand, but Lili said she wanted everyone to share in the joy.”
Yu Li also nodded and smiled beside him. However, her current smile, compared to the cold and elegant demeanor she had when she first met Guo Da, had unconsciously transformed into a gentle smile.
After Yu Li finished toasting, she came to Liu Chen’s table.
“Chen Chen.”
Hearing her name, Liu Chen instinctively turned her head and saw Sister Yu Li standing behind her.
“Sister?”
Yu Li’s face was flushed with joy, holding a glass of Sprite.
“Chen Chen, I want to toast you. Without you, I wouldn’t have met Guo Da. I, Yu Li, never believed in fate before, but now, I am very grateful, grateful for fate.”
“Chen Chen, thank you.”
After saying this, Yu Li drank the Sprite in her glass in one gulp, then shook her head and hugged Liu Chen tightly with a smile.
“I’m so happy, Chen Chen, and I hope you find your own happiness soon too.”
Yu Li didn’t intentionally lower her voice when she said this. Ren Yu, standing behind Liu Chen, naturally heard it.
“Don’t worry, she will be happy.”
Hearing Ren Yu’s answer, Yu Li finally let go of Liu Chen and winked at her:
“I think I’m a little drunk, so I’ll be going now. Bye.”
Liu Chen was a little puzzled. She wasn't sure if it was an illusion, but she felt that Yu Li and Ren Yu were exchanging some sort of coded message just now.
-
The wedding was held at noon. After discovering Yu Li was pregnant, Yu Li took a nap after lunch and then grabbed Guo Da to go to the Maternal and Child Health Hospital for a check-up.
Liu Chen wasn’t supposed to go with them, but Yu Li insisted on bringing Liu Chen along. In her words:
“Chen Chen is my lucky star. With her here, I can handle anything.”
Thus, after a hearty meal and half an hour of rest, Shen Hong drove a Mercedes-Benz minivan and slowly stopped at the hotel entrance. She got out of the driver’s seat, checked the vehicle’s condition, and got back in to drive.
Along the way, Yu Li was unusually quiet, looking out the window the entire time. It was only when she calmed down that Yu Li realized that although she had been in Beijing for over a year, she had never truly appreciated the scenery of Beijing.
Upon arriving at the hospital, Liu Chen held Yu Li’s hand as they entered the Maternal and Child Health Hospital.
It wasn’t very noticeable in other places, but at the Maternal and Child Health Hospital, most of the people walking around had bulging bellies, walked slowly, and wore either sneakers, cloth shoes, or flat shoes.
Some pregnant women were accompanied by someone, while others sat alone on the benches waiting.
Some, like Yu Li, had the whole family present.
Yu Li underwent a comprehensive examination and established a file at the Maternal and Child Health Hospital. This way, she would be able to secure a bed at the hospital where her file was established when she gave birth.
When Liu Chen accompanied Yu Li out of the Maternal and Child Health Hospital, the sky was already a fiery orange, and the air was filled with a warm breeze, occasionally caressing everyone’s faces.
“Chen Chen, you’ve been a great help today. I… I have a small request.”
Yu Li said this with a rare touch of shyness, which made Liu Chen feel a bit curious.
However, she didn’t agree immediately and instead asked:
“Tell me what it is first?”
Yu Li pursed her lips and said softly, somewhat embarrassed:
“Guo Da and I have discussed it. We want you to be the godmother of this child.”
Godmother?
Liu Chen never imagined that she would reach an age where she could be a godmother. She was not even twenty years old!!!
Although she was complaining wildly in her heart, after thinking about it carefully, this child did have a special connection with her. After a moment of hesitation, Liu Chen nodded.
“I am naturally willing, but I’m not quite sure what being a godmother entails…”
Upon hearing Liu Chen agree to her request, Yu Li’s eyes crinkled with joy as she smiled. When she heard Liu Chen’s concerns, she waved her hand dismissively.
“There are no specific requirements for what you need to do. I just hope that the child in my belly can be close to you in the future and that she will be healthy.”
Although Liu Chen didn’t quite understand why being close to her would ensure good health, she still nodded, accepting the matter.
“We’ll hold a ceremony to formalize the godparenthood after the baby is born. It’s getting late, are you still going to the hotel for dinner?”
Yu Li asked, yawning involuntarily. After all, being pregnant and experiencing so many emotions throughout the day had exhausted her.
“No, I need to pick someone up from the airport. I can take you guys back then.”
Since it was on the way, Yu Li didn’t refuse further and nodded. As soon as she got into the car, Yu Li quickly started snoring, the snores not loud but long and rhythmic.
Seeing Guo Da’s calm expression, Liu Chen understood. It seemed Sister Li’s snoring wasn't a one-time occurrence, otherwise, Guo Da wouldn’t be so unfazed.
Sitting in the car, listening to Sister Yu Li’s snores, Liu Chen stared blankly out the window.
Because it was rush hour, Liu Chen looked out and happened to see a bus stopped next to her.
Because the car windows were covered with privacy film, the people on the bus didn’t notice Liu Chen in the Mercedes-Benz van in the adjacent lane observing them.
Liu Chen looked at the passengers on the bus. Perhaps after a day of work, some passengers had faces full of fatigue, some were browsing Weibo on their phones, some were reading novels, and some were just holding onto the bus strap, staring out the window in a daze.
Just as Liu Chen was about to look away, her gaze was attracted by a young girl sitting in the back row by the window.
She was holding a Chinese textbook, opening her eyes to read for a minute, then closing her eyes and quickly reciting silently.
The recitation was clearly not going smoothly. The young girl pouted and then, with a hint of helplessness, opened her eyes and took out a bottle of drink from the side pocket of her backpack.
Meimei Niu.
The young girl unscrewed the cap, took two serious sips, then tightened the cap and put the Meimei Niu back into the side pocket of her backpack, and continued to recite.
This time, the young girl seemed to have recited the passage from the Chinese textbook very smoothly. A proud smile appeared on her face.
Seeing that smile, Liu Chen also smiled.
Although she often doubted why she had been reborn, seeing this scene now, Liu Chen suddenly realized that perhaps she had been reborn to change some of the small regrets in the world.
After dropping Guo Da and Yu Li off at the hotel, they headed straight to the airport. Today, the main purpose was to pick up Ren Mo and Sang Ling. Sang Ling had used her savings during the summer to buy a house in C City.
With Mi Zhuzhu’s enthusiastic recommendation, Ren Mo, with the help of Uncle Mi, directly reached an agreement with a seller in the neighborhood. The transfer of ownership was successful at the Housing Administration Bureau, and they saved twenty thousand yuan in agency fees.
The house was purchased with a loan, with a 30% down payment. The remaining amount was repaid monthly with a mortgage of two thousand eight hundred yuan, as Sang Ling shared in the group.
Of course, after buying the house, Sang Ling’s parents strongly opposed moving, but in the end, Sang Ling persuaded her parents to move to Phoenix City and, with Sang Ling’s support, opened a convenience store downstairs from their apartment building, while renting out their original house.
Finally, these matters were resolved before the start of the school year. The two flew from C City on a flight that afternoon.
In the car, Liu Chen was thinking about these things and dozed off in traffic.
-
A wisp of white mist. As Liu Chen saw this, she realized that she was probably going to dream of someone’s past life.
“Who could it be?”
Liu Chen asked herself in a low voice, curious.
Soon, the white mist dissipated, and Liu Chen finally saw the female protagonist of this dream.
It was Sister Yu Li, whom she had just parted ways with!
In the dream, Yu Li was sitting on a bus with Sister Xu, whom she had seen at noon, holding a stack of real estate promotional materials.
The bus soon stopped in front of “Datong Mansion.” Yu Li and Sister Xu, like two martial arts masters, were unfazed by the exaggerated brochures praised by the sales staff of the sales office. After a brief walk, they directly found the sales manager of the sales office.
Soon, under the negotiation of the two skilled hunters, they bought two apartments in “Datong Mansion.”
Then, the scene changed. Yu Li appeared to have aged, the crow's feet at the corners of her eyes betraying her age. She was still with Sister Xu, and they were in a taxi, heading to a new development.
As before, they bought two apartments. Then the scene shifted.
Yu Li looked to be in her early forties. The second set of apartments she bought seemed to be unfinished. She and Sister Xu flew to seek an explanation from the developer.
While seeking an explanation, Yu Li and Sister Xu were pushed to the ground by the developer’s security guards and trampled by the agitated crowd behind them.
They were admitted to the hospital. Sister Xu’s leg seemed to be lame. Her son rushed over and sternly scolded Sister Xu for associating with unlucky people like Yu Li. Sister Xu argued with her son.
Yu Li spoke first, saying she was tired and planned to find a nursing home in Sanya to rest after handling the matter of the houses.
Hearing this, Sister Xu fell silent for a while. She glanced at her son and then at Yu Li, and slowly nodded, agreeing to go home with her son and stop causing trouble.
As soon as she finished speaking, the scene changed. A white-haired Yu Li appeared. She lay on a bed in a nursing home, gazing at the blue sky outside, and then slowly closed her eyes.
Soon, a nursing assistant rushed over. After the rescue failed, Yu Li was pronounced dead.
Just as Liu Chen was wondering why Yu Li had already died in the scene, but she hadn't woken up yet, she heard the nursing assistants’ conversation.
“Grandma Yu has lived in our nursing home for over thirty years and has never had family or friends visit her.”
“She doesn’t really socialize with other grandpas and grandmas in our nursing home.”
“But Grandma Yu is quite wealthy. Living in our nursing home for over thirty years must have cost a fortune.”
“It seems she used to be a real estate speculator, and later sold her properties and kept the money in the bank. However, after so many years, there probably isn't much left of her property sales.”
“Grandma Yu prepaid twenty thousand yuan for funeral expenses in our place, saying she wanted to be buried in a public cemetery.”
“Such an old lady, her whole life, had to make her own arrangements for her afterlife. Sigh.”
As Liu Chen heard this, just as she was about to say something, she heard Ren Yu’s voice.
“Chen Chen? We’re home.”
Liu Chen slowly opened her eyes and saw the familiar underground parking lot outside the car window.
It turned out she had fallen asleep in the car. Ren Mo and Sang Ling had already arrived home.