Chapter 207 Part 1: Jiang Xiao, can you come home with me?

At this moment, Song Qiuyu had already curled up under the covers. Amidst the warmth, she drifted into a hazy dream.

She dreamed that she had made the exact opposite decision, and the whole world accepted her with gentleness.

All her fans on Short Video still supported her.

When her period came, her father would specifically come to the school to bring her brown sugar water.

When she went home for the holidays, she would immediately be able to eat a hot meal freshly prepared by her mom.

The whole family was happy and harmonious.

Most importantly, Jiang Xiao had proposed to her again.

Jiang Xiao’s parents also approved of her, willing to accept her as their daughter-in-law.

After a four-year long-distance relationship in university, they smoothly walked down the aisle into the marriage hall.

This time, she did not change back on their wedding night.

However, just as the wedding ceremony was beginning, she suddenly felt a sharp, stabbing pain. It was so painful that she kicked out at Jiang Xiao’s firm chest, but the man, immersed in the moment, continued to press forward regardless.

“Mm… no… don’t! Get out!”

Song Qiuyu’s beautiful brows were tightly knit. Large beads of warm sweat broke out on her pale forehead, flowing down her flushed cheeks.

Her hands clutched the center of her lower abdomen, where a sinking, twisting pain persisted.

She rolled over several times on the bed before finally opening her eyes amidst her mumbles.

“…”

She forced herself to sit up, enduring the discomfort.

Thinking about the fact that she was on her period, she habitually shifted her hips to check the sheets behind her.

It wasn’t stained.

She breathed a sigh of relief, wiped away her sweat, and panted as she pushed aside the thick duvet, enjoying the coolness of the air.

Then, she sat quietly on the bed, clutching her stomach. Her expression slowly turned somber.

‘I think I made it sound too simple. Can I really get through the next six months? Once I change back into a boy, can I really watch Jiang Xiao find another girlfriend with a clear conscience?’

Question after question weighed heavily on her heart.

The answer was actually very obvious.

Song Qiuyu closed her eyes, trying hard to cut off those chaotic thoughts.

Helplessly, she covered her eyes with the back of her slender hand, adjusting her breathing.

She then opened her eyes and glanced at the phone by her pillow.

Her lips pursed slightly as she stretched out an arm to grab it and turn it on.

The piercing glow of the screen met her eyes. She briefly saw her own reflection in the display.

The girl’s eyes were downcast and dull, clearly looking like someone who would never smile again.

Song Qiuyu frowned at this.

She thought about how she had played with and deceived Jiang Xiao in the past.

She thought about how devastated Jiang Xiao had been during those three years when she had faked her death.

Her thoughts became a tangled mess.

‘What is Jiang Xiao doing right now? He should have seen the message I sent, right?’

She opened Mobile QQ.

In Jiang Xiao’s chat window… there was still no reply.

For a moment, Song Qiuyu felt a peak of panic, but in the next instant, she miraculously and quickly calmed down.

Biting her lip softly, she blankly imagined Jiang Xiao leaving all by himself.

Her mood involuntarily became restless and uneasy, making it difficult to find peace.

Many conjectures surfaced in her mind, one of which was that Jiang Xiao might be serious this time.

She hastily shook her head and checked the time on her phone. It was 6:08 AM.

She decided not to sleep anymore.

Putting on her shoes, she opened the door, intending to go out and dispose of her used sanitary pad.

Then, to her surprise, she bumped right into her father, who was returning from outside!

‘Huh?’

‘Why is he coming back at this time?’

Song Qiuyu couldn’t help but be stunned.

“Why the long face?”

Song Zhao Ye looked at his son’s somewhat soul-shaken appearance, sighed, and spoke.

Song Qiuyu was slightly startled. Stuttering, she quickly tried to think of an answer.

At the same time, her gaze noticed the large and small bags of snacks he was carrying.

‘Ah?’

She was even more confused. She couldn’t understand what her father was thinking at all.

“If you’re in a bad mood, why don’t you go for a run outside?”

Song Zhao Ye pointed his thumb toward the door with a warm smile.

“If you’re going, you can run toward the seaside. If you run for a while, you should still be able to see the sunrise. The sunrise at the seaside is very beautiful!”

A run… the sunrise?

Song Qiuyu thought about it seriously and felt it was a good suggestion, so she smiled and agreed.

To her further surprise, her father actually handed her all the snacks he had bought, telling her to eat them to replenish her energy if she got tired!

“Father, I’m only running for a bit, not for a whole day.”

Song Qiuyu mumbled softly.

Carrying the heavy backpack, she closed the door and walked along the clean street toward the edge of the residential area.

The early February morning was exceptionally cold. Because it was still early, there were few pedestrians on the road.

After safely disposing of the sanitary pad, Song Qiuyu opened a box of strawberry milk. But after just one small sip, she didn’t dare drink more.

The milk from the shop was naturally cold.

‘If it were Jiang Xiao…’

‘He would warm it up for me before giving it to me.’

She gazed blankly at the empty, dim streets of the morning.

Deep down, she couldn’t stop loathing her dependence on Jiang Xiao.

She had to correct it immediately and get used to her current life.

But since the milk was bought with her father’s money, she couldn’t bear to throw it away.

She simply continued to sip it, but she would hold it in her mouth for a while, hoping her body temperature would warm it up as much as possible.

After finishing, she found a trash can, threw the empty box inside, and prepared to start running.

An accidental glance led her to see a flower shop.

She saw an employee holding a promotional sign, sitting outside early to attract customers.

Only, she seemed to recognize this employee.

‘Isn’t that Jiang Xiao?’

Song Qiuyu was shocked.

She watched as Jiang Xiao sat at the shop’s entrance with a brilliant smile.

The few pedestrians on the road were all drawn to him, leaving them in a daze.

Before her brain could react, her body moved subconsciously, running toward him.

Then, just as she was about to reach Jiang Xiao, she suddenly snapped out of it.

Like a mouse spotting a cat, she slammed on the brakes and ducked behind a nearby utility pole.

She patted her chest with her small hand to steady herself.

After considering for a moment, she couldn’t resist turning around and craning her neck to peek.

More and more people were being attracted by Jiang Xiao and entering the flower shop.

The young shop owner’s face was almost breaking from smiling so much.

Song Qiuyu merely doubted herself, took out her phone, and checked once more.

Jiang Xiao still hadn’t replied.

At this, her brows furrowed, and her hands tightened.

She simply pulled up her hood, stepped out from behind the pole, and intended to run straight past.

She hadn’t run more than a few steps before Jiang Xiao’s gaze swept over.

With just that one glance, Song Qiuyu came to a dead stop.

She scratched the back of her neck, decided to go for broke, and ran over with a beaming smile.

“Jiang Xiao, why didn’t you reply to my message?”

Song Qiuyu feigned composure.

“…”

Jiang Xiao stared at her.

“I saw it, but I forgot to reply.”

Hearing this, Song Qiuyu felt a bit stifled. ‘He’s even copying my mom’s excuse?’

“Then why are you still sitting here holding a sign? Are you working?”

“Yes, working!”

Jiang Xiao nodded slightly.

Song Qiuyu wanted to say more, but the shop door opened.

The young boss came out, looking somewhat pleasantly surprised as she looked at her. “Isn’t this Big Boss Lemon? So you’re in this city too?”

Hearing this, Song Qiuyu was startled. ‘I can even run into a fan here?’

After a round of meaningless small talk, a tired Song Qiuyu sat on the bench the boss had brought out, right next to Jiang Xiao.

“So, what did you think after reading that message?”

Song Qiuyu sat upright, her legs pressed together politely.

“So, did you specifically run over here to try and bait me again?”

Jiang Xiao gave a classic “read but replied with something else” response.

“Of course not!”

Song Qiuyu turned to look at him, her pretty face a mix of embarrassment and panic.

“I just came out for a run.”

“Oh?”

Jiang Xiao looked like he didn’t quite believe her.

“I really came out for a run!”

Song Qiuyu stood up from the bench, no longer caring about Jiang Xiao’s opinion of the message.

“I won’t chat with you anymore. I have to keep running. I also need to go see the sunrise at the seaside.”

“Better if that’s the case.”

Jiang Xiao smiled slightly.

Hearing these words, Song Qiuyu suddenly felt flustered.

For some reason, she actually heard a hint of Jiang Xiao wanting her to “bait” him once more like she did three years ago?

‘It must be my imagination.’

Steadying herself and insisting she wasn’t doing that, she immediately jogged toward the seaside.

When she arrived at the coast, it was just in time to see the sun leap over the horizon.

As far as her eyes could see was the vastness of the ocean, the red sun burning the distant mountains and seas, and colors so magnificent they were beyond description.

Witnessing this spectacular scene, certain memories tumbled out of her mind. A strange feeling welled up in her heart.

It felt as if some things she couldn’t let go of became unimportant, while some things she had been conflicted about became precious.

She shook her head vigorously twice to stop her stray thoughts and continued running.

Every time she passed the flower shop, she couldn’t help but steal a glance at Jiang Xiao.

But fearing she would be caught, she would immediately speed up after looking and run past that section of the road.

Lap after lap, her legs eventually became heavy, and her run turned into a slow walk.

As she walked, she turned her face once more toward Jiang Xiao.

At that moment, a little girl, likely under ten years old, was pulling her mother’s hand and stopping in front of Jiang Xiao.

The little girl clearly liked Jiang Xiao a lot, staring at his face without blinking.

“Do you want to buy flowers, little friend?”