Chapter 288: Who Are You?

Endless darkness, only the incessant low sobbing of a woman echoed in Lin Xinyuan’s ears.

She wanted to escape, but there was nothing she could do. The sound clung to her like a death charm.

Since the man left, he never returned to this place.

In the huge room, only the woman huddled in the corner of the once-warm big bed remained.

The deadline of the promised wedding seemed to have become eternity, forever frozen on the bedside table photo of a man and woman whose faces could not be seen clearly, just like the woman’s heart at this moment, which had become a pool of stagnant water.

“You… who exactly are you?!”

Lin Xinyuan wanted to shout with all her might, but she seemed to have completely synchronized with the other person.

That heart-wrenching emotion surged from the bottom of her heart, strangling her heart in wild pain.

She simply couldn’t make a normal sound, sobbing so unevenly that she seemed about to suffocate at any moment…

Originally, she thought she wouldn’t get any response like before, but this time, unexpectedly, the woman slowly raised her face, which was mostly covered by messy black hair.

Although it was still as if covered by mist and impossible to see clearly, Lin Xinyuan could eerily feel the desolate smile on the other’s lips.

It was a faint smile that had completely abandoned hope, gentle and yet despairing: “You ask… who am I?”

The woman’s voice seemed near and far, ethereal to the point of indistinguishability, carrying a hint of undeniable tenderness.

“Actually, I don’t know either…”

The woman closed her eyes, as if recalling something, but before Lin Xinyuan could ask again, the other slowly opened her eyes again and stared directly at the girl, mockery in her gaze.

“But I know your outcome is no different from mine… Lin Xinyuan? Haha… Lin Xinyuan… a complete joke…”

“Born a mistake… should just die…”

“You…” As soon as the words fell, Lin Xinyuan’s pupils sharply contracted.

But the world spun, and this world had already collapsed, leaving only the woman’s dazed silly laughter, desolate and mad…

……

“Xiaoyuan… Xiaoyuan…”

After who knows how many soft calls from beside her ear, Lin Xinyuan was finally awakened from her thoughts. She looked up blankly at the youth: “Ah?”

“What are you daydreaming about? Thinking about something delicious again, so absorbed?” Qin Nanfeng pinched the girl’s little nose, teasing.

Lin Xinyuan hesitated to speak, but thinking of something, her gaze dodged unnaturally, and she seemed distracted, only perfunctorily saying.

“No… no… a bit sleepy…”

“Hm? Is that so? Alright, we’ve arrived. Let’s get off quickly. You can sleep a bit more in the taxi.”

Qin Nanfeng just smiled and didn’t ask further, as if he hadn’t noticed the girl’s unusualness.

At that moment, Lin Xinyuan realized that almost only they were left in the car, along with the conductor’s urging, so she quickly stood up: “Ok…”

They pulled their suitcases toward the exit of the car, while Qin Nanfeng silently followed behind the girl.

Watching Lin Xinyuan’s somewhat soulless slender back, his heart tightened, and his eyelids twitched slightly.

‘Xiaoyuan…’

Qin Nanfeng’s eyes darkened, somewhat worried, but he only shook his head.

‘Looks like… need to speed up…’

‘By then… you won’t be able to regret it, right?’

‘Despicable…’

‘Heh… so what if it is…’

‘As long as I can keep her here, what harm is there in using any means? Let go?’

‘No… he doesn’t understand…’

Soon they left the station, hailed a rideshare car by the roadside, stowed their luggage, and sat in the back seat.

Today is the third day of the Lunar New Year.

After saying goodbye to Grandpa Qin and the others, the two had set out directly from Quancheng by high-speed rail last night, transferring twice before returning to Zhannan City in the early morning.

However, ever since that dream last night, Lin Xinyuan’s spirits had not been very good.

That dream was too eerie…

And that woman’s final words… they really made her shudder, as if bad things were about to happen just as she said…

But she naturally wouldn’t believe that Feng Ge would abandon her… but such a bizarre thing as the jade bracelet had happened, which really made her somewhat unable to disbelieve…

‘No…’

‘It can’t be… How could Feng Ge be that kind of person… That person must be talking nonsense!’

‘That person must be jealous of my happiness…’

Listening to the youth chatting with the driver, the girl just stared blankly out the window, but her mind was not on the receding scenery.

She bit her pink lips with uncontrollable force, and tears glistened involuntarily in her eyes.

She didn’t know why… but since that dream appeared, she increasingly couldn’t control her emotions.

However, just as the girl was still dazed and distracted, a large hand suddenly grasped her somewhat cold little hand.

Lin Xinyuan was startled, and even after realizing it was Qin Nanfeng, she still inexplicably felt a bit resistant…

But in the end, her rationality returned, and she did not pull her hand back.

“Aren’t you sleepy? Not sleeping? Hm?” Qin Nanfeng smiled gently.

Noticing the girl’s slightly stiff body, he paused briefly but said nothing, still looking at Lin Xinyuan with a smile, the concern on his handsome face undeniable.

“Uh…” Lin Xinyuan was stunned for a moment, then lowered her eyelids, inwardly annoyed and blaming herself for overthinking. “Mm…”

‘Lin Xinyuan, Lin Xinyuan… it’s just a dream!’

‘Some people dream of becoming millionaires! They even have such bizarre dreams several times in a row. Does that make it real?’

‘Sigh… you’re ridiculous…’

Thinking this, she actively and obediently nestled into the youth’s warm embrace.

Mindful of the rideshare driver, she subtly rubbed her head against Qin Nanfeng’s chest again and again, breathing in the youth’s scent, which made her feel much more at ease and temporarily forget about the matter.

Seeing this, Qin Nanfeng tightened his arms around the girl but didn’t speak further to disturb her, just maintaining the peace.

Meanwhile, the driver up front, who seemed a bit bored, was about to continue but restrained himself and tactfully didn’t disturb the young couple in the back…

Even though she was held by the youth, Lin Xinyuan still couldn’t fall asleep.

Although she already had an answer in her heart, she still wanted to hear it from him directly.

So she quietly lifted her head again, but unexpectedly met Qin Nanfeng’s warm and concerned eyes.

Lin Xinyuan was immediately a bit embarrassed. Pretending to be calm, she turned her face away and mumbled, “Um… I can’t sleep after all…”

“Alright, if you can’t sleep, you can’t sleep.” Qin Nanfeng stroked the girl’s thin back, his expression unchanged, then unhesitatingly exposed her thoughts. “But Xiaoyuan must have something to ask me, right?”

The girl’s expression turned awkward, but she still nodded slightly. “Yes…”

Lin Xinyuan hesitated, glanced at the young driver still driving up front, thought for a moment, and embarrassedly extended her small hand in front of Qin Nanfeng, signaling him to extend his hand too.

Qin Nanfeng cooperated. After struggling to hold his palm, Lin Xinyuan began to write on Qin Nanfeng’s palm with the index finger of her other hand.

She wrote stroke by stroke, and the two had good tacit understanding. Qin Nanfeng immediately understood the girl’s meaning.

“Will we be together forever…?”

Qin Nanfeng turned his hand to hold the girl’s slender wrist, his smile flirtatious yet especially firm.

“If Xiaoyuan wants to ask this kind of question, there’s no doubt.”

The girl mumbled shyly and moved: “Mm… I see…”