Feast of Flowers

Chapter 58 - Is it you?

Pei Yan stared at Hua Jin, his heart aching as he felt the saltiness in her trembling kiss. He felt like a fish exposed to the scorching sun, swept onto the shore. Just when he thought there was no way forward, he was lifted and placed back into the sweet water.

It was almost too good to be true.

"Pei Yan, thank you for the warmth you've given me," Hua Jin stood up and retrieved a wooden box, placing it in Pei Yan's hands. "Thank you for helping them find their rightful owner."

With trembling hands, Pei Yan opened the box, revealing lucky packets, a handkerchief, a belt, and a pair of red socks. The box wasn't heavy, but Pei Yan was shaking so much that he could barely hold it. He looked at Hua Jin, his voice barely audible, "That person you mentioned, was it me?"

"Seven years ago, I was the one who crashed into your car, covered in oil. Six years ago, I was the girl crying secretly under the tree, and the person you saved from Xu Changhui's car, that was also me," Hua Jin smiled. "During my teenage years, I hardly ever dreamed of fairy tales, but you were the exception."

These memories were only faint fragments in Pei Yan's mind. He only remembered a skinny girl crying under a tree and a girl covered in blood after being hit by Xu Changhui's car. They were pitiful sights.

As for the car accident seven years ago, he had no recollection whatsoever. Even now, when Hua Jin mentioned it, he still couldn't recall.

"I'm sorry. That night, I originally wanted to return the coat you gave me, but I not only lost your coat but also caused trouble for you..." Hua Jin apologized.

Pei Yan embraced Hua Jin tightly, his eyes red. "I'm sorry for not getting to know you earlier." Back then, he shouldn't have left Hua Jin alone in the hospital. If he had paid more attention to her and taken better care of her, preventing her from suffering from her old illness, how wonderful would it have been?

Upon hearing that Hua Jin's affection was directed towards himself, Pei Yan was surrounded not by joy but by endless panic and regret. If he hadn't impulsively made plans with Yang Shao to vacation in the suburban villa that night, he wouldn't have been able to save Hua Jin. What would have happened to her?

And despite having numerous chances to encounter Hua Jin, he had missed her time and time again. If he had known her earlier, fallen in love with her sooner, she wouldn't have endured years of suffering and hardships.

"Don't talk nonsense," Hua Jin buried her face in Pei Yan's chest. "The you from six years ago wouldn't have fallen in love with the me from six years ago. And the me from six years ago never dared to dream of being with you."

Pei Yan held Hua Jin tightly without saying a word. In this moment, he couldn't find the right words to say. He just wanted to embrace her tightly, to offer her all the beauty in the world and compensate her for everything she had missed.

"You don't know how disappointed I was when you drove your sports car half a year ago and casually asked if I wanted a ride," Hua Jin said. "It was like seeing a crack in the most precious and perfect jewel in my heart. The little sun in my heart couldn't escape the ravages of time and turned into a frivolous and unserious man."

"I'm not..."

"I know, you're not that kind of person." Hua Jin rubbed against Pei Yan's chest and pressed her ear against his heartbeat, hearing his slightly accelerated rhythm. "Later, I realized that you were worried I might become despondent and jump into the lake, so you deliberately said those things."

"Have you ever thought about how people would judge you if I really did jump into the lake and commit suicide? They wouldn't praise your kind intentions, they would only say that a young woman, unable to withstand the harassment of a wealthy second generation, had no choice but to choose suicide by drowning," Hua Jin smiled. "Have all these years gone to waste in your mind?"