Chapter 259
Wen Yan's eyelids twitched as she lay in a coma.
Hearing the repeated cries of "Mommy," her heartbeat involuntarily quickened.
Fragmented images in her mind slowly merged into a complete picture, and deeply buried memories began to surface.
She was Wen Yan, but she was also Ke Man.
When she was twenty-three, her eldest brother had arranged an engagement for her.
Her brother was too overbearing, completely disregarding her wishes. Knowing that resistance was futile, she ran away on the night of her engagement and fled to Haicheng.
On her second day in Haicheng, a classmate took her to a business reception. Her original intention was to find a job there, but because she drank too much, she entered the wrong room. By the time she woke up the next morning, she knew everything was ruined.
However, when she saw the man's face, she felt that perhaps heaven was looking out for her. It was actually her long-time crush.
She had first seen Ji Zhiyuan at an outstanding alumni speech in Los Angeles. Of course, she only knew him; he had no idea who she was. She had fallen in love at first sight and wrote about him in her diary.
He was a responsible man and immediately proposed marriage.
No one could refuse a proposal from the man of their dreams.
He was indeed a good husband. He would accompany her to prenatal checkups, remind her to take her medicine, and occasionally take walks with her... until Lan Rouxue got divorced and returned to the country heavily pregnant. Then, everything changed.
Ji Zhiyuan became incredibly busy.
He was always keeping Lan Rouxue company. Even though she knew he and Lan Rouxue had not crossed any lines, it was still hard for her to accept.
Later, when Lan Rouxue gave birth to a daughter, Ji Zhiyuan grew even busier...
As for her, she grew more silent and gained weight day by day. She cried every day and every night. She was in pain, miserable, and had no outlet for her emotions...
On the day she went into labor, she was taking a walk alone in the courtyard when her water suddenly broke. It was Old Master Ji who shouted for the servants to take her to the hospital.
She still remembered that the baby she gave birth to was fair, chubby, and incredibly cute. She had even kissed the baby's face. Then, suddenly, there was a massive hemorrhage... All her memories after that became chaotic and blurry...
Later on, she transformed from Ke Man into Wen Yan.
Mommy...
Mommy...
The repeated calls made Wen Yan snap her eyes open.
She felt a heavy weight on her chest. Looking down, she saw Duoduo asleep, resting against her.
You are finally awake. Ke Yan looked at her with great joy. Little sister, we will process your discharge tomorrow, and I will take you back home to Los Angeles.
Wen Yan gently stroked Duoduo's face. She couldn't get enough of looking at her, no matter how long she stared.
Her expression made Ke Yan's heart skip a beat. Little sister, you...
Brother, I remember now. Wen Yan's voice was very soft. Duoduo is my daughter, my biological daughter. I missed the most important five years of Duoduo's life.
Ke Yan was left speechless.
If he had never met Duoduo, he could have said all sorts of bad things about the child.
However, in the short half-day he had spent with Duoduo, he didn't even realize when he had grown fond of the little girl.
The thought that Duoduo had been without a mother for five whole years because of him made him feel a bit suffocated.
Brother, six years ago, you ignored my wishes and forced me to get engaged, so I ran away. Wen Yan's voice was hoarse. Five years ago, I suffered a massive hemorrhage during a difficult labor, but it wasn't life-threatening. Yet, to force me to leave the Ji family, you spun a massive lie. By the time I was out of danger, I was already in Los Angeles. You forbade me from returning to the country to see my daughter. You ordered me to forget Ji Zhiyuan and the baby, but I couldn't forget. So what did you do next?
She smiled bitterly. You hired a hypnotist to selectively seal away my memories and sent me for cosmetic micro-adjustments.
Ke Yan pressed his lips tightly together.
Hiring the hypnotist was an act of desperation because his little sister was in too much pain and couldn't forget her past in Haicheng.
After the hypnosis cleared her memories, everything went exactly as he had hoped.
But looking into Wen Yan's pained eyes, he couldn't help but reflect. Did he really do the wrong thing back then?
You always say it is for my own good. You always use your own way of thinking to control my life, never allowing me to have a single thought of my own. Wen Yan said softly. Back then, no matter where Ji Zhiyuan and I ended up, whether we continued the marriage or chose to divorce, whatever the outcome, it should have been a choice I made after careful consideration, not something you forcibly changed, brother.
Ke Yan's lips began to tremble. Little sister, I...
You care so much about me, brother, so why couldn't you spare a little sympathy for my daughter? Wen Yan's tears fell onto Duoduo's face. She was so tiny, yet she lost her mother. For five whole years, my daughter had no mother to accompany her. How envious she must have been of others... Brother, tell me, how am I supposed to forgive you?
Ke Yan couldn't utter a single word.
Wen Yan looked up and saw the man standing in the doorway.
Ji Zhiyuan had been standing there for a while. He stepped inside, his voice husky. Doctor Wen... no, Ke Man. I must apologize to you for my actions five years ago. It was because I failed in my duties as a husband and lost your trust that Mr. Ke made such a decision. Don't blame Mr. Ke. Blame me.
Lying in Wen Yan's arms, Duoduo rubbed her eyes and opened them. Upon seeing Wen Yan, she instantly became overjoyed. Wow, Mommy, you're awake! Oh, right, Mommy, let me tell you a secret. It turns out you really are my mommy! Daddy said so. You are my mommy, my real mommy. You are not allowed to leave me behind ever again, okay? Let's pinky promise...
Wen Yan smiled tenderly. Okay, pinky promise.
Ke Yan let out a defeated sigh.
He knew his little sister would never leave Haicheng now.
He stood up. Ji Zhiyuan, I will leave my sister in your care for now. I...
Before he could finish, Wen Yan interrupted him. Brother, I am Duoduo's mother, and I am an independent individual. I do not need you to hand me over to anyone.
Ke Yan paused, looking away. Since you have a stable job in Haicheng, I won't force you to return to Los Angeles. I will be leaving now.
If he didn't leave soon, he was afraid he wouldn't be able to control himself from forcibly taking his sister away.
The room suddenly fell quiet.
Ji Zhiyuan cleared his throat. Duoduo, it's already past eleven at night. Daddy will take you home to rest.
No! Duoduo hugged Wen Yan's neck tightly. I want to sleep here with Mommy. The mommies and daddies of my friends at kindergarten all sleep in the same bed. Daddy, you should come lie down too.
Ji Zhiyuan's face darkened. Stop this nonsense.
Deep down, Duoduo was still a little afraid of him. She immediately shrank into Wen Yan's embrace. Perhaps having her mother there made her braver, because she even secretly made a funny face at Ji Zhiyuan.
Ji Zhiyuan felt helpless. Then I will have to trouble Doctor Wen to look after Duoduo. I will come back tomorrow morning.
Wen Yan couldn't have asked for anything more. Don't worry, I will take good care of Duoduo.
The next morning, after staying at the hospital for a little while, Ji Zhiyuan went to see the elders off at the airport.
Rong Yu, Sheng Qingyan, Sheng Ciyuan, and Old Master Ji, who had insisted on tagging along, boarded a flight to Beijing.
During the three days he had stayed at the Ji family residence, Sheng Ciyuan had clearly noticed that his eldest brother was acting more and more like a normal person.
His brother would communicate normally with Rong Yu.
His brother would have staring contests with Old Master Ji.
His brother would teach Ji Zhouye how to do math problems.
His brother would lift Duoduo up high in the air.
He believed the master's words that his older brother would definitely recover during his zodiac year.
Perhaps going to pay his respects to the remains of the fallen heroes aboard the Zhenhua would be the turning point...