Chapter 123

Gu Rongjin thought.

***

Braised pork, sweet and sour pork, braised ribs… A variety of delicious dishes covered the table. Of course, there was also the fish with pickled cabbage that Beiming Qianye had missed the most.

Chen Xiaobao plopped down next to Beiming Qianye. After a while, he pretended to be uncomfortable and clamored to switch seats.

“Mommy, I can’t reach the food from here. You sit here!” Chen Xiaobao invited Chen Momo.

Chen Momo was speechless. It was hard to turn down her son’s enthusiasm. If she refused too obviously, it wouldn’t be appropriate…

So, Chen Momo walked over and took the seat next to Beiming Qianye.

The moment she sat down beside him, lightning-quick flashes crossed her mind. It felt as if this exact scene had happened before! Startled, Chen Momo wondered why she was suddenly struck by this sense of déjà vu.

No one felt more conflicted than Beiming Qianye. She was sitting right beside him, yet he couldn’t show any reaction. After all, she no longer remembered him. He was afraid of scaring her away if he acted too abruptly.

Unaware of the situation, Xu Xiaoka chimed in with praise, “Wow, Sister Momo and Mr. Qian Ye look so good together!”

Chen Xiaobao immediately started clapping in agreement.

Chen Momo shot her son an exasperated look. “What are you clapping for? Hurry up and eat.”

Watching this scene, Shen Zhongchen couldn’t help but chuckle.

Beiming Qianye picked up his chopsticks and tasted the fish with pickled cabbage. It was still that familiar taste—the very taste he had been yearning for ever since he left! This fish was simply delicious! As a result, Beiming Qianye, who usually only took a few bites during meals, did the unprecedented and finished an entire bowl of rice.

Shen Zhongchen was pleasantly surprised. It seemed the Chief’s appetite was slowly recovering! Which meant his health would definitely recover as well!

After dinner, Beiming Qianye suddenly suggested, “Momo, let me take you somewhere.”

“Where?” Chen Momo asked in surprise.

“You’ll know when we get there,” Beiming Qianye replied.

Chen Momo looked at her son, then at Xu Xiaoka. The two immediately pushed her out the door.

“Mommy, you should go out and relax!” Chen Xiaobao’s voice rang out. “If you stay at home every day, you’ll turn into a mushroom!”

“Sister Momo, just go for a drive with Mr. Qian Ye!” Xu Xiaoka quickly added, giving Chen Momo a sly wink.

Chen Momo frowned.

Shen Zhongchen immediately packed his things, planning to set off with Beiming Qianye and Chen Momo. He had stayed by Beiming Qianye’s side all these years. Wherever Beiming Qianye went, he followed. It had become a habit for him.

Seeing that Shen Zhongchen was about to tag along, Chen Xiaobao had a stroke of genius. He ran into his room and brought out a lightbulb.

“Grandpa Shen, my lightbulb is broken. Can you help me fix it?” Chen Xiaobao asked in his childish voice.

Shen Zhongchen was stunned. “Xiao Bao, don’t you know how to fix a lightbulb yourself?”

He wouldn’t dare neglect Xiao Bao now. After all, Xiao Bao was the Young Master, the Chief’s biological son. He definitely had to pamper and coax him. So now, whenever Shen Zhongchen spoke to Xiao Bao, he would crouch down to be at eye level with him, treating the boy with immense affection.

“No,” Xiao Bao said firmly. “This time, Grandpa Shen has to fix it.”

Holding the lightbulb, Shen Zhongchen pondered for a moment before it suddenly dawned on him!

The Chief and Miss Chen needed time to bond. If he tagged along, wouldn’t he be a massive “lightbulb”—a third wheel? The Young Master was giving him a heavy hint!

Looking into Chen Xiaobao’s resolute eyes, Shen Zhongchen didn’t dare act rashly or go against the boy’s wishes. Chuckling, he said, “Alright then, I’ll stay home and help you fix this lightbulb, okay?”

Chen Xiaobao nodded happily. “Okay!”

Shen Zhongchen then turned to Beiming Qianye. “Chief, I’m really sorry. I have to help Xiao Bao fix a… a… a certain something. I won’t be able to go out with you today.”

It was too embarrassing for him to admit he was being a third wheel out loud, so he opted to vaguely say he was fixing “something.”

Beiming Qianye thought about it and agreed. He wasn’t entirely comfortable leaving Xiao Bao and Xiao Ka home alone anyway. Having Shen Zhongchen stay behind gave him peace of mind.

“Contact me immediately if anything comes up, Secretary Shen,” Beiming Qianye instructed solemnly.

Shen Zhongchen nodded. “Don’t worry, Chief. I’ll take good care of Xiao Bao.”

Beiming Qianye had decided to take Chen Momo back to the exact place where her memories had cut off. Although it was a place filled with bad memories, it was the only location that could help her remember her past.

They had been driving for two days. Chen Momo would fall asleep, then wake up. Wake up, then fall asleep again. This drowsy, groggy feeling also felt strangely familiar.

Finally, Chen Momo woke up for good. She asked curiously, “Where are you taking me?”

Beiming Qianye looked at her and said, “You’ll know when we get there.”

The car pulled up in front of a hotel building. The lower half of the structure was completely swallowed by snow, leaving only the upper half exposed. Although the upper floors had been fully repaired, there were still faint traces of an explosion on its facade.

Chen Momo stared at the building in shock. She felt as though she had been here before.

“Where is this?” Chen Momo asked Beiming Qianye, bewildered.

Beiming Qianye gazed at her intently. “Can’t you remember anything at all?”

Suddenly, Chen Momo’s vision flashed, and familiar fragments raced through her mind—

Drug lords, cigarette butts, a raging fire, and the moment of the explosion when she leaped out of the window…

Her head throbbed as if it were splitting open. Gripping her head tightly, Chen Momo didn’t understand why so many inexplicable scenes were surfacing in her mind.

Seeing her distress, Beiming Qianye immediately pulled her into a tight embrace.

“Zilin, how are you feeling?” His large hand gently stroked her head.

“I don’t know…” Chen Momo stammered. “A lot of strange fragments keep popping up in my head. I don’t know what’s going on… And Zilin? Why does that name sound so familiar?”

In that moment, after a brief sense of unfamiliarity, the name suddenly struck a deep chord of recognition within her. Fragments of the past surged forth uncontrollably like a tidal wave…

Chen Momo suddenly remembered every little detail of her past with Beiming Qianye.

She remembered…

So, Zilin was her!

She wasn’t Chen Momo. She was Bai Zilin!

Watching her suffer as she plunged into her memories, Beiming Qianye’s heart ached. He comforted her softly, “It’s all in the past… Everything is in the past now… Don’t be afraid. I’m right here with you.”