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178 Is That Really You, Xixi?

The Lin family’s old residence was in YunCcity’s Changrong District. It was more than 60 kilometers away from the Royal Water Bay, which was almost an hour’s drive.

Lin Wan’s father was buried on Mount Qiping in Changrong District.

After seeking Lin Wan’s opinion, Li Yanchen decided to bring her to the cemetery to pay respects to her father first.

Ever since she came to this world, Lin Wan had never crossed a district, except for live variety shows. She had only ever hung out in areas near the Royal Water Bay.

Unlike the high-rise buildings near the Royal Water Bay, Changrong District mostly had traditional houses. As far as the eye could see, they were all small two-story buildings with an antique feel to them.

The closer they got to Mount Qiping, the more desolate their surroundings became. Lin Wan was certain that she had never been to this place before in her life.

The person who was guarding the graveyard at the foot of the mountain saw Li Yanchen and walked up to him. “You are early this year.”

“Wanwan, this is Uncle Yang, the caretaker of the graveyard. Uncle Yang, this is my wife. She is Elder Lin’s daughter.” Li Yanchen introduced them.

“Ms. Lin and you are married?” Uncle Yang turned to Lin Wan. “Ms. Lin, you can trust Li Yanchen with your life. He will never let you down. All these years, he has unfailingly visited Eder Lin’s grave.”

Seven years ago, Lin Xuezhen was buried on Mount Qiping. Li Yanchen had paid Uncle Yang to maintain and clean Elder Ln’s graveyard as he had no time to visit frequently to do it himself.

“Wanwan, I asked Uncle Yang to clean and maintain Elder Yin’s grave since we can’t be here all the time.”

“Thank you so much, Uncle Yang.”

“We will be going up now.” Li Yanchen held Lin Wan’s hand.

The graveyard was located halfway up the mountain, surrounded by pine trees.

“Wanwan, I brought you here before, but you probably don’t remember. The first place after making a turn is dad’s grave.” Li Yanchen walked in front. “The path here is narrow. Be careful where you step.”

Lin Wan knew what Li Yanchen meant. He thought she had forgotten about her past because of her split personality.

After a while, the two of them reached the graveyard. The tombstone was engraved with the words “Lin Xuezhen” and a line of small red words were written under it.

The gravestone seemed to be quite old, but there wasn’t a single speck of dust or leaf in front of the grave. Uncle Yang had indeed done his best.

Li Yanchen put down the bouquet on the grave. “Father, I brought along Wanwan to see you today.”

‘Lin Xuezhen…,’ Lin Wan tried to recall the name. She was certain that she had never heard of the name before. When Li Yanchen talked about him, he always referred to him as Elder Lin. She had never asked about his full name.

She sat down beside Li Yanchen. There was a black and white photo on the tombstone. The person in the photo had short hair, wore a pair of glasses, and had a kind smile.

“Father…,” Lin Wan called out softly.

Li Yanchen poured a glass of wine and placed it in front of the grave. “Father, this is for you. Wanwan is doing very well now. She is very happy. Don’t worry too much about her.”

To Lin Wan, Lin Xuezhen was a complete stranger. She did not know what to say to the host’s father. She didn’t even know if the host was still alive in the other world. She lowered her head.

“Father, we might not be able to come here during the Chinese New Year festival. But we are all fine. Don’t worry about us,” said Li Yanchen.

“Wanwan, do you want to pay your respects?”

Lin Wan knelt on the ground, feeling a sharp pain in her heart. She lowered her head till it touched the ground. She wondered if the old man in front of her would blame her for taking everything from his daughter. She wondered if the original owner lived a good life wherever she was. The moment she had come here, the host had disappeared.

Her name was also Lin Wan. But she was absolutely sure that she wasn’t Elder Lin’s daughter. Her tears fell on the grave.

Li Yanchen held her by the shoulders and wiped her tears away. “It’s alright, Wanwan. I am sure father is happy wherever he is.”

The woman looked at the words written on the tombstone and was silent for a long time.

After the paper money had been burned, Li Yanchen stood up. “Wanwan, do you want a minute alone with your father? I will wait for you over there.”

Li Yanchen remembered that every time he visited his parents when he was young, he would always whisper a lot of things in front of their graves. He thought that Lin Wan wanted to do the same.

Lin Wan nodded. Li Yanchen walked away and found a rock to sit on. He watched her from afar.

Lin Wan leaned against the gravestone. “Should I call you father or uncle? I don’t want to go back to my previous world. Will you blame me if I stay? I wonder whether your Lin Wan has gone to my world and is living my life. I wonder whether she met Yang Ruoxi. Maybe she feels the same way I do. Perhaps she doesn’t have my old memories with her and has made a life for herself there. I can only say that my world is a bit gentler than here.”

Lin Wan continued to ramble about the other world. The autumn wind blew and swept the leaves toward the grave. The space in front of the grave was speckled with gold leaves.

Lin Wan’s hair was blown to the side of her face. Li Yanchen, who was seated on a rock a few distance away, looked up at the graying sky. It was going to rain.

He walked to Lin Wan. “Wanwan, let’s go down. I think it is going to rain soon.”

Lin Wan picked up the withered leaves from the ground and threw them into the trash can. Then, she prepared to go down the mountain with Li Yanchen.

In Uncle Yang’s office, his daughter had made Coca Cola Chicken Wings with broccoli.

“Dad!” She carried the thermos and jumped in front of Yang Yiren.

“Xixi! You didn’t even tell me you were coming home! Why are you always trying to scare me by jumping in front of me suddenly?” Yang Yiren put down the enamel cup in his hand and looked at his daughter tenderly.

“Dad, I searched the refrigerator and only found this much. Grandma is going to buy some groceries, but I’m afraid I won’t be able to make it in time for you to eat.” The girl reached out to hug Yang Yiren.

“Dad, are you going to retire in two months? Grandma is getting old, and I’m still studying. She can’t be left at home alone.”

At the mention of his mother, Yang Yiren looked guilty. He sighed. “I want to apply for reemployment. I have an attachment to this graveyard. Your mother is also buried here. I can’t just leave her.”

“Mom passed away more than ten years ago. Dad, you need to start a new life. You can even start a new family if you want.”

Yang Yiren furrowed his brows. “Xixi, I promised your mother that I would never leave her. I’m sorry for your grandma but I can’t leave from here.” He sighed. “Let’s not talk about it right now. let’s go and see your mother’s grave.”

Yang Yiren took out the tin foil that had been prepared in the lounge. “I will go with you.”

“It’s going to rain soon. We have to hurry,” the girl said as she held her father’s arm.

Yang Yiren locked the door of the lodge and went up the mountain. Just as he walked to the black fence, a strong wind blew away the paper money. He and his daughter followed the direction of the wind to pick up the paper money that was still blowing in the wind.

A piece of tin foil floated to Lin Wan’s feet. The girl who was picking up the paper money looked up.

The offerings in her hands fell to the ground. The world was quiet, and time seemed to have stopped. Lin Wan could not believe her eyes.

“Is that really you, Xixi?” Lin Wan reached out and placed her hand on Yang Ruoxi’s cheek.