Editor: Amaris
Ye Chen certainly remembered her. For him, it was an important event in his life.
Even though he couldnât get out of the bed after being beaten by his father back then, he had always felt quite proud of himself for being able to do such a thing. He kept flaunting it in front of Gu Xi and Yu Xingzhe for a short while.
After all, he had saved an extraordinarily charming âlittle girlâ. Maybe this was their predestined fate of marriage.
Well, it was indeed a predestined marriage, just that the âlittle girlâ had grown up into a ma...masculine man.
At that time, Ye Chen lived with his (maternal) grandfather. Because Mother Ye was the youngest daughter, grandpa was already very old by then. After he retired, he went back to his hometown and enjoyed his old age in peace.
His hometown was a pretty lively small fishing village. Because there were military officers guarding the village, it was properly developed and became more bustling than ever.
It took only five or six minutes from grandpaâs house to the seaside. Grandpa was a trainer, he started training his grandson. Ye Chen was really afraid of the training, so he would run away to play and hide as long as he could when it was time for it.
The small fishing village was very safe and Ye Chen had good swimming ability since he was young, so no one would mind him even if he went swimming by himself.
That day, Ye Chen was playing ball and building a sandcastle with his group of little friends. They played joyfully.
By chance, Ye Chen caught sight of the mother and child at a glance.
The mother was wearing a long, white dress. She had a graceful disposition and a very elegant demeanor. The child beside her was probably as old as Ye Chen, âsheâ stared ahead expressionlessly. She was so petite that her eyes appeared really big. When she gazed into the sea, her pair of eyes seemed to reflect a great part of the sea.
Ye Chen was in a daze at that moment. He had met a lot of good-looking people, such as his uncleâs childrenâ âhis cousin-brothers and cousin-sisters, Brother Xinghai, Old Yu, and the no-longer-fat Gu Xi...
But their beauty couldnât be compared to this âgirlâ before his eyes. Her hair dangled just over her shoulders, it looked soft and smooth. She had fair skin, her facial features were so exquisite they looked flawless. She was so lovely she looked like a doll.
Ye Chen couldnât help but steal a few more glances at her. Later, his friends called him to play with them and he finally let it go. He took the ball and had a match with his friends.
Later on, he didnât know how much time passed, but Ye Chen suddenly heard a cry for help.
It was very faint, carrying a deep sense of despair and unwillingness, the cry seemed to seep through the bottom of his heart.
Who is it?
Ye Chen looked around. For some reason, he immediately caught sight of the figure of someone struggling in the sea at a glance.
Someoneâs drowning!
Ye Chen didnât think much back then. He immediately took off his coat and jumped into the water. His physique had been trained very well when he stayed at grandpaâs place these years. Grandpa used to be a soldier, and he still trained regularly even after his retirement. Although Ye Chen always hid from him whenever grandpa wanted to train him, he had grown accustomed to the training as time passed.
Therefore, even though he had played at the beach for a long time, he could still swim very fast after jumping into the water.
As he swam closer, he realized that it was that pretty little girl from before who was drowning!
Ye Chen went into a panic. Why did she swim this far if she canât swim? Whereâs her swim ring?
What made Ye Chen even more terrified was, why was she still wearing a T-shirt? Could one go swimming while wearing such attire? If she didnât intend to go swimming, then...
He couldnât think too much at the moment. Ye Chen had some knowledge of how to rescue someone. In the case of someone drowning, the rescuer could not swim directly to the drowning person, because the drowning person would panic and cling onto the rescuer. When this happened, the person wouldnât be able to be rescued, and they might drown together instead.
The best way to rescue someone was to approach from the back, put his arm under her armpits to grip the otherâs chest, then stick her head closely to his own chest while pulling her out of the water, and lastly, to swim to the other side of the water with one of his hands.
As Ye Chen approached her, he shouted, âDonât be afraid! Iâll save you. Donât move recklessly, you mustnât move recklessly. Iâll take you ashore!â
The girl stared at the horizon blankly. Her beautiful eyes seemed to be entirely filled with water.
Ye Chen approached her, then called out, âLittle girl, are you alright? Do you feel uncomfortable somewhere? You donât have to be scared, everythingâs alright, everythingâs already alright.â
Ye Chenâs voice had hardly faded away when large drops of tear welled up in the girlâs eyes.
She didnât make any sound at all, but her tears kept falling down in torrents like the seawater, intensely flowing down.
Ye Chen inexplicably felt distressed for her. He hugged the âgirlâ and comforted her, âDonât be afraid, donât be afraid... Itâs alright, everythingâs alright already.â
The âlittle girlâ let him hug her as she stood motionlessly. She didnât even sob or choke with sobs. She was so stiff like a cold porcelain doll, only her tears were boiling hot. It spilled over Ye Chenâs shoulder, carrying a trace of burning heat.
After some time had passed, the little girl finally spoke, âSheâs dead.â
Ye Chen was startled. He barely heard what she said.
At this time, when the adults rushed over and saw the two children, they hurriedly wrapped them up in a towel and sent them home.
Later, Ye Chen finally knew the whole story.
The little girlâs mother accidentally suffered a cramp in her leg when she went swimming. When the little girl saw her mother struggling (in the water), she rushed towards her without considering whether she could swim or not. As a result, she almost died.
When the motherâs corpse had been retrieved from the water, she still looked very graceful. Dressed in a swimsuit when she died, she looked very much like a hopeless mermaid.
He heard that the little girl had nowhere to go, so Ye Chen took the initiative to take her home.
After a few days had passed, the girl didnât speak at all. She refused to approach anyone but Ye Chen. When Ye Chen asked her name, she would shake her head. When he asked where her home was, she would also shake her head.
The doctor diagnosed that she suffered an extreme shock and went into a kind of self-isolation state, recovery would take some time.
Ye Chen accompanied her and spoke to her patiently. Because he didnât know her name, he kept calling her âlittle girlâ.
Later on, Ye Chen was forcefully dragged home by Father Ye because he heard that Ye Chen âalmost drownedâ. Father Ye was really angry that he beat his child until he couldnât get out of bed. Ye Chen didnât get the chance to say goodbye to the girl.
A few days later, he heard that the little girl had left, too. It seemed that she finally spoke and told them where she lived.
A lot of years had passed since then, but Ye Chen still remembered her. However, he never got to meet her again.
Ye Chen compared Ren Jing and the âgirlâ in his mind for a little, then noticed that their features were really similar indeed.
This is really...truly...unbelievable!
Ren Jingâs voice sounded again, âChen Chen, could you open the door?â
Ye Chen immediately opened the door and saw the tall and handsome man before his eyes. His head was filled with this: Impossible, this is completely impossible. How on earth could the short, little âgirlâ from that time had grown this tall!? This is too unreasonable!
Ren Jing was shocked when he saw Ye Chen. His eyes were filled with anxiousness as he asked, âWhy are you crying?â
Ye Chen recklessly wiped the tears away, then he asked, âAre you really her?â
Ren Jing said, âI remember every single word you said to me back then. If you donât believe me, I could repeat all of them for you.â
Ye Chen opened his eyes wide. Because he cried for quite awhile, the moment he widened his eyes, it made him look all the more pitiful.
Ren Jing felt really anguished seeing Ye Chen like this. He took Ye Chen into his embrace, then kissed his forehead. âDonât cry... Chen Chen, donât cry.â
Ye Chen was still at a loss. âAre...Are you really her?â
Ren Jing paused for a moment before he hugged Ye Chen tightly as he softly whispered the words which already felt very distant:
âDonât be afraid! Iâll save you. Donât move recklessly, you mustnât move recklessly. Iâll take you ashore!â
âHow are you feeling? Is everything alright?â
............
......
âYou donât like to eat carrots? But you obviously look like a little bunny.â
âLittle bunny, little bunny... I wonât call you âlittle girlâ anymore, Iâll call you âthe little bunny who doesnât like carrotsâ.â
Ren Jing unexpectedly repeated everything Ye Chen had said to him without missing a single word. He slowly repeated the words Ye Chen had said to him at that time.
Ye Chenâs eyes were filled with astonishment. He actually couldnât remember them clearly anymore, but now that Ren Jing repeated all of them, it evoked countless memories, causing the dusty scenes to gradually become clear again.
It was really Ren Jing. The âlittle girlâ he saved 13 years ago was actually Ren Jing!
Ren Jing had liked Ye Chen since then until now...
Was there such a miraculous thing in the world?
Ye Chen suddenly recalled one more thing. âRing... That ring...â
Ren Jing, âYes, itâs the one you gave me.â
Ye Chen finally recalled that he was indeed the one who gave Ren Jing that ring.
That ring wasnât Ren Jingâs motherâs, but Ye Chenâs motherâs. It was obviously not a wedding ring, just one of Mother Yeâs many rings.
At that time, in a sudden moment of insight, Ye Chen simply grabbed one of the rings that his mother had âlostâ, went to find Ren Jing and said, âTake this.â
The âlittle girlâ version of Ren Jing lifted her head up and looked at him.
Ye Chen said with a serious expression, âThis ring is still very valuable. You could sell it later and get a lot of money from it!â The way Ye Chen thought was actually very simple. Since the girlâs mother had passed away, her family circumstances might not be very good. It would be too eye-catching to give her money, but she could hide it if he gave her a nearly one carat diamond ring.
Ren Jing took out the ring. Ye Chen didnât have a deep impression of it, but truth to be told, this ring was his and the girlâs secret. No one but the two of them knew about this.
So Ren Jing...is really âherâ...
Ye Chen had completely believed him. He now believed that the feeble âlittle girlâ he saved had become a big...big...grown man...
Ren Jing kissed him and said, âThank you.â
The feelings embodied within these words were indescribable. After going through countless tough, complicated twists and turns for years, he simply concluded his feelings into such simple words in the end.
Hearing him say these words, Ye Chenâs heart became heavy. He shook his head, then his eyes were in a curve as he smiled. âYouâve always liked me?â
Ren Jing replied, âYes.â
Ye Chen asked, âFor fourteen years?â
Ren Jing, âFourteen years and twenty five days.â
Ye Chen chuckled. âHow could you remember it so accurately?â
Ren Jing replied, âItâs impossible for me to forget the day when I received a new life.â
Ye Chenâs heart warmed up. His voice became softer as he said, âSince youâve liked me from long ago, why did you not tell me earlier?â
Ren Jing lowered his eyesight, then said in a low voice, âIâm not good enough for you.â
Ye Chen was stunned. When he realized that Ren Jing was serious, he immediately became furious. âWhat nonsense are you talking about!?â
Ren Jing held him tight again. His voice trembled so slightly it was almost unnoticeable when he said, âChen Chen, youâre so amazing, Iâm really...â
âNo more nonsense!â Ye Chen pushed Ren Jing away, then gazed into his eyes as he said, âYouâre the most outstanding, hardworking, strongest, bravest, and the most handsome person Iâve ever met!â
Ren Jing kept staring at him without blinking. His thin lips opened slightly, all that could come out of it were chants of his belovedâs name, âChen Chen...â
Ye Chen didnât disclose the whole story, but they were both aware of the secret.
Ren Jingâs mother committed suicide back then, and she also even wanted to kill Ren Jing at the same time.
She kept on struggling after drowning into the water and shouted at Ren Jing for help. Ren Jing could swim, thus he immediately went into the water, thinking of saving her.
But his mother dragged his feet using both of her merciless hands, like a demon from the bottom of the sea, trying to drag him into hell.
An awful childhood didnât make Ren Jing feel sorrowful, but it was the malice from his mother that made him feel completely disappointed with everything.
The person who had given him life wanted him to die.
Was there anything much more sorrowful than this for such a young boy?
Him being born to this world was a sin.
What was the meaning of being alive while carrying such a heavy burden?
Ren Jing didnât know the answer to that question, but he still kept on strifing with all his might to fight against the âdemonâ under his feet. Eventually, Ye Chen came.
He was a âtreasureâ, gleaming with a gentle radiance, bringing light to Ren Jing who was currently on the edge of the pitch black hell.
Ye Chen illuminated the dark road and showed him the way to get out of the darkness. He also took his hand and led him out step by step.
By saving Ren Jing, Ye Chen had also redeemed him.
The author has something to say:
I took longer to write this chapter because the plot is more serious this time. Smooches!
T/N: I remembered reading the comment on JJWXC and saw someone commented something along this line: âWhen you lifted the little girlâs skirt, you noticed that s/he got a bigger pp than youâ AND I LAUGHED SO MUCH HAHAHAHAHAHA;;;;; Iâm supposed to be big sad but that comment made my day LOL