A Chan – CH 094

Chapter 94: Covering Me (1)

January 13, 2022, 7:00 a.m.

“We ordinary people are really, really happy tonight…”

Li Weiyi suddenly opened her eyes.

Before her was neither the small rented room from before nor her dream apartment. It wasn’t Zhang Jingchan’s house, nor Xu Yi’s house.

It was a simply furnished, cozy two-bedroom apartment, probably only about 60 square meters, but its best feature was its bright and well-proportioned layout. The room was quiet. Li Weiyi lay on the sofa, fully clothed, covered with a blanket. Beside the sofa was an unfinished painting and seven or eight other completed paintings, paint palettes, drawing paper, brushes… were scattered haphazardly in the narrow living room.

Li Weiyi got up and went to the bathroom. She splashed cold water on her face, then covered it with her hands, not moving.

At this moment, the caregiver should be washing her face, brushing her teeth, and feeding her breakfast—this thought automatically popped into Li Weiyi’s mind.

She lowered her hands, slowly raised her head, and looked at herself in the mirror.

Her appearance was almost unchanged, but her face looked thinner than before, and she had grown her hair long. Her brows and eyes were habitually furrowed, as if harboring a sorrow that could never be dispelled.

Li Weiyi rubbed her temples vigorously, trying to rub away that sadness.

“Beep beep beep—” The kitchen appliance beeped, and she noticed a fragrant aroma that had filled the entire house. She went into the kitchen, opened the rice cooker, and found a small pot of ginseng chicken soup that had been set to cook the night before.

Staring at the golden, translucent chicken soup, a scene flashed through Li Weiyi’s mind—

In the small single hospital room, the white curtains fluttered in the breeze. He was still lying motionless, just as he had for the past eight years, day and night.

She took a bowl of chicken soup, sat on the edge of the bed, her feet still resting on the crossbar under the stool, scooped up a spoonful, carefully blew on it, and brought it to his lips, saying, “Zhang Jingchan, isn’t my soup-making skill getting better and better? Ah, I really am…where can you find a woman as perfect as me? I can’t believe you’ll have such a wonderful girlfriend.”

She chuckled to herself, put a little spoonful into his mouth, and he swallowed it. Li Weiyi picked up a tissue, wiped away a tiny bit of soup from the corner of his mouth, stared at his beautiful lips for a moment, put down the bowl, glanced furtively at the empty doorway, and then leaned down to kiss him on the lips.

It was just a light kiss, but her movements were practiced and experienced, clearly those of a repeat offender.

Then, she rested her chin on her hand, looked at him with a grin, her face slightly flushed, and said, “So handsome, I see you every day; you have to give me some treats. Otherwise, how can I resist the temptations of other men? Zhang Jingchan, Zhang Jingchan, wake up! All you have left to attract me with are your face and figure. But relationships based on physical intimacy don’t last, brother!”

Zhang Jingchan, on the bed, remained silent.

…

This kind of thing had happened countless times in Li Weiyi’s memory. She chuckled to herself, took out a thermos, filled it with chicken soup, and carried it to a room… Inside the room.

On the table was a backpack containing two sets of clean, folded, brand-new men’s clothes. Neither were big brands, but the fabric was soft and comfortable.

A new image flooded Li Weiyi’s mind—

She walked into a reasonably priced clothing store and chose a thin black sweater and a dark gray jacket. For some reason, she felt he would look very good in them; she could picture him with her eyes closed—fair-skinned, slender, and handsome—as if she had seen him somewhere before.

The sales assistant smiled and asked, “Miss, buying clothes for your boyfriend? You have great taste; these two pieces really flatter his figure. What size do you need?”

“This size, 185 cm.”

“Wow, your boyfriend is really tall!”

“Well… I’m quite satisfied with his height.”

…

Li Weiyi put the insulated lunchbox into another compartment of her backpack. Looking up, she saw a very old notebook on the table, its cover yellowed.

She stared at the notebook for a while, motionless.

Then she pulled out a chair, sat down at the table, picked up the notebook, and gently opened it.

She had read the first dozen or so entries when she last traveled back to July 2014. His writing ended in July of that year.

But actually, his diary was supposed to continue until 2022, before he met her.

If he hadn’t become a vegetable on July 13, 2014.

“July 20, 2014, Cloudy.
I heard Fuming’s business is in big trouble. I’m really frustrated that I haven’t graduated from university yet and have no practical experience in managing businesses. Otherwise, I could have shown off my skills and turned the tide. However, Old Zhang has weathered many storms over the years, so he should be fine this time too.
Girlfriend, why didn’t you have your period this month? Is it not coming again? Until 2022?”

—Li Weiyi slowly read aloud this now-defunct diary entry.

She understood what had happened between her and Zhang Jingchan at midnight on July 13, 2014, in this life:

Their brainwaves, or rather their souls, exchanged at that moment, yet also connected. That’s why, in that instant, she could see Zhang Jingchan’s eight years in his previous life, all his diaries, his experiences, and his lonely waiting.

His diary entries were numerous: 2015, 2016, 2017…

Until January 12, 2022, the eve of their reunion, Zhang Jingchan wrote in his diary:

“When the Huicui Building was first built, I fantasized about pressing you against the floor-to-ceiling windows on the top floor and kissing you passionately.
You’d be standing on my business empire, and the person I’d be holding in my arms would be you.
Tomorrow, this dream will come true.”

Li Weiyi laughed out loud, but a tear rolled down her cheek.

No wonder Zhang Jingchan insisted she stand in front of the glass that day before forcibly kissing her.

So that was something he had thought about for a long time in his past life.

Li Weiyi closed the notebook, put it aside, picked up her backpack, and was about to leave when her phone rang.

It was Li Yunmo calling.

Some memories of the Li family were triggered. Li Weiyi paused, then answered the phone, “Hello.”

Li Yunmo was silent for a few seconds on the other end, his breathing clearly audible: “Sister-in-law?”

Li Weiyi smiled slightly: “Hmm?”

“Didn’t you say…it would take over today? Do you feel anything different?”

Li Wei smiled, wanting to tease him a bit more, but remembering his hardships in this life, she only softly said, “It’s me; I’m back.”

“This new timeline paused the moment I awoke. The girl who had stayed by Zhang Jingchan’s side for eight years while he was in a vegetative state was overwritten by me.”

Li Yunmo was stunned: “You, you…it really is you? You’ve finally arrived! Will Brother Chan wake up too?!”

Li Weiyi paused for a moment, then said, “If he wakes up, the nursing home will call us immediately.”

“…That’s true.” Li Yunmo’s tone lowered slightly. “It’s alright, you’re here now; he should be here soon! When are you going today?”

“Now. What about you?”

“I still have some work to finish; I have to go to the company this morning, and I can only ask for leave after I finish it, so I might go in the afternoon. That’s how miserable working is. You go first; I’ll go as soon as possible.”