Before he died, my grandfather forced me to marry the richest man in the capital.

The next morning, it was as if the rain had stopped and the sky had cleared, or as if the tragedy had simply been hidden away.

No matter what your mood is, the sun will still rise, and what has happened has happened. God will not take pity on you and freeze time. Time will still quietly slip through your fingers and will not stop for you for even a second. All you can do is accept it.

Tang Junyao had something on her mind, and her first thought upon waking up was to go to the hospital. She suddenly opened her eyes, got up, and was about to lift the blanket and get out of bed on her right side when she saw a man sitting on her right.

Who else could it be but Ji Hancheng? She hadn't expected to fall asleep. She had planned to take a shower and blow-dry her hair before going to the hospital to be with Aunt Zhang since Xiaoyouzi wasn't home. She thought she could take care of her when she woke up.

The man was still asleep, not lying down but sitting up, leaning against the headboard with his arms crossed over his chest, looking very serious.

So did this person sleep sitting up all night? He's usually so shameless, but surprisingly he didn't lie down this time.

She turned around, got out of bed from the left, went around to the right, picked up a corner of the blanket and gently covered him with it. Judging from the situation, he must have slept like that all night without any blankets on him, and he wasn't afraid of catching a cold.

Ji Hancheng was naturally very alert, a habit he had always cultivated. He had actually been awake since she sat up, but he was afraid that it would be too awkward for them to look at each other, so he chose to pretend to be asleep. He was surprised that this woman would actually cover him with a blanket. He was secretly delighted and continued to pretend to be asleep.

After pulling the covers up, she took out her phone and glanced at the time. It was already 7 a.m. She wondered how Aunt Zhang and the others were doing, and whether they had woken up yet.

Just as I was about to put my phone away and go to the bathroom to wash up, I received an unfamiliar message sent via MMS.

Driven by curiosity, she hesitated for a moment but still opened it to take a look. When she saw the image, the shock was too great for her to accept.

Her vision grew increasingly blurry, her eyes vacant, and large tears streamed from her eyes. The bitterness and pain in her heart gathered into a thick, dark cloud that wouldn't dissipate, eventually choking her so much that she couldn't utter a single word.

This message successfully shattered her feigned strength. She hadn't considered that Xiaoyouzi's safety was bought with their own lives. Guilt, indebtedness, self-blame... all sorts of emotions surged up.

The excruciating pain and helplessness crept into every cell of her body... She cried silently, not wanting to cry.

Ji Hancheng thought the woman had another move planned. After waiting for a while, it became quieter and quieter, without even the sound of footsteps. He slowly opened his eyes and turned to look for Tang Junyao. He saw the woman sitting quietly on the left side of the bed without making a sound, but the trembling of her shoulders made him panic. He quickly got up and went over to her.

Standing high above her, searching for the reason, he saw that her gaze was fixed on her phone, even though her vision was already blurry. Ji Hancheng lowered his gaze to look at the still-lit screen, his eyes were extremely cold, and the veins on his clenched fists were visible.

He made Han Yue remove all the news beforehand so that she wouldn't see the scene, and yet some people still didn't know what was going on.

He slowly crouched down, leaned closer, and pulled the phone she was clutching tightly. He tugged at it but couldn't budge it. He pried it open one finger at a time until he finally got the phone out and placed it on the bedside table. Then he stood up, cupped the back of her head in his hands, and gently pulled her into his arms. Suppressing all the anger in his body, he said softly, "Cry."

Those two words successfully made her, who had been immersed in pain and suppressing her emotions, burst into loud sobs. She cried out as if she wanted to break the sky with her cries, and each sob struck his heart heavily, one after another, making his entire chest feel like it was about to crack.

He pursed his lips, his face radiating coldness, while his hand gently stroked her head, trying to calm her down.

The only sound in the entire suite was her hysterical sobbing. Ji Hancheng remained motionless like a statue, saying nothing, quietly keeping her company until she finished venting. It was better to vent than to hold it in; a good cry might make her feel much better.

About half an hour later, she cried herself to sleep, and only low sobs remained. Ji Hancheng slowly squatted down, looked at her red and swollen eyes, and took out a tissue to wipe them for her. "Are you feeling better? What's done is done. What we need to do is clean up the mess. We'll make proper arrangements for those who are gone, and we'll make up for the rest of us tenfold in the future, okay?"

This was the first time he had seen her cry, confirming his suspicions from the previous night: she would hide away to heal her wounds and show her strong side to others.

She understood what he was saying and knew that the deceased was gone, but the images in the photos were deeply embedded in her mind and she couldn't shake them off. She also remembered the moment when Baihu protected Xiaoyouzi and fell down. How much faith must he have had to hold on until the very end?

Seeing that she was still lost in thought and lacked energy, he patiently said, "Wash your face. Aunt Zhang has woken up and been moved to a regular ward. The Lan family's bodyguards are expected to wake up in the next couple of days. Today we went to help Aunt Wu with her funeral arrangements. Where would you like to place her?"

These words brought her back to her senses, and with a heavy nasal tone, she said, "I want to place Aunt Wu next to Grandpa, and on the tombstone... write 'Daughter, Tang Junyao'." Because Aunt Wu deserved it.

"Okay, I'll arrange it. Go wash up first. Xu Mingkai will bring breakfast over later. After we eat, we'll go to the hospital." He never expected to write "woman" on the tombstone. His grandfather was right; she was kind. He had to admit that he was blind.

Tang Junyao got up and went to the bathroom to wash up. Ji Hancheng walked to the sofa, sat down, and made a call to Xu Mingkai, asking him to contact the funeral home and the funeral team. He gave all the details that needed to be paid attention to, even for company matters, he gave such detailed instructions, for fear of making a mistake or not doing something properly.

Xu Mingkai arrived shortly afterward. In fact, he had been waiting downstairs for a while, but Ji Shao hadn't called him, so he didn't dare to disturb him. It was only a rare opportunity for Ji Shao to be able to walk into the young mistress's house openly and legitimately.

Hopefully, after this incident, Young Master Ji and Young Madam Ji can reconcile and go back to normal.

He rang the doorbell and was greeted by a scene that surprised even Xu Mingkai. The man, who was always impeccably dressed, now had a stubble on his chin, dark circles under his eyes, and was visibly tired and sleep-deprived. "Young Master Ji, this is breakfast, this is clothes, and everything at the funeral home has been arranged. You and the young mistress can go directly to the funeral home. The cremation time is 9:1." There was plenty of time, more than an hour to spare.

"Okay, make sure nothing goes wrong. Have Han Yue look up a number." He sent the number he had memorized to Xu Mingkai and then closed the door, leaving Xu Mingkai outside without even realizing what was happening.

Well, it's tough for Young Master Ji too, so I'll let it go.

After Tang Junyao finished washing up, she came out without any makeup, her face completely bare, her eyes still swollen. She walked to the master bedroom and closed the door. Ji Hancheng turned around and looked at the closed door, feeling helpless. Even when she was overwhelmed with grief, she didn't forget to be wary of him. He could still vividly remember every part of her body he had seen.

Now I finally understand why I was able to target her in the first place. It turns out I had been planning this all along, but I realized it too late; by then, she was already gone.

Ten minutes later, she came out wearing a black dress, sat down at the dining table, picked up a meat bun, and stuffed it into her mouth.

He slowly opened a bowl of millet porridge for her and placed it in front of her. "Have some porridge to warm your stomach. Take your time, there's still time. The cremation is at 9:30. You eat first, I'll go change my clothes. Can I borrow your bathroom for a bit?"

She paused for a second while holding the steamed bun, then immediately put it in her mouth again, whispering, "Thank you."

The man didn't show much emotion on his face, only heartache. He had never known that she had become so strong. Now he regretted not being there for her when her grandfather passed away. He wondered how she had gotten through it; it must have been no easier for her than it was now. "I don't need your thanks. Just don't push me away."

After a long pause, she lowered her gaze and said sullenly, "Ji Hancheng."

"Hmm? What's wrong?" He was surprised that she suddenly called him by his full name so calmly. She rarely called him by his full name. She felt a little flustered, but kept her composure on the surface.

"I forgive you." She didn't say they should be together, she just forgave him and the mistakes he had made.

The departure of Aunt Wu, the injury of Aunt Zhang, and the coma of Baihu tell her a fact: human life is very fragile, and you never know whether tomorrow will bring the sun or an accident.

Persistence really does pay off. Grandpa was right; only sincerity can earn forgiveness. She simply said she forgave him, and his excitement was no less than closing a project worth a hundred million, or even more.

Suppressing his excitement, he gave her a warm smile, and the two locked eyes for a few seconds across the table.

Sincerity can move even metal and stone.

Smiling, I walked into the bathroom, changed my clothes, and washed up. It was unprecedented for me to stay up all night without taking a shower.