Old Harden, can you handle having your vision-shifting abilities on all the time?

On the 26th day of the twelfth lunar month, lanterns and decorations were everywhere in Chang'an, and the festive atmosphere of the New Year was growing stronger.

Chen Zhiqiang sat in his study with a cigarette in his hand; the ashtray already contained seven or eight cigarette butts.

The sporadic sound of firecrackers drifted in from outside the window, but his brow furrowed even more deeply.

Today is the day we have no choice but to confront each other.

Back at the old house, the old man and woman had already called him three times, urging him to come back for the New Year, and they kept asking about Chen Xinyi in their conversations.

In previous years, Chen Xinyi would go back early to help prepare for the New Year, but this year there was no sign of her.

Chen Zhiqiang knew he couldn't hide it anymore.

He took a deep breath, stubbed out his cigarette, grabbed his car keys, and went out the door.

The car drove through the old city of Chang'an and stopped in front of a two-story building with its own courtyard.

Chen Zhiqiang pushed open the courtyard gate and heard the old man's voice coming from the living room: "The eldest son is back?"

"Dad, Mom."

Chen Zhiqiang changed his shoes and walked into the living room, where he saw the old man sitting in a wicker chair, wearing reading glasses and reading a newspaper, while the old woman was picking vegetables beside him.

"Where's Xinyi? Why didn't she come back with you?"

The old lady put down the groceries she was holding, glanced behind him, and said, "How long has it been since this girl came back? She didn't even come back early for the New Year to help out?"

Chen Zhiqiang was silent for a few seconds, then sat down on the sofa, his voice a little hoarse: "Dad, Mom, I have something to tell you."

The old man put down his newspaper, took off his reading glasses, and looked at him: "What is it?"

"Xinyi is pregnant."

There was a two-second silence in the living room.

The old lady dropped the vegetables from her hand into the bowl with a crisp sound.

"Are you pregnant?"

The old man's brow furrowed deeply. "Whose?"

"Xu Xing, a restorer at Chengxinzhai, was introduced by Zhao Yongchang."

"Isn't that a good thing?"

The old lady breathed a sigh of relief. "When are you getting married?"

"She's not getting married."

Chen Zhiqiang's words exploded like a bomb in the living room.

"Not getting married?"

The old man suddenly stood up, his voice rising abruptly, "She's heavily pregnant and still not getting married? Is she crazy, or are you?"

The old lady grew anxious: "Zhiqiang, what do you mean by that? What do you mean by not getting married? What about the child?"

Chen Zhiqiang lowered his head and selectively repeated what Zhao Yongchang had told him.

Of course, he deliberately concealed Lin Wan's existence.

But the truth will out.

The old man's face grew increasingly grim as he listened, finally slamming his fist on the table: "Tell me the truth! Does that Xu Xing have other women?"

Chen Zhiqiang opened his mouth, but finally nodded.

"You bastard!"

The old man was trembling with anger. He grabbed a teacup from the table, ready to smash it, but the old woman stopped him, shouting, "Old man! Calm down!"

"What do you mean, 'calm down'?"

The old man's face turned red and his neck bulged. "Not only is my granddaughter pregnant out of wedlock, but she's also sharing a husband with another woman? Where will I put my face if this gets out?"

He grabbed his phone, found Chen Xinyi's number, and dialed it.

The phone rang twice before being answered.

"Feed? Grandpa?"

Chen Xinyi's voice sounded calm, even a little lazy.

"Chen Xinyi!"

The old man practically roared, "Explain yourself! What's the deal with Xu Xing? Why aren't you getting married if you're pregnant with his child?"

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, followed by a soft laugh.

"Grandpa, you're quite well-informed."

"Stop grinning at me like that!"

The old man's voice trembled with anger. "Our Chen family has been a scholarly family for generations. When has such a thing ever happened? What will people outside say about us if this gets out?"

"What are you talking about?"

Chen Xinyi's tone remained calm. "Are they gossiping that our Chen family has a daughter who got pregnant out of wedlock? Or are they saying I'm like Aunt Liu, using my unborn child to climb the social ladder?"

"you!"

"Grandpa, please don't scold me yet."

Chen Xinyi interrupted him, "I have a question for you. Do you remember how my mother died?"

The old man was stunned.

"You and my grandmother probably know better than I how my mother was angered to death back then, right?"

Chen Xinyi's voice was tinged with coldness, "Back when my mother was still alive, you wanted to drive my mother away and make your mistress take her place just because Liu Meijuan gave birth to a son."

"You think I don't know you'll all be cheering behind my mother's back when she dies?"

"What nonsense are you spouting?"

The old man's voice was trembling.

"Am I talking nonsense?"

Chen Xinyi laughed, "Grandpa, stop pretending. I know everything that happened back then. When my mother was sick and hospitalized, how many times did you visit her?"

Did you attend Liu Meijuan's son's one-month celebration the day she passed away?

In the living room, the old lady's face turned deathly pale instantly.

The old man's hand holding the phone was trembling, and his lips were quivering so much that he couldn't utter a single word for a long time.

"So, Grandpa."

Chen Xinyi's voice carried a hint of sarcasm, "What I'm doing now is just replicating Aunt Liu's path, except I'm a little better than her. I don't intend to anger anyone or drive anyone away. What's wrong with sharing with my good friend?"

"You...you..."

"From a moral standpoint, I'm far superior to you."

Chen Xinyi said in a light tone, "At least I didn't start something and then abandon it, nor did I cause the original wife to die because of the mistress. That's something to be proud of, isn't it?"

"puff!"

The old man suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, his body swayed, and he fell straight backward.

"Old man!"

The old woman screamed and lunged at her.

Chen Zhiqiang was shocked and rushed over to support the old man, crying, "Dad! Dad!"

The old man's eyes were closed, his face was deathly pale, and there was a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth.

"Call 120 immediately!"

Chen Zhiqiang roared.

The ambulance arrived quickly.

The old man was completely unconscious when he was lifted onto the stretcher.

The emergency physician conducted a preliminary examination en route and diagnosed the patient with an acute cerebral hemorrhage.

Sitting in the ambulance, Chen Zhiqiang looked at his father's pale face and felt a chill in his heart.

He took out his phone, found Chen Xinyi's number, hesitated for a while, and finally pressed the dial button.

The call was connected.

"Feed?"

"Xinyi..."

Chen Zhiqiang's voice was hoarse, "Your grandfather suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and is being treated."

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone.

"oh."

Chen Xinyi's voice was calm, "Then I wish him a speedy recovery."

"you!"

Chen Zhiqiang felt a lump in his throat. "Don't you feel even a little bit guilty?"

"Guilt?"

Chen Xinyi laughed. "Dad, do you think I should feel guilty? When Mom was driven to her death by anger, did you feel guilty?"

Chen Zhiqiang opened his mouth, but couldn't say a word.

"Alright, Dad, you take good care of Grandpa."

Chen Xinyi's tone remained calm, "I have something to do, I'll hang up now."

The phone went dead.

Chen Zhiqiang held his phone, leaned back in the ambulance seat, closed his eyes, and let out a long sigh.

……

The old man was sent to the ICU and was rescued after six hours of emergency treatment.

The doctor said it was a mild cerebral hemorrhage. Although he survived, he may suffer long-term sequelae on the left side of his body and will need long-term rehabilitation treatment.

Chen Zhiqiang stood outside the ward, watching his father lying on the hospital bed with tubes inserted, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

The old lady sat on a plastic chair in the corridor, wiping away tears.

"Zhiqiang..."

The old lady looked up at him. "What are you planning to do about Xinyi?"

Chen Zhiqiang remained silent for a long time before finally speaking: "Mom, let's leave it at that."

"that's all?"

"right."

Chen Zhiqiang's voice was tinged with weariness. "Xinyi is right. We were the ones who wronged her mother back then. What she's doing today is, in the end, revenge on us."

The old lady opened her mouth, but ultimately said nothing.

She knew that Chen Zhiqiang was right.

When Chen Xinyi's mother was hospitalized, they didn't visit her very often.

They did indeed attend Liu Meijuan's son's one-month celebration on the day that woman passed away.

"What about during the Chinese New Year?"

The old lady asked.

"I will tell my relatives that Xinyi is on a business trip abroad and can't come back."

Chen Zhiqiang said, "As for the future, let's just consider it as if she's married off."

The old lady remained silent for a long time before finally nodding.

……

On the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, Chen Zhiqiang made a phone call to Zhao Yongchang.

"I've already explained Xinyi's situation to my parents."

His voice was calm. "From now on, I won't concern myself with her affairs anymore. I'll leave it to you."

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, then Zhao Yongchang's voice came through: "What do you mean by this?"

"It means exactly what it says."

Chen Zhiqiang said, "She doesn't want to acknowledge me as her father, and I'm too lazy to care about her anymore. Whether she lives a good life or not is none of my business."

"Chen Zhiqiang, you..."

"Alright, I have something to do, I'll hang up now."

Chen Zhiqiang hung up the phone, leaned back on the sofa, and stared blankly at the ceiling.

He knew that what he was doing was very irresponsible.

But he really didn't know how to face Chen Xinyi.

……

New Year's Eve.

The mansion on the top floor of Yunxi Terrace was brightly lit.

Xu Xing sat at the dining table, with a sumptuous New Year's Eve dinner laid out in front of him.

Chen Xinyi, heavily pregnant, sat to his left, while Lin Wan sat to his right. The three of them sat around a large round table, creating a warm and harmonious atmosphere.

"Come on, cheers!"

Xu Xing raised his wine glass.

"Cheers!"

Chen Xinyi and Lin Wan also raised their glasses.

The wine glasses clinked together, making a crisp sound.

Outside the window, fireworks burst in the night sky, illuminating the entire city of Chang'an.

Xu Xing leaned back in his chair, looking at the two smiling women beside him, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Life continued peacefully and beautifully.

……

After the New Year, Liu Qing also became pregnant.

The days passed by.

Xu Xing continues his restoration work at Chengxinzhai, and in his spare time he goes to the jade auction, using his X-ray vision to snowball his wealth.

Lin Wan took care of Chen Xinyi during her pregnancy. The two spent their days at home painting, reading, and making soup, living a leisurely and carefree life.

He bought a house and settled down in Liu Qing's place. She goes for prenatal checkups every week and regularly sends Xu Xing ultrasound photos of the baby.

Li Yuting continued to pursue advanced studies in traditional Chinese painting, and occasionally she would invite Xu Xing out for meals and shopping, enjoying the happiness that a young girl should have.

Xu Yanle never appeared again.

I heard that he found a job delivering food in an urban village, working hard from dawn till dusk every day, raising his child all by himself.

He never contacted Xu Xing again, nor did he reappear in his life.

Perhaps he finally learned not to ask for help anymore, or perhaps he was utterly desperate.

Who knows?

……

In June, Chen Xinyi gave birth to a healthy boy.

Xu Xing held the wrinkled little guy in his arms, watching him wave his little hands wildly in the air with his eyes closed, and a smile unconsciously crept onto his lips.

Let's give the child a name.

Chen Xinyi leaned against the hospital bed, her face still a little pale, but her eyes were full of happiness.

Xu Xing thought for a moment and said, "Let's call him Xu Nian'an."

"Nian'an?"

"right."

Xu Xing looked down at the child in his arms, "I hope he lives a peaceful life, and I hope we can continue to live like this peacefully and steadily."

Chen Xinyi smiled and reached out to hold his hand: "Okay, let's call him Xu Nian'an."

Outside the window, sunlight streamed in through the gaps in the curtains, casting a golden dappled shadow on the floor.

A new life, a new beginning.

And all that was in the past has slowly settled into memories over time.

(End of the book)