Rebirth: My Childhood Sweetheart Came into My Arms

"I thought you were planning to hide forever and never show your face again," Shen Murou said, gently wiping Jiang Chengyu's hand with a wet wipe without looking up at Jiang Guosheng.

Jiang Guosheng pursed his lips and walked to the bedside.

As far as the eye could see, Jiang Chengyu lay quietly on the bed with his head wrapped in gauze, as if he were asleep.

With just one glance, Jiang Guosheng's eyes reddened.

From childhood, he taught his son that "a man does not easily shed tears," and in front of Jiang Chengyu, he always appeared mature, composed, and calm.

Jiang Guosheng thought that if Jiang Chengyu opened his eyes now and saw him like this, he would definitely laugh at him for being inconsistent in his words and deeds as a father.

Time passed by, and in the quiet ward, apart from the electronic sound of the life monitor, there was only his and Shen Murou's soft breathing.

After a long while, Jiang Guosheng lowered his head and secretly wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes.

No matter how much you regret it, time cannot be turned back.

All he can do now is try his best to make amends.

"Arou, you should go back and rest. I'll keep Chengyu company tonight."

"No need," Shen Murou replied softly. "If Chengyu were awake, he would probably prefer me to stay with him."

"..."

……

Jiang Guosheng eventually went home with Shen Murou.

Although the Jiang family's thorny issues have been mostly resolved, the group is in dire need of maintenance now that it has just suffered a major blow.

With Jiang Chengyu currently in a coma and Shen Murou in poor mental condition, only Jiang Guosheng can shoulder this responsibility.

The adult world is never "easy".

No matter how much pain he is in now, or how much he wants to escape, he still has to brace himself and face the storm when dawn breaks.

After quickly eating a packet of instant noodles, Jiang Guosheng lay on his bed in the bedroom, staring blankly at the dark ceiling.

After lying in bed for half an hour, Jiang Guosheng still couldn't fall asleep. He got up, walked to the cabinet next to him, opened the drawer, and took out a photo album.

When Shen Murou handed him the photo album that day, he only flipped through it briefly. Now that he couldn't sleep, he decided to take a closer look.

Jiang Guosheng leaned against the headboard, turned the lamp next to him to its brightest setting, and patiently flipped through the pages one by one.

When they were young, he and Shen Murou had a habit of taking photos together, especially on important holidays.

As the timeline in the photo album progresses, familiar memories flood back into my mind.

When Jiang Chengyu was a child, he was not in good health and was thin and small. Even so, he still firmly defended his identity as the "older brother".

In the photo that Jiang Guosheng was focusing his attention on, Jiang Chengyu was protecting He Ziyu, who was crying, behind him, pointing at the stink bugs on the ground with a small twig, with a majestic expression.

Further on, there's a scene of Jiang Chengyu carrying He Ziyu, who is half a head taller than him, splashing in a puddle. The two children have bright smiles on their faces and innocent, clear eyes.

Jiang Guosheng gently stroked Jiang Chengyu's smiling face in the photo with his fingertips, feeling extremely heartbroken.

In fact, he knew very well that love knows no borders, no age, and no gender.

Jiang Chengyu and He Ziyu have been together for so many years, which is enough to prove that their decision was not made on a whim, but after careful consideration.

But he still made the most common mistake that parents of gay couples in the world make—judging others by his own standards, caring only about his own face and not about his child's life or death.

He used to disapprove of He Lianghan bringing his illegitimate child home and thought he was an unfit father. But now, He Lianghan has become the one who understands and empathizes with the child's feelings.

And what about him...?

He single-handedly turned his once peaceful home into chaos, causing his wife to leave and his son to almost lose his life.

Jiang Guosheng closed the photo album, hugged it to his chest, and sighed deeply.

Accepting that her carefully raised son is gay is very difficult...

But compared to losing Jiang Chengyu and Shen Murou, he would rather endure this hardship.

……

The next day, it was He Ziyu's turn to stay with the patient at the hospital.

With He Lianghan managing things, He was able to devote more energy to taking care of Jiang Chengyu. During this time, Zhou Ying came to visit. Seeing Jiang Chengyu lying unconscious on the hospital bed, she lowered her head and secretly wiped away tears, repeatedly muttering, "Such a good child, how could he have become like this..."

After comforting Shen Murou, He Ziyu had to comfort Zhou Ying. He was clearly feeling terrible inside, but he forced himself not to show it in front of his elders.

He knew that he was not only Jiang Chengyu's support, but also the spiritual pillar of the elders. If he showed his vulnerable side at this time, it would only put more pressure on others.

On the third day of Jiang Chengyu's coma, the news was leaked to the media. Han Zhiruo and Jiang Nanqiao took a plane back to China overnight and met with Bei Yao and Jing Ran, who had also rushed over, at the hospital.

"Ayu, why didn't you tell us about such a big thing?" Jingran was originally in team training, but when she heard that Jiang Chengyu had fainted, she immediately asked for leave and ran out, her heart in her throat.

Bei Yao: "If we hadn't seen it on the news, were you planning to keep it a secret forever?"

"The main problem is that you can't help with this," He Ziyu said. "Brother Yu has been in a coma. Even if you come, you can only take a quick look at him. Besides, everyone is very busy right now, and Ruoruo and Qiaoqiao are abroad..."

"Ayu, we're friends, right?" Han Zhiruo interrupted him. "As friends, we should have the most basic right to know."

"Exactly!" Jiang Nanqiao quickly chimed in, "When I saw this news online, I thought it was just gossip spreading online, and I got into a fight with netizens, but it turns out it's true..."

What Jiang Nanqiao should have heard from He Ziyu came from netizens instead, leaving her unsure whether to laugh or cry.

"I'm sorry, it was my oversight, but I really didn't want you to worry too much..."

The events of this period had left him exhausted, and adhering to the principle of avoiding trouble, he didn't tell anyone else.

Who would have thought the news would spread so quickly...

"We don't mean to blame you," Han Zhiruo said. "The conflict between the Jiang and He families just ended, and now this has happened. It's already very difficult for you to bear it all by yourself. Whether you say something or not, you have your reasons. But we are friends after all, and friends always want to help in some way, otherwise we'll feel bad."

"I understand," He Ziyu smiled slightly, "Have you had lunch yet? If not, let's eat together later."

……

After visiting Jiang Chengyu, the group found a Chinese restaurant nearby.

When ordering, everyone kept pushing and shoving the food back and forth, not out of politeness, but because no one had much of an appetite.

Jiang Nanqiao, in particular, was probably moved to tears by seeing Jiang Chengyu's unconscious state, and kept sobbing while clutching a tissue.

"Alright, stop crying. Didn't the doctor say Jiang Chengyu will wake up?" Han Zhiruo snatched the tissue and held Jiang Nanqiao's chin to wipe her tears.

"But it's been three days already," Jiang Nanqiao's voice was still trembling with tears, "People say the longer you're unconscious, the less likely you are to wake up. I'm just scared..."

"No, he won't," Han Zhiruo rubbed her head. "He loves Ayu so much, how could he bear to sleep like this? He'll definitely wake up."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Nanqiao nodded, finally managing to suppress the urge to cry.

During the meal, several people who hadn't seen each other for a long time caught up on each other's recent situations.

Jingran had just finished a competition and went to training camp. Her daily routine was regular and she was the most "health-conscious" of everyone.

Bei Yao is now a physical education teacher at a junior high school. He gets along well with the children and has a relatively leisurely life.

As for Han Zhiruo and Jiang Nanqiao, they worked hard while maintaining their office romance, thinking that they would go out and start their own business in a few years when they had enough strength.

"When you think about it, my life has been the most tumultuous." He Ziyu smiled helplessly.

After graduating from high school, he and Jiang Chengyu were admitted to the same university. In his junior year, he officially started his internship at He's, and during that time he did not forget to do side business.

But people's energy is ultimately limited. At that time, He Ziyu invested in a project that failed and almost lost everything. Fortunately, Jiang Chengyu discovered the problem in time and helped him withdraw from it.

Similar things happened many more times in the years that followed, and it was through constant struggle and hard work that the two of them achieved their current success.

But the peaceful days didn't last long before another huge wave crashed in...

"You're experiencing hardship before happiness," Bei Yao said. "Everyone is destined to go through some bumps in life, it's just a matter of sooner or later. Once you get through these hurdles, everything will go smoothly from here on out."

Although it was meant to be comforting, it still had an encouraging effect on He Ziyu.

After the group finished their meal, He Ziyu escorted them to the roadside.

"I asked Ruoruo for half a month's leave. I'll be staying in Yuecheng during this time. If you need anything, please contact us anytime," Jiang Nanqiao said, linking arms with Han Zhiruo.

"It might be difficult for me to get leave, so just call Yao-ge if anything happens." Jingran chimed in, "But you still have to tell me if Yu-ge wakes up. I'll try to get leave, and if they don't approve it, I'll climb over the wall..."

"How old are you to still be climbing over walls?" He Ziyu chuckled and patted his shoulder.

Before long, the cars that the group had called arrived one after another. He Ziyu watched them get into the cars and waved goodbye.

……

The silence after the noise often makes one feel even more lonely.

He Ziyu returned to the ward, sat in front of the bed, held Jiang Chengyu's hand, and spoke to him gently and patiently.

"Brother Yu, everyone came to see you today."

"I didn't want them to come, especially Ruoruo and Qiaoqiao. It's a long and arduous journey, with a flight that takes more than ten hours."

"But seeing how worried they are about you, I realize that my thinking was too one-sided."

"After all, if it were me, I would definitely be very anxious and want to come and see for myself."

"However, on another note..."

"You've been sleeping for three days already, aren't you tired enough?"

"I'm still waiting for you to take me to get our marriage certificate."

When he said the words "getting the marriage certificate," He Ziyu choked up slightly.

Just as I was about to change the subject to something lighter, I suddenly felt Jiang Chengyu's finger twitch...