Chapter 49

Chapter 49

Gu Shenhan had noticed that ever since Rong Yuan married him, his status—whether at home or at the old residence—had been steadily declining. His young husband's belly wasn't even showing yet, but once he truly started showing signs of pregnancy, he probably wouldn't have a word to say in front of the old man and old lady.

Although he quite liked it.

He treasured Rong Yuan, and Rong Yuan held him dear—that feeling was, to him, quite wonderful.

Back home that night, Gu Shenhan pulled Rong Yuan into the shower together. During that time, he noticed that the cotton rose pattern below Rong Yuan's waist had deepened in color, and he suddenly recalled the Bishui Bay incident.

He had originally thought that if Rong Yuan did get pregnant, staying at Bishui Bay during the pregnancy would work. Now it seemed that was too simplistic.

The main branch was far too fixated on his affairs. If Rong Yuan stayed hidden for too long, they would inevitably suspect, investigate in secret, and dig into things. That would be extremely unfavorable.

Rong Yuan hadn't expected the secret about Bishui Bay to be exposed so quickly either, leaving him worried. Bishui Bay wasn't far from Cuixi Garden. Staying there during the pregnancy would have allowed him to see Gu Shenhan often, but now that seemed impossible.

"Hubby, if I go abroad to give birth, won't you be able to stay with me?"

"Not necessarily. The Lianshan Group has overseas operations. I could temporarily transfer abroad and still keep you company. Don't be afraid."

"Why are the people in the main branch so annoying?"

"Then why did you give Tao Ling mooncakes?"

"That's different. The third young master is a bit blunt, but he knows to stand by his brothers. His heart isn't completely rotten—there's still hope for change. If it weren't for that, Grandma wouldn't have given him a chance to learn properly. In the end, he's only against you because he doesn't see you as a brother. But once someone like him sets his sights on someone, he'll be loyal to the end. And Tao Ling is the key."

"Honey, are you trying to sow discord?"

"I wouldn't say that. It's just that having more allies is better than having more enemies."

Gu Chengfeng had come seeking Gu Shenhan to get back at him for his eldest brother, but that hadn't worked out. This incident was just the right opportunity. If Gu Chengzhi hadn't taken it to heart, there would have been no opening to exploit. But since Gu Chengzhi chose to speak that way, wasn't that like handing him a perfect chance?

Today, Gu Chengfeng was bound to be displeased with Gu Chengzhi, and that wasn't a bad thing for them.

Of course, even just looking at Tao Ling as a person, she was worth befriending.

Gu Shenhan said, "You're young, but you have a good eye for people. Actually, over the years, I've fought with the third one more than with the eldest—it's always been the eldest stirring things up. Later, we grew up and stopped fighting, but the eldest's nature never changed. Only the third one, with his pig-headedness, can't see it."

"So even without the hotel incident, the eldest brother would have a hard time rising higher."

"That's my guess, but I don't know exactly what the elders think."

"Then doesn't that make the third one an opponent?"

"He's a blockhead. Hardly an opponent." Gu Shenhan pecked Rong Yuan. "Enough about that. Isn't the Mid-Autumn Festival about reunion?"

"Exactly. But aren't we together now?"

"We can be even closer..."

With that, Gu Shenhan lifted Rong Yuan onto his lap. Soon, Rong Yuan had no energy to think too much, and the bathroom echoed with intermittent whimpering sounds.

Time flew when you were with someone you loved. The holiday vanished in a blink, and Rong Yuan almost returned to his state of no longer "going to work" at Lianshan.

For him, the happiest thing was that his grandparents had learned about the pregnancy. He no longer had to worry about letting them down by not going to Lianshan, and he had two more family members with whom he could speak freely.

The annoying part was that Bishui Bay, which he had bought, couldn't be used for his baby's prenatal care. At least Lin Xiaotang had a place to stay, which brought some comfort.

The second weekend after the holiday, Rong Yuan and Lin Xiaotang went to the seaside where he and the "Rong Yuan" of this world had "exchanged places."

They chose this day because Gu Shenhan insisted on coming along, and this was the only day he was free.

Xiao Ke drove, and in the car sat Rong Yuan, Gu Shenhan, Lin Xiaotang, and Yan Yu.

Yan Yu had come just to join in the fun, unaware of the full truth. Rong Yuan planned to gradually reveal the truth to Yan Yu, if possible.

"It's windy and cold by the sea—button up your coat." Gu Shenhan stood on the beach, feeling a strange sense of foreboding. The surging waves had delivered his Rong Yuan to him; he didn't want the waves to take him away again.

"I'm already bound to you like this—where could I go? Don't worry." Rong Yuan held a bouquet of lilies, speaking softly. The lilies were a multicolored bouquet. He'd first picked a white bouquet but felt it was inappropriate, so he switched to multicolored.

"Is it this spot?" Rong Yuan asked Lin Xiaotang, who was leading the way and had suddenly stopped.

He had been taken to the hospital in a dazed state, so he couldn't recall the exact details.

Lin Xiaotang's eyes were slightly red, looking at the sea with a look of desolation. "Yes, right here."

Rong Yuan patted him and placed the flowers by the sea. Soon, the flowers floated farther out with the tide.

His hand touched the icy seawater. In an instant, a familiar yet unfamiliar scene flashed in his mind.

Rong Yuan yanked his hand back in shock, stunned, then quickly plunged it back into the water.

Not believing his eyes, Rong Yuan pulled his hand out and plunged it back in once more. This bizarre action drew everyone's attention.

Gu Shenhan was the first to ask, "Honey, what's wrong?"

Rong Yuan said, "Shh!"

Yan Yu, curious, tugged at Lin Xiaotang's sleeve. "Xiao Tang Ge, is little brother An okay?"

Lin Xiaotang said, "He's probably fine. He might just... be trying to see if he can recover his memories."

Yan Yu believed it. But seeing Lin Xiaotang's tense expression, a strange thought arose.

Meanwhile, Gu Shenhan crouched down beside Rong Yuan. He was genuinely terrified that in this crouch, his wife and child might be replaced by someone else. Yet he couldn't bring himself to interrupt, so he simply squatted there, holding up Rong Yuan's hem to keep it from getting wet.

Rong Yuan remained still. Suddenly, a delighted smile appeared at the corners of his lips, and he reached deeper into the water. He unconsciously leaned forward, letting the seawater soak his sneakers.

Gu Shenhan watched in fear. "An An?"

Rong Yuan still had his eyes closed. "Hubby, I'll respond to you in a bit."

Gu Shenhan felt a little relieved.

About five minutes passed like this, until Rong Yuan's hands were red from the cold. Only then did he reluctantly stand up.

He shook off the seawater, looking a bit puzzled.

Gu Shenhan said to Xiao Ke, "Lao Xiao, go buy two thick blankets and see if there's any hot drinks—buy a few cups."

Xiao Ke had been with Gu Shenhan for years and understood immediately. He called Yan Yu, "Young Master Yan, could you help me? I'm afraid it might be hard to carry alone."

Yan Yu said, "Sure, no problem."

He cheerfully left with Xiao Ke. On the way, he furtively glanced back, wanting to ask Xiao Ke something but finding it inappropriate, so he stayed quiet.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Rong Yuan was excited. "He's still there! He's at the lotus pond in my home, just like me, reaching his hand into the water. It's summer over there now."

When he heard this, Lin Xiaotang immediately started crying: “Is he okay?”

Rong Yu’an said, “He’s fine, he’s fine. Xiaotang, don’t cry. He’s with a cousin of mine. It looks like my cousin is taking good care of him, so he should be doing well. Unfortunately, I couldn’t see any more after that. I’m not sure if you can only see for a short while each time, or if there’s a specific time when it works.”

As he spoke, Rong Yu’an moved closer to the sea and dipped his hand in the water again.

But it didn’t work this time—nothing changed.

He couldn’t help feeling anxious. He wanted to see more, to find out how the rest of his family was doing, whether his grandparents, father, and mother had noticed anything different about him.

He also wanted to let his family know that he had a child now.

But after trying several more times, he still couldn’t see that scene again. He thought maybe it only worked at that particular time, so he decided not to go home for now.

Gu Shenhan naturally wanted to stay with him. He called Fang Yankai, then used his phone to book a hotel nearby.

Rong Yu’an’s hands were freezing, so Gu Shenhan warmed them while asking, “What exactly did the scene look like? Was it very clear? Like looking at a photo?”

“Yes, very clear, like watching a movie. But there was no sound.”

“Then maybe you could try writing down what you want to tell him, like the time. Or maybe he was doing the same thing?”

“That’s true, there is that possibility. The lotus pond’s edge is all stones, so he couldn’t write. But I don’t have paper or a pen.”

“What do you want to write? I’ll write it in the sand for you. Try putting your hand in again later. If you can see him, maybe he can see you too.”

Rong Yu’an thought that made sense. He clearly saw the other Rong Yu’an in that scene looking very shocked at that moment. So he must have seen him, right?

He crouched down again and put his hand into the seawater. At the same time, Gu Shenhan wrote the current time in the sand.

Rong Yu’an saw it again! He saw that his cousin was holding a piece of paper, and the other Rong Yu’an was writing on it!

What he wrote was: “Around noon.”

That was almost the same time as here!

Rong Yu’an was so excited his hands were trembling. Then he saw more words appear on the paper. The other Rong Yu’an was asking if it was okay to stay in touch often, and also set a fixed time for them to connect through the water!

Rong Yu’an quickly asked Gu Shenhan to write in the sand: “Yes. Is everything okay at home?”

“Everything’s fine. Mom misses you a lot.”

When Rong Yu’an read those words, he started sobbing loudly. With one hand still in the seawater, he wiped his tears with the other.

This was the first time he had cried so hard since coming here. Gu Shenhan was heartbroken and flustered. Lin Xiaotang said he could handle the writing, so Gu Shenhan hugged Rong Yu’an and comforted him.

After a while, Rong Yu’an said, “Xiaotang, he asked me to ask you: have the stone flowers on your windowsill bloomed yet?”

Even Lin Xiaotang couldn’t hold back his tears. He had never told this Rong Yu’an about those flowers; if the two Xiao Ans hadn’t really been able to communicate, this topic would never have come up.

Lin Xiaotang wrote in the sand: “The flowers are alive, but they haven’t bloomed.”

Gu Shenhan reminded Rong Yu’an to switch hands. He couldn’t interrupt them or take Rong Yu’an’s place, so he just sat there helplessly watching Rong Yu’an’s hands turn red from the cold.

Finally, he had Lin Xiaotang tell the other side to pause for a moment. Then he cupped some seawater in his hands and asked Rong Yu’an to try placing his hands in the seawater he was holding.

Rong Yu’an thought it wouldn’t work, but to his surprise, it was just as effective!

Did this mean he could now keep in touch with his family?!

Without a second thought, Gu Shenhan went to the supermarket by the beach and bought two of the biggest bottles of mineral water!

He brought them back, poured the water out onto the sand, and then filled both bottles with seawater.

When Yan Yu and Xiao Ke got back with hot coffee and warm milk, they were totally stunned. Yan Yu turned to Xiao Ke and asked, “Is there something special about this sea?”

Xiao Ke asked, “What do you mean?”

Yan Yu thought to himself, This sea seems to make people act crazy! He’d only been gone a short while, and now his two best friends had been crying—laughing and crying, looking way too emotional. And his brother, whom he had always considered the second coolest person in the world, was filling mineral water bottles with seawater.

Collecting local dirt and local water—isn’t that something only little old ladies and grandpas do on vacation?!