The next day, when Fu Shinian and Su Mu happily took Qiqi to visit the elderly lady, she seed more joyful than ever. Holding Qiqi on the bed, her smile never left her face.
The elderly lady had broken her routine by going to the dining room for dinner the previous evening. Today, Fu Shinian decided not to let her exert herself anymore, although it was clear she didn’t want to eat alone in the room. So, the dining area was moved to her room, a decision everyone agreed upon, and she was naturally cheerful.
After lunch, the elderly lady took a nap. Fu Shinian and Su Mu then brought Qiqi upstairs to the playroom. Watching Qiqi quietly playing dolls by herself, Su Mu’s smile slowly faded. In the past, Qiqi would have been feverishly active during this ti, pulling both Fu Shinian and Su Mu into her gas. But now, most of her ti was spent quietly.
Fu Shinian seed to sense Su Mu’s feelings. He gently patted her hand and softly said:
"It will get better."
Su Mu responded with a faint smile. Yes, it will definitely get better.
By now, Fu Shinian had been away from work for a considerable stretch. Su Mu suddenly rembered and asked, "Are you planning to go to the office?"
Fu Shinian shook his head without hesitation:
"Not going."
"That’s fine. Stay ho and spend ti with Grandma."
"Not just Grandma," Fu Shinian looked at Su Mu. "I won’t go back until Qiqi is fully recovered."
This decision surprised Su Mu, who glanced at Fu Shinian, but he only smiled faintly:
"During my ti in the hospital, Song Yi visited every day. I trust that he’s managing the company well. After I was discharged, I imdiately went to ensure everything was on track before making this decision. Song Yi has been with for so many years; his capabilities far exceed those of an ordinary assistant. Besides, even without considering him, I wouldn’t have the heart to focus on work these days. There are so many things in life far more important than work—family, loved ones."
Su Mu had no objections and smiled slightly:
"Qiqi will be very happy to hear this."
"That’s precisely why I made this decision, isn’t it?" Fu Shinian winked. "I wouldn’t mind never going back to work. After all, money isn’t an issue for us."
Su Mu couldn’t help but laugh:
"Fu Shinian, talk like that and you’re bound to invite envy."
"It’s fine, I’ll protect you two."
Their cheerful exchange finally caught Qiqi’s attention. She kept turning her head to look, prompting Fu Shinian to beckon to her. Qiqi climbed onto Fu Shinian’s lap and nestled against him obediently. While playing with Qiqi’s new hairstyle, Fu Shinian said:
"Qiqi, in a while, Dad and Mom will take you out to play, okay?"
Qiqi lifted her head to look at him:
"Where to?"
"Wherever Qiqi wants."
"Anywhere is fine," Qiqi replied. "As long as you and Mom are with , even staying ho is nice."
Back when outings were ntioned, Qiqi would’ve been so excited she’d practically tear down the house. Her current deanor made one silently ache, but Su Mu still saw Qiqi was not enthusiastic about going out:
"Qiqi, don’t you want to go out?"
Qiqi shook her head without saying a word.
Exchanging glances with Su Mu, Fu Shinian spoke up: "Qiqi, whatever is on your mind, happy or unhappy, you can tell Mom or . Or if you prefer, you can talk to one of us privately—we promise to keep it between us. But you shouldn’t keep everything bottled inside, that’s not good. Didn’t Dr. Song tell you this too?"
Qiqi was silent for a long ti before she spoke. First, she glanced at Fu Shinian, then looked to Su Mu:
"Can we... not go out?"
"Of course. An outing isn’t our only option. But I rember Qiqi used to want to go out—why don’t you anymore?" Fu Shinian’s tone was calm, giving her no pressure. "Can you tell us?"
"The last ti we talked about going out, I didn’t see Dad and Mom for a long ti after," Qiqi replied.
She was referring to the ti she went missing—the day before her disappearance had been planned as an outing. Su Mu felt a pang, not because Qiqi had developed an aversion to outings, but because it was the first ti Qiqi had brought up her disappearance.
Dr. Song had said before that Qiqi choosing willingly to confront those mories signaled she was close to healing.
Dr. Song had spoken to both Su Mu and Fu Shinian about this. Exchanging looks, they found themselves fixated on this point. Fu Shinian showed rare nervousness, pressing his lips together before speaking slowly:
"Qiqi, it was Dad who didn’t do enough to protect you, leaving you separated from us for so long. Will you forgive Dad, please?"
Qiqi shook her head:
"I don’t bla Dad, and I don’t bla Mom either."
"Qiqi," Su Mu spoke up, "Mom hasn’t asked before—where were you during that ti?"
If it were possible, Su Mu and Fu Shinian would’ve preferred Qiqi never rember those days. But avoidance wouldn’t help—those mories could fester like a toxin in Qiqi’s mind, which was sothing neither parent wanted.
Despite the cruelty, they wanted Qiqi to face them this ti, ensuring she’d be surrounded and supported.
Su Mu anticipated resistance in Qiqi’s expression but was surprised to see her quietly shake her head:
"I don’t rember."
"Then... do you rember anything that happened back then?"
Qiqi shook her head again: "I’ve forgotten."
With that, she rose from Fu Shinian’s arms and returned to play silently with her dolls. Watching her back, Fu Shinian felt heavy-hearted. He looked to Su Mu and smiled faintly: "It’s okay. I’ll call Dr. Song later."
On the phone, Dr. Song seed calm, explaining evenly:
"I knew. From the second day I began working with Qiqi, I realized she had forgotten everything about that ti. At first, I thought she was avoiding it, but later, I discovered she truly doesn’t rember. Fu Shinian, this is a good thing."
"But you said we should wait for Qiqi to bring it up willingly."
"Correct. But I never said she should recall every detail of that period. The fact she’s willing to address her disappearance at all is already a milestone. That mory wasn’t good for anyone—for her, for you two. Forgetting might be the best outco. Qiqi is only four. She still has so much joy ahead, and painful mories, whether through amnesia or growth, will fade naturally."
"But she still seems unhappy."
"I think her unhappiness cos partly from waking up and finding her body had changed. And also from you and Mrs. Fu. She feels guilty, especially waking to discover her parents weren’t together anymore. She thinks her disappearance caused you two to separate."
The phone call was on speaker, leaving both Fu Shinian and Su Mu frozen in place. They had tread carefully around Qiqi’s missing days but never imagined the real issue wasn’t those mories.
That part of her life had already been forgotten—a ntal block caused by trauma, the coma—naturally stored away never to resurface. This was supposed to be a good thing, yet hearing it brought a wave of regret crashing over Su Mu and Fu Shinian.
Su Mu blad herself for the pact she’d made with Fu Shinian back then—to rekindle their relationship solely for Qiqi’s sake. She had known her feelings for Fu Shinian remained intact but still pretended otherwise, rationalizing every step as "for Qiqi." If she hadn’t lied to herself, perhaps Qiqi might never have overheard their argunt.
Fu Shinian, too, was upset with himself, bitterly recalling his pettiness and temper. Qiqi had endured a heartbreaking experience, yet her primary fear and concern stemd not from the trauma but her parents’ conflicts.
Their eyes t, heavy with unspoken sorrow.
"Even if we remarried now, Qiqi wouldn’t believe us."
Fu Shinian grinned and took Su Mu’s hand:
"It’s fine. We’ll take it slowly. Qiqi’s always with us—whether we’re pretending or being genuine, she’ll eventually sense it. That said, your comnt just reminded ... We really should get remarried."
By now, remarriage felt emotionally neutral to Su Mu—a natural step, inevitable even. The notion was as mundane as planning dinner. After all, she was certain there wasn’t a scenario in which she’d ever choose to leave Fu Shinian again.
After careful consideration, Su Mu decided to share the remarriage news with Qiqi. As expected, Qiqi seed surprised, staring at them in silence for a long ti. She was clearly happy, but sothing held her back.
"Qiqi, I’ve loved your dad for nearly ten years, and that has never changed. We’ve had so issues, but they’re behind us now—you don’t need to worry if we’re pretending. We really like each other, just as we like you."
Qiqi still appeared skeptical. Fu Shinian added gentle words of encouragent, but she remained noncommittal, as though her trust in her parents’ relationship had unsteadily eroded. Nonetheless, neither parent pushed for an imdiate reaction and simply smiled:
"Qiqi, take your ti. When you’re ready, Mom and I will take you to the Civil Affairs Bureau together, okay?"
Just as Qiqi was about to nod, Fu Shinian’s phone rang. Glancing at the screen, he hesitated:
"Ji Nanfeng."
"Answer it."
"What could he possibly need?" Fu Shinian was certain, after Ji Nanfeng’s behavior yesterday, that this call was drama-inspired; he had zero interest in answering. Su Mu felt clueless about the situation but thought ignoring the call was rude. Just as she began persuading Fu Shinian, Ji Nanfeng hung up—only for Su Mu’s phone to ring imdiately afterward. Sa caller: Ji Nanfeng.
Su Mu instantly understood:
"It must be Jiang Bei—she’s going into labor."
Fu Shinian: "..."
Su Mu answered, barely managing to greet when Ji Nanfeng’s frantic yet worried voice spilled out:
"Su Mu, Su Mu! Jiang Bei’s having contractions. We’re heading to the hospital. Can you co, please? I’m really scared—Xiaobei’s scared too. Can you stay with her?"
"Got it, got it," Su Mu hurriedly got up. "We’ll be right there."
After ending the call, Su Mu quickly got dressed. Naturally, Fu Shinian wouldn’t let her go to the hospital alone, especially under these circumstances. Moreover, Jiang Bei’s child was their godchild—his absence would be unwarranted. Just as they prepared to leave, Qiqi expressed her interest:
"Can I go too?"
"Of course," Fu Shinian responded without hesitation, helping Qiqi get dressed. After bidding farewell to the elderly lady, the three of them headed to the hospital.
By the ti Su Mu arrived, Jiang Bei was entering the delivery room. Ji Nanfeng was originally supposed to accompany her, but Jiang Bei vetoed him outright, grabbing Su Mu’s hand instead: "Susu, please go in with ."
Jiang Bei was Su Mu’s closest friend; her requests were usually t with imdiate consent. But this ti, Su Mu hesitated briefly before making up her mind:
"Let Ji Nanfeng go."
"Susu..."
"You’ve endured so much throughout this pregnancy. Childbirth is a life-and-death ordeal—he should see it firsthand."
Su Mu’s words brought unintended tears to Ji Nanfeng’s eyes as he firmly grasped Jiang Bei’s hand: "Xiaobei, let go in, let be there for you, okay?"
Jiang Bei didn’t insist further, squeezing Su Mu’s hand tightly—so much was said without words.
Su Mu squeezed back: "You’ve got this. I’ll be right outside."
Riddled with anxiety, Su Mu couldn’t sit still, her palms damp with sweat. The tension felt even greater than when she’d given birth to Qiqi. Fu Shinian walked to her, taking her hand:
"Don’t be nervous. Sit down and rest a while. Ji Nanfeng is with her—nothing will go wrong."
"I should be in there," Su Mu regretted aloud. "I should’ve stayed with her. But I also knew that having Ji Nanfeng present was better for Jiang Bei. Even so, I’m worried—if sothing goes wrong..."
"Nothing will go wrong," Fu Shinian interrupted. "The finest OB-GYN team is inside, and Jiang Bei herself is a doctor. She’ll be fine. I just regret..."
"Regret what?"
"Regret not being by your side back when you gave birth to Qiqi, leaving you to endure all alone."
Su Mu hadn’t expected him to bring up past events now. Though the mories remained vivid, she preferred to let them blur: "That was ages ago—I don’t even think about it."
"If we’re lucky enough to have another child in the future, I promise you I’ll accompany you every step of the way."
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