There is a very popular saying that Lin He found quite meaningful:
— "When you close and open your eyes, a day has passed. But when you close them and never open them again, this lifetime is over."
However, to say that fifteen years had passed with a mere blink of an eye seemed completely unreasonable to her! Anyone hearing such a thing would find it absurd.
"Did you team up with that brat An An to set up a hidden camera? And now you're pretending to cry? Although, your makeup is quite convincing..."
The more Lin He spoke, the tighter Jiang Qiao's grip on her became.
"My... waist... is going to break!"
Fuming, Lin He reached out to pinch Jiang Qiao. She hadn't stopped this little habit even after they were married.
"Sorry, He He."
Jiang Qiao quickly loosened his hold, but Lin He grumbled and tried to pull his hand away. However, the sensation didn't feel right, so she looked down and her expression changed immediately. "How did you get hurt?"
His right hand had cuts and bruises, the fingers bloodied and swollen.
Lin He hurriedly pulled Jiang Qiao to search for a first aid kit, which most hotels had in their cupboards.
Jiang Qiao followed closely behind, his gaze fixed and unblinking.
"How did you manage this? You were fine when you choked me earlier, but now—"
Lin He paused, applying the ointment, suddenly realizing that if this were all part of a hidden camera prank, Jiang Qiao wouldn't have used such force!
She grabbed the phone on the coffee table and turned on the screen. The time displayed the clear date, fifteen years later!
"He He, where... where have you been all these years?"
Fifteen years ago, the plane crashed, and 123 passengers went missing. The black box was found on a small island, and the bodies of the missing passengers had been discovered washed ashore over the years.
Jiang Qiao had searched everywhere for Lin He, yet feared finding her.
Seeing the living, breathing person before him was the scene Jiang Qiao had longed for in countless dreams.
Lin He couldn't hear Jiang Qiao's question as she was lost in her own shock.
"Fifteen years, how could this happen... Does that mean An An is now twenty-one? The first day and fifteenth day of the month, too..."
Lin He suddenly raised her head, her eyes filled with determination. "You need to video call An An. I want to see what he looks like now, Qiao Qiao, call him now!"
If it was real, then what were these fifteen years of nothingness? Seeing the grown-up An An was the only way she could believe it.
Seeing Lin He's agitation, Jiang Qiao quickly reassured her, "Okay, He He, I'll call him right away."
The video call to An An took a few tries to connect, and when it did, his cold voice came through.
"What's the matter?"
The three icy words, coupled with the pitch-black screen, immediately calmed Lin He's anxious heart.
This was definitely not her darling An An. The little guy who used to call her "Mama" with such sweetness, who had grown into a bright and sunny young man, could never have looked so gloomy.
"An An, is that you?"
Lin He held the phone up to her face.
There was a brief pause on the other end, followed by the sound of a button being pressed. The screen immediately brightened.
When Lin He finally saw his face, she froze.
The eyes, the brows—there was no mistaking it. This was an enlarged version of An An, hardly changed from his childhood!
"Ha, if you're looking for some third-rate woman, don't try to imitate me. What a joke!"
The video call abruptly ended.
Lin He: ...
Her son had just scolded her?!
As a mother, Lin He's confusion quickly turned to clarity. She slammed the phone down, grabbed the water cup on the table, drank most of it in one go, then said, "Tell me, what exactly happened?"
Her sweet, adorable little bundle—how did he turn into a prickly hedgehog?
Jiang Qiao lowered his gaze, his shoulders slumping in defeat, his face etched with sorrow and helplessness.
"After you disappeared, I searched the world for you. I neglected the children, and they started to misunderstand me. I'm sorry, He He."
Lin He pursed her lips. The bastard knew how to play the sympathy card! He'd been good at that since the days when he was chasing her!
But then, thinking about it, if she really had disappeared for fifteen years, it meant the kids lost their mother, and Jiang Qiao lost his wife. The whole family had been torn apart.
Lin He felt an unbearable ache in her heart. She felt as though the heavens were playing a cruel joke on her.
"I don't know, Qiao Qiao, I don't know what happened. The plane crashed, we fell into the sea, and I desperately tried to escape the cabin, but there were too many people. I couldn't get out, and so much water flooded into my mouth..."
Lin He truly didn't understand, and even now, she still felt a little dizzy.
"...When I opened my eyes again, I found myself in a bathtub, and then you were choking me. It hurt so much."
She sniffled, her face pressed into Jiang Qiao's neck, feeling the pulse beat under her skin. Only then did her heart settle a little.
This entire series of actions felt natural to her. Dependence and affection for Jiang Qiao had become a habit deeply ingrained in her.
"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, He He, I'm here. I will protect you..."
Jiang Qiao comforted Lin He while discreetly lighting incense on the bedside table. The smoke curled up, blurring their figures.
"How did we end up fifteen years later? My mind is in such a mess, and An An, that child, has become so fierce. He must have been unhappy these years... And the first and fifteenth days... So young..."
The scent of sandalwood filled the air, and Lin He's consciousness began to fade. Her voice grew more indistinct as she slowly drifted into sleep.
Once he confirmed that Lin He had fallen asleep in his arms, Jiang Qiao dialed a number.
"Get Dr. Zhang over immediately."
After hanging up, Jiang Qiao opened the laptop beside the bed, typing casually. The hotel's corridor surveillance footage appeared on the screen, showing the time right after he left the room.
While doing this, his grip on Lin He's injured hand never loosened.
Meanwhile, in Jiang An's room, chaos reigned.
He wasn't as indifferent as he appeared in the video. When he saw the face so similar to his mother's, his mind went blank.
But then, his anger surged, and he felt disgusted. Had that person lost their mind? Trying to play at being a replacement?
Furious, Jiang An started smashing everything in his room.
Anyone who knew Jiang An knew that joking about his mother was an absolute no-go. Even the slightest mention would trigger his fury.
Whenever something related to his mother came up, Jiang An would transform into an enraged lion.
The ceiling lamp above him couldn't handle the shaking and finally came crashing down, leaving the room in darkness.
Jiang An collapsed onto the sofa, curling up into a ball, holding tightly to the birthday gift his mother had carved for him when he was six—a necklace.
He clutched it tightly to his chest, the only warmth he could still find.
A soft whimper broke the silence, like a wounded little animal, helpless and lost.
"Mom, An An misses you so much..."
After a long while, Jiang An suddenly opened his eyes. No, he wouldn't allow any imposter to play in his mother's name!