Love in the Midst of Mistaken Identities

“Ruoxin, do you know that you’ve done very well today? You may not have walked out of your past completely, but you have been very brave. Trust me. One day, you will be able to find your own happiness.”

His fingers shifted lower to her knitted eyebrows. “Also, don’t keep frowning. You are not that old. If you continue like this, you will become an old hag.”

With his words of wisdom, Xia Ruoxin finally exhaled. She tried to relax. Gradually, under the guidance of his fingers, her knitted eyebrows started to relax.

He was serious. She could walk out of her past. Whatever happened in the past should remain in the past because her current life was good. It was really good.

“Gao Yi, thank you very much,” she said, so full of gratitude for the man who had helped her enormously. A simple ‘thank you’ sounded so weak. Even two did not suffice. Yet, this was what she could offer now.

If Chu Lui had kicked her into hell, Gao Yi had brought her to heaven.

He was the reason why she could have what she had now. She did not lose her daughter or her life.

“There you go again.” Gao Yi rested his hand on her head and rubbed. The wig was not as nice as her real hair. However, it would grow soon. “I will be asking for my rewards. You will know soon enough.” He smiled as though he had an ulterior motive, but it did not send fear to her. Instead, she felt secure.

“Mmm, I will agree to whatever you want.” Xia Ruoxin clenched her hands. She had meant what she said. She would give him whatever he asked. Anything.

“Alright, let’s not talk about this. Get in the car. I’m hungry. I want to eat something that you cooked.” Gao Yi smiled brightly as he led Xia Ruoxin into the car. The smile on his face widened even more.

Ruoxin, I will wait for the day when you are ready to fulfill your promise. What if I said I want the key to your heart?

He started the car. With regard to that, he would fight for it with his own hands. She must be willing, too. He did not want her to do it out of gratitude or to fulfill her promise. He wanted her to do it because it was him.

The view in the distance grew smaller and smaller as they drove further away. It seemed that the past had truly left them this time. Everything was in the past, whether it was a person or a thing. It had gone far away. Whatever remained was different from the way it used to be.

...

Gao Yi put the newspaper down while he sat on the sofa. Rainy was sitting at the other end barefoot, playing with her doll attentively. He had bought her many dolls, but her favorite was still the one that Xia Ruoxin had bought her. She would only play or cuddle with this one.

In the future, this little imp would be faithful towards everything she does.

The sound of utensils banding and clanging could be heard coming from the kitchen. That woman was busy cooking to feed their hungry stomachs.

He got to his feet. Things were laying on the floor as well as Xia Ruoxin’s belongings from her old apartment that she had yet to unpack. He walked over and flipped through the bags casually. The contents included a few pieces of old clothing. The colors on some were faded from the many washes over time. Some belonged to her while there were a few which were Rainy’s. He picked one which was a small sweater. He looked at the sweater and then at Rainy. She became chubbier so it obviously was too small for her now.

It couldn’t be worn. He tossed it aside and picked up another one. It was an adult’s; a grayish-white blouse which was very clean after wash. However, it also had clearly been worn for a long period of time. His eyes roamed around the blouse. At the top of the blouse, there were some small stitches. His hands clenched over the blouse as a look of pain flashed over his face.

Nowadays, who would mend their clothes. Most of them would discard if they didn’t like it or when it was torn. They had previously gone through some really hard times. He set the blouse aside. These were Ruoxin’s belongings. She would decide whether she wanted to keep or throw them away. Everything must be according to her wishes.

His hand touched something hard. He took it out thinking it was some kind of book or magazine. However, it wasn’t. It was a small sketchbook.

He took it and sat down, flipping through the first page. On it was a rough sketch of an infant. Although there were only a few strokes, it had managed to capture the essence of the facial expression. The infant’s tiny mouth was blabbering, and both her hands were placed at the top of her head.

He smiled. This was Rainy when she was young. As it turned out, the kiddo was already that adorable at that time.

He continued to flip through, and every page had a different expression. Some were crying while others were laughing. There were even some of her throwing a tantrum.

Then, she grew older. A tiny body stood before the gates of someone’s house. She looked even smaller.

The second one, with the door opened. She had a piece of clothing in her small hands. It was more than she could carry.

The third one was also a silhouette. One could imagine her little feet wobbling forward constantly.

He continued flipping. It was a huge basin with a pair of big hands and another pair of small hands washing the clothes together. The pair of big hands obviously belonged to Xia Ruoxin while the small ones, Rainy.

Gao Yi’s expression became more sullen as he flipped through the sketchbook. The color of his pupils turned darker and darker. Every subject in the sketchbook was Rainy. However, it was also a testament to how tough their life was in the past.

It was no wonder that Rainy had been so obedient. She knew it was tough for her mother and that she should help out in whatever way she could. She might have been just a child who simply could not do much, but she really did it.

He put the sketchbook back at the pile of things because he heard footsteps coming from the kitchen.

Xia Ruoxin was carrying a tray bearing a pot of tea. Her usually pale face was flushed from the heat—or perhaps, she was at ease. Compared to how she used to look, this was so much better. She was basically a beautiful woman. It’s just that her life was so full of hardships, and she had to go through too many tribulations. Yet, she could still persevere alone while raising a weak and sickly daughter.

This was a woman’s core. It was more beautiful internally than externally.

“Give me a while more. It’ll be ready soon.” Xia Ruoxin wiped her sweat from her face while Gao Yi constantly looked over at her. It made her think that he was very hungry.

“It’s okay.” Gao Yi walked over to her and pulled her hand. He, too, saw the scalded mark on her palm.

“How could you be so careless?” he asked, accusingly.

“I’m fine. It will be okay in a while. I was worried you might be hungry.” Actually, Xia Ruoxin did not feel the pain. She wanted to take her hand back, but his grip was so strong that she could not get her hand out.