Chapter 46: The Little Butterfly Has Come to Take Him Home

Ying Zenan went to pay the bill.

Wen Fucheng sat still, tilting his head to look at Ying Jing with a smile.

"Are you full?"

Ying Jing nodded without hesitation.

The man just watched her quietly, saying nothing. Fearing her brother might return at any moment, Ying Jing didn't dare to go out. After a moment, Wen Fucheng stood up and walked toward the curtain. The moment he lifted it, he also stirred Ying Jing’s heart.

The look in Ying Jing’s eyes as she gazed at him was filled with love and adoration.

Wen Fucheng felt a warmth in his heart as he saw this.

He leaned down toward her.

Ying Jing instinctively leaned back, saying playfully, "In public, no kissing allowed."

Wen Fucheng was charmed by her cuteness, his heart melting.

"I'm not kissing you."

Then why was he leaning in so close?

Wen Fucheng remained silently still, reaching out to brush a grain of rice from her face. He lowered his voice, his tone impossibly gentle. "Are you going with your brother later, or with me?"

"I'm going with you."

There wasn't a hint of hesitation.

The man was very satisfied; he ruffled her fluffy hair.

He turned and walked toward Ying Zenan.

The man, who had just put away his card, saw him coming and asked with a smile if he had enjoyed the meal.

"It’s the best meal I’ve had in Shanghai. Thank you for the hospitality, President Ying."

Wen Fucheng was actually capable of expressing gratitude, and he sounded so sincere, too.

Ying Zenan looked at him suspiciously.

*Did he put something in the food?* he wondered.

*Why is a grown man smiling so flirtatiously?*

"Since that’s the case, I’m relieved. Do you have any plans for later, President Wen? If you’re free, shall we go somewhere else to keep hanging out? It’s still early, anyway."

*Please don't agree, don't agree.*

Wen Fucheng glanced casually at the clock on the restaurant wall.

"Let’s save it for another time. I still have some things to take care of at the company."

"Is that so? What a pity. I’ll invite you again next time, President Wen. You’re so hardworking and diligent, having developed the Wen Corporation into such a powerhouse. Unlike me, who does nothing but go to work and come home, or go out to relax—I’ve only managed to become the richest man in Shanghai, simple as that."

If it were anyone else, Wen Fucheng probably wouldn't have bothered to respond. Ying Jing’s drama-queen brother was really targeting him at every turn!

Thinking carefully, he hadn't done anything to offend Ying Zenan yet, had he?

Why was this man’s hostility toward him so intense?

He had no idea that Ying Zenan had long since listed him as his number one public enemy.

After Ying Zenan left, Wen Fucheng stood outside the restaurant. Before long, a beautiful young girl appeared by his side, circling him like a chatterbox.

"Wen Fucheng, has my brother left?"

He stood on the steps beside her.

Dressed in casual wear, he looked exceptionally handsome tonight.

He looked just like a young man waiting for his girlfriend to finish class.

"He’s gone."

"So, what’s the plan now?"

"What do you want to do?" He added, "Tonight, all my time is yours."

"I want to walk home with you."

It was such a small request, yet he felt it was incredibly heavy.

It became a massive stone pressing against his heart.

"Just that simple?"

It was just that simple! She could be happy for a long time just from the smallest interaction between the two of them.

How could she dare to make any excessive demands?

Wen Fucheng, oh Wen Fucheng, how could you know how luxurious such a simple thing in your eyes is to her heart?

But... he did know.

The autumn night was not as sultry as midsummer.

As the temperature dropped, more and more people came out to enjoy the cool air.

It would take about forty minutes to walk home from here.

Knowing he rarely came to Shanghai and was always busy, never wasting time on trivial matters, Ying Jing excitedly introduced everything around them to him.

In her past life, aside from her busy work, Ying Jing had spent most of her free time in Shanghai.

This was the beginning of the story, but not the end.

Perhaps her final, bitter struggle was a last gamble against fate; she had traveled across mountains and rivers just to reach the city where traces of his life remained.

To die in his hometown.

How she had longed to hold his hand in her previous life.

Just like this, saying nothing, just like this, with the evening breeze blowing.

He would listen quietly as she told him how wonderful this city was.

"Shanghai is great! But I still prefer the Imperial Capital." Not because of its prosperity, not because of its beauty.

It was because the person she loved most was there.

Listening to her talk, Wen Fucheng would occasionally respond.

A faint, warm atmosphere permeated between them.

"I actually think Shanghai is quite nice. I like this city very much."

Because she was here, every corner held traces of Ying Jing’s life.

His little girl—the years he hadn't been able to be a part of—had been watched over by this city as she slowly grew up.

He was too familiar with these places.

He had stepped foot in this city countless times in years she didn't know about.

Walking the same paths she had walked.

The pity was that back then, his silhouette had been lonely, carrying endless sorrow and loss.

The year after Ying Jing died, the whole world was in mourning.

This city was filled with scenery that reminded people of her.

After watching for so long, Wen Fucheng felt as if she were still there. Only, she was so far away from him—so far that it could only be described as being separated by life and death.

Slowly, fewer and fewer people remembered her.

Hearing him say he liked Shanghai, Ying Jing pressed, "Why do you like it? The Imperial Capital is so much better!"

"Because..." *I can be closer to you, you silly girl.*

It was a pity that, in the end, even time wanted to erase the final traces.

How could Wen Fucheng ever allow that?

Ying Jing’s thoughts were drawn away by the shouting of a street vendor.

"The second cup of milk tea is half price! Let’s get some together!" Before she finished speaking, she was already pulling Wen Fucheng over.

The people queuing for milk tea were all couples. Ying Jing paid and got two cups.

Nearby, someone whispered about how good-looking they were.

Ying Jing drank from the one with the straw already inserted and handed the clean one to him.

Wen Fucheng shook his head; he didn't like drinking these.

"Better drink less at night, or you'll have trouble sleeping."

...

Wen Fucheng walked in front, and Ying Jing lagged a step or two behind. He slowly slowed his pace until their steps were in sync.

The leaves rustled.

Just like his heart.

Being worn down until it felt numb and tingling.

Ying Jing playfully held up the two cups of milk tea to show off to the children playing by the roadside.

"I’m someone who has someone to buy the second half-price cup with now, too."

Along the street.

Accompanied by streetlights.

The single shadow finally became a pair.

Loneliness finally found a home.

The hem of her skirt, lifted by the wind, brushed against the back of the man’s hand. He lowered his eyes to look at the shadows on the ground, which were slowly overlapping, intertwining past and present.

A brilliant smile overflowed on Ying Jing’s face.

She walked ahead and turned back to look at him.

"Wen Fucheng, why aren't you catching up?"

In an instant, he woke up. It was as if he had dreamed of that temple from years ago, where he slept beside a cold tombstone.

Whispering softly, quietly blaming Ying Jing for not coming to pick him up yet.

In the countless days and nights that followed, he finally dreamed of her one night.

He grabbed her hand and said to her, aggrieved.

"Take me with you. You’ve left me behind for too long."

*You can't leave me behind anymore.*

She smiled and walked into the darkness, turning back to smile at him.

*Wen Fucheng, why aren't you catching up?*

At that moment, he smiled, satisfied.

Finally, his little butterfly had come to take him home.

(End of chapter)