Chapter 3

The quietly凝聚的 tear drops are transparent film, the eyes become the screen of memory: everything from the past, everything, plays rapidly before his eyes like a movie, as if retracing Song Chen's entire life, or perhaps just a blink of an eye.

Seeing his mother standing before him once again, so real, so warm, tears silently slid down Song Chen's cheeks without him even realizing it, his lips trembling, unable to form a single word.

Is this real, or a dream? Song Chen could no longer tell.

"Stupid, why are you crying? Xiao Chen, did your father make you feel wronged in some way?"

Li Wan, putting down the bag, used her rough palm to wipe the tears from her son's face, unable to help but feel pity, "Be good, don't cry! Tell your mother what's going on? And where did you get these clothes?"

The warmth of her skin told Song Chen that this was not a dream. The warm breath on his face, from a mother who had been a grown man and had struggled in society for over a decade, made Song Chen pause, then he drew a sharp breath—he finally returned from the dream-like illusion to "reality," and was greatly surprised, "Mom, you're not..."

Li Wan gave her son a puzzled look, smiling and scolding, "Don't speak in half-sentences, what are you not?"

Song Chen murmured, "Could I be dreaming again?"

"I think you're just confused, go wash your face and clear your head!" Li Wan picked up the vegetable bag and walked into the room.

Song Chen stared intently at his mother's back, trying to determine whether the current environment was a dream or reality. But when he noticed the still new and smooth plastic floor and the white walls that looked freshly painted, he drew another sharp breath.

Is this really a dream?

"Right!" Li Wan poked her head out from the kitchen, which was only about eighty square meters, and looked at her son, who was scratching his head in a daze, and couldn't help but laugh, "Ruo Xi, when are you going to bring her home for me to see?"

"Ruo Xi?" Song Chen was taken aback, "Which Ruo Xi?"

Li Wan's eyebrows shot up, displeased, "The girl who was holding your hand in the building last week, didn't you tell me you were dating?"

"Dating? Ruo Xi?... Zhang Ruo Xi! Hiss!" As if his teeth were leaking, Song Chen drew another sharp breath, staring blankly at his mother, a vague concept flashing through his mind.

If it weren't for his mother's reminder, Song Chen would have almost forgotten that he once had a chance to be a successful person: a successful father, a gentle and beautiful first love, and a youthful and romantic college life!

A vibrant college student who doesn't have a girlfriend is practically a synonym for incompetence. Despite the painful memories, Song Chen still remembered that during his more than a year of college life, there were still some memories that were hard to ignore.

For example, his first love—Zhang Ruo Xi!

But this first love had been over for more than a decade, and the memories had faded into a faint trace lingering at the edge of his mind, never to be brought up again! The impression of her name was even less than the impression of her youthful and beautiful face.

He couldn't help but ask, "Mom, what year is it now?"

"Are you still sleepy? It's November 20, 1997! You haven't been in college for long!"

...

A step is a thousand years.

A glance is a hundred moments.

Song Chen, who had just woken up from a big dream, returned to the past, to a crucial year for his own fate.

In this year, he was still in college, and had not broken up with his first love;

In this year, although his parents were divorced, his relationship with his father was not yet strained;

In this year, his mother was still healthy and alive before his eyes;

What could he do?

A plate of stir-fried tomatoes and eggs, a dish of shredded meat and bamboo shoots, a bowl of fish head and tofu soup—simple and clear home-cooked dishes were laid out on a rectangular dining table. The sound of chopsticks and bowls clinking against the white porcelain echoed, and mother and son sat opposite each other, eating silently.

It was the transition between spring and summer. Song Chen had changed out of the pajamas that would only fit him in another ten years, and now, wearing a white T-shirt and casual pants, he looked young and neat. As he ate, he glanced at his mother out of the corner of his eye.

Since his parents' divorce, Li Wan's slender shoulders had borne the burden of two people. She had to be both a strict father and a loving mother to Song Chen, all in the hope that her son would not be troubled by his parents' divorce and go astray.

Many things can only be understood by the person involved after many years.

But perhaps she hadn't thought that not everything could go as planned. Soon, Huang Zhen (Song Chen's stepmother) would "clarify" things, and Song Hua's tacit approval would break Song Chen's heart; Song Chen refused his father's support and was unwilling to see his mother suffer, so he dropped out of school and went to work, embarking on a path he couldn't see ahead.

It had once been beautiful, but ultimately it failed.

Coupled with his mother's death, Song Chen was almost destroyed!

No! Song Chen had already been destroyed!

Perhaps there is a destiny in this world, and Song Chen had returned to the past, a past where he could choose a different path in life.

"Is there something on my face? Why are you always staring at me?" Li Wan gave her son a playful glare, tapping the bowl with the back of her chopsticks, interrupting Song Chen's deep thoughts.

Song Chen was taken aback, and smiled, "Because Mom has become prettier, so I couldn't help but look a few more times!"

Even though it was a compliment from her son, Li Wan couldn't help but feel pleased and placed a dish on Song Chen's plate, smiling, "Boys in love talk as sweet as honey. I think you should save your smooth talk for Ruo Xi!"

Mentioning Zhang Ruo Xi again, Song Chen forced a smile, but sighed quietly in his heart.

Just as a first love is a man's unforgettable knot, Zhang Ruo Xi was a hurdle in Song Chen's emotional life—a path that needed to be chosen to be forgotten!

In 1997, when the financial crisis was ravaging Southeast Asia, Song Chen entered college and soon met Zhang Ruo Xi.

Dongou City, located in the southeast of Jiangnan Province, with its seven mountains, one river, and two fields, and its policy environment, encouraged the Dongou people to improve their living conditions, making them brave and shrewd. Without waiting for help, they pooled their resources and started businesses, benefiting from the "systemic dividends" and rising to prominence in the East, earning the nickname "the Jews of the East."

Zhang Ruo Xi was a native of Dongou. Her father, Zhang Hua, like Song Chen's father, Song Hua, had accumulated his initial wealth by buying daily necessities from the coastal areas and selling them in the central regions. After the great leader's southern tour, Zhang Hua began to engage in import and export trade, and his business grew larger and larger. By the time Zhang Ruo Xi entered college, he was already a well-known wealthy businessman in Jiangnan Province.

Although Zhang Ruo Xi was a rich girl, her frugal upbringing made her different from other rich girls who were domineering and unreasonable. She did not judge people based on their material status. Instead, she entered college and chose the popular International Trade major, and immediately fell in love with Song Chen, who was suffering from his parents' divorce.

Song Chen was not a saint, and how could he refuse a beautiful, outgoing girl? So, even though he didn't know Zhang Ruo Xi's family background at the time, the two quickly became very close, with Zhang Ruo Xi firmly guarding the last line of their relationship.

But the good times didn't last long. The warmth he received from Zhang Ruo Xi couldn't comfort him from his parents' divorce, especially the growing coldness from his father after the birth of his younger brother. After the unpleasant breakup with Song Hua and Huang Zhen, Song Chen not only refused his father's support but also dropped out of school to work, a sudden decision that shattered the beautiful future Zhang Ruo Xi was building with her boyfriend.

Just as Li Wan tried to persuade her son, Zhang Ruo Xi also didn't want the academically excellent Song Chen to ruin his future by working. She hoped Song Chen would calm down and believed that even without his father's support, he could continue his studies part-time. If there were difficulties, she could ask her father for help.

Unfortunately, Song Chen, who refused his own father's support, would not accept help from his girlfriend's father. So, he firmly refused, and Zhang Ruo Xi, helpless, could only watch as Song Chen resolutely left college.

Family ties become stronger with distance, but love is different, like a sweet and fragrant cake with an expiration date! Love can quietly deteriorate with distance and time.

At first, Zhang Ruo Xi still met Song Chen, but as his work trips became longer and communication was not as convenient as it is today, with mobile phones still a luxury for Song Chen, Zhang Ruo Xi gradually forgot about Song Chen.

When Song Chen returned from a business trip, Zhang Ruo Xi once said to him sadly, "I didn't betray you, I gave you a chance!"

Whether or not he regretted it, Song Chen's answer was stubborn, just as he was with his parents. He nodded silently and walked away without looking back.

Years later, still struggling and called a "moonlight clan" (living paycheck to paycheck), Song Chen received news of Zhang Ruo Xi's marriage, and then...

There was nothing after that.

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