flstandardbreds Chapter 343 He Li
Chapter 343 He Li
Ji Ran bent down to pick up the letter and gently placed it on the coffee table. Seeing the other person crying like this, she felt a little awkward and thought she might not be able to handle it.
She glanced silently at Qi Mu standing to the side, her eyes pleading for help. Qi Mu received the signal, took two steps forward, and patted her head reassuringly.
He was feeling very depressed at the moment, after all, He Yanchen's death, and the deaths of the other 15 people, were all because of him.
It was all because he wasn't vigilant enough back then and fell into Zeng Nian's trap. If it weren't for his excessive loyalty to him, those 16 people might have had a chance to escape.
But ironically, he doesn't regret dying in that basement at all. If he hadn't died prematurely, how would he have had the chance to meet his girl?
However, he still felt very apologetic towards his 16 trusted subordinates.
Ji Ran wanted to suggest leaving first to give her some space, but seeing how heartbroken she was crying, she couldn't bring herself to say it.
After an unknown amount of time, until Fan Yao's crying subsided, Ji Ran rubbed his legs and prepared to get up.
"Well... um... then I'll go first..."
Fan Yao only looked up at her when she heard her speak; her eyes were already red and swollen.
Ji Ran had just sat up halfway when she met her desperate gaze, and her heart skipped a beat.
What if she leaves and no one takes care of Fan Yao? What if she can't think straight?
At this moment, Ji Ran suddenly remembered, glanced around, and found that there was really no one else.
Then... what about her child? Did she move out?
Ji Ran's gaze returned to Fan Yao, who tremblingly opened the silk cloth again. Inside were several gold bars, and next to them was a dark green box containing the jade pendant that He Yanchen had worn since childhood.
Holding the jade pendant, Fan Yao broke down in tears once again.
Ji Ran was taken aback, then sat back down on the sofa and took another sip of the empty teacup.
She didn't know what to do. But the person was crying because of the things she brought, and she couldn't just leave like that. What if the person really couldn't think straight? Her conscience wouldn't allow it.
Just then, the books on the coffee table suddenly began to shake.
Upon closer inspection, Ji Ran saw that the phone was sandwiched in the middle, and the screen was lit up, as if someone had called.
Ji Ran glanced at Fan Yao, who was bursting into tears, and could only step forward to take out the phone from inside, while also folding a small corner of the page in the book.
She glanced at the screen; the caller ID showed 'son'.
Ji Ran was taken aback, and was about to hand it to Fan Yao,
"Um... your son called."
However, Fan Yao seemed to be immersed in immense grief and couldn't hear anything from the outside world.
Ji Ran was also troubled. After hesitating for a while, she asked Qi Mu for his opinion, and the man nodded to her.
So she answered the phone on the last ring, and the person on the other end immediately asked anxiously.
"Mom, why didn't you answer the phone? Dr. Huang told me you didn't go to your appointment again today..."
The other person seemed to have left their sentence unfinished, probably because they heard crying.
"Mom?! What's wrong??"
The person on the other end of the phone immediately became as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.
"Um... could you come back for a bit?" Ji Ran asked somewhat awkwardly.
The other person was clearly taken aback by the sudden, unfamiliar female voice, and upon hearing her mother crying so loudly beside her, she obviously mistook Ji Ran for a bad person.
"Who are you? What are you doing in my mom's house??"
Hearing the questioning tone, Ji Ran felt helpless. How could she explain who she was? She was nobody.
"Anyway, can you come back first? It's hard to explain over the phone."
The other party was silent for a moment, then said, "Okay."
Then the call ended.
Ji Ran breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that since the other party's son was coming back, she should be able to leave now.
She placed her phone on the coffee table closest to Fan Yao, then got up to leave.
She walked nervously to the door, then looked back at Fan Yao. Although her crying had subsided, she was still sobbing.
She sighed and prepared to open the door.
“Professor Ji…” came a weak female voice from behind.
Ji Ran shuddered and immediately turned around, "Wh...what's wrong?"
"Could you..." Fan Yao's eyes were filled with the gloom of a shattered soul, yet also like she was grasping at a straw, "Could you tell me more about Yan Chen..."
"Huh?" Ji Ran was a little dumbfounded. She didn't know He Yanchen either, so how did she know about him?
Wait a minute, why is she asking me this? I don't seem like the type to understand He Yanchen at all.
Fan Yao subconsciously thought that since Ji Ran was able to find and deliver something that Yan Chen left behind that even she herself didn't know about, it must be related to Yan Chen, even if it was only indirectly related.
Although she didn't know what kind of indirect relationship it was.
Seeing that she remained silent, Fan Yao shed two more tears and choked out,
"Even... tell me what he was like when he appeared in your dream... Is he alright?"
Ji Ran was taken aback, then a trace of sadness flashed in her eyes. She quietly tugged at Qi Mu's sleeve.
“He… was fine in his dream. He said he was about to leave, but he missed his wife and children terribly. You are his only concern.”
Upon hearing this, Fan Yao couldn't help but cover her eyes again.
Ji Ran was also somewhat confused at this moment; it turned out that her feelings for He Yanchen were still so deep.
"Then... why didn't you go to the burial?"
She couldn't help but ask.
If she goes, He Yanchen will be able to see her one last time before he leaves.
Fan Yao covered her face and shook her head, offering no reply.
It's just that she's unwilling to accept this fact. All along, she's been deceiving herself, thinking that Yan Chen has just received orders to carry out some kind of undercover mission, that he can't contact his family, and that he'll come back someday.
But reality suddenly told her that Yan Chen was dead.
He died... or was brutally beaten to death...
She simply couldn't accept this cruel truth. So she fainted.
After waking up, she seemed to subconsciously avoid the memory and started deceiving herself again. She no longer looked at her phone or browsed the internet, and no longer went out to listen to what others were saying. She just stayed at home, reading the books she used to read when she was dating him.
Seeing that she didn't answer, Ji Ran didn't press the matter further. He figured she must have her reasons for being unhappy, and he had no right to ask.
After thinking for a moment, she finally spoke.
"Your son will be back soon, I need to... is there anything else I need..."
Fan Yao, however, seemed to speak to herself, interrupting her.
"Xiao Li especially admires his father."
Ji Ran was taken aback, "Little Li?"
Who is Xiao Li?
"My son with Yan Chen, He Li, back then... Yan Chen gave him this name because he hoped that he would know the etiquette of the world, understand the etiquette of people's hearts, and uphold the etiquette of bottom line. He hoped that he would grow up to be a boy with integrity, courage, and a sense of propriety."
Fan Yao explained, a certain light appearing in her eyes, as if recalling the focused look on Yan Chen's face when he named their son.