An Ke sat with some difficulty at the round table and smiled lightly, “Xiang’er, thank you for your meticulous care. I feel like I’ve drunk all the Chinese and Western medicines these past two months.”
“This is what I should do. As long as you can get better, it will be the greatest comfort to me,” Leng Xiang sat across from her, knowing clearly that if An Ke couldn’t recover, Jun Hao wouldn’t be happy, and if Jun Hao wasn’t happy, she couldn’t be happy either.
An Ke reached out and held her hands, “Xiang’er, I’ve wanted to tell you many things for a long time. When my mother had this illness, I was young, but I remember from the diagnosis to her passing, there was only half a year.”
“Why bring this up?” Leng Xiang smiled forcibly.
“I know very well how likely this illness is to be cured. I’m not giving up, nor am I losing hope, I’m just facing reality.” An Ke gripped her hands more tightly, “Do you know who I’ll miss the most?”
Leng Xiang nodded, “I know.”
An Ke’s pale face blushed slightly, revealing a sweet smile: “I don’t know how much he loves me, I only know that I love him very deeply. Initially, I was gnashing my teeth in hatred, hating his domineering nature, his self-importance, his arrogance, hating that he left me no way out… Yet this man I hated so much somehow entered my heart, and from some unknown point, his every move began to touch every nerve of mine. I always thought I hated him. When I saw him on TV holding Pei Xuan Zhi’s hand, saying he loved her, saying I was just a game to him, my heart nearly shattered, but I could only tell myself that I hated him… The days with him were more painful than sweet, but I don’t regret a thing, not meeting him, and even less regretting loving him.” Her long eyelashes flickered, glistening with tears: “Only you, Xiang’er, can understand my feelings, because you love him just like I do.”
“I understand, I understand your feelings,” Leng Xiang patted An Ke’s hand consolingly, “Don’t think too much, everything will be alright. Drink your medicine quickly before it gets cold and loses its effectiveness.”
An Ke smiled through her tears, “Xiang’er, the only one who can give him happiness now is you, so please make sure to make him happy.”
“No, only you can give him happiness,” Leng Xiang smiled painfully, “Because you’re the only one in his heart. He loves you but is afraid to love you, fearing that giving his whole heart will lead to betrayal.”
“My days are numbered, and I truly hope you and he can be well,” she smiled softly, as if she were merely preparing to travel far away.
Treat me like a snowflake in winter, unable to stay by your side forever, but giving you a moment of beauty.” She hugged him tightly: “The one who will accompany you for a lifetime is not me.”
“Stop talking nonsense, or I’ll deal with you.” He domineeringly sealed her chattering lips, and after a long time, he spoke solemnly again: “An Ke, my darling, will you marry me?”
……………………………………………………………………. 067 Pregnant Again
Jun Hao’s heart was beating wildly, like an innocent young boy waiting for his beloved to give him an answer. After not receiving An Ke’s response for a long time, he carefully asked again: “Darling, will you marry me?”
An Ke shook her head, not answering directly: “Hao, Xiang Zhen is a good girl, understanding, beautiful and elegant. Most importantly, Xiang Zhen loves you very much and has sacrificed so much for you. You must not let her down.”
He kissed her red lips again, not giving her a chance to speak, kissing her until her cheeks were flushed before letting go, with an unkind tone: “Should I marry every beautiful woman, every woman who is good to me?”
An Ke touched his slightly furrowed brow, looking up at him: “Fool, why must I marry you? Look at me, what can I compare to Xiang’er? She’s more beautiful, more gentle. I can’t even count her virtues.”
He lowered his head, rubbing his chin against her forehead: “I love you not because of who you are, but because I enjoy being with you. Don’t waste time thinking about things you shouldn’t. You should consider agreeing to marry me. I’ll give you a day to give me your answer.”
“No need to consider. I’ll tell you my answer now. I won’t accept your proposal.” She tried to break free, but he held her even tighter.
“You have no choice. I’ve already decided to marry you.” He returned to his arrogant demeanor.
“Whether you marry is your business. I say I won’t marry, and I won’t.” She turned her face away angrily.
“I say I’ll marry, so I’ll register now.” He said this and carried her horizontally out of the garden. He never used to think that loving someone meant he had to marry her, but now he had to do just that. He wanted to mark her as his, otherwise she would always want to give him away.
“Jun Hao, put me down. Who would marry such an arrogant guy? I said I won’t marry, so I won’t.” She glared at him and shouted.
“Hehe…” Jun Hao laughed lightly: “Who would want to marry such a tigress.” Compared to her gloomy appearance, he loved her fierce look now. Without the expected roar, he looked down to see she had fallen asleep on his chest. “An Ke, you’re not allowed to sleep without my permission.” He wanted to put her down, not provide such a comfortable embrace for her to sleep, but he was even more reluctant to let her go.
“Domineering guy.” Her voice was soft, like a whisper: “Hao, do you know what my life goal used to be?”
“Tell me.” He held her and walked along the villa’s small path.
“Work hard to earn money to send my brother to college, work hard to earn money to support my father, then find an honest man to marry, have children, do laundry and cooking for him, and live a simple life. That would be happiness for me.” She leaned on his chest, tears quietly flowing: “But from the moment I met you, my life was no longer calm. If there’s a next life, I really hope we never meet.”
He stopped, put her down, and looked into her eyes: “Is this your true feelings? Or what you said to Xiang Zhen is your true feelings?”
An Ke was stunned. Had he heard her conversation with Cold Xiang?
He seemed to see through her thoughts: “I heard your entire conversation. Did you think just making me believe you don’t love me would make your departure less painful?” He imitated her previous action, pulling her small hand and pressing it to his heart: “It’s already filled with you. If you leave, it will be empty.”
An Ke panicked and withdrew her hand, wiping the tears from the corner of her eyes: “Why are you so stubborn? I know very well how many days I have left. The six-month deadline has already passed more than three months. In two more months, I’ll be gone. Maybe not even two months. I want to do something for you, I want to see you happy. I don’t want to leave this world with regrets. Do you understand?”
“Why are you crying? Don’t worry about my affairs.” He nodded and laughed lightly, wiping the tears from the corner of her eyes. The bitterness in his smile only he could understand. Jun Hao was wealthy beyond measure, and had always gotten everything he wanted. She had given him too many surprises – surprising him to the point of reopening his heart to love a woman wholeheartedly, surprising him that when he gave his entire heart, she was diagnosed with an incurable disease. More surprisingly, no matter how much money he had, he couldn’t cure her illness. Watching her life slowly ebb away, he was helpless.
After a long time, he added in his heart: “Without you, there is no happiness.”
