Chapter Twenty-Six: Moonlight Touches Where Hands Cannot Reach

His father, constrained by the fact that the little girl was someone else’s child, could only stop and leave. He still remembered back then, how Ye Mian gently climbed off him, patted her little hands, then carefully blew on his wounds, comforting him in her childish voice, “It doesn’t hurt, it doesn’t hurt, a little blow and the pain will go away.”

His mother had become a cold, lifeless mass of flesh, his father had turned into a disgusting, cruel demon, and only this little girl approached, carrying a warmth and light. She took a piece of osmanthus cake from her tiny bag, gently fed it to him, then fetched water and a chicken drumstick from the funeral feast for him.

In those moments, teetering on the edge of death, it was these things that saved his life.

They gave him the strength to stand, to send his mother off on her final journey.

From that point on, his memories of that time were only of his mother’s icy corpse, the madness of hunger, the pain in his bones, and the soft sweetness of osmanthus cake.

He no longer liked going outside, nor did he cry anymore, not even when he fell or was beaten.

His father called him a cold-blooded monster.

Dong Yulian said the same.

He came to think of himself that way, too.

Yet he still remembered that, in his childhood, there was a warm, gentle moonlight in the East Alley.

…

When the nurse finished changing the IV bag and left, Jiang Chen’s thoughts stilled. He, who had never feared death, was terrified at the thought of Ye Mian being in danger.

If anything were to happen to Ye Mian, he would feel as if fate were truly cruel, unwilling to leave him even the last shred of warmth in this world.

That day, he had genuinely wanted to kill Zhong Qian, to drag the troublemaker down with him, but then he thought, there were many such evildoers in the world.

He decided to wait, to see the girl find the very best person.

An hour later.

Jiang Chen returned, carrying several boxes.

It was past seven, the sun had already disappeared, and night hung heavily over every corner of the city. The hospital lights glowed brightly.

Ye Mian lay on the bed, bored, playing round after round of mobile games. When hunger crept in, she asked a passing nurse if she could have something to eat.

The nurse smiled, “If you’re awake, there’s no need for the glucose drip anymore. You can eat. Have something nutritious to recover quickly.”

Ye Mian smiled her thanks and began to ponder what to order for delivery.

The ward was blindingly white, suppressing her appetite and offering no inspiration. For a moment, she was at a loss.

Everything she scrolled past was greasy and salty; with her mind elsewhere, none of it appealed to her.

Just as she was about to give up for now, Jiang Chen entered. His cool, slender hand pulled up the little overbed table, his finger pressing the button to raise the backrest.

“Stop playing with your phone. Eat first.”

“?”

Ye Mian was stunned as the bed rose, staring blankly at Jiang Chen who had appeared out of nowhere. Neatly and swiftly, he laid out several dishes and a bowl of soup before her.

Ye Mian blinked, “Jiang Chen, didn’t you go home?”

Jiang Chen raised his brows. “Mm, I brought you something to eat.”

“You really didn’t have to go to all this trouble.” Ye Mian stared in surprise at the dishes—clearly homemade: braised pork and eggplant, boiled shrimp, and fish soup.

She was quite tempted, but too embarrassed to dig in right away. She hugged her small bowl, looked at him expectantly, and asked, “Have you eaten?”

“I have.”

“Then I’ll eat? Thank you.” Only then did Ye Mian pick up her chopsticks, taking a piece of meat and popping it into her mouth. Her eyes curved in delight, shining brightly. “This is so delicious! Jiang Chen, you never disappoint.”

“Oh?” Jiang Chen let out a low laugh, his features cool and exquisite as he handed her a cup of water. “What are you talking about?”

Ye Mian suddenly remembered that the joke hadn’t come about yet, and gave a sheepish smile. “I mean, you’re really talented.”

“…”

Jiang Chen glanced out the window. When he looked back, he saw the girl holding a red envelope she’d somehow produced, her gentle eyes sparkling with a smile. “Please accept this. Thank you for taking care of me.”

Jiang Chen took the envelope with his fingertips without opening it, and smiled, “Eat up before it gets cold.”

Ye Mian lowered her head and began eating in small bites.

Truthfully, she felt quite embarrassed.

She was always troubling Jiang Chen.

She remembered that Jiang Chen had to support himself, and likely didn’t have much money. Delaying him for a whole day deserved some compensation.

She recalled how he’d only gone home at five that morning, probably just back from a part-time job.

At seventeen, emotions shifted quickly, and suddenly she felt miserable.

Jiang Chen was too pitiful, juggling life and study, and always getting injured.

After a moment’s thought, she set down her chopsticks, her eyes bright as she said to Jiang Chen, “Jiang Chen, I’m telling you, you’ll definitely become a truly wonderful person in the future. You’ll have a better life than anyone—you will, I promise.”

The white hospital lights shone on his fine nose, but couldn’t reach the darkness in his eyes.

He was strikingly handsome, the kind of face that made girls blush.

Jiang Chen put down his phone and glanced at the girl’s sincere little face, resting his arm on the headboard and his chin in his hand, smiling. “Is that so?”

Ye Mian thought of the powerful, untouchable man he would become in the future, and nodded obediently. “Yes.”

She paused, then added, “So, you have to have faith in the future, okay? Hard times are only temporary. Who knows, maybe one day it’ll be hard for me to even see you.”

“…,” Jiang Chen’s brows shifted slightly. He didn’t take her words to heart, a helpless smile playing on his lips. His long fingers tapped her tray. “Eat up before it gets cold.”

At his words, Ye Mian scooped up a spoonful of rice, her cheeks bulging as she chewed.

Jiang Chen’s gaze drifted to the window, where the boundless night devoured everything, merging into his eyes and brows.

He thought—

Even if he became a great person, what would it matter?

Moonlight could only fall on places forever out of his reach.