After Ni PingSen left, Old Sun drove her back, and Jason returned to the room to see Emma standing by the window looking downstairs. In reality, she wasn't watching Ni PingSen leave; she was just standing there, lost in thought.
“how did the talk with Dad go?” Jason walked up to her side and put his arm around her shoulders.
Emma turned to look at him, then turned around and hugged his waist, seemingly seeking warmth. She was a bit tired, the kind of tired that comes from not knowing what to do next.
After a long while, she looked up at Jason and said, “Dad hasn't been home for so many years, do you think it was an accident?”
Jason lowered his eyes; his eyes were truly captivating, deep and profound with a swirling depth that seemed to draw one in.
He shook his head and whispered, “I don't think so.”
The reason was simple: all Ni PingSen had to do was go to the embassy, and he could easily have found his way home.
He asked, “What are you planning to do?”
“I want to take Dad back to Shanghai,” which was Emma's primary goal.
Jason looked at her troubled expression, leaned down, and gently kissed her forehead, as if to comfort her. Then he asked, “Are you worried about that Miss Liu?”
Jason had always been good at reading people, and even though he had only met her once, his impression was quite vivid.
She had a shrewdness about her that wasn't exactly unpleasant, but it complicated the situation. He didn't think Emma would be happy to see her accompanying Ni PingSen back to Shanghai.
At this moment, Emma nodded, but she fell silent for a moment and whispered, “But Shen Yan, this is Dad's life. I have no idea how he survived all these years with nothing. I can't forgive Liu Hui because she's the reason why my grandmother died with regrets in her heart.”
“You know, if she had brought Dad back seven years ago, I would kneel and thank her. But not now.”
There were things she didn't need to see to know; she could guess. She didn't know why Liu Hui had been holding onto Ni PingSen, but if it weren't for her interference, he wouldn't have stayed away for so long.
But no matter how much she disliked Liu Hui, she couldn't make choices for Ni PingSen.
Because this was her father's life.
Jason held her and whispered, “Xingxing really has grown up.”
Emma looked up, a bit annoyed but amused by his words, and curiously asked, “Is that it? What would I have done before?”
“Go over and punch her?” Jason really thought about it for a moment and said earnestly.
Emma looked at him and calmly said, “Well, I really want to do that.”
Her personality wasn't suited for entanglement; generally, when faced with such a messy situation, Emma was best at cutting through the knots directly.
In the past, she might have forced Ni PingSen to leave with her.
But now, she had to respect Ni PingSen's own choices.
Even if he really chose to let Liu Hui go back to Shanghai with him, Emma might have to accept it.
But would Ni PingSen?
*
After Ni PingSen got out of the car, Old Sun watched him enter the restaurant. The rolling door of the restaurant was half-closed, and it seemed like they didn't plan to open for business today.
When Ni PingSen bent down and went in, the restaurant was gloomy due to the lack of light, with no customers at all.
Liu Hui was sitting at a table with a few cold dishes in front of her and a pot of liquor, which was actually a bottle of Maotai. When Ni PingSen walked over, she was already flushed from drinking.
After glancing up at him, Liu Hui propped her cheek with one hand and pointed to the stool beside her with the other.
“Sit.”
Ni PingSen slowly sat down. There was another wine glass on the table. When Liu Hui picked up the bottle, her hand was trembling. As she was about to pour, Ni PingSen suddenly took the bottle from her.
He said, “Don't drink anymore, you've had too much.”
Liu Hui laughed, her smile was extremely charming, every gesture and smile exuding a soft allure.
She suddenly touched her face and said with a smile, “I've been good-looking since I was young, really. I was a well-known beauty in our area. Everyone said that since I was so pretty, I would definitely marry into a good family when I grew up.”
Saying that, she suddenly laughed at herself in self-mockery.
For a poor girl, being beautiful was really not a good thing.
She stopped going to school at the age of sixteen, and her parents started trying to arrange a marriage for her, asking for a high bride price, a fixed price of 180,000 yuan. This was a huge number in their area, but no matter how small the place, there were always those with money.
Such an openly labeled sale of a daughter would always make people curious about how beautiful she must be to dare to sell herself at such a high price.
Until one after another came to see, while her parents were still choosing, Liu Hui couldn't stand it.
In the end, she ran away by herself, first going to Guangzhou to work, and then moving around several places.
Until she met the first man she really liked, she really liked him, but he was poor and really had no money. Her parents insisted on the bride price of 180,000 yuan, not a penny less.
Yes, she could get married without her parents' consent.
But as soon as she had this idea, her mother drank medicine and was sent to the hospital. Because this money was the capital for her brother's future marriage, if she didn't bring back this bride price, it was like asking her parents to die.
As Liu Hui spoke, she looked at Ni PingSen, her eyes like silk.
She said with a light laugh, “People from big cities like you probably can't understand our kind of ignorant place, right?”
Ni PingSen gazed at her quietly, his eyes soft.
Liu Hui couldn't bear the look in his eyes; perhaps this was why she clung to him so desperately. In that hellish camp, he was the only one with the same skin color as her, and he was so gentle, even taking blows to help others.
It's said that human nature is inherently evil, and such a hellish place can drive one mad.
But she didn't go mad because he was always there, protecting and comforting her.
Although they had no connection, listening to him talk about Shanghai, his deceased wife, and daughter made her feel so warm.
He said he had to survive because his daughter was waiting for him in Shanghai.
At that time, Liu Hui was truly envious. The world was full of injustices. She, a living person, was pressured by her parents for a dowry and ended up working in the Middle East with her boyfriend.
But after arriving in the Middle East, her boyfriend, unable to bear the hardships, urged her to marry a wealthy Middle Eastern man.
Liu Hui was indeed stunningly beautiful and was immediately taken notice of.
So in the end, she agreed to marry the wealthy man, not minding that he already had several wives. She needed money, she only wanted money.
As for her ex-boyfriend's dreams, they were laughable.
He actually hoped to get a sum of money from the wealthy man and then elope back to their country with her. Liu Hui thought it was ridiculous and laughed at herself for thinking such a person was true love.
After that, she settled temporarily in the Middle East, but her luck didn't last. During a trip, she was kidnapped.
Her so-called husband didn't pay a ransom for her.
It was in this despair that she met Ni PingSen in the camp. Although they were both abducted, he kept comforting and protecting her.
How could Liu Hui not fall in love with such a man?
She thought all men in the world were the same, selfish to the point of making her sick.
But he was truly different.
This was the first time Ni PingSen heard about her past.
She never spoke of it before, and he never asked.
Now, she spoke without any reservations, and Liu Hui felt a sense of relief, pouring herself another drink.
After she finished the drink in one gulp, Ni PingSen looked at her.
He said, "Do you know I have a daughter?"
"I know," Liu Hui replied without hesitation.
A flash of sorrow crossed Ni PingSen's eyes; even if he deceived himself again, the truth was still cruel.
He finally made up his mind and asked, "Did you deliberately prevent me from returning to my country?"
Liu Hui looked at him, seeming to smile but with tears in her eyes: "When you hadn't lost your memory, I once asked you why you didn't remarry after your wife had been gone for so long. You told me that you would keep her in your heart for a lifetime and would never marry again because you promised your daughter and yourself."
"I didn't dare to hope to keep you by my side, but after we were rescued and you lost your memory, I became greedy."
Liu Hui looked into his eyes and finally called out softly, "PingSen, you know how powerful human greed can be. I have experienced a warmth from you that I have never felt in my life, so I wanted to keep you by my side."
Since the beginning of her memory, she was not just a person; she was a tool for her parents to raise and get a dowry for her brother's wife.
She thought she could break free from her family and find happiness, but she met one selfish man after another. She never knew that there could be someone in this world who could be good to another person without any vested interest.
So she became greedy; she wanted him to stay with her forever.
Ni PingSen looked at her, his eyes filled with nothing but sorrow.
Finally, Liu Hui couldn't stand it and stood up. She asked, "Why aren't you angry? Why don't you scold me, call me a vicious woman who should die for having such a malicious thought, wanting to keep you by my side without considering your family's feelings."
Ni PingSen still said nothing.
"Scold me," Liu Hui finally cried out, "I'm a vicious woman who only thinks about herself and never considers others. Scold me like that."
But no matter what she said, Ni PingSen never spoke.
She finally collapsed in despair because she knew, she knew his choice.
"Are you..." Liu Hui looked at him, as if overcoming great difficulty, she finally asked, "Are you not going to keep me anymore?"
This time, Ni PingSen did not remain silent.
He said, "Liu Hui, my daughter has come to pick me up."
"You say you are greedy, perhaps everyone has it. But do you know how old my daughter was when I went missing? She was not even eighteen then, just starting college. Her mother died early, I went missing, and her grandmother was bedridden. Can you imagine how hard my daughter had it?"
She was only eighteen, so when you say you are greedy, have you ever thought about how hard my daughter had it?
My Xingxing, how hard she had it.
Liu Hui opened her mouth, but no words came out. She didn't know what to say that could（cover up her own selfishness）.
She had naively believed that the happiness she stole could last a lifetime.
She covered her eyes, shielding her heart from considering anyone else's happiness but her own, never thinking about the feelings of Ni PingSen's family.
In the end, fate was fair after all.
What she had stolen would have to be returned, and the person who didn't belong to her would have to leave.
Liu Hui looked at Ni PingSen, tears still in her eyes but suddenly laughed again, she said: "I've always been like this, not being vicious enough when I should be. Do you know why I never had a child with you all these years?"
Ni PingSen jolted, looking up at her intently.
Liu Hui cried and laughed at the same time: "It's because I was afraid that one day this would happen, and then not only would I be pitiful, but the child would also become a tragedy. PingSen, my birth was a tragedy, and I didn't want to harm others."
Ni PingSen suddenly felt as if he had never really known Liu Hui.
He had always known her to be shrewd and intelligent, but he had never thought she would deceive him so deeply. Perhaps people always have a way of being blinded by those closest to them.
Now, thinking back, if he had walked into any Chinese embassy, would today's outcome be different?
He thought for a moment and asked: "That year in the hospital when the fire broke out suddenly, you told me it was because the terrorists attacked again, is that true?"
Liu Hui looked at him, instead becoming calm, she said: "Does it matter now?"
She was right; asking this now had lost all significance.
Ni PingSen nodded, looking around the restaurant, a place built from the sweat and effort of him and Liu Hui, from having nothing to what it was now, they had endured so much hardship. He thought the hardships were over and the sweetness had come, but it turned out to be an illusion.
He said: "I will leave this restaurant to you, and all our savings as well. If you feel it's not enough, you can tell me, and I will do my best to make it up to you."
Liu Hui clenched her fists tightly, looking at Ni PingSen, her eyes now even more bloodshot: "Even now, knowing all the truth, you don't blame me and still want to compensate me, right."
For some reason, Liu Hui wished he would scold her harshly, even slap her, anything would be better than him calmly arranging everything now.
If he were angry, she would feel there was still room for change.
But his calmness now was like a death sentence, leaving her no room to struggle.
Ni PingSen finally stood up, looking at Liu Hui calmly and said: "Blaming you, what good would it do? Can it make up for the seven years my family and I have lost? The way Liu Hui and I have struggled through these seven years, I will never forget any day. But your choices have caused too much harm to Xingxing, and I can't tell my daughter to forgive you."
It's better to cut it off now.
In fact, Emma's character is very similar to Ni PingSen's, both have a kind of decisiveness in their bones. Perhaps for others, this situation would be like a tangled mess, falling into a dilemma.
But Ni PingSen chose, and he knew the mutual dependence of the two people in the past few years was real, they had been so hungry that they shared a bowl of rice, wishing to sell blood.
Such difficult days, they had survived.
But now he had to make a choice.
Liu Hui covered her face, she should have known, this man, although gentle and peaceful, was by no means weak. In their most difficult days, it was he who led her through.
Now his determination and decisiveness were used to sever their relationship.
"Well, you're not compensating me, then I want five million. Give me five million, and I'll let you go," Liu Hui wiped the tears from her face.
She looked at him stubbornly, in the end, she just didn't want to let him go.
As long as he couldn't come up with the money, he wouldn't be able to leave, right.
Ni PingSen was not angry because of her outrageous demand, instead, he looked at Liu Hui calmly: "I don't have five million indeed, but if you want money, I will try my best to compensate you."
He did not scold her greed but discussed the compensation with her calmly.
Finally, Liu Hui could no longer stand it, she knew no matter how much she tossed and turned, he would not stay for her, he was leaving, he was really leaving.
This man who had accompanied her for seven years was really going to leave.
"Pingsen, please, please don't leave me," Liu Hui rushed over and hugged him, crying and pleading.
Ni PingSen did not move at first, until a few seconds later, he slowly reached out and removed Liu Hui's hands from his neck, he looked down at Liu Hui and said softly: "Liu Hui, I hope you can find the happiness that truly belongs to you in the future."
After he finished speaking, he paused for a while, then finally said: "Don't be so stubborn."
The last sentence seemed to be filled with worry, which made Liu Hui cry even more.
She shook her head desperately: "I am just like this, if you're not here, I will get into trouble, I will do the wrong things."
Ni PingSen seemed to smile, "It's okay, I believe you can handle everything. You are so smart."
This was the best blessing, and also the last blessing.
Emma sat in the hotel restaurant, with Jason sitting opposite her. Seeing that she didn't pick up the chopsticks, he reached out and placed a shrimp cake in her bowl, "Try this? It tastes good."
Emma glanced to the side, "I'm not hungry."
Upon hearing this, Jason surprisingly used his chopsticks to take the shrimp cake back. Emma blinked; this man was too genuine.
She watched as Jason seemed to want to put the shrimp cake in his own mouth.
Until he looked at Emma, turned the chopsticks, and offered it to her lips, whispering, "Open your mouth."
Then Emma obediently opened her mouth and took a bite.
Indeed, when the aroma of the food filled her taste buds, Emma's eyes widened in surprise, "It's really that delicious."
Especially with the shrimp cake dipped in sweet chili sauce.
Jason lightly lifted his eyelids and looked at her, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth, "Thought I was fooling you?"
"I have high standards for food," he said calmly.
This man always had a calm demeanor, especially now as he sat across from her, wearing a light blue shirt with the top two buttons undone, slightly open.
The ascetic aura about him was diminished, instead exuding a few points of a romantic and lazy look.
Emma had been worried about Ni PingSen, and only now did her attention shift back to Jason, realizing how tempting this man was at the moment.
"Why don't we go out for a walk later?" Jason said.
Emma frowned, worried, "I'm worried about Dad's side, in case he suddenly comes to find me."
"I'll leave Old Sun here, and he has your phone number now, don't worry," Jason, of course, knew what she was worried about; he just wanted to go out for a walk to distract her.
After all, seeing her frown so tightly, Jason felt heartache.
After dinner, Emma was still hesitating, but she was already gently pulled out of the hotel by Jason. Emma was still looking for reasons, saying, "Why don't I go back and change my clothes?"
She was wearing a short-sleeved shirt and denim shorts, very simple.
Even her shoes were just a pair of sneakers.
Jason glanced up and down at her, "Slim waist, long legs, can't be more perfect."
Emma was stunned for a few seconds before she realized that Jason was complimenting her figure. In fact, Jason rarely said such things to her; now, with such a sentence, he simply left her stunned.
"My wife is already the most beautiful girl on this street," Jason said, bending over to kiss the corner of her mouth.
Emma felt like ten thousand fireworks suddenly exploded in her mind.
When this man suddenly started to speak sweet nothings, it was really hard to withstand.
So Emma was coaxed by him and taken out of the door.
In fact, they didn't go far but went to the nearby Jesus Sacred Heart Cathedral, a classic landmark in Ho Chi Minh City, where almost all tourists would come.
Even if it's just to take a photo outside.
After all, such a pink church simply makes people's girlish hearts explode.
Since it wasn't far, Emma didn't want to take a rickshaw, so she simply walked slowly with Jason. When they arrived at the Sacred Heart Cathedral, Emma actually heard many people around her speaking her familiar Chinese.
"Since we're here, take a photo?" Jason glanced around, many young girls were standing in front of the church, having their boyfriends or best friends take photos.
Emma looked at others wearing beautiful dresses, blooming like flowers, and then looked down at her short T and denim shorts, helplessly saying, "Forget it."
"Why don't I take one with you?" Jason looked down at her and said.
When Emma was slightly stunned, Jason had already greeted a girl nearby, "Excuse me, can you take a photo for us?"
Speaking of which, neither of them was the type to like taking photos. The only photo of their life together was the one released when they announced their marriage.
The girl on the side was also a Chinese tourist, and when she heard him say this, she immediately nodded, "Sure, sure."
But when she took Jason's phone, she looked at him a few more times, originally thinking that this man was too handsome, the kind that couldn't be blocked in a crowd.
After looking a few more times, she felt how familiar he was.
After taking several photos for Jason and Emma, a thought flashed in her mind, and after returning the phone to Jason, the young girl hesitated and asked, "Are you Emma?"
She didn't dare to talk to Jason directly, although he had just spoken to her, but this person's aura was too strong, making people feel that they should not easily offend.
Emma didn't expect to be recognized, she smiled and nodded, "Thank you."
The girl who helped didn't expect it to be her, her eyes widened in surprise, Emma said thank you again, and left with Jason.
After they left, the girl pulled her friend who was taking selfies, "Wow, guess who I just met?"
"Who?"
"Jason and Emma, my God, what luck I have, I actually met this couple of immortals."
Now her friend was more excited, she said, "Damn, the last class I came out to play, my teacher played Emma's LIVE in class, saying that although she is not a professional photographer, that photo can attract global attention because she took a photo that showed the word 'survive'."
Unexpectedly, this friend was more excited than the girl who took the photo.
The girl who took the photo looked at her with amusement, "Why are you more excited than me?"
"Of course, she is my idol, I hope to become a reporter like her in the future."
This friend also studied journalism, and said without hesitation.
At this moment, Emma, who had left, didn't know that her one photo had influenced so many people invisibly. She has always been firmly walking her own path, but she didn't know that her path has been seen by so many people.
"Hot?" Jason looked at her slightly red cheeks, Vietnam's weather was quite hot today.
Emma shook her head, but Jason had already directly taken her to the nearby FamilyMart. Emma was suddenly curious, "Jason, do you also shop at FamilyMart?"
"Why wouldn't I?" Jason asked.
Emma blinked because he looked like the kind of person who didn't eat fireworks.
Jason reached out and rubbed her hair, whispering, "Emma, you really think too much."
When he lowered his voice and said Emma, Emma held the cold drink in her hand, but her heart was still pounding strongly, like a drum, as if to penetrate the chest.