Ni Jingxi dressed very simply today, in a T-shirt and shorts. Her long hair was probably tied up in a bun because it was too hot here, which made her look much younger.
She was only twenty-six years old, but at first glance, she looked like a young girl in her early twenties.
I reckon he hasn't graduated from university yet, he's probably in his junior or senior year at most.
“I’m twenty-six this year.” Ni Jingxi glanced at Huo Shenyan, a faint smile playing on her lips, because Huo Shenyan’s expression was somewhat helpless.
Because Ni Pingsen's tone completely conveyed the feeling that you're so young and you've already been scammed.
Even Huo Shenyan couldn't help but touch the tip of his nose. Although his father-in-law didn't even remember his own daughter, the tone he used when he heard that Ni Jingxi was married was exactly like that of a father-in-law.
He, who had tricked someone's precious daughter away, was naturally a little guilty.
Ni Pingsen was clearly shocked by Ni Jingxi's age; he genuinely thought she was only in her early twenties. So he asked again, "And me? How old am I this year?"
Ni Jingxi glanced at Liu Hui. This woman was far too young; she looked no more than thirty-five years old.
So she said, "Fifty, you are exactly fifty years old this year."
Ni Pingsen seemed completely shocked by his age. He had always thought he was only in his early forties because he looked much younger than his age, both in appearance and physique.
Upon hearing the number fifty, Ni Pingsen was somewhat speechless.
Even after they got into the car, Ni Pingsen still looked preoccupied.
This time, it was Lao Sun who drove them back to the hotel.
“Go upstairs and talk to Dad.” Huo Shenyan handed the access card to Ni Jingxi and patted her on the shoulder.
Ni Jingxi took the room key and nodded.
Huo Shenyan did not go upstairs with them, but instead left the father and daughter alone.
Once inside the room, Ni Jingxi poured a glass of water for Ni Pingsen. He held the glass, looked at Ni Jingxi, and hesitated for a moment before saying, "Your mother..."
Ni Jingxi looked at him and suddenly felt a little sad. She turned her head away from his eyes and said in a slightly hoarse voice, "She passed away when I was ten years old. Before that, you were always single."
Ni Pingsen suddenly had an indescribable feeling. It wasn't exactly relief, but deep down he really felt that he hadn't let the two women down.
After all, if he still has a wife, it would be too unfair to both his wife and Liu Hui.
But seeing Ni Jingxi's distressed expression, he also felt a kind of indescribable emotion.
Ever since they recognized each other, he has been in a state of emotional turmoil.
“Your mother…” Ni Pingsen began to ask about their past, but suddenly Ni Jingxi stood up.
She said, "Please wait for me."
She then turned and went into the room next door, where she quickly took out a lot of letters and notebooks. She placed them all on the coffee table in front of Ni Pingsen.
“Some of these are my mother’s diaries, and some are letters you wrote to her. Please read these first, and then I will tell you what kind of person Gu Mingzhu is.”
Ni Pingsen looked down at the many letters and notebooks in front of him.
When he opened the notebook by year, he was immediately drawn to the delicate handwriting. The person who could write such beautiful characters must be an outstanding individual.
Then he began to look through them, and found that all the notebooks were made by the same person.
Although it was a personal diary, Ni Pingsen felt as if he were witnessing a woman's entire life. In college, she met a handsome young man in white who, despite his humble origins, was upright and outstanding.
They experienced those youthful years together until they got married.
Soon they had a lovely daughter, whom he nicknamed Xingxing (Star), because his wife was Mingzhu (Pearl) and his daughter was Xingxing.
Equally precious, equally deserving of his affection.
If only her notebooks could always record happiness, but unfortunately, in the last few volumes, her handwriting not only became weaker and weaker, but eventually it became illegible.
She couldn't even hold a pen anymore.
The notes stopped at the last page, and after the last note, there was a line of black text.
"My wife Mingzhu, I will be with you for life."
Written by: Ni Pingsen
This is a sentence he wrote.
When Ni Pingsen opened the letters with trembling hands, he discovered that they were written after Gu Mingzhu's death. He would write a letter every year on the anniversary of her birth and death.
Every stroke of his pen was clearly describing his life with Jingxi and his mother-in-law, yet his longing was palpable between the lines.
Even if it's just about eating something delicious, he'll want to share it with her.
She's gone, yet she's always been here.
Because as long as he still thinks of her and misses her, Gu Mingzhu will always live in his heart.
Finally, when Ni Pingsen finished reading the last letter, the man who had been holding back his tears finally broke down. He looked up at Ni Jingxi as if seeking help and asked, "I love her very much, don't I?"
I must love her very much.
When he saw these letters, he seemed to be able to immediately feel the feelings of the person who wrote them.
Because that's how he felt.
But the person he loved so much, he forgot.
Finally, Ni Pingsen covered the letter to his chest and cried.
He forgot his pearl.
Author's Note: Waaaaaah, how could you forget Mingzhu?
Chapter 64
The oppressive atmosphere in the room made Ni Jingxi's heart ache. Perhaps after experiencing so much, her eyes were red, but she didn't shed a tear.
She slowly walked to Ni Pingsen's side, placed her hand on his knee, and whispered, "Dad."
Ni Pingsen had now regained control of his emotions. He looked at Ni Jingxi and asked in a low, hoarse voice, "Are you Xingxing?"
This sentence is so ordinary.
In just a few seconds, Ni Jingxi's eyes, which had been red, suddenly welled up with tears. She turned her head away, not wanting Ni Pingsen to see her crying.
She tried to open her eyes wide, not wanting the tears to fall.
Until she reached up and covered her eyes, her palms became wet almost instantly.
She didn't want to appear so vulnerable. She had already been through so much before, and she should be stronger. At least if she didn't cry, perhaps Ni Pingsen wouldn't feel so guilty.
But she still couldn't resist.
Whether she was eighteen or twenty-six now, in front of Ni Pingsen, she will always be that slightly stubborn but protective little girl.
Over the years, she has packaged herself as an impenetrable, steel-like figure, as if no one could hurt her.
She didn't need protection; even when she was initially by Huo Shenyan's side, she always appeared so strong.
But when I saw Ni Pingsen, it was different.
Because he was her father, the one who brought her into this world and always protected her from the storms of life. After Gu Mingzhu passed away, Ni Pingsen practically raised her single-handedly, acting as both father and mother.
She used to be so, so dependent on him.
"Don't cry, I'm sorry, it's...it's Dad who's sorry," Ni Pingsen said guiltily.
For so many years, no one has taken care of her. How has she managed to get by on her own? Ni Pingsen feels sad just thinking about it.
Ni Jingxi shook her head, pursed her lips slightly, thought for a moment, and then asked, "How did you end up here from Israel?"
Vietnam and Israel are separated by almost half of Asia, no wonder Huo Shenyan couldn't find him no matter how many countries in the Middle East he sent people to. In the past few years, Huo Shenyan has spent a lot of manpower and resources just to find him, which once made Ni Jingxi feel desperate.
If we still can't find it using such a needle-in-a-haystack method, then the result won't be very good.
I never expected that I would find him in a place so close to China.
Ni Pingsen paused for a moment before slowly saying, "I was rescued from terrorists by Kurdish forces. At that time, Liu Hui..."
He paused for a moment, seemingly unsure how to explain Liu Hui's identity, though it was actually quite simple.
He just didn't know how to bring it up with Ni Jingxi at this time.
Ni Jingxi tacitly refrained from asking, instead saying, "Did you lose your memory when you were rescued?"
Ni Pingsen nodded.
His earliest memory was in a dilapidated little hospital, where Liu Hui was already by his side, taking care of him.
Liu Hui told him that they had been captured by terrorists together and had been imprisoned for a long time.
Unexpectedly, a few months later, the Kurdish forces defeated these terrorists, not only occupying their territory but also rescuing many captured foreign hostages.
Ni Pingsen was seriously injured at the time, with almost all of his body covered in external wounds. He had been subjected to torture during his captivity.
It was almost on its last legs.
Upon hearing this, Ni Jingxi couldn't help but ask, "Why didn't you contact the Chinese embassy at the time?"
At that time, the embassy was still looking for him and even offered a reward, promising a considerable sum of money to anyone who could provide clues about him.
If he had been able to contact the embassy immediately, even if he had disappeared and couldn't remember his name or identity, the embassy would have sent him back to Shanghai to be with his family.
Ni Jingxi's words plunged Ni Pingsen into silence.
Why not go to the Chinese embassy? Because Liu Hui told him that she was his family. Since his family was already by his side, why did he need to look for any more family?
He didn't remember anything from when he was in the hospital, except for Liu Hui, so he never doubted what she said.
Even before today, he had never doubted it.
Seeing his silence, Ni Jingxi had already guessed some of the problems. Over the years, whenever he managed to get help at any Chinese embassy in any country, his identity would be quickly confirmed.
But he didn't, not because he didn't want to, but because someone around him had lied to him.
"Have you never asked the embassy for help?" Ni Jingxi asked softly.
Ni Pingsen covered his face with his hand, letting out a long sigh of relief—or rather, a sigh of relief. Back when they were in the hospital, the Kurds had planned to contact the Chinese embassy on their behalf.
However, the hospital caught fire that day, and Ni Pingsen was practically dragged out of the hospital by Liu Hui.
She said that terrorists had attacked again and she wanted to take him away.