For so many years, Xia Yuwen had to take care of herself and adjust herself on her own. Fortunately, after her father, Xia Luobing, was transferred to the Chengdu Military Region, she gained a good friend, Lan Xiaoqing. This provided external help for Xia Yuwen's self-adjustment and helped her transform into a normal person, removing the shadows in her heart regarding men and boys.
Lin Yao could no longer control his emotions. He grabbed Xia Yuwen and put his left hand on her left shoulder, very tightly.
The sudden attack caused Xia Yuwen's tears to fall, like two bright pearls, scattering diagonally onto the pine needles on the ground.
She didn't reject or resist; she quietly rested her head on Lin Yao's shoulder, her long hair tickling his chin and neck, a warm and comforting sensation.
I don't know how much time passed, it felt like a few minutes, it felt like years, Xia Yuwen's voice rang out again, but this time there was no sobbing, and her slightly hoarse tone expressed the girl's inner peace.
"My favorite show is 'Autumn in My Heart'. I've probably watched it a hundred times, maybe even more."
"Ah~~~ I like watching it too!" Lin Yao exclaimed softly, as if worried about startling the girl in his arms.
"Autumn in My Heart" is a Korean drama that was introduced to China when Lin Yao was very young. It ignited the entire TV drama market and was known as a tearjerker.
At the time, Lin Yao was around ten years old and was experiencing hardship in his life. However, he felt great sympathy for the characters in the drama, which gave rise to a stronger desire to become a doctor with the ability to treat terminal illnesses and help the female protagonist, Eun-hee.
“My situation is similar to that of the character in ‘Autumn in My Heart’, but there are also some differences.”
Xia Yuwen leaned gently against Lin Yao, and the two had now turned slightly to face each other. Lin Yao still had one arm around Xia Yuwen, and Xia Yuwen rested her head on Lin Yao's chest, smelling the masculine scent through his thin sweater. She felt very comfortable, without the usual resistance, and only felt very at ease.
"Eun-hee and Shin-ae were also switched at birth, just like me and Vivienne. Then, when they grew up, their parents discovered the mistake and switched their daughters back, just like before."
“I’m luckier than Eun-hee because I returned home when I was five and I didn’t get a terminal illness.” Xia Yuwen’s forehead was a little itchy as she pressed against Lin Yao’s chest and rubbed it slightly from side to side. “I’m also more unfortunate than Eun-hee because Eun-hee has a very caring brother, Jun-hee, and a brother, Han Tae-seok, who likes her. I don’t have any of those things.”
“In the TV series, Eun-hee has a bad older brother, but I don’t. This character appears in Vivienne’s house, and it’s Fei Jun. I hate Fei Jun. Whenever I see him and Fei Xiangde, I feel scared, so I never call them when I go back to my own home.”
“Feiweni is somewhat like Shin-ae from the TV series, only her identity has changed to Eun-hee. She is smart, beautiful, capable and opinionated, but she did not receive my father’s continued love and care.”
Lin Yao understood Xia Yuwen's words and thought to himself that Fei Wenni would certainly not be like in the TV series, receiving the love of her former adoptive parents after being switched at home.
The world isn't as full of warmth as it is on television.
Xia Luobing and Duan Ruolan will definitely avoid meeting Fei Wenni. Although they raised Fei Wenni for five years and treated her as their own daughter, once the truth is discovered, they will instinctively avoid seeing Fei Wenni because of their identity, their status, and their resentment towards the chaotic events.
"As compensation, or as a way of repaying the Fei family for raising me for five years, Fei Jun was given surgery and treatment arranged by my family, which cured the sequelae of polio and he is no longer a disabled person. Fei Xiangde also received my grandfather's care because of this, which allowed him to stay in the army and is now a colonel."
Xia Yuwen's voice turned cold, as if she were telling someone else's story. "So now when I go to the Fei family, if I run into them, I'll be flattered. But I don't like this kind of hypocritical flattery, and I don't want to see it. So I only visit my mother on weekend afternoons, because at that time my mother is almost always home alone."
“Vivienne always thought I ruined her life and took everything away from her, but were those things really that important? If it weren’t for the fact that this is my real home, and the people in my home are my biological father, mother, grandfather, maternal grandfather, and uncle, these things wouldn’t be so necessary for me. Whether I eat well or poorly, I can still survive, right? Why does Vivienne value them so much?”
“Fei Wenni always targeted me. We were in the same school and class in elementary school. In junior high, she also had Fei Xiangde arrange for us to be in the same school. Fei Xiangde was very willing to do all of this.”
Xia Yuwen suddenly raised her head and bumped her head against Lin Yao's chin. The movement was not large and did not hurt Lin Yao. "I am a little different from Enxi. I have good grades, better than Xia Wenni. I am almost always number one."
The girl, still with tears in her eyes, smiled, a beauty that captivated Lin Yao, who stared at her in a daze, speechless.
“Fei Wenni studies very hard, extremely hard. She compares herself to me in every aspect, but she’s never as good as me, so she hates me even more.” Xia Yuwen lowered her head again. She liked Lin Yao’s scent. “That’s why she was like that with me today. Actually, I’m not a petty person.”
Lin Yao understood what the girl in his arms was saying; she was worried that he had misunderstood her.
Thinking to himself, judging from Xia Luobing and Fei Xiangde's situations, the two girls' genes are different, so there will naturally be a gap in intelligence. In addition, Xia Yuwen will definitely study very hard, so her grades will naturally far surpass Fei Wenni's. No wonder the two girls were like oil and water before. Although Xia Yuwen did not show any obvious resistance at the time, Fei Wenni's tone and expression were always provocative.
"I know." Lin Yao felt he should respond to avoid the girl in his arms overthinking things. "Someone who can regularly volunteer at nursing homes is certainly not petty."
Xia Yuwen smiled silently, her lips curving upwards, like a little girl receiving praise from her parents—a feeling she could hardly comprehend.
The two stood there, and Xia Yuwen talked on and on about the past ten years or so. There were stories, trivial bits and pieces of life and study. She talked about the excitement of receiving an award on stage when she was a child, and how she accidentally fell on the ground and scraped her skin during a sports meet, bleeding a lot and sitting on the ground crying.
Xia Yuwen recounted all her proud moments and embarrassing incidents without missing a single one, showing no embarrassment whatsoever.
She had been waiting for this moment for far too long, and had never told anyone about her joys and sorrows. Even when she came home injured, she was still a strong and obedient cat.
At that moment, she felt like she had found her brother, like Yoon Joon-hee from "Autumn in My Heart." The feelings of a young girl, and the long-cherished desire to tell her brother about her studies and life, all made her completely open up and begin to confide in him.
Time passed by, and the sky gradually became less bright. The two stood there in the pine forest. Xia Yuwen was tired, and Lin Yao noticed this and naturally put his hand under her armpit, supporting her weight with a subtle force.
Xia Yuwen said everything that should and shouldn't have been said. The only secret she kept in her heart was her impressions, memories, and fantasies about Lin Yao's two identities.
Xia Yuwen deliberately ignored the marriage arranged by her grandfather, Kang Dikai. She didn't want to mention such things. Even if fate was beyond her control, she didn't want to tell Lin Yao because the warmth she felt at this moment was something she had dreamed of for over a decade, and she couldn't let these things ruin it.
"Although according to their roles, Vivienne Westwood is the one who plays Eun-hee in 'Autumn in My Heart,' I feel that she is Shin-ae, and I am Eun-hee."
Xia Yuwen pouted, feeling indignant that her experience was slightly different from Enxi's. Then, her tone suddenly turned regretful, "Enxi was so pitiful. She died of illness in the end. I wonder if I'll end up like her..."
"Fool, have you forgotten who I am? I'm a miracle doctor!" Lin Yao said with a laugh, a sudden surge of tension rising in his heart, which was quickly suppressed by reason.
If I'm a miracle doctor, what disease am I afraid of?
Still somewhat resistant to Xia Yuwen's words, Lin Yao tightened his grip on her arm.
With a soft moan, Xia Yuwen was completely pulled into Lin Yao's arms, their bodies pressed together more closely than ever before.
A tingling sensation arose simultaneously in both of their hearts. Lin Yao felt a softness, a softness that made his bones tingle. The softness in his chest made his blood boil, and he felt his head go blank, losing control. Only that soft feeling remained.
Xia Yuwen felt a sense of strength; a strong, sturdy chest pressed against her own, making her feel powerless. What embarrassed her most was the sudden hardness in her abdomen—an external hardness pressing against her, making her feel utterly ashamed.
Ah~~~
After an unknown amount of time, when Xia Yuwen finally regained a little strength, she used all her strength to push herself away from Lin Yao's embrace.
"ah!"
Standing for a long time affected Xia Yuwen's blood. At this moment, when she was supporting herself, she lost her balance, her knees buckled, and she slowly fell to the ground. The sudden panic, coupled with intense embarrassment, left this strong girl with only a scream to let out; she couldn't think of anything else.
Lin Yao, being a martial artist, reacted quickly and nimbly, reaching Xia Yuwen's side in half a step and catching her as she was falling. He also realized his own hardness and, embarrassed, stopped holding Xia Yuwen, instead using his arms to support her shoulders to prevent her from falling.
Xia Yuwen tried to stand up, but her legs felt weak, so she let Lin Yao support her shoulders. Recalling how she had been nestled in Lin Yao's arms, she felt very shy and thought to herself that she was too shameless to have snuggled into a man's arms like that. But the feeling was intoxicating, and she was also secretly delighted.