Su Xiaofei had been following the younger version of her and Lu Qingfeng for days now, familiarizing herself with how different their lives were compared to what they had in their recent lifetime. If this young man was telling the truth, she might be able to find out why her husband was reborn twice.
"Calm down. There's nothing to worry about, Mom! You aren't dead yet!" The young man exclaimed, catching Su Xiaofei off guard.
She whipped her head to look at him. She took a good look at him for a long moment.
"What did you just call me?" Su Xiaofei asked in disbelief.
"I don't believe that you've truly forgotten about me, Mom." The young handsome man smiled at her as he stood a couple of feet away from her.
"You…"
So she wasn't just overthinking things. Su Xiaofei thought. She really did know who this young man was, but who could he possibly be?
Wait. He called her mom. It only registered to her what he meant by that.
As she looked at him in disbelief, she couldn't stop the tears spilling from her eyes.
"It's you." She said in a broken voice. Tears well up in her eyes.Su Xiaofei reached out to him, but the young man stepped back. She insisted on reaching him, cupping the sides of his face as she gave him a good look. He was that child she'd lost in her previous life, but why did he resemble Lu Qingfeng more than Mo Yuchen, whom she was married to in her previous life?
The young man gave her a weak smile and Su Xiaofei pulled him into a tight hug and wept. This was the son, the child she had lost a long time ago. Having him here in her arms felt like she had found the missing puzzle piece to complete her life.
"Look at you." She laughed with teary eyes. "My child is so handsome, but why are you here if I'm not dead yet?"
"It's alright, Mom. When a person experiences rebirth and reincarnation, their memories from their previous life are usually wiped away to allow new ones to accumulate. However, certain circumstances such as death and painful experiences could leave a mar on one's soul. My death is the reason for your rebirth."
Su Xiaofei pulled away and looked at her son confusedly. Didn't she experience rebirth because of Lu Qingfeng?
"I don't understand…"
"Just like Lu Qingfeng, you've experienced two rebirths, Mom. The only difference is that he retained the memories of your original timeline during both rebirths, but you didn't. You're the reason for Lu Qingfeng's existence, that's true, but the reason for your rebirth is because you couldn't let me go."
Su Xiaofei opened her mouth to say something, but the memory around them suddenly changed. The mother and son witnessed how the young Su Xiaofei was beaten harshly by her adopted father, Su Haoran.
"Bastard." Su Xiaofei hissed, but immediately regretted it once she remembered that her son was standing next to her.
"This is the Su Xiaofei that Lu Qingfeng loves and adores, Mom. Although your meeting in the next lifetimes were different, the thread of fate would always bring you together." The young man replied.
The next scene showed them the young Su Xiaofei meeting the young Lu Qingfeng under the tree again. This time, Lu Qingfeng was seated on a wheelchair and was coughing. He looked really sick and pale, which made Su Xiaofei worry about his condition.
She'd never thought that her husband was a sickly child in their original timeline. Was this the reason why her husband imposed a strict health routine on himself?
"He hit you again, didn't he? Damn him. One of these days, I'll smack the hell out of your father." The young Lu Qingfeng frowned as he took in the girl's swollen face and bruised arms. "I told you to run away from him and stay with me instead. Why won't you consider it?"
"And then what? Allow my father to cause a scene and demand money from your family? No way! He's already accepting that I'm not asking you for money or anything. It will be bad if I move in with you." The young Su Xiaofei huffed, taking a seat by the root of the great tree.
"I can't wait to grow up. Once I turn eighteen, I can live on my own." The younger girl said. "It would be nice to see the metropolitan city and see the brightest stars in person."
The young Lu Qingfeng chuckled and wheeled his wheelchair near her.
"You still want to become an actress? They won't hire someone who walks like a yeti like you." He teased her, earning a pout from the young girl, who lightly slapped his arm in response.
"Who are you calling a yeti? Just wait and see! When I become a popular actress, you'll beg me to sign your butt!"
Su Xiaofei couldn't stop the smile spreading on her lips as she watched her younger self and Lu Qingfeng interact. It seemed to her that no matter what lifetime they were in, some things remained the same between them.
"Cities are huge places. Are you sure you want to live on your own when you grow up?" Young Lu Qingfeng asked her.
"Of course not. You'll be my Money Boss, right? You'll help me to settle down in a new place and get me my first gig." The girl beamed a smile at him.
"Sure, sure. Allow me to recover fully first and make a lot of money. However, you have to promise that you won't hug another thigh other than mine." Lu Qingfeng grinned.
It was only then did Su Xiaofei notice that she was younger than Lu Qingfeng in this lifetime. However, regardless of the lifetime she and Lu Qingfeng were in, she had always relied on him the most.magic
Seeing how deep her bond with her husband was, Su Xiaofei couldn't help but feel guilty for subjecting Lu Qingfeng to all those heartaches and hardships.