Free Web NovelChapter 397: Chapter 395: Secret
With the matter settled, everyone’s minds were at ease. They chatted for a few more moments before heading out.
After lunch, Dingzi went with Marina to the bank.
Gu’er, Li Zhi, and Sun Jiaming went to the mall. There were quite a few things they still needed to sort out.
That evening, Gu’er lay on Sun Jiaming’s chest, lost in thought. She could sense something was off with him, as if he had something weighing on his mind.
’Sun Jiaming always tells me everything. When did he start keeping things to himself?’
Gu’er searched her memory. ’They had been fine when they returned home. It must have started this morning. Yes, that was it. This morning, Li Zhi had commented on how amazing I was, saying I was like a prophet. That’s when Sun Jiaming started acting strange.’
’That time, I asked Sun Jiaming to find out which factory Liu Yuan worked at, then I used a dream as an excuse to have them inspect it.’
’I was the one who told them to stockpile goods. I bought the insurance in advance. I was so confident the goods would sell... If anyone with a sharp mind thought about it, they’d definitely have their doubts. And Sun Jiaming is my husband; we sleep in the same bed every night. If I just let him keep wondering, that seed of doubt would take root in his heart, and that would be a disaster.’
’But should I tell Sun Jiaming?’
Gu’er couldn’t predict the consequences of telling him.
’But if I don’t tell him... Our life together has just begun. A lifetime is a long time. If I let his suspicion fester, could we ever have a happy life together?’
A fierce battle raged in Gu’er’s mind.
"Gu’er."
Sun Jiaming’s voice cut through the darkness, deep and magnetic.
"Ah."
Gu’er’s head snapped up. She had been so lost in her inner conflict that his voice made her jump.
"Don’t be scared. It’s okay. I know you have things you don’t want to talk about. If you really don’t want to tell me, I won’t ask. All that matters to me is knowing that you love me."
Sun Jiaming had been about to ask, but her reaction made his heart ache. He could feel her panic. He didn’t want her to be like a frightened little bird; he just wanted her to live a peaceful, stable life with him.
Sun Jiaming’s words made Gu’er’s heart clench. He clearly had his doubts, yet he was still being so considerate. ’If our roles were reversed,’ she thought, ’and the person I loved was hiding things from me, I wouldn’t feel good about it either.’
"Jia Ming... if I told you something... would you, would you think I was talking nonsense?"
Gu’er wanted to tell Sun Jiaming, even though she was terrified.
"Of course not, Gu’er. Everyone has their own unique experiences. Just because someone else hasn’t gone through something doesn’t mean it’s nonsense—it just means they haven’t encountered it. The fact that you’re willing to tell me means you trust me, and I couldn’t be happier. No matter what it is, I want to hear it. I want to share this burden with you."
Sun Jiaming held Gu’er close. He knew she was about to share her secret with him.
"Jia Ming, do you remember where we first met?"
Gu’er lay on Sun Jiaming’s chest, asking her question in the darkness. It was only in the dark that she could do this. If it were daytime, if she had to face him, she probably wouldn’t have been able to get the words out.
"The first time we met?"
Sun Jiaming thought for a long moment before answering. "I think it was not long after you came to the village. I heard that Zhou Mazi had married a woman who already had a child, so I ran over with a few other boys our age to gawk. You seemed so small and thin back then, really pitiful. It was a long time ago. I don’t remember it very well."
Gu’er was a little speechless. ’So he saw me that long ago?’ she thought. She really didn’t remember it at all.
"I’m not talking about when we were kids. Do you remember that time I ran into you at Zhang Da’s house?"
There were many things from the past that Gu’er didn’t remember, but she remembered everything involving Sun Jiaming since her rebirth.
"I remember. I thought you were a very brave girl, daring to fight with Zhang Da like that. Everyone in the village said you were timid and didn’t even dare to talk to people, so I thought it was strange. Later, as I got to know you, I realized everyone in the village had gotten you completely wrong. You’re not timid at all."
Sun Jiaming nodded. It was because he had helped Gu’er that day that they started interacting more.
Gu’er fell silent. The villagers hadn’t been wrong. The original Gu’er really had been timid and weak. It was just that she refused to accept the fate of her past life and had forced herself to change.
"The reason I was on the road by Zhang Da’s house that day was because I’d gone up the mountain the day before, gotten caught in the rain, and fallen ill."
Gu’er said softly, gathering her thoughts for what she was about to say next.
Sun Jiaming frowned slightly, thinking hard. It did seem to have rained the day before he ran into Gu’er, and quite heavily at that. He hadn’t known she was sick, but he did know she had gone up the mountain, so he didn’t doubt her words.
"That night, I came down with a high fever. I was completely delirious. I don’t know how, but I had a dream... a very long dream. In it, it was like I lived an entire lifetime, but also not. I can’t really explain it. Anyway, I dreamed about a lot of people and a lot of things."
’It’s better to explain it as a dream,’ Gu’er thought. ’I can’t tell Sun Jiaming that I was reborn.’
"Oh? What did you dream about?"
Sun Jiaming wasn’t sure what to believe.
"I dreamed that he... Zhou Mazi... was going to marry me off to Zhang Da. He took a few dozen yuan from him and just sold me. Then Zhang Da beat me and cursed me... My life was miserable."
Gu’er’s voice was heavy. Sun Jiaming held her tighter. "Silly girl," he said. "They say you dream at night what you think about by day. It’s because Zhou Mazi was trying to marry you off back then, and Zhang Da had just made his offer. You were terrified, so of course you had a dream like that."
"You’re probably right. I really was terrified back then. As soon as I woke up, I rushed to find a way to make money. I figured if I could earn my own keep, he wouldn’t sell me off for just a few dozen yuan."
Gu’er didn’t argue. It was better for Sun Jiaming to think that way.
Sun Jiaming nodded. Now he understood why Gu’er had worked so desperately to make money back then. It was because she was afraid of being married off to Zhang Da.
"What else did you dream about? Did you dream about me?"
Sun Jiaming asked Gu’er.
"I did. But I didn’t know you then. In my dream, I remember hearing people say that you married Zhou Mei."
Gu’er didn’t hide it. In her past life, she hadn’t had much of an impression of Sun Jiaming.
The hand stroking Gu’er’s hair paused. She said he married Zhou Mei in her dream. ’Could that be possible?’ Sun Jiaming wondered. It seemed unlikely; he had never liked Zhou Mei. But... if he had never met Gu’er, and if his mother had insisted he marry Zhou Mei while his heart was empty... perhaps he would have agreed, just to not break his mother’s heart. It was hard to say.
"So... were we happy?"
Sun Jiaming asked, wanting to know what kind of person he was in Gu’er’s dream.
"Not very. I think I heard someone say that one of Zhou Mei’s cousins—the son of her father’s older brother—came back later. He seemed to be doing quite well for himself, and Zhou Mei caused a lot of trouble for you over it. But I don’t know the details clearly. I just overheard it in the dream; I didn’t see it myself. I have no idea what happened after that."
Gu’er was telling the truth, but she left out the part where Zhou Mei had cheated on him.
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