Du Jianghe didn’t say another word, just reached out and firmly grasped Xie Wanning’s wrist. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

That hand had no warmth, but it had astonishing strength.

At this moment, Xie Wanning was still in a daze, her mind blank, with no awareness to refuse. It was as if she was being pulled by an invisible force, and she felt herself being gently "lifted" to the shore.

Her skin touched the non-slip mat on the poolside, warmed by the sun, with a delicate rubber texture, bringing her chaotic thoughts slightly back into focus.

She lowered her head, staring blankly at the hand holding her wrist.

Knuckles distinct, with a thin callus from years of holding a water gun, the palm lines clearly familiar—it was a hand she had caressed countless times, a hand that had once sheltered her from the wind and rain, cooked innumerable hot meals for her, and wiped her tears.

Solid, strong, and so real it made her heart tremble.

How long had it been?

Ever since that night when the bad news came, she had never felt such warmth, such strength.

The emotions that had accumulated for so long could no longer be held back at this moment. Tears instantly welled up in her eyes, swirling around and blurring her vision.

She raised her head, looking at that face she had longed for day and night, her voice trembling with disbelief, both confirming and not daring to believe, she softly called, "Husband..."

"Wan Ning..."

Du Jianghe opened his mouth, a thousand words stuck in his throat, but ultimately only turned into these two words.

Was it to say "Long time no see"?

But in fact, he was always by her side, watching her cry, watching her smile, watching her courageously look after their son, watching her secretly wipe away tears in the dead of night.

He had never left, so why say "long time no see"?

Was it to ask, "Have you been well lately"?

No one understood her well-being more than he did.

She had lost weight, with fatigue she couldn’t hide under her eyes, the fragility beneath her forced smiles, the silent breakdowns in the dead of night—he saw it all and it pained his heart.

That’s also why, after much hesitation, he finally decided to see her once more.

Mr. Shen made a good point, perhaps letting go was the best choice, the greatest mercy.

To let her completely forget him, to start a new life unbound by past sorrows.

But Xie Wanning, who had fallen into depression, couldn’t be treated using normal standards.

If he just quietly vanished, that would be the greatest cruelty to her.

So, in the end, he chose to come back.

Chose to meet Xie Wanning, to open up about some things, to untie the knot in her heart, and then to have a true farewell.

"Husband..."

Hearing Du Jianghe call her name, that familiar voice, familiar tone, instantly shattered all of Xie Wanning’s defenses and facades.

She could no longer hold it together, and suddenly hugged Du Jianghe’s waist tightly, burying her face in his chest, sobbing uncontrollably.

At first, it was suppressed sobs, but gradually, her emotions became completely unrestrained, her crying grew louder, as if she was trying to vent all the grievances, pain, longing, and helplessness of these days through her tears.

She held him tightly, as if letting go would make him disappear like foam.

The commotion drew the attention of others in the pool.

Someone glanced over out of curiosity, some murmured quietly, and a few parents instinctively covered their children’s eyes.

But most people just took a look and then turned away.

It was just a woman crying.

These days, bizarre things happen often, and a woman’s emotional breakdown in public is nothing rare.

Compared to those sensational dramas, this little commotion was quickly drowned out by the children’s laughter, and no one paid any more attention.

Meanwhile, Du Zhiyuan in the pool was playing joyfully around a water slide with some new friends, his face full of smiles, unaware of his mother’s abnormality on the shore.

"Alright, don’t cry anymore, everything will get better..."

Du Jianghe gently patted Xie Wanning’s back, his voice tender, carrying a hint of unnoticeable choke.

He could clearly feel the trembling of the woman in his arms.

At this moment, Xie Wanning’s mind was still a bit fuzzy, overwhelmed by sadness and joy, losing her rationality.

Hearing him say this, it was like finding an outlet for her outburst. She raised her head and fiercely punched his chest twice.

Not a lot of force, it was more like a coquettish complaint, venting the pent-up frustration and annoyance in her heart.

After punching him, she then slightly broke free from Du Jianghe’s embrace, raising her hand to wipe the tears off her face, carefully scrutinizing the person in front of her, tears still in her eyes.

Calm down, her first thought was: did she mistake him for someone else?

There are too many people in the world with similar looks, maybe he was just a stranger who looked identical to Du Jianghe.

After all, he had... been gone for so long.

Her gaze traced his face inch by inch.

The slightly uplifted corners of his lips, those warm eyes, that high nose bridge, even the small light brown mole on the left side of his neck... all identical to the Du Jianghe in her memory, without the slightest difference.

But the more it was like this, the more uneasy and unbelieving she felt.

"Are you really Du Jianghe?" she asked again, her voice tinged with sobs and an unnoticed hint of probing.

"Of course, I am," Du Jianghe gazed at her reddened eyes, his heart aching with sourness, reaching out to wipe the tear stains on her face, his fingertips pausing slightly when touching her skin, then gently brushing over.

"Then... then how did we meet?" Xie Wanning immediately asked.

"We met at university."

Without thinking, Du Jianghe blurted out, "The first public lecture, ’Fundamentals of Marxism’, you sat beside me. Because I was late that morning, rushed to class, and forgot to bring a pen, I borrowed one from you. It was an off-white pen with floral patterns and a small bunny charm on the cap."

He paused, his gaze tender enough to melt: "That pen is still in the third shelf of the bookcase at home, placed together with our university graduation certificates."

Xie Wanning’s tears couldn’t help but fall again.

This was something only the two of them knew.

Even she almost forgot the bunny charm on the pen cap, but he remembered it clearly.

"Alright, alright, let me ask you again."

She sniffed, holding back her sobs, and continued asking, "When was our first date? Where was it?"

"It was the second semester of sophomore year, the second day back after the New Year."

Du Jianghe’s gaze drifted into the distance, as if recalling those beautiful times.

"During the New Year, we chatted online for a long time and got along very well, so the second day after returning to school, I asked you out. We went to the movie theater near school and watched a comedy, then we had a bowl of noodles."

"And..." Du Jianghe’s voice lowered further, "you have a black birthmark on the inside of your thigh, like a small star..."

Upon hearing this, Xie Wanning instinctively glanced down at her swimsuit-clad body, even wearing a swimsuit, it couldn’t reveal that hidden spot.