A dream, after all, is just indulgence. Do you truly understand my confusion? Everything is because of your silence. All the misunderstanding is simply because you’ve never felt my heartache.

Li Jiayuan had already become good friends with Xia Jing long ago. Now, knowing her friend had a car accident, she couldn’t sit there calmly waiting for good news to arrive, especially since so much time had passed without any positive news. She truly feared losing such a good friend.

Lei Kai saw there was no way to persuade his mother to stay; he knew deep down his mother was truly anxious.

How could those people not be anxious? No matter the grievances between adults, as juniors, Xia Jing and Zhang Zhentian were really good to him.

"Kai, you are my biological son. How can you only stand by your father’s side, disregarding your mother’s feelings? I am your mother; it wasn’t easy for me to bring you into this world. Haven’t you considered that?

Even though you’ve seldom been home all these years, and have been busy with your career outside, as a mother, I have always been watching your every move. I cannot understand what sort of mindset makes you feel everything has nothing to do with you; you never considered things from my perspective as your mother.

Xia Jing and Zhang Zhentian’s car accident was important to your father. Is it not important to me as a mother? I truly consider her as my dear sister. Now that such a thing happened to her, how could I stand aside without even offering a word of concern?

If that’s the case, and he wakes up later to find that during her illness I never appeared, nor offered my well wishes, how could I face that? How could I continue being her good sister?"

Li Jiayuan didn’t add another word; her son’s presence was already awkward enough for her. He didn’t know how to persuade his mother, since the situation was already settled. Why not let his mother return to China to see her? Perhaps only then would his mother’s heart truly be at peace.

"Mom, no matter when or where, deep in my heart you will always be my mother; that’s an unchangeable fact. Since you want to return to China to see her, then let me send you back. Initially, we just didn’t want you to become too exhausted by the constant travel, and didn’t want you to suffer daily hardships taking flights. Yet it ended up with misunderstandings. Given that, we think it’s more fitting for you to go back and show your care for them properly.

I don’t know whether to bring my brother with me when we go back."

Lei Kai, despite having been busy with his career all these years, and trying to make a name for himself, wanted to return to China. He wasn’t aiming to become the world’s richest man but wanted to ensure he didn’t lag too far behind Zhang Yichen.

He always wanted to return to China but never found the opportunity. Now that the chance finally came, how could he let it slip by? He felt it was the right time to go back and see the beautiful landscapes; he couldn’t just settle in the United States forever and never set foot elsewhere.

Li Jiayuan felt that having her son accompany her back was a good decision; at least if some situation arises on the way, she would have support. After all, she was getting older, and travel wasn’t entirely safe. Bringing her son along would also give others peace of mind.

"Kai, since you said this, what more can I, as your mother, say? Having you come back with me makes me very happy; I’m glad. I haven’t returned in years and want to show you places where I once lived."

Li Jiayuan thus took her son back to China.

Xiao Wei knew when Li Jiayuan returned to China, it was by the next day.

He hadn’t expected this matter to be discovered so quickly. Having returned only for a short week, now his wife was following him back. Perhaps he was too thoughtless; such a significant matter couldn’t be kept under wraps forever. When it’s time to know the truth, they must be told. Coming back wasn’t necessarily a wrong decision; at least they can witness the current situation firsthand. Only then can their hearts truly connect. If he stayed here alone, while they awaited word from the United States, they’d only suffer from anxious waiting. Such waiting is agonizing.

"Yichen, your aunt and cousin have arrived. I need to go to the airport to pick them up. If anything happens here, contact me right away. I’ll rush back immediately."

Zhang Yichen was truly grateful to his uncle for waiting so long. Over the week, his uncle never left the hospital, hoping his parents would wake up, yet remained disappointed. Now his aunt had come all the way back from the United States, likely to care for his parents. How could he prevent that?

"Uncle, just go to the airport to pick up aunt and cousin with peace of mind. I will take care here. If anything happens, I will notify you immediately. Be careful on your way to the airport; take care."

"Alright, then I’ll be off!"

After Xiao Wei left, Zhang Yichen looked at his parents still in the ICU and couldn’t help but murmur to himself.

"Mom and Dad, why has so many days passed and there’s still no sign of you waking up? Do you know how many people have worried for you these days? Do you know how far uncle ran to return here? He’s waited a whole week for you, yet there’s no sign you’d wake. Now aunt and cousin have returned too, hoping for a pleasant surprise from you showing you’re alright. Please don’t keep sleeping like this; sleeping so long isn’t good for your health..."

Zhang Yichen’s words seemed to fall on deaf ears, as his parents were deep in their dreams, oblivious of the passing days, unaware of the reality that so many worried for them. They returned to their happiest moments in the past, forgetting that many awaited their awakening.

When we fall into an obsessive black hole, clinging stubbornly to our various justifications, though there are many ironic actions within, our love makes us naive, makes us strangers.