Standing Next To You-Chapter 338: Shadows of the Past, Light of the Present

The rising temperatures melted the lingering chill left by winter. Flowers and trees were blooming, bringing life and color to the world.

Bei Sangyun was wearing a light purple dress and came downstairs in high spirits. The weather was pleasant, she had slept well, eaten well, and dressed well. She bid goodbye to Maid Ye Zhai with a smile. Driver Chen was waiting for her in front of the car.

Just as she was about to enter the car, a voice sounded behind her.

"My dear sister, where are you going so early in the morning?"

Bei Sangyun’s smile faded. She turned around to see Lin Fei. "What are you doing so early in the morning in front of someone else’s branch?"

Lin Fei leaned against the car. "Someone doesn’t want me to enter their house, so I waited here instead."

"Then you should get the message that I don’t want to see you. Get lost." Bei Sangyun turned around and entered the car. She was about to close the door, but Lin Fei stopped it.

"My dear sister, are you sure it’s a good time for you to leave? You just made Grandfather angry. The weather is nice. If you visit Grandfather right now and explain your actions from yesterday, he might forgive you." Lin Fei kindly extended his advice.

But Bei Sangyun was unbothered. "If he’s so angry, he can kick me out."

Lin Fei looked her in the eyes and observed her closely "...You’re really not kidding. I’m not sure if you’ve become a fearless idiot or if you have something to be confident about. What happened to you while I was gone?"

Bei Sangyun narrowed her eyes. "It’s none of your business. And I clearly told you not to visit me again."

Lin Fei opened the door wider and entered the car, clearly to annoy her. "I don’t remember agreeing."

Bei Sangyun’s face turned cold. "What are you doing?"

"Give me a ride," Lin Fei replied, leaning back comfortably in the seat.

"Get out."

"I just helped you cover for Lin Zhe, and I got into trouble because of it. You should be grateful. Just be thankful that all I’m asking for is a ride." He even closed his eyes, showing no intention of leaving.

"Don’t blame me for that. It’s your branch’s fault that you had to compensate him."

"But Lin Zhe pressured us because of you," Lin Fei retorted.

Bei Sangyun stared at him coldly. Lin Fei had the thickest skin among the people Bei Sangyun had met in both lifetimes. He was even trickier to deal with than Lin Zhe. If he wanted to stay, he would stay until he changed his mind.

Bei Sangyun sighed and finally relented. "Where are we dropping you off?"

.....

Bei Sangyun dropped off Lin Zhe along the way.

The car left, and a few seconds later, another car stopped in front of Lin Zhe.

The car’s window rolled down, revealing his butler’s face.

Lin Zhe immediately hopped in. "Follow them."

The butler had an ugly expression but still followed the car. He couldn’t help but comment, "Do you really have to be so perverse and follow her?"

"Hey, you’re saying what you’re thinking." Lin Fei kindly reminded him.

"Ah." The butler shut his mouth, realizing he had spoken out loud.

Lin Zhe leaned back in the seat. "I’m just curious. What could she have that gave her the confidence to suddenly break all ties?"

Lin Zhe read the report from his spy within the third branch. According to the spy, Lin Ginxian had a fight with his daughter, screaming loudly about kicking out Bei Sangyun and banning her from the country. It seemed the father-daughter duo had finally turned against each other.

The other branches might not even have to lift a finger; the third branch would crumble on its own.

And with how Bei Sangyun was acting, it seemed as if she was prepared to leave the Lin family. That girl had worked hard for a long time and endured all kinds of torment just to stay in the family, but now she had changed in an instant.

It was as if the Lin family no longer concerned her.

And there was that mysterious connection she had with the fourth branch.

Lin Fei looked out the window and smiled. "My little toy is getting more interesting and more mysterious."

He liked the new Bei Sangyun but also disliked the changes at the same time. It felt like she was slipping out of his grasp and might completely leave the family- leaving him behind.

The car that Lin Fei was following stopped in front of a mall.

He watched as Bei Sangyun got out and entered the building. Lin Fei instructed his butler to follow her.

After a while, his butler sent him some pictures. They showed Bei Sangyun meeting a boy. They walked side by side, went to the cinema, bought tickets and popcorn, and entered the theater.

The butler sent him a message: [Should I follow them into the cinema as well?]

Lin Fei: "...."

So she’s taking such a huge risk just for a date?

Lin Fei replied: [No need.]

Lin Fei zoomed in on the photos. In them, the usually cold and aloof cousin of his had a beautiful smile on her face. She looked so lively, as if it was normal for her to smile and laugh.

"...So you can smile like this, huh?"

He had known Bei Sangyun for almost ten years, but he had never seen her laugh. The only genuine smile he had seen from her was when he had sneaked her a piece of fried chicken he bought from a fast food place. That was the first and the last time.

He had brought her the same food from different fast food chains just to see that smile again. But she never showed them. As if she had forgotten how to smile.

So this boy can make her happy, huh?

Was she planning to become a member of the Fei family through him?

"Tsk. No matter if he is favored or not, all men from families like ours are scumbags." Lin Fei put down his phone and decided to meet this Fei Chuan personally.

*****

Bei Sangyun secretly yawned. The movie was so boring.

It was about a mentally impaired comrade who was bullied into confessing to a crime he didn’t commit and received a death sentence. His inmates brought his small, smart daughter inside the prison to spend time with him before the execution.

The people around her were crying and getting emotional. Bei Sangyun stared at the screen while wiping away her tears from yawning. What were they crying about?

It’s not like the person who was going to die was their father.

She really couldn’t understand why these people cry harder than the actors.

Suddenly, she heard a sniffle beside her. Bei Sangyun glanced at Fei Chuan and was shocked to see him wiping his tears.

"Are you crying?" she asked incredulously.

Fei Chuan wiped the tears that had come out suddenly. "...I am not." His voice was hoarse and his eyes were red.

Bei Sangyun stared at him, still shocked.

She had known Fei Chuan since childhood. As a child, she had known him as aloof and prideful. In high school, he was silent and taciturn. As an adult, he was shameless and intimidating. She had seen different sides of him but never this one.

She never expected that Fei Chuan had a sympathetic side.

Fei Chuan felt her stare. He coughed embarrassedly. "...I’m really not crying because of the scene or the story. It’s just that...parting through death reminds me of the dreams I used to have."

Bei Sangyun suddenly grew curious. "What dreams?"

Fei Chuan lowered his eyes. "...The grave and the grieving man."

The smile on Bei Sangyun’s face froze.

"...I don’t dream about it anymore. But that was the first time I felt ’grief.’ To be suddenly apart from someone precious to you, to never see them again or talk to them, I realized how painful it can be. This movie reminds me of that."

Bei Sangyun went silent. She remembered the script that Fei Chuan had written for their project before. She found it too much of a coincidence and suspected that Fei Chuan might have remembered the past.

She thought that the Fei Chuan who had accompanied her in that lonely grave for decades might still exist within him. That all those painful memories were still with him.

Bei Sangyun tried to smile. "...Aside from that dream, did you dream of other things?"

"Other things?"

Fei Chuan suddenly remembered that particular steamy dream. His ears turned red.

"N-nothing else."

Bei Sangyun nodded, quite relieved in her heart.

Her existence had only brought grief and deep regrets to the previous Fei Chuan. She did not want him to remember those painful moments.

It was enough that she was the only one who carried those memories. She would carry them and serve as a reminder of how grateful she should be in this new life.

Bei Sangyun suddenly held Fei Chuan’s hand. "Let’s make a lot of good memories then. We don’t know when we are going to be apart, so we should savor each moment."

Fei Chuan looked at their intertwined hands, and his heart fluttered. He couldn’t help but smile. Fortunately, it was dark in the cinema, and Bei Sangyun could not see his unrestrained smile.

Bei Sangyun had truly become romantic ever since they became a couple. But he didn’t dislike it.

"Mhmm."

He was really glad that he chose to be brave for once and not leave any regrets.

****

A/N: The movie mentioned above is Miracle in Cell No. 7. It is heartwarming and wholesome—one of the best movies out there. Although, you might cry a river, haha.