Standing Next To You-Chapter 427: Longing

Fei Chuan was stunned.

He had seen her room at night before, and Bei Sangyun always left a lamp on. So why was there no light this time?

"...Bei Sangyun?" His hoarse, weak voice was like a pin drop in the ocean—barely audible, quickly swallowed by the silence.

"Bei Sangyun." He called out louder, his voice cracking. He coughed, struggling to speak.

But there was still no response.

Fei Chuan heard something deeper in the room. As he walked closer, he found the source of the sound: it was the wind.

The balcony door was open, and the curtains were fluttering gently in the breeze, making a soft whooshing sound. Moonlight streamed through the window, illuminating the bed just a few meters away.

It was empty.

Bei Sangyun wasn’t there.

Fei Chuan turned on the lights, filling the room with brightness. He closed the balcony door, not wanting Bei Sangyun to feel cold when she returned.

But as he took another look around, he noticed something strange. Why did the room feel so... empty?

His eyes scanned the space, and then he realized why.

The room was indeed empty.

The bed was neatly made, as if no one had used it for days. There were no signs of Bei Sangyun’s belongings anywhere.

Fei Chuan frowned. Why did it seem like this place hadn’t been touched for days?

He walked out of the room, still leaning on the wall for support. He checked the guest room next to Bei Sangyun’s, but it was empty too. Even the decorations they had put up for Grandma Bei were gone.

Bei Sangyun had said that Grandma Bei would use this room temporarily while she prepared a larger villa for them with more land.

So Fei Chuan had expected Grandma Bei to be staying here even if Bei Sangyun had left for business.

But now, what was going on? Why were Grandma Bei and Bei Sangyun’s things missing?

Fei Chuan’s thoughts spiraled. Had something big happened while he was in a coma? Did the Lin family cause trouble for her and Grandma Bei?

Bei Sangyun had left the Lin family recently, cutting ties with them on her own. They might not have accepted it and could have made things difficult for her, just like the Fei family had done to him.

Fei Chuan was worried. He returned to his room and contacted a few people.

However, they reported that the Lin family hadn’t troubled Bei Sangyun; they were too busy fighting among themselves. The same was true for the Fei family.

But there was one report: Bei Sangyun had visited the Fei family once while he was sick.

Fei Chuan fell into deep thought.

What could have happened?

What could be so serious that Bei Sangyun hadn’t come to the villa, even after hearing the news that he had woken up?

Fei Chuan’s concern grew. He picked up his phone and deliberated whether to call her or not.

After thinking for a long time, he decided to send her a message instead.

...

Bei Sangyun lay on the patio, gazing at the star-filled sky. This was what she loved about the countryside—she could see the stars so clearly.

Over the past few days, the gloom around her had grown thicker. The heavy weight on her heart seemed to increase with each passing day. Her only solace was Maid Ye Zhai’s daily reports that Fei Chuan’s condition was stabilizing.

And finally, today, she heard the news she had been longing for.

Fei Chuan had finally opened his eyes. He had woken up.

After a painful long week, he had managed to overcome the illness.

The gloom that had haunted her for the past week seemed to lift, and for the first time in days, she felt like the world was moving again.

Yet once again, her decision to leave that place and distance herself from Fei Chuan had been proven right.

This realization caused the happiness in her heart to falter slightly.

Still, as long as Fei Chuan was alive and well, she could endure this loneliness. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓

Her phone, lying beside her, suddenly chimed with a notification. She reached for it unconsciously and saw the message.

Bei Sangyun sat up straight, her eyes glued to the screen.

Fei Chuan... had contacted her!

[Mine: ...Is everything okay?]

It was just a few words, but Bei Sangyun’s nose soured, her eyes filled with tears. She could hear his voice through the message—his worried tone, his subtle longing.

Fei Chuan had no idea what she was going through right now, but as Bei Sangyun read his words, filled with concern and love, her heart, which had been burdened over the past week, seemed to find an outlet.

She covered her mouth, trying to stifle her sobs.

"...You fool. You shouldn’t be worrying about me. Worry about yourself."

He must have realized she wasn’t at the villa and jumped to the conclusion that something was wrong, which was why she couldn’t come to him.

Did he wait for her? He must have checked her room.

Bei Sangyun wanted so badly to see Fei Chuan right now. She wanted to hug him, hear his voice, and feel his presence.

But she couldn’t do that right now.

As she stared longingly at his message, another one popped up.

[Mine: I am very sorry for hiding my illness from you. I wanted to tell you in person and explain everything. You must have been worried. I am truly sorry.]

"...I wasn’t just worried, Fei Chuan. I was so scared...." Bei Sangyun whispered.

"Don’t ever hide something like that from me again. But I know you had a good reason. Knowing you, you probably didn’t want to disrupt my reunion with Grandma. You’re always so selfless and considerate. Especially with me."

[Mine: You can call me when you see this. I’ll answer this time. I miss you.]

Bei Sangyun clutched the phone tightly, "...I miss you too... so much...."

She couldn’t bring herself to reply to any of his messages. But she read them over and over again.

It was as if she could hear his voice through the written words, as if she could see his expression. It felt like he was right there with her.