The Tender Beauty is Sweetly Doted in the 20th Century Novel!-Chapter 278 - 276: Thank You for Loving Someone Like Me All This Time
Cheng Yuan has died.
Died in a place no one expected.
In the most brutal way.
Everyone was shocked and saddened upon receiving the news.
Ye Manman and He Chen rushed to the Cheng Family immediately to help Mrs. Cheng arrange Cheng Yuan’s funeral, Jiang Yuan and Liu Jitong also caught the earliest train to get there.
Lin Zhishu looked utterly disheveled, appearing to have aged decades overnight.
As Mrs. Cheng prepared Cheng Yuan’s remains, he placed a freshly cleaned, almost brand new cat’s eye necklace around her neck.
Even though her neck was already marked with many dark bruises and a terrifyingly large wound, her face remained as beautiful as ever, even bearing a slight smile; the necklace looked breathtaking on her.
He should have put it on her back then, instead of listening to her excuses and giving up after a few dismissive words.
The necklace truly suited her.
Before the funeral, Xia Yu’an took out a letter Cheng Yuan had written in advance.
She never expected that the Cheng Yuan who held her in a heart-to-heart conversation yesterday would now lie cold and stiff in a coffin today.
First, the initial letter was addressed to Mrs. Cheng.
With trembling hands, Mrs. Cheng tore it open swiftly, and upon reading just one line, her tears, which should have long dried, flowed once more.
"Mom, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you, I just didn’t want to see you becoming more frail day by day tending to me, I wasn’t a dutiful child, nor did I obey when the time came to marry, not because I didn’t want to listen to you, but because I simply couldn’t.
I know I might never get married, so I worked desperately to earn money; the money isn’t meant for my treatment, but for you.
Mom, I love you, I love you so much, I wish I could be with you forever.
But I can’t anymore, so I can only leave you the money, I hope you won’t blame me.
I have no regrets in my life, truly, thank you for raising me for over 20 years. If there is a next life, I still want to be your daughter."
Cheng Yuan’s handwriting was crooked and nearly illegible, but it was evident that she tried very hard to control her strength to make the writing look better.
Mrs. Cheng broke down, weeping aloud, clinging to the coffin and calling out Cheng Yuan’s name repeatedly, her voice filled with sorrow and anguish.
The second letter was for Ye Manman.
Even though they no longer frequently spent time together as before, their relationship never waned.
This was a letter of gratitude.
"Manman, thank you! Thank you for pulling me out when I was at my most helpless and taking me away from that small town. Meeting you was the best decision of my life.
But I’m sorry, I’m still so timid, I never learned the courage you taught me, nor how to live freely, and I never became the person you hoped to see.
However, I’m already very content, I’ve worked hard and become someone I never dared dream of being. I owe everything I have now to you, you’re my good friend and also my benefactor. Manman, thank you so much, I hope you and He Chen always find happiness!"
Ye Manman was now a renowned national diplomat, often appearing on television, becoming sterner and more serious.
But reading this heartfelt farewell letter, her eyes reddened, and she rushed into He Chen’s arms.
Warm tears soaked through his clothes; He Chen felt an intense heaviness in his heart, his lips pressed tightly together, his gaze heavy upon the girl who seemed peacefully sleeping in the coffin.
The days of her and Ye Manman studying at the store together seemed only yesterday, yet today, they were separated by death.
He held his daughter tightly as she wept silently, her body trembling uncontrollably.
"If you want to cry, just let it out."
His words were like a trigger that instantly unleashed all of Ye Manman’s suppressed tears; she could no longer hold back and wept loudly in his arms.
The third letter was for Jiang Yuan.
Among the three sisters, only Jiang Yuan stayed in the small town and didn’t come to develop in Jing City.
But she was doing well; perhaps not wealthy, but secure enough for a lifetime.
Opening the letter, the first line had a cute smiley face drawn on it.
"Jiang Yuan, I miss our days together in the town so much, back then I was very shy, and you were carefree, finding new ways every day to make me laugh. Really, before meeting you, I hadn’t truly been happy for a long time, you’ve always been my joy.
Those playful days with you all were the happiest times of my life, I really miss those carefree days, my only worry being whether I could pass the college entrance exams.
I don’t know how you’ve been in the town these years; I’ve been so busy, seldom having time to call you for a good chat, nor going back during holidays to share my heart, feeling truly guilty. I hope you don’t blame me.
I hope you can always be happy, just like before, being a joyful person without worries, living a happy life with Liu Jitong. Thank you, for being with me during the toughest times, my best friend."
The letter was a bit incoherent in places, and the handwriting increasingly crooked, clearly hard to read, with even a line mistakenly written.
But because of this, Jiang Yuan could better empathize with Cheng Yuan’s suffering at the time.
She covered her mouth, unable to help but squat down in pain.
Cheng Yuan must have been in so much pain.
She wrote so beautifully, meticulously, never letting her handwriting look like this.
Liu Jitong squatted next to her, wrapping her shoulders and letting her lean against him to cry.
For a moment, the crying in the room grew louder, the air thick with an almost suffocating tension.
The last letter was to Lin Zhishu.
Lin Zhishu stood by the coffin, gazing at Cheng Yuan’s pale, smiling face, opening the envelope with trembling hands.
"Lin Zhishu, I still can’t truly see you as a brother, I hope you don’t blame me.
This illness is incurable, both you and I know it, that’s why I made this choice. I hope you can understand?
However, I don’t want you to be sad because of me. You’ve already lost Yiyi to this illness, now I’ve also left because of it. You might not be able to bear the blow, perhaps even give up tackling this problem, but I still prefer the determined look you have when pursuing your goals, it’s really impressive.
I hope you don’t give up on medicine, don’t be sad because of my departure. If you could, I really loved the necklace you gave me before. If you see it, could you help me put it on? It’s truly beautiful."
The letter appeared chaotic, with several mistakes, the handwriting a far cry from elegance.
But Lin Zhishu understood.
The silly girl.
She didn’t mention her affections for him once, but every word spoke of her enduring feelings.
What was so good about him that she couldn’t bear to hurt him even in death.
Lin Zhishu loathed his obliviousness, slapping himself hard, then leaning over the coffin, trembling hands brushing her cold cheek.
"Silly girl, the necklace is already on you."
"It’s really beautiful, it suits you well."
"It’s been hard on you, liking this version of me for so long."
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