After six months of persistent pursuit, Wang Shiye finally won Song Yixian’s heart.
They officially started dating.
When Song Yixian told Manman the news, she was incredibly nervous, afraid that Manman would object.
Of course, Hua Manman didn’t object.
She strongly encouraged Song Yixian to start a new life.
Only by completely opening one’s heart to the future could one forget all the ugliness and pain of the past.
Song Yixian could no longer be as reckless as she was in her first relationship; she had become more rational and composed.
While savoring their romance, she was constantly getting to know Wang Shiye better.
After confirming that he was indeed a man she could entrust her life to, they naturally walked down the aisle.
To attend their wedding, Hua Yusen had specially changed into a sharp suit.
He watched Song Yixian walk toward them in her pure white wedding dress, step by step. He watched her place her hand in another man’s, as they exchanged rings and kissed, and as they promised to spend the rest of their lives together.
Hua Yusen felt his vision begin to blur.
He reached up and rubbed his eyes.
Hua Manman pulled out a tissue and handed it to him.
Hua Yusen stubbornly tried to explain, "My eyes just feel a little strained. It’s probably because I didn’t rest well last night."
Hua Manman didn’t expose his clumsy lie.
During the wedding banquet, the bride and groom went from table to table to offer toasts.
When they reached Hua Manman’s table, Song Yixian noticed the seat beside her was empty.
That seat had been for Hua Yusen, but he was nowhere to be seen.
Song Yixian couldn’t help but ask.
"Where is he?"
Hua Manman replied, "He said he had an appointment with a friend to observe an astronomical phenomenon abroad. Time was tight, so he had to leave early. He asked me to wish you both a happy marriage."
In reality, observing an astronomical phenomenon was just Hua Yusen’s excuse.
He had run off early because he didn’t want to toast Song Yixian and Wang Shiye.
In the end, a part of him still couldn’t accept it.
Just attending his ex-wife’s wedding had required him to swallow his pride. Expecting him to calmly toast the newlyweds and wish them a long and happy life together was absolutely impossible.
No matter how magnanimous he tried to be, he couldn’t go that far.
Hua Manman raised her glass. "I wish you a lifetime of love, growing old together."
In that moment, Song Yixian couldn’t help but feel emotional.
Her eyes reddened, and she reached out to hug her daughter, her voice trembling as she spoke.
"No matter if I remarry, you’ll always be my daughter. I will always love you."
Hua Manman hugged her back. "I know."
After the wedding,
Hua Manman returned home.
She removed her makeup and looked at herself in the mirror, unable to stop herself from asking a question.
"Main God, can I not go back yet?"
The Main God replied, "Soon. Just wait a little longer."
Hua Manman could only wait patiently.
As usual, her days revolved around the same routine: shuttling between her rented apartment and the library.
Ever since Song Yixian remarried, Hua Yusen rarely came back. He had taught himself photography and now spent his days traveling everywhere with his equipment, searching for the best spots to observe astronomical phenomena.
The photos he took were accepted by a geography magazine.
Hua Yusen specially mailed a copy of the issue to Hua Manman and sent her a voice message in a bragging tone.
"See? Your dad is pretty amazing too!"
Because they were so far apart, it was a month later when Hua Manman received the magazine.
She cut out the photo of the starry sky taken by Hua Yusen from the magazine, framed it, and placed it on the cabinet by the door.
Hua Yusen gradually made a name for himself in astronomy circles.
He started venturing into even more remote places, often going for ten days to half a month without any contact.
But every month, a fixed amount of money was deposited into Hua Manman’s bank account.
It was the money Hua Yusen earned from his astrophotography.
He transferred all that money to his daughter, hoping to make up for his shortcomings as a father.
Today, Hua Manman went to the library as usual. She had just sat down when she received a call from Song Yixian.
Hua Manman answered the call.
Song Yixian’s voice came through the phone, with a noticeable tremor.
"Manman, I’m pregnant."
Hua Manman paused, her hand hovering over the page she was about to turn.
She lowered her voice. "Congratulations."
Song Yixian was no longer young; it was what one would consider a geriatric pregnancy.
But she still very much wanted to have this child.
Through her and Wang Shiye’s joint efforts, the baby in her womb grew healthy and strong.
When Hua Yusen emerged from some remote mountainous region and heard the news of his ex-wife’s pregnancy, he flew off to another, even more remote place without a second thought.
This time, he wouldn’t be back for at least a year or so.
When Song Yixian was due, Wang Shiye took a long leave of absence from work to stay with his wife at the hospital.
Hua Manman would also visit Song Yixian at the hospital sometimes.
Due to the pregnancy, Song Yixian looked much heavier, but her eyes and expression radiated joy, and she was in high spirits.
Hua Manman knew she was very happy.
As she was leaving the hospital room,
Hua Manman glanced back at Song Yixian inside.
Song Yixian was leaning back on the bed while Wang Shiye massaged her swollen legs and feet.
The couple was very much in love.
Hua Manman suddenly had a premonition.
She felt that her time to leave this world was fast approaching.
After returning to her apartment, Hua Manman finished her last commission. Afterward, she announced she was no longer taking work, deleted her Weibo account, and stopped accepting any more orders.
She divided the balance in her bank account into two parts. One part she transferred to Hua Yusen, and the other she donated anonymously to a foundation for the protection of women and children.
「Three days later.」
Song Yixian safely gave birth to a daughter at the hospital.
Hua Manman bought a fruit basket and went to the hospital.
When she reached the door of the hospital room, she saw Song Yixian lying in bed. She was pale and exhausted, but her eyes were full of life.
Wang Shiye was bent over, showing the swaddled baby to Song Yixian.
Song Yixian couldn’t help but smile.
She had once failed to fulfill her duties as a mother due to a moment of weakness.
Now that Heaven had given her another chance to be a mother, she was determined to take good care of her little daughter, to make up for her past regrets, and to never let her suffer the slightest wrong.
Wang Shiye’s son from his late wife was also there, craning his neck to see his new little sister.
The family was a picture of blissful harmony.
Hua Manman stood quietly at the door for a moment, then backed away step by step.
She found a nurse and asked her to deliver the fruit basket to Song Yixian.
Then, she left the hospital without a sound.
The Main God asked, "Why didn’t you go in?"
Hua Manman replied, "You’re asking a question you already know the answer to."
The Main God said, "Because she doesn’t need you anymore."
Hua Manman walked slowly along the road.
An endless stream of pedestrians flowed past her, and the sounds of advertisements from the roadside shops rose and fell around her.
She asked, "Can I leave now?"
The Main God reminded her.
"Once you choose to leave this world, it means you will disappear from it completely.
No one will remember you. No one will know you ever existed."