Jiang Ren was scheduled to fly to the United States the next morning. He didn’t want Meng Ting to go, but after much consideration, she decided to follow him anyway. She didn’t want to be absent every time he needed someone by his side.

Meng Ting only quietly informed Gao Yi of this decision. She felt that even though Jiang Ren didn’t want her to go, he would surely be delighted if she showed up there.

Gao Yi just shook his head and smiled at Meng Ting’s decision, remarking, “Ah, youth is wonderful.”

However, before she could board the plane, she received a call from Shu Yang.

Shu Yang was packing his belongings, his brows furrowed tightly. “I need to return to H City for a while. Rong Lin has recanted his confession.”

Meng Ting thought for a long while before finally remembering who Rong Lin was. He was the person Shu Lan had implicated when she confessed to arson. At the time, both of them were sentenced, and Rong Lin had admitted to the crime of inciting a minor.

But just yesterday, after a group of men in prison shoved his head into a toilet, he recanted his confession.

Life in prison was far worse than one could imagine.

Rong Lin had endured over two years inside, and he was on the verge of a mental breakdown. When he entered, he was still a refined, upright gentleman. Now, with a shaved head, he was nothing but skin and bones.

People are both greater and more selfish than one might imagine. He went to prison to give his family a better life. Yet, after his mental breakdown, he wanted to reduce his sentence. He couldn’t bear another day in prison.

Even prison life that year was far more chaotic than in later times.

When Rong Lin recanted and mentioned Wen Rui’s name, Shu Lan in the women’s prison was also on the verge of collapse.

Men didn’t have it easy, but neither did women. Shu Lan, nearly twenty, looked like she was thirty. She had always believed Rong Lin was the one who harmed her, but when Rong Lin recanted and the police came to verify the testimony, she learned she was just a pawn. Now that the person who had harmed her had a chance for a reduced sentence, she went berserk.

Shu’s father rushed over overnight, and Shu Yang decided to return to H City for a while.

Shu Zhitong told Shu Yang not to inform Meng Ting, as the relationship between the two sisters had never been good from the start. However, given the magnitude of the situation, and especially since Meng Ting was a victim back then, Shu Yang felt she had the right to know.

Shu Yang said, “Rong Lin recanted and named someone called Wen Rui. You should know him. I’m going back for a while. Do you want to come?”

Of course, she remembered the despair of being trapped in the fire, the tumultuous life that followed, and the pain when Shu Lan untied the rope.

Meng Ting had never truly settled accounts with her past life, but Rong Lin’s recantation and Shu Lan’s breakdown made her feel it was time.

But when she thought of Jiang Ren, she hesitated again.

Uncovering the truth about Jiang Ren’s murder in her past life, or accompanying Jiang Ren who was about to undergo surgery in this life. She had to make a choice, and Meng Ting heard herself calmly say, “You go back first. I’ll return with Jiang Ren after his surgery.”

Shu Yang was taken aback for a moment before responding, “Alright.”

After all, Shu Lan was his sister. Despite her many faults, he couldn’t ignore her or remain unmoved.

Having made her choice, Meng Ting listened to the airport announcements, lost in thought.

It turned out that the events of her past life had imperceptibly become distant memories.

From initially being extremely wary of Jiang Ren, the demon who had wielded the butcher’s knife in her past life, to now giving up the investigation of her past life for his sake. It had only been a short three years.

She hadn’t had the chance to love and understand the Jiang Ren of her past life, but she had fallen in love with the Jiang Ren of this life.

Meng Ting had witnessed his growth from a young boy to a man, his entire youth.

The thought of spending the rest of her life with him filled her heart with a gentle warmth. However, she had missed Jiang Ren’s flight due to Shu Yang’s call, so she had no choice but to wait for the next one.

Meng Ting called Gao Yi to explain the situation, and he immediately said, “Miss Meng, please wait. I’ll make arrangements.”

Gao Yi was very reliable, and he quickly arranged a flight for the afternoon.

Although Meng Ting couldn’t travel with Jiang Ren, she had brought her personal belongings in her suitcase.

When she successfully arrived at the American hospital, Gao Yi teased her, “Go to his side before the surgery and let him know you’re here.”

Meng Ting nodded with a smile.

Love always brings more happiness than hatred.

As soon as she got off the plane, someone came to pick her up. It was a young Chinese woman in her mid-twenties named Deng Jinse. She was studying in the United States and spoke excellent English, so she was responsible for taking care of Meng Ting. When Deng Jinse first saw Meng Ting, she was surprised by her youth and beauty.

But as soon as they set foot on American soil and Meng Ting conversed fluently in standard English, Deng Jinse was thoroughly impressed: “Your spoken English is really good, even better than mine, and I’m a professional translator.”

“Thank you, I’ve studied for a few years,” Meng Ting replied.

“No wonder,” Deng Jinse sighed, thinking that Miss Meng didn’t need anyone to take care of her at all.

As soon as Jiang Ren arrived in the United States, he underwent an examination.

The doctor said they could perform the surgery that evening. His condition was similar to a previous patient’s, only slightly more severe.

Jiang Ren just nodded calmly.

He stood in the high-rise hospital room, looking down at the unfamiliar city.

The European-style buildings were completely different from the country where he had grown up, and young blonde, blue-eyed nurses smiled alluringly, whispering about him.

The translator, a man, couldn’t help but smile and say, “Mr. Jiang, they’re saying you’re very handsome and manly.”

Jiang Ren turned around, his gaze cold, and the nurses walked away, still smiling.

The translator clicked his tongue. They had said more.

“That young man is both tough and wild, and he has a great body too.”

The translator didn’t relay this, fearing Mr. Jiang might get angry.

Mr. Jiang might not conform to Chinese girls’ aesthetic standards, but he unexpectedly appealed to foreign girls.

It was seven-thirty in the evening, local time.

The doctor briefly explained the surgical procedure to Jiang Ren, who nodded faintly. The doctor initially wanted to reassure him, but seeing the man’s calm and unruffled gaze, he felt there was nothing more to say.

This was the scene Meng Ting and Deng Jinse saw when they arrived.

She pushed open the door, and Jiang Ren looked up.

The moment he saw Meng Ting, his cold expression cracked: “Why did you come?”

The foreign doctor raised an eyebrow and said, “I’ll let you talk.”

Deng Jinse and the male translator both left, closing the door behind them.

Meng Ting walked to his side: “You’re having surgery tonight. Are you nervous?”

Jiang Ren just looked at her.

She smiled and took his cold hand, pressing it to her soft cheek: “I came to keep you company. I was afraid you might be in pain with no one to tell.”

He pressed his lips together and looked away: “It won’t hurt.”

Meng Ting raised his icy hand to her soft cheek: “Feel this, relax a bit. I’m already here, and you can’t send me away now.”

He turned his head back, his dark eyes looking at her, his fingertips caressing her delicate cheek.

He should have scolded her for not listening, and he didn’t want her to see him powerless again. Jiang Ren hadn’t expected her to follow, but the moment she pushed open the door, he truly felt as if the whole world was bathed in sunlight.

He had always thought he could live without needing anyone’s love. After all, that’s how he had lived for many years.

When he was young and got beaten up, he fought back on his own. When others slandered him, no one spoke up for him. When he was ostracized, he lived alone.

Jiang Ren had long since shed any fragile emotions.

But now there was a foolish girl who comforted him as if he were a child, with trepidation.

For a moment, his heart felt empty, and then it was filled anew.

Before Jiang Ren was wheeled into the operating room, he suddenly asked, “What if my leg can’t be cured?”

She gently stroked the man’s cheek, her smile gentle: “Then when you turn twenty-two, we’ll get married.”

His breath hitched for a second.

After a rapid heartbeat, it slowed down very, very gradually.

Jiang Ren thought with difficulty, was she binding herself to him for life because she wanted to make amends?

But then she whispered in his ear, “If your leg heals, will you marry me right away?”

Jiang Ren suddenly looked up at her.

“So you have to get better, Jiang Ren.” She was really afraid he might threaten the doctors and do something rash.

His eyes were a bit wet as he smiled: “Alright.”

He would get better.

Whether physically or mentally, Jiang Ren could become imperfect for her, or he could become whole for her. After meeting her, he braved thorns and cut through brambles, fearing nothing.

After Jiang Ren was wheeled into the operating room, Meng Ting began her long wait.

She clasped her hands together, praying over and over again.

She had never been by his side when he was in pain.

From the very beginning on Christmas Eve, when he ran through the snow and wind, coughing up blood, to later when he lay in the hospital with burns and broken bones. She had never been able to be by his side.

And Jiang Ren was like a deity, always protecting her.

This man could rush into a sea of flames, and he would also wipe her tears in a haunted house. It seemed that if she thought of Jiang Ren in her heart, he would appear before her eyes the next moment.

He was the best young man in her whole world.

And then he became the most responsible man in the world for her sake.

Every scar on his body was an undying medal of his persistence.

Her heart ached so much it constricted.

Orthopedic surgery doesn’t usually take too long, but every minute felt difficult for her to endure.

About two hours later, Jiang Ren’s surgery was over.

The doctor cheerfully said in English, beautiful lady, don’t worry, the surgery was very successful.

Now it was just a matter of proper recovery.

When Meng Ting went in to see him, Jiang Ren was still unconscious from the anesthesia. Meng Ting’s fingers traced his eyebrows, and she smiled softly.

It seemed that Jiang Ren had never, in his entire life, disappointed her.

It was their third Christmas Eve together.

It was Meng Ting’s twentieth birthday, and Jiang Ren returned to the country a few days after his surgery. He preferred the environment in his home country and insisted on recovering there.

It takes a hundred days for tendons and bones to heal, and his recovery would be a long process.

A new project was under construction, and he couldn’t bear to let it go unattended.

It was only after returning to the country that he saw the dejected Jiang Jixian.

Wen Rui had fled.

He refused to accept the police investigation, and Rong Lin’s recantation was unexpected. Such things could usually be avoided, after all, money can make ghosts turn millstones. But he had no money left.

A year ago, in the attack on Jiang Ren, he had spent most of his money.

Swan Villa was a project that had been completed for over a year, and no matter how profitable it was, it wasn’t enough for him to grease palms and smooth things over.

When Wen Rui asked Jiang Jixian for money to try and fix things, he discovered that someone was watching him, recording his every move.

It turned out that in places Wen Rui couldn’t see, Jiang Ren was no longer the helpless boy who could only fight back after being wronged.

He took the money Jiang Jixian gave him and ran.

When Meng Ting learned of this, she was surprised. She was lying on Jiang Ren’s hospital bed. Jiang Ren was reading a book.

It was about real estate. The man lowered his eyes, turning the pages one by one.

After he grew up, he became particularly charming as a man. He could be calm, and he could also be ruthless.

Meng Ting secretly looked at him: “You knew everything, didn’t you?”

He smiled and stroked her hair.

Yes, he had known for a long time. But he hadn’t guessed that Meng Ting would go to the United States instead of returning to H City. Rong Lin’s recantation was mostly his handiwork. That man was also stubborn, enduring for so long.

Jiang Ren didn’t like playing small games with Wen Rui; he wanted him dead. So, not only the instigation of arson and murder but much of Wen Rui’s behind-the-scenes evidence, he had handed over to the prosecution.

Wen Rui had fled, and Jiang Jixian’s worldview had collapsed more than anyone else’s.

Wen Man died in another man’s arms, her last tearful glance at Jiang Jixian: “I’ve wronged you all my life. If possible, take good care of Wen Rui. I’ll make it up to you in the next life.”

This was the last thing Wen Man ever said.

She died on her way abroad with another man. When Jiang Jixian rushed over, she only had her last breath left.

Wen Man had never loved Jiang Jixian for a day, but she had promised the next life. For this “next life,” Jiang Jixian had spent half his life nurturing Wen Rui.

If people live for an obsession, Jiang Jixian’s obsession was Wen Man.

From the beginning, Wen Man had liked an artist and had never loved him or Jiang Ren.

Jiang Ren didn’t look like Wen Man at all, nor did he share her personality.

This child, cold and indifferent from a young age, was born rebellious. Jiang Jixian had raised him for a long time, but he often scolded Jiang Ren because of Wen Rui.

For over twenty years, Jiang Jixian had been looking forward to the next life.

But when Wen Rui ran away, he finally woke up from a dream he had been unwilling to wake from and saw reality.

For a pair of siblings who despised him and his family, how many times had he hurt his son?

The little boy Jiang Ren, who at two or three years old, though aloof, would still let his father hold him, grew up with an increasingly cold gaze.