Chapter 170 - As long as she's alive

While they were waiting for the meals to be served, they talked about the things that happened since the last they met.

At one point, An Qi Yan scolded him,

"How could you come back without saying anything to me? I thought we are friends."

He smiled wryly, "Of course we are friends."

Eager to change the topic of conversation, he asked about the children. When it got to the topic on Kai Xin, he asked, "Is she well?"

"She's doing really well. She has a stable career, a great income, and she finally got herself a boyfriend!"

"That's great."

An Qi Yan watched him as he carefully picked up the glass of red wine and took a sip. Even though he was much older now, but to her, he was still the most handsome guy ever.

"Sima Erden, you jerk! Do you know how much I miss you?"

He gave her a sad smile as he replied, "Qi Yan, you know why I left. We can never be together."

When she heard the same phrase that she heard 30 years ago, An Qi Yan sighed, "Yeah...We can't."

They were deeply in love, but 30 years ago, Sima Erden chose to let her go.

Even though he was fully blind by then, he could still see certain things clearly.

One, the red line of fate. Two, the future of certain people.

Usually, the visions of the future he sees would be fuzzy. However, for An Qi Yan whose red line interconnected with his, he saw her future clearly.

Death.

From the moment he decided to propose, he kept having visions of her dying on their wedding day.

Every time he touched her, he would see her dying in his arms. He got so scared of the visions that he did not dare to even see her.

Afraid that his vision would come true and since he refused to take any chances with her life at risk, he chose to leave her.

He was content with watching her from afar.

...

27 years ago, An Qi Yan took Kai An with her and visited Sima Erden at the charitable festival that he was working in.

She was so eager to see him that she nearly bumped into a teenage boy who stomped out from Sima Erden's tent angrily.

When he stepped aside, An Qi Yan chuckled as she thought how Sima Erden had the ability to piss off people regardless of their age.

Then again, truth hurt.

She rubbed her aching lower back after she placed Kai An on the chair. Glaring at Sima Erden who was facing his assistant when she entered, she snapped,

"Erden, can't you find a gig that is nearer to me? This is way too far for a pregnant lady to come to!"

When he heard her voice, without turning around, Sima Erden asked, "Qi Yan, how are you?"

He dismissed his assistant before turning towards her direction.

When he saw the familiar faint light that was her lifeforce, he smiled, "I see you are pregnant again."

An Qi Yan smiled sadly as she rubbed her stomach, "Yeah...It's a girl this time."

"What's wrong?"

She covered her son's ears before telling him about Mr. Zhen's affair.

Even though he was angry when he heard that, Sima Erden pretended to be calm, "I'm sorry..."

An Qi Yan sighed as she rubbed her belly lovingly, "I don't really mind but I feel sad for this one inside of me. Can you help me see her future? Just to see if her father would be by her side. Pleaseeeee...."

Sima Erden placed his hand on her stomach and he was hit with various images that were difficult for him to digest.

As if he was shocked by electricity, he pulled his hand back.

"What's wrong?" asked An Qi Yan worriedly as she wrapped her arms around her belly protectively, "Is there something wrong with the baby?"

He was reluctant to tell her the things he saw because the future that he saw was filled with so much blood.

Even though the visions were fuzzy, but in one of them, he could make out the figure of a young woman holding three bloody knives of various sizes while three similar knives were stuck in her abdomen.

One of the vision was An Qi Yan's crying weakly on the hospital as the doctor tried to resuscitate a baby.

Sima Erden shook his head as he tried to convince himself that the visions he saw were fake. It might be a fluke because the baby's life force was still linked to An Qi Yan!

"Qi Yan...I think something is wrong."

Terrified, An Qi Yan grabbed his hand.

More often than not, Sima Erden's visions would come true. With fear in her eyes, she asked nervously, "What do you mean?"

He did not know why.

Maybe it was to prepare her for the heartbreak that was about to come, but he blurted out,

"She might not survive the birth."

"No!" She cried out as her face turned pale when from the news.

However, Sima Erden quickly reassured her, "I could be wrong! I have never see the future of an unborn child before so there is a high chance that I might be wrong. You know how uncertain the future can be!"

It took him hours trying to convince An Qi Yan that he had interpreted the visions wrongly and she eventually believed him.

After An Qi Yan left, Sima Erden slapped himself, "Sima Erden! You idiot! Why did you tell her such a thing?! Haven't you hurt her enough!"

When his assistant came into the tent, she was startled by the scene of her boss slapping himself.

Sima Erden told her not to ask any questions about it.

While she was packing their stuff, she asked, "Master, is she the one that you said you are destined to be apart from?"

He sighed, "Is it obvious?"

"Very! Master, I've been with you long enough to know."

Sima Erden did not say anything. Once she was done the packing, the assistant sat down opposite him and asked curiously,

"Why didn't you try? You always say that the future is uncertain. Maybe what you saw back then will not come true."

He patted the young girl's head as he explained, "It doesn't matter if it's only 1 out of 10 possibilities. I'd never mess around with her life."

The assistant sighed as she played with the cards that she used for divination, "It's a pity. To know that your fated one is right there but cannot be together."

Sima Erden agreed, "I am already lucky enough to have found her early in my life. Most people live their life without ever meeting their soulmate. Besides..."

He closed his eyes before he continued, "...As long as she's alive...I'd be happy."

.....