Chapter 386 - Saw Someone Familiar

The next day, Xinyi softly knocked on a door. 

"Come in," Han Huizhong's weak voice came from inside. 

Xinyi stepped in and sat beside him on a chair. "I brought your breakfast."

"...Take it away."

"Grandpa, you cannot do this. If you won't eat, you won't be able to take your medicine. How will your condition improve then?"

He dryly chuckled. "I don't think anybody would want this old man to live anymore. I have sinned so much, after all."

She pursed her lips. "This is not the Grandpa that I know. You always taught us to take responsibility for our mistakes, no matter how grave they might be. And now you are talking about dying."

"Then what should I do, Xinyi?" He looked tired. Extremely tired. "I just feel like reuniting with my wife in heaven. Haha...I won't be in heaven, won't I? With all the sins I have committed, my place is surely booked in hell."

"Grandma won't like it if you leave this world without amending your mistakes. You won't be able to face her anyway."

"And how should I do that?" He faintly smiled. "If I could, I would have traveled back in time and rewrote everything. Guoting wouldn't have had to suffer so much and nor would Caihong. My mistakes are beyond repairable."

Silence.

Xinyi slowly said, "About Caihong. It didn't matter if Uncle Guoting would have forced himself on Aunt or not. Even if he had, Caihong was still innocent. You need to apologize to her. With all your sincerity. And then you need to apologize to Uncle Guoting on behalf of everything that Aunt did to him."

"What will it change?"

"Nothing. We cannot change anything, Grandpa. Not at this point. Too many years have passed already. Everybody has moved on. But you still need to do what you need to do. They deserve an apology even if it might not mean anything to them. They need to know from you that you are truly remorseful. You need to face your mistakes. Like you always say, you cannot hide from them."

Han Huizhong said nothing.

"...I don't know what I should feel about Zongying anymore."

Xinyi saw him trembling and his eyes growing wet. She gently held his wrinkly hand in hers. "It's okay if you are unable to hate her. You think you should because of all the miserable things she did. But in the end, you are still a parent. You are disappointed in her, but you truly cannot hate her, right?"

Tears fell from his eyes, and he choked as he spoke, "She was my princess...How can I hate her? I loved her more than I did to Tian. She reminded me of my wife. She looked so much like her. That's why I always spoiled her. In the end, it was my love for her that turned into a curse. For these last few days, I have been trying really hard...to hate her. But I cannot really. The world hates her for sure. B-But I really cannot…

When I saw her body, I felt as if...the whole world had lost all its meaning. First, my wife left me so soon. Then Zongying followed her. I wondered why I was even alive when I lost my two most precious persons in the world. I am indeed so horrible. She caused so much grief, yet I cannot hate her…" he softly sobbed.

Xinyi patted his shoulder. "I know because I understand. I am a mother. I would never be able to hate Siying too, if he hurt somebody like that in the future. I would be disappointed, but I wouldn't be able to hate his existence. And it's fine. The important thing is that you acknowledge your child's mistakes and do something to make it right. It's never too late to apologize."

Xinyi brought the breakfast tray in front of him and said, "Now don't think about it anymore and only concentrate on eating. I will return in thirty minutes, and if I don't see the bowl clean, then I will scold you a lot."

He smiled through his tears, which Xinyi gently wiped.

---

In his office, Yunru was going through the files when his mind wandered off to thinking about Zizi. A smile lifted his lips as he recalled how she had tried to break in his room last night for some lovey-dovey moments. But to her dismay, he escorted her back to her room and forced her to rest.

Of course, she was still mad about it this morning too at the breakfast table and refused to talk to him.

He sighed and scratched his chin. "Should I bring some flowers to cheer her up?"

He thought it was better to call her up.

Zizi picked the sixth ring, which was quite unusual. If it was Yunru's call, she would immediately pick it even before the first ring ended.

"Hello?"

For some reason, Yunru thought that she sounded a bit nervous. "Are you okay?"

"Of course!"

Seems like she has forgotten about last night.

"Anyway, what are you doing?"

"Nothing. I am at...at home."

"I hope Dad is not troubling you."

"Nope. Not at all. So why did you call me?"

He coughed. It wasn't wise to remind her that she was angry at him.

"Nothing. Just called to check on you."

"O-Oh okay! I am fine! So...bye! I am a little busy."

"Ah?"

He saw the name on his phone.

Is it really the Princess talking? Does she really want to cut the call first?

"Sure."

The call got cut, and Yunru was still in a daze, seeing Zizi's different behavior.

Weird.

One of the junior officers knocked on the door. "Sir, it's time for patrol."

"Yup. Coming."

---

As always, Yunru was patrolling the streets from his cop car. He pulled the car at a signal and waited. His gaze just fell onto the rearview mirror for a second, and he looked away. But instantly, he looked back at the mirror.

He saw a familiar figure standing at a distance on the street.

"Princess?

Wasn't she at home?

He looked back and saw Zizi with a man, whom he recognized as well.

"Isn't that Feng Xiao?"

Feng Xiao was one of the officers who worked with Yunru at the police station. He stared at Zizi excitedly talking to him, laughing and smiling.

His brows ever so slightly furrowed.

What is she so eagerly talking to him about…?