Chapter 217: Chapter 129: The Encounter Six Years Ago, the Little Boy Who Delivered the Cake. (Two in One!)_5

An Nuannuan raised her head, presenting the item to Xu Musen, her voice filled with emotion that was particularly moving at that moment.Xu Musen's eyes widened a bit as he looked at the things before him, and the fuzzy memories in his mind seemed to start piecing together like shattered fragments.

Boom...

That night of lightning and thunder, Xu Musen and Yao Mingyue had made a wish together over a cake.

Since it was her twelfth birthday, the cake was specially decorated with figurines of the twelve zodiac animals.

Yao Mingyue was called away by her mother to see her critically ill father.

Wanting to help her fulfill her wish early, Xu Musen had cut the cake and delivered slices to the patients in the neighboring rooms.

This little rabbit figurine...

Xu Musen's mind finally recalled some hazy memories...

It was a solitary hospital room; Xu Musen entered bearing the cake, the spacious room felt empty save for the sound of crying.

Xu Musen, holding the cake, approached the bed and saw that it was occupied by a young girl wiping away tears.

She had large eyes and long hair that cascaded down, her delicate little face covered in tears, her bright eyes red and swollen from crying.

When she saw Xu Musen, the girl got startled and instinctively pulled up her blanket,

but revealed legs wrapped in bandages, which was a somewhat shocking sight for a young girl.

"Who are you?"

"Don't be afraid. My family is also in the hospital... I've come to bring you cake." Sёarch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Xu Musen, looking at the bandages on her legs and then at her swollen, tearful eyes, felt as if he was looking at Yao Mingyue, sad and helpless just moments earlier.

Suppressing his own sorrow, he gently offered the cake to her.

The girl, in a daze, wiped away the tears from the corner of her eyes and looked at the cake he offered. Amidst the smell of disinfectant that filled the hospital, the sweet aroma of the cream gave the girl's fearful and anxious heart a semblance of solace.

But she didn't accept it and instead looked at him nervously.

Xu Musen spoke softly to the girl who was about his age, "I'm not a bad person. Today, someone very important to me is having a birthday in the hospital. I've heard from my mother that a wish will only come true if you finish the birthday cake, and those who eat the birthday cake will receive good luck."

The sincerity in Xu Musen's words eased the girl's wariness.

Actually, many times, when the hospital is powerless, praying to the gods becomes the last comfort for the soul.

...

These memories slowly surfaced in his mind. The image of the girl who had been crying her eyes out merged gradually with the pretty face before him, An Nuannuan, especially those peach blossom-shaped eyes.

Xu Musen felt somewhat dazed.

"The girl from that day... was it you?"

"Yes, it was me."

An Nuannuan looked intently at Xu Musen, squeezing her own legs with her hands.

"Back then, it was my first surgery. The doctor said that if I underwent surgery, there was a high chance I may never stand up again, or I might even need an amputation... During those days, I was constantly afraid, afraid I would never be able to stand again."

An Nuannuan's voice was low, her nasal tone carrying a trace of sourness.

To face such life-altering decisions at the age of twelve.

Or perhaps even more frightening than death, to force a lively and cheerful young girl to live the rest of her life in a wheelchair, possibly facing amputation, and depriving her of her right to live a normal life as a woman...

This might be even more terrifying than death itself.

"Do you still remember this?"

An Nuannuan picked up the little rabbit figurine from the plate.

Xu Musen looked at the little rabbit, and his memories once again emerged in his mind.

An Nuannuan's voice was soft: "I've always remembered what you said to me that day..."

…

In the hospital room,

Xu Musen saw her legs wrapped in bandages.

Despite the indissoluble sorrow in his own heart, he still mustered a faint smile, stepped closer, and stopped by her side. Find your next read on M-V-L

"Don't be afraid, everything will be alright. We've already made a promise, everything will be fine," he said.

As he spoke, he took out a small rabbit ornament from his bosom and placed it in front of her along with the cake.

"This year is my zodiac year, the Year of the Rabbit, and the rabbit is my guardian spirit. The most powerful thing about a rabbit is its hopping and jumping legs. I'm giving this little rabbit to you because I believe in you, and in the future, you will be able to bounce and jump freely just like this bunny," he explained.

The twelve-year-old Xu Musen may not have been able to offer profoundly sensible inspirational talks, but it was the more childlike blessings that could penetrate deeply into one's heart.

For An Nuannuan, she had already heard too many encouraging words, but no one would utter the words "run" or "jump" in front of her.

Because they were afraid it might make An Nuannuan unhappy or uncomfortable.

But he was the only one who, with a serious face and without any pretense, expressed his hope to see her hopping and jumping in the future.

Just like a rabbit...

At that moment, An Nuannuan looked at the boy in front of her who clearly had sadness in his eyes but always carried an infinitely sincere and warm smile.

Her anxious and agitated heart seemed to find a place to anchor, if only for an instant.

"Don't believe me? Let's make a pinky promise that everyone will be alright, and we'll both work hard together," he said.

Xu Musen stretched out his finger.

His thoughts were quite simple; he just hoped that another blessing and prayer could also ensure the safe return of his dad and Uncle Yao.

But for An Nuannuan at that time, it became a warmth she had never felt before.

"Then, if my legs get better... can we be friends?" An Nuannuan asked, looking up at him, a small flicker of hope rising in her young heart.

"Of course. I'll be waiting for the day you recover. I believe in you," he assured her.

A glimmer appeared in An Nuannuan's swollen eyes.

She slowly extended her frail finger and hooked it with Xu Musen's...

When Xu Musen was about to leave, An Nuannuan held the cake and the little rabbit ornament, tears marking the corners of her eyes.

Her voice, small and faint, called out, "What... what's your name?"

"I'm Xu Musen. Goodbye," he replied.

"Goodbye... Xu Musen..."

Xu Musen left.

She didn't eat the cake since she was scheduled for surgery the next day and was not allowed to eat.

She merely tasted a tiny bit before giving the rest to her sister.

Yet that slight sweetness was enough to help her endure the bitterness of the medicines in the years to come.

From that day on,

An Nuannuan's favorite little animal became the rabbit.

And what she wished for the most was to be able to meet him again in the future...

So, at this moment, as she looked at Xu Musen,

ripples danced in her clear, peach-shaped eyes.

Perhaps, for their next encounter,

they should call it, long time no see.