At this moment, he finally understood that when Qiao Huanxuan said she was looking for his wife, she meant Yu Xiaodi, not Zhang Yurong. He just didn't expect that she had already found Xiaodi!

This isn't how you mess with people... Li Yan was utterly speechless and wanted to rush out immediately!

But regardless of whatever happened now, since he was already inside, if Xiaodi was indeed in the room, she would have surely heard the conversation. Leaving now would be too late and would make him seem guilty.

As he glared at Qiao Huanxuan, she didn't seem afraid of him running away. She directly carried the flowers and gift into the bedroom. "Miss Yu, look at how beautiful these flowers are! They're from my old classmate..."

Li Yan helplessly spread his hands and followed her into the bedroom. He hadn't heard any movement from Yu Xiaodi, and he guessed that upon hearing his voice and knowing he bought flowers, she must be upset. It seemed he had never bought her flowers before.

"Xiaodi..."

When he reached the bedroom and called out, he didn't see Yu Xiaodi, only Qiao Huanxuan leisurely admiring the flowers on the bed. Seeing his gaze, she casually pointed to the bulge on the bed.

Could Yu Xiaodi be so upset that she's crying under the blanket?

Li Yan glared at Qiao Huanxuan, blaming her for not warning him first, and hastily moved forward.

"Xiaodi!"

Concerned and anxious, Li Yan, who had just entered and reached the bedroom door, didn't notice anything unusual. Even if he found it a bit strange, he only assumed that Yu Xiaodi might be upset, having heard he came to see Qiao Huanxuan late at night with gifts. But now, standing by the bed, things were different. With his keen observation, he naturally noticed something odd about this blanket.

He reached out and lifted it. Inside, there was something, but it was just two large pillows. Yu Xiaodi obviously wasn't there.

"You tricked me!" Li Yan said a little displeased, sitting on the bed, but he felt relieved inside.

"Why not check the bathroom? She might be using it!" Qiao Huanxuan was still holding the flowers, eagerly watching his reaction.

"Is this fun for you?"

Li Yan snorted coldly but still rose to leave. After more than a decade, Qiao Huanxuan didn't understand him now, nor did he much understand the current Qiao Huanxuan. From the last encounter, her persistence and repression, when unleashed, were more intense than most people's.

After opening the bathroom and finding no one inside, Li Yan relaxed and returned to the bedroom.

At that moment, Qiao Huanxuan paid him no attention and placed the flowers aside. She was unwrapping the beautifully packaged gift he brought.

"What? Didn't find her? Feeling a bit relieved?"

Li Yan sat down beside her and ignored her reaction, lighting up a cigarette, "Since I'm already here, I think we need to have a proper talk."

"Talk, I invited you here to talk anyway." Qiao Huanxuan looked up at him with a mischievous smile in her eyes, "But you didn't just come, you also bought flowers and a gift. What exactly do you want to talk about? Romance? Love?"

Li Yan frowned. From her words, he realized she hadn't given up, hadn't let go, hadn't seen through it. Was buying gifts and flowers a mistake?

Seeing him smoking in silence, Qiao Huanxuan didn't continue watching him and instead focused on opening the gift.

When the music box appeared in front of her, Qiao Huanxuan's hands paused, and she froze for a moment.

"Why... are you giving me another music box?" Qiao Huanxuan asked softly.

Li Yan already knew there wouldn't be any understanding tonight and didn't expect much anymore. He replied softly, "The old music box needs to be replaced, giving you a new one, you need to face a new life."

"Replaced... new music box... new life..."

Qiao Huanxuan murmured dreamily, holding the music box, as if entranced.

Seeing her like this, Li Yan recalled how she used to recount past stories. Though he felt a bit of pity, he also thought about breaking and then rebuilding; if she couldn't face this matter, how could she start anew?

So, at this moment, he hardened his heart and pushed further, "No matter how special that old music box once was, your life won't just have one music box, there will be new music boxes... people, too."

Qiao Huanxuan silently gazed at the music box for a long time, then turned to look at Li Yan.

Her gaze gave Li Yan a complex feeling, as if there were a mix of infatuation, bitter smile, helplessness, and self-mockery...

"Why are you giving me another music box?" she asked again.

"..."

Li Yan didn't know what to say. Her tone now clearly wasn't seeking his previous answer.

"On this day twelve years ago, your music box changed my life! Twelve years, how many twelve years does a person have in their lifetime? You've taken the best twelve years of mine! And now you give me this broken thing again, talking about a new life, damn it... do you intend to take another twelve years from me?!"

Qiao Huanxuan suddenly exploded, becoming more agitated as she spoke, and directly resorting to profanity.

Li Yan was stunned by her words!

The same day twelve years ago?

Could it be that today is her birthday?

The last time he was with her here, he was reminded of some past memories, but he couldn't remember the exact date for Qiao Huanxuan's birthday or when he gave her a gift; he hadn't thought about it specifically. He never imagined that today was actually her birthday!

He felt a bit embarrassed; this means the flowers and gift he just bought by chance hit the mark?

No wonder! No wonder she invited him over with that tone last night! Clearly, she wanted to wait for him to join her, to await the arrival of her birthday, assuming he remembered without needing to remind him. So that's why she was so angry when she called in the evening…

Li Yan felt a bit slow to realize; even though the gift was by chance right, the music box and this topic were somewhat inappropriate to bring up tonight.

However, since it's already been said, it can't be taken back. Seeing her emotions a bit stirred, Li Yan kept calm and said, "Qiao Huanxuan, I am sorry for taking twelve years of your precious youth, that's not what I wanted. For this reason, I hope to give you a new beginning now, not to waste more of your time. If the past music box marked the beginning of emotional constraints, let today's music box be the end! I left before it wasn't because of you, and you owe me nothing, so no need to feel guilty, from now on…"

Qiao Huanxuan listened and seemed to calm down a bit, but she coldly laughed: "How carefree you speak! What if it were you? If your girlfriend told you on your birthday that you're too old, doesn't want to hold up your marriage, and lets you go to start a new life, what would you do?"

"Uh..." Li Yan was a bit embarrassed, even though he was older by nearly ten years and always called uncle by her, he never truly felt that age gap.

"I didn't come last night actually because I forgot your birthday, over these years, I have forgotten many things, including some events from high school that only came to mind when mentioning last. So… including just buying flowers and a music box, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

Listening to his explanation, Qiao Huanxuan seemed to coldly laugh, yet also self-mocking: "Ha! You forgot everything! Every year around this time, I hope that you would come back, even if it was to mock me for my lack of foresight when you return rich and successful, but you have long forgotten this day. It seems it's just another ordinary day for you!"

Li Yan took a deep drag of his cigarette and didn't further explain. If he had lived an ordinary life these years, he might occasionally recall those hazy times, a youthful love rejected by a female classmate. But his mentality had long changed; not just teenage romantic sentiments, even true first love might have become insignificant, forgotten.

"Hmph! I'm truly a fool..." Qiao Huanxuan laughed miserably, "Do you know what I was thinking before you came? Twelve years later, finally seeing you again, I hoped that this year's birthday you could spend with me, to give this matter some closure. But I had to repeatedly invite you, no, the last time counted as coercion, right? Even then, I wasn't sure if you would come!

I continually watched the clock on the wall, as time ticked by, each second crawled slower than a snail, while each hour flew by! With only a bit more than an hour left until my birthday ended, do you know what I just thought?"

Repeating the same question twice, Li Yan was unable to respond, but seeing her become frenzied again, he was worried inside, knowing that her thoughts must be wild.

"I decided that when midnight came and this day passed, I'd go out immediately and forget about you, this jerk!"

Even though he knew her thoughts would be crazy, hearing this still shocked Li Yan. He frowned: "Why would you do this? If I had wanted to come but due to some accident couldn't, this way you want me to feel guilty, but it only harms yourself! If I truly am a jerk, why would I feel guilty?"

Blaming her, he still felt somewhat relieved; it's merely the difference of an hour or more.

With her madness and extremism, this was unlikely to be a bluff, unlikely not to be carried out!

"Hmph, who wants you to feel guilty? I'm punishing myself! You think I waited twelve years and searched twelve years, not for you, but a fantasized version of you; doesn't that make me foolish? Shouldn't I seize the time to remedy the past? Since it's a fantasy, why would I want you to feel guilty? At most, letting the fantasy feel guilty, the result is also through this manner that the fantasy in my heart disintegrates! Isn't this what you hope to see?"

Facing Qiao Huanxuan's words, Li Yan extinguished his cigarette, took a few steps to calm himself, then sincerely said: "I hope you calm down, hope you see clearly, but not through such a means!"

"Then teach me! What way can lead to a new life? Accepting a man's pursuit or pursuing a man? Do you think any man, knowing someone occupied my heart for twelve years, would still accept me well?" Qiao Huanxuan sarcastically asked.

"This… is already in the past."

"Is it?" Qiao Huanxuan coldly laughed.

Li Yan was speechless.

"Then what should I do? I don't know about the past twelve years, if I did I would have contacted you long ago. What do you want me to do? You know I… have a girlfriend, we share deep feelings," at this, Li Yan candidly opened up. He originally wanted to say "I have a wife," but knowing Qiao Huanxuan understood that Yu Xiaodi was his girlfriend, claiming to have a wife might complicate things further.

"I don't know either…" Qiao Huanxuan smiled bitterly, looking down at the music box in her hand, gently winding it.

The melody from the music box was the "Happy Birthday" tune, filling her heart with mixed emotions.

Li Yan also sighed: "Qiao Huanxuan, let's not overthink things, give more time to ourselves. You've seen me, the reasons and apologies from back then, you understand too. You know I'm not perfect nor extraordinary, just an ordinary person, the gap leads to disappointment, transition gradually, you'll let go, you'll see the good in others."

As the birthday music from the box finished playing, Qiao Huanxuan raised her head to look at him, but resolutely said: "No! Since in feelings, I was the one who initiated, I feel that I must take responsibility for you!"

"…"

(Today's third update, ten thousand words! Please subscribe to the official version to support Lao Lai, thanks) (To be continued, for more, please visit www.qidian.com, more chapters available, support the author, support official reading!)

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