Chapter 46: Fairy Tale Town (End)
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When Xu Huaiming had just returned, he put up blinds on the bedroom window. When the sun rose, its rays filtered through the gaps, casting dappled shadows. The bedroom was sunny, and the soft light lazily kissed their faces.
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Tan Xilu had been ill for three to five days, confined to his bed. His fever persisted, and he struggled to keep down the soup his mother prepared. On the morning of the seventh day of the new year, Tan Xilu finally had a brief moment of clarity.
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The sunlight was blinding. Tan Xilu blinked his eyes and took a while to turn his gaze towards his mother, who was stirring the millet soup by the bedside.
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He cleared his throat and called out, âMom.â
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Hearing Tan Xiluâs voice, his motherâs hand holding the ladle trembled, causing hot soup to splash on her hand, stinging, but she endured the pain and didnât say a word. She placed the bowl on the bedside table and used her other hand to gently rub the burnt area while looking at Tan Xilu, asking, âYou, my child, have finally awakened.â
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Tan Xiluâs eyelids still felt heavy, and he blinked, asking, âHow many days have I been sleeping?â
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âToday is already the seventh day,â Tanâs mother replied. âIf your fever had continued, you might have ended up in heaven when you woke up.â
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âItâs not that dramatic,â Tan Xilu said, raising the corner of his mouth and smiling. After a moment, he added, âMom, Iâm a bit hungry.â
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âThe doctor said to eat something light, so I made you rice soup. I was afraid rice porridge would be too thick for your digestion. Come on, sit up, and Iâll bring it to you,â Tanâs mother replied.
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âOkay.â Tan Xilu had been lying in bed for nearly a week, and he felt like his muscles were withering away. He made a considerable effort to prop himself up against the headboard.
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The rice soup was lukewarm and just right. Tan Xilu took small sips, but after several days with nothing in his stomach, his body had an involuntary rejection response. Tanâs mother placed a trash bin by the bed, and he ended up vomiting half of the bowl of rice soup.
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Seeing Tan Xilu like this, his mother also felt distressed. She sighed and wiped the corners of his mouth with a tissue, asking, âXiaolu, itâs been so many days, hasnât your boyfriend come to see you?â
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Upon hearing this, Tan Xiluâs hand hesitated for a moment. He then said, âMaybe heâs busy?â
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In reality, they had already broken up, and he was sure that he wouldnât be visited, especially since he hadnât even received a New Yearâs greeting from him. He also had no idea how things were going for Xu Huaiming at the research institute.
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âIs that so?â Tanâs mother seemed somewhat hesitant. âItâs the big New Year holiday, how busy could he be at home? Didnât you say he opened a dessert shop? Which one is it?â
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âItâs the one next to the snack street near the Normal University gate. I used to eat there a lot,â Tan Xilu said, his gaze lowered. He wasnât sure if Xu Huaimingâs dessert shop was still open.
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Tanâs mother was taken aback and looked at Tan Xilu with a puzzled expression. She then opened her mouth after a moment of silence. âThat shop, huh?â
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Tan Xilu felt that his motherâs expression was a bit strange, but he couldnât figure out what was going on, so he asked, âWhatâs wrong with that shop? Is there a problem?â
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âNo,â Tanâs mother shook her head and forced a smile. âNothing.â
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Tan Xilu said, âOh,â and finished the rest of the rice soup before handing the bowl to his mother.
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His mother took it and said, âWhen you had a fever, and you refused to go to the hospital, your father hired a private doctor. She comes every day to administer your IV drip, and sheâs coming to give you todayâs drip in a while. For now, watch some TV and donât go back to sleep.â
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âOkay,â Tan Xilu felt a bit puzzled. Would they administer an IV while he was awake? However, he didnât dwell on it and said, âI understand.â
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His mother nodded and took the bowl to the kitchen.
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Standing by the kitchen sink, Tanâs mother suddenly felt her ankle being tugged from behind. She looked down and saw that it was the cat, Beibei. Beibei had been sunbathing on the balcony but came in when she saw Tanâs motherâs distress. Wagging her tail, Beibei entered the kitchen.
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Tanâs mother felt something pulling at her pants leg and, upon closer inspection, found that Beibei was biting her. She squatted down, tears rolling down her face, and petted the cat, saying, âLittle one, Auntie is a bit scared.â
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Tan Xilu had told her that Xu Huaimingâs dessert shop was located next to the universityâs food street. However, Tanâs mother had just bought ingredients from that area a few days ago, and that dessert shop had closed down many years ago, with no one taking it over. How could Tan Xilu have been eating desserts there?
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Tanâs motherâs heart raced.
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Beibei licked Tanâs motherâs palm and meowed, as if trying to comfort her.
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Tanâs mother picked up the cat and cried for a while with her head down.
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About ten minutes later, Tanâs father returned, accompanied by a woman who appeared to be in her thirties. She was a psychologist whom Tanâs father had invited through a colleague. She was known to be authoritative in the field, and they had brought her in to confirm whether Tan Xilu had indeed fabricated the existence of someone who didnât exist.
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From the moment the woman sat down diagonally across from him, Tan Xilu felt that something was amiss. Wasnât she here to administer an IV? Why didnât she have an IV with her? Instead, she looked at him as if scrutinizing him, which made Tan Xilu uncomfortable. He looked at his mother with a puzzled expression, and she explained, âXiaolu, the doctor is just conducting an initial patient history survey for the new year. Answer her questions honestly, and donât feel burdened.â
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Frowning, Tan Xilu didnât really want to participate in this survey, but he couldnât refuse. He could only nod.
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The woman looked at Tan Xilu and asked, âCan you tell me the story of you and your lover? Even just a little.â
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Tan Xilu was puzzled. âDo we need to discuss this?â
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The woman smirked, her lips curling up. âIâm curious.â
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Tan Xilu looked at her for a moment before reluctantly starting, âWeâve already broken up.â
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âWhat happened after the breakup? Did he look for you?â the woman asked. âWhy did you two separate?â
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âHe looked for me,â Tan Xilu answered one question at a time. âIt was⊠his issue.â
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âWhat issue?â
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 The womanâs tone grew more pressing.
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Tan Xilu looked at her, hesitated for a moment, and then said, âI donât want to answer that.â
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âAlright,â the woman spread her hands and said, âYou donât have to answer. Can I ask, after the breakup, did he contact you on your phone?â
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Tan Xilu nodded and said, âYes, he did. He sent me a Happy New Year message on New Yearâs Eve.â
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âIs it because of the breakup that you didnât reply?â the woman inquired.
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âNot really. That day, one of my students had a car accident, and I was too occupied to respond. I forgot about it later.â
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âIf the school hadnât had an incident, would you have replied?â
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âNo.â
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âWhy not?â
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âWeâve already broken up, so thereâs no need to stay in touch.â
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The woman nodded and continued, âCan I use your phone for a moment? I wonât touch anything else.â
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Tan Xilu hesitated for a moment, then nodded and took his phone from the bedside table. He unlocked it and opened the WeChat chat with Xu Huaiming. Indeed, there was a New Yearâs greeting from Xu Huaiming around midnight on New Yearâs Eve.
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âIs it because of the breakup that you didnât reply to him?â the woman asked again.
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âNot really. I was busy that day because of the car accident. Besides, I forgot about it later.â
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âAlright,â the woman said, âYou donât have to answer that. May I use your phone for a moment? I wonât touch anything else.â
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Tan Xilu replied, âSure.â
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The woman smiled, and despite her exquisite makeup and fiery red lips, she didnât make him feel distant. She looked down at Tan Xiluâs phone, and her elegant fingers gently swiped across the screen.
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For a moment, Tan Xilu felt that the womanâs eyes resembled Xu Huaimingâs, but Xu Huaiming had a much gentler look, lacking this sharpness.
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After a while, the woman returned the phone to him. Her expression was no longer lazy but rather serious. She then asked, âDo you have two phones?â
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Tan Xilu questioned, âWhy do you ask that?â
Upon hearing the womanâs question about having two phones, Tan Xiluâs face visibly changed, then he averted his gaze and said, âI donât have two phones.â
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âIs that so?â The woman pressed a button on the phone and then stood up. She glanced at Tan Xiluâs bedside table, then turned to open and close the wardrobe. Finally, she crouched down and found a small box in the corner of the wardrobe.
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She took the box out, and there was a vibrating sound coming from it.
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The woman placed the box on the bedside table, opened it, and took out another phone. She said to Tan Xilu, âEveryone has their own texting habits when they communicate with others. For example, some people add an emoji after every sentence, while others like to use punctuation marks. Based on your messaging habits with your lover, it appears that it was the same person sending the messages.â
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âWhat do you mean by this?â Tan Xilu looked at her in bewilderment. âAre you suggesting that Iâm ill?â
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At this point, he should have realized that this woman was not a doctor coming to administer an IV, and he understood the implication behind her words. He looked at his parents with a resentful expression and said, âSo, you think Iâm sick, and thatâs why you brought in this doctor?â
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Tanâs mother looked at Tan Xilu with worry and said, âNo, Mom just cares about you.â
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Tan Xilu bit his lip, turned his head toward the window, and after about a minute, he picked up his own phone and called Li Zhao. Only Li Zhao could confirm the existence of Xu Huaiming.
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Li Zhao answered almost immediately, âTan Xilu? Why are you suddenly calling me? Missed me?â
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âLi Zhao, please quickly tell my parents who Xu Huaiming is, okay? They donât believe me,â Tan Xiluâs tone was anxious, as if he was on the verge of tears.
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âXu Huaiming?â Li Zhao sounded like he didnât remember this person. âWho is that? I donât know him.â
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âHow is that possible? Itâs the AI you introduced me to at the research institute! You told me he was an AI! And there was Professor BowenâŠâ
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T/N: And thatâs the end of it! Poor Tan Xilu⊠was his lover ever real or was it all a figment of his imagination, weâll never knowâŠ
Wishing you all a good October! There is plenty more where that came from, so stay tuned! And stay healthy! Straighten your posture, so some stretches and drink some water before continuing hehe~
If you like my translations, feel free to donate to my ko-fi!
I really, really appreciate all the support from my readers <3 It goes a long way and motivates me lots!
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Also, check out the other series we have on HoH!
If you like cats, check out Revenge of the Garfield
If you like dragons, check out Iâm Pregnant with the Hope of the Entire Planet and The Dragon and the âPrincessâ
How about some mystery or showbiz? Check out Morbid Addiction & Perfection
What about the perfect, most non-toxic male lead ever? Laws of Love
How about MC nursing ML back to health? Forced into the Deep
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Thank you for all your support <3 Leave a comment if you like đ I love reading them!