Chapter 208
Translated into Chinese, it roughly means "ethereal" or "fairy-like."0
Madam Immortal had thought that her long-unseen son was missing her and had come to visit. She had specially canceled several gatherings for this, preparing to show what little motherly affection she had and offer her son some care.0
However, it was clear that she had thought too much.0
After Fu Yan arrived, he went straight to stay at a hotel and said not to bother about him, that he was just here to play.0
Madam Immortal had been overly sentimental. She complained a bit while pointing at Fu Yan\'s picture on her phone, then transferred some money and organized another gathering.0
Immortal never lacked for money and did things as she pleased. Just like how, despite her considerable wealth, she lived for long periods in a not-very-developed small city.0
She made friends regardless of their social status, judging only by how she felt about them. So her gatherings included both suited upper-class individuals and ordinary women in aprons...0
Jiang Yan was originally leaning on the windowsill of her room, watching the leaves outside. Golden sunlight pierced through the rustling maple leaves, dancing in the gaps between them.0
A book lay open in front of Jiang Yan, with a cup of latte coffee beside her hand. Soft instrumental music played from the room\'s speakers.0
The landlady knocked and entered, her face wearing a warm smile. She held something resembling an invitation in her hand and explained to Jiang Yan in English that it was an invitation to Madam Immortal\'s gathering, asking if Jiang Yan would like to attend.0
So, in the afternoon, Jiang Yan went with the landlady to the home of the most hospitable Madam Immortal in the area.0
Madam Immortal had chanced upon Jiang Yan when going out and had specially remembered to invite her over. She enthusiastically chatted with Jiang Yan about many things from back home.0
Jiang Yan always had a vague feeling that Madam Immortal looked somewhat familiar, but when she tried to think about it carefully, she had no concrete memory.0
Meanwhile, Fu Yan easily declined his birth mother\'s invitation and lay in his hotel room adjusting to jet lag.0
It wasn\'t until evening that he crawled out of bed, suddenly remembering he had forgotten to bring something. He went out for a while but couldn\'t find it, and the local delivery service was too slow.0
So Fu Yan took a taxi, planning to directly raid Madam Lu Meixian\'s place.0
As the gathering was about to end, Immortal was enthusiastically bidding farewell to each guest, inviting them to come again next time.0
Jiang Yan, having eaten two extra chocolate nut cookies during the gathering, was kept by Immortal until the end. She waited until freshly baked cookies came out, and Immortal packed a full box for Jiang Yan.0
As Immortal was seeing Jiang Yan out the door, a car pulled up in front. Because it was night, the headlights were bright, illuminating the fence at the yard\'s entrance with stark clarity.0
Jiang Yan\'s eyes were slightly astigmatic. The light stung her eyes, making it hard to keep them open. She only saw that Immortal\'s expression seemed somewhat surprised, as if the person in the car was unexpected.0
Thinking it was a guest, Jiang Yan said goodbye to Immortal and headed back, hugging a box of fragrant, warm cookies. She ate as she walked, feeling a little bit of happiness.0
The driver had already brought the car to its destination, but the passenger was slow to get out.0
When the headlights suddenly illuminated Jiang Yan\'s face, Fu Yan almost thought he was hallucinating. He was inwardly mocking himself for thinking about her day and night to the point of delusion when suddenly he realized Jiang Yan was moving!0
She was squinting, holding a box in her hands, waving goodbye to his mother...0
In an instant, Fu Yan couldn\'t be sure if this was real. He abruptly sat up, his hand fumbling with the door handle, which made a "click" sound as it slipped from his grasp.0
His gaze followed her silhouette, but he didn\'t dare open the door.0
Because subconsciously he had already treated her as someone who had left, he was a bit afraid this might be false.0
During the time Fu Yan spent in the car, Immortal\'s mood had already shifted from pleasant surprise to confusion. Finally, just as she was about to become impatient, the car door opened.0
Her tall son stepped out of the car with an unsteady gait, staring blankly at the messy footprints on the ground. He looked a bit dazed, not even hearing the driver calling for payment.0
Immortal resignedly paid the fare, already beginning to doubt Fu Yan\'s purpose in coming here. His demeanor didn\'t look at all like someone who had come to reconnect with her.0
Sure enough, it was as she expected. Fu Yan had just come to get something, with an entitled attitude and a somewhat absent-minded look.0
Immortal handed him the item, but he suddenly spoke up: "Ms. Lu, let\'s talk."0
"Please call me Madam Immortal. What do you want to talk about? Family, growing up, or companionship?"0
Fu Yan stroked the armrest of the old-fashioned sofa, choosing his words carefully: "That girl who left here when I arrived..."0
Before Fu Yan could finish, Immortal had already become excited: "You saw her?! You don\'t know how beautiful she is, she\'s a super gorgeous beauty! And she\'s also super cute, the way she eats cookies is just like a little hamster, but she\'s even cuter than a hamster..."0
Fu Yan\'s question hadn\'t aroused any suspicion at all. Immortal was like a teenage fangirl, enthusiastically promoting her little guest to Fu Yan.0
Fu Yan easily captured the information he wanted from this: She came to Canada alone, for sightseeing and relaxation, had been here for some time, hadn\'t gone to the hospital...0
Fu Yan had always believed Jiang Yan\'s reason about being sick.0
But at this moment, he suddenly felt an unprecedented doubt.0
What if she wasn\'t sick?0
What if it was just an excuse to reject him?0
On the street where Jiang Yan lived, there was a row of maple trees planted. The autumn maple leaves were beautiful, orange-red and deep yellow, dyeing the entire street with color.0
Jiang Yan told the landlady that the leaves were pretty. The landlady then found her a small basket, letting her go pick them up for fun.0
The basket was full of maple leaves. She didn\'t know what use they had, but it gave her a sense of accomplishment.0
Jiang Yan had been squatting on the ground for too long, and when she stood up, her legs suddenly felt numb. The tingly sensation made Jiang Yan want to sit right back down on the ground. As she was bending over, someone suddenly extended an arm, steadying her.0
Jiang Yan thought it was the landlady and turned her head, about to smile and say thank you, when she suddenly froze.0
Standing in front of her was Fu Yan.0
"Can you stand up?" Fu Yan asked calmly.0
Jiang Yan was stunned, not knowing how to handle this. She said, "I can." But her body was honest, slowly squatting down again.0
Fu Yan withdrew his hand, watching as she suddenly became much shorter, still looking up at him expectantly.0
Fu Yan pulled his hand back, wanting to see her reaction, but saw her put the small basket of maple leaves on the ground, her fingers fidgeting as if she wanted to cover her ears and escape.0
The feeling of regaining something lost was too profound to forget. This time, Fu Yan was determined to grab hold of her and didn\'t want to give her even a moment to escape.0
He stood beside her and asked, "Is your illness cured?"0
Jiang Yan then remembered that quite a while ago, she had thought she would finish her task and leave, using illness as an excuse to reject Fu Yan...0
Now it seemed to have become something that could never be explained.0
Squatting also made her legs numb and required effort. Jiang Yan looked at Fu Yan tentatively and sat down on the ground. Like a guilty little puppy.0
She didn\'t speak.0
Fu Yan then squatted down, trying to meet her gaze at eye level. He tugged at the corner of his mouth, but there was no hint of a smile. He said, "I\'m not that detestable, am I? Even if you wanted to reject me, you didn\'t have to use illness and leaving as an excuse, right?"0
Jiang Yan apologized weakly, "I\'m sorry."0
"I don\'t forgive you," Fu Yan said without thinking. "You don\'t know how much I\'ve suffered because of you."0
Jiang Yan thought about it a few times, felt it was her fault, and still wanted to say sorry, so she said it again.0
Fu Yan looked at her and said, "Even if you say it a hundred times, I won\'t forgive you."0
As Jiang Yan was at a loss for what to do, she heard him say, "Unless you give me a hug."0
Jiang Yan\'s legs weren\'t very numb anymore, but at this moment she didn\'t know if she should stand up or not.0
Fu Yan couldn\'t wait any longer and said, "Or I could carry you back, since your legs are numb, right?"0
Jiang Yan silently got up from the ground and extended her arms.0
Fu Yan chuckled, as if he had already known what was going on with her. Without hesitation, he reached out and embraced her gently.0
In a foreign land, on a street covered with maple leaves, Fu Yan held the fairy he had longed for.0
The embrace lasted a bit too long, but under the maple trees, it seemed romantic and fitting.0
A neighbor, unfamiliar to Jiang Yan, greeted them: "Have a nice day!"0
Fu Yan finally released Jiang Yan, smiling as he returned a similar greeting, appearing to be in a good mood.0
But when he turned back to look at Jiang Yan, his tone became wounded as he said to her, "You lied to me."0
"It wasn\'t on purpose," Jiang Yan said with a pained expression, unable to offer an explanation.0
"So now, can I court you again?" Fu Yan asked.0
However, without waiting for Jiang Yan\'s answer, he quickly added, "Rejection is not an option. Liking you is my freedom."0
Being courted didn\'t seem so bad; the choice to refuse or accept was still in her hands.0
But Fu Yan suddenly reminded her, "During the livestream, we were already a couple."0
He was right.0
Their relationship as a couple was even widely known and extremely popular.0
Fu Yan suddenly remembered what he had seen earlier, the fans\' comments calling Jiang Yan "wife" on her platform. He tilted his head and asked Jiang Yan, "Is it okay if I call you \'wife\' in advance?"0
Jiang Yan was stunned for a moment. When she realized what he meant, she immediately pushed away his arm. What kind of person was he? Just a moment ago, he said he wanted to court her, and now he was asking if he could call her "wife"...0
"When will you resume streaming?" Fu Yan asked, following behind her.0