Han Wenwen stared at the woman with a thoughtful expression.

Maybe her emotions had settled a little since she first arrived.

She and Lin Zhengran were sitting on the empty hospital bed beside her mother’s. The mother and daughter chatted briefly.

They talked about what had happened over the years and got a general understanding of each other’s lives.

Lying flat on the bed, the woman said, “I heard from your uncle—you got into Qingbei University? That’s incredible. One of the top universities in the country.”

Han Wenwen smiled, “Actually, I’m not that great at studying.” She glanced at Lin Zhengran and held his hand. “I was just lucky.”

She looked at the time. It was already quite late.

Han Wenwen said, “Alright, I’ve seen everything I came to see. I won’t keep you from resting. Brother Zhengran and I are heading out now. I hope… I hope next time you won’t be so selfish in your next life. Learn your lesson.”

The woman let out a self-deprecating laugh. “Thank you. Being scolded by my own daughter might be the best thing that’s happened to me. I’ll remember it.”

As she finished speaking, she started coughing several times.

Lin Zhengran, who hadn’t said much before, finally asked, “Auntie, do you have any last wishes?”

The woman looked at Lin Zhengran and immediately shook her head.

She originally wanted to say there was nothing more—just seeing Han Wenwen one last time was enough.

But staring into Lin Zhengran’s eyes, maybe it was a sense of déjà vu brought on by the end of her life, or maybe it was her many years of experience with men—she suddenly felt this boy was unlike anyone else.

Even more unreachable than any man she had ever tried to get close to.

For a moment, her eyes flickered. She looked again at Han Wenwen: “There’s… one more. Just…”

From the way she looked at Han Wenwen, Lin Zhengran seemed to understand what that wish was.

Han Wenwen also caught the flicker of emotion in her eyes.

The clever little fox seemed to realize something too.

At the moment of parting, Han Wenwen’s fingers curled tightly. In the end, because of the brief happiness she once had in childhood, she fulfilled the woman’s wish and gently called out: “Mom, I hope you can be happy in your next life.”

The woman’s tired but still-beautiful eyes widened, filled with tears. She closed them peacefully, her wish fulfilled. “Thank you. Thank you, Wenwen.”

As Lin Zhengran and Han Wenwen stood up, he discreetly dropped something into her drinking water.

It was a trace of medicinal residue infused with a bit of spiritual energy. While it had no miraculous effect, it could ease most of the pain of dying.

Perhaps now, she truly had no regrets left.

Just a few days later, the woman passed away peacefully.

A week later, Han Wenwen and Lin Zhengran placed flowers on her tombstone.

Her uncle and aunt stood nearby, watching.

After placing the flowers, Han Wenwen looked at the photo on the tombstone. Her eyes were red, but she smiled. “For Mom, this was probably a happy ending.”

Lin Zhengran gently patted the little fox on the head in comfort.

She turned to her uncle and aunt. “Uncle, Auntie, Brother Zhengran and I are heading back north today.”

Her uncle nodded. “You’re living together with Lin Zhengran now, right?”

Han Wenwen nodded. “Yes. We’re about to move in together. Probably… after we graduate from college, we’ll get married. Right, Brother Zhengran?”

Lin Zhengran answered, “Yes. When the time comes, I’ll invite Uncle and Auntie to the wedding.”

The two had always been supportive of Han Wenwen’s decisions.

Now that she no longer relied on anyone else, her uncle’s family knew they had no right to interfere in what she chose to do.

But her uncle still said one thing in the end: “I hope you’ll treat Wenwen well.”

“Don’t worry, Uncle. We’ll be off now.”

They waved goodbye. Just as they turned to leave—

Three figures appeared in the distance.

Han Wenwen looked up and saw that it was He Qing, Lili, and Jiang Jingshi.

She was surprised and delighted: “Xiao Qingqing, Lili, and Sister Jiang, how come you’re here too?!”

The three of them came over. Little He Qing spoke sweetly with concern: “When I heard you say on the phone that your mom passed away, we were all worried you wouldn’t be able to take it, so we thought we’d come check on you.”

Jiang Xueli added with her usual tsundere tone, “You and Zhengran have been gone so long, and even though you didn’t want us to come, we couldn’t stand staying up north anymore. So here we are.”

Jiang Jingshi looked at Han Wenwen, whose eyes were a bit red, and spoke gently, “Wenwen… are you okay?”

Han Wenwen’s lips curled into a smile. Holding onto Lin Zhengran’s arm, she grinned like her usual self again:

“Of course I’m fine. I’m not as fragile as you all think. Besides, Mom didn’t suffer when she passed. Everything went smoothly.”

The three girls exchanged glances.

They didn’t fully understand the complex emotions one could have toward a mother like that.

Such experiences were rare, after all.

As head of the group, Lin Zhengran spoke: “Alright, since you three just got here, we’ll all head back together. Let’s grab a meal and take the train north together. There’s still a lot to do, and this year’s pretty busy.”

Everyone exchanged looks and shared small smiles.

Then He Qing, Jiang Xueli, and Jiang Jingshi placed their own flowers on the auntie’s tombstone.

The five of them left together.

Han Wenwen’s uncle and aunt didn’t move.

Only after the group had gone did her aunt finally speak with a sigh, “Wenwen really has a lot of friends now. Compared to when I first met her, it’s like she’s a different person.”

Her uncle stared at the disappearing figure of Han Wenwen. “She’s had her own life for a long time now.”

The high-speed train heading back north sped along the rails.

Han Wenwen was once again asleep, leaning on Lin Zhengran’s shoulder, still holding his hand.

In yet another dream—

Little Han Wenwen stood at that same familiar yet terrifying crossroads in the dark, still waiting for her mom to come home.

But now, she was no longer alone.

Little Lin Zhengran was always with her.

He said, “It’s finally over.”

“Huh?” Little Han Wenwen didn’t understand. “What’s over?”

Little Lin Zhengran told her to look into the distance. This time, she actually saw her mother’s figure far away, standing up.

But her mother didn’t approach. Instead, she waved from afar: “Wenwen, Mommy’s leaving. Goodbye.”

Her figure faded completely into the distance, and the path around them brightened.

“Mom… goodbye.”

Little Lin Zhengran said, “She finally said goodbye to you. So let’s leave too, alright?”

Little Han Wenwen looked eagerly at Little Lin Zhengran. “Leave… go where?”

Little Lin Zhengran took her hand and walked toward the light:

“Just follow me. Even if I’m here with you and you’re not afraid, we can’t stay in this dark place forever. There’s so much more waiting for us.”

Holding his hand, she followed his steps, glancing back once more at the dark crossroads that now shone with light.

A smile appeared on her face as she said to Little Lin Zhengran, “Brother Zhengran, I want fried chicken.”

“Fried chicken in the morning? But fine, I’ll buy it for you.”

Together, they walked toward the light.