That night, Xia Wennan’s curiosity prompted him to stay on the first floor till late at night. He watched as Ming Qin pushed Ming Siyan’s wheelchair outside for a brisk walk after he finished his meal, then wheeled him into the first floor bedroom upon returning inside, never coming back out. Even when Ming Luchuan arrived home from work in the middle of the night, Xia Wennan was still in the first floor living room, dispassionately watching TV. “Why are you still awake?” Ming Luchuan asked him. Xia Wennan rose from the sofa and approached Ming Luchuan’s side, but his gaze remained fixed in the direction of Ming Siyan’s bedroom. “Ming Qin said that he wasn’t going to hire a caregiver,” he said. “He’s going to look after Ming Siyan on his own.” When Ming Luchuan heard this, he said, “So?” “I wanna see how long he’ll hold out,” said Xia Wennan.
Ming Luchuan gave a small laugh, then took hold of Xia Wennan’s hand and pulled him towards the stairway. Xia Wennan’s vacation lasted until just before the Chinese New Year, when he returned to work on the day of the company’s annual meeting. When he showed up at the annual meeting, Xia Wennan dazedly felt as if he’d become Ming Yan’s hero. Worshipful gazes throughout the entire company followed his every move, and a young member of the staff even came up to him brandishing their phone in order to take a photo with him. Xia Wennan grew exceedingly dazed.
In truth, during this time, he would dream every night; long, vivid dreams that made him feel as though he was actually experiencing them first-hand. When he awoke, the dreams and his memories had coalesced to the point where he was unable to distinguish dreams from reality. In the end, Xia Wennan went to the hospital, and after Lin Shuqiu heard him out, he concluded that it might have been his memories gradually coming back to him.