Sharing Dreams with My Bestie's Cousin

The video was recorded by Mu Yanzhou the day he went to Lin City, in the waiting lounge.

He had a premonition, so he recorded it there.

The bright light from above brushed over the lens as he awkwardly lifted his phone to adjust the angle, his body slightly leaning backward. When he faced the camera, a gentle smile spread across his face.

"Zhizhi, my precious daughter."

That was the first thing Mu Yanzhou said.

He raised the phone higher, trying to appear in good spirits in the video, but when he spoke again, his tone inevitably grew heavy, "Daddy has let you down."

After those words, Mu Yanzhou seemed to fall into some unpleasant memories, his eyes revealing a faint sadness.

After a long time, he switched the phone to his other hand before continuing, "This past year, you’ve grown up on your own, I know everything you’ve been through."

"It’s Dad’s fault." As he said this, Mu Yanzhou’s eyes were filled with guilt.

After that statement, Mu Yanzhou once again fell silent.

And Wen Zhi, holding the phone at that moment, was already crying uncontrollably.

"Zhizhi." 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Mu Yanzhou’s voice came again.

At that moment, his gaze was quietly upon the lens, as if he could see his daughter through it.

A tender smile lifted onto his face, "You always ask me over and over whether I ever loved your mother."

Upon hearing this, Wen Zhi suddenly paused, two tears splashing onto the screen.

Mu Yanzhou said, "The day your mother died, my heart also left with her."

From then on, every day was like living death.

How could he not love her.

"My love for your mother has never changed since the day we got married, she was my life, my everything."

"Soon... I’m going to join your mother. She’s waited so long this time, I wonder if she will be mad at me..."

As he said this, Mu Yanzhou’s eyes sparkled, "If I tell her, in this past year, I’ve already settled our daughter’s future, would your mother be easier to coax?"

After speaking, Mu Yanzhou looked thoughtful, as if he were picturing that scene in his mind.

Once he arrived down there, he would see Wen Yinxi, following behind her, coaxing and apologizing. Just the thought of this brought a look of anticipation to his face.

A moment passed.

Mu Yanzhou lowered the hand holding the phone somewhat, and the lens also zoomed in considerably.

His face filled the screen, as he spoke softly, "Zhizhi, live well."

"Daddy hopes you live a long and happy life, may all your wishes come true."

...

The video was long, but Mu Yanzhou only had a few brief words to say; most of the time, Wen Zhi saw nothing but silence and indebtedness on his face.

He offered no explanation of what he had done over the year, nor did he mention any of his sorrows.

But the fact that Mu Yanzhou loved Wen Yinxi was something he had to tell his daughter.

"Daddy..."

Wen Zhi was sobbing inconsolably.

The hand that Gu Rang held to support Wen Zhi was noticeably getting heavier—she was gradually losing the ability to stand.

Several times she almost couldn’t remain upright, desperately struggling, only to barely turn around to look at the wooden chest that Zhan Feng was holding in his arms.

At that moment, there was no sound in her ears, the air around her seemed to fall still at this moment.

She stared at the wooden chest for a long time, stiffly and slowly reaching out to take it.

Zhan Feng carefully handed the wooden casket to Wen Zhi, "Miss, take your time."

Standing by, Gu Rang had already taken the cell phone from Wen Zhi’s reaching hand, to free her hands so she could steadily hold the casket.

At the moment of exchange, both of their hearts almost hung together.

Wen Zhi’s arms were especially stiff, her joints seemed to lose warmth and wouldn’t move naturally, until she touched the wooden casket. She held it in an extremely strange posture and remained motionless.

After a long while, signs of warmth returned to her body, and her knuckles folded bit by bit, she clutched the wooden casket in her arms tightly.

Then she slowly bowed her head and knocked her glabella onto the casket’s relief patterns, tears fell upon it in big drops.

She cried silently, as though the next second she might not catch her breath.

"Wen Zhi, let it out, don’t hold it in, otherwise your body can’t bear it..." - such sorrow.

Gu Rang had not finished speaking when he noticed that Wen Zhi’s condition was not right.

On the side, Zhan Feng’s face changed color drastically, "We must get her to make a sound, otherwise she won’t be able to catch her breath, and that could lead to trouble."

"I know! Of course, I know!" Gu Rang’s face looked terrible, "Hurry and take away President Mu’s urn—"

Upon hearing this, Zhan Feng reached out to snatch the urn from Wen Zhi’s embrace.

But Wen Zhi held it tightly, her finger bones tightly gripping the wooden casket, refusing to loosen her grip in the slightest.

At this moment, her complexion had changed.

It turned somewhat blue.

Fearing it would be too late to avert a serious incident, Zhan Feng bit his lip and pried off Wen Zhi’s fingers one by one.

But when he saw the bandage wound around her hand, gradually being stained red by fresh blood, he had to lessen his grip, "Miss, listen to me, your condition isn’t good right now, and your old injuries haven’t healed, let go first!"

Wen Zhi seemed to feel no pain at all.

No matter how long Zhan Feng pried, she refused to release her hand.

It was hard to tell how long the standoff lasted until the urn was finally back in Zhan Feng’s hands, but the state of Wen Zhi’s hand did not look very promising.

And at that moment, all the pent-up repression in Wen Zhi’s heart finally burst out, "Wu—!"

A hysterical scream erupted from her shattered voice.

Gu Rang held Wen Zhi to prevent her from struggling, "Wen Zhi, let it out, it’s okay to let it out."

Wen Zhi’s complexion gradually regained its color.

Her limbs were no longer as rigid as before.

Looking at the wooden casket in Zhan Feng’s arms, she questioned in a voiceover, "Why didn’t you wait for me to come before the cremation? Why didn’t you let me see my father for the last time? Why?"

Gu Rang didn’t loosen his hold, and while hugging Wen Zhi tight, his palm also firmly grasped her arm, "Those were President Mu’s instructions; he didn’t want you to see his body, afraid that you would be trapped in a shadow for a lifetime."

Wen Zhi asked in disbelief, "You’re lying to me, aren’t you?"

"I am not lying to you," Gu Rang tried hard to make Wen Zhi believe, "We were planning to wait for you to see President Mu for the last time before cremating him, but Zhan Feng discovered a farewell message in President Mu’s cell phone, so..."

Wen Zhi choked in a hoarse voice, and her struggling ceased suddenly; she murmured, "Why didn’t you let me see you for the last time... You didn’t let me see... the last of you."

"Wen Zhi, listen to me, President Mu had made many arrangements for you. In fact, he had been ready to follow the madam when she passed away. President Mu delayed it for a year because he couldn’t bear to leave you."

Meanwhile, Gu Rang also released his hold, and Wen Zhi slowly turned around, her eyes red, looking at Gu Rang, "Have you always known... about all these arrangements my father has made?"

Gu Rang cleared his throat, his expression tight, "I..."

From the side, Zhan Feng’s calm voice stated, "We both knew."

Wen Zhi suddenly looked towards Zhan Feng.

Zhan Feng met Wen Zhi’s gaze calmly, "When President Mu gave the order, we couldn’t tell you even if we knew, besides..."

Zhan Feng paused for a moment.