If You Could Hear My Heart - Chapter 164:
Chapter 164: Chapter 164: Old Photos from More Than Twenty Years Ago
Translator: 549690339
Half an hour later, the drizzling rain had turned into a downpour.
Everywhere one could hear the sound of water rushing down, and Shen Chi didn’t immediately return to the Shen Family, instead he just sat quietly in his car watching the rain.
Bai Man had waited for Shen Chi at the Shen Family for a long time, but couldn’t catch a glimpse of him. Whenever she called his number, she was met with the same message, “The number you have dialed is currently busy.”
She slammed her coffee cup onto the ground where it shattered, scattering fragments all around!
Bai Man stopped calling Shen Chi and instead, drove her sports car straight into the rain.
The rain outside was really heavy.
Droplets pounded on the sports car, making a thunderous noise.
The sports car roared past, accompanied by the sound of rustling leaves.
Bai Man searched one place after another; she refused to believe that she couldn’t find Shen Chi.
However, it seemed like even the heavens were not on her side. She searched for a whole hour, driving through the big and small streets of C City, but still couldn’t find him.
Frustrated, she parked her car on the side of the road, rolled down the window, and threw out everything smashable from the car onto the ground!
She called Xiaofeng, called Li Beiting, called Ji Shengxuan, she called everyone she could think of.
It was useless.
Absolutely useless.
Just when she was about to give up, her car happened to come around to the seaside villa that Zhou Ran had given them.
The villa was beautiful and grand. Not far from the sea, one could now hear the sound of waves crashing against the shore.
Bai Man initially intended to bypass the villa and leave, but then she saw lights on the first floor of the villa.
It was already eleven o’clock at night. Why would anyone be in this brand-new villa?
Bai Man hesitated, wondering if it could be Shen Chi inside?
If he really was there, it would make sense, since it wouldn’t be long before she and he would move in to live there.
At this moment, the heavy rain poured down, and waves after waves hit the rocks continuously.
Many sounds filled her ears, the howling wind, the mournful sounds of the sea, the pattering rain…
The light on the first floor of the villa was yellow, a warm color that stood out brightly in the stark blackness of the night sky.
The curtains of the villa were drawn, and Bai Man couldn’t see clearly who was inside.
In her hesitation, she turned the steering wheel and drove to the villa’s parking area.
After turning off the car lights and grabbing the key, Bai Man prepared to get out and check, maybe Shen Chi was really there.
As soon as she opened the car door, the cold wind rushed in, and Bai Man gathered her hair, braving the wind to walk up the steps of the villa.
The villa was exquisite, with fountains, rockeries, little bridges, and corridors, it was very beautiful. It wasn’t hard to imagine that Zhou Ran had put a lot of thought into it.
Walking forward, just as Bai Man was about to use her key to open the door, she suddenly heard a “clang”, as if something had broken.
She was startled and involuntarily stepped back.
“Zhou Ran, I came here today to talk things over with you calmly, why are you throwing another tantrum?”
It was Shen Cexian’s voice, deep and vigorous.
Bai Man was puzzled and dared not proceed with opening the door. Why would Shen Cexian and Zhou Ran be here? Could it be that Shen Chi was here too?
She hid in a dark corner, and didn’t make a sound.
“You do not deserve to receive my anger, Shen Cexian. Say what you have to say all at once; I do not wish to see you, not one bit!” Zhou Ran’s voice was clear
and cold.
A silence, a long silence.
Bai Man could even hear her own heartbeat.
The surrounding rain continued to fall heavily, drumming on the steps, splashing into the sea. Water splashed everywhere and droplets bounced chaotically.
Without hearing Shen Chi’s voice, Bai Man finally realized after a long time that it was only Shen Cexian and Zhou Ran inside.
“This is Achi and Manman’s new house, and you’ve broken something that will need to be replaced. Let’s not make a scene,” sighed Shen Cexian.
Bai Man knew Shen Cexian was not known for his good temper, yet his reaction to Zhou Ran’s outburst seemed indifferent, as if he were completely unperturbed.
Another silence.
Inside the room, with the lights brightly lit, Shen Cexian sat on a sofa. Due to his illness, he had lost a lot of weight, and his complexion was very pale.
Zhou Ran leaned against a table with her arms folded, not looking at him.
Zhou Ran didn’t appear aged; she was still beautiful, with delicate makeup on her fair face. She wore a thin, beige coat, and standing to one side, she looked stunning and seemed to be in her thirties.
Shen Cexian was calm, but the anger in Zhou Ran’s eyes gradually subsided after the bouts of silence.
“Say what you need to say. I have to get back to the Zhou Family,” Zhou Ran said impatiently.
“Zhou Ran, we have been divorced for eight years now. In fact, you should find a better place to be,” he said.
“I don’t need you to worry about my business. Shen Cexian, do you think I don’t want to remarry? I just want to wait until Achi and Adi are married. Rest assured, I will certainly live better than you,” she retorted.
Shen Cexian nodded, “As long as you’re doing well, that’s all that matters.”
Zhou Ran seemed impatient, “Do you actually have anything to say to me?”
Shen Cexian silently looked down and finally took out an old, creased photograph from his pocket.
“Take it. It’s what you’ve always wanted.”
Shen Cexian’s gaze was complex. Although he handed the photograph to Zhou Ran, his eyes never left the people in the photo.
Three people, one man and two women, all very young, in their twenties, at the prime of their lives.
It was clear to see that the man on the left was a young Shen Cexian.
The young Shen Cexian shared some resemblance to Shen Chi, wearing a white shirt, serious and composed, with slightly pursed lips and a profound look. The woman standing next to him was unmistakably Zhou Ran.
Zhou Ran had maintained herself well over the years, without much change, only more mature than the figure in the photograph.
The Zhou Ran in the photo was smiling gently, the epitome of a refined maiden.
She was dressed in a light blue, long dress, elegant like an orchid, or a fairy descended from the heavens. Against the azure sky, she looked exceptionally beautiful.
However, there was another woman on the right.
If Zhou Ran was a secluded orchid, this woman seemed more like a winter jasmine under the sun, composed and warm, with a calm smile on her face.
When Zhou Ran took the photo, she too paused.
She had been asking Shen Cexian for this photo for many years, and now he was finally willing to give it to her.
Looking down, she found herself staring into Xu Mengxi’s piercingly clear eyes.
Xu Mengxi was truly beautiful, with large eyes and a warm smile, her thick black hair cut short just above the shoulders, pure and refined. In the photo, she wore a white dress, a stark white, like a cloud in the sky.
Eighteen-year-old Xu Chaomu was starting to look more and more like her, only, Xu Chaomu’s personality was nothing like Xu Mengxi’s.
The young girl was quirky, lively, and active, whereas Xu Mengxi was a very quiet and demure woman.
Fingertips gently traced Xu Mengxi’s face…
Although the photograph had yellowed, the people in it were still crystal clear, as if past events were vividly before her eyes.
Zhou Ran’s heart skipped a beat at that instant.
“Xu Mengxi, Xu Mengxi…” she murmured her name, her voice hoarse..
