Chapter 16: An Unexpected New Neighbor (4)

Ding, ding, ding...

After the long journey, Meng Yier was truly exhausted. Once she’d soaked in a hot bath, her body relaxed, and she fell into a deep sleep.

The doorbell had rung for a long time before it finally roused Meng Yier from her slumber. She opened her sleepy eyes, dragged herself out of bed, and made her way slowly downstairs.

As she walked, she called out toward the door, “Coming—”

Meng Yier opened the door. Standing there was a man dressed as a bellhop, with four large suitcases beside him.

—

Yan Yichen’s deep, enigmatic eyes were fixed intently on his computer screen. When that delicate and charming figure finally appeared, he narrowed his eyes slightly, a faint smile curling at his lips.

That’s right—she really had become his neighbor!

—

“Excuse me, are you Miss Meng?” The bellhop’s eyes lit up when he saw Meng Yier, and for a moment, he was struck dumb.

Meng Yier had a delicate oval face, her skin whiter than snow, a straight nose, and a small, full mouth. Most striking of all were her eyes—large and luminous like stars in the night sky, always radiating a kind of innocence and vulnerability that evoked a fierce desire to protect her in anyone who looked into them.

Her beauty was not of the flamboyant kind, but it left everyone who saw her in awe. If one had to use a word to describe it, it would be ethereal—an otherworldly beauty untouched by the dust of the mundane world.

—

Meng Yier nodded. She was long used to that kind of gaze. Since she’d been a child, wherever she went, people looked at her this way.

Many marveled at her beauty, and many wished to possess such a lovely face. But for Meng Yier, she would have preferred to look a little more ordinary, for this face had brought her no shortage of trouble.

“Miss, these are your suitcases. Please sign here.” The bellhop spoke respectfully, handing over a delivery slip.

“Oh, thank you—” Meng Yier glanced at it, took it, signed her name quickly, handed it back, and started to drag her luggage inside.

The bellhop didn’t leave right away. He hesitated, then asked, “Miss, would you like me to help you carry these inside?”

Meng Yier, head down as she pulled her suitcase, replied politely, “No, thank you, I can manage myself.”

The bellhop hesitated for a moment longer before finally turning and leaving.

—

Yan Yichen watched the scene unfold on his screen, displeasure clouding his face. His eyes were as cold as ice, lips pressed into a thin line. “That girl, she actually came out to meet someone in her pajamas—”

In truth, Meng Yier was wearing a white short-sleeved nightdress, the hem long enough to cover her knees, revealing only a pair of slender, fair legs. The neckline was a bit wide, exposing her gracefully curved collarbones.

But, judging by all those suitcases, Yan Yichen could finally be sure—she wasn’t leaving here anytime soon. A glint flashed in his cold eyes.

Watching her close the door and disappear from the screen, Yan Yichen pressed his lips together, stood up, returned to his bedroom, and lay down, closing his eyes.

That delicate figure lingered in his mind and would not fade.

Yan Yichen wished he could appear before her that very moment, to ask whether she still remembered the boy who had accompanied her in that abandoned little house all those years ago, whether she remembered the unforgettable night they’d shared six years before.

—

But judging from her every action, Yan Yichen was certain she hadn’t recognized him at all—or perhaps she had never remembered him in the first place.

Perhaps she’d long forgotten the boy from sixteen years ago, and even that night six years past.

Every time this possibility crossed his mind, Yan Yichen was consumed with fury. He had missed her for so many years, searched for her for so many years, yet she seemed to go on as if nothing had ever happened.

But in his heart, what he felt even more was fear, though he would never admit it.

He was afraid that, when he finally faced her, he would have to accept the truth—that she truly had never remembered him.

So then, what would all those years of longing and waiting have amounted to?

Yan Yichen had never imagined their reunion would come under such circumstances. Recalling her face at the airport, looking at him with such disgust as if he were a scoundrel, he genuinely did not know how to face her.

His thoughts were in turmoil. He lay in bed for a long time, unable to find any sleep. He undressed, left his fine clothes on the chair, and stepped into the bathroom.

Rinsing away his exhaustion, he returned to bed and, after a long while, finally drifted into a heavy sleep.

Yet even in his dreams, he could not escape her graceful image and exquisite face.