018 I Am Sorry

For the casting of her new drama, Gu Yan constantly shuttled between Hangzhou and Hengdian. As the screenwriter, her presence was mandatory at both the preliminary rounds and the grand finale. It came as no surprise that the preliminary rounds were such a resounding success.

"Cheers!" Inside the minimalist yet elegant private room sat a group of people who were anything but ordinary.

"I must propose a separate toast to our most accomplished Gu-ren. Drink up!" Cai Mei said boldly, raising her glass.

"To our reunion," Gu Yan replied, gesturing with her glass before downing the drink in one go.

Beside them, Li Min studied Gu Yan with a thoughtful expression. He could hardly believe that the "Gu-ren" Cai Mei spoke of was the acclaimed playwright Alisa. Although the woman before him wore a warm smile, she radiated an aura of cool detachment and aloofness.

"Cai Mei, I toast you as well. May all lovers find their way to each other!" Cai Mei’s gaze flickered between Zheng Yingqi and Gu Yan before she smiled and finished her drink. The "welcome banquet" went smoothly; throughout the evening, Gu Yan spoke only two words to Li Min: "Cherish fortune."

The following day, Gu Yan took Cai Mei back to Hengdian. Before leaving, she promised that Li Min would be the leading man. One could hardly fault Gu Yan for her favoritism; this was simply the reality. Connections were always a crucial part of strength.

Upon returning to their familiar hometown, Cai Mei’s first stop was the hospital.

The ward was quiet, save for the steady, rhythmic beeping of the EKG monitor. After only a few days apart, Gu Yan felt the girl on the hospital bed looked even thinner. Cai Mei’s lips trembled with sorrow, and tears streamed down her face.

"Daxian... Daxian... Choumei is here... Daxian, Choumei doesn't want Li Min anymore; Choumei is back. Gu-ren feels the same; she doesn't want Shen Hong anymore. Please, wake up. It’s been so many years—don't let Jiang Yunkai torture you any longer, and don't make us lose respect for you. I know you can hear me. Wake up, please wake up..."

Unable to bear watching Cai Mei weep so bitterly, Gu Yan turned away, a single tear slipping down her own cheek. But what Gu Yan did not see was that the moment she turned, a tear also escaped from the corner of the girl’s eye on the bed.

In the end, Cai Mei decided to stay at the hospital. "Xiao Yan," she said, "I have no home to return to, just like you. Let me stay and look after Daxian." Back at the hotel, Gu Yan collapsed into bed. She had been so incredibly busy lately that it was no wonder she was so exhausted.

"You heartless woman, you didn't even come to see me after getting back from Hangzhou. Do you have any idea how much I’ve missed you?" Wei Hao entered the room as he spoke, but upon seeing the soundly sleeping Gu Yan, his tone softened, his voice trailing off. "Fine, I’ll forgive you this once." As he spoke, he gently stroked her cheek.

"Dad... Mom..." A tear fell from the corner of the woman’s eye.

Sitting by the bedside, Wei Hao felt as if his heart had been struck. He had seen Gu Yan when she was wild and unreasonable, talented and brilliant, cold and aloof, and even when she was sobbing uncontrollably, but he had never seen her look so fragile and helpless. In that moment, he suddenly realized that despite the three years they had spent together, he had never truly known her at all. He should have realized it sooner: upon returning to the hometown where she grew up, she had visited her friends, yet she had completely avoided her own flesh and blood.

Wei Hao suddenly felt a surge of heartache for this woman, who was a few years his senior, and wondered just how much suffering and heartbreak she had endured.