Chapter 41: A Helicopter Delivery and Lingering Sorrow

“Mmm, the sushi is delicious.”

“Yes, I love their sushi too. The texture is simply superb.”

“Why don’t we go down to eat?”

“I’m too lazy to go down, and I don’t want anyone to see you in your current attire. It’ll be far more stunning when you make your grand entrance later.”

I watched with my own eyes as someone swiftly descended a rope ladder from the helicopter. After handing a bento box to Ji Wenyan, they climbed back up the ladder.

Soon after, the helicopter departed.

Bai Mengze, still trying to process what had just happened, wondered if she was dreaming.

While she had long known Ji Wenyan was different from her, sending a helicopter just to deliver food seemed utterly extravagant!

Yet, after hearing Ji Wenyan’s explanation, Bai Mengze was truly at a loss for words.

And it was such a simple reason…

“The helicopter? Oh, I just borrowed it for a bit. My mom’s filming today anyway, so it’s not like she’s using it.”

“Filming?”

“Yeah, my mom’s a big-shot director!”

As they ate lunch, Ji Wenyan spoke of his mother with such evident pride that Bai Mengze unconsciously slowed her eating. A sudden wave of melancholy washed over her.

Just a few months prior, upon hearing such a statement, she would have proudly declared her own parents to be doctors.

Doctors who saved lives and healed the wounded.

Their promise of a trip together had been postponed time and again, all for the sake of treating patients.

They had explicitly agreed that once that critically ill patient recovered, their family would embark on a journey.

To a place of grand mountains and vast waters, where they would explore and unwind.

But now, that was no longer possible.

They were all gone.

Only she remained.

As she ate, Bai Mengze found herself unable to swallow another bite.

Her eyes welled up, hot and stinging. Unable to hold back, tears streamed down, falling into her bento box and making the food taste as salty and bitter as her own sorrow.

“Bai Mengze, try this rice ball, it’s really deli—”

Ji Wenyan, seated beside her, had not yet noticed Bai Mengze’s distress. Enjoying his favorite food, he eagerly began to recommend it to her.

However, when he received no reply, Ji Wenyan looked up and was immediately startled.

‘Why is she crying?’

‘Is it *that* delicious?’

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, I just feel a bit sad.”

Ji Wenyan, being quite astute, immediately sensed Bai Mengze’s unusual state. He wisely refrained from teasing her about crying tears of joy because the food was *too* delicious.

Instead, he cautiously inquired about her well-being.

Hearing Ji Wenyan’s words, Bai Mengze spoke with a choked voice, her head bowed, but did not reveal the reason for her sorrow.

Her back remained ramrod straight, like a stubbornly defiant pine tree.

This made Ji Wenyan sigh helplessly, musing that the protégé he had taken under his wing seemed to be a magnet for trouble.

‘What would she have done if she hadn’t met me?’

“It’s alright. Take your time. Everything will pass.”

Seeing Bai Mengze in such a state, Ji Wenyan lost his appetite as well. He set his bento box aside, then reached out, drawing her by the shoulders and pulling her into an embrace.

With one hand, he gently patted her back, hoping to offer some comfort.

He recalled seeing characters in his mother’s TV dramas offer comfort in precisely this manner.

Despite Bai Mengze’s formidable combat prowess, her small frame was almost painfully delicate. Holding her felt like cradling a child, prompting Ji Wenyan to resolve inwardly that he needed to ensure she got more nutrition.

She always presented a strong front, yet deep down, she was still a soft-hearted girl!

Her sudden tears left Ji Wenyan feeling utterly flustered, unsure how to console a girl.

‘Are all women like this?’

“My mom and dad were doctors. Doctors who saved lives and healed the wounded.”

Perhaps Ji Wenyan’s sudden embrace had given Bai Mengze strength.

She reached out, clutching Ji Wenyan’s shirt, and spoke with a resolute voice, though it was still laced with sobs.