If You Could Hear My Heart

Chapter 578: Chapter 578: Once Promised, A Lifetime and Another
 

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But he, he couldn’t make that choice anymore.

He lifted her out of the bathtub, and Xu Chaomu didn’t resist anymore, just letting two streams of tears roll down from the corners of her eyes.

He changed her into a clean nightgown and carried her to the soft edge of the bed. His slender fingers gently swept over her sleek black hair, combing it for her.

“Mumu, today I had someone pick up Wealth. Tomorrow, it can be brought back to the Shen Family,” he said.

Shen Chi dried her hair with a hairdryer, his eyes filled with indulgence and tenderness.

Xu Chaomu lowered her eyelids, remaining silent.

“Do you think if I bring Wealth home, you won’t miss Dabai as much?” Shen Chi asked.

A glint of light flashed in Xu Chaomu’s eyes, but her lips moved slightly, and in the end, she still didn’t speak.

“If the weather is good tomorrow, I’ll take you to the seaside to collect shells,” he proposed.

C City is near the seaside, and the scenery there in summer is beautiful. The beach is always left with many oddly shaped little creatures after being washed by the sea waves.

For example, shells, colorful pieces of glass, conches…

As a child, Xu Chaomu would always pester him to take her to the seaside to collect shells. She would insist that there were pearls inside the shells and would not stop badgering him to take her.

Back when she was a child at the Shen Family, she wouldn’t cling to anyone else, only to him, who never smiled and was especially cold.

Despite him telling her “go away,” she was persistently clinging to him.

In the end, he still never took her out.

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She wanted to go to the seaside, but he never took her; she wanted to go to the amusement park, but he also never took her.

During the five years she was gone, he always thought that if only she would come back, wherever she wanted to go, he would indulge her—as long as she came back…

Xu Chaomu still didn’t speak, eerily quiet.

Shen Chi didn’t want Xu Chaomu to be like this; his Mumu was lively and cute, her big eyes forming crescents when she laughed, and her dimples faintly visible.

She would follow him around, pulling on his sleeve, batting her big eyes and calling him “Fourth Brother” “Fourth Brother”…

“Mumu, answer me, say something…” Shen Chi furrowed his brows tightly, the area around his heart feeling as if it were being twisted by a knife.

“Shen Chi…” she finally moved her pale lips and called out his name.

The hand holding the hairdryer paused, as he stared into her eyes.

Her bright eyes, at that very moment, were devoid of any sparkle, causing him deep heartache.

“Let’s… break up…” Xu Chaomu said slowly.

“Impossible.”

Almost without hesitation, Shen Chi decisively rejected her. He gripped the hairdryer tightly in his hands. Yes, it was impossible for him to give her up.

Eight years of togetherness, day after day, a five-year wait that gnawed to the bone, letting go was easier said than done.

“Mumu, no matter what obstacle, remember, I am here with you. No matter when, I will never leave you alone,” he assured her.

Having promised a lifetime, and even another, how could he bear to let her walk alone?

Even on the road to the netherworld, he would accompany her.

She was timid, afraid of everything, and he couldn’t bear for her to suffer even the slightest bit.

His large hand gently stroked her face, caressing over and over, slowly wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes…

Xu Chaomu didn’t speak anymore, how could he accompany her across the threshold of life and death?

Could the dead be brought back to life?

Could he bring himself to send his own biological mother to jail?

The answers were all no.

A bitter curve formed on the corners of her mouth as she let his warm palm caress her face.

When he drew near, she could still smell his elegant scent of wood combined with a light hint of tobacco.

Once, a man had told her, “Smoking can relieve worries, little girl, but you’re still too young.”

Shen Chi gently blew her hair, his fingers weaving through her strands, sending shivers throughout her body.

Her hair was fine and soft, quickly drying.

After her hair had dried, he used a comb to carefully smooth it down from top to bottom.

He had never done such a thing in all these years; though he was unskilled, he was willing.

Once finished, he bent down and planted a light kiss on her forehead.

“Mumu, rest early. Sleep, and you’ll forget everything,” Shen Chi said lightly.

She used to be such a forgetful girl—if he got angry with her, she would claim she would never speak to him again. Yet by the next day, she would act as if she had forgotten everything, clinging to him like a little cat.

But how can one forget a pain that cuts so deeply?

Xu Chaomu lowered her head and silently stood up.

As she bowed her head, her dried hair fell down over her cheeks, making her look even more gentle and peaceful.

Shen Chi watched her unblinkingly; she was the little princess he wanted to protect for a lifetime.

“I don’t want to stay at the Shen Family tonight,” Xu Chaomu said quietly.

Shen Chi nodded, “I’ll take you to Waterside Pavilion.”

He knew she had made a great compromise.

He took her hand and also took a black suit jacket from the closet to drape over her.

When she happened to look up, she suddenly saw two blurred words “Mumu” written on the window of the balcony.

Her heart stirred, and a creeping pain spread throughout her limbs and bones.

This pain was like the spring grass, never ending…

At first, Xu Chaomu tried to pull her hand away, but Shen Chi wouldn’t allow it. He held on to her tightly, unwilling to let go.

Gradually, Xu Chaomu stopped struggling.

When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Shen Chi grabbed an umbrella.

The rain outside was heavy, pelting down on the roof and the relentless wind continued, turning everything into chaos.

Mist rose under the streetlights, twirling around the dim light, ethereal…

Shen Chi held the umbrella with one hand and Xu Chaomu’s hand with the other.

“Come closer to me,” Shen Chi said, looking down at her.

Xu Chaomu refused to move, standing still.

Shen Chi helplessly curled the corners of his lips, moving closer to her himself.

Standing on the external steps of the living room, rain splashed onto them.

Fearful that she would catch a cold, Shen Chi simply wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his embrace.

Xu Chaomu leaned against his chest, silent, allowing him to hold her.

In this manner, the two supported each other and walked shoulder to shoulder to the garage.

Standing in the garage, Xu Chaomu gathered his suit jacket around her, standing still as he drove the car out.

The light in the garage was dim, and Shen Chi, looking at her pale face, felt a pang of distress.

After backing the car out of the garage, Shen Chi opened the passenger door, scooped Xu Chaomu up in his arms, and placed her inside.

“Are you cold?” Shen Chi asked while clearing the hair from her forehead.

Xu Chaomu shook her head, saying nothing.

“Then that’s good.”

Shen Chi closed the passenger door and finally drove the car out of the garage and into the rain.