Their Past

By the time the food was about to get cold, Su Hua still hadn’t returned to Night Garden.

Butler Wang walked into the dining room and said, "Young Master Lin, Miss Su has gone to Lin City to handle some work matters. She might be back late, so please go ahead and eat first."

Lin Xuan wasn’t particularly hungry and shook his head. "It’s fine. I’ll wait for her to come back."

Lin Xuan walked over to the sofa in the living room and started playing on his phone. He had stayed up too late the previous night, and though he had planned to catch up on sleep at noon, the whole ordeal with the love letter had exhausted him.

Within half an hour, he fell asleep leaning against the back of the sofa.

When Su Hua returned, it was already eight o’clock.

She paused at the sight of the figure on the sofa. Lin Xuan was waiting for her…

A wave of warmth washed over Su Hua’s cold heart.

Was this what it felt like to have a home? To come back and find someone waiting for her.

"Miss…"

A servant began to greet her respectfully, but Su Hua raised a finger to her lips, signaling them to be quiet.

Su Hua walked over to Lin Xuan and stood in front of him for a while before crouching down. She rested her head on his lap, her expression filled with affection and dependence.

She recalled that snowy night when she had a fever, and he had draped his cotton coat over her.

Because she couldn’t sleep comfortably, he let her rest her head on his lap, and they stayed like that all night.

During that time, even though they were living a rough life on a deserted island, barely getting enough to eat or wear, it was still the happiest period of her life.

After returning to the Su Family, she didn’t dare reach out to him. She was caught in a dangerous struggle for power, narrowly escaping death several times, and she didn’t want to drag him into it.

It wasn’t until she became the head of the Su Family that she sent someone to find him.

When she finally found him, she was overjoyed to reunite, only to see him giving flowers to another girl, confessing his feelings to her. He had lost his memory, forgetting everything about their past.

She was driven mad with jealousy.

He was her man, Su Hua’s man. She couldn’t allow him to be with anyone else. She just couldn’t!

So she took him back, forcing him to stay with her. Night Garden became the cage she built for him.

But she wanted to see him lively and full of hope for life. She couldn’t bear to keep him locked up forever.

He could go to school, he could return to the Lin Family.

But he was so disobedient, always chasing after Qin Ruoyao, breaking her heart…

These past few days, his compliance felt like a dream. It was as if she was seeing the Lin Xuan from five years ago—gentle, considerate, and caring.

If this was a dream, she hoped it would never end…

"Ah Xuan, can we stay like this forever?" Su Hua murmured, her slender fingers gently touching Lin Xuan’s handsome face.

About ten minutes later, Lin Xuan, who had almost fallen off the sofa in his sleep, suddenly woke up with a start.

Su Hua stood up as if nothing had happened.

"Su Hua, you’re finally back," Lin Xuan said, frowning as he noticed her reddened eyes, as if she had been crying.

Well, it was probably something related to her possessive nature. He decided not to ask.

Lin Xuan leaned closer to Su Hua and sniffed.

The strong scent of alcohol hit him.

Lin Xuan frowned disapprovingly. "Look at you, drinking again. Too much alcohol is bad for your stomach. Drink less in the future."

"And don’t work so late. Make sure to rest properly."

Lin Xuan rambled on.

In his previous life, he had married Qin Ruoyao, but he still kept tabs on Su Hua through the internet.

Five years later, half a year before his death, when Su Hua was 29, news broke that she had less than three years to live, shocking the entire internet.

Lin Xuan didn’t know what had caused her illness, but taking care of her health was never a bad idea.

Su Hua’s eyes sparkled with amusement. "Alright, I’ll listen to you."

Butler Wang was moved to tears.

Young Master Lin had managed to get Miss Su to agree with just a few words.

He had often advised Miss Su not to overwork herself and to take care of her health, but she would always brush it off. Young Master Lin’s words, however, carried more weight.

Butler Wang looked at Lin Xuan as if he were a shining treasure.

If only Young Master Lin would stop running away and just behave, well, he wasn’t so bad after all.

Lin Xuan prepared a bowl of sobering soup for Su Hua and watched as she obediently drank it.

The servants brought out the dishes that had been kept warm in the kitchen.

Butler Wang smiled and said, "Miss, Young Master Lin cooked all of this for you today."

After saying this, Butler Wang gestured for the servants to leave the dining room and closed the door behind them.

Well, they shouldn’t be third wheels, lest they interfere with the young couple’s moment.

Su Hua was stunned, staring at the table full of dishes—all made by Lin Xuan…

Lin Xuan coughed lightly. "Su Hua, my cooking isn’t as good as the chefs at Night Garden. I hope you don’t mind."

He picked up some abalone, oysters, and shrimp, placing them in Su Hua’s bowl.

Seeing that Su Hua hadn’t touched her food, Lin Xuan frowned. "Su Hua, do these dishes not look appetizing to you? If they’re not to your liking, I can ask the chef to make something else."

"Ah Xuan," Su Hua looked at Lin Xuan seriously. "You don’t need to try so hard to please me."

"All you need to do is stay by my side and not get involved with other women. That’s enough. You don’t need to do anything else. I want to see the real you, even if it’s just a facade."

The facade referred to his compliance with her, while the real him didn’t need to act so cautiously around her.

"Su Hua, what I’m doing now is being myself. There’s no facade, and I’m not being cautious," Lin Xuan smiled gently. "Isn’t it normal for a boyfriend to cook for his girlfriend?"

Su Hua’s pupils contracted slightly.

Were they… boyfriend and girlfriend?

"Su Hua, I want to be a good boyfriend to you. I’ll care for you and cherish you. Maybe because of everything I’ve done in the past, my words might not seem trustworthy, but I’ll prove it to you over time." These were Lin Xuan’s sincere words.

Su Hua was one of the few people in the world who truly cared for him, and he wanted to be with her until the end.

Moreover, he realized that during these past few days with Su Hua, he had started to care for her more and more…