Taking a deep breath, Chang Yuan walked over to Elysia.
He reached out and slowly lifted the veil, revealing Elysia, who had already shyly closed her eyes.
Her flawless face needed no adornment, her trembling eyelashes and the blush on her cheeks betraying her shyness.
"From now on, should I call you my wife? Or... my dear Elysia?"
"Wh-whatever you want. It's all the same anyway."
With a trembling voice, Elysia shyly replied.
Smiling helplessly, Chang Yuan took off his shoes and placed his left foot on the edge of the bed.
With his right hand, he tilted Elysia's chin up and kissed her.
Despite her shyness, Elysia's judgment remained sharp, and she cooperated fully with the man she had entrusted her life to.
"It's late. Should we turn off the lights?"
"Y-yes, let's turn them off."
With a shy nod from Elysia, Chang Yuan didn't hesitate to turn off the lights.
The night passed without words, and three years flew by...
"Sir, please don't worry. After all the tests, your wife is ready for a natural birth. It'll be over soon."
"I'm not worried. I'm just... relaxing. Yeah, relaxing."
"..."
Watching Chang Yuan pace back and forth, the nurse was speechless.
Sure, she'd take his word for it.
Soon, the doctor came out.
"Natural birth, both mother and daughter are safe. You can go in now to see your wife and daughter."
"Thank you, doctor. Thank you."
After hurriedly thanking the doctor, Chang Yuan rushed inside.
There, he saw Elysia lying on the bed, looking quite well, and a baby girl wrapped in a cloth beside her.
But Chang Yuan didn't go to the baby first he went straight to Elysia.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. I'm perfectly healthy. And shouldn't you be looking at the baby first? Or do you prefer boys over girls?"
The fact that Elysia was still teasing him showed that she was doing well.
"How could I? With my lowly status in this family, now that we have a daughter, my position has dropped even further."
With a chuckle, Chang Yuan finally turned to the baby.
"Tsk, she's all wrinkly. Not very cute."
"Are you an idiot? All babies look like this when they're born. If you don't like her, don't hold her later."
Hearing Chang Yuan's offhand remark, Elysia reached out to hit him.
But the distance was too great, and her movements were too slow, so she couldn't reach him.
Seeing this, Chang Yuan obediently moved closer.
After a few light, playful slaps from Elysia, the matter was settled.
"What should we name her?"
"Let me think. I hope she'll have a clear beginning and end in life. How about we use my surname and the last character of your name? Chang Ya."
"Chang Ya? Not a bad name. I'll let you off the hook this time."
Elysia nodded slightly in approval of the name.
Then, with a loving gaze, she looked at Chang Ya.
Perhaps sensing the lovey-dovey atmosphere between her parents, Chang Ya suddenly burst into tears.
Seeing this, Elysia immediately told Chang Yuan to bring the baby to her.
Chang Yuan complied, and after some coaxing from Elysia, Chang Ya finally stopped crying.
"Go, go learn how to be a proper dad. I've already learned how to be a mom. You're not allowed to slack off."
"Alright, alright, I'm going."
Under Elysia's watchful gaze, Chang Yuan had no choice but to go and learn.
Time passed quickly, and Chang Ya grew from a tiny baby into a graceful young woman.
Though she didn't inherit her mother's pink hair, she had sleek, jet-black hair—a hallmark of her Chinese heritage.
Her face, however, bore traces of Elysia's playful charm and Chang Yuan's handsomeness.
"Stupid dad, dear mom, I'm going out to work now. I'm done staying at home and eating your dog food. My birth was clearly an accident."
Now an adult and a graduate, Chang Ya was ready to start her career.
She couldn't even begin to describe how she'd survived all these years. From the moment she could read, her parents had been flaunting their love in front of her.
She had always felt like an outsider. Though she never lacked parental love, she'd also never lacked secondhand embarrassment.
Now, she could finally leave. She'd come back to visit them from time to time.
"Go ahead. I don't need you to take care of me, old man."
"Who cares about you, you grumpy old man? I'm worried about mom. Bleh!"
Sticking out her tongue at Chang Yuan, Chang Ya gave her mother a hug before leaving.
"Stupid dad, you'd better take good care of mom while I'm gone. If anything happens to her, don't blame me for pulling the plug on you later."
"Wow, what a filial daughter you are."
Hearing his daughter's threat to pull his plug in his old age, Chang Yuan couldn't help but laugh.
Though he knew she was joking, it still felt a little infuriating.
"Alright, mom and dad, goodbye. I'll come back to visit you guys."
After so many years, Chang Yuan had forgotten many things. All he could do now was wish his daughter well.
Time flew by, and several more years passed.
This time, however, it was in a hospital room.
"Yuan, I think... I'm almost done."
"After all these years, I never thought I'd hear that nickname again. It's... a little embarrassing."
Looking at Elysia lying on the hospital bed, Chang Yuan couldn't help but sigh at how merciless time was.
"Heh, I don't think you're embarrassed at all."
Elysia looked out the window at the birds and the cicadas perched on the branches. It was a peaceful, tranquil afternoon.
The chirping of birds heralded spring, while the cicadas announced the arrival of summer.
"Who says I'm not? I'm embarrassed right now."
"Sure, sure, let's go with that. But... I have to go first. You'd better catch up soon, okay?"
With these words, Elysia's hand slowly fell.
Hearing this, Chang Yuan was momentarily dazed.
Find her? Yes, he needed to find her to find Elysia.
Looking at the figure on the bed, Chang Yuan reached out with his aged, frail hand.
He slowly reached for the figure of his beloved.
But in the next moment, his hand clamped around Elysia's neck.
With a forceful squeeze, he ended the life of the not-yet-dead Elysia.
And in that instant, the world around him shattered like glass.
"Impossible! How could you have figured it out? You were supposed to stay trapped here until you died!"
"Because the real Elysia would never ask me to chase death just to be with her. She only ever wanted me to live on."