The Genius Sweetheart of the Abstinent Goblin Boss

Chapter 342 He Yanchen, who will love you forever

"You...know me?"

Ji Ran searched her mind for a long time, but couldn't think of any image that matched this face.

The woman lowered her eyes and smiled, explaining in a teasing tone,

"Professor Ji is famous throughout the country now, everyone knows you."

Ji Ran was speechless and awkwardly scratched his neck.

It's all Qin Wenzhou's fault. If it weren't for the mess he made with his ex-wife, no one would have paid any attention to him.

But thinking about how badly he was in a car accident, I decided to let it go.

"Ahem..." Ji Ran straightened his expression, remembering the important matter, "Um... excuse me, are you Fan Yao?"

The woman opposite was clearly stunned, not expecting that the renowned Professor Ji would recognize her.

She nodded. "You...were looking for me?"

When Ji Ran saw that it really was her, she immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

"Yes."

Fan Yao had a lot of doubts in her heart. After all, she was just an ordinary employee who didn't know anything. How could a national first-level professor she didn't know have come to her?

But she still turned to the side and said politely,

"Please come in."

Ji Ran nodded and went straight inside.

The house has a gentle, old feel inside; the wooden furniture has been worn smooth by time, yet it is spotless.

Several potted green plants, growing very well, were placed in the corner. The sofa cushions were neatly arranged, and the coffee table held books that were frequently read, as well as a steaming teacup. Everywhere there were traces of a quiet life.

"Please sit down, Professor Ji."

Fan Yao bent down and patted off non-existent dust from the sofa, then hurriedly went to pour tea.

Ji Ran didn't stand on ceremony. She placed the wooden box on the coffee table, sat down, and took the teacup that the other person brought her. She didn't refuse and took two sips.

Fan Yao found it somewhat unbelievable that such a prestigious professor was so approachable and unguarded, readily accepting tea as offered.

Without thinking too much, she sat down on the single sofa next to her, rubbing her hands together somewhat awkwardly.

"Professor Ji, what...is there for me?"

Ji Ran put down his teacup, picked up the wooden box on the table,

"You are He Yanchen's wife, right?"

Upon hearing this, Fan Yao froze.

The simple questions felt like tiny needles, piercing the softest part of her heart unexpectedly. Her eyes began to redden, and sadness welled up from the bottom of her heart.

Seeing her eyes suddenly redden, Ji Ran panicked for a moment.

"Um...don't be sad..."

However, she also had some doubts. That day, she only saw a few family members of the martyrs at the cemetery to pay their respects. This was because, apart from He Yanchen, all of the 16 people were single. After 20 years, very few of them had parents still alive. Those who came to pay their respects were mostly brothers, sisters, or close relatives.

However, Ji Ran did not see He Yanchen's wife, Fan Yao, that day, and she had no impression of the woman in front of her at all.

This incident has been broadcast on all news channels and posted on news websites for several days. Moreover, the family members must have received official notification; it's impossible that they were unaware of it.

Or perhaps they remarried?

But they still live in this old house, and there seems to be no trace of anyone else living there, nor does it look like they've remarried.

However, Ji Ran didn't delve any deeper into it, after all, it was someone else's privacy, and she was just someone responsible for delivering things.

Fan Yao lowered her head as if wiping the corner of her eye, then looked up and nodded at Ji Ran.

"Yes."

Seeing this, Ji Ran simply handed over the wooden box he was holding.

"This is something He Yanchen left for you and your children."

Fan Yao's pupils contracted sharply, her gaze fixed on the unfamiliar box. Her lips parted slightly involuntarily, but not a breath escaped.

"This is... Yan Chen..."

She froze on the spot, not even daring to raise her hand to catch it.

Ji Ran didn't urge him, but simply nodded, "Mm."

In the end, she reached out and tremblingly took the wooden box. The moment her fingertips touched the unfamiliar box, her heart felt like it was being burned by fire, a mix of pain and anticipation.

The box, which wasn't too heavy, pressed down on her lap, yet it felt incredibly heavy, and she hesitated for a long time before deciding to open it.

Seeing this, Ji Ran picked up the teacup again and prompted, "There are words he wrote to you inside."

Fan Yao looked up at Ji Ran, her eyes filled with confusion.

Ji Ran immediately waved his hand, "Don't worry! I didn't peek."

Upon hearing this, Fan Yao lowered her head. She wasn't concerned about the matter itself, but Professor Ji had said that Yan Chen was only in his early twenties. Professor Ji might not even have been born when Yan Chen disappeared, so how could he know about Yan Chen's affairs?

Ji Ran, perhaps also realizing what had happened, scratched her head and made up a story.

"If I said... he appeared to me in a dream, would you believe me?"

Fan Yao looked up at her again, her disbelief clearly written on her face, but she still nodded. Then she slowly opened the box and saw a heavy thing wrapped in velvet cloth, with a letter underneath.

She was the first to pull out the letter, carefully tearing it open along the seal. Her hands were trembling uncontrollably, but she still managed to unfold the letter.

The first line, with its familiar handwriting, immediately catches the eye.

Fan Yao felt a lump in her throat, and the tears that had been welling up in her eyes could no longer be held back, falling in large drops into the wooden box on her lap.

The letter roughly stated that he was going to carry out a mission far away, and he didn't know when he would return, or if he would have the chance to listen to her nagging again, to have his ear pulled by her again, or to hold her in his arms again.

He also revealed that the piece of silk contained all his savings, which was all the security he left for her and their child, and the last bit of affection he, an incompetent husband, had ever given her.

The text also subtly suggests that if she were to meet someone who truly cares for her and can protect her, she shouldn't suffer for him.

When she saw the last line of text, all her forced composure crumbled instantly.

Without any warning, a suppressed, trembling sob broke through her throat. She lowered her head, braced her arms against the wooden box, and covered her face tightly with her hands, but tears still spilled out wildly from between her fingers.

The letter landed right at Ji Ran's feet.

She lowered her head reluctantly, and happened to catch a glimpse of the last paragraph of the letter.

"I'm sorry, Yao Yao, I couldn't keep my promise to stay with you for a lifetime. I feel like I'm always breaking my word. I really, really want to grow old with you, but I have to break my promise again. No matter where I go or in what form, I will always stay by your side and our son's side."

He Yanchen, who will always love you.

Even as an outsider, Ji Ran was deeply pained by the helplessness and regret expressed in the letter.

The heavy handwriting was enough to show the despair in his heart at that time, and every stroke was full of longing for his lover.