Chapter 222: Chapter 222

Bai Changxia was holding onto her fiancé’s arm as they squeezed through the crowd, occasionally looking around. Suddenly, she heard someone calling her from behind, and the voice seemed a bit familiar.

She turned her neck following the voice, scanning the people around but did not see anyone she knew.

Bai Changxia thought she misheard, was about to turn her head back, when she heard an even louder "Xiaxia." Her heart skipped a beat, that voice... Check latest chapters at novel※fire.net

Her eyes widened, she stopped moving, forcing her fiancé who was being pulled along to halt. He obviously heard someone calling his fiancée: "Seems like they’re calling you."

Amid the jostling crowd at the theater exit, Bai Changxia’s eyes finally locked onto a woman waving at her, her expression was one of delight mixed with surprise.

Their eyes met, Shen Jianian was sure it was Bai Changxia, becoming even more excited: "Xiaxia!"

Now Bai Changxia was certain, it was indeed this beautiful woman calling her, but she didn’t recognize her. She wondered if the woman had mistaken her for someone else, but then thought, hadn’t the woman accurately called her name? Only those close to her called her "Xiaxia," and besides, her voice really resembled that of an old acquaintance.

Countless people walked by, Bai Changxia stood still until the figure approached her.

Shen Jianian "fought her way" to finally reach her, exhaling heavily: "I thought I was mistaken, it really is you!"

Bai Changxia recognized her voice, feeling horrified, slowly turning her head to her fiancé, holding her breath.

Her fiancé was clueless, asking awkwardly: "Is she an old schoolmate of yours? You have no impression of her?"

Shen Jianian was taken aback, finally realizing something was off, she pointed to her face: "I’m Jianian, just my appearance has changed from before."

When not looking in the mirror, Shen Jianian always thought she still looked the same as before.

Bai Changxia looked at her half-believingly, from the moment she called out "Xiaxia," she felt the voice was familiar, but didn’t dare believe it. When the person stood in front of her and spoke, she confirmed it was Jianian’s voice, yet the face was unfamiliar, no trace of the past.

Only her eyes gave her an exceptionally familiar feeling.

"You... you’re really Jianian?" Bai Changxia said, even she couldn’t believe it.

Back then, the last time Shen Jianian had met her was to visit her mother in the hospital. They had a meal at a restaurant outside the hospital, then went to her family’s carving workshop where Jianian personally carved a hand piece for Fu Jichen, named "A Perfect Match." Afterward, Jianian sent her home, gave her a hug before getting out of the car, saying: Take good care of yourself, don’t worry about me anymore, I will take care of myself.

Jianian vaguely mentioned she was going somewhere inconvenient for contact, asking her not to worry. She thought she was going to some performance activity, having signed a confidentiality agreement of sorts, so she didn’t ask further.

Unexpectedly, she left and no news came from her again.

She sent Jianian many messages, made numerous calls, and even tried sending her emails as she used to do before. For three whole years, countless letters sank into oblivion without any response.

During that time, she tried finding Fu Jichen to inquire about Jianian. She went to Yunding Palace and then to the Junshan Group Building, but that man refused to see her.

She also asked Yan Qiusheng, who told her that Jianian had sent him a letter before leaving, saying it was an honor to be his student and apologizing for not being able to continue learning piano with him, mentioning she had to leave for a while without specifying where. Yan Qiusheng was also eager to know her whereabouts.

Later, Yan Qiusheng called her after meeting with Fu Jichen, from whom he learned that Jianian had an accident. Although Fu Jichen didn’t admit Jianian was gone, Yan Qiusheng interpreted from his words that Jianian had a car accident and her body was never found.

She didn’t believe it and persisted in emailing Jianian.

She believed Jianian must be hiding somewhere, just like when the Shen Family had troubles, having gone alone to a strange city, perhaps one day logging into her email, seeing her emails and replying to her.

Now, there’s someone standing in front of her, claiming to be Jianian, with the same voice but a completely unfamiliar face.

Shen Jianian never imagined one day she’d need to prove her identity to her best friend, nor did she expect that facial changes would be so baffling to others.

"We used to run together often in college, play the violin by the lake, and we’d go to the street behind the school to eat every week. I remember a few times when boys from other schools tried to block the way, and you chased them off. There was one persistent guy who sneaked into our school at night, set up candles and confessed under the girls’ dorm, and you poured a basin of water over the candles. Remember another time at the swimming pool outside school, when a boy harassed me, you kicked him into the pool? He couldn’t swim and gulped down a lot of water, a coach eventually saved him."

Bai Changxia covered her mouth, disbelief leaking through her fingers: "You really are Jianian?" Only Jianian and she knew about these incidents.

Immediately after asking the question, Bai Changxia noticed the black woven bracelet on Shen Jianian’s white wrist, with the hand piece beneath hanging from Fu Jichen, which was given to her. Also, the gold bracelet she wore was very familiar, as she used to see her wear it often.

She really is Jianian!

"Ladies, perhaps we should take this reunion outside, blocking the exit here isn’t very convenient." The completely overlooked man wisely reminded them.

Almost everyone in the theater had left, and soon staff might clear the venue.

Bai Changxia held Shen Jianian’s wrist, examining her face as they walked towards the parking lot, unable to resist asking: "What’s with your face?"

Reaching the parking spot, Bai Changxia’s fiancé unlocked the car, opened the back door for the two ladies, then went to the driver’s seat.

"It’s a long story," Shen Jianian was now able to bring up the "car accident" with calmness. In the beginning, for a year and a half, it was the most unwilling topic to face, having seen over twenty psychologists for it, "In short, I was disfigured in a major car accident, and after reconstructive surgery, I look different from before."

Bai Changxia took a sharp breath, stared at her, and without warning, tears began to fall.

This matched what Yan Qiusheng had told her.

She didn’t dare imagine how severe the accident must have been to completely ruin her looks, and what about the bodily injuries?

Bai Changxia nervously pulled up her arm and examined it, Shen Jianian wearing a long-sleeved white dress today, with lace and cotton in a French style, showing nothing.

Seeming to understand her thoughts, Shen Jianian voluntarily said: "The injuries on my body have healed, I’m no different from a normal person."

Lowering her head, Bai Changxia quickly wiped away her tears with the back of her hand, but they kept flowing. Jianian said she had recovered bodily, indicating she had suffered very serious injuries before.

Shen Jianian sighed softly, took a tissue from her crossbody bag and handed it to her, a slight smile forming at her lips: "The Xiaxia I knew before wasn’t one to easily cry."

In real life, she hadn’t seen a woman with a higher combat prowess than Bai Changxia, who could both play the violin gracefully on stage and practice Muay Thai in the gym.

Seeing her unable to stop crying, Shen Jianian consoled her: "Don’t cry, you see, I’m fine now, right?"

"I don’t want to cry either, but you always disappear," Bai Changxia pressed a folded tissue to her eyes, since tears wouldn’t stop, she’d block the "water outlet", speaking with a nasal tone, "Why didn’t you contact me? I sent you many emails."

Shen Jianian pursed her lips, unsure of how to explain.

Previously, she carried a body like a rag doll, with a ruined face, daring not to contact anyone, even talking to strangers face-to-face required courage, let alone familiar people. Later, as her body gradually healed and her face was restored, she couldn’t remember the contact details.

Perhaps as a side effect of memory loss, her memory was worse compared to before.

Bai Changxia removed the tissue, blew her nose, bit her lip, wondering if she had spoken too harshly, knowing Jianian must have had a tough time these past years, and might have her own concerns for not contacting anyone.

"I’m sorry," Bai Changxia held her hand and apologized, "I was just too worried about you, it’s not that I’m blaming you."

Shen Jianian shook her head, having not misunderstood: "I understand, no need to apologize to me, it was indeed my fault, better not speak of it, it’s all in the past now."

"Where have you been living all these years?"

"I’ve been in Jiang City all along," Shen Jianian said, "and I went abroad for a while for reconstructive surgery."

Bai Changxia naturally brought up that person: "Were you alone? Didn’t you contact Fu Jichen?"

If Jianian had contacted Fu Jichen, Yan Qiusheng should have known Jianian was alive, and she would have received the news.

Shen Jianian’s eyes showed confusion: "You said... contact whom?"