"Is that so?" Bai Peiwen's voice was low, a yer of pain creeping into his brow. "Do you think I don't love that child?"

  "Do you love her?" Fang Siying pressed. "Then, do you not know her wardrobe is empty? Do you not know her only toy is a broken doll she picked up from the hillside? Do you not know she lives in a fantasy, making up love and care for herself all day long? You don’t even know how thin, small, and pale she is!"

  Bai Peiwen shivered. "No one ever told me this," he said, his voice trembling. "She’s like her biological mother, enduring humiliation, sacrificing herself… She′s exactly like her mother!"

  Fang Siying's heart contracted. Again, that "biological mother"! She dreaded hearing those two words. "You have a good child," she deliberately ignored the topic of the "biological mother," speaking earnestly, "Love her properly, Mr. Bai. Although she doesn't have a mother, she still has a father!"

  "Is she beautiful?" Bai Peiwen asked.

  "Yes, she looks like you."

  "Like me?" Pei Wen paused for a moment. "I hope she looks like her biological mother!

  Her biological mother was a beauty. Again, the biological mother! Fang Siying turned her head away. Suddenly, Bai Peiwen took something from his coat pocket and handed it to Fang Siying.

  "Open it!" Fang Siying froze. Without thinking, she reached out to take it. It was a small gold chicken-shaped pendant, crafted into a heart formed by two rose flowers, very delicately made. She slowly opened the pendant, and inside was a small photo. She stared at the faded photo, standing motionless, unable to move.

  It was a couple photo, a man and a woman. The man in the photo was, of course, Bai Peiwen—young, handsome, with bright, energetic eyes full of spirit, vitality, love, and happiness. And the woman? She had long hair falling to her shoulders, bright eyes, white teeth, and an unexpectedly gentle expression, her eyes dreamy with a sense of intoxication. A sweet, sweet smile lingered at the corners of her thin lips. Fang Siying stared, and her eyes instinctively grew moist.

  "This is the only photo I still have. Han Yan didn′t like taking pictures. This is the only one."

  "Han Yan?" She whispered the name to herself.

  "Oh, I never told you? That's her name, Zhang Hanyan. After I married her, we named our house Hanyan Vil. Han Yan! She was like her name—graceful, free-spirited, and elegant!"

  "Do you still miss her?" Fang Siying asked, her voice tinged with pain.

  "Yes, I will miss her for the rest of my life!"

  Fang Siying was shaken. She closed the chicken-shaped pendant and handed it back to Pei Wen. Unable to help herself, she studied his face carefully. Bai Peiwen seemed to be lost in some kind of fantasy, his face vivid and full of emotion.

  "Do you believe in ghosts, Miss Fang?" he asked.

  "No," Fang Siying was stunned. "I think I don't believe it, at least not completely; I've never seen her."

  "But she is here."

  "Who is here?" Fang Siying was startled.

  "Han Yan!"

  "Here?"

  "By my side, around me, in the ruins of Han Yan Manor! I can feel her presence!"

  "Oh, Mr. Bai," Fang Siying's eyes widened in shock. "You've frightened me!"

  "Is that so?" His tone sounded different, his thoughts seemingly drifting somewhere far away. "A few nights ago, I went to the ruins of Han Yan Manor. I heard the sound of her footsteps, I heard her sighs, and I even heard the rustling of her clothes."

  "Oh, Mr. Bai!"

  "I'm telling you, she exists!" Bai Peiwen's tone was firm, his expression intense. Fang Siying was mesmerized by his look, dazed and moved, unable to find words.

  "She exists!" He continued, lost in his own thoughts and illusions. "Do you believe me, Miss Fang?"

  "Or..." Fang Siying hesitated, "You miss her so much that... you've created an illusion."

  "Illusion!" Pei Wen shouted. "I don't have illusions! My senses are sharp. A blind person might have more perception than an ordinary person. I know, she's here, with me!"

  Fang Siying stared at his passionate face, a face burning with intense pain and longing.

  A man, waiting for a ghost—could this be possible? She trembled, deeply trembling.

  Then, she walked over, stood in front of Bai Peiwen, gently pced her hand on his shoulder, and sincerely said, "God bless you, Mr. Bai. I wish you all the best, Mr. Bai. I hope one day you find your happiness, Mr. Bai."

  With tears in her eyes, she hurriedly walked away to see Tingting trying on the clothes.