C8 Her Heart Hurt

After entering the house, Soong Yu glanced around and noticed it was getting late. Relying on her memory, she headed to the kitchen to start preparing dinner. After all, nothing is more important than a good meal.

The fridge had tofu, napa cabbage, and some pickled vegetables. Soong Yu took them out and began cooking. She wasn't sure what this family's taste preferences were since the previous meals she remembered were quite plain. Nonetheless, she decided to make mapo tofu and stir-fried napa cabbage with vinegar. She also found a couple of eggs and some vermicelli, which she used to make an egg and vermicelli soup.

These cooking skills were ones she picked up over the years while working various jobs. To survive and seek revenge against Gao Yueqin, she had washed dishes and prepped food in hotel kitchens, mopped floors at KFC, and later worked in gardening. The chef at the hotel was kind and willing to teach her since she showed interest. She had a knack for cooking, and the dishes she made were often praised by the head chefs.

After preparing the two dishes and soup, Soong Yu hesitated about whether to knock on the door. Just as she was deliberating, the door opened.

Huo Tian was the first to come out, followed by Huo Ning, who looked downcast like a scolded child. Upon seeing her, he rolled his eyes.

"Dinner's ready. Um... where's Grandpa?" she asked. She had checked earlier and didn't see the old man. Although it felt awkward to call him that, she had to maintain the pretense.

Huo Tian turned to look at Huo Ning.

"He went to a friend's house for dinner. With him gone... no one was here to cook," Huo Ning mumbled softly.

Soong Yu nodded and turned to the kitchen to serve two bowls of rice. "You guys go ahead and eat."

Huo Tian sat down and watched her.

"I'll go tidy up," Soong Yu said, then headed upstairs.

She used to stay in the guest room downstairs. After she and Huo Tian got their marriage certificate, even though he never returned, the original occupant had moved her things to Huo Tian's room upstairs to assert her status.

It was time to clear out things that didn't belong in that room.

As Soong Yu went upstairs and opened the door, she was greeted by a glaring red. The sight of the red bedspread and pillowcases, along with the big red wedding symbols on the windows and cabinets, made her clutch her chest as a dull ache spread through her heart.

"Soong Yu, these things were never meant to be yours. Let it go, for his sake and yours," Soong Yu thought to herself.

But then, a sharper pain hit her chest, a heart-wrenching agony she had felt before, like when she stood by her parents' and brother's graves in her past life. This was the original owner's unwillingness.

"Soong Yu..." Her knees buckled, and she fell to one knee, "Don't do this... Let him go and... let yourself go."

The intense pain in her chest quickly silenced her, and sweat broke out on her back. She wanted to say something but couldn't. Supporting herself on the floor, the pain was so overwhelming she couldn't think. A few seconds later, she toppled over, hitting the washstand nearby, causing the enamel basin to crash loudly to the floor.

Downstairs, the siblings paused mid-meal.

"She's probably throwing a tantrum and breaking things," Huo Ning muttered between mouthfuls, feeling unusually hungry and finding the meal particularly delicious today.

Huo Tian paused with his chopsticks, glanced upstairs, and after a few seconds, set them down and headed up.

"Why bother with her, bro? Oh, I'm taking all the tofu," Huo Ning said, dumping the remaining tofu into her bowl.

As Huo Tian reached the landing, he saw a foot sticking out from his room's doorway. Alarmed, he rushed up the stairs, taking several steps at a time. There, he found Soong Yu clutching her chest, her body trembling slightly on the floor.

"Soong Yu..." Huo Tian knelt beside her, "What's wrong?"

She was drenched in sweat, her face pale, even her lips had turned blue. And she was clutching her chest. Huo Tian quickly lifted her onto the bed, trying to help her as he instructed, "Soong Yu, relax. Follow my lead, breathe deeply. You need to breathe..."

Soong Yu couldn't tell if it was Huo Tian's rescue technique that worked or if his words had calmed her down, but she felt the pain in her heart slowly easing.

"Relax... Take a deep breath, don't be nervous..."

Huo Tian's voice was soothing, almost magical, as it echoed in Soong Yu's ears. She sensed a surge of energy gathering within her, and her consciousness began to blur. Suddenly, panic set in, and she felt as if she were being pushed out of her own body.

"I'm sorry..." She heard her voice speaking, but it wasn't her saying it.

Soong Yu was in a state of utter confusion. She kept hearing her own voice repeating, "I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."

Huo Tian looked at the pale, panic-stricken person in front of him, full of apologies, unsure how to respond. This was completely different from the articulate person she had been after waking up; it was more like how she was before anything happened.

As she kept murmuring apologies, her eyes slowly closed.