Epilogue: The End of the Platform, the Beginning of Happiness

I expertly crushed a few empty bottles under my shoe and stuffed them into the sack.

Mrs. Chen clicked her tongue at me.

“I’m getting old. I can’t compete with the young ones anymore.”

I laughed.

“Look at you, still as beautiful as ever. Who would dare call you old?”

With that, I handed her the entire bag of bottles I’d collected.

Mrs. Chen immediately grew suspicious and reached out to feel my forehead.

“Did a ghost possess you?”

I laughed.

“Just think of it as a little something for you to buy food for the cats. I hope that little girl stays healthy and happy forever.”

Mrs. Chen’s face flushed with embarrassment.

“Oh, there’s no need to be so formal. But… thank you.”

These days, I was completely on my own.

I no longer had to worry about money, and I certainly didn’t need to collect recyclables anymore.

It had simply become a habit. Every now and then, I’d still find myself picking up a few bottles without even thinking about it.

Before I left, I’d asked Mrs. Chen to look after Xiao Jiu while he was still unconscious.

She’d taken the job seriously and never once slacked off.

Mrs. Chen tugged me closer, eager to gossip.

“Xiao An, that massage parlor you went to before got shut down. Apparently, they were violating some regulations or something, so the place was sealed up. Though I have to admit, those young men working there had pretty good hands.”

I laughed and handed her a business card.

“A new legitimate massage place for the visually impaired just opened. Give them my name and you’ll get a discount.”

Mrs. Chen’s eyes lit up.

“Oh my, you’re running a big business now?”

The moment I opened the front door, a pair of arms suddenly wrapped around my waist from behind.

Jiang Yan had followed me inside.

He gently brushed his thumb across my lips, his dark eyes filled with amusement.

“Could it be my skills aren’t good enough, so Xiao An decided to leave?”

I thought about it seriously for a few seconds.

“They’re okay. You still have plenty of room for improvement.”

The corners of his lips immediately curved upward.

There was something dangerous about that smile no matter how I looked at it.

“Is that so?”

“Then I guess I’ll have to keep practicing.”

The next morning, I sat there staring blankly at the ring on my finger.

Jiang Yan suddenly leaned down and pressed a soft kiss against it.

It was such a tiny gesture.

Yet somehow, my heart melted.

The Song family had always considered themselves part of the upper crust.

But there would always be someone more powerful.

The Song family’s business ran into one crisis after another, and even Mom and Dad Song could no longer maintain their former composure.

Song Xue was forced to attend one matchmaking dinner after another, and most of the men sitting across from her were old enough to be her grandfather.

But I didn’t feel sorry for her.

After witnessing what had happened to me with her own eyes, she should have understood the Song family’s true nature long ago.

All that warmth and affection they’d shown her had been nothing more than a pretty disguise for self-interest.

If she wanted to escape, there was only one way.

Give up everything.

Start over.

Zhang Hao sent me letters from prison several times.

He wanted to see me.

I refused every time.

I would never forgive him.

And I never wanted to see him again.

The last time I visited my foster mother’s grave, I placed a bouquet of carnations in front of her tombstone.

Whether she’d known my true identity or not, whether she’d kept things from me or not, she was still the only person who had ever given me genuine warmth and love.

After that, I bought a random train ticket.

I didn’t even know where it was going.

I simply sat by the window and quietly watched the clouds drift across the sky.

Suddenly, someone took my hand.

Warmth spread through my palm—the familiar warmth I’d known for so long.

I smiled.

But my eyes stung with tears.

Jiang Yan spoke softly.

“Wherever you go, I’ll find you.”

I’d always been someone who struggled with feeling secure.

And yet, deep down, I’d always yearned for a love that was fierce, unwavering, and certain.

I turned toward him, gently tugged on his tie, and pressed a kiss to his lips.

“I warned you. You’re mine now, Xiao Jiu.”

————————- The End ————————-