Mrs Fox Heinous Revenge: Can You Love A Villainess like Me?
Chapter 204: Look of Past

Chapter 204: Look of Past

As soon as filming wrapped, AiLin didn’t waste a second. She hurried to the hospital, a place she had always dreaded. Hospitals, to her, were synonymous with fear— fear of pain, of endings, of lives extinguished. But today, for the first time, she arrived not just willingly but early, showing up thirty minutes ahead of her appointment.

She felt uncharacteristically motivated, driven by her promise to Li ZiChen to meet him as soon as her visit was over. She’d never wanted to see someone so badly in her life. Somehow, everything about today felt charmed. Her filming had gone smoothly despite a strange conversation with Xiao MuChen, and InRan, perhaps cowed by the fallout of her bullying being discovered, had been unusually quiet.

"I asked at reception!" YanLan’s voice pulled her from her thoughts as he skipped over to her, grinning as he stared at his phone. "We’ll have to wait a bit. Another patient is still in counseling."

"That’s fine. We’re the ones who got here early," AiLin replied with a small smile. As YanLan sat beside her, he glanced at her phone and froze at what she was reading. She noticed his reaction and tilted her head.

"What’s wrong?" she asked.

"It’s an interview with ZiChen, isn’t it?" YanLan pointed at the screen. "It’s his first one since coming back from the U.S. My aunt and uncle practically forced him to leave Beijing and live abroad for a few years. When he returned and joined the company, everyone doubted him. They didn’t believe someone his age could handle the responsibility."

AiLin furrowed her brows. "But he proved them all wrong, didn’t he? That part of him is so..."

"Admirable," YanLan finished with a chuckle.

Smiling, he teased, "I can see how much you love ZiChen."

AiLin froze, her cheeks flushing. "You do? Do you think ZiChen knows?"

YanLan sighed and adjusted the buttons on his loud Hawaiian shirt. "That... I’m not so sure about."

"Why?" she pressed, tilting her head. "If it’s obvious to you, shouldn’t he notice too?"

YanLan exhaled and rubbed the back of his neck. "It’s not about whether it shows. ZiChen has loved you for a very long time, AiLin. I shouldn’t say this, but you deserve to know. You’ve been his purpose for as long as I can remember. But here’s the thing; have you ever seen him try to tell you that? He helps you, does everything for you, but he never says it. His way of loving is through actions, not words. And people like that..." YanLan paused, his voice softening, "they tend to not expect to be loved back."

AiLin’s eyes widened. YanLan’s words sank in, and memories began to surface—times when Li ZiChen had quietly been there, helping her without saying a word. Even when she’d been released from the prison that same night, that grandmother had told her how he’d been watching over her.

How much had he done for her that she hadn’t even noticed? What lengths had he gone to, all while staying silent about it?

YanLan was right. Li ZiChen didn’t expect love in return. But AiLin suddenly realized that if anyone deserved it, it was him.

"What do you think I should do to show him I love him?" AiLin asked, her voice tinged with a mix of curiosity and nervousness.

YanLan’s face lit up with a mischievous grin. "Well, now! You’ve come to the perfect person for advice," he said, laughing as he leaned in, a conspiratorial twinkle in his eye. He began whispering his so-called wisdom, gesturing dramatically as if unveiling a grand strategy.

At first, AiLin’s cheeks flushed a deep red at his suggestions, her hands instinctively covering her face in embarrassment. But as YanLan continued, weaving his exaggerated tales of romance, her initial shyness melted into a growing determination. She nodded, her expression growing resolute, even as a part of her knew that his "expert advice" might not be as foolproof as he claimed.

YanLan sat back triumphantly. "Trust me, with my experience, there’s no way this could go wrong," he said with a wink.

AiLin tried not to laugh. Despite his antics, a small smile crept onto her face. "I’m not sure if I should thank you or be worried," she teased.

Before YanLan could respond, the sound of an elevator door chiming open caught their attention. AiLin didn’t think much of it until a voice called out brightly, full of familiar energy.

"AiLin!"

She turned sharply, startled, and her eyes widened as Bai Haize came into view, stepping out of the elevator with an unmistakable bounce in his stride. His face was lit up with joy, his smile as warm as she remembered it from their high school days.

For a moment, AiLin froze. It was like seeing a ghost from her past, but one that carried nothing but light and kindness. There he was, the boy who had been a quiet source of comfort during her most turbulent years, now standing before her as if no time had passed.

As he walked toward her, his gaze locked onto her, a mixture of excitement and nostalgia shining in his eyes. His voice, still carrying that familiar sweetness, filled the space as he spoke again. "It’s really you! I can’t believe it! I have been hoping for another chance to see you."

AiLin rose from her chair slowly, unable to hide her surprise. "Bai Haize..." she said softly, almost in disbelief.

He stopped just a step away, his smile unwavering. "I tried texting you but you hadn’t answered me. I thought you don’t want to talk to me anymore and that made me felt a bit sad," he said, his voice warm, full of genuine fondness.

She found herself lost for a moment, her heart stirring with emotions she hadn’t expected. The memories of his kindness, his small but significant acts of support back then, came flooding back. Seeing him here, so full of life and still carrying that same warmth, left her unexpectedly comforted.

"You are back here?" She asked, "Are you sick somewhere?"

Bai HaiZe’s expression flickered. He looked around and saw YanLan who was eyeing him carefully, his eyebrows furrowed into a frown, "Oh, Mister Bai right?"

"Seems that you have told your friend about me?" Bai HaiZe turned to AiLin who nodded. "I’m not sick, don’t worry. I just came here to have some brief counseling but it’s nothing worrisome. If you have time, would you like to have a coffee? There’s a cafe across the street where we can get together for a while."

"Of course."

The cafe that was chosen was indeed not such a fancy place or a romantic one. It was a cafe that was made as a bookstore so they were surrounded by the scent of book that made everything felt nostalgic, just like Bai HaiZe’s existence to her that had always feel nostalgic, like a breath of an old wind.

She remembered back in high school how he would defy the bullies to protect her, even if it means that he would be the next target of bullying. That extend of care was somehing her family always struggled to show, something that he never seemed to stop giving her. He was her solace back then but...

But it’s different now

"Latte as always?" Bai Haize asked her with a soft smile. "I ordered some matcha too."

"I’m fine with either," she answered but though she really did like to drink latte or matcha, she had turn to black coffee now and prefer it the way that Li ZiChen always make every morning. He would usually made one for himself and offered her. Ever since she tasted the coffee he brewed all she wanted was a cup of coffee that he made.

"You’re smiling. I noticed that you’re smiling more than the past."

"Really?" She touched her cheeks, "I didn’t notice that."

"that’s good..." Bai Haize smiled warmly. "Honestly, I have been desperate."

"Desperate to find me?" She asked and saw his head that had nodded. "I thought you would have forgot about me."

Bai Haize laughed at her words, "How could I ever forgot about you AiLin? I’ve been trying to find you anywhere I could look for. Where you are, how you are doing now, and if you are alright now."

AiLin was quiet as she played with the latte cup, "I have been doing well, I have found someone I love, I have been trying to find a new passion and things has been looking well for me."

Taken aback, Bai Haize seems to not expect her words. His lashes closed slowly, "New love?"

She pursed her lips as she knew that gaze which felt broken made her feel guilty. Back then Bai Haize had confessed his love for her but she had turned it down because her high school was a nightmare and she was living a terrifying life which couldn’t afford love on top of it. It was something Bai Haize knows and he accepted it but the fact he had protected her throughout high school didn’t all come from a simple sense of responsibility.

He loves her. Perhaps like Li ZiChen he still loves her even now?

If that’s the case...

"I have decided to move on," she replied him, "But even if I had move on I am still grateful for all your kindness back then. You were the only person I could turn to and you’re... someone I respect even now, the only one in my past I always pray to have a better life as you have suffered for me."

"I didn’t suffer for you, AiLin. What they did, it was their fault, it was never yours."

"I know, I know, but you shouldn’t have wasted your youth with me, and you definitely shouldn’t wait for someone like me to love you back, but that doesn’t mean I won’t support you from now on."