Standing Next To You
Chapter 134: His Unrequited Love

Chapter 134: His Unrequited Love

A/n: This Chapter is now fixed. Thank you for waiting.

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The world lay beneath a pristine blanket of white, as the chilling wind caused the snow atop the bare trees to cascade, swirling and settling gently on the frozen ground.

This winter proved particularly harsh; news reports warned of an impending blizzard.

Yet, despite the crazy and bone-chilling weather, Haven Rest Cemetery had a visitor.

The guard, assigned to his post, stole a glance at the man braving the biting wind. He had been working here for ten years and was very familiar with this regular visitor.

Every year without fail, the man would come, undeterred by the frigid conditions. While other graves lay forgotten and decaying, one remained consistently tended, adorned with perennial flowers.

The guard sneezed, his neck disappearing into the collar of his jacket, and shot one last look at the unyielding man before departing. Even amidst the insanity of the weather, the man remained steadfast in his yearly pilgrimage.

Only the relentless wind’s howl echoed through the desolate, cold graveyard.

After a prolonged silence, the man hoarsely muttered, "...I understand now...."

"...why I keep coming back...." Kneeling on the icy ground, his body turned numb from the biting cold, he continued, "But I realized it too late." He gently traced the name on the grave as if caressing a beloved face. "Too late."

A sad smile played on his lips. No anger or resentment lingered in his gaze, only profound sorrow and anguish.

"How could I be so foolish? I wasted so much time denying it..." His deep eyes lingered longingly on the engraved name. "I wish you were here to hear it from me. I wish you stood before me so I could express it to you. Regardless of your feelings... it’s enough for me to be beside you. As long as I am next to you, I don’t care whether you’ll see me as your enemy..."

His eyes reddened, tears slowly tracing down his face.

"I miss you so much... Sangyun."

.....

Fei Chuan’s voice snapped Bei Sangyun out of her thoughts. "So what do you think?"

Bei Sangyun looked up at Fei Chuan in a daze, "...Huh?"

"I’m asking if you have any thoughts on their relationship. Look here—" Fei Chuan pointed at the grieving man’s first and second lines, "—he was cursing that person, right? Are they enemies?"

Bei Sangyun blinked. A scene from long ago just resurfaced in her mind. Among the memories entwined with that grave, the event on that harsh cold winter stood out as unforgettable for Bei Sangyun.

She hadn’t understood his words back then, and she couldn’t ask him what he meant. Yet, the pitiful tears he shed while expressing how much he missed her had pierced her heart. A rare surge of compassion had flickered through her mind, and in that moment, she wished she could shield him from the harsh wind.

Bei Sangyun swallowed hard, attempting to calm her disturbing thoughts. It was a past only she remembered.

She reread the lines Fei Chuan was pointing at:

[The grieving man: Congrats on your death. Make sure to rot well.]

[The grieving man: I won. You lose. You’ll be forgotten by the world while I will continue to climb up. Just watch how I will crush you down.]

Bei Sangyun fell silent.

These lines brought back memories of the first few years of Fei Chuan’s visits to her grave.

She raised her brow at him, tossing the question back in his direction. "What do you think? The man cursed the person in the grave. Besides being enemies, what else could define their relationship? To curse someone at their grave implies a deep-seated loathing."

Fei Chuan furrowed his brow, recalling the man’s pain, anguish, and profound sadness whenever he gazed at that grave.

Although he was angry most of the time, his heart would hurt as if someone gripped his heart tightly and tore it apart. It was as if he was drowning and was constantly struggling to get ashore.

"It’s plausible that they are enemies. But why would he continue to make an effort to visit the grave every year? And I think he did not fully hate that person. He is just furious that the person died so suddenly." Fei Chuan replied.

Be Sangyun paused.

He was angry because she died so suddenly?

[I miss you... Sangyun.] His hoarse voice, laden with longing, echoed in her mind once again.

Was that really true?

She gazed at Fei Chuan, her emotions complicated.

Why would he miss the person who tormented him so much? Why shed tears for an enemy?

"Why do you think he was angry that she died?" Bei Sangyun asked. The only person who could answer this was Fei Chuan. Now, she could ask him personally.

Although he did not remember the past, she wanted to know what Fei Chuan was thinking or what was the meaning behind those words.

"I’m the one asking for your opinion. Why turn the question back to me?" Fei Chuan muttered.

Despite his reluctance, he continued, "I’m not entirely sure. I have no idea about their relationship. But in this part—" Fei Chuan pointed at the fourth and sixth lines, "—that man has also no idea why he kept coming back. He is just venting his anger. But ultimately, that anger turned to regret."

Bei Sangyun gazed at the grieving man’s words on the paper.

[The grieving man: Why did you leave so soon? Where will all my hatred and anger towards you go now that you are gone?]

[The grieving man: If only we had met in a different place and at a different time, would things have ended like this between us?]

Clutching the paper tightly, Bei Sangyun envisioned the man sitting beside her grave, his gaze fixed on the sky, uttering outrageous ’ifs’ and ’ifs.’

At first, Bei Sangyun thought he had so much time on his hands that he even had the time to think of scenarios that would never happen.

But now...she could partly understand it.

His desire to change things...yet, because she was gone, he had been deprived of that chance. All he could do was imagine or dream.

Bei Sangyun’s heart trembled.

Could it be...Fei Chuan...towards her...

Have feelings for her?

He had faithfully accompanied her for countless years, witnessing the transformation of his hair to grey and his body to frailty. Not a single year went by without his visit. In later years, his once-a-year pilgrimage became a monthly ritual.

From curses and mockery, he turned bitter, resentful, and melancholic. Until he shed that tear on the harsh cold winter.

The following month, he changed completely. He shaved off his beard, he wore handsome suits, and he smiled more as he talked. He became gentle towards her. He shared stories of his daily life, treating her like a precious diary.

And Bei Sangyun quite enjoyed his stories. She enjoyed seeing him relaxed rather than the bitter and in pained Fei Chuan.

"From regret to melancholy... to longing," Bei Sangyun whispered, completing Fei Chuan’s unspoken thought.

Fei Chuan nodded, "That’s right. You don’t long for your enemy, do you?"

"Then who do you think that mysterious person is? What does that person mean to him?" Bei Sangyun asked solemnly, her gaze penetrating.

What am I to you, Fei Chuan?

Fei Chuan was focused on the paper, unaware of Bei Sangyun’s intense gaze on him. "I suspect that person is someone he once hated but later came to love. A lover."

Raising his eyes, Fei Chuan locked onto Bei Sangyun’s gaze. "To be precise, his unrequited love...." His voice trailed off as he noticed Bei Sangyun’s face suddenly flush red.

Wide-eyed, Bei Sangyun was taken aback.

While she had suspected that Fei Chuan might have developed feelings for her, unrequited love was a huge revelation!

Since when?!

Her shock left her speechless, mouth agape. "...H-how... how can you be so sure?" she finally managed to ask.

That arrogant, prideful, and domineering Fei Chuan in love with her? It seemed unbelievable!

Fei Chuan, surprised by Bei Sangyun’s reaction, felt a sense of confusion. She appeared more intrigued by this revelation than he expected. Nevertheless, he provided an answer.

"Well... That man can’t forget about her after so many years. After analyzing his intense feelings, and emotions, I’ve come to realize that the person in the grave means more to him than life itself."

She was worth more than life to him?

Bei Sangyun’s face burned with embarrassment.

"How can you be so... so... romantic!" Bei Sangyun exclaimed, holding her cheeks, a bashful expression on her face.

Fei Chuan: "...."

It seemed Bei Sangyun had an unexpected penchant for this love story, catching Fei Chuan off guard.

***

Additional Scene: Two Years Later:

Bei Sangyun blinked pitifully at Fei Chuan, "Come on. It suited you better than me. Didn’t you say I’m worth more than life to you?"

Fei Chuan retorted, "When did I say that? You must be hallucinating again."

Bei Sangyun stared at him in disbelief.

You said so with your own mouth!

Hmph! How can you be so cruel to your unrequited love?

After a while, Fei Chuan was spotted wearing a wig and a headband adorned with a red ribbon. A group of children clung to him, calling him ’Snow White.’

Fei Chuan with a dark face: Why did he fall for such cruel woman?