Huo Jinxi was familiar with some of the places Mu Qian arranged to go.
The reason why he is familiar is not because he has been here before, but because he has seen it before.
He has watched those photos and videos about Xiaoxiao many times. He has also seen the places Mu Qian and Xiaoxiao have been to many times.
Mu Qian didn't seem to avoid these places, but she didn't mention Xiaoxiao either.
A broken heart never heals.
Huo Jinxi knew clearly that it was not that easy for her to recover.
And Mu Qian also knew clearly why Huo Jinxi wanted to accompany her back to Philadelphia to stay for a while.
March 1, the fourteenth day of the first lunar month.
Mu Qian glanced at the calendar before going to bed at night and was shocked to realize that time had flown by. She couldn't help but ask Huo Jinxi, who was sitting on the bedside reading a book: "It's been almost half a month since we came out. When will we go back to Tongcheng?"
"I still have time." Huo Jinxi replied.
"Even if your company is not busy, Qi Ran is about to start school." Mu Qian said, "Don't you need to go back to prepare?"
"He likes it here very much." Huo Jinxi said, "What does it matter if he stays for a few more days."
After hearing this, Mu Qian paused for a moment and suddenly called him: "Huo Jinxi."
Huo Jinxi still looked at the book in his hand and just responded.
Mu Qian tilted her head slightly and smiled at him, "In two days, let's go see Xiaoxiao."
Huo Jinxi's hand that was flipping through the book suddenly paused. After a moment, he turned to look at her, his eyes deep and dark.
"Actually, you want to wait until March 4th to see her, right?" Mu Qian asked.
March 4th is the day Xiaoxiao disappeared from this world.
Huo Jinxi did not deny it: "I want to go see her with you."
"Okay." Mu Qian looked calm and just smiled lightly and said, "Anyway, I haven't seen her for a long time. I left this time and I don't know when I will come back next time."
Huo Jinxi stretched out his hand, as if he wanted to hold her, but Mu Qian had already laid down on the bed, covering half of her head with the quilt, lying with her back to him, and only said: "Then I promise you,
Just don’t arrange anything else that day.”
Huo Jinxi was quiet for a moment, put down the book in his hand, and lay down.
Mu Qian was lying quietly when she suddenly felt him coming up from behind and stretched out his hand to wrap around her.
The room was well heated, but her body was slightly cold.
Huo Jinxi took her hand into his palm and rubbed it gently for a while, but it still didn't feel warm.
After Huo Jinxi paused for a moment, he suddenly slowly turned Mu Qian's body over.
Mu Qian let him move and sighed softly: "I'm not cold -"
The next moment, Huo Jinxi took her hand and put it into his pajamas.
Mu Qian was slightly startled, and when she came to her senses, her hand had already been placed on his chest.
In addition to his body temperature, even his heartbeat can be clearly detected.
She couldn't help but shrink her hand, as if she wanted to take it back, but Huo Jinxi just held her down and refused to let her move.
The frequency of his heartbeat was something she was all too familiar with.
In those intimate moments in the past, when she was in his arms, she could not help but cling to his chest to listen to his heartbeat.
At that time, he was only in his twenties, and his heartbeat was always very fast when he was experiencing love affairs.
She only felt happy when she heard it, as if the beating at a higher than normal frequency was him telling his joy.
But now, he has gone through wind and rain, passed through the critical moments of life and death, and between gains and losses, the frequency of his heartbeat has long been so steady that it is unlike ordinary people.
That extremely occasional, almost undetectable loss of control, but for whom?
Mu Qian leaned against him quietly and gradually fell asleep.
Huo Jinxi kept her in his arms, holding her hand on his chest until dawn.
In the early morning, Mu Qian was awakened by the sound of Huo Qiran's footsteps running in the corridor. When she opened her eyes, she was still lying in Huo Jinxi's arms in the same posture as last night.
Huo Jinxi lowered his eyes and looked at her, as if he had been watching her all night.
Mu Qian moved and realized that her hand was still on his chest. The originally cold palm had already merged with the warmth of his body.
"It's not cold anymore," she said.
"Is it really not cold anymore?" Huo Jinxi asked.
Mu Qian glanced at him, took out her hand, and showed it in front of him.
Huo Jinxi held her hand again. This time, he put it to his lips and kissed it gently.
Compared to his chest, there was no warmth on his lips, but Mu Qian seemed to be burned, and quickly withdrew her hand, turned over and got out of bed.
…
Mu Qian has never forgotten the day when Xiaoxiao left this world, but he almost never visited her on that day.
In fact, even in normal times, she rarely visits her.
Speaking of the reason, it was just busy, but the real reason was guilt after all.
Because she felt that she had neglected to take care of and accompany her daughter, she did not even have the courage to face her and could only use work to numb herself.
But now, in order to go see Xiaoxiao with her, Huo Jinxi could even ignore the work that had always been his first priority.
Mu Qian didn't want to offend Huo Jinxi's kindness.
Besides, she really misses her daughter.
Early on the morning of the 4th, Huo Jinxi entrusted Huo Qiran to Qi Yuan and accompanied Mu Qian to the cemetery.
The closer she got to the cemetery, the more uneasy Mu Qian seemed.
Her uneasiness was not obvious, she just looked out the window frequently, but Huo Jinxi still noticed it and stretched out his hand to hold her.
But Mu Qian did not relax.
Huo Jinxi just held her hand and walked into the cemetery.
Huo Jinxi did not tell Mu Qian that he had already been here the night he flew to New York.
This was the third time he had set foot in this place in just a few months, and he was far more familiar with it than Mu Qian.
Mu Qian followed him, her eyes only looking in one direction - she knew where Xiaoxiao was lying, but for a moment, she couldn't even tell which tombstone it was.
She really hasn't been here for a long time.
Huo Jinxi held her hand and walked all the way to Xiaoxiao's grave.
On the tombstone, the smile was as bright as ever.
Mu Qian pursed her lips slightly, stood stiffly, and said nothing.
Huo Jinxi put down the daisy in his hand, looked at the round smiling face on the tombstone, and smiled slightly.
"Xiaoxiao, daddy is bringing mommy to see you." He said.
Mu Qian stood behind him, and upon hearing these words, tears suddenly fell down unprepared.
Huo Jinxi stood up, stretched out his hand to hold her again, and took her into his arms.
"I came too late." Mu Qian said softly.
Huo Jinxi wiped away the tears on her face with his fingertips and whispered, "Xiaoxiao won't blame you."
Mu Qian was quiet for a moment, then suddenly nodded.
She raised her head and looked at Huo Jinxi, and said firmly, "Well, our daughter is very good and obedient. I know she won't blame me."