Chapter 21
Every night after receiving the starry sky projector, Wen Ran would turn it on and fall asleep surrounded by the gentle flowing music and the starry sky that filled her room.
Actually, after their marriage, Xie Yunli had flowers and cake delivered every year on her birthday, and he would send gifts during holidays and festivals.
But this gift was the most special one. Every time she turned it on, she would feel the same surprise she had experienced when she first saw it.
What followed was a sense of tranquil security that could instantly calm her heart.
It was as if she were alone on a hidden, quiet little planet, with every twinkling star keeping her company.
That crescent moon hung quietly and gently on the ceiling like a new friend, and every time she saw it, she felt happy.
So every night before sleep, she would whisper to that moon: “Thank you, Xie Yunli.”
On Saturday, Wen Ran got up on time and went downstairs, then sat properly at the dining table and asked Aunt Zhu: “Today, shall we eat breakfast together? With… Xie Yunli, together?”
“Mr. Xie won’t come until noon. He needs to handle some work matters this morning.”
Wen Ran made a soft “oh” sound and nodded, her posture no longer as tense as it had been moments before.
Aunt Zhu brought the breakfast over and asked with a smile: “You’re looking forward to his visit, aren’t you?”
“Mm… I don’t know.”
Wen Ran never lied.
But when faced with questions she didn’t know how to answer, she would struggle for a while and then honestly say she didn’t know.
Because whenever she thought about Xie Yunli coming, she still felt nervous.
Aunt Zhu naturally understood her feelings and asked: “Seeing Mr. Xie feels different from seeing other people, doesn’t it?”
Wen Ran thought for a moment and nodded. “Different.”
Aunt Zhu said: “When you see other people, you feel nervous and want to hide, but when you see Mr. Xie, it’s not quite so frightening, is it?”
Wen Ran nodded. “Not… very frightening anymore.”
That meant she used to be somewhat afraid, but recently she wasn’t anymore.
“That means Mr. Xie is still special to you.”
Aunt Zhu touched her head and said with a smile: “After all, he’s still your family.”
For other families, the marital relationship is the most important thing in the household, but for Wen Ran, the identity of “family member” was more meaningful than the identity of “spouse” in helping her understand what Xie Yunli represented to her.
Even for ordinary people, love is something very difficult to understand and maintain, let alone for Wen Ran, who was born with emotional barriers. Just getting her to accept a stranger becoming family was already very difficult.
So having her first get used to Xie Yunli’s companionship in the role of family member was also a good approach.
After breakfast, Wen Ran unusually didn’t go paint. Aunt Zhu could tell at a glance that she couldn’t settle down and just sat there staring blankly at the puzzle.
After a while, Aunt Zhu came to find her and discovered that she was once again carefully dismantling the puzzle.
This time she was even more careful when taking it apart, completely focused, as if she were handling a painting she had just finished.
Aunt Zhu watched for a while, seeing her so concentrated that she didn’t dare disturb her.
She had been taking care of Wen Ran for many years. Perhaps there were many of Wen Ran’s behaviors that she still couldn’t understand, just like every parent of an autistic child who would occasionally feel sad because they couldn’t control their child’s repetitive behaviors.
But she had gradually come to understand that these behaviors, while perhaps pathological and incomprehensible to normal people, were reasonable and comforting to these children themselves.
So even though many of their repetitive behaviors needed intervention, not all strange behaviors required intervention and stopping. What they needed more was understanding from their family.
Wen Ran was already a very well-behaved child. When she was small, she had been like many autistic children, crying and screaming at the drop of a hat, unable to concentrate, and unable to attend regular school.
But she was also easy to comfort. As long as her mother and Aunt Zhu were by her side, she could quickly settle down.
As she grew older and with continuous intervention and treatment, many of her behaviors became stable, and she began to be obedient.
Aunt Zhu thought again of the period right after Wen Ran’s mother died. Those two years were the most difficult time.
After her mother’s death, her father immediately abandoned her and left on his own. Wen Ran fell into depression and couldn’t emerge from it. Many people advised Aunt Zhu to leave the Wen family and stop worrying about it, but she really couldn’t bear to abandon Wen Ran. After so many years, she had long since come to regard Wen Ran as her own daughter.
What made her feel most fortunate was Xie Yunli’s appearance.
Like a suddenly descended miracle, even Aunt Zhu still didn’t understand how he had suddenly appeared before them.
When he said he would take care of Wen Ran, it wasn’t just talk.
Aunt Zhu had once suspected what his motives might be for wanting to marry Wen Ran, but then she thought again, what did Wen Ran have that he could covet?
Even though she was very beautiful, there were too many beautiful girls. Not everyone could accept having a family member with autism; taking care of them wasn’t such a simple matter.
Xie Yunli didn’t lack money, so he wouldn’t covet the bit of property and house that Wen Ran’s mother had left behind. Moreover, Aunt Zhu had seen plenty of good and bad people when she was young. She had observed Xie Yunli for a long time, and she could be certain that at least Xie Yunli had no ill intentions toward Wen Ran.
He never forced Wen Ran to do or not do anything, and he had no demands of her.
As for how long he would be willing to take care of Wen Ran, and whether he might one day want to give up, that was beyond help. After all, at that time, Wen Ran desperately needed a real family member to care for her.
The only way to legitimately become her family member was through the identity of “husband.”
So she had always been grateful to Xie Yunli and hoped that his and Wen Ran’s “family member” status could last a little longer, and longer still.
Aunt Zhu watched from the doorway, and as soon as she saw Xie Yunli’s car approaching, she quickly made preparations and placed slippers by the door.
After entering, Aunt Zhu saw him glance upstairs.
This seemed to have become Xie Yunli’s habitual action every time he came. Even when he couldn’t see Wen Ran, he would still look up.
“Did you tell her? Aunt Zhu.”
“Not yet. I thought it would be better if you told her yourself.”
Aunt Zhu said: “Don’t worry, after what happened last time, she shouldn’t be so frightened this time.”
Xie Yunli nodded. “I hope so.”
Wen Ran heard the voices from downstairs and knew that Xie Yunli had arrived. She poked her head out from the doorway and carefully looked downstairs.
Aunt Zhu waved at her, asking her to come down.
Xie Yunli looked up, and their eyes met briefly in the air. Wen Ran immediately pulled her head back and went downstairs.
She had seen clearly that Xie Yunli was wearing a white shirt today, which looked even better than when he wore dark-colored clothes.
Aunt Zhu had picked out new clothes for her today, which she had just ordered online a few days ago: a blue knit top and white half-skirt. The fitted cut perfectly showed off her slender figure, and below the half-skirt, a section of her slender calves was exposed.
She looked like a college student who had just stepped out of campus.
Xie Yunli was still standing in the living room. After she came downstairs, she hesitated for a moment, then walked up to him.
Her long hair cascaded behind her, and the clean blue top made her beautiful face appear snow-white. This was also the first time Xie Yunli had seen her dressed this way; she looked very different from usual.
“Good afternoon… Xie Yunli.”
This was the first time Wen Ran had walked up to him on her own initiative, and also the first time she had taken the initiative to greet him, speaking so earnestly, pronouncing each word clearly.
Even Aunt Zhu was somewhat surprised.
Of course, after the surprise came delight.
Because this was also the first time she had seen Wen Ran greet someone so proactively and earnestly.
Xie Yunli smiled. He said: “Good afternoon, Wen Ran.”
Hearing his response, Wen Ran’s somewhat stiff shoulders seemed to relax instantly. She pressed her lips together, and a hint of happiness showed in her downcast eyes.
However, she had never shown any happy emotions in front of others before and had long forgotten how to smile, so her hands unconsciously clenched into fists, and her eyes curved slightly upward.
Aunt Zhu couldn’t help but let out an “Oh my” in her heart and covered her chest with her hand.
Although she didn’t smile, this was her way of showing happiness, and it was truly precious!
Aunt Zhu was obviously very happy, humming a song as she went to prepare lunch. With Xie Yunli and Wen Ran sitting on the sofa watching TV, she wasn’t worried at all that Wen Ran would feel uncomfortable again.
Because Wen Ran now clearly was very accustomed to Xie Yunli’s presence.
After preparing lunch, although they still had no conversation throughout the meal, the two of them ate at almost the same pace. It was hard to say who was adapting to whose speed, and in the end, they both finished eating at almost the same time.
After watching them, Xie Yunli finally spoke: “Could you accompany me to a place?”
Wen Ran froze, her body stiffening at a visibly rapid pace, and even her voice began to tremble.
“No… I can’t… I can’t…”
Xie Yunli glanced at Aunt Zhu, who gestured for him to speak slowly.
Xie Yunli stood up and walked in front of her. The moment he was about to extend his hand, he paused, then gently grasped her hand that had clenched into a fist due to nervousness.
“We won’t go to a crowded place, and we won’t go to a strange place. You’ve been to this place before, and both Aunt Zhu and I will accompany you. Don’t be afraid, okay?”
Wen Ran kept her head down, staring blankly at her toes.
Since childhood, she had been constantly forced to go to many unfamiliar places: schools, shopping centers, parks, her father’s workplace, various hospitals. She had more than once experienced physical discomfort and emotional anxiety in strange locations, to the point where she would eventually be forcibly removed due to emotional breakdowns.
She still remembered when her father would forcibly pick her up and tell her over and over that she had to adapt to those places, that she had to stay in those places normally like regular people.
She had also told herself more than once that she had grown up, that she had to learn to live like a normal person, that she couldn’t disappoint her parents.
However, she really couldn’t do it.
Because from the beginning, she had been born as a person with lifelong incurable autism spectrum disorder.
No matter how much treatment, no matter how hard she studied, she couldn’t completely fulfill their wishes.
“Wen Ran, I won’t let anyone get close to you. I’ll stay with you the whole time.”
Wen Ran looked up, and through her teary eyes, she met Xie Yunli’s gaze.
Building trust, whether for people with natural deficits or normal people, is not a simple matter.
Yes, developing trust in someone who isn’t family is difficult for anyone.
After a long time, Wen Ran finally made a soft “mm” sound under the watchful eyes of Aunt Zhu and Xie Yunli.
She nodded and reached up to wipe the tears that had seeped from the corners of her eyes, but Xie Yunli was quicker, taking a tissue to gently wipe them away for her.
“Don’t be afraid. As soon as you feel uncomfortable, I’ll bring you home immediately.”
Wen Ran was startled. She nodded, “Mm…”
Under Xie Yunli’s gaze, she shrank her shoulders, nodded again, then made another soft “mm” sound.
“Okay, I, I’ll go with you…”
She didn’t even know what place Xie Yunli was talking about, but she was both panicking about that unknown place and agreeing to him twice over.