Has the sky… always been like this?
Xia slowly furrowed his brow.
Isn’t this just a normal sky?
Then why does it always feel so strange to him?
“Xia!” Yu Nian’an’s voice called from the kitchen. “Is bitter melon with scrambled eggs and ham okay?”
“Bitter melon… eggs… and ham?” Xia took slow, deliberate steps out of the room, moving toward the kitchen.
Hearing those three words, the corners of his eyes were already wet.
Standing outside the kitchen, Xia watched the busy figure inside, his face twisting into a smile of unbearable pain.
“An…”
“Huh?” Yu Nian’an turned around, startled. “What’s up? You scared me—why’d you sneak up behind me like that?”
The next second, Xia strode forward and pulled her tightly into his arms.
“Ah!”
Nian’an was shocked, unsure how to react. She wanted to hug him back, but her hands were still wet from washing vegetables.
“My hands are dirty…” she murmured softly. “Xia, did you have a nightmare?”
“I don’t remember…” Xia choked out. “But everything’s fine now… I feel like I’m okay…”
“Oh! I just remembered!” Nian’an said apologetically. “Xia, I forgot you don’t like bitter melon or ham… I won’t make it for you, but don’t cry, okay?”
“No… this is perfect…” Xia squeezed her tighter. “I was so scared… I was afraid you’d walk into the kitchen and make *exactly* the dish I was thinking of… I was afraid you’d do every little thing I love…”
Nian’an clearly didn’t understand. She patted his back gently. “There, there, Xia… why are you always acting like a kid? I just have a bad memory, that’s all. The only vegetable left in the house was bitter melon… I thought we could make do…”
Xia stayed silent for a long time before finally releasing her. His eyes were bloodshot.
“Xia?” Nian’an called hesitantly. “How about we just have scrambled eggs today?”
“Anything is fine…” Xia said, his voice trembling. “Even if I had to eat bitter melon every day from now on, I’d swallow it without hesitation.”
“You’re so weird!” Nian’an laughed. “If you like it, eat it. If you don’t, then don’t. Why force yourself?”
“I…” Xia started to speak, but then he noticed the cracks spreading across the nearby walls.
Fragments of memories flashed through his mind, leaving him dazed.
Since when… had his home been covered in cracks like this?
Wait… had his room always been this dilapidated?
“I…” Xia opened and closed his mouth several times, wanting to tell Nian’an that something felt off, but he couldn’t pinpoint what exactly was wrong.
His mind felt clouded by a thick fog—no matter what he tried to think about, it all led back to confusion.
“Be good,” Nian’an said softly. “Go sit down. I’ll be right there.”
Xia nodded like a puppet and walked out of the room, sitting down at the small dining table.
The air smelled strange, as if something in the house had died and been left to rot for a long time.
“I should clean up…” Xia reached out and touched the table, only to find it covered in a thick layer of dust.
The walls were cracked, the table and windows coated in grime. Had he really been so lazy that he’d neglected even basic cleaning?
Before long, the sound of the stove clicking off came from the kitchen, followed by the exhaust fan shutting down. Nian’an emerged carrying a steaming plate of scrambled eggs.
“Xia! A feast for your taste buds!” she teased with a mischievous grin. “I may have accidentally dropped the salt shaker into the pan while cooking… hehe…”
As the plate was set before him, Xia felt a wave of disbelief.
This time… seeing Nian’an felt different from before.
She handed him a pair of chopsticks so brittle they looked ready to snap.
Xia took them, picked up a trembling bite of scrambled eggs, and brought it to his mouth.
It was *salty*.
But he chewed slowly, savoring it, before swallowing.
Life wasn’t about sweetness—it was about the things that were hard to swallow yet impossible to let go of.
“An… aren’t you eating?”
“I’m on a diet,” Nian’an laughed. “Besides, this tastes awful… I wouldn’t eat it even if I wasn’t… hehe.”
Xia nodded and picked up the plate, shoveling large bites into his mouth.
The eggs were oversalted, with some grains still undissolved. The bitterness and saltiness mixed with a gritty crunch as he forced it down. It wasn’t food—but that was *right*.
She could never make dishes that matched his expectations. *This* was how it should be.
Since when was Nian’an’s cooking as perfect as he imagined?
As he ate the bitter, salty eggs, tears welled in his eyes. This was the taste of the life he’d dreamed of.
No matter how bitter the things he swallowed, Nian’an would always be by his side.
Even if their days together weren’t rich or comfortable, they were happy.
Even if all they had to eat was a plate of dirt, they’d probably still smile in contentment.
But why… *why* was a life like this always just out of reach?
The moment that thought crossed his mind, Xia froze, then turned to look at Nian’an.
Wait—she was right here with him. How could this be a fantasy?
Xia set down the plate and chopsticks, wiping his mouth, his gaze never leaving Nian’an.
“Uh…” Nian’an laughed awkwardly. “Xia, was it really that bad? This is the first time you’ve cried eating my cooking… I swear I’ll never—”
“An,” Xia interrupted. “Are you happy?”
“Me?” She paused. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Do you want to stay with me forever?”
“Of course!” Nian’an beamed. “Haven’t we already planned our future? You’ll find a decent job—you’re so smart, it’ll be easy! I’ll polish your shoes every morning, tie your tie, and cook dinner for you when you come home!”
“Is that so…” Xia’s voice cracked again.
“We don’t have much now, but we’ll build it up bit by bit! First month—a microwave, so my Xia never has to eat cold food again. Second month—a robot vacuum so I can be lazy, hehe! Third month—a bigger fridge…”
As she spoke, her smile grew brighter. “Xia, one day our cozy little home will be filled with all kinds of things. I’ll decorate it when I have time, and you can’t scold me for wasting money, okay…?”
“But what if I wake up…?”
Tears spilled from Xia’s eyes in an instant.
“…What?”
“An… what if I wake up?” Xia clutched his hair in agony. “Will you still be there waiting for me…?”
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