Love Fades With The Wind

As she stepped out of the miscarriage surgery room, Mu Ci finally decided to let go of her feelings for Lin Nanyan.

The trash can held the remnants of a painful procedure, symbolizing a life that ended before it began. Mu Ci didn't cry; instead, she calmly returned her maternal aunt's call.

"Auntie, I've been accepted into the prestigious graduate program at Columbia University. I'll be heading over to complete the enrollment process in a month. I'm also willing to live with you in Canada from now on."

Her aunt's voice was choked with joy on the other end of the line.

"That's wonderful, Mu Ci. Our family will finally be complete. Make sure to speak with the Lin family properly. After all, they've treated you like their daughter for so many years, and your dear brother Lin Nanyan has taken good care of you all this time... "

"Okay." After hanging up, Mu Ci remained silent on the cab ride home. The flickering lights outside the window blurred, making it impossible for anyone to decipher the emotions in her eyes.

The villa was dark; Lin's parents had gone out for a banquet and hadn't returned yet. Only when Mu Ci turned on the lights did she notice Lin Nanyan sprawled on the sofa, smelling strongly of alcohol-evidence of his drinking that evening.

The brightness made Lin Nanyan furrow his brows deeply. "Change the light."

As Mu Ci changed the light, she asked, "Did you see my call this afternoon?"

The anesthesia had worn off, leaving Mu Ci pale and her voice weak.

Lin Nanyan, slightly intoxicated, didn't even glance at Mu Ci. He turned over and mumbled, "Busy, didn't notice."

After all, Mu Ci rarely had important matters to discuss with him. It was common for Lin Nanyan to miss her calls or ignore her messages.

Annoyed at the prospect of further questioning, Lin Nanyan got up, pulling his clothes around him, and said, "I'm going upstairs to sleep."

With that, he left without caring about Mu Ci's expression, heading to his room in just a few quick steps and shutting the door behind him.

He was indeed drunk, leaving his phone on the sofa. As Mu Ci approached, the screen lit up.

"Thank you, Nanyan, for the fireworks tonight. I'm so touched."

Mu Ci felt a pang in her heart. She opened the phone and found it was a message from Su Xia. Scrolling up the message history, she saw that Lin Nanyan and Su Xia had been chatting since Su Xia announced her return to the country a month ago.

Today, Lin Nanyan had hosted a welcome party for Su Xia, complete with a fireworks display.

Mu Ci exited the interface, seeing her own messages piled up to 99+ unread. The last message in the chat was sent before she entered the surgery room.

Mu Ci: "Brother, does what you said on my twentieth birthday still count?"

At that time, Lin Nanyan had been busy preparing a surprise for Su Xia and hadn't even opened the message interface.

Mu Ci's eyes burned with tears, yet she couldn't help but laugh. Perhaps because she had completely given up, Mu Ci didn't feel heartbroken, only that her years of affection seemed laughable.

Since the Lin family took her in as a foster daughter at fifteen, Mu Ci had secretly loved Lin Nanyan for seven years.

As an orphan and foster daughter, he was two years older than her-a nominal brother. Their identities were worlds apart, and Lin Nanyan was always so cold. Mu Ci never dared to reveal this forbidden feeling.

Until her twentieth birthday, when Lin Nanyan, drunk, kissed her and promised to love her forever. Taking advantage of Lin's parents' absence, they indulged in their secret and forbidden relationship, despite having no blood relation.

Even though Lin Nanyan was never warm to her, and even though they secretly dated for two years without him confessing to Lin's parents, Mu Ci never considered that Lin Nanyan might not love her.

So when she discovered her pregnancy a month ago, Mu Ci was elated, buying a massive cake to celebrate. With this child, she and Lin Nanyan would transition from pretend siblings to parents. Her pregnancy wouldn't wait, and eventually, they would have to marry.

When Lin's parents were away, Mu Ci sat in Lin Nanyan's room from dawn until dusk, until she noticed Lin Nanyan's computer hadn't logged out of WeChat, and a message popped up.

The message was from Su Xia: "Lin Nanyan, I'm coming back home. Will you pick me up?"

Mu Ci sat in front of the computer, watching in disbelief as Lin Nanyan instantly replied: "When and which exit?"

Below Lin Nanyan's computer screen, she found an unresolved video. With trembling hands, Mu Ci clicked play.

The video showed a girl standing under a sky filled with bursting fireworks, her eyes sparkling as she made a wish: "Lin Nanyan, I'm going to Los Angeles. Don't forget me. Let's be best friends forever."

After a long stretch of darkness, Mu Ci saw the recording Lin Nanyan made that day.

He wore the same clothes from Mu Ci's twentieth birthday, drunk and bitterly smiling at the camera, murmuring, "Su Xia, I don't want to be just friends forever."

Mu Ci felt as if struck by lightning, instantly understanding why Lin Nanyan returned late, already drunk that night, and why he said, "I'll love you forever, " across the candlelit birthday cake.

Their secret and forbidden relationship was doomed from the start.

Mu Ci didn't regret devoting her youth to loving Lin Nanyan. If Su Xia hadn't been there, she could have made countless excuses for Lin Nanyan's indifference. As long as there was no other woman in Lin Nanyan's life, she could deceive herself into believing it was just his nature.

But now she understood, Lin Nanyan's heart harbored an unattainable, idealized love, and his indifference was simply because he didn't love her.

The decision to terminate the pregnancy marked the end for Mu Ci.

She was ready to leave completely.