My Alleged Husband

Chapter 2290: Chapter 2123: Have You Forgotten?

For you, I’ve traveled all over the world, for you, I’ve numbed myself, and how much have you changed for me?

Will Xia Jing and Zhang Zhentian be able to meet again three years from now? Can they really encounter each other three years later? Three years isn’t simply three months, nor is it three days; three years is a long time, over a thousand days. Can one easily endure over a thousand days and nights? In the coming three years, he is about to begin his journey to find his wife, aimlessly, not knowing where his wife really is, yet he cannot give up, must keep searching, because he understands well within his heart that if he gives up searching, he will regret it for life and never meet his wife again. To avoid future regret, to make his family happy, he must pay a price, because only by paying a price can he reap a bountiful harvest.

Xia Jing crouched alone in her room, now in a place unknown to Zhang Zhentian; even she sometimes felt quite lost, not knowing where exactly she was or the name of the place. Who are the people around? She lived in a daze, not knowing if she could wait to meet again in three years.

Sometimes, Xia Jing couldn’t help but think, should she secretly appear in front of Zhang Zhentian, making him think he found her? But whenever this thought arose, she’d quickly extinguish it. Xia Jing knew such thoughts shouldn’t arise within her heart; they were incorrect. If she really did this, where would her so-called dignity and pride go? Each time this thought surfaced in Xia Jing’s mind, she’d agonize over it for a long time, not knowing what to do. On one hand, her so-called pride and dignity, on the other, her beloved partner of over ten years. How should she choose?

Originally, Xia Jing thought, having made this bet with Zhang Zhentian, that he’d eventually lose. Xia Jing believed Zhang Zhentian wouldn’t search for her tirelessly and would give up halfway. But no matter what, Xia Jing didn’t expect that during these three years, Zhang Zhentian would always be searching for her.

Xia Jing always felt she knew her husband well, yet she never understood what Zhang Zhentian thought deep down. She didn’t know what he wanted or what he needed. To Xia Jing, Zhang Zhentian seemed like an illiterate person who understood nothing, yet she didn’t realize that Zhang Zhentian wasn’t clueless; he understood it all yet chose silence.

From the time they made the wager, Xia Jing roamed freely across the horizon. She missed her son, Old Master Zhang, and Zhang Zhentian from time to time, but she never called them, unwilling to expose any bit of information about her whereabouts. She wanted to see how capable Zhang Zhentian was, whether he could find her without resorting to any connections.

Zhang Zhentian knew in his heart that Xia Jing agreeing to the bet meant she still cared for him. She didn’t want to part from him without reason. But since he had initiated the matter and spoken the words, there was no turning back. The only path of return was to meet Xia Jing again three years later when the wager was resolved because only then would he respect her dignity and pride. He knew what Xia Jing valued most and couldn’t let what she cared for fade away meaninglessly.

In these three years, Zhang Zhentian traveled various corners of the world. His first stop was Cambridge in the UK, then London, followed by the United States... Across many parts of the world, he roamed slowly, yet he hadn’t found any trace of Xia Jing. He began to worry, had she truly left him? Why, after traversing so many places, could he still not find her? It was as if she had vanished into thin air.

Time passed day by day; in the blink of an eye, two years were gone, leaving only one year remaining. An entire two years had passed without finding a trace of Xia Jing. With just one short year left, where would he go to find his wife? The world is so vast. Is Heaven really going to let him be separated from the woman he loves most? Zhang Zhentian was unwilling. He regretted more and more each word he had said. If only he could have stayed calm, listened to his father and his son’s advice, not done such a thing, things might not have ended this way. Might his wife still be by his side, laughing and crying with him? But now, he was alone, and his wife was nowhere to be found. He couldn’t see her smile looking back, nor her figure looking forward. His heart grew lonelier and lonelier, feeling a sense of desolation. Zhang Zhentian had contemplated many times asking his father and son for help, but reflecting, he realized all of this resulted from his actions. Why should his family bear the consequences with him? Wasn’t that selfish? He pondered and deliberated, ultimately choosing to give up, believing he could find his beloved wife through his own efforts. He believed that as long as he sincerely sought, Heaven would stand by him and help him reunite with his wife.

Yet sometimes, fate loves to toy with people; the more you want to find her, the less Heaven allows it. He will make you taste the pain of loss and bear the cost of your decisions.

Day by day, time passed; he grew older slowly. The hair by his temples had turned grizzled, and his beard had grown deep, with no time left to trim it. Almost all his time was spent searching for Xia Jing, leaving almost no time for meals, fearing that even during those moments, he might miss a chance to reunite with his wife. Living each day anxiously, he had endured over a thousand days and nights, yet he still hadn’t found his beloved.

”Today is the last day of my three-year pact with Xia Jing, yet I haven’t found her...”

Zhang Zhentian’s heart turned cold...

”Oh Heaven, oh Heaven, why must you toy with me so? I’ve labored unceasingly for three whole years, just to find the woman I love, yet three years have passed in the blink of an eye, and I haven’t even grasped a trace of her. Is it truly going to end this way, letting our ten years’ marriage end just because of my impulse? If it really is like this, how can I be content? Heaven, please grant me one more chance, is it really so hard?”

Change is mutual. I cannot change for you while you remain indifferent!