Chapter 208 - I was right

After Xiao Lei and Han Ye left, the man got down from his car and looked toward where the graves were situated. With the help of a cane, he managed to stand up straight as he faced the direction of President Fan and Chen Qingting's graves.

"Lei... Qingting..." he thought sadly, and his fingers that were wrapped around the top of the cane clenched unconsciously.  

He waited until almost everyone had left before he slowly made his way toward the unmarked graves. As he walked, he leaned more toward his left side so as to take the pressure off his bad leg.  

These were the only unmarked graves in the entire private cemetery, and these were stated as the graves of his friends who chose to be buried without their names.

When the graves first appeared, Fan Chuan had asked about it at first, but like his interest in other things that did not benefit him, he soon forgot about it. 

However, the man remembered. And he would never forget. 

As he looked at the graves that were cleaned as well as the joss sticks that were about to finish burning, he smiled. 

"I was right... That woman... She's Wushuang," he murmured to himself as tears welled up in his eyes. Other than those who knew about the ones who lay within the graves, no one else would have offered the joss sticks. "Wushuang... She's alive..." 

It had been so long that he could no longer convince himself that she was alive. When he visited the graves of his brother and sister-in-law, his eyes lingered longer than usual on the grave next to them. The grave with the name "Fan Wushuang". 

Every year since the grave was there, he would give it a glance before leaving, but every year, his eyes would linger longer and longer, as if he could no longer have faith that she was alive somewhere in this world. 

He looked at the unmarked graves and recalled a scene with his brother and the then 2-year-old Fan Wushuang. 

...

At that time, Fan Shaohang and Fan Lei stood in front of the graves. Chen Qingting came down with the flu and chose to stay home to recuperate. And to buy her some quiet time, Fan Lei took Little Fan Wushuang with her.  

"Wushuang, come to Uncle Shaohang," Fan Shaohang said with a smile as he reached out with both hands. 

Little Fan Wushuang chuckled and reached out. "Uncle Shao!"

"Uncle Shao. Hang," Fan Lei corrected her as he gently pinched her cheek. 

"Let her call me whatever she wants," Fan Shaohang said as he took a toy from Fan Lei's bag and gave it to the little girl in his arm. 

He then stood at the side while his younger brother placed a joss stick in the bronze pot. Once Fan Lei was done, he took Little Fan Wushuang from his older brother and placed her on the ground. 

When Little Fan Wushuang looked up at him with her arms raised, he shook his head. Kneeling on one knee, he said gently, "Wushuang, come. Bow to these graves." 

"Bow?"

Fan Shaohang tapped her shoulder to get her attention, and when she looked at him, he made a "bow" gesture, with his hands on his stomach as he gently bowed forward. He doubted that she would get on her knees willingly at her age, so this would be fine for now. 

Little Fan Wushuang nodded. She c.o.c.ked her head to the side for a few seconds as she tried to remember everything. Once she did, she smiled and bowed at him. 

"Not me, princess. The graves," Fan Shaohang said with a smile as he gently turned her body toward the graves. 

Little Fan Wushuang was confused, but she still did it. Fan Lei had to hold her so that she would not over "bow" and fall down on her head. 

When she got back up, Fan Lei said, "Two more times. You have to bow three times."

"Why, Daddy?" Little Fan Wushuang asked once she completed the third bow.

"These are very important people to Daddy and Mummy..." That was all he said to her.

He passed her to his older brother before he started to wipe the graves with a clean towel, removing the dust and leaves around the graves. 

Once he was done, he looked at where the names were supposed to be, and a sad expression appeared on his face. 

Little Fan Wushuang who was watching this, released her uncle's hand and ran to hug her father. "Daddy is upset?" 

He smiled and took her little hand. Placing it on the huge headstone, he kissed her on the cheeks before saying to the headstone, "Look at Wushuang. She's growing up well... If she were alive, she and Wushuang would be best friends, right, Qingyan?"

"Who is, Daddy?" Little Fan Wushuang asked. 

Fan Lei smiled and kissed her cheek again before standing up while carrying her in his arms. He then took a step back and stood next to his brother as they looked at the graves. 

"When are you going to tell Wushuang?" Fan Shaohang asked. 

"When she's older..." Fan Lei said as he glanced at his daughter, who was now playing with the buttons of his shirt. "She's too young to understand about it now." 

Fan Lei then looked at his older brother and said, "Well, if I forget about it, you can always tell her about them." 

"Tsk!" Fan Shaohang scoffed, "I've got no time. I'm leaving tomorrow." 

"Again?" 

Fan Shaohang shrugged. "This has never been my place, anyway..." 

"Dad misses you." 

"No, he doesn't." 

"Shaohang..."

"Lei, we've been through this. I would never forgive him. He killed my mother..." Fan Shaohang could still remember walking into his mother's room and found her lifeless body hanging from the ceiling. With that memory forever etched in his mind, he could not find it in him to forgive his elderly father. 

"Do you-"

Before Fan Lei could finish his words, Fan Shaohang continued, "As I've stated over and over again, I've never blamed your mother, so don't worry about it. She brought you into my life!" 

Fan Lei grinned. He was only a few months younger than his older brother, so from the moment they met, they had been each other's best friend. 

"You'd lose out on her growth..." Fan Lei murmured as he watched Fan Shaohang playing peekaboo with Little Fan Wushuang, who was giggling excitedly as she tried to make faces at her uncle. 

Fan Shaohang smirked. "I know that you'd take a lot of pictures and videos... So, I'm fine... I'd just catch up then. Don't worry about me. I'll try to come back every few years, just so that she won't forget my handsome face."

Fan Le smirked. "You're her godfather. She won't ever forget about you." 

.....

The man smiled at the memory. If he had known that he would lose his younger brother at such a young age, he would have stay in the country.

Looking at the headstone, Fan Shaohang smiled slightly as he murmured, "I'll look after her..." 

...

xxx

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