The market was quite small, spanning only a few hundred meters. A variety of products were on display, ranging from fresh produce to clothing and handmade accessories.Renee approached a pottery stall that featured mugs and plates in all shapes and sizes. The earthenware seemed to be made of ceramic, and on each were detailed and beautiful vintage patterns. She instantly had eyes on a white mug. There wasn't any complicated design on it, save for a faint black ombre design that covered the bottom half. When looked at on the whole, the mug looked like the Yin and Yang symbol."Mister, this mug looks interesting!" Renee pointed towards it and exclaimed."You have great taste, young lady!" Although the vendor was a foreign man, he was a heritage enthusiast. Seeing how Renee had a good eye on his products, he started explaining away."This cup's design is actually quite intricate. There's this thing called Taichi in the great Aeos far, far away from us… a rather mystical concept. It
Stefan pondered deeply as he watched the slender woman run off. 'Why does this stranger… feel so familiar to me?'"Do you know each other?" The vendor wrapped the mug up nicely and handed it to Stefan, seemingly curious. "No." Stefan shook his head with absolute certainty."Why do I feel like you two have known each other for quite a long time? It's like you've had an interesting past with each other." The vendor smiled mysteriously."Why do you say this? Do you know her?" Stefan turned around and stared at the vendor curiously."Everyone in this town knows Joan. She's a very strong woman…" The vendor looked heartbroken as he was reminded of the first time he met Renee.That day, Banrea was struck by a heavy downpour. On the bumpy roads of the town, she was pushing a man in a wheelchair, desperately asking for help as she was drenched in the rain. It seemed that their car had broken down, and she desperately needed someone to give them a ride.It was simply unforgettable to see
Renee took the bus back to her little wooden house at the foot of the mountain.Her neighbor, Mr. Jones, came running out with a panicked expression. "Joan, you're finally back! Please check on Van right now. Something's happened to him!""What?!" Renee narrowed her eyes and quickly got out of the bus, rushing into her home.As she hastily picked up her pace, she accidentally tripped and fell, scraping her knee and throwing the groceries in the bag all over the ground."I was just going to get some juice, but Van just climbed up a cherry tree for some reason! He ended up falling, and now he's unconscious!" Jones explained the situation as he ran with Renee.Apart from the rows and rows of sunflowers, there was a tall cherry tree in their garden as well. Since it was summer and cherries were in season, the tree was brimming with large, juicy fruits.Renee had been eyeing the cherries for quite a while, but the tree was just far too tall to climb, which made harvesting quite a diff
As a blind person, the scariest thing that could happen was a change in environment, not the fact that he couldn't see. The little wooden house had always been his shell for the past six months, and hiding within this shell brought him a sense of safety and comfort."Please calm down, sir. You have injured your back. That's why you'll have to be hospitalized for a short period of time. Don't worry. We will make sure to take good care of you," The nurse consoled him patiently.Despite this, Jovan flung his arms like he was in a manic episode and yelled, "Get lost! I don't need your care! Get lost right now!""Where's my guardian!? Where is she?! I only want her!" The man's voice was filled with anger and desperation as if he was a child, worried that he had just been abandoned.The nurse frowned sadly. "I'm sorry, I… I don't know where your guardian is, either. You were alone in this ward when I came."Jovan's face turned pale as a sheet, and he begged the nurse, "I'll pay you to s
Jovan finally fell asleep shortly after, with a faint and sweet smile plastered on his face. Like an actual child, he treated Renee as the center of his life.When Renee was around, everything was sunshine and rainbows. Even the air tasted sweet to him. However, on the contrary, it felt as if the world was ending once she left his side. He wouldn't even have the will to live on without her.He knew that it was absolutely insane to feel this way, but he couldn't help it. Her presence was far too addictive. Renee silently watched the man sleep and sighed. She would be lying if she said she wasn't tired. In fact, she was both physically and mentally exhausted.Jovan had always been a madman, and his methods were rather extreme. Back then, he had always been an 'all-or-nothing' guy and loved creating chaos in any situation.Yet now, he was as tame as a little kitten. He was no longer reckless or arrogant and had placed her on a pedestal. It was as if he had completely turned into a
"Oh, yeah, it's you, Joan! I can finally see properly. Hey old friend!" The two were especially friendly with her.Nearly everyone in the hospital knew who Renee was, as she had been frequenting the place with Jovan for his medical treatments and checkups. Hence, all of them were familiar with each other by now.The woman then continued to talk to them for a bit. With that, not only did she find out where Seraphina's surgery was ongoing, she even found out which hotel they were currently staying at in the town."I'm going to check up on Van now. Bye, guys!" Renee nodded softly at the nurses and left the stairway once she was done smoking. Initially, she was going to head back to Jovan's ward, but her body walked toward the operating rooms unconsciously.She hid around the corner, peeking out of the wall carefully. She quickly noticed Stefan, who was standing by the doors.He was still wearing the casual white dress shirt she had seen in the morning. However, it was now drenched
Watching as Stefan happily finished the dumplings, Renee started smiling behind the wall around the corner as well.'That's right! Good food always helps to melt your worries away!'A couple of hours later, the doors to the operating room finally swung open. As the doctors exited, Stefan immediately approached them nervously."Don't worry, she's still alive, but her back and legs are severely injured. The patient will be required to stay in bed for a while," the doctor spoke up. "As her guardian, you'll have to take care of her during this period of time.""Thank goodness she's okay." Stefan let out a sigh of relief as a weight instantly got lifted off his chest.Renee, who was still standing in the corner, gulped. 'What? Seraphina hurt her back too?! This is such a coincidence!'Moreover, she had no clue that all the orthopedic wards were on the same floor, which meant that… Jovan and Seraphina's rooms would be near. 'That means we're going to bump into each other no matter wh
"Mr. Hunt, here are your dumplings. Have some while they're still warm!" The nurse then placed the bowl down on the table."Thanks." Stefan nodded, feeling as if he was about to drool at any moment. Habits were indeed quite an odd tendency, as the man soon got used to eating them, despite only having them for four days.Sensing a threat, Seraphina shot the nurse a dirty glare. She asked coldly, "Where did these dumplings come from? Isn't it Aeos cuisine? Can I have some too?""Uhm… No!" The nurse refused without any hesitation. After all, Joan had specially bought these dumplings for Stefan. She couldn't possibly make another bowl."Why not? Could it be that you've been personally making these for my fiance? Aren't you being a little too considerate then?""No… I…" The nurse felt awkward and failed to explain herself.Stefan quickly came to the nurse's defense. "You're still recovering, and seafood is prohibited.""Yes, yes! Eating seafood may affect wound recovery, which might