Standing Next To You-Chapter 578: Together with you

Back in high school, he didn’t understand Bei Sangyun’s behavior—asking him to be her food taster. When she told him she could only taste food he had taken a bite of, he thought she was joking. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm

But after believing the most unbelievable story, Fei Chuan began to think that Bei Sangyun’s dependency on him must have been related to the "dragon fate" they shared. His illness would flare up whenever Bei Sangyun touched him, and her loss of taste would temporarily fade whenever they made contact.

It all started to make sense—once he believed everything.

Fei Chuan looked at Bei Sangyun worriedly as he watched her take a bite of the cake he had brought. In order to know whether their intimacy last night had made any difference between them, they had to observe what changes it had brought.

He had told the truth—he didn’t feel any different, and the familiar burning in his throat hadn’t returned.

Bei Sangyun nervously extended her tongue and touched the chocolate cream. She expected the same muddy taste she’d grown used to—but instead, she tasted the cold, sweet, rich flavor of cocoa.

The sudden burst of flavor made her freeze.

Her pause made Fei Chuan tense up. He looked at her with deep concern."How is it? Did you taste anything? Or is it the same?"

Bei Sangyun licked her lips."...Let me try again," she said in a hoarse voice.

This time, she tasted the bread. The sweetness mixed with a hint of bitterness from the cocoa, the buttery texture melting on her tongue—it all burst in her mouth vividly.

Bei Sangyun couldn’t help tearing up. For more than four years, everything she ate had tasted like mud. She had gotten used to it. If it weren’t for her resilience, her strong will, and her gratitude that the people she loved were alive and well, she might have gone mad.

No normal person could endure eating dirt for that long.

Yet she had persevered. She had even been willing to continue eating tasteless food if it meant keeping her loved ones safe. That was all that mattered to her.

But now, tasting the sweet, velvety chocolate—Bei Sangyun felt overwhelmed with emotion.

Fei Chuan saw her eyes turning red and grew more concerned. He pulled her into his arms and gently patted her back."It’s okay... no matter what, I’ll find a way to help you."

"I... I can taste it," Bei Sangyun said with a smile, quickly wiping away the tears that nearly fell. "...I don’t usually cry over chocolate cake. This cake is just that good."

Fei Chuan’s heart broke for her as he wiped her tears. He couldn’t imagine not being able to taste anything for years...

To be deprived of one of life’s simplest and purest pleasures—food.

He hugged her tightly. How hard those past four years must have been for her.

"...I’m not even sure how to feel. Do I deserve this? Is it right?" Her voice trembled. "Getting my taste back... I’m scared it will come with a price. If it harms you... I’d rather not have it back."

"You deserve to have it back, Bei Sangyun. You’ve been through so much." He held her close, looking at her eyes, telling every word softly yet clearly. "I’m not sick. "You said before that if we made direct contact—intimate contact—the consequences would be severe. By that logic, I should’ve been bedridden."

He leaned back slightly, showing his healthy body. "But look—I’m perfectly healthy. Last night didn’t harm me... if anything, it made me feel..."He trailed off, ears turning red. "...Good."

Bei Sangyun watched him fumble and chuckled gently.

Fei Chuan coughed lightly. "Anyway, it didn’t affect me negatively—even though you were cured. The monk was right. The destined fate we were supposed to have has been long gone. It’s now rewritten. And this time, by us. We don’t have to worry about the dragon fate or the mysterious illness anymore. We can be together—as much as we want."

Bei Sangyun’s heart raced. She looked into Fei Chuan’s eyes and saw the certainty there. His conviction made her want to believe it, too.

Suddenly, Fei Chuan reached into his pocket."I’m not sure what clue you received," he said, "but I’ve been doing my own digging too. This necklace—"

He pulled out a familiar necklace.

Bei Sangyun’s eyes widened. The blue gem sparkled, brighter and more vivid than the fake one she had received from Wei Lang’s friend.

"This," Fei Chuan said with certainty, "is connected to us. To the dragon fate. To the past. And to our memories. Since you’ve been searching for it, it must be important—maybe even the key to everything. I don’t know how or why yet... but I know it’s not a coincidence."

Bei Sangyun reached out and touched the necklace. It wasn’t like the fake one she’d held before. Instead of the emptiness she had felt back then, a strange, almost eerie sense of connection flowed through her fingertips.

This was it.The real one.The necklace she once wore in a past life—The Tears of the Mermaid.

"...How did you get this? I’ve been searching everywhere. Every lead I followed made it seem like it had just vanished into thin air."

"The last trace led to Princeton, right?" Fei Chuan asked to confirm.

Bei Sangyun nodded. "Yes. That’s where the trail ended."

"That’s what I found too. At first, I thought the one I had was a fake... but it wasn’t." Fei Chuan stared at the necklace in his hand. "Whenever I kept it with me, I had vivid dreams. Memories from the past would resurface—moments I’ve never lived in this life, but somehow remember. The déjà vu was too strong to ignore. This necklace... it’s tied to all of that."

Fei Chuan met her eyes.

"I didn’t find this. It was given to me."

Bei Sangyun blinked. "...By who?"

"Lin Fei."

Fei Chuan went on to explain how Lin Fei had shown up one day to thank him—and handed him the necklace.

"I’m not really into jewelry," he said, "but I couldn’t let this go. There was something about it that felt... familiar. Like it belonged with me. I started carrying it everywhere—as if it were part of me, like something I couldn’t leave behind. It’s hard to explain."

Bei Sangyun held the necklace gently in her palm."The monk said the answer would find me. I didn’t understand what that meant at first. But now... he was right. I didn’t need to find it—it found me."

She stood up, a thrill of excitement rising in her chest. Then she reached for Fei Chuan’s hand and pulled him with her."Let’s reunite it with the earrings. They’re a set."

Fei Chuan followed her into her room. When he saw the box she pulled out—filled with the things he had given her over the years—he was stunned.

Even the smallest gifts from more than four years ago were still there, carefully preserved.

And the way she handled the earrings with such care... it made Fei Chuan’s heart ache. He felt foolish all over again. For all this time, he had harbored resentment—never once understanding how deeply she had loved him. How much she had treasured him.

Bei Sangyun, unaware of what was going through Fei Chuan’s mind, carefully picked up the earrings. She laid the necklace and earrings side by side on the bed. The three pieces sparkled brightly, reflecting their figures in the soft light.

"Now that we have them... what now?" Bei Sangyun asked softly. "Am I supposed to wear them?"

Fei Chuan suddenly hugged her from behind. "They’ll look beautiful on you," he whispered, kissing her ear. "You’ve kept them all this time..."

Bei Sangyun leaned back against his chest."Of course. They’re precious gifts from a precious person."

Fei Chuan’s arms tightened around her. Guilt swelled in his chest again, and he whispered with a heavy heart, "I’m sorry... If I had known back then..."

Bei Sangyun turned around and gently kissed the space between his brows."Stop thinking about that," she murmured. "Right now, we have a puzzle to solve. Let’s figure out a way to be together... forever."

Fei Chuan looked into her eyes—steady, sincere—and fell in love with her all over again.

...

For the entire day, Fei Chuan stayed at Bei Sangyun’s villa—specifically in her room.

Maid Ye Zhai and Grandma Bei, understanding the situation, didn’t want to disturb them. After preparing food for the two, they quietly left the house, claiming they were going on a trip.

Bei Sangyun couldn’t stop them. Later, she found a note in the living room saying they’d be back tomorrow afternoon.

It worked out perfectly for Fei Chuan. He didn’t want to be apart from Bei Sangyun at all. He even insisted on sleeping in her room—though he planned to sleep on the couch.

Bei Sangyun wasn’t having that. The two ended up in a mild argument.

"I really do want to sleep in the same bed with you," Fei Chuan said, "but right now, I don’t have much confidence in my self-control. You’re still sore. You need rest. I don’t want to ruin that."

"I’m fine. I’m not sore at all anymore. Besides, you’d just be sleeping next to me."

"Bei Sangyun," he said gently, "I want to sleep next to you—by all means. Not just today." He kissed her forehead. "We’ve got a long day ahead of us tomorrow. I just want you to be at your best."

Bei Sangyun pouted. She regretted ever telling him she was sore.

But whether it was on the couch or not, Fei Chuan couldn’t sleep that night. He lay there, watching Bei Sangyun quietly from across the room. He didn’t want to take his eyes off her—afraid it would all turn out to be just a dream.