My Alleged Husband

Chapter 305 - 285: Searching the Ends of the Earth (Part 2)_1

Xia Jing and Zhang Zhentian had agreed to meet again after three years. Could they truly encounter each other again after such a time span? Three years is not a mere three months or three days, it is a protracted period, over a thousand days. Can over a thousand days and nights be easily endured? During the next three years, he would embark on his journey to find his wife, aimlessly, not knowing where she could be, yet he couldn’t give up, must keep searching. Deep in his heart, he knew if he ever gave up the search, he would regret it for the rest of his life, never again finding his wife. To avoid future regrets, to bring happiness and joy to his family, he had to pay the price. After all, only by paying a price can one reap bountiful fruits.

Xia Jing was squatting alone in her room, in a place unknown to Zhang Zhentian, and sometimes even to herself, she felt lost. She didn’t know where she was, what was the name of this place? What kind of people lived here? Lost and confused, she lived her life, uncertain if she could await their reunion in three years’ time.

Sometimes Xia Jing couldn’t help wondering, should she secretly appear before Zhang Zhentian, letting him think he found her? But whenever this thought surfaced, she would quickly snuff it out. Xia Jing knew such thoughts shouldn’t arise in her heart; they were incorrect. If she really did that, where would her so-called dignity and pride go? Each time such a thought popped into her mind, she would struggle bitterly for a long time. She didn’t know what to do. On one hand was her so-called face and dignity; on the other, her beloved partner of over a decade. How should she choose?

Xia Jing initially thought that by making this bet with Zhang Zhentian, he would surely lose in the end. She felt Zhang Zhentian wouldn’t keep searching and would give up halfway. However, Xia Jing never expected that over these three years, Zhang Zhentian was searching for her incessantly.

Xia Jing always thought she understood her husband well, but she would never know what was truly in Zhang Zhentian’s heart. She didn’t know what Zhang Zhentian wanted, let alone what he needed. In Xia Jing’s mind, she simply thought of him as an illiterate who knew nothing. What she didn’t understand was that Zhang Zhentian wasn’t ignorant; he knew everything and had simply chosen to remain silent.

Ever since they made this bet, Xia Jing roamed freely under the sky, occasionally missing her son, Old Master Zhang, and Zhang Zhentian. But she didn’t call them, not wanting to reveal any trace of her whereabouts. She wanted to see how capable Zhang Zhentian was, to find her without using any social connections.

Zhang Zhentian understood that if Xia Jing had agreed to this bet, it meant she still had feelings for him, that she didn’t want to part with him for no reason. But the situation was his doing, the words his own; there was no turning back. The only path back was to meet Xia Jing again after three years as per their bet, for only in this way would he honor Xia Jing’s face, her dignity, and her pride. He knew what mattered most to Xia Jing; he couldn’t let the thing his wife cared for most vanish just like that.

In these three years, Zhang Zhentian traveled to every corner of the world. His first stop was Cambridge in the UK, followed by London, and then the United States... He slowly covered many parts of the world, yet he couldn’t find a trace of Xia Jing. He started to worry. Could it be that Xia Jing had truly left him for good? Why, after roaming so many places, could he still not find any sign of her? It was as if she had vanished into thin air.

Days passed by, and in the blink of an eye, two years had gone. Only one year remained... Two whole years without a glimpse of Xia Jing. So where should he search for his wife in the short year that was left? The world was so vast; was fate really going to force him to part ways with the woman he loved the most? Zhang Zhentian couldn’t accept it. He was now full of regret for every word he had uttered. If he had been calmer at the beginning and heeded the advice of his father and his son, still thinking it through, not acting as he did, would today’s outcome be different? Could his wife still be by his side, sharing laughter and tears together? But now, he was all alone, and he had no idea where his wife was. Looking back, he couldn’t see her smiling face, and looking forward, he couldn’t see her silhouette. His heart grew lonelier and lonelier, filled with a sense of desolation. Zhang Zhentian had considered, time and again, asking his father and his son for help. However, when he turned to think about it, all of this was the consequence of his own actions—why should his family bear the burden with him? Wasn’t he being selfish? After much thought and contemplation, he still chose to give up and decided to rely on his own abilities to find his beloved wife. He believed that as long as he searched sincerely, the heavens would stand by his side and help him reunite with his wife.

But sometimes, fate loves to play tricks on people. The more you want to find her, the less likely heaven lets you succeed. It makes you taste what losing truly feels like, forcing one to endure the pain of a decision made.

As days passed by, he gradually aged. The hair at his temples started to go grey, and his beard grew deep. He hadn’t even taken the time to trim it, pouring all his time into the search for Xia Jing. He barely left time for himself to eat, fearing that those moments would cause him to miss the chance to reunite with his wife. He lived every day in fear and trepidation, enduring a thousand days and nights. Yet, he had not found his beloved.

"Today is the last day of the three-year agreement I had with Xia Jing, but I have not found Xia Jing..."

Zhang Zhentian felt a chill in his heart...

"Oh heaven, why do you mock me so? I have searched tirelessly for three whole years, just to find the woman I love. But the three years have passed in a flash, and I haven’t even touched upon her whereabouts. It’s over, just like that. Do I really have to let go of a decade of marriage, all because of a momentary impulse? If that’s really the case, how can I reconcile with myself? Oh heaven, is it really so hard to grant me another chance?"