After returning from the trip, Jiang Wan made a decision.
She used the mental damages awarded to her by the court to buy a small shop on a quiet street corner in the city center.
She wants to open a restaurant of her own.
During these years in prison, what she missed most was the smell of fireworks. Food is the best medicine to heal everything. She wanted to use delicious food to warm those who, like her, had walked in the dark.
Huo Yunchen gave her 100% support for her decision. He did not invest money in her directly, but respected her independence, and only silently helped her solve various decoration and license problems when she needed it.
Jiang Wan personally took care of everything from site selection, design, decoration to food development.
She named the restaurant "Rebirth".
On the opening day, there was no grand ceremony, no media coverage, and we simply invited a few friends.
Lawyer Zhang Bo came and presented a flower basket with the words "Prosperous Business".
Huo Yunchen also came, and the gift he brought was a handwritten plaque with two characters written in a flamboyant style - "Rebirth".
Jiang Wan, wearing a clean white chef's uniform, stood at the door of the restaurant, looking at the small shop in front of her that embodied all her hard work and hopes, with a satisfied and happy smile on her face.
This is the starting point of her new life.
The business of the "Rebirth" restaurant is better than expected.
There are no expensive delicacies here, only the most homely and attentive dishes. Every dish is like a story with warmth, warming the stomach and heart of every diner.
Jiang Wan is no longer the avenger living in hatred, she has turned back into an ordinary woman who loves life.
She is busy in the kitchen every day, listening to the laughter of the guests in the restaurant, and feels extremely fulfilled and at ease.
In her free time, she would go to the movies and visit the park with Huo Yunchen, enjoying the simple happiness like all ordinary couples.
She would occasionally think of those people and things from the past.
I remembered Jiang Rou's crazy look in the mental hospital, Gu Hanshen's miserable life on the streets, and the regret of my parents whose hair turned white overnight.
But her heart would no longer be disturbed.
She has completely reconciled with her past self.
She no longer believes in the hypocritical family affection and love. She only believes that the life that is in her own hands is the most real life.
She was grateful for those five years in jail.
It was that hellish experience that made her see the ugliness of human nature and also taught her to be strong and independent.
It was that experience that made her shed all her innocence and weakness, and grow into the fearless, brand new person she is today.
Five years in prison, in exchange for a lifetime of sobriety.
This transaction may not be a loss.
A year later, Jiang Wan's "Rebirth" restaurant became a chain store.
Her relationship with Huo Yunchen also came to fruition. They held a simple and warm wedding at the beach where they had watched the sunrise. There were no guests, no media, only each other.
At the wedding, Jiang Wan wore the wedding dress designed for her by Huo Yunchen himself, and her smile was brighter than the sun.
Life finally gave the sweetest compensation to this girl who had been hurt so badly.
One day, when she and Huo Yunchen were walking on the street, they accidentally saw a familiar figure.
Under the overpass, a ragged homeless man was fighting with a group of stray dogs for half a moldy bread.
It's Gu Hanshen.
He no longer looked like he used to be. He was extremely thin and his eyes were cloudy and numb.
He seemed to have seen Jiang Wan as well. His body stiffened for a moment, and then, holding the half bread, he hurriedly fled into the shadows.
Jiang Wan looked quietly in the direction where he disappeared, with no expression on her face.
Huo Yunchen held her hand tightly: "Do you still care?"
Jiang Wan shook her head, then turned around and said something softly in her heart towards the shadow.
A word that only she could hear.
"Thank you for betraying me."
Because of your betrayal, I learned what true love is.
Because of your abandonment, I found my true self.
Because of the knife you gave me, I was able to break out of my cocoon and become the best version of myself today who can face everything with a smile.
The wind blew, lifting her long hair.
Her face showed relief, openness, and a vision of an infinitely bright future.