Chapter Three: The Tale of a Devoted Guest

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The Author’s World New Year’s Day Festival.

(New Year’s blessings: May there be world peace.

— With the arrival of the New Year and the start of a new journey, may your life shine brilliantly and all your dreams come true.

— Happy New Year 2025! Wishing you joy year after year and success in all things.

— Sending blessings this New Year, may your future be filled with blossoming flowers and life full of surprises.

— A new year, a fresh beginning. Happy New Year, may happiness always surround you.)

Yu Tian’s sweet smile was truly endearing.

Welcome everyone to follow the author into the Sweet Gate (eternal Sweet Gate).

After hearing Yu Tian’s story, the guest spoke up, “You are truly strong and unique. You’ve left a deep impression on me. You really care for that mischievous young man.”

Yu Tian nodded firmly, “Yes, I like him very much.”

After saying this, she took another half glass of beer, her eyes revealing a faint sadness and complex emotions.

“My beloved passed away three years ago. She loved me dearly, but fate ruthlessly took her away from me.

She was kind and gentle, and left me with a beautiful daughter.”

The guest opened his phone’s photo album. His beloved was holding his arm, her smile warm and gentle. The guest was holding their daughter, a little girl around five or six years old, who strongly resembled him, especially in her eyes.

From the photos, it was clear that the three of them had once been a happy and loving family.

The guest stared at the album, lost in memories. “At that time, I thought I was the happiest man in the world, with an understanding wife and a lively, adorable daughter.”

Yu Tian listened quietly. Seeing the guest’s grief over his lost wife, she didn’t know how to comfort him, so she silently refilled the beer in his paper cup.

Seeing only half a glass, the guest shook his head.

“Fill the cup, please. I rarely drink because it affects my work. I only drink occasionally to get myself drunk.”

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Yu Tian refilled his paper cup and continued listening to his story.

“My wife and I met in college. She often liked to read alone on the campus playground, giving off a quiet, captivating aura.”

“I often created opportunities to get close to her. To catch her attention, I put in a lot of effort.

I had my good brothers wait along her route back to the dorm after class, and when she was about to arrive, I had them rough me up.”

“Man, I even wondered if I had offended my brothers somehow. They really beat me up badly!”

“When my beloved saw this, she said, ‘What are you doing? Stop, or I’ll call the police!’ My brothers wisely dispersed, but I was left aching all over.”

“She hurried over to me, concerned, asking if I was okay. In my heart, I thought I had finally caught her attention. I had to make the most of this rare chance.”

“She accompanied me to the hospital. It was awkward—my phone was probably taken by my brothers, and she even paid the bill. She was truly kind!”

“I owed her a double favor. After discharge, I invited her to dinner. That restaurant has since become partly mine. It’s called Susan’s Eatery—sounds old-fashioned, but I like it regardless.”

“My wife’s name was Susan Li. She came from the countryside but was very hardworking. She had goals, and she worked hard for them. She helped me a lot with my career, which was quite successful.”

“At first, she wasn’t talkative, but her ideas were always unique. She loved studying financial intelligence, and to share her interests, I also grew fond of it.”

“She said she was an only child and her parents depended on her. She had to work hard because she often heard her family argue over money. If they had money, their worries would lessen.”

“As we grew closer, I confessed my feelings. When she agreed to date me, I was so happy I couldn’t sleep all night.”

“I was also an only child. For our future, I had to work even harder. With enough money, we could silence both our parents’ objections.”

“I knew my parents would never agree to me becoming a son-in-law.”

“So we dated in secret, not telling our families. We planned to inform them only after establishing a small business.”

“At one point, my wife saw a business opportunity that required a startup fund of two hundred thousand yuan.”

“To secure a loan for our venture, we secretly married. Our wedding was simple, with only a few friends. Facing their blessings, I was truly happy.”

“Entrepreneurship was a tough, step-by-step journey. We were busy and overwhelmed, but my wife and I encouraged each other. After three years, our business had made significant progress.”

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“Our families saw everything we had done and stopped opposing us. They finally made up for the wedding we owed them.”

The guest’s voice choked with emotion, tears welling up in his eyes.

“Damn that plane. The flight crashed, no survivors. Why was there no ‘if’? If only there was an ‘if’—I would have gladly taken her place on that business trip.”

“Why did heaven take her away? Why? I began studying metaphysics, spending heavily to gather wise scholars and founded the Institute of Theology to search for the divine. I want to wrest my beloved back from God.”

“Ten years have passed, and I have found no trace of the divine. Has God hidden away, or does He not exist at all?”

“I refuse to believe that. There must be a world where I can know if my beloved is living well elsewhere.”

“She was so kind, God would surely treat her well!”

“If it weren’t for our daughter, I would truly want to join her in that other world.”

Sometimes the guest entertained terrifying thoughts, like taking his daughter with him to be with his wife, but reason always drove those thoughts away.

The guest was now thoroughly drunk, having finished an entire case of beer—he drank his sorrow.

Yu Tian listened deeply moved, her eyes moist with tears. She never expected the guest before her to be so tender-hearted.

Yu Tian took the guest back to the original hotel. The front desk staff whispered quietly upon seeing them.

The hotel manager, a perceptive man, called out to the staff, “The guest is drunk, help him to his room.”

This deeply affectionate guest lay quietly on the bed, neither noisy nor restless. Perhaps in his sleep, he was reunited with his beloved.

Yu Tian did not sleep that night. Instead, she left quietly and booked another room, to preserve their integrity and show respect for the moment—and for Susan, the guest’s beloved.

The next morning, the guest awoke and greatly appreciated Yu Tian’s gesture. He took out a business card and a sum of thirty thousand yuan.

“This is my card. This is your payment for keeping me company last night. If you ever face difficulties, call me. Whether I help depends on my mood.”