Longing

"Hi, are you Zheng Miao?"

Just as Zheng Miao was about to turn into the residential area, Si Mucheng suddenly spoke up and greeted her.

Wen Ya immediately turned to look at him, as did You Huan. Clearly, neither of them had expected Si Mu Cheng to call out to Zheng Miao so directly.

Zheng Miao was also surprised. She stopped when she heard the voice. When she saw the tall Si Mucheng, a hint of wariness flashed in her eyes, but Wen Ya beside him exuded an air of righteousness that, for some reason, gave her a sense of reassurance. Zheng Miao relaxed a little and frowned as she looked at Si Mucheng: "Who are you?"

"Hello," Si Mucheng said with a smile, "Are you free now? I'd like to chat with you."

Wen Ya couldn't help but want to hold her forehead. Many times she couldn't understand Si Mucheng's actions, but it was clear that even if Si Mucheng acted unexpectedly, he could always handle things very well in the end.

For example, right now, a complete stranger suddenly appears and says they want to chat. Even if the person has a nice appearance and seems gentle and harmless, something still seems off. But Zheng Miao only hesitated for two seconds before saying, "Shall we chat here?"

Si Mucheng hadn't expected things to go so smoothly. He stammered for once, which was unusual for him. After realizing what he'd said, he thought for a moment and then said, "You just got off work, right? How about I treat you to dinner? How about Lao Chang's Snacks?"

Wen Ya: "..."

Going again?

Zheng Miao remained silent for a while before speaking again: "I can't walk anymore. There's a pretty good little restaurant next to the neighborhood, let's go there for a bite. It's on me, as the host, to show my hospitality."

"Huh?" Si Mucheng was a little confused.

"You're not locals, are you? Did you come here specifically to find me?" Zheng Miao pointed to the bags on their bodies.

Si Mucheng suddenly realized what was going on and wanted to say something, but Zheng Miao gave him and Wen Ya a meaningful look: "Let's talk about it at the dinner table later."

The small restaurant Zheng Miao took them to looked newly opened; it was very clean and, like other small shops, was run by a husband and wife. Zheng Miao seemed to be a regular customer; the proprietress greeted her when she saw her, "You're here!"

After the three of them sat down, Zheng Miao took the initiative to explain: "This restaurant opened half a year ago. It has snacks and stir-fries, and the taste is very good. Old Chang moved, and the taste is different now, so I don't go there much anymore."

Si Mucheng certainly knew, after all, his first stop in Changshi was Lao Chang Ecological Restaurant.

However, Zheng Miao continued, "Xiao Huan hasn't been back to Changshi for many years, so she's unaware of the changes in her hometown. It's normal that you don't know either."

Before the words were finished, Wen Ya and Si Mucheng looked up abruptly, their faces filled with undisguised shock.

Zheng Miao remained calm. She pointed to the menu on the wall and said to the two of them, "Let's order first and see what we want to eat."

Si Mucheng: ...

He couldn't help but look at Wen Ya, only to see her stare back at him expressionlessly. He knew then that Wen Ya had thrown the problem at him. But he couldn't eat anything. He should have just come to Zheng Miao directly; now he had truly shot himself in the foot.

Si Mucheng forced a dry laugh: "Well...we're not...very hungry."

“Okay,” Zheng Miao nodded, “I’ll just order whatever I think is best.” With that, she got up and quickly ordered a few dishes from the proprietress. When she sat back down, she casually added, “The braised chicken feet here are also delicious. If Xiao Huan were still here, she would definitely love them.”

Hearing her words, Si Mucheng sighed. Zheng Miao was even smarter than they had imagined.

"How did you know?" Wen Ya asked.

Zheng Miao smiled, her previously indifferent expression suddenly brightening: "At first I didn't guess, I thought it was some strange person trying to chat me up. But since they called out my name accurately at the entrance of my residential complex, they must know me, and they must be very familiar with me. You probably don't know, not many people know that I live in this complex. My family only moved here after I graduated from high school, and I've only brought Xiao Huan here before."

Si Mucheng subconsciously glanced at You Huan beside him; her eyes held a complex expression.

Zheng Miao didn't miss his action; she glanced at him, but saw nothing. Unbeknownst to her, her gaze met that of the ghost You Huan.

You Huan panicked for a moment, then remembered that she had long since died and was now a lonely soul. She blinked, but her gaze couldn't be taken off.

Zheng Miao looked back at Si Mucheng and continued, "And there's Lao Chang. There are so many places to eat, and Lao Chang isn't the most popular one right now. You're from out of town, so someone must have told you about Lao Chang. Lao Chang used to be my and Xiao Huan's favorite snack shop. The fact that you mentioned Lao Chang means you know that I also love to eat there. The only person who knows me this well is Xiao Huan."

Zheng Miao's tone was calm and composed. When Wen Ya heard her talk about You Huan, she was calm and nostalgic. If it weren't for the fact that she was not acting as if nothing had happened, she would probably have really thought that she had just lost an ordinary friend.

Seeing that Si Mucheng and Wen Ya did not refute, Zheng Miao continued, "However, I also suspect that you are a liar. You may have gotten information about me and Xiao Huan from somewhere and are using Xiao Huan to deceive me. But I just dismissed that idea. Telecom fraud is rampant now. If you really wanted to use Xiao Huan to deceive me, there would be no need to come to me in person. The risk is too great. So I choose to believe you."

Zheng Miao's eyes were sharp. She looked directly at Wen Ya and slowly said, "So, here's the question: where did you get your information about me? Or, where did you get to know Xiao Huan?"

Wen Ya remained silent, and even Si Mucheng didn't speak. Zheng Miao was too clever; she could deduce the truth from just a few words. Even if he made up an excuse on the spot, she would expose him without hesitation if she found any loopholes. At that point, the precarious trust between them and Zheng Miao would surely crumble.

Just then, the proprietress brought over the dishes. Zheng Miao withdrew her imposing aura and reverted to her gentle demeanor. She pulled three pairs of chopsticks from the chopstick holder on the table: "Let's eat something first."

The proprietress arranged the dishes and then asked warmly, "Would you like something to drink?"

Zheng Miao asked with her eyes, "What would you like to drink?"

Si Mucheng waved his hand: "Water is fine."

Wen Ya also said that she didn't want to drink anything.

So Zheng Miao said, "Give me three lemon teas."

"OK!"

After the proprietress left, Zheng Miao, chopsticks in hand, glanced at Si Mucheng with a half-smile: "So? Did you manage to make it up?"

Si Mucheng was helpless. He said, "I'm afraid you won't believe me if I tell you."

Zheng Miao said softly, "I'll believe you if you just tell me."

Wen Ya had no idea what tricks Si Mucheng was up to this time, so she frowned as she looked at him. Si Mucheng simply patted the back of her hand reassuringly and said, "We were just asked by You Huan to come and find you."

Hearing him finally mention You Huan's name, Zheng Miao's hand holding the chopsticks trembled: "...What is the content of the commission?"

Si Mucheng glanced at You Huan, who was floating to the side, and sighed: "She wants you to be happy and stop being sad for her."

Zheng Miao was suddenly stunned.

Si Mucheng didn't want to say anything more, fearing she would press him for answers, so he said, "Don't worry about how we received the commission or how we came to find you. Just understand that from beginning to end, You Huan wanted you to stop getting caught up in her death."

Zheng Miao listened to his words, her eyelashes trembled, and she glanced at the open space she had just looked at. Suddenly, she smiled softly: "Did Xiao Huan tell you why she decided to die?"

As a soul exorcist, Wen Ya had witnessed far too many deaths, all sorts of them, but she never delved into them. However, You Huan committed suicide. Logically speaking, a person who commits suicide should have lost all will to live and shouldn't have any obsessions. But clearly, You Huan had obsessions. So why did she still choose to kill herself even though she had let go of Bu Zhengmiao?

Si Mucheng couldn't understand it and remained silent.

Zheng Miao changed the subject: "Although Xiao Huan's name is Huan, she has never been truly happy."

Actually, Zheng Miao and You Huan weren't friends from the beginning.

Both families used to live in the staff quarters of the shoe factory. Back then, the neighbors all knew that the You family's daughter was disobedient and often angered her parents, because they could often hear the You family beating their child. Once, Zheng Miao even saw You Huan kneeling at her door when she passed by.

They weren't in the same class in elementary school; Zheng Miao was in Class 1, and You Huan was in Class 3. They lived relatively close and often bumped into each other, but Zheng Miao never greeted You Huan. The children of the shoe factory workers had their own little clique, but You Huan didn't join them. She was always quiet and reserved, not very likable, and nobody played with her. Zheng Miao had also heard that You Huan's mother said she was dishonest.

The other boy scoffed. He already had a concept of morality and despised You Huan's behavior. He used the phrase he had just learned: "The teacher said that a thief who steals a needle when he is young will steal gold when he grows up. Who wants to play with a thief?"

So it got to the point where not only did no one want to play with You Huan, but people would also pick up stones and throw them at her when she passed by.

At that time, Zheng Miao looked at You Huan's submissive appearance and felt a little strange. She really couldn't imagine why You Huan's mother would tell others about You Huan's dishonest behavior. Isn't there a saying that family scandals should not be aired in public? Why would she be so eager to spread it around?

What's even stranger is that some parents like to hit their children so much; in the whole apartment building, You Huan's family hits their children the most frequently!

Zheng Miao's parents were both gentle and open-minded people. She had never been beaten and didn't understand what You Huan had done to upset her parents like this. But on the surface, You Huan wasn't exactly a naughty person. She was always silent, walking along the wall with her head down, as if she wanted to shrink into a crack in the wall and disappear.

Zheng Miao couldn't understand it, so she went to ask her parents. But her parents just frowned and told her that every family has its own problems, and that no one doesn't love their child, and that You Huan's parents were only doing it for her own good.

Zheng Miao nodded as if she understood, of course she knew that there were no parents in the world who did not love their children, and You Huan must have done something wrong for her parents to scold her.

However, at a certain point, she realized that something was amiss. It was also because of that opportunity that she became acquainted with You Huan.