Longing for my love to return

Shen Guixiang remembers that the moon was dim that night, and she felt that if she waited a little longer, she would be able to look forward to Zhong Weinian's arrival.

But once darkness falls, many evils will arise.

She could smell the alcohol on the two men. Frightened, she struggled desperately to escape, and in the struggle, she fell into the river.

The river water was so cold in early summer. She couldn't swim, and if she cried for help, the river water would pour into her mouth. The two men were sobered up by the fright, but they didn't help her in the river and dragged her away.

On a night like that, no one could save her. She struggled and died in the river.

Before she died, her only thought was, what would happen to Zhong Weinian? He was coming, what would happen if he couldn't see her? Would he know she was dead?

Because of this obsession, she did not disappear after her death, but became a wandering ghost, lingering on Arch Bridge every day.

She waited and waited. People first discovered the body in the river, but no one knew who she was. Rumors spread like wildfire, but they only lasted for seven or eight days before things calmed down again.

Zhong Weinian has not arrived yet.

She waited and waited. People came and went on the archway bridge. Chaos had occurred in Yucheng, but it gradually subsided. Then, as time passed, everything around her became more and more prosperous.

But Zhong Weinian still didn't come.

"I wanted to go find him later, but I couldn't leave the river by the arch bridge. Then, somehow, in a daze, I heard someone say that there was a treasure that could help me regain my soul. When I opened my eyes again, I was here."

After hearing the whole story, Si Mucheng remained silent for a long time. It's a pity that not everything in this world needs an answer, but he couldn't judge anything, nor did he have the right to preach.

He turned to look at Wen Ya, who remained calm and said indifferently, "I know," without further comment.

"That's it?" Si Mucheng asked in surprise. "You..." He wanted to press Wen Ya for advice, but then he thought that Wen Ya had always been in charge of things but didn't get too involved in the ghost's life. Even if she knew these things, she wouldn't say much. After all, in her common sense, all that was needed was to fulfill the ghost's obsession. What the obsession meant to the ghost was none of her business.

Si Mucheng then asked a different question: "So what do we do now?"

Wen Ya remained silent for a few seconds: "Go to Yucheng."

Since the decision had been made, they should set off as soon as possible, but Wen Ya stayed in Qicheng for an extra day.

The next day, Wen Ya, unusually, took the initiative to ask her boss, Mu Cheng, to go out for a stroll.

Si Mucheng was overjoyed and, of course, readily agreed to her request. He happily followed her out, but when he asked Wen Ya where she was going, she looked confused. After a moment's pause, she said, "It's up to you. Didn't you say you were the host?"

This left the decision entirely to Si Mucheng, who was more than willing. He excitedly said, "Sure! Let me think... how about we go see a movie? But there don't seem to be any good movies these days, and it's not unusual... Oh, by the way, there's a botanical garden in the suburbs that I've heard is quite interesting, but it seems like it's going to be very sunny today, so be careful not to get heatstroke. There's also a newly opened grass skiing area, are you interested? You're so brave, you'll definitely be able to handle that kind of thing with ease! What do you say?"

Although Wen Ya couldn't figure out what her daring had to do with the grass skiing field, she really had no interest in this type of activity, so she said, "Find a quieter place, I can't stand anything too noisy."

Upon hearing this, Si Mucheng laughed: "I forgot about that. What about Xiao Feng?" Wen Xiao Feng had disappeared since she came down the mountain.

Wen Ya was surprised that he would still consider Xiao Feng. She paused for a moment and said, "Never mind it, it went out first."

Si Mucheng suddenly realized that since they were going to Yucheng, the "leaving home first" part meant that Wen Xiaofeng would have to fly from Qicheng to Yucheng again? That would be too tragic!

Even so, the final destination they chose was the aquarium. Si Mucheng originally wanted to ask Wen Ya if she had ever been there, but then he thought that given Wen Ya's upbringing, she probably hadn't been out and about much. He said nothing more, just patted his chest and assured her, "Master, just come along, I guarantee you'll have a great time today!"

Wen Ya remained silent, simply following Si Mucheng to get into the car.

The aquarium is quite large and divided into several sections, so it takes quite a while to visit it.

Actually, Si Mucheng had never been here before. He only heard Zhang Dali say that it was a popular dating spot for girls. Although this wasn't a date, Wen Ya was still a girl, and he thought that girls would probably like these kinds of places.

Although he couldn't quite discern any liking on Wen Ya's face, she couldn't help but stop and gaze at the schools of fish swimming overhead as they walked through the aquarium passage.

Si Mucheng watched her gaze intently at the fish through the glass, and couldn't resist raising his phone to secretly take a picture.

The deep blue water ripples in the phone screen cast shimmering light and shadow on Wen Ya's face, yet a beam of light fell precisely on her eyes, adding a touch of warmth to her indifferent expression.

Si Mucheng looked down at the photo, quite satisfied. He was about to suggest to Wen Ya that they go to the polar animal exhibit to see the penguins when someone exclaimed in surprise, "Young Master??"

Si Mucheng looked in the direction of the sound and saw Zhang Dali and a girl standing not far away, looking at him with surprise.

"Dali?" Si Mucheng was also taken aback. "What are you doing here?"

Zhang Dali walked over and punched him on the shoulder: "I should be asking you that! When did you go back to Qicheng? Why didn't you say so?"

After returning, Si Mucheng followed Wen Ya around exorcising spirits and didn't think of his friend at all. At this moment, he just vaguely laughed it off: "Well, it's been a while."

Zhang Dali was very dissatisfied: "What's wrong with you, young master? You didn't even tell us you were coming back. Afei kept saying he missed you the other day. Don't you miss us at all?"

Si Mucheng laughed: "That's so cheesy."

"Hey," Zhang Dali wanted to tease him, but when he caught sight of Wen Ya beside him, his eyes widened, and he said to Si Mucheng without any hesitation, "Wow, young master, you've finally found love? No wonder you came back without saying a word, so you were with a girl! Aren't you going to introduce her?"

Si Mucheng subconsciously looked at Wen Ya, but seeing that she did not show any signs of being offended, he breathed a sigh of relief and then winked at Zhang Dali: "Don't talk nonsense, this is my master."

Zhang Dali was amused: "What new online game are you playing now? Master? Meeting up with an online friend? Young master, I've noticed you're quite the player these days."

Si Mucheng frowned, his tone becoming serious: "Dali."

Seeing that he was really angry, Zhang Dali made a zipping motion in front of his mouth: "Okay, okay, I won't say anymore. Want to have dinner together tonight? Let's invite Afei and the others."

Si Mucheng had come out with Wen Ya today. He shook his head and was about to speak when Wen Ya stepped forward and said calmly, "Okay."

Si Mucheng turned to look at her: "Master?"

Wen Ya looked into his eyes: "Let's go together."

So they traveled together.

They hadn't even finished exploring the aquarium when their group of two turned into a group of four. Zhang Dali huddled next to Si Mucheng, chattering away, and Si Mucheng, while giving him perfunctory replies, felt inexplicably annoyed.

He couldn't help but keep turning back to look at Wen Ya. Whether it was intentional or not, Wen Ya deliberately lagged behind a few steps and walked with the girl who was with Zhang Dali.

The girl was very cute and lively. Seeing that Wen Ya didn't speak, she took the initiative to ask, "Sister, how did you and the young master meet?"

Wen Ya was uninterested, only curious: "You call him young master?"

The girl clearly recognized Si Mucheng and nodded: "Yes, that's what the classmates call him. Dali and Afei were his high school classmates. It's said that Si Mucheng was very particular in high school. He wouldn't take the bus, wouldn't eat at street food stalls, and only drank a specific brand of water. He was very spoiled. Later, when his nanny came to bring him a blanket, Dali and the others laughed and said that he was indeed a young master, and they started calling him 'Young Master'."

Wen Ya listened in silence, but the girl seemed to have opened a floodgate, starting to chatter on and on about Si Mu Cheng. Seeing that she wouldn't stop talking about Si Mu Cheng, Wen Ya couldn't help but glance at her. Perhaps because of that glance, the girl suddenly moved closer to Wen Ya, smiling, and said, "Sister, let me tell you, Dali has actually been pursuing me, but I haven't agreed. You can see it too, right? I like Young Master more."

Wen Ya was slightly taken aback, but the girl waved her hand and said, "Oh, but don't worry, it's no use if I like him. I used to think that the young master was the kind of handsome guy who could be pursued relentlessly, because he was nice to everyone and generous. But later I found out that his gentleness was all superficial. If I wanted to get closer to him, he would back off. He's not interested in me, so I have no chance at all."

"So don't worry, even if I like him, it won't stop you two. I just didn't expect him to like older women." The girl covered her mouth and laughed after saying that.

Wen Ya frowned, not understanding what the girl was saying, but she always refused to think about what she didn't understand, since it was none of her business anyway.

At this moment, Si Mucheng took two steps back and asked curiously, "What are you talking about? You seem to be having a lot of fun."

Wen Ya glanced at him and said, "It's nothing."

The exit was just ahead, so she quickened her pace and went out first.

Seeing this, the girl couldn't help but laugh and say, "Sister, you're so cold."

Si Mucheng looked away and said indifferently, "She's alright, she's always been like this."

Zhang Dali found a place for dinner. Besides the four of them, Afei, who had just received a call, brought a few more boys with him. They were supposedly Si Mucheng's close classmates, and they sat noisily around a large table.

The boys were naturally curious about Wen Ya, a stranger, especially since she was brought by Si Mucheng. They also heard from Zhang Dali that they had met by chance at the aquarium, so they all started to tease Si Mucheng, demanding that he tell them the truth.

Si Mucheng knew they had misunderstood, and fearing Wen Ya would be unhappy, he kept giving them meaningful glances. The boys assumed it was because he hadn't won her over yet, and that girls are easily embarrassed, so they let Si Mucheng off the hook.

Wen Ya didn't understand any of this; she just watched from the sidelines. This lively scene was different from the one she had never seen before—a different Si Mucheng.