Epilogue (Part 1) 0092

In the case of Song Ning's shooting and injury, the first instance judgment was that it was excessive self-defense, but the second instance judgment changed it to legitimate self-defense.

The case lasted for more than three months. After Song Ning was acquitted, he withdrew from school.

On the day she dropped out of school, Song Ning met with Professor Zhang alone.

Professor Zhang warmly received her and said that he had known for a long time that she was Xu Zhihua's child.

Before she arrived, someone had already spoken to him, asking him to go easy on her.

The two chatted about Xu Zhihua for the entire afternoon, while Song Ning remained silent about the person who had come to greet them.

Before leaving, Song Ning asked, "Professor Zhang, can hypnosis really make people forget some of their memories?"

Professor Zhang smiled and said, "Hypnosis is like hiding a file on a computer. Although you can't see it, it still exists. If you never click to view it in your entire life, of course you won't see it. However, the environment in which people live is more complex than a computer. Any little stimulus could accidentally click the view button. Therefore, hypnosis can only temporarily make you forget memories. To forget them completely, you can only rely on time."

Song Ning nodded, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then left.

In mid-July, Song Ning returned to her hometown, removed herself from Shen Xiaoyue's household registration, and went abroad alone.

She said goodbye to everyone, except for Shen Yuxiu, who had a letter delivered to her.

"By the time you receive this letter, I will already be abroad."

Three years ago, I scratched Cao Qingqing and was punished by Jiayi. I was bedridden for several days. You didn't come to see me then, and I was really sad. Now I refuse to see you, so just consider it my revenge for not coming back then.

Actually, I'm quite similar to Cao Qingqing. If I hadn't acted recklessly because of your protection, Cao Wenliang would never have approached Fu Cong, and you wouldn't have almost died.

Do you know? I really hate you now. I hate your self-righteousness and self-sacrifice. You even made a will. Should I be hoping you leave soon so I can inherit your vast fortune?

You risked everything, your life, yourself, but did you ever consider that I didn't want it at all?

I've taken revenge on those who hurt you, but there are still others I haven't gotten my revenge on.

As you know, I hold grudges and seek revenge.

I just couldn't think of a way to get revenge on them. After thinking it over and over, I could only come up with one solution.

We should not meet or contact each other until I forgive them.

You always felt responsible for my parents' deaths. Now you've paid your dues. Don't do anything foolish again, and don't feel guilty anymore.

You said the world is big and wonderful, so I'll listen to you and go see the world you described.

As for when he will return, it may be a year, two years, ten years... or it may be a lifetime.

Even if I don't come back, you must wait for me. You can't have any other women. This is my punishment for you.

Shen Yuxiu sat in the courtyard of the siheyuan, looked up from the letter, and gazed at Song Ning's dark room.

He tilted his head back slightly, looked through the eaves at the excessively bright and round moon, and resignedly murmured, "Serves him right."

Before long, a battle without gunfire quietly began.

In a struggle that lasted for more than a year, the faction led by Cao Wenliang suffered a crushing defeat.

Cao Wenliang was expelled from the Party and dismissed from public office by the Discipline Inspection Commission of the CPC Central Committee for violating laws and regulations. His case of suspected corruption was transferred to the procuratorate for investigation in accordance with the law.

The moon waxes and wanes, flowers bloom and wither, spring comes and autumn goes, and the seasons cycle endlessly.

It's snow season again, and snowflakes are falling all over the sky.

A black Mercedes was parked on the side of the road, with DPR IAN's "Winterfall" playing inside. Shen Yuxiu rested his hand on the car window and looked out the window.

People were coming and going outside the window. A girl with a low ponytail and a pregnant woman walked out of the bookstore.

Shen Yuxiu was taken aback for a moment, then couldn't help but chuckle.

He got out of the car and considerately opened the door for the "pregnant woman".

Ding Mo, supporting her back and rubbing her stomach, struggled to sit in the car: "Mr. Chen, have you been waiting long? I'm sorry, the book 'Flower Wind' is so hard to get. Jiang Bei and I fought for a long time before we finally got it."

Jiang Bei chimed in, "Yes, Professor Shen, we could actually take a taxi back."

"I happen to be nearby, and it's on my way." Seeing the girl shivering from the cold, Shen Yuxiu said, "It's too cold outside, get in the car first."

Jiang Bei nodded and went around to the other side to get into the car.

Shen Yuxiu got into the car and started it.

As soon as Ding Mo got into the car, he started taking off his clothes. Jiang Bei stopped him, saying, "Mo Zi, why don't you take these later?"

Ding Mo continued to remove the fake belly: "What does it matter? It's not like I'm not wearing anything."

Jiang Bei said "Oh" and sat down obediently.

Ding Mo threw the fake belly to the ground: "It really hurt so much! How was it? Did I look good? Nobody dared to push me, haha."

Jiang Bei:......

Shen Yuxiu: ...

When Ding Mo saw that the two ignored her, she noticed a book with a familiar cover on the passenger seat, still unopened.

She picked up the book beside her, confirmed it was the same one, and asked, "Mr. Shen, are you also here to snatch the 'Flower Messenger' book?"

Shen Yuxiu, with one hand on the steering wheel, quickly glanced at the book on the passenger seat: "Hmm."

Jiang Bei and Ding Mo exchanged a glance and a look.

Jiang Bei said, "You actually like reading her books."

Seeing their little interaction, Shen Yuxiu smiled and said, "Is it strange that I like her books?"

Jiang Bei blushed slightly: "Yes, I've always thought you should read classic literature."

Ding Mo couldn't help but burst into laughter, clutching his stomach.

Shen Yuxiu said, "Actually, I don't read books much."

Jiang Bei exclaimed "Ah!" in disbelief, but then, thinking of the man who had been bothering her for years, she shut her mouth and silently prayed.

Indeed, idols are best admired from afar, not up close.

Ding Mo nudged Jiang Bei's slumped shoulder: "Mr. Chen was just joking, you actually took it seriously."

"A joke? But... it doesn't seem like it." Jiang Bei looked at Shen Yuxiu.

His face held neither frivolous jokes nor seriousness, but rather a calm and detached narrative expression.

Shen Yuxiu didn't explain and continued driving, but the next song instantly made the car a little awkward.

The song's intro is the singer's panting...

Shen Yuxiu pressed the switch song button and continued driving.

Jiang Bei, standing behind the car, gaped in shock, his newly regained idol status shattered once again.

Ding Mo asked with great interest, "Mr. Shen, what song is this? Tell me about it. I'll play it for Biao Zaizai when I get home tonight, so I won't have to fake a belly when 'Flower Messenger' is published next time."

Shen Yuxiu: "I'll send him the song title later. Do you need me to relay what I just said?"

Ding Mo gave an awkward laugh: "No, no need. And the song doesn't need to be released either."

Just kidding, if Chen Biao knew, she would be tortured to death.

Shen Yuxiu hummed in response, his expression remaining calm and composed.

Jiang Bei covered her mouth with her book and chuckled. Ding Mo gently nudged her, and after playing around for a while, the two started chatting about all sorts of things again.

As Shen Yuxiu listened to the music in the car, he remembered the joke he had just made and smiled.

Oh well, I'm used to it.

Actually, most of the songs she chose were serious ones, except for one that she added after they were in the car that time. Because she added it, even if it was a less serious song, he couldn't bear to delete it.

The car that Fu Cong drove away was later found in a junkyard. The car was totaled. He tried many methods but couldn't download the songs from the car. In the end, he could only download them from the internet based on his memory.

Every time he hears these songs, he is reminded of her sitting in the driver's seat, complaining that he is boring, yet also smugly playing her little tricks.

Sweet memories turn into bitter ones.

It's been 7 years; she's been gone for 7 years.

Over the past seven years, he would visit her every now and then, but he never dared to let her know.

Her address kept changing, so it wasn't easy to find her. Sometimes when he arrived, she had already gone to another place. He would stay in the place she had been for a few days and then come back.

He even took a pilot's test because some of the places she went to were not accessible by official air routes.

Like this time, the place she went to seems to be hard to find; he hasn't heard from her for more than four months.

He had considered not going to see her, but he missed her just too much.

He could bear it for the first two years, but in the following years, he almost went crazy thinking about her, and even began to hate her cruelty. At the end of the third year, he couldn't hold back anymore, found her address, and flew to her hotel that very day.

He stayed at her hotel for 5 minutes, then left without daring to see her.

He was afraid of being seen by her, afraid that seeing her would make things difficult for her, and even more afraid that she would never again be troubled by him...

The phone on the stand, which was navigating, rang. Shen Yuxiu answered the call.

He didn't have headphones on, so he had to turn on the speakerphone.

"That girl has released a new book," Shen Jiayi said. "Did you go to Ah Xing to get it?"

Shen Yuxiu: "Yeah, I just got it."

Shen Jiayi: "Did you see it? It's the last page."

Shen Yuxiu: Not yet.

Shen Jiayi: "Let me see."

"I'm driving."

Shen Jiayi said mysteriously, "Then you'll regret it."

After hanging up the phone, Shen Yuxiu pulled the car over to the side of the road: "Could you wait a few minutes for me?"

Ding Mo and Jiang Bei nodded, and Ding Mo asked, "Ah Xing wouldn't happen to be editor Lu Xingxing, would she?"

Shen Yuxiu removed the protective film, revealing a silver ring on each of his left little finger and ring finger. His little finger seemed somewhat inflexible, visibly stiff when bent.

He turned to the last page, which was a tacit agreement: "Next time you want to buy her book, I can help you."

Ding Mo's pupils dilated as if he had just realized something: "'Flower Messenger' wouldn't happen to be that red-haired woman, would it?"

Shen Yuxiu looked at the last page of the book and chuckled softly.

A soft laugh rolled out from his chest, far more pleasant than a polite smile: "It should be black now, right?"

After all, more than four months have passed, and he wasn't sure if she had changed her hair color.

Ding Mo let out a long "Ah!" and looked at Jiang Bei, who looked bewildered, with a deep sense of shock: "You're right, idols are only meant to be admired from afar, not looked at up close."

Listening to their conversation, Jiang Bei couldn't resist his curiosity and turned to the last page of the book in his hand.

The last page is split, and the two sides together form a complete photograph.

The background of the photo is the aurora borealis. A woman stands under the dazzling night sky, with her hands behind her back, against the light, and with her back to the camera.

Her figure was shrouded in the darkness, the wind gently ruffling her waist-length hair. Her head was slightly tilted, and her expression was completely obscured, but Jiang Bei felt as if she were smiling at the camera.

Jiang Bei was certain that she must be very beautiful when she smiled.

She looked to her left.

At the top of the page, there are two lines of text arranged vertically.

"The people we love may have flaws, but love does not."

Below this line of text, along the edge of the book's end, there is a small line of very small, intaglio-printed text that is almost invisible unless you look closely.

Jiang Bei took a closer look and read it aloud, word by word: "I've seen a lot of the world, now I want to go home."

Jiang Bei knew from their conversation that Shen Yuxiu knew 'Flower Wind', so she asked, "Professor Shen, what does this line of text mean? Is she not planning to write it anymore?"

Hua Xinfeng's book is full of her travel experiences. Because some of the stories involve ethical issues, some are too bizarre, and some are too beautiful, some people on the internet say that she made them up, while others have dug up videos from foreign websites and say that what she wrote is true.

Hua Xinfeng himself has not responded to this. He publishes a book every year, with varying thickness and story types.

Many people, drawn by the online debates, sought out her books and gradually became captivated by the "strange and unusual" stories within, unable to tear themselves away.

Now that she says she's going home, does that mean she's going to stop writing? Then she won't be able to read her work anymore, right?

"I can't answer that either." Shen Yuxiu closed the book and put it back in the passenger seat. "I'll take you back first."