Chapter 163 Taking You Home "Then I'll take you home..."

The night was deep, and the clouds outside the window were as thick as ink that couldn't be dissolved.

He Ming looked up blankly, only to find that the entire bedroom had returned to its original desolate and monotonous state.

Zhu Liushuang took away what belonged to her.

He walked to the walk-in closet as if he didn't believe it, and with a forceful push, the closet, which was mostly empty, came into view.

Aside from the heavy winter clothes, she cleared out all her seasonal clothing.

How could she bear to...?

Can she really be so heartless as to cut ties with him so completely?

No, he absolutely cannot give up in confusion before the truth of the matter is clarified.

His white knuckles cracked a few times as He Ming grabbed his phone and dialed Ye Xingzhi's number.

The man on the other end of the phone mumbled, "Hey? Bro... what's up with you in the middle of the night?"

He hesitated for two seconds before speaking: "Xingzhi... could you please send me Tian Xingyu's contact information? I have something urgent to discuss with her."

"Tian Xingyu?" Ye Xingzhi asked in surprise, "You're looking for her?"

"Who...who is looking for me?" A faint voice came from the receiver.

"Brother He Ming, he said he needs to talk to you urgently."

The woman yawned and agreed, "Oh... give me the phone, let him talk to me directly!"

Amidst the rustling static, Ye Xingzhi pressed the receiver again, saying apologetically, "Brother... Tian Xingyu... hey, she's right next to me. Why don't you just ask her?"

“Okay—” He Ming replied in a low voice, “Sorry to bother you so late.”

"No need to disturb, no need to disturb." Ye Xingzhi's voice gradually faded. "But you have something important to do..."

The phone was passed to another person, and He Ming waited for the other person to speak before answering: "Xingyu, has Shuangshuang contacted you these past two days?"

“Yes, aren’t you planning a honeymoon?” Tian Xingyu said with a smile. “She was just sharing her itinerary with me the day before yesterday!”

"And what about yesterday?" The anxiety inadvertently showed.

“Yesterday… I don’t think so.” Tian Xingyu sensed something was amiss. “Did something happen?”

He Ming subconsciously concealed the fact that she had mentioned "divorce": "They both ran away from home, and I can't find her."

"How could that be?" The woman on the other end of the phone retorted immediately, as if she had heard something out of the blue. "Our Shuangshuang is such a good baby. The thing she fears most in her life is making people worry. When she was in school, she would have conflicts with her mother and would only dare to sit at the door and cry secretly, afraid that Aunt Gu wouldn't be able to find her... She loves you so much, how could she do something like disappearing?"

"Sorry to bother you." He Ming's heart sank to the bottom. "If she contacts you again, please tell her to eat well, rest well, and be careful... Thank you."

"Wait, Senior He, don't hang up!" Tian Xingyu finally realized the seriousness of the situation and asked seriously, "Shuangshuang is really gone?"

"Um--"

When did it disappear?

"When I got home from get off work today, I didn't see her. She had taken most of her clothes and her suitcase."

"Have you searched the entire surrounding area?"

"We've searched everywhere we can think of, but we can't find her. The company says she took three extra days of personal leave."

Tian Xingyu raised her voice and asked, "Where's the phone?"

"She's not answering the phone or replying to messages. Her phone is now switched off..."

"Should we call the police?" Tian Xingyu said urgently. "What if we've been kidnapped, or maybe we've been recruited into some kind of pyramid scheme?"

"What nonsense are you spouting!" Ye Xingzhi suddenly spoke up. "Brother, since Liu Shuang took leave in advance, this was probably planned by her. Didn't she reply to a single message?"

Just half an hour ago, Zhu Liushuang replied to him.

Then she turned off her phone.

He Ming said bitterly, "She said she was safe and told me not to go looking for her."

"Snap—" The phone was snatched away, and Tian Xingyu's sharp voice pierced his eardrums: "He Ming, tell me the truth, did you bully Shuangshuang?"

Bullying her?

How could this be... He cherishes her dearly and has no time to spare.

“No,” He Ming said firmly, “Absolutely not.”

"Then is there something you're hiding from her that made her sad?" Tian Xingyu continued to press.

There's only one thing I could hide from her that could hurt her.

However, regarding that matter... he had already reached an agreement with his father to keep it a secret forever.

Could it be... that Father broke his promise?

Anger welled up inside He Ming, and a look of sorrow appeared on his face: Did he not even care about the last bit of fatherly affection?

"Thank you, Xingyu." He said, trying to control his emotions. "I think I have a clue. It was my fault... Please call Shuangshuang a few more times during this period and have a heart-to-heart talk with her, if she is willing."

He left behind a few vague instructions and then abruptly hung up the phone.

Regret burned like a raging fire within him. He punched himself in the chest, then collapsed stiffly onto the bed.

This large, soft double bed had witnessed two people's passionate lovemaking the night before. Just one night later, all he could reach out to touch was emptiness.

That night, he lay on the bed with his eyes open, watching from darkness until dawn.

The streetlights outside the window were still on when he went out with a disheveled face.

With the accelerator floored, the black SUV disappeared into the distance at the end of the street in the blink of an eye.

————

He Ming hadn't set foot in his father's new home for many years.

He stood at the door of the mansion and impatiently rang the doorbell.

After a long while, the woman's impatient complaint came from the display screen at the door: "Who is it? It's so early in the morning, and the noise is disturbing the peace!"

“Aunt Yao, it’s me.” He replied coldly.

"Oh my, Ming, you're here... This is way too early!" The tightly closed door creaked open, and half a figure peeked out from inside. "Your dad is still washing up. He'll be taking Yunyun to school in a bit. Have you had breakfast yet? Auntie made wonton noodles."

Yao Ying did her best to maintain appearances, warmly leading him into the house. But He Ming had no time to deal with her insincere manner and said directly, "I need to see my dad."

The coldness in his words was so obvious that Yao Ying pouted, feeling awkward, and said, "Oh, the second room on the right upstairs..."

Upon hearing this, He Ming hurried up the stairs.

Just as he appeared at the bedroom door, his father, He Guanshan, came out of the bathroom.

"Ah Ming?" After not seeing him for half a year, He Guanshan couldn't hide his excitement. "You finally remembered to come and see this old man?"

He Ming stared at his father with a stern face, and his first words were a question: "Dad—did you tell Liu Shuang about the cause of Mom's death?"

"You came all this way so early in the morning just for this?" He Guanshan's expression changed instantly. "He Ming, take a good look. I'm your father! You don't trust me at all?"

“I…” He Ming was speechless. Apart from his father, he couldn’t find anyone else who knew the secret. “Only you know about that matter.”

"So you suspect me?" He Guanshan pointed angrily at his own nose. "Who knows, maybe Zhu Liushuang found out herself?"

“Impossible—” he growled.

"That accident back then was known throughout the city, and we weren't the only ones who knew about it..." He Guanshan scoffed. "You can hide it for a while, but you can't hide it forever. What, she can't stand you anymore after she found out the truth? That's perfect... I was firmly against you two being together from the start..."

His father's words struck a nerve, and He Ming said with a livid face, "My affairs are none of your business."

...

"Oh dear, what's all this arguing about? Keep your voices down, Yunyun's scared." Yao Ying appeared at just the right moment. She glanced at He Ming and then turned to He Guanshan to advise him, "Old He, really, you were just sick a while ago. What did the doctor say? Don't get angry, staying alive is the most important thing. A-Ming is an adult now, he has his own ideas. Let's not interfere in his affairs. Otherwise, father and son might end up as enemies..."

These words were ostensibly addressed to He Guanshan, but subtly implied criticism of He Ming, which He Guanshan naturally understood.

Yao Ying continued babbling on, but He Ming had lost patience. He looked up and stared directly at his father: "I'll ask you one last time, you really didn't tell Liu Shuang?"

“I’m telling you clearly, I never said that,” He Guanshan said with a stern face.

"And what about her?" He Ming's eyes darted around, pointing the finger at the noisy woman beside him.

"Me? What's wrong with me? What kind of riddles are you playing? I don't understand..." Yao Ying asked innocently, her expression more interesting than a theatrical performance.

Her appearance, however, appeared to He Ming as a sign of guilt. He stared at her expressionlessly, then turned to look at his father.

He Guanshan seemed to remember something, and a stiff look flashed across his face: "Your Aunt Yao... she, she shouldn't know."

The father's hesitation further confirmed He Ming's suspicions.

He remained silent for a moment, then turned and left the house he never wanted to set foot in again.

————

After much trouble, He Ming became absolutely certain that Zhu Liushuang's sudden disappearance was related to the accident from years ago.

She has always been a kind girl.

Kind people often have a strong sense of morality and are more easily bound by their inner conscience. He knew she couldn't bear such a cruel truth, so he chose to keep it a secret. Little did he expect—the secret would eventually be revealed, and now he's reaping what he sowed.

After regaining his senses, He Ming began to look for solutions.

He understood that the root of everything was the knot that had been entangled in Zhu Liushuang's heart for many years, and all he had to do was untie it.

It sounds easy, but it's incredibly difficult to do.

Right now, he doesn't know where she is.

Therefore, he had no choice but to resort to the most rudimentary method—constantly sending her messages.

He wanted to tell her his innermost thoughts without reservation in order to save their marriage.

For two whole days, He Ming sent Zhu Liushuang more than a dozen pages of messages.

He dissected himself, presented himself to her in a completely different light, including the nightmare that had tormented him for over a decade.

There was no "read" notification on WeChat, so he couldn't see her updates and could only wait foolishly.

On the third day, he was still the only one performing in the chat box.

He Ming could no longer endure such torment and decided to go find her immediately.

He inquired about Zhu Liushuang's address again from Tian Xingyu, only to be greatly disappointed. At his wit's end, he suddenly remembered the radio app he had uninstalled. He vaguely recalled that the new version of Yueyin FM could display IP addresses and the most recent login time.

He Ming knew the chances were slim, but he still wanted to try his luck. So, he re-downloaded Yueyin FM.

He logged into his account and went to Zhu Liushuang's profile. He eagerly scrolled down, and the phone screen showed that her last login was ten days ago, from Gucheng.

Sure enough... his luck was terrible.

He Ming looked listless and was about to exit when his peripheral vision inadvertently glanced at the bottom of the screen.

It's unclear when it started, but her personal radio station has been filled with programs. Scrolling down, each program is named after a song:

August 31st, "This is the bravest moment of my life"

"Is It My First Love or My Heartbeat?" premiered on September 1st.

September 28th, "When I Think of You, the Wind Rises"

October 7th, "About I Love You"

...

"This is Good Enough" aired on November 20th.

December 3rd, "I Want to See You Today Too"

December 15th, "I Want to Sing This Song to You"

December 25th, "Loving You Is Like Loving Life"

"Joy" airing on December 31st

...

January 26th, "The Unreachable You"

...

The further down the scroll he scrolled, the more complex He Ming's expression became.

These names seem like ordinary love song titles at first glance, but once you connect them to the upload date of the program…

He was almost certain that this was no accident. Every date marked a change in their relationship; some days, he himself had forgotten, but she remembered perfectly.

At that moment, He Ming suddenly heard a voice in his mind shouting: She loves you more than you think!

His lips trembled as he continued sliding down until the last program.

The program is called "Let's Travel Together," and the program description includes a small line: I want to travel with you, to the ends of the earth.

She's so looking forward to this trip, is it possible...?

A firm belief flashed through his mind, and He Ming got up and booked himself the fastest flight to Kunming.

————

On the thirteenth day of her trip to Kunming, Zhu Liushuang stayed at a youth hostel near Yuncheng University.

Every morning, she would take a walk in Cuihu Park and listen to the city's melodious songs.

The elderly people in the park were incredibly enthusiastic, and sometimes they would even pull her in to join in singing and dancing.

But most of the time, she was just a quiet outsider, staring blankly at those vibrant, bright figures.

She had read the messages He Ming sent her no less than ten times.

There was one thing she remembered most vividly.

He said, “Shuangshuang, if you insist on blaming my mother’s death on your father, then you might as well pin it on me. The morning of the accident, I had a big fight with her because I was being unreasonable, which caused her to rush out the door without even eating breakfast. Under normal circumstances, she would never have gotten on the bus your father was driving. So you see… fate loves to play tricks on people. For a long time after my mother’s death, I was trapped in grief and couldn’t get out of it, so I became withdrawn, indifferent, and self-deceiving…”

When he poured his heart out to her and helped her fill in the hidden truth behind the accident, Zhu Liushuang's tears, which she had been holding back for many days, finally broke down.

She regretted it, a thousand times over.

Unbeknownst to her, He Ming also harbored a deep, unhealable scar in his heart.

What she never expected was that he would go so far as to tear open her wounds in order to bring her peace of mind.

This teaches her how to handle herself.

Because of her cowardice and selfishness, she chose to escape, even leaving herself no way out.

The word "divorce" carries immense weight.

She brought it up with ease.

But by the time she figured it out, He Ming hadn't messaged her for several days.

No phone calls, no greetings, no words of advice...

There was nothing there.

Perhaps, after returning to Gucheng in a couple of days, they should discuss getting their divorce certificate.

Thinking of this, Zhu Liushuang couldn't help but feel a lump in her throat.

The jacaranda trees in Cuihu Park were in full bloom. She leaned against a tree trunk for a moment, lost in thought, then wiped away her tears and continued walking towards the lake.

These past few days, a young flower seller, who looked no younger than Zhu Liushuang, had been sitting on the open space by the lake. The first time Zhu Liushuang encountered her, she was squatting by the lake, lost in thought. The girl thought she was going to commit suicide, so she rushed behind her and pulled her away from the lakeshore.

Zhu Liushuang was still in shock and stared blankly at her.

"Sister, are you unhappy?" The girl handed her a white rose and said, "No matter how difficult things get, you must love yourself and not think too much."

"I didn't..." Zhu Liushuang tried to explain.

"It would be even better if you didn't... I sell flowers here every day. If you're feeling down, come chat with me. I'll give you flowers!"

The flower girl kept her promise. Every day when Zhu Liushuang passed by, she would give her a white rose and the words "Be happy every day".

This delivery took several days.

But today, the flower girl is not here.

A lone red-billed gull was perched on the open ground by the lake.

She looked around for a moment, but couldn't find that familiar figure, so she sat down alone on the stone bench.

Are you looking for the flower seller?

As she looked down, lost in thought, a pair of black leather shoes covered in mud and grime came into her view.

Zhu Liushuang looked up and suddenly froze.

He Ming stood in front of her, wearing a slightly worn gray trench coat with the sleeves rolled up and the collar of his shirt rolled up.

His complexion was not good, pale and bluish, with deep dark circles under his eyes, and his beard was not cleanly shaved... He looked like he had aged several years in an instant.

But his gaze toward her was bright, gentle, and burning.

Zhu Liushuang stood up blankly, her first reaction was to run away.

"Wife—"

Before he could even take a step, he was frozen in place by his hoarse voice.

"You... how did you get here?" she asked, avoiding his gaze, her voice carried away by the wind.

He smiled and handed her a white rose, saying, "Didn't we agree to come see the jacaranda trees at Cuihu Park together?"

After saying that, he walked closer to her and placed the rose in her hand: "Be happy every day."

Her eyes widened, her facade crumbling: "You..."

Seeing that she didn't move, He Ming said again, "Wife, could you take me with you on a trip next time?"

“Hmm—” Zhu Liushuang said with difficulty.

"Honey, the holiday is almost over..." the man said, looking into her eyes. "Have you had enough of Kunming?"

Zhu Liushuang bit her lip and nodded.

"Then I'll take you home."

These words were spoken so casually, as if she had merely visited Kunming, more than 2,000 kilometers away.

Zhu Liushuang's lips trembled, and tears streamed down her face.

She clutched the white rose tightly in her hand, crying and laughing at the same time, and said, "Okay, let's go home."

(End of text)

-----------------------

Author's Note: When I typed "The End of the Main Text," I stared at my tablet for a long time, as if I hadn't truly come out of the story yet.

The main text ends here, leaving room for the reader's imagination and giving Shuangshuang and her senior a "promising future" ending.

I'm very grateful to the readers who have accompanied me all the way. This book has taken over a year to write, from its initial draft to now—a very long time. I know following a serial is incredibly grueling, so I'm especially grateful to everyone who hasn't given up on this book. Thank you for your patience in finishing it.

It's often said that books reflect their owners. I'm a slow-burning person, and I'm rather indifferent to everything, so my writing doesn't have many dramatic moments, and the pace is quite slow. But I try to tell a good story, to make it complete, detailed, and rich.

I don't know if I've improved compared to my first book, but I guess I have. When I wrote my first book, the female lead's career storyline took up half the book, while this book leans more towards romance. Writing it was quite tiring; I needed to immerse myself completely in the emotions of the male and female leads, so this book consumed almost all of my after-work time.

Regarding the topic of "unrequited love," everyone experiences the regret of unrequited love during their teenage years, so I wanted to fill that void in a fictional story. When I wrote about Shuangshuang and her senior, I initially just wanted to write a story of "a brave young girl courageously pursuing love."

Then one day, I came across a tragic bus crash into a river, which gave the male and female protagonists a dramatic family background, making their relationship even more entangled and complicated.

As for the initial radio reference in the story, it comes from my own life. In the first few years of my career, I suffered from frequent insomnia due to excessive stress. Radio was popular then, so I used it to help me fall asleep. I really liked a local personal radio station; the voice was incredibly soothing. Coincidentally, one day a friend added me to a small group of three, and one of the strangers in the group was the radio station's owner… Of course, we later became just alumni, friends who shared some interests and met by chance.

Life can sometimes be more dramatic than fiction. When I was conceiving this story, I suddenly thought, why not incorporate this coincidence into the plot to make Shuangshuang and her senior's reunion feel more destiny-like?

This book was originally planned to be 400,000 words, but it went far beyond that, probably due to my fragmented writing style. I wanted to present more in the book, even some social reflections. For example, the living conditions and circumstances of the families of victims after major accidents, and the impact of public opinion on an individual or even a family. Another example is the question of whether people with a history of hereditary diseases should get married.

I didn't just want to depict romantic love, but also family and friendship. Although the friendship between Shuangshuang and Ayu isn't explored in great detail, it's touching and offers Shuangshuang comfort. There's also the relationship between Shuangshuang and her mother; they support each other, each bearing their own burdens, always trying to ease the other's burden.

Love is the central theme of the story. In her youth, Shuangshuang was timid, sensitive, and cautious. But after their reunion, she became brave, strong, and stubborn. She is a contradiction; she is madly in love with her senior, yet stubbornly refuses to be the first to confess her feelings. As for the senior, he didn't understand love before; it was Shuangshuang's initiative and beauty that gradually attracted him, until he fell for her. I have done my best to describe the process of a man falling in love with a woman in detail and clearly…

I've rambled on quite a bit, thank you for your patience in reading it all. The two books I've written so far both tell stories of love in ordinary people. The love of ordinary people flows gently like a stream, simple and unassuming, yet incredibly precious.

May every ordinary person find their own lasting and everlasting love.

Love you all! [Kiss][Kiss][Kiss]