Chapter 46. Passing by.

Ning Yao returned to Shanghai around noon. Shanghai had just experienced a rain shower, and the streets were wet. Low-hanging, leaden clouds made it seem as if another heavy downpour could occur at any moment.

It was the rainy day she hated the most.

After the rain, the mud was everywhere, and mud splattered everywhere you walked. If you weren't careful, your shoes and pants would get stained. This was a real headache for Ning Yao, who lived away from home all year round.

Despite the recent rain, the streets were still quite crowded. Ning Yao looked around, reminiscing about her life a few years ago, and habitually went to the small courtyard where she used to live in Shanghai.

The courtyard no longer belongs to her. It was sold to someone else two years ago.

She stood outside the courtyard for a while, leaning against the wall, her mind filled with fragments of the past.

Studying, eating, playing, sleeping... looking back on all of these things now feels like a distant memory.

They didn't leave until they saw an elderly man with gray hair come out of the courtyard.

There was nothing she could do. Two years ago, Ning Yao tried to negotiate with the old man to buy the courtyard, but he was very fierce and insisted that he would not sell. Not only did he refuse to buy, but he would also chase her away with a broom if she said anything, so she had no choice but to leave.

When she came to Shanghai again, she would only stand at the street corner, looking at that little courtyard from afar, reminiscing about the past.

All I can say is that things have changed, people have changed, and everything is over.

Ning Yao let out a long sigh, banishing the old memories from her mind, composed herself, and headed towards the newspaper office.

She has several photos and manuscripts that she needs to submit to complete her trip to Shanghai.

The Chunqiu Newspaper Office was not far from the courtyard. Ning Yao knew the way well, and after bypassing the puddles of various sizes along the way, she quickly arrived at the newspaper office.

Instead of entering the newspaper office, she avoided the front door where many people came and went, and went to a small green box at the back door. She took out the photos and manuscripts she had packed from her bosom and put them directly into the box.

Chunqiu Newspaper was the newspaper she used to submit articles to. To avoid being recognized, Ning Yao never went into the newspaper office. Her articles were either forwarded by Sun He'an or, as she was doing now, delivered through a small box set up by the newspaper.

Although the arrest warrant had been issued long ago when Yuan Shikai died in Beijing and the warlords were in chaos, Ning Yao had already gotten used to avoiding people when she did things.

Meanwhile, at the front gate of the newspaper office.

Ning Yiwen arrived in Shanghai weary from his journey and went straight to the Chunqiu Newspaper Office. He pulled his hat down low, hurried into the office, and went upstairs to find the head of the newspaper.

"Editor-in-Chief Ding." Ning Yiwen walked helplessly into the editor-in-chief's private office, took off his hat, and greeted Ding Yu, who was sitting behind a table piled with manuscripts.

Ding Yu took off his glasses and saw Ning Yiwen. He was overjoyed and quickly stood up to greet Ning Yiwen, "Teacher Ning Yuan, what brings you here?"

Ding Yu was promoted to editor-in-chief three years ago.

The Chunqiu Newspaper was originally named Chunqiu Times. It was founded by Chen Lao's younger brother. Later, it was implicated by Jianghe Daily. After Chen Lao and his brother were arrested, the other editors of Chunqiu Times either left or scattered. It was Ding Yu who exhausted his family fortune to keep the newspaper afloat.

After Ning Yiwen returned, he also contributed some money to support the Spring and Autumn Newspaper, and the newspaper's situation improved.

The name Ning Yuan was the pseudonym Ning Yiwen used when he donated money to the Chunqiu Newspaper.

In Ding Yu's heart, Ning Yuan was a great benefactor of the newspaper!

Ning Yiwen was very direct, saying immediately, "I'm here to find someone. Does Editor-in-Chief Ding remember Ding Xunwen?"

Ding Yu nodded, "Of course we know each other."

When he first read this man's articles, he was amazed and even invited him to be a war correspondent for the newspaper. "Are you looking for him to have a chat?"

Ning Yiwen paused for a moment, then said, "This person may be an old friend of mine. I would like to ask Editor-in-Chief Ding if she has visited the newspaper office in the past few days?"

Ding Yu paused for a moment, then shook his head and said, "This person never comes to the newspaper office. He always submits his articles through friends or through a box that's placed in the alley behind the office." He then added, "We empty the boxes daily, and we haven't received any manuscripts from this Mr. Ding yet."

Hearing this, the hope on Ning Yiwen's face visibly faded. "I see..."

*

After submitting her manuscript, Ning Yao prepared to leave.

She had barely taken a small step when she frowned and raised her hand to cover her chest.

Strange, why is my heart suddenly pounding?

She glanced back at the newspaper office, a three-story building with red brick exteriors, which looked no different from usual. Could there be some problem that she hadn't noticed?

Ning Yao lowered her head and thought for a moment, then cautiously decided to get away from this place as soon as possible.

So she stumbled and walked in another direction, keeping a safe distance from the newspaper office's front door.

Just as she was about to step out of the alley, a scream rang out.

"ah!"

"Thief! Thief!"

Ning Yao turned her head and saw a man running eastward on the street not far ahead.

Thief? Ning Yao didn't even think about it and rushed forward at lightning speed, splashing mud high into the air from her feet.

In just a few breaths, Ning Yao caught up with the man and kicked him to the ground.

The man cursed and tried to get up, but Ning Yao grabbed his arm and pinned his back with her knee.

"What did you steal! Hand it over!" Ning Yao hissed.

When she shouted "Stop thief!" people on the street scattered, but Ning Yao had already subdued the thief and pinned him to the ground. Instead, passersby gathered around and started pointing and gossiping.

"This little girl is quite something."

"You caught it so easily?" He glanced at his fist as he spoke, exuding a sense of self-confidence that he could do the same.

"Oh, quick, find a patrol officer. Or just take him to the police station."

"..."

Passersby gathered in circles, those outside the circle were puzzled and curiously asked what was going on inside.

When Ning Yiwen came out of the newspaper office, he saw a large crowd gathered on the east side of the office and heard other people's voices.

The facts quickly came together—a woman had caught the thief.

Ning Yiwen glanced coldly at the crowd and chose to leave in another direction.

Inside the crowd, Ning Yao grabbed the person. When she looked up, she saw the girl who had just shouted "thief!" squeeze into the crowd, snatch a small cloth bag from the thief's hand, open it, and peek inside.

Then, the girl thanked Ning Yao repeatedly, "Thank you, this is my father's life-saving money. I really don't know what I would have done without you."

Ning Yao wasn't used to this kind of enthusiasm, so she shook her head and said softly, "It's okay. As long as nothing is lost."

Then, she released the man beneath her.

The man stood up, glared at Ning Yao fiercely, and said, "Mind your own business!" With that, he pushed through the crowd and ran away.

The crowd that had been surrounding the thief, who had been shouting that they would take him to the police station, instinctively made way for him.

The girl paused for a moment, then asked, "Aren't you going to take me to the police station?"

Ning Yao: "I don't have time, I have to go to the train station."

She was just a passerby; helping her catch the thief was a favor, but if it came to handing him over to the police station, she wouldn't have the time.

Besides, the world is like this now...

After Ning Yao left, the crowd on the street quickly dispersed.

Only a few people were talking about how the thief had gotten away and whether he would steal again next time.

Ning Yao walked quickly, and in less than an hour, she arrived at the train station and bought a train ticket to Beijing.

Just as she was heading towards the train platform with her ticket, a familiar yet unfamiliar female voice came from behind her, "Ning Yao?"

Ning Yao stood there stunned, then turned around and saw Lou Yu dressed in a cheongsam.

"Lou Yu?" Ning Yao exclaimed in surprise, not expecting to run into an acquaintance here.

Lou Yu's eyes reddened, and despite still wearing high heels, she ran towards Ning Yao, only to stop in front of her.

Ning Yao took a few steps back, clearly avoiding her embrace.

“I’m dirty,” Ning Yao said with a smile.

The roads in Shanghai are already quite muddy, and she got even muddier while catching the thief. She was covered in dust, and Lou Yu, who was dressed so elegantly, shouldn't have gotten so dirty.

Tears welled up in Lou Yu's eyes and she grabbed Ning Yao's wrist. "When did you come back from England? I heard three years ago that Ning Yiwen was gone. We knew then why you went abroad. Why didn't you tell us! Why did you have to suffer all this alone?"

Ning Yao smiled wryly, unable to admit that she didn't know why she went abroad back then, so she could only evade the question by saying, "I've been back for a while now. As for you, you look like... you're married?"

Lou Yu sniffed and nodded, "Yes, I've been married for two years and have a child in Beijing. I came back to Shanghai by myself this time."

“That’s perfect,” Ning Yao showed her the tickets in her hand. “I’m going to Beijing too, shall we go together?”

Lou Yu nodded, holding Ning Yao's hand tightly, "Then you come with me. My private room is just me and Xiao You behind me."

Following her words, Ning Yao glanced at Xiao You behind her. Her clothes and appearance made it clear that Xiao You was her maid.

Ning Yao nodded to Xiao You, and then followed Lou Yu's lead, walking forward together onto the train.

On the other side, Ning Yiwen came out of the newspaper office, walked through the long alley, and came to the gate of the small courtyard. He knocked on the door and said, "Uncle Zhao, I'm back."

The courtyard gate creaked open a crack, and an old man with gray hair peeked out. When he saw Ning Yiwen, he quickly opened the gate completely.

"Brother Wen, you're back."

Ning Yiwen nodded, stepped inside, and asked, "Well, Uncle Zhao, how have you been lately?"

Uncle Zhao nodded, his usually stern face now beaming with smiles, and said to Ning Yiwen, “Very good. I’ve kept the courtyard spotless, and I clean Miss’s room regularly as well. It’s just that there are always people eyeing our little courtyard. But it’s alright, I’ve chased them all away.”

"Coveting our little courtyard?" Ning Yiwen suddenly stopped in his tracks, his face turning deathly pale for a moment. "Who is it?"

Unaware of Ning Yiwen's thoughts, Uncle Zhao recalled as he spoke, "A young girl, short hair, dressed... like the kind of short-sleeved clothes poor people wear. She came to me about two years ago wanting to buy something. I refused. She came back a few times after that, I think I bumped into her two or three times..."

Before he could finish speaking, Ning Yiwen grabbed his shoulder. "The last time? When was that?"

"Just now..." Ning Yiwen ran out as soon as he finished speaking.