Chapter 113 What is "Normal"?

Early November, Geneva, Switzerland.

A multilateral meeting on humanitarian aid corridors was held here. Song Zhiyi, as a member of the UN coordination team, was assigned to participate in the meeting's logistical and language support work. During a break in the meeting, she had a precious half-day of free time.

She had just stepped out of the corridor where the conference room was located, preparing to return to her temporary office to work on some documents, when a tall figure blocked her way at the end of the corridor. Huo Yanli stood there, still carrying the chill of the outside air, his coat shoulders slightly damp, as if he had rushed over. His eyes were bloodshot, clearly indicating he had just returned from a long flight.

"Song Zhiyi." His voice was hoarse, carrying a long-suppressed emotion, and it was particularly clear in the empty corridor. "The five-year agreement is null and void."

Song Zhiyi paused, looked up at him, her gaze calm and unwavering, as if she had already anticipated this scene. She held a thick stack of meeting materials in her arms, her posture upright.

"What I want is a lifetime." Huo Yanli took a step forward, his gaze fixed on her with burning determination, no longer concealing or beating around the bush.

Song Zhiyi looked at him quietly for a few seconds, then smiled faintly. There was no mockery, no emotion in that smile, only a clear-headedness bordering on pity. She didn't directly answer his "a lifetime," but instead clearly stated:

“Mr. Huo, my journey is to ensure the safety of the land and peace in the world.” She paused, her gaze passing over him and landing on the gloomy Geneva sky outside the corridor window. “If you can’t keep up, then move aside.”

After speaking, she gently turned and walked past him without stopping or looking back. The sound of her high heels clicking on the marble floor was crisp and steady, fading into the distance.

Huo Yanli froze on the spot. The words, "If you can't keep up, then move aside," were like a cold dagger, precisely piercing through all the courage and determination he had gathered. He turned around abruptly, watching her disappearing figure around the corner of the corridor. His chest ached, but he didn't even have the strength to call out to her.

She left so decisively, without even glancing back at him.

...

In the afternoon, on the shores of Lake Geneva.

Song Zhiyi walked slowly along the lakeside, the hem of her trench coat billowing in the autumn wind. She needed some time alone to process the incident that morning. She knew Huo Yanli would come, but she hadn't expected it to be in such a direct and intense way.

She saw that figure again by the lake.

Huo Yanli stood by the lake, his back to her, gazing at the water. His dark gray overcoat made him appear tall and imposing, yet somewhat lonely.

Song Zhiyi stopped, neither approaching nor leaving. She just stood there, watching his retreating figure.

After a long while, Huo Yanli slowly turned around. His expression was much calmer than in the morning, but the weariness in his eyes and something deeper was even more obvious. He looked at her, then walked towards her.

"It seems it's not a coincidence." Song Zhiyi spoke first as he walked up to her, her tone calm.

"No." Huo Yanli admitted it readily, his voice still a little hoarse, "I've been walking around here for a long time, wondering if you would come... I was just trying my luck."

"Now that we've run into each other," Song Zhiyi looked at him, "what do you want to say?"

Huo Yanli's gaze fell on the briefcase in her hand: "Do you have time? Shall we talk as we walk? Or, shall we just stand here?"

The two walked side by side to a bench not far away. Fallen leaves rustled under their feet, and the afternoon sun filtered through the sparse branches, casting dappled shadows on them.

After sitting down, I remained silent for a moment. The laughter of children drifted from afar, making the silence here seem even more somber.

“Five years ago, at the entrance of the Civil Affairs Bureau,” Song Zhiyi finally spoke, her voice calm and even, “you said you would get a divorce in five years.”

Huo Yanli turned his head to look at her. Her profile, set against the backdrop of the lake and mountains, was so serene that it seemed to blend into the ancient lake.

"Yes," he admitted, his voice low. "Back then, I was naive and arrogant, my heart was filled with people and things I shouldn't have, and I saw this marriage as a shackle."

“You’ve changed your mind,” Song Zhiyi stated.

"I've changed my mind." Huo Yanli didn't shy away from it, turning his gaze to her with a deeper pain and determination that he hadn't fully revealed in the corridor that morning. "I've been regretting it for a long time. I realized it too late, and what I'm saying... to you, might just seem like entanglement."

Song Zhiyi didn't respond to his self-deprecating remark, but instead took out a thin, transparent file folder from her handbag. Inside were several pages of printed documents.

She handed him the file bag.

Huo Yanli's gaze fell on the document bag; the words "Divorce Agreement" were clearly visible even through the plastic wrap. His breath caught in his throat, and his face instantly turned pale. That morning, she had told him to "step aside," and now she was handing him the agreement. She was drawing a clear line in the most unambiguous way.

He took the file folder, clutching it tightly in his hand until his knuckles turned white. He didn't open it, but simply looked up at her, his eyes churning with suppressed emotions: "In the corridor, I said it would last a lifetime, not on a whim. You said your journey was across mountains and rivers, and I heard you, and I understood."

He leaned forward slightly, his voice low and earnest, carrying a sense of desperation: "Song Zhiyi, I never intended for you to stop or change your direction. I was too hasty this morning, and my approach was wrong. What I want to say is—can I try to keep up? Even if it's a little slower, a little further. I don't need you to stop for me; I only hope... that on your journey to conquer the world, you'll allow me to exist behind you, or parallel to you. Like a... supply station, or simply another light that will never go out."

Song Zhiyi looked at him, her eyes filled with complex emotions. His words were more specific and more...heavy than his straightforward declaration that morning. He was no longer asking for a "lifetime" promise, but rather for the right to "follow" and "exist".

“Huo Yanli,” she sighed softly, the sigh melting into the lake breeze, “Do you understand what following my path means? This isn’t a city like New York or Geneva; it’s the real front line of conflict, a place of scarce resources, cutoff communications, and omnipresent danger. Your career, your circle, your ’normal life’ will all be completely disrupted. Can you endure years of separation, no communication, and even… the possibility of receiving bad news?”

Her question was extremely realistic and extremely cruel. This had always been her concern, and what she considered the most fundamental gap between them.

Song Zhiyi stated clearly, "My life plan for the next ten years or even longer will focus on my work. I will go to more dangerous and volatile areas; life will be mobile, uncertain, and high-risk."

Her voice softened, but every word was clear: "I don't want a marriage in name only to bind you. You deserve a real life, a normal family, stable companionship, and maybe... even children. And these are things I, Song Zhiyi, cannot give you. I can't give them to you now, and I can't give them to you in the foreseeable future."

A lake breeze blew, swirling up fallen leaves.

Huo Yanli clutched the agreement for a long time before asking in a hoarse voice, "Song Zhiyi, what do you think 'normal life' means?"

Song Zhiyi was stunned for a moment.

Huo Yanli raised his head and looked directly at her: "Nine to five, getting married and having children, going on weekend outings, surrounded by children and grandchildren? That may be what many people define as 'normal,' but it's not what I, Huo Yanli, want."

His voice was deep and clear, each word striking the slightly chilly air on the shores of Lake Geneva:

"For me, a 'normal life' is not about following the same path as most people. It's about finding something meaningful to do and finding people who bring peace to my heart within my limited lifespan."

“My ‘normal’ means being able to watch you shine in your chosen field and contribute to your ideals; it means being able to use my resources and abilities to clear obstacles for you when you need help; it means knowing that somewhere in this world, there is someone like you, striving for a better world, and that she is living a good life.”

He paused, his gaze fixed on her with tenderness yet unwavering determination:

"This is the life I want. I have a career direction, an inner sense of purpose, and... a reason that, even if it's far away, makes me feel that this world is worth fighting for. This is the most real and 'normal' life for me. As for children and a stable family... those may be important, but they are not indispensable. Without you, those so-called 'normal' elements have no meaning for me."

Song Zhiyi was completely stunned.

“But…” she instinctively wanted to argue.

“No buts.” Huo Yanli interrupted her, his tone gentle but unquestionable. “Zhiyi, this is my own choice. Just like you chose your path. You can reject my feelings, you can end our legal marriage, but you can’t decide for me what kind of life is ‘good’ or ‘normal’ for me.”

He pulled the divorce agreement from the file folder and unfolded it. His gaze swept over the familiar, cold clauses. His fingers lightly brushed over the line stating "The wife voluntarily relinquishes all financial claims," ​​his fingertips slightly cool.

Then, he looked up at her, his eyes filled with complex emotions, but ultimately calmed down.

"I respect your decision. I respect your plans for the future and your desire not to burden anyone."

He took a deep breath, as if he had made a major decision:

"I'll sign this agreement."