Chapter 150 He's Gone
Gu Qiuyue knew that asking further would yield no results. She buried her face in his chest, her nose filled with the familiar scent of soap and tobacco. This had always been a reassuring scent, but now, it was mixed with a strange, heart-pounding tension.
She closed her eyes, tried to steady her breathing, and pretended to fall asleep.
Xie Shiyu maintained the posture of hugging her, motionless, but Gu Qiuyue could feel that he was not asleep, his breathing rate showed that he was also awake.
The night is getting deeper.
The silence around them was magnified infinitely, to the point where they could hear each other's heartbeats. An invisible, taut string quietly tightened between the two of them. They both understood their afternoon conversation and the late-night call, yet could only remain silent.
An unknown amount of time had passed. Just as Gu Qiuyue's consciousness was blurring and she was about to fall asleep from exhaustion, Xie Shiyu moved very slightly and, in a voice almost as soft as a whisper, whispered two words to the top of her head:
"Don't be afraid."
This comforting word was like a stone thrown into a deep pool, causing even more turbulent waves in her heart.
She suddenly realized that what she was experiencing might not be an independent "inquiry" but just the edge of a larger vortex. Her husband, who obviously knew more than she did, was trying his best to protect her from the vortex.
This realization made her feel both warm and terrified.
Amidst this complex and indescribable emotion, Gu Qiuyue finally fell into a deep sleep.
She didn't know how long she had slept before she was startled awake by a slight rustling sound. Outside the window, the sky was still dark, a hazy gray-blue.
She subconsciously felt around her - empty.
I suddenly opened my eyes and saw that Xie Shiyu had stood up and was standing in front of the wardrobe. He had silently and quickly changed into a neat military uniform. His expression looked cold and solemn in the morning light.
In the past, if he left for work early, he'd always tried to be as quiet as possible, but never like this now, as if he'd deliberately suppressed all sound, exuding a sense of secrecy that he didn't want anyone to know. Last night's phone call, his brief silence... all the fragments suddenly came together in her mind, leaving her almost breathless.
Gu Qiuyue's heart was in her throat and her throat was dry. She supported herself with her arms and slowly sat up, almost holding her breath. The soft quilt slipped off her body, making a slight friction sound.
The subtle sound was particularly clear in the overly quiet room.
Xie Shiyu paused almost imperceptibly while adjusting his collar, then he turned around and saw that she had woken up. A complex emotion flashed across his deep eyes, like apology, or something deeper and unspeakable, but it was quickly suppressed, and he returned to his usual calmness, even a little colder and harder than usual.
"Did I wake you up?" His voice was deeper and hoarser than usual, carrying the magnetism of a morning wake-up call, but he deliberately softened his tone. "It's still early, sleep a little longer."
Gu Qiuyue didn't respond, but simply stared wide-eyed at his meticulously dressed military uniform. Her gaze finally settled on his military cap, which he rarely wore so formally even at home. Her voice, slightly hoarse from waking up and with a barely perceptible tremor, asked, "Where...are you going? Why are you going so early?"
Xie Shiyu walked to the bedside, but did not sit down. Instead, he bent down and gently stroked her cheek with his warm, rough hands, with a hint of coolness on his fingertips. His eyes lingered on her face for a moment, as if he was tracing her outline, or as if he was weighing something.
"Something urgent happened in the army, so I need to go back early to deal with it." He answered evasively, trying to keep his tone calm. "Seeing you were sleeping soundly, I didn't want to wake you."
"Urgent?" Gu Qiuyue caught the ambiguity in his words and wanted to ask, but swallowed the words back. As a military dependent, she knew very well that there were some things she could not ask.
Xie Shiyu's fingertips paused slightly on her cheek, then he withdrew his fingertips. He stood up straight, avoided her gaze, turned around and picked up the briefcase on the desk, his movements filled with unquestionable determination.
"Well, I can't say more." He used the most direct and irrefutable reason. The softness in his voice disappeared, replaced by a calm and businesslike attitude. This calmness was like an invisible wall, quietly standing between the two of them. "I'll have Xiao Liu bring breakfast home from the cafeteria later. You should sleep a little longer and don't be busy. As for the child... I may not be able to pick him up today. If I'm busy late, I'll need you..."
"I know, I will take care of the child." Gu Qiuyue interrupted him, but her heart sank.
The more normal he acted and the more well-planned he was, the more she could sense the turbulent undercurrent beneath that calm surface. Military secrets… These four words were enough to block all her further inquiries. This was the boundary that had always existed and had to be observed in their married life.
But she was his wife, and she could feel that this time was different.
Xie Shiyu picked up his briefcase and gave her one last look. His eyes were deep, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he just pursed his lips and whispered, "I'm leaving. Stay home... take care of yourself and the child."
After saying this, he did not stop, turned around and strode towards the door, opened it, and his figure quickly blended into the darkness of the corridor. Then there was a very slight sound of the door closing.
He left.
The room was empty in an instant, leaving only Gu Qiuyue, the suffocating silence in the room, and the faint scent of soapberry mixed with tobacco that belonged to him.
She sat alone on the bed, looking out the window at the sky which was gradually getting brighter, but the waves in her heart could not be calmed down no matter what.
She suddenly threw off the quilt and got out of bed, stepping barefoot on the slightly cool concrete floor, and walked quickly to the window. Outside the yard, the jeep had already started, and drove out of the family compound smoothly and quickly, disappearing at the end of the gray-blue mist.
Everything happened unusually fast.
Gu Qiuyue sat on the extra bed, her back against the wall at the head of the bed, and slowly let out a breath. Her husband had gone to a place she could not reach or ask about, bearing responsibilities and risks that she could not know. As a military family member, she had long been accustomed to separation and waiting, but this time, what would be waiting for her?
She took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.
She is Gu Qiuyue, a soldier's wife, a mother of two children, and a woman with her own work and pursuits. She cannot just wait in panic.
She walked to the desk and sat down, her eyes sweeping over the translation manuscript and novel outline spread out on the table, her fingers tapping unconsciously on the table. Perhaps, she should do something, at least to keep herself sharp and calm.
As the sky gradually brightened, faint trumpet sounds were heard from the military camp in the distance.
A new day has begun, but it is destined to start with a heavy concern.
At this moment, the phone in the living room suddenly rang sharply again!
Gu Qiuyue shuddered, her heart gripped tightly by that invisible hand. So early? Who could it be? Was it the army looking for Xie Shiyu? Or...
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