Chapter 148 He is the most difficult person to talk to in the world
At 6 a.m. in London, the sky was still dark, as if it were night. The shrill ring of the telephone rang out in the room.
He Wu turned over, trying to drive away the annoying noise in her dream, but the ringing continued stubbornly, with no sign of stopping. He Wu weakly supported her husband beside her and said hoarsely, "Go answer the phone."
Lao Tong gave a vague "hmm" and did nothing.
The ringtone, unanswered, rang until it cut off, then rang again after a few seconds. He Wu sat up, closed her eyes, threw on her nightgown, and shuffled to the living room to answer the call, her thoughts hazy. She was used to turning off her phone before bed. Who would call her home landline so urgently, and with such persistence? In an instant, her eyes widened, suddenly awake.
"Hello!" she took down the phone and said anxiously.
"Mom, it's me."
"Joong Won! Are you okay? Where are you?"
"I'm fine, I'm home."
He Wu breathed a sigh of relief and couldn't help but complain, "Why did you call home when you could? Why can't you wait until dawn to tell me what's going on?"
He knew he had frightened her, but he had no choice; he couldn't wait any longer.
"Zhuang Beiyao. Do you still remember him? I want to know about him."
He Wu took the microphone and went to the kitchen to get some water.
"Tong Zhongyuan, tell me first, what are you doing? You called me so early in the morning to ask about Zhuang Beiyao. Don't tell me you're just suddenly curious. And your return date has been delayed again and again. Tell me honestly, has anything happened to you in the past few months?"
"Mom, Zhuang Beiyao and Uncle Qin are in the same department, right? Who left Shangbo first, him or Uncle Qin?"
"Tong Zhongyuan!" He Wu shouted angrily, but a flash of light flashed in his mind. This was not the first time he mentioned Lao Qin. Last time, he also asked why Qin Yunjie left Shanghai Museum. "Have you met Qin Yunjie?"
Tong Zhongyuan was stunned. He had indeed met Qin Yunjie, but that was a long time ago. Back then, Qin Tian still disliked him, and he hadn't bothered to ask about his condition. Later, he had asked Qin Tian about it, but she vaguely said that Qin Yunjie had been discharged and changed the subject, so he didn't pay any more attention.
"Yes, Uncle Qin was hospitalized a few months ago and I went to visit him."
"Ah? What's wrong with Lao Qin? Why didn't you tell me?"
"He didn't tell me what his illness was. He was in good spirits when I saw him. He was later discharged from the hospital, so I won't tell you."
"Have you met Yi Zhang's sister?"
"Mom, let's talk about this later. Answer my question first. Are Zhuang Beiyao and Uncle Qin in the same department? Who left Shangbo first?"
"Yes. He and Qin Yunjie are both in the appraisal department. They are colleagues, but they are actually very close and are friends. When I left, they were still working at the Shanghai Museum. Some things happened later, and I heard it from others, so I don't know if it's true or not."
"What's up?"
"It was Zhuang Beiyao who reported Qin Yunjie's hoarding of coins. Alas, when someone told me this, I couldn't believe it. Xiaozhuang joined the Shanghai Museum later. I heard he came from a wealthy family, was humble and eager to learn, and had great respect for Qin Yunjie. Old Qin was a simple man who passed on his experience to him without reservation. The two of them were both teachers and friends. So I was really surprised to hear that Zhuang Beiyao reported him. Because although Qin Yunjie was capable, he had a bad background. In the early years, institutions like the Shanghai Museum were quite particular about political status. Someone like Qin Yunjie was just a worker and would never get in the way of others. And Xiaozhuang's family had a background, and he was a potential official. He and Old Qin had no conflict at all, so there was no need for him to do this."
"What happened next? Uncle Qin left the Shanghai Museum because he was reported. Was Zhuang Beiyao still working at the Shanghai Museum at the time? Did he get promoted?"
He Wu sat on the dining chair. Outside the window, the morning light, carrying the chill of winter, gradually brightened.
"No. He's gone. He left the Shanghai Museum a year after Lao Qin left. Some say he had a hard year and was troubled after Lao Qin left. A year later, he resigned. I heard his whole family immigrated to Japan."
"After he arrived in Japan, were there any colleagues at the Shanghai Museum in contact with him?"
"Alas. When he was at the Shanghai Museum, his closest relationship was with Lao Qin. But I think they've lost touch. But I heard he did very well after going to Japan and became the director of a museum."
Tong Zhongyuan stood at the window, looking at the small dark window opposite. An idea came to him like a low wind before a storm, accompanied by the dark and huge black clouds pressing down on him.
"What museum?"
"Let me think about it, it seems to be called—Tokyo Tang Museum."
At a 7-11 convenience store near the Tokyo Tang Dynasty Museum, Qin Tian bought two rice balls and a drink. Most importantly, she bought a data plan.
After paying, she found a corner and inserted the data card into her phone. The signal search on the phone kept spinning, and her heartbeat gradually accelerated at this constant speed.
She hadn't anticipated being disconnected for a whole day before boarding the plane, and only discovered on the Tokyo subway that roaming had been disabled after landing. If she had known this would happen, she should have called him before takeoff instead of just sending a message.
Over the past two days, she had tried to immerse herself in the matter of going to Japan to find Zhuang Beiyao. However, his anger, his disappointment, and his back as he left that night kept appearing in her mind, making it impossible for her to concentrate.
She didn't know what she should do. Should she continue to apologize to him? Should she take the initiative to win him back? But what's the point of doing so? Three years ago, she ended her long-standing secret love. The morning sun rose like usual, a new day came, she accepted all the setbacks, and a new road was paved under her feet. Becoming friends with Tang Zhixu was as natural as breathing. She did not choose to struggle, just like that, still fighting side by side with him. But Tong Zhongyuan, there was no option of "parting amicably" between them. She couldn't be just friends with him. She and he turned around and said goodbye.
From security to immigration, from boarding to taxiing, a single thought grew stronger: she couldn't leave without saying goodbye. Even if it meant parting ways, she had to wait until it was formally announced. In the split second before turning off her phone, she hastily typed into the chat box, "I'm going to Japan, don't worry." The moment she turned off her phone, the silver wings took off.
By the time she realized she'd lost contact, she was already on a bus to downtown Tokyo. A five-minute walk from the bus stop was the Tokyo Tang Museum. It was a small, privately owned museum, its exterior a blend of modern minimalist style and Tang Dynasty Chinese architecture.
When she arrived in Tokyo, it was already 5:00 PM Japan time, with half an hour left before the museum closed. She rushed to the information desk and took out her work ID and business card.
"I'm from the Shanghai Asian Museum in China. Could you please introduce me to Director Zhuang of your museum? I'd like to meet him."
As the name suggests, most of the exhibits at the Tang Dynasty Museum are from China. I asked for advice and there was a staff member who could speak fluent Chinese, who must be of Chinese descent.
With a smile on her face, she picked up Qin Tian's business card with both hands, looked at it, and returned it to her respectfully.
"Ms. Qin, Director Zhuang is out this afternoon. I will contact him for you as soon as possible. Could you please leave a contact number in Japan?"
Qin Tian took out a pen from his bag, circled his email address on the business card, and handed it to her again.
"Sorry, there's a roaming problem with my phone. You can contact me through the Shangbo email address and I'll check it in time."
"Okay." The consultant held out his hand to take it.
"Wait a moment," Qin Tian took the business card back and wrote three words next to his name, the long-lost name, Qin Yizhang. "If it's convenient, please show this business card to him."
The consultant took the business card with a smile: "No problem."
After leaving the information center, security personnel set up a cordon and closed the museum. By the time she left, it was already dark. She dragged her luggage to the nearest convenience store and replaced her data card.
The signal search circle stopped. After a day of silence, the phone was flooded with messages. In a row of red circles, the dialog box without even a profile picture was at the top, a bright red number 2 marked on the gray system box.
"Reply me after you turn on the phone."
"Qin Yizhang, call back."
Four hours had passed between the two messages. She felt a strange sense of unease. The WeChat message had no tone, but the full name, like a voice, was filled with cold, suppressed anger. She could perfectly imagine his tone, voice, and expression. Worst of all, she realized the message she'd left before turning off her phone hadn't been sent.
Qin Tian bit her nails and called Tong Zhongyuan's voicemail over and over again, but no one answered. He seemed furious. It was a blessing that he hadn't blocked her. She left several messages explaining the situation in the chat box. She even took a screenshot to show that she had indeed left a message for him, but it hadn't been sent successfully. But Tong Zhongyuan remained silent on the other end, not a single reply.
Qin Tian had no choice but to drag his luggage to the hotel first. It seemed that he was not so easy to talk to this time. In fact, he had never been easy to talk to before.
She slept disjointedly that night. One moment she dreamed of Tong Zhongyuan's back as he fled her home, then the next moment he came to Tokyo to find her, fiercely blaming her with a look of utter fear on her face. The final scene ended with them embracing and kissing, and she was the one who initiated it. She kissed him passionately, a voice echoing in her head: "So I like him so much, I really like him."
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