Chapter 8
During the evening rush hour, my car was stuck on the highway for an hour, and I didn't get home until almost sunset.
Four years later, Luo Mingxiu returned to this place, walked along the cobblestone path, passed through the pavilion, looked at every plant and tree in the yard, and arrived at the villa at the end of the road.
That familiar feeling, known as a sense of belonging, returned to my heart.
Shen Li rang the doorbell and asked Luo Mingxiu to stand in front of her, hoping that when Ms. Shen opened the door, she would see her beloved godson.
But after the doorbell rang several times and no one came out, she had no choice but to say to Luo Mingxiu, "Open the door, your fingerprints and facial recognition data haven't been cleared."
Luo Mingxiu was stunned for a moment, then suddenly remembered the last WeChat message he saw before his phone number was cancelled.
A quick glance at the last line revealed: "The Shen family's doors will always be open for you."
As soon as the door opened, Shen Li saw a figure quickly leaving.
She was clearly curious and wanted to see him, but she didn't open the door first, which was very much in line with Ms. Shen's style. She strode over and almost made him fall over.
Mother Shen regained her footing and pushed Shen Li away, saying, "Oh dear, can my old bones take this kind of treatment?"
“He’s still young,” Shen Li glanced at Luo Mingxiu and hugged her mother, saying, “He’s back now, so he can look if he wants.”
Chen's mother glared at her: "I was just checking to see if your father was back!"
"Godmother, this is for you." Luo Mingxiu walked up to Shen's mother and handed her the gemstone necklace.
"Hmm." Mother Shen's expression softened for a moment, but she maintained her aloof demeanor and turned to go upstairs.
Knowing that her mother was just at a loss for words, Shen Li pulled Luo Mingxiu to the sofa, turned on the TV and randomly switched to a channel. After sitting down, she glanced at the grape dish on the coffee table.
She smiled and picked a fruit for him: "Look, I even washed the fruit beforehand. I'm not blaming you at all."
Luo Mingxiu squeezed the grape open with his fingers and ate it; the sweet taste soothed the bitterness in his throat.
The two were watching TV together, unaware that upstairs, Shen's mother was secretly taking pictures of them with a camera.
She sent her husband a picture of two fluffy heads taken from above, circled one of the heads, and captioned it: "You've grown even more handsome, even more handsome than in the movies!"
Her husband replied: "Is he handsome just because of his head?"
A comedy variety show was playing on TV, and Shen Li couldn't help but laugh as one joke after another came on.
There was a noise by the door. When Mr. Shen opened the door and came in, Mrs. Shen also came downstairs and asked the housekeeper to set out the dishes.
Luo Mingxiu got up and handed another bag to Shen's father, calling him "godfather".
Shen's father's reaction was not as cold as Shen's mother's. He patted his shoulder familiarly and said, "It's good that you're back. Let's eat."
The family sat down in the small dining room. Shen's father took out a treasured bottle of red wine and three wine glasses from the wine cabinet behind him, and Luo Mingxiu went over to take them.
Mr. Shen glanced at him and said, "Oh, take another cup. I always thought you were too young to drink, but you're all grown up now."
Mother Shen chimed in, "Yes, it's been four years. He left right after the graduation banquet."
Luo Mingxiu's hand holding the cup trembled slightly. He turned around and bowed sincerely, saying, "I'm sorry for making you worry."
Seeing his earnest apology, Mr. and Mrs. Shen exchanged a glance and both laughed.
Luo Mingxiu looked up and saw Shen Li also smiling as she reported to her mother, "I told him you didn't blame him, but he didn't believe me."
“Silly child, come and sit down,” Father Shen said earnestly. “We elders would never really be angry with you, but your sudden disappearance is indeed wrong. You must promise not to do it again.”
Luo Mingxiu's eyes were serious, and his tone was firm: "It will never happen again."
Father Shen: "Fortunately, Qiu Li calls from time to time to let us know that you and your son are doing well, and that's enough."
Luo Mingxiu was slightly taken aback: "My mother called?"
Chen's mother glanced at him and said, "Yes, it's good that your mother told us that we shouldn't be depressed just because we've broken up. We should contact us no matter what."
Shen Li was engrossed in her meal when she suddenly coughed from the sound of her voice. She put down her chopsticks and said, "What breakup? I didn't know that."
"Sigh, we only found out recently. It's my fault for asking too many questions. Qiu Li didn't really want to reopen old wounds," Chen's mother sighed.
“She said that after the college entrance examination, the girl Mingxiu liked ran away with someone else. She was absent-minded all day long and cut off from the outside world. During that time, she lived in fear and had no mind to think about anything else, for fear that her child would have mental problems.”
Then, Shen's mother and Luo Mingxiu began a question-and-answer session, all about life and health.
Shen Li listened silently without interrupting.
After her mother mentioned it, she remembered that Luo Mingxiu did have a crush on a girl during his senior year of high school. He even had a conflict with Aunt Luo over it. Her mother called her and asked her to persuade her younger brother.
She naturally sided with Aunt Luo and warned her younger brother against dating too early.
Advise them to prioritize their studies, and if they truly like the other person, to wait until after the college entrance exam to confess their feelings; that would be a responsible and accountable approach.
Unexpectedly, this is how it happened...
Is it really over? Did they miss their chance because they didn't confess in time?
Shen Li glanced at Luo Mingxiu and saw that he was looking down, seemingly lost in thought. She wanted to ask him, but couldn't bring herself to do so.
After dinner, Shen Li went for a walk in the yard with her parents. Luo Mingxiu followed behind, walking very slowly. When he got some distance from them, he stopped, made a phone call, and walked to the side.
The call connected: "Oh, so you finally remembered to call and ask about your mom?"
Luo Mingxiu went straight to the point: "You've been in contact with the Shen family all along, why didn't you tell me?"
Mother Luo said in a flat tone: "Why would I tell you? If you find out, you'll go to Shen Li again. What does our friendship with the older generation have to do with you?"
“I went back to the Shen family to see my godparents. They don’t blame me. I know what you said.”
"I was just telling the truth, I just didn't say it explicitly. What, did I say something wrong?"
“No,” Luo Mingxiu said. “Thank you.”
Mother Luo laughed: "What? Speak louder! Did I hear that right? Did the sun rise in the west?"
“Thank you, Mom,” Luo Mingxiu repeated. “Thank you so much for helping me explain what happened back then.”
Mother Luo sighed: "Son, I hope you understand that I'm not trying to hide anything from you."
My stance has remained unchanged. You can go back to see her, but that can only mean going back to the way things were before. Be a good younger brother, instead of harboring unrealistic ideas. You should have a clear understanding of what you should and shouldn't do, and know when to advance and when to retreat...
"I know." Luo Mingxiu's eyes dimmed, his gaze falling on the shadow on the ground, which was stretched long by the courtyard light.
On the other side of the road, another shadow appeared. He looked up and watched Shen Li approach until the two shadows overlapped.
In the quiet night, a gentle breeze was blowing. Shen Li stood in front of him, her hair slightly disheveled by the wind.
"I was walking along when I realized you were gone. My parents told me to come and find you."
Luo Mingxiu reached out his hand, then quietly withdrew it, his voice muffled: "I got a phone call, let's go."
This time he walked very fast, and Shen Li caught up with him and grabbed him: "Everyone has dispersed, let's go back inside."
"Mm." Luo Mingxiu nodded, unconsciously slowing his pace.
Actually, she still wanted to ask him something. She had wanted to ask him at the dinner table, but she didn't know how to start. Shen Li glanced at him sideways, then turned away. She had never felt so conflicted before.
Luo Mingxiu spoke up for her: "You know about what we talked about at dinner, right?"
Her suspicions confirmed, Shen Li said, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have meddled back then. Would it have been better if you had confessed to her sooner..."
“No,” Luo Mingxiu suddenly interrupted her, “no matter when I confess, she will never like me.”
"You can't say that. At least confessing will reduce regrets, right?" Shen Li said. "But actually, what you experienced wasn't really a breakup. You hadn't even started to lose anything. A real breakup is very painful, and can even leave you feeling disheartened."
Luo Mingxiu pursed his lips, stung by the remark about losing someone before even starting, and retorted, "Have you ever been heartbroken? How do you know I don't feel the same way?"
Shen Li was speechless for a moment when asked the question, and fell into deep thought.
She's heartbroken, and it's her first love. She's been married to Fang Wei for over three years, but the time they spent in love was only a few months of dating plus a year of marriage? Maybe even less. She's been heartbroken for a long time, but she's only realizing it now.
So, Luo Mingxiu is more experienced in this area than she is? Shen Li laughed self-deprecatingly and asked him, "Then do you know how long it takes to recover from a breakup?"
Without directly answering his question, Luo Mingxiu had some random thoughts pop into his mind, which were then swept away by the wicked thoughts in his heart.
He replied to Shen Li, "Everyone recovers at a different pace. If the feelings aren't that intense, you can let go quickly; otherwise, it's not easy to let go."
“That makes a lot of sense,” Shen Li said, throwing the topic back to him. “So, have you let it go now?”
“I’ve let it go.” Luo Mingxiu lowered his eyes.
After returning to the house, my parents hadn't gone upstairs yet. They were sitting in the living room, which was unusual for them. The funny comedy variety show was still on TV, but the two of them didn't seem to be watching it. They looked serious and obviously had something to say.
Shen Li guessed what they were going to talk about. She had been catching up with Luo Mingxiu during dinner and hadn't found a chance to say anything. Thinking that it was her day off tomorrow, she figured she could say it later.
Mother Shen said to Luo Mingxiu, "Mingxiu, you should go and rest first. We need to talk to your sister Lili about something."
After everyone went upstairs, Shen's father looked at Shen Li and said, "Daughter, do you want to divorce Fang Wei?"
“Yes,” Shen Li said, “Did Fang Wei tell you? He likes to call people before going to bed.”
Mother Shen's face was displeased: "His mother hit him. Such a big thing and you didn't tell us immediately? You wanted to keep it a secret?"
"I didn't intend to hide it, but I was afraid it would disturb your sleep, so I planned to tell you tomorrow." Shen Li sat down next to her mother.
"Mom, I'm very determined this time. No matter what the Fang family says, I'm going to get a divorce. Being with Fang Wei is just too exhausting."
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