Chapter 44
It drizzled in Haicheng the day the plane landed.
Yu Chen tucked her bright red hair into her baseball cap and pushed the smallest suitcase—
The box contained only an aluminum alloy briefcase, half a box of hair dye, and a sapphire brooch.
She didn't notify anyone, didn't return to Old Port, and didn't go to Tsar.
I only rented a small ground-floor apartment with a yard in the south of the city.
The house number is 17-17, like setting a symmetrical coordinate for the rest of one's life.
A month later, at the pet store.
She bought a cat—orange and white with a round face—and named it Yuanbao;
I bought another dog—a golden retriever puppy with paws as soft as cotton candy, and named it Jin Yuan.
The shop assistant asked with a smile, "What's the owner's last name? For registration purposes."
She paused for half a second, then said in a soft but clear voice, "My surname is Yu, and my given name is Chen."
It's like putting a final end to a four-year manhunt, and also writing the first line of a title for the rest of my life.
Every day at 7:00 AM, she wears a baseball cap and a gray sweatshirt.
Holding a gold ingot in one hand and a gold coin in the other,
Walking around the artificial lake in the community three times is like setting a metronome for your new life.
She no longer dyes her hair; her long, bright red hair dances wildly in the wind, like a fire that has been rekindled but is no longer scorching.
She didn't mention revenge again, nor did she mention Viktor.
She chuckled softly only when Yuanbao rubbed against her ankle:
"Slow down, don't hit anyone."
On the morning of the seventh day, at 07:09.
Jin Yuan suddenly got excited and dragged her toward the lawn—
Caught off guard, she was pulled so hard she stumbled, and the brim of her hat was knocked up.
A person is walking towards us from the opposite direction.
Wearing a black tracksuit, the brim of the hat pulled down to his brow bone, his knuckles silently tightening on the traction rope.
The scent of mint mingled with the morning breeze, like a final seal being placed on the air that hadn't been seen for four years.
Xiao Wei stood in the morning mist, his shoulders and back broader than he remembered, yet he still maintained the posture of "I have passed through the whole world, but I only stop by your side".
She didn't speak, not a single word.
Just looking at her was like watching a dream I had to wake up from.
Yu Chen stood frozen in place, his knuckles tightening silently on the traction rope, his voice barely audible.
"……Slower."
It was said to Yuanbao, but it also seemed like it was being said to oneself.
Xiao Wei didn't call her name, nor did he chase after her.
He simply stood there, his gaze piercing through the morning mist, landing on her long, vibrant red hair.
Like lighting the first white lamp for a fire that hasn't been seen for four years.
She didn't turn around, nor did she stop.
Holding Yuanbao and Jinyuan's hands, they continued towards the artificial lake.
Like plotting delayed coordinates on an incomplete parsing:
—I can push it away, but I can't forget it.
You can escape, but you can't hide.
—They didn't recognize each other, but were still caught in the act.
For the rest of my life, I only want to be Yu Chen, and only Yu Chen.
07:15, third lap around the artificial lake.
Yuanbao nuzzled her ankle, and Jinyuan pulled her forward.
She bent down and shortened the leash.
But then she heard very light footsteps behind her—
The scent of mint mingled with the morning breeze, like sealing the air that hadn't been seen for four years.
She didn't turn around, but she knew—
It wasn't just people who were caught.
And the rest of my life is about to be rekindled.
07:16, Third lap around the artificial lake.
The mint flavor suddenly intensified, as if someone had crushed a whole mint leaf and released it into the air.
Before Yu Chen could react, the leash suddenly came loose—
Jin Yuan's ears twitched from the morning breeze, and he instinctively moved half a step to the side.
The next second, a dark shadow swept past the sunlight from behind, carrying the warmth she hadn't seen in four years, and crashed straight into her back.
Those arms passed under her armpits, encircling her entire chest, their palms pressed against her heart, as if giving a final, heavy beat to a belated heartbeat.
Xiao Wei's voice fell behind her ear, low and husky, yet carrying the warmth of his morning run:
"Yu Chen, I've got you."
The minty scent mingled with my heartbeat, like igniting the air I hadn't seen for four years.
Yuanbao meowed, and being sandwiched between the two of them, it angrily swept its tail across Xiao Wei's calf as if in protest:
"You have to wait in line if you want a hug!"
The world stood still for three seconds.
The morning mist dared not move, the tow rope dared not move, and even the lake held its breath.
Yu Chen's knuckles tightened silently on the traction rope, the sound so low it was barely a whisper:
"……let go."
Xiao Wei didn't let go; instead, he rested his chin on her shoulder, his voice hoarse and drawn-out:
"Four years of relaxation is enough."
She could feel his chest rising and falling, wider than it had been four years ago, yet still with that air of "I've traveled the whole world, but I only stop by your side."
The scent of mint filled her nostrils, like a forced continuation of an unfinished analysis.
Yu Chen twisted her wrist, intending to push him away with her elbow, but heard him let out a very soft hiss—
That was the same spot she pushed away four years ago, and she still bears the old wound.
She paused, her voice low but clear:
"Xiao Wei, I do not recognize you."
Xiao Wei laughed, his voice low and magnetic yet resolute:
"It's fine if we don't acknowledge each other, just let me hug you for this one minute first."
He hugged her tighter, as if lighting the first white lamp for a fire he hadn't seen in four years:
"One minute later, you continue playing Yu Chen, and I'll continue playing Xiao Wei."
But in that one minute of holding—
This is how we'll begin the rest of our lives.
One minute, sixty seconds—it was like putting a final stop to the four-year manhunt.
Yu Chen's knuckles silently loosened, and the traction rope fell to his feet.
Yuanbao rubbed against her ankle, and Jinyuan wagged its tail, as if to provide a rhythm for their reunion.
She lowered her head, resting her forehead against his shoulder, her voice so soft it was barely a whisper:
"After this one-minute hug, don't chase after them anymore."
Xiao Wei laughed, his voice scattering in the morning breeze:
"I will stop chasing you in one minute."
I'll be with you—
I'll accompany you to see gold ingots and coins, accompany you to cut your hair and dye it red, and accompany you to finish writing the rest of your life.
07:17, fourth lap around the artificial lake.
Xiao Wei released his grip, but took the tow rope instead, his voice low but clear:
"Let's go home."
Yu Chen didn't turn around, but instead raised the brim of his hat.
Her bright red hair shimmered in the morning light, like lighting the first white lamp for a fire she hadn't seen in four years.
Her voice was so soft it was almost a whisper, yet it shone like the dawn:
"I'm going home now, I can get a haircut."
Xiao Wei led Yuanbao and Jinyuan by the hand, their voices drifting in the morning breeze:
"After I finish cutting it, I'll go with you to see the lighthouse."
One minute later, the world continued to spin.
But on the fourth lap around the artificial lake, there was another pair of figures walking side by side from behind—
No more chasing, no more running away.
Only long, bright red hair, and the minty scent of the rest of my life.
In the morning mist, they quietly returned to their boxes.
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