Chapter 105, Episode 105: Didn't you promise to wait for me?
After a night of deep thought, Danheng finally decided to leave the old house temporarily, but this did not mean he intended to give up. On the contrary, he was looking for other feasible solutions.
Regardless of whether Shen Mi is willing to leave Luofu, simply having her follow him to drift in the Milky Way is already full of uncertainty, not to mention that he will encounter danger from time to time.
He must resolve all potential risks before he can truly stand at the starting line.
He planned to tell Shen Mi about his departure in a few days.
As for how to bring it up, he hadn't figured it out yet. Whether it was an explanation or a farewell, he had to be very careful. Moreover, there was one more important, and most difficult-to-control, factor in this plan—whether Shen Mi was still willing to wait for him.
He wasn't sure, nor did he have the right to ask Shen Mi to wait for him forever, but his inner resentment prevented him from letting go and from missing out on this opportunity.
Dan Heng took a deep breath, his fingertips clenching tightly, as if grasping at a sliver of hope. He begged himself, he had to promise. He had no other choice but to pray silently, hoping that Shen Mi would wait for him—even just for a moment, he was willing to give everything for her.
Danheng's inner turmoil was unknown to anyone, not even the person praying in the prayer room.
Shen Mi was wearing an eye mask, curled up in the blankets, fast asleep, her breathing even, as if she had fallen into a long-lost tranquility. Suddenly, a piercing alarm clock shattered the silence, like an invisible hand pulling her from her dream.
She groggily reached for the alarm clock, her fingers accidentally knocking over a small object on the bedside table, making a soft sound.
Chen Mi removed her blindfold, half-asleep, searching for the things she had knocked over. Her memories slowly drifted back to last night—
Last night, Shen Mi suddenly received an urgent notice from Qing Cu to return to the team, saying that if she didn't come back soon, she would be overwhelmed by the mountain of tasks.
However, since she was no longer seriously ill, she had no reason to stay at home any longer. So she readily agreed to Qingcu's request, saying that she would go back first thing tomorrow morning, since she hadn't seen her friends from Shence Mansion for quite some time anyway.
As for the specifics, she plans to wait until the time is right before speaking, and also give everyone a little surprise.
However, she had to say goodbye to Danheng before leaving.
Shen Mi changed her clothes and went downstairs, but Dan Heng was nowhere to be seen. Only Jing Yuan was busy in the kitchen. Steam rose from the stove, carrying a milky aroma, and the pot lid bounced lightly in the steam. Hearing footsteps, Jing Yuan looked up, a lazy smile on her lips.
"Awake? You got up pretty early today." Jing Yuan picked up the ceramic spoon that was placed at the bottom of the pot to prevent splashing, and casually put it aside. His tone was so relaxed that it seemed he had expected her to come down. "I was thinking of letting you sleep a little longer, and then waking you up when it was almost time."
Shen Mi was slightly taken aback, and subconsciously asked, "How did you know I had to get up early?"
Upon hearing this, Jing Yuan raised an eyebrow, winked playfully at her, and said with a hint of smugness, "Qing Cu submitted your leave cancellation application in the middle of the night yesterday."
Upon hearing this, Shen Mi was both amused and exasperated: "...So that's how it is." He had completely forgotten about this.
She raised her hand and gently rubbed her temples. She hadn't thought about it at all when she received the news yesterday, as it was already quite late. Only now, after Jing Yuan mentioned it, did she belatedly realize that she had absolutely no right to keep her position in the Shence Prefecture a secret.
Jingyuan poured the heated goat milk into a cup, handed it to Chen Mi, and gently reminded him, "Be careful, it's hot."
Shen Mi took the cup, and the heat from the cup spread through her palm. She responded softly with an "Mmm," took a sip, and sure enough, it burned her tongue. She had no choice but to quickly inhale to cool down.
Seeing this, Jing Yuan couldn't help but laugh, his eyebrows curving upwards: "I told you to be careful, but you wouldn't listen."
Taking advantage of the lull, Shen Mi looked towards the bedroom and asked, slurring her words, "Where's Dan Heng? I don't see him."
Jing Yuan paused for a moment, then said casually, "He left before dawn. He said he had something to take care of, but he didn't tell me the specifics."
Seeing the look of sudden realization on Shen Mi's face, Jing Yuan suppressed the bitterness in his heart, forced a smile, and handed her the plate of breakfast: "Don't worry, Dan Heng is always steady. Here, eat something first, and we can set off soon."
Shen Mi accepted the breakfast, then picked up her fully charged phone and sent a message to Dan Heng so he wouldn't worry if he didn't see it when he returned. Afterward, she packed her belongings, boarded Jing Yuan's star raft, and headed towards Shence Mansion.
After parking the Starship, Shen Mi and Jing Yuan split up. She went in through the main entrance, while Jing Yuan, who had a meeting to attend, went directly from the parking lot to the conference room.
Yu Tie was on duty in the morning and was standing at the gate of Shence Mansion in his armor, watching the crowd passing by in front of the mansion with boredom. In the distance, he saw a familiar face smiling and walking towards him.
"Chen Mi?" He strode forward to meet him, but stopped abruptly as he took his first step, realizing that he was still on guard duty and could not leave his post at will.
Although his movements were restricted, he could still speak. He said, "You're back. Why didn't you say so in the group chat?"
Seeing this, Shen Mi gently approached, a faint smile on his lips: "Isn't this a surprise for you?"
Yu Tie looked her up and down, from head to toe, and saw no trace of her having been kidnapped. Seeing that she was unharmed, he finally felt relieved and let out a long sigh of relief.
"Let's invite Qingcu and the others for lunch to welcome you back! I'll reserve a table when I get off work later, you can just go directly there." Yu Tie said, his tone full of ease and joy, clearly genuinely happy for Chen Mi's safe return.
“Okay.” Shen Mi smiled, her eyes curving into crescent moons. “I’ll treat you then, since today is payday.”
After saying that, Shen Mi glanced at the crowd that was about to leave and said, "I'll talk to you later, I'm going to work." Then, Shen Mi strode away and merged into the flow of people heading deeper into the Shence Mansion.
Walking down the corridor, Chen Mi pushed open the familiar door, looked around, and was somewhat surprised to see the empty office: "Strange, where is Qing Cu?"
Qingcu had stayed up all night and was resting on her desk when she suddenly heard Chen Mi's voice, realizing it was already time to go to work. Her figure was obscured by a towering pile of documents, and she weakly raised her hand, saying, "Here..."
Shen Mi walked over and saw that Qing Cu's eyes were covered in dark circles, as if she hadn't slept for a long time. She stretched and squinted as she pushed the prepared documents to Shen Mi.
“There’s no time to rest. Today we need to deal with the preparations for the celebration.” Qingcu’s tone was filled with undisguised fatigue. “We just need to review the planning proposals submitted by the Earth Balance Division, send the feasible ones to the General, and once the General approves, we can draft documents and issue them to the various divisions to ensure that the Earth Balance Division can communicate smoothly.”
Shen Mi nodded, took the documents, and glanced at the dense text and tables, secretly calculating the timeline in her mind. She looked up at Qing Cu and said softly, "Then I'll take a look first, you go and rest for a while."
Qingcu smiled gratefully: "Okay, I'm relieved to have your help." She rubbed her sore eyes, slowly leaned back in her chair, and was finally able to close her eyes and rest for a moment.
Soon, it was noon. Through the office's transparent window, Shen Mi saw Jing Yuan hurrying past like a gust of wind, picking something up from the table, and then quickly leaving.
Shen Mi wanted to ask him if he wanted to have dinner together, but seeing how busy he was, she felt embarrassed to bother him, so she gently looked away and left the opportunity for another time.
At the restaurant that Yu Tie had booked at noon, Qing Cu shook off her daytime fatigue and ate the dishes on the table with gusto, as if this was the source of her renewed energy.
Qingcu scraped the rice off the sides of the bowl, swallowed the last bite, leaned back in her chair and let out a long sigh: "Finally... I'm alive again. It's been so long since I've had such a relaxing meal."
The Shence Mansion stipulated a long lunch break, and Chen Mi even had time to play some brain teasers after lunch. Unfortunately, the good times were always short-lived. The jokes, banter, and occasional hearty laughter brushed through everyone's hearts like a warm breeze before quietly disappearing.
After lunch break, everyone returned to their posts. Chen Mi moved between piles of documents and computer screens in her office, organizing plans, checking coordination matters between departments, and occasionally confirming the contents of documents by phone or text message, almost forgetting the passage of time. Sunlight streamed in through the window, casting a shimmering glow on her desk, and a vague thought suddenly flashed through her mind—she seemed to have forgotten something extremely important.
Shen Mi frowned, a sense of unease rising in her heart. The documents and plans in her hands were neatly piled up, but a feeling of neglected emptiness made her subtly tense. She tried hard to recall, but couldn't figure out what she had missed. The hectic pace left her overwhelmed, and that important matter, like a shadow lurking in a corner, flickered in and out of her consciousness, yet remained elusive.
Never mind, I'll remember it naturally when I think of it.
It was time to leave work. Jing Yuan had messaged Shen Mi beforehand, saying he wouldn't be at the Shence Mansion today and probably couldn't pick her up to go home together. The Star Chariot was still parked in the parking lot; if it was convenient, she could drive it back herself; if not, he could drive it back tomorrow.
When Shen Mi received the message, she was walking towards the public starship station. Thinking of Jing Yuan's busy figure during the day, her heart tightened. Not wanting to cause him any more trouble, she replied "Convenient" and then walked back towards the Shence Mansion.
Not long after, her phone vibrated in her pocket. She took it out and saw it was another message from Jing Yuan:
Jingyuan: I might be back very late tonight, so you'll probably have to take care of dinner yourself TT
Shen Mi smiled and replied casually: It's okay, it's okay. Then it'll just be Dan Heng and me having dinner tonight.
Jingyuan: Hmm.
Back at the old house, it was pitch black and eerily quiet, with only the gentle sound of the night breeze rustling the curtains. Chen Mi put down his bag and turned on the living room light. The dim, warm light spilled onto the wooden floor, illuminating the familiar furniture outlines and the room's warm hues, instantly calming him down.
She looked around; everything seemed quiet, just as it had been when she left during the day.
Shen Mi sighed softly and sat down on the sofa. She looked up at the window; night was slowly falling, and the orange-red afterglow of the sky was gradually swallowed by darkness. She was used to having Jing Yuan by her side, used to having Dan Heng within her sight, but now they all seemed to have suddenly disappeared, and every corner of the room felt empty and desolate.
She had just stepped into the kitchen, taken some ingredients from the refrigerator, and set out the cookware. While she was busy, her phone vibrated; it was a message from Danheng:
Danheng: I'll be back a little late today, so don't wait for me. Don't worry about me.
Sigh, why aren't any of them coming back... Shen Mi lowered her eyes and sighed softly. She put the ingredients she had just taken out back in the refrigerator, casually chopped a few small green vegetables, cooked a simple bowl of noodles, brought it to the living room, and sat down to eat slowly.
As night deepened outside the window, a gentle breeze stirred the curtains. She ate her meal alone in quiet solitude, yet a sense of loneliness lingered in her heart.
Time passed slowly, and the night completely enveloped the entire house. Chen Mi leaned back on the sofa, the low murmur of dialogue from the television playing in her ears. The warm yellow light cast a soft glow on her profile. Weariness slowly crept in, her eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and before she knew it, her eyes had closed.
In a daze, she didn't know how long she had slept, but she felt a pair of cold hands gently covering her cheeks, their fingertips slowly tracing the contours of her face, lingering particularly long on the shallow dimples at the corners of her mouth.
Shen Mi opened her eyes, and what came into view was a figure squatting in front of her. The person was backlit, and their features were shrouded in shadow, making it impossible to see their expression clearly. Only their eyes could be seen gleaming with a golden-red light in the dim light.
"Why did you fall asleep before I could even look for you?"
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Author's Note: I thought I could write the whole drama straight out of the book, but I didn't expect I'd need a transition period to explain the upcoming tasks. Everyone, please wait for tomorrow!!! [Pity][Pity][Pity]
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