Cheng Suisui left, and Luo Qingyuan sat in the pavilion, silently enjoying the evening breeze.
She knew that Duan Ye would definitely leave as soon as the banquet ended.
She didn't seem to be able to stay here any longer; she... was a little scared.
Luo Qingyuan sighed, looked up, and saw only darkness ahead, with only a few specks of light shining through the pavilion. It was this light that allowed her to see the visitors not far away.
In that instant, it was as if time stood still.
He saw her, and she saw him.
In that instant, in the empty space, their gazes met across five years. Luo Qingyuan even experienced a moment of tinnitus; she couldn't even hear the cars rushing by on the street outside, and she trembled violently.
The separation was something she had planned for a long time, but the reunion was so unexpected.
Duan Ye stood there, his calm gaze appearing unusually cold to her.
A few seconds later, she heard him say a few words, not loudly, but Luo Qingyuan heard them.
"Long time no see, Miss Luo."
It took Luo Qingyuan quite a while to find her voice. She lowered her head in a panic, looking somewhat disheveled. When she looked up again, the corners of her eyes were uncontrollably red.
"Long time no see, Mr. Duan."
A few sobs escaped his lips.
Duan Ye lifted his foot and walked towards her.
"Something's wrong."
Luo Qingyuan didn't react for a moment.
You've lost weight.
Luo Qingyuan stood up, but perhaps because she was wearing high heels, she was a little unsteady for a moment, and her body swayed slightly, causing her to subconsciously want to grab the edge of the pavilion.
But when she reached out, she actually grasped a slightly cool palm.
She felt the calluses on his fingertips, and he immediately noticed that she was much thinner than he had imagined, and the hand he was holding didn't feel the same as it used to.
They felt like complete strangers to each other.
The only thing they had in common was heartache.
She wondered if he had suffered a lot during these five years of research.
He wondered, "Have there been no food abroad for the past five years? How could people starve like this?"
Their heartbeats seemed to overlap at that moment. She was tense all over, and didn't even dare to look up at him easily, but she didn't even have the courage to pull her hand away.
He looked down at her, a surge of emotion welling up in his eyes, but in the end he closed his eyes and let go of her hand.
Be careful.
Luo Qingyuan gave a nonchalant "hmm".
"Sitting for a while?"
"good."
And so, the two sat down facing each other on the round benches in the pavilion.
Luo Qingyuan finally composed herself, looked at him, and smiled: "You've gotten stronger these past few years."
Duan Ye replied seemingly casually, "Yeah, it's gotten a bit darker."
"It's good to be dark-skinned; a little tan is also healthy."
After Luo Qingyuan finished speaking, their conversation seemed to have come to an end.
Duan Ye paused for a few seconds before saying, "Yeah, I can't fit into any of my old clothes anymore. It must have been so kind of you to prepare so many for me before you left."
"I didn't expect you to change so quickly; it was my oversight."
"It's not an oversight at all, Miss Luo, you're so thoughtful. I should be thanking you."
Luo Qingyuan felt a slight pang in her heart at those words.
"How have you been these past years?"
Instead of answering, Duan Ye looked directly at her and asked, "And you? How have you been these past five years?"
Luo Qingyuan lowered her head: "It's fine."
Duan Ye laughed, but the smile was tinged with bitterness: "Is that all? You've gotten so thin?"
Luo Qingyuan said, "Really? On a diet..."
She was lying, and he went along with her.
"Don't try to lose weight anymore."
"good."
"And you? I heard you're getting a promotion. Congratulations!"
"Luo Qingyuan, I'm not doing well."
The evening breeze was quiet.
Luo Qingyuan suddenly felt cold, an uncontrollable shiver. Her heart was cold, her feet were cold, and even her back was cold.
"Over the years, I've been thinking over and over again, am I really that bad that you treat me the same way as them? Am I always the one who gets abandoned in relationships?"
"Actually, I know I shouldn't blame you or resent you, but five years, not five days, but 1,825 days of separation. During the time you were gone, I couldn't sleep at all."
"I miss you, and I miss the children, but I can't leave. Did you deliberately choose a time when I couldn't leave?"
"You're so resolute, you don't give us any room to maneuver."
Luo Qingyuan turned her head away and quickly wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes.
The more he spoke, the lower his voice became.
"You said you would never leave me, so why did you lie to me? What did I do wrong? Can you tell me clearly?"
Do you treat me like a tool?
"No." Luo Qingyuan denied it extremely quickly.
"I've never thought you were bad either."
She finally raised her head, and he finally saw her tearful eyes.
He stood there, stunned. He had so many questions he wanted to ask, but when he saw her tearful eyes, his heart softened.
The banquet seemed to be over, and the noise from the front hall reached them.
Luo Qingyuan's mind was in turmoil; she wasn't ready yet.
"Luo Luo and Chen Chen both want to see you tomorrow at noon. Can we meet directly at... the New Moon Hotel?" Luo Qingyuan said this almost tentatively.
Because once the banquet ended, people would be coming over soon, and she was afraid that Duan Ye wouldn't even want to see the child anymore.
Duan Ye stood up, and Luo Qingyuan followed suit, her suit jacket falling to the ground. But she didn't have time to care and just stared at him intently.
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