"Shall we go?" I looked down at Lin Mengxi, hesitated for a moment, and asked softly.
Lin Mengxi slowly raised her head, her eyes were still slightly red, with some traces of tears in the corners of her eyes... She just looked at me quietly, then silently took out her mobile phone... There was a hint of reluctance and expectation in her eyes, and she looked at me and said, "Let's take some photos before we leave... Just as a souvenir. We will never have the chance to get along like this again in the future." Her voice was very soft, but it hit my heart like a heavy hammer, making me feel sour.
I looked at Lin Mengxi's tear-stained face, tried to sound more relaxed, and jokingly said, "You cried like a kitten, your eyes are all red. If I keep this photo, I'll look at it later and laugh at myself."
"You too... your eyes are red, are you also reluctant to leave me?" Lin Mengxi said softly, her eyes fixed on me...
When I heard her words, my heart was touched. I tried to force a smile and nodded gently. My throat seemed to be choked by something. I wanted to say something, but I felt that any words at this moment seemed so pale and powerless.
Seeing this, Lin Mengxi slowly approached me and gently leaned against my chest... I could feel her body trembling slightly, as if she was trying her best to suppress her inner emotions.
We just turned our backs to the sunset, and the gorgeous but fading afterglow of the sunset sprinkled on us...as if covering this moment with a veil of light sadness.
Lin Mengxi raised her phone, adjusted the angle, and snapped one sweet photo after another. In the photos, we were smiling, snuggling together, looking so happy and beautiful. But only we knew in our hearts that behind this sweetness lay a lot of sadness.
….
For the next few hundred kilometers, I drove in the right lane and at the lowest speed, as if I wanted to prolong our time together.
Every time I pass an interesting exit, I will get off the highway and then slowly drive along the national highway...When I come across a snack stall or small restaurant on the roadside that looks quite local, I will taste the delicious food.
When we get tired, we find a quiet place to park and rest, and we also go to a nearby convenience store to buy a lot of snacks. We sit on the roadside and watch the cars and people coming and going.
I was driving... Lin Mengxi would pick up some snacks and eat them, then she would smile and pass them to my mouth... feeding me some, as if there had never been those separations and setbacks between us... It was so warm at that moment, so warm that I was a little dazed...
I looked at her, my eyes filled with reluctance, and said slowly, "Just think of it as me being selfish for once... Spend more time with me and take up some of the time you spend with your family."
After hearing what I said, Lin Mengxi was stunned for a moment, then a smile appeared on her lips. As she smiled, tears filled her eyes and slid down her cheeks. She choked out a sob and said, "It's okay... drive slowly, there's no need to rush. I also want to... stay with you for a while longer."
In this way, we walked and stopped, and time passed by inadvertently. It was not until December 30th at noon that we finally arrived in Hangzhou.
Lin Mengxi turned her head and looked at me gently with a hint of complicated emotions in her eyes. She slowly said, "We'll be there in a while."
The voice was very soft, and I knew that the time of separation was getting closer.
I nodded, trying to sound more relaxed, and asked, "Are you hungry?"
"I'm hungry. Let's find a place to eat something." Lin Mengxi responded.
"Okay." I responded and started looking for restaurants along the road. I found one that looked clean and tidy. After parking the car, we walked in and ordered some food.
We ate in silence, but the meal was exceptionally quiet. No one said anything more...it seemed as if they were all cherishing this last time together...but were also afraid to break the silence and let the sadness of parting spread prematurely.
….
After dinner... Lin Mengxi and I got in the car...
Lin Mengxi sat in the passenger seat, looked sideways at me, and asked, "Have you ever been to West Lake?"
I shook my head and said, "No, I haven't been there. Actually, I haven't been anywhere in my life."
"Then let's go take a look. Let's go to the Leifeng Pagoda first, where you can overlook the entire lake... Then we can sit on the bench inside the Broken Bridge and chat."
I smiled and nodded, navigated... and then headed towards West Lake.
Leifeng Pagoda..
I looked at the collapsed remains of the Leifeng Pagoda... turned my head and looked at Lin Mengxi beside me... with a hint of a playful smile on my face, I said, "Do you think White Snake and Xu Xian have reunited?"
Lin Mengxi listened to what I said and smiled too. There was a hint of tenderness in that smile. She whispered, "Perhaps... After all, she and Xu Xian had such a deep relationship and had gone through so much hardship. God should bless them and let them finally be reunited." A gentle breeze blew, gently ruffling her hair. She stood there...
We climbed up the stairs inside Leifeng Pagoda step by step to the top of the pagoda.
When you stand on the top of the tower, your vision becomes extremely broad in an instant, and you can really take in the beauty of the entire West Lake... From this angle, the West Lake that seemed vast when driving down below does not look very big at this moment... The lake surface is like a huge mirror, shimmering in the sunlight... The Three Pools Mirroring the Moon in the lake... The Lakeside Pavilion and other attractions are dotted among them, like exquisite pearls, and complement the surrounding mountains, the weeping willows on the shore and the city buildings in the distance, forming a picturesque and beautiful picture.
Afterwards, we came to the Broken Bridge.
Lin Mengxi and I strolled along the lake for a while, then found a bench by the lake and sat down... quietly looking at the water of West Lake. The water was gently rippling... layers of ripples appeared, as if telling stories of the years.
Lin Mengxi silently reached out and held my hand, then she gently leaned her head on my shoulder... We snuggled together like this, enjoying this rare quiet time... But I also knew in my heart that such time was becoming more and more precious and rare as time passed.
Lin Mengxi broke the silence. She raised her head slightly and looked at me, her eyes revealing a hint of complicated emotions. She said, "Don't you have anything you want to ask? Don't you want to know why I suddenly left for so long and didn't contact you during that time? Don't you want to know why I suddenly came back?"
Her voice was very soft, but it hit my heart like a heavy hammer. Yes, these questions have always been hidden in my heart... I know the general idea, but I don't know the details.
It's just that I was afraid that asking would disrupt the rare peace at the moment, or maybe I was afraid that knowing the answers would make me feel even more uncomfortable... But now that she brought it up, I started to feel conflicted...
After hesitating for a while, I couldn't resist my curiosity and said, "Go ahead, I want to hear it."
Lin Mengxi looked into my eyes and gently smoothed the hair in front of her eyes.
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