Chapter 170 The Most Familiar Stranger
After leaving her mother-in-law's house, she was surprised to see Xu Qingmin's black Passat.
Xu Qingmin lowered the car window.
"Get in the car, I'll take you home."
After all, he is the child's father, so she can't avoid the topic too much.
After hesitating between the back seat and the front passenger seat for a while, I finally got into the front passenger seat.
Where are you staying now?
"Century Hotel".
Xu Qingmin tightened his grip on the steering wheel: "Why aren't you staying at Chen Yan's house?"
"As you know, Chen Yan and I have a marital relationship. It's not appropriate for me to live in his house. I'm just back to process my resignation. After that, I have to go to Binzhou City."
Chen Yan has recently had his people pack up his things. He plans to get his marriage certificate with her right after he is discharged from the hospital, and then turn himself in at some point.
Therefore, she needs to hand over her work in Jianghai City before Chen Yan is discharged from the hospital.
Xu Qingmin silently started the steering wheel and drove towards the Century Hotel.
“Guanqun has been very well-behaved lately. She has taken the initiative to find a tutor to study the classes she missed before, even before I had to urge her to do so. The injury on her face has also healed a lot.”
Xu Qingmin naturally reported the child's situation to her.
It's a bit like a divorced couple reporting on their child's progress to the other.
The most familiar stranger.
Maintaining a certain distance and scale.
There was no intimate behavior, and no crossing of boundaries.
If it were before, after not seeing her for so long, Xu Qingmin would have already hugged and kissed her for a while.
Ultimately, it was that contract that separated them all.
Xu Qingmin knew that Chen and Yan were not a couple in fact, but he still respected that she was not his legal partner.
After Xu Qingmin finished talking about Bai Guanqun, the car fell silent. Good cars are different; even the engine sound wasn't so noticeable.
At a traffic light, Xu Qingmin turned on the radio.
The evening radio broadcast began with the host's deep voice.
"Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, it's summer again. In just over ten days, it will be the annual National College Entrance Examination. How many years have passed since your college entrance examination? Five years? Ten years? Or fifteen years? For the host, it feels like yesterday. Are the people who were by your side back then still with you? If they are, please cherish them. If not, let's listen to a song together and reminisce about our youth."
The host then played the song "The Crossroads Where Phoenix Flowers Bloom".
'The river of time flows into the sea'
Finally, we went our separate ways.
'No port'
'It is a permanent stay'
'In my mind, there is a crossroads where phoenix flowers bloom.'
'I have my most cherished friends'
Song Yilin checked her phone and realized that today was the day they had agreed to go get their marriage certificate together.
In the quiet of the night.
Song Yilin's tear ducts suddenly became very shallow.
Tears silently streamed down my face.
When they were still a kilometer away from the hotel, Xu Qingmin suddenly drove the car to the beach.
The car window was rolled down, and I listened quietly to the sea breeze.
During their student days, their favorite date spot was the beach.
Both the cities where they grew up and the city where she went to university are relatively coastal cities.
Xu Qingmin came to see her almost every weekend.
He accompanied her to every corner of Yishi.
Although Xu Qingmin was very rich during his student days, Song Yilin didn't like going to places where money was expensive, so he accompanied her to places where money wasn't expensive.
Every time I went, it was to a free public area.
She liked looking at the sea, but disliked stepping in the water, so Xu Qingmin often carried her on his back at the beach.
Back then, Xu Qingmin's back wasn't as broad as it is now, but at that time, she felt that her whole world was on Xu Qingmin's back.
Xu Qingmin liked to secretly kiss her in a secluded corner of the bustling city.
Each time, she would run away, blushing furiously.
After their reunion, they were both busy with work and life, and it seems like they didn't have a single formal date.
Our most recent date at the beach wasn't very pleasant.
At that time, she was cautiously testing the waters, but he was slowly approaching her.
Xu Qingmin took out tissues from the glove compartment and gave them to Song Yilin.
Xu Qingmin, he really knows his limits.
He can hand her tissues, but he can't wipe away her tears.
After wiping away her tears, Song Yilin stopped crying.
His voice was still a little hoarse.
"Qingmin, I want to take a walk on the beach."
Xu Qingmin turned off the engine and got out of the car first.
The two maintained a certain distance.
I walked slowly on the beach.
This time, Song Yilin did not let Xu Qingmin carry her.
Xu Qingmin did not offer to squat down and carry her on his back.
She used to dislike wading, but today she took off her shoes and tried wading in the seawater.
Even after breaking up with Xu Qingmin and getting together with Bai Ye, she rarely went to the beach.
She thought that if she never came to the beach, she wouldn't have to wade in the water.
But life seemed to force her to wade through the water herself; no one would carry her across the long beach.
At this time, there were few tourists on the beach, only some couples in love being affectionate.
She and Xu Qingmin used to do this often too.
A gentle sea breeze is blowing.
Facing the sea breeze, Song Yilin said softly, "Qingmin, if you find the right person, try to start over. Don't wait for me. Guanqun has always been a very open-minded person. Although she hopes we can be together, she also hoped that I would find the right person when I was single."
In the darkness, Xu Qingmin's eyes shone exceptionally bright, making her feel almost impossible to hide.
"Song Yilin, this is the first time in so long that I have felt your love for me. I have never been able to grasp your heart before, but today you make me feel very at ease."
Song Yilin looked at Xu Qingmin with confusion. They were about to break up, and Xu Qingmin was saying this. It seemed like the timing wasn't quite right.
Xu Qingmin continued, "Since you like me, you must be very sad to push me away. Since you're unhappy, don't think about others. From now on, think about yourself first, then think about others."
He used to be afraid that Song Yilin would leave him, because he couldn't figure out whether Song Yilin was with him because she liked him or because of the child.
He also experiences anxiety and uncertainty. Now that he knows Song Yilin's feelings, she is about to marry someone else.
Xu Qingmin's words pulled her out of her affected mood.
"Then you should take good care of our child. I'll check on him anytime."
"Then you'll have to come back for checkups frequently. I can't guarantee that the children I raise will meet your expectations."
"I will."
The two then left the beach one after the other, with Xu Qingmin maintaining a certain distance from her throughout.
A waning moon behind them cast long, long shadows.
Xu Qingmin quietly escorted her back to the Century Hotel and waved goodbye to her.
The car turned around and returned to the beach. He lit a cigarette, but didn't smoke it much, letting it burn slowly. Alone, he silently watched the waning moon.
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