On the evening of New Year's Eve, before it was completely dark, the sound of fireworks and firecrackers echoed through Nanshan'ao Village. The snow outside was still piled up thickly, and the children, who had changed into new clothes early in the morning, were playing games and firecrackers in pairs outside, with the occasional crisp sound.
The New Year's Eve dinner had already been set on the eight-immortal table in the center of the main room. Han Erjie subconsciously wiped her hands on her apron, then frowned and anxiously looked outside, seeing a small pink dot hopping and skipping along the mountain path in the distance, approaching from afar.
Unable to contain herself, the woman stepped across the threshold and hurried over to greet them.
As they got closer, Sister Han could see clearly who this little girl was. She was wearing a new pink down jacket with white polka dots, and she had a red mole on her forehead that she had poked with lipstick. She was holding a big lollipop in one hand and a delicate doll in the other. Who else could she be but her youngest daughter who had been sent to the mountain?
Upon seeing the little girl, Second Sister Han quickened her pace slightly, took two steps forward, and grabbed the sleeve of the excited girl. While adjusting her turned-up hat, she asked, "Why are you alone? Where's your uncle? Didn't he come down the mountain with you?"
"My uncle said he'll just eat whatever he wants up in the mountains and won't come down to join the fun. Mom, look, this doll was a gift from a handsome boy who came to visit my uncle... Isn't it pretty?"
"nice."
Sister Han replied with a smile, then glanced at the mountain path again, sighed, and led her daughter home.
She knew that the person must be coming.
Ever since Ningning left, it's been like this for years. Every New Year's Eve, that person would come over to chat with her Han Jun. Sigh.
Meanwhile, in the old house of the Han family halfway up Nanshan Mountain, a man with handsome features raised his hand and poured himself a full glass of red wine.
"That's enough. You've been coughing the whole time, and you've been drinking so much... I can drink, but why are you drinking so much, you surnamed Su? It's New Year's Eve today. Don't you have to go to the New Year's Eve party? How come you have time to come here?"
Han Jun took the wine bottle from the man opposite him, poured himself a glass, and asked this question.
"Come and take a look..."
Su Mo tilted his head back and drank the red wine in the glass in one gulp.
Whether it was because he drank too fast or something else, the man choked and coughed violently right after finishing his drink.
Upon seeing this, Han Jun immediately got up, poured him a cup of hot water, and placed it in front of him.
"Why would you drink if you can't drink? And I saw your schedule on short videos the other day. You've already been to the hospital three times this year, why are you still scheduling your day so full? What, do you think you have too much time on your hands?"
Han Jun felt very awkward about his concern.
Upon hearing this, Su Mo lowered his head and fell silent for a long time before finally chuckling, "I can't help it, I can't wait any longer. Haven't you heard anything from you yet?"
Upon hearing Su Mo's question, Han Jun, knowing what he was asking, also fell silent.
Seeing this, Su Mo's laughter became even louder. He picked up the wine bottle, poured himself another full glass of wine, and drank it down. As he tilted his head back, tears slid down his cheeks and into his hair.
After setting down his glass, Su Mo's voice was visibly choked with emotion, "I know, she doesn't want to see us, I know... your wine is too strong..."
Su Mo raised her hand and forcefully wiped away the tears that were falling from her face again.
Just then, there was a knock on the door, and a gentle, unfamiliar voice rang out, "Brother Su, it's getting late. The production team is starting to urge us. We have to leave right away, or we'll be too late..."
Upon hearing this, Su Mo put down his wine glass, stood up, and said in a normal voice, "Okay, I'll be right out."
As soon as he finished speaking, Han Jun immediately stood up. "Alright, go ahead and get busy. Be careful on your way."
"good."
Su Mo responded and turned to walk out.
Han Jun offered a token farewell, but he limped, clearly indicating that he had some difficulty walking.
Seeing his actions clearly, Su Mo hesitated for a moment before asking with concern, "Haven't you thought about seeing a doctor for your leg? Although it's been a while, but..."
"This is fine."
Han Jun interrupted him directly.
"All right……"
After leaving those words, Su Mo walked out of the house.
Even from a distance, Han Jun could still hear the man walking beside him chattering incessantly.
"My little darling, why did you drink? What if something goes wrong with your performance later... Sigh, I've already dealt with all the rumors you asked me to handle. I really don't know, who in the entertainment industry doesn't have some kind of scandal? Only you, you're like an insulator, you can't even create a CP (couple pairing) scandal. Do you know what those marketing accounts are saying about you? They say you never clarify other negative things, but as soon as they mention your relationship, they immediately go online, debunking rumors faster than spreading them. They all say you definitely have a secret lover, maybe you've even had a child..."
Su Mo, who had already put on sunglasses, did not utter a single rebuttal to his agent's complaints.
After Su Mo left, Han Jun sat back down at the table and continued to drink quietly, one cup after another. Before long, his eyes also became slightly red.
"This wine is a bit spicy..."
The man chuckled and muttered to himself.
As midnight approached, with a table of food that had gone completely cold, Han Jun turned on the TV and saw Su Mo performing on stage. After just one glance, the man walked out of the room and set off fireworks in the open space outside.
Watching the sparks explode in mid-air, Han Jun smiled and said, "Happy New Year, Ningning."
But where are you now? Didn't we make a promise? As long as I wait for you in this house, you will definitely come back to see me. But it's been so long, why haven't you come back yet!
Tears slowly welled up in Han Jun's eyes.
No matter what, I will always be here waiting for you to come back, and I will keep waiting forever.
So, go home early, Ningning...
On the other side, Su Mo, who had just finished his performance, returned to his dressing room and immediately began to cough uncontrollably. He coughed until his face was completely red, but he still did not stop.
The coughing lasted for about three minutes before the man, still in stage makeup, slowly removed the tissue from his mouth. Seeing the bright red stain on it, he tossed the tissue into a nearby trash can as if he hadn't seen anything, pushed open the door, and walked out, only to run into his manager.
"Is the car ready? Didn't we say there was a New Year's goods live stream? Let's go now..."
Upon seeing Su Mo's attitude, the manager almost felt his scalp tingle; his artist was working so hard that even he was somewhat afraid.
The man tentatively tried to dissuade him, "I've turned down that live stream for you. It's New Year's Eve, why don't you go home and spend time with your family? Su Mo, don't you have a younger sister? Why don't you just go visit her? You can work anytime, and besides, you're already so famous. Who in the entire entertainment industry can match your popularity right now? You're number one on every chart. Don't push yourself so hard. This past year, when things got busy, you only slept three hours a day, and even at your best, it was only five hours..."
"Take a break. At this rate, you're already pushing yourself to the limit. What will you do in the future?"
Hearing the other party's advice, Su Mo's eyes remained completely unmoved. "Are you sure you want to refuse? If I rush over now and make a surprise appearance in the live stream, it'll probably trend on social media, right?"
"Su Mo!"
The agent was genuinely scared.
"I'm giving you the day off. I can drive myself to the live stream..."
After saying that, Su Mo walked out without waiting for his manager to say anything more.
The agent let out a long sigh and then followed.
Suya got married last year to a doctor at the same hospital, and I heard she's already pregnant.
He has nothing left to worry about.
As for taking a break, he can't rest. He needs to be famous, extremely famous, incredibly famous...
Ten years have passed, and he hasn't heard a single word about Tang Ning. Since he can't find her, he needs to become famous worldwide, so that no matter where Tang Ning goes, at least she'll see him. How could he possibly rest now…
He just wanted her to at least be able to see him.
The night grew deeper.
Because it had just snowed, the steps leading up the mountain made a crunching sound when you stepped on them.
On the desolate stone steps of an unknown, deep mountain, the man in black slowly walked up step by step.
Two blond men in suits, with serious expressions, followed a step behind them.
The man kept walking, and perhaps because of his poor physical condition, he soon began to breathe heavily.
When they reached the halfway point of the mountain, one of the blond men behind him immediately reached out and pulled him. The man stopped and was led to a neatly maintained grave. The man knelt down, took off his gloves, and his pale, slender fingers trembled as he touched the tombstone in front of him. His hand stopped when he touched two familiar words.
He then kept rubbing those two characters. The outdoor temperature was very low, and soon the man's fingers turned red from the cold, but he did not show any discomfort.
Instead, he chuckled softly.
The more he laughed, the lower his voice became; the more he laughed, the more sorrowful and desolate his voice became.
Suddenly, one of his tears fell into the snow on the ground, leaving a small hole.
"I told you, I would find you."
After saying this, the man, whose world had long since fallen into a deep silence and darkness, reached out and hugged the cold, icy tombstone in front of him, as if he were holding the most precious treasure in the world.
"Now you can't leave me, can you? Ningning..."
As he spoke, the man lowered his head and gently kissed the tombstone, his lips curving upwards in a joyful and contented smile.
At this moment, Tang Ning, who was in the system space, looked at Pei Yuan's smile frozen on the screen and lowered her eyes slightly.
Six months after she left, Su Mo and Han Jun's favorability ratings had already reached 100. For nearly nine and a half years afterward, she had 54088 block her whereabouts until after her death, when the block finally failed, and Pei Yuan finally found her grave...
Over the past decade, due to delayed treatment after being poisoned by snake venom, Pei Yuan lost his sight once again, and even his hearing was gone, leaving only a silent darkness in the world.
Thinking of this, Tang Ning turned off the screen in front of her, turned to look at 54088 with a bitter face next to her, and smiled.
The little guy is just a small system, I don't know why he can't stand seeing others suffer...
"alright……"
Tang Ning reached out and gently pinched its soft cheek. "You can enter the next world now."
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