Chapter 162 The Final Judgment: He Ming, let's get a divorce.
The East Railway Station was crowded with people. When they arrived at the entrance, the taxi driver was in a hurry to pick up the next passenger and had no time to take care of Zhu Liushuang's large suitcase.
She had to go to the trunk to get her luggage herself, but before she could even stand properly, the taxi sped away.
Forget it... Right now, she wasn't in the mood to argue with the driver, and just accepted the loss in silence.
It wasn't a holiday, so there weren't many people at the entrance. Zhu Liushuang found a security gate with an opening and went through. She rarely came to the high-speed rail station; the last time she took a train here was last year during the National Day holiday. Back then... she was on her way to "find her husband a thousand miles away" with a mix of trepidation and anticipation.
But today... her heart, like the suddenly overcast weather outside, was gloomy and dejected, with no hope of the sun rising again.
Because she bought the ticket at the last minute, she could only get a ticket for the 4 PM train, which meant she would have to wait in the waiting room for more than two hours after going through security.
Two hours—not too long, not too short—was enough for her to feel remorse. In three days, her long-planned "Yunnan Province trip" with He Ming would officially begin, but she had left without saying goodbye, choosing to desert...
Zhu Liushuang knew better than anyone that such a cowardly act was utterly irresponsible. But she truly couldn't face He Ming. From the moment she learned the truth, guilt and remorse tormented her, consuming her reason and forcing her to flee.
...
For nearly two hours, she struggled back and forth between "staying" and "running away".
Until—the announcement came over the loudspeaker: "Passengers, please note that boarding for train G8577 from Gucheng to Hangzhou is now open. Passengers, please proceed to gate A1 for boarding..."
Zhu Liushuang took a deep breath, raised her head, and joined the ticket check line.
The wind howled on the platform. She glanced one last time at the empty escalator and resolutely stepped into the carriage.
She hopes that the decision she made was the right one.
Even if it was wrong... she was convinced it was right.
Her seat was near the aisle. When she went to find it, someone was already sitting next to her. It was a kind-looking woman, about the same age as her mother.
Zhu Liushuang exchanged a glance with that person, then cautiously looked away and quietly sat down.
"Miss...would you like me to help you carry your suitcase upstairs?"
Upon hearing the question, she turned her head blankly.
"I see your suitcase is quite big... there's nowhere to put your feet if you put it on the ground." The woman's tone was kind.
“Oh, no need. Thank you, Auntie…” Zhu Liushuang said dryly.
A few minutes later, the car door closed.
As the announcement came over the loudspeaker, the scenery outside the window began to rush by. But she was a beat behind the train; her head, which had been turned to the side, didn't straighten out for a long time, and she stared blankly at the gradually blurring scenery outside.
"Oh dear, why are you crying?" the woman next to me said again, her tone surprised. "Are you reluctant to leave home?"
Reluctant to leave home?
Lost in her memories, Zhu Liushuang was suddenly interrupted. She touched her cheek blankly, her fingertips brushing against something warm and wet.
Yes, she couldn't bear to part with it.
I can't bear to leave the little home where He Mingzai lives.
————
Zhu Liushuang had never flown before in her life. After arriving at the airport, she discovered that her discounted ticket did not include the cost of checked baggage.
She was caught in a dilemma, leaning against her 21kg suitcase. The staff patiently reminded her that if she purchased additional baggage allowance on-site, she would need to pay an extra 450 yuan.
Zhu Liushuang's eyes widened, and she awkwardly asked the other party if there were any other ways to purchase it.
"Madam, you can also visit our official website to purchase additional baggage allowance, which will offer a discount..."
Fortunately, there was still plenty of time before the plane took off. She thanked the staff and then clicked on the airline's official website.
Thinking of the meager savings left in her salary account, Zhu Liushuang purchased a 20kg baggage allowance. The remaining kilogram… she bent down, opened her suitcase, and took out her laptop bag.
She re-checked her luggage, went through security, and entered the waiting area. The tumultuous journey left her exhausted.
She had just found a corner to sit down when He Ming sent her a WeChat message.
Honey, I'm home. Where have you been? Are you working late again tonight?
A flicker of struggle crossed Zhu Liushuang's eyes before she turned off the screen.
Just five minutes later, the phone in my hand started vibrating again without stopping.
At first, it was a WeChat call, but after ringing a few times, it was switched to a regular phone call.
Zhu Liu made a snap decision and switched the phone to "mute," letting the screen light up and go off repeatedly.
He Ming must be frantic with worry because he can't get in touch with her!
She felt incredibly cruel, but she didn't dare answer his call. She was afraid that if she heard his voice, she would turn back.
Her face felt icy cold, and her heart was being slowly drained. Zhu Liushuang gritted her teeth, threw her phone into her laptop bag, and then closed her eyes to clear her mind.
Her ostrich-like behavior continued until just before boarding the plane.
As the airport announcement made its final call that the gate for the flight to Kunming was about to close, Zhu Liushuang reluctantly got up.
With heavy steps, she entered the cabin, her gaze sweeping over a group of unfamiliar faces, and found her seat.
Her seat was by the window, the sunshade open, and she gazed greedily at the twinkling lights outside, as if this were the last connection between her and him.
"Ladies and gentlemen, our plane is about to take off. Please double-check that your seatbelts are fastened and that your mobile phones and other electronic devices are switched off..."
She was startled, then frantically pulled out her long-forgotten phone.
A series of missed calls and messages stung her eyes. Zhu Liushuang scanned them all, quickly replied to He Ming's message, and then silently pressed the power button.
At the same time, the lights in apartment 502, building 1, Chunhua Lane, Gucheng suddenly turned on.
At 10:05 p.m., He Ming returned home dejectedly, covered in sweat.
Before this, he had traveled to many places and was just short of going to the police station to report the case.
When he couldn't contact Zhu Liushuang at first, he assumed she was busy working overtime and had no time to pay attention.
But when he finished cooking dinner, his phone screen remained silent, and He Ming started to panic. He dropped the spatula he was washing halfway through, grabbed his keys, and stormed out.
The car sped through the night, and he arrived at her company building as quickly as possible.
As he stepped out of the train carriage, he looked up and saw that the floor where Ruixin Technology was located was blended into the dark blue night, without a single ray of light.
With a deep frown, He Ming suddenly had a bad feeling.
But he still held onto a sliver of hope and, without hesitation, strode toward the elevator and pressed the up button.
Maybe... she just finished working overtime and was about to come out.
He couldn't afford to miss any possibility.
It wasn't until he actually stood at the entrance of Ruixin and looked at the locked electronic sensor door that his hope was completely extinguished.
Where could she have gone? What happened?
He Ming's first thought was to call Guo Yang and ask if Zhu Liushuang had done anything unusual during the day.
It was this phone call that led him into a dead end.
Over the phone, Guo Yang told him in surprise that Zhu Liushuang had asked him for three days off yesterday, saying that her mother was not feeling well and she needed to accompany her to the check-up.
He Ming vaguely covered up her lie, but what flashed through his mind was Gu Chunling's discharge summary, which indicated that all her indicators were stabilizing.
She took the day off yesterday... and last night she acted even more unusually.
A sudden clap of thunder snapped his taut nerves.
She's hiding something from him! Or rather, it seems she's hiding it from everyone.
He Ming was filled with regret at that moment.
Last night... if he hadn't been preoccupied with his love affairs and been fobbed off by her sweet words, he could have pulled out the thread hidden behind his back!
"Bang—" His fist slammed against the white wall, his knuckles turning red, but he felt no pain. His brain was racing, trying to find her hiding place in the vast sea of people.
After leaving Ruixin, He Ming went to Donghu Community first.
He had little hope, and as he expected, Zhu Liushuang did not return home.
Gu Chunling was surprised by his arrival and greeted him with a flurry of questions and inquiries. To avoid arousing his mother-in-law's suspicion, He Ming forced a smile and patiently spoke to her.
When asked why he came alone, He Ming's eyelids twitched, and he made an excuse, saying that he was going on a trip soon and Zhu Liushuang had been busy working overtime these past few days, so he asked Zhu Liushuang to come and check on him.
He only sat at Zhu Liushuang's house for a little over ten minutes, without drinking a drop of tea, before he couldn't stay any longer.
Fortunately, his "acting" was convincing, and Gu Chunling didn't notice anything amiss. She cheerfully saw him to the door and told the two of them to have fun and not to worry about her.
After leaving Donghu Community, He Ming hurriedly went to Qingquanwan and his vacant shop.
After searching unsuccessfully, he began to wander around the neighborhood.
He searched all the supermarkets, flower shops, bookstores, and restaurants they frequented. He also looked at nearby parks, amusement parks, and shopping malls.
He was like a trapped beast, running aimlessly through every place she had ever been.
His hair was wet, his back was soaked with sweat, and even—his eyes welled up with tears.
He feared something had happened to her and wanted to run to the police station to report it. But reason told him that this was probably a pre-planned "disappearance."
What exactly caused her to suddenly disappear from his world without a word?
He's not replying to messages or answering calls. Did he do something wrong to upset her?
Standing at a busy intersection, He Ming lost his composure and squatted down on the ground.
The piercing horns of cars rose and fell, and the footsteps of pedestrians surged like a chaotic tide. For the first time, he looked at the world before him with such bewilderment.
...
Exhausted, He Ming returned home with only 3% battery left on his phone. He pinned his last hope on Ye Xingzhi and decided to call him to ask for Tian Xingyu's contact information.
Before the call could even be made, my phone buzzed with a notification from a WeChat message.
His dim eyes suddenly lit up, and he couldn't wait to open the WeChat chat window.
I am safe now, don't come looking for me.
【He Ming, let's get a divorce.】
He clicked on it with high hopes, thinking he would receive a "pardon," but what he saw instead was a "final judgment" written by her for him.
Two lines of resolute, cold words, etched into my eyes like a sharp knife.
She didn't even give him a chance to explain, and unilaterally announced their ending.
What's even more disheartening is that he still doesn't know what he did wrong that he's so unforgivable that she has to punish him with "divorce."
He had to find her and get to the bottom of this!
With trembling hands, He Ming brought up the "voice call" function and dialed back directly.
The phone's battery level dropped to one percent in an instant, and then the system notified him that it would automatically shut down in 60 seconds.
He didn't even bother to change his shoes before turning around and rushing to the bedroom.
In his panic, his knee slammed hard against the corner of the table. He gasped in pain, but didn't dare stop, stumbling towards the bedside table.
I managed to charge it before it shut down.
However, the "voice call" still did not connect.
He switched to a regular phone line...
"Sorry, the user you dialed is currently unavailable..." The mechanical voice cut off the last link between them.
He Ming's eyes were bloodshot as he placed the heel of his hand on his knee, feeling a piercing pain there.
"Ding—" The screen, which had gone dark, lit up again.
He clicked on it blankly—
Dear Mr. He, thank you for your patience. Your expedited custom-made women's diamond ring at "ShenShen Jewelry" has arrived as scheduled. Please come to the store to pick it up at your convenience. We apologize for disturbing you so late, and we sincerely look forward to your visit.
Yes, two months ago, he carefully selected and secretly commissioned a diamond ring for her, planning to propose to her again during their trip.
Now, this belated news of delivery has become a joke that testifies to his failure.
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Author's Note: All the high-speed rail and airplane announcements mentioned in this chapter are from the internet.
[Shrug] While writing this chapter, I kept repeating to myself: I'm the biological mother, I'm the biological mother...
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