Traveling to the Great Northwest
As dusk fell, the platform was packed with people.
Ye Wanqing stood alone in front of the carriage door, the autumn wind blowing her hair, but her gaze remained fixed on the direction of the station entrance.
With each footstep, she instinctively clenched the hem of her clothes, but all those who hurried past were unfamiliar faces.
Today is the day she heads off to the Great Northwest.
I wonder if Xue Mubai will come again?
This departure may be the last time we see…
Finally, when the third whistle sounded, she finally saw that familiar figure break through the crowd and run towards her.
"Wanqing!"
Xue Mubai was still breathing heavily, with beads of sweat on his forehead and his bangs sticking to his forehead.
"Xue Mubai! You're here! I thought you weren't coming! Come on, let's go."
Ye Wanqing smiled and reached out to take his hand.
But Xue Mubai's hand remained still, showing no intention of raising it.
Ye Wanqing froze in place.
"Wanqing," Xue Mubai said in a hoarse voice, his voice choked with emotion, "I'm sorry. I can't go with you."
These three words fell lightly, yet they froze Ye Wanqing's outstretched hand in mid-air.
She finally understood that this journey was ultimately a one-sided and unwavering decision on her part.
"It's nothing." Ye Wanqing pursed her lips, trying not to be too sad.
“My father is seriously ill and may not live much longer. I need to stay by his side.” Xue Mubai’s eyes were filled with sorrow and difficulty.
"It's alright, my father is more important."
Ye Wanqing released her grip on his hand.
"I'm sorry, Wanqing." Xue Mubai lowered his eyes.
"It's alright, you don't need to apologize to me. You did nothing wrong. Anyone would have done the same. I'm leaving, Xue Mubai."
Ye Wanqing smiled slightly, turned around and left, walking into the carriage.
Seeing her back, Xue Mubai felt a pang of sadness.
This parting might mean not seeing Wanqing for a while...
sorry……
The train journey took ten hours, and Ye Wanqing felt drowsy along the way.
Ten hours later.
The train's public address system announced that Amagi was about to arrive at the station.
Ye Wanqing woke up from a light sleep, looked at the gradually thinning lights outside the window, and gently moved her somewhat stiff neck.
She reached for the backpack on the luggage rack, but found nothing.
Her heart skipped a beat, and she quickly stood up, only to find that her handbag, which had been on her seat, was also gone.
"My bag..."
Not only did she have her wallet and identification documents, but also her graduation certificate, letter of introduction, and registration certificate—all important documents she would need to come to Gancheng.
Just then, steady footsteps approached from afar, accompanied by a clear male voice: "Excuse me, is this your bag?"
Ye Wanqing looked up at the sound and met a pair of deep eyes.
The man standing before her was dressed in a crisp military uniform, his epaulets gleaming softly under the overhead lights of the carriage. He held her missing handbag in his hand.
“Zhao… Tingfeng?” When she saw his face clearly, she recognized him at a glance, and she could hardly believe her eyes.
The man nodded slightly, a smile playing on his lips. "Long time no see."
At this moment, time seemed to flow backward to four years ago. Back then, she had just broken off her engagement with Zhou Zhiyuan, and at Zhou Zhiyuan's maternal grandmother's house, she met Zhao Tingfeng.
Ye Wanqing still remembers how Zhao Tingfeng always liked to jokingly call her "little girl".
Unfortunately, Zhao Tingfeng was transferred to Gancheng Military Base for work, and they did not see each other for four years.
"Girl, I didn't expect to meet you here."
Zhao Tingfeng never expected that he would run into the girl he had been longing for for four years on the train again.
Four years have passed, and she is still as young and beautiful as ever, only with a touch more maturity.
For a moment, I was overjoyed.
He thought he had already let go of it.
Over the years, he has traveled to various places to carry out missions, experienced life-or-death moments, and witnessed the warmth and coldness of human nature.
He thought that the feelings he had when he was young had long been worn away by the years.
But when he recognized her at a glance in the carriage, his heart still started pounding uncontrollably.
It turns out that some feelings haven't disappeared, but have simply been buried deep within the years. Once they reunite, they are reborn, more powerful than ever before.
He handed the bag back to her, saying, "I just saw a suspicious-looking person carrying a bag walking towards the other end of the carriage, so I stopped him and asked him. I didn't expect it to be your bag."
"Thank you so much, Uncle." She noticed that Zhao Tingfeng's epaulets had been upgraded. Over the years, he must have experienced quite a bit and been promoted in all of them.
"It was nothing." Zhao Tingfeng gestured for the train police to take the thief away, but his gaze never left her face. "What brings you to Gancheng?"
Ye Wanqing nodded: "After I graduated from university, I was assigned here."
"So, you'll be living here from now on?" Zhao Tingfeng's eyes lit up as he looked at her with an increasingly profound gaze.
"That's how it is." Ye Wanqing nodded, thinking to herself that Gan Cheng didn't have any friends. It was fate that she could run into an acquaintance.
Is someone coming to pick you up?
Ye Wanqing shook her head: "No."
"I'll take you." Even Zhao Tingfeng himself was a little surprised when he said it. But he quickly found a reason, "The security in this area isn't very good. You've already encountered a thief since you just arrived, so it's best to be careful."
Ye Wanqing nodded gently: "Then... thank you for your trouble, Uncle."
After getting off the train, Zhao Tingfeng naturally took the bag from her hand and walked outside to protect her.
Stepping out of the station, the night view of Amagi unfolded before my eyes.
Unlike the bustling southern cities, the lights here are sparse and quiet, the sky appears exceptionally high and distant, and a few stars are clearly visible.
Zhao Tingfeng hailed a taxi and opened the car door for Ye Wanqing.
On the way to the guesthouse, Ye Wanqing looked at the fleeting street scenes outside the window and couldn't help but glance at Zhao Tingfeng out of the corner of her eye.
Zhao Tingfeng's skin is darker than before, and his jawline is more defined, but he exudes a calm and composed aura.
"We've arrived." The taxi stopped in front of the guesthouse, and Zhao Tingfeng's voice interrupted her thoughts.
He helped her take her luggage off the car.
"Why didn't you answer my call four years ago?" Zhao Tingfeng suddenly asked, looking intently at her. "I waited for you at the train station for an hour that day."
Ye Wanqing was slightly taken aback, then smiled and said, "It's just a phone call, does it matter whether I call back or not?"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Tingfeng felt relieved. It turned out that back then, in her heart, he was someone whose return was unimportant.
"Of course it's important. If you had called me back then, I might not be in Gan City now."
"I'll go back and pack my things first." Afraid that he would continue talking and say something she didn't want to hear, she took her luggage and went into the guesthouse.
Zhao Tingfeng stood still, watching Ye Wanqing walk into the hall.
He thought that the missed opportunity five years ago was gone forever, but fate gave them another chance to reunite.
This time, he didn't want to miss out again.
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