Back from Guilin.
For others, it's simply the end of a trip. While there might be some post-trip syndrome, the impact is minimal.
For Yu Lingruoke, it meant her life would change forever. That clever, clingy child would never appear in her life again. That gentle man would never visit her again. The huge house was now empty except for her.
She didn't get up until noon. She began to pack Zhuang Yuqi's things one by one, neatly placing them in cardboard boxes. After she finished packing, she was surprised to find that the room was empty. It turned out that the child's things had taken up most of the space.
From then on, she was left alone in the house. In the mornings, no little figure would dart into the kitchen to ask her mother what they were having for breakfast; when she left, no one would eagerly anticipate riding on the back of her bicycle; and when she returned in the evening, she was greeted only by the house's cold emptiness…
Ling Ruoke, from now on you'll really be all alone.
After a day of rest, classes will resume as normal the next day.
Ling Ruoke got up early to prepare breakfast. When she took the dumplings out of the pot, she called out without turning her head, "Zhuang Yuqi, set the table and eat breakfast."
Only silence answered her. Ling Ruoke then realized that Zhuang Yuqi was no longer there. Her eyes welled up, and she had to keep breathing.
Lost in thought, Ling Ruoke wistfully thought that if only she had crossed that line with Qingfeng earlier and gotten pregnant, she would have been so happy. With a child by her side, she wouldn't be afraid of being lonely, even if it would be very hard!
But thinking about it now is pointless. She sniffed, composed herself, and ate her breakfast alone.
When she got on her bicycle to go out, she felt a weight had been lifted off her back, and she felt like she couldn't even pedal properly anymore. She was a little distracted while crossing the street and almost bumped into a car, which made her fully alert.
"Sister Ximeng, where's Zhuang Yuqi?" She ran into Mei Yanting at the parking shed and, seeing no one in the back seat, hurriedly asked. Sister Ximeng had mentioned on the plane that Zhuang Yuqi would spend two more days playing with his father.
Ling Ruoke smiled. "His grandparents miss the child and said they should let him go back to his hometown to go to school."
"Sister Ximeng, I'm telling you, you'll probably go back there too, right? Long-distance relationships can easily change. Your husband is so handsome and capable, who knows, other women might take a liking to him and become clingy." Mei Yanting had seen too many men go out and flirt with other women when their wives weren't around, so she was very worried about her.
Ling Ruoke took a breath and said with a smile, "I know how to handle this. You should keep an eye on your Xu An."
"Pshaw! He's dirt poor. Who else but me would want him?" Mei Yanting wasn't worried at all. After all, women these days are very materialistic. If you don't have money, you can forget about even getting a glance.
Ling Ruoke nudged her shoulder. "By the way, Xu An must be feeling much better now that you're back from your trip."
Mei Yanting pouted, looking somewhat troubled. "He's in a better mood, but he's acting a bit mysteriously. I wonder what he's thinking. Never mind him, as long as he doesn't go drinking when he's in a bad mood, it's fine." As she spoke, she smiled broadly again.
Ling Ruoke didn't ask any more questions.
But as the day went by, everyone kept asking about Zhuang Yuqi, who hadn't shown up, which made Ling Ruoke's mood, which she had finally managed to adjust, even more depressed.
Riding her bicycle home at night, the moment she opened the door, she truly felt a pang of sadness. The house wasn't large to begin with, but as Ling Ruoke stepped into the entryway, she felt a sense of emptiness, as if the house were vast and hollow, and her heart felt empty as well.
She had no appetite for cooking as usual, so she just quickly made a bowl of noodles, took a quick shower, and then sat down at her computer to start typing. The novel was currently in a sweet chapter, but perhaps due to her mood, there was always a hint of melancholy tinged with the sweetness. She had only updated it a short while ago, and readers were already leaving comments asking if the angst was about to start again. They were all yelling and screaming, as if they themselves were the ones suffering.
Ling Ruoke wrote until after 1 a.m., and only when she could barely keep her eyes open did she finally climb into bed. She kept dreaming of the empty room she saw when she walked through the door, waking up several times in a fright.
The next day, I woke up feeling dizzy and weak. I yawned repeatedly as I walked downstairs, slumped on the sofa for a while, and then listlessly went into the kitchen to make breakfast.
For several days in a row, she would specially cook a lot of food every night. The next day, she would just have thin porridge and a stir-fried dish of vegetables for breakfast. In short, she rarely had the energy or inclination to make a proper breakfast.
Whether you adapt or not, life goes on day by day. Slowly, after a week, Ling Ruoke began to get used to being alone. Besides work, typing became her greatest pleasure, even though she cried more than she laughed while typing.
On weekends, she rarely leaves the house except to buy groceries. She can sit in front of her computer all day. Her update speed has increased significantly, and readers are clamoring for rewards and votes, creating a lively atmosphere.
More than half a month passed like this, and it was the weekend again.
Ling Ruoke had only been typing on the keyboard for a short while when she received a call from Mei Yanting, who said she wanted to come over to her house to play and that she had already left.
Ling Ruoke couldn't refuse, so she told him her location. Estimating the time was about right, she went to the market to buy groceries and then waited outside the residential complex. After a while, she saw Xu An arrive with Mei Yanting. She hadn't expected Xu An to come, and was momentarily stunned, but didn't dare show it on her face.
"Sister Ximeng, I've also come along to freeload. You're not going to kick me out, are you?" Xu An said with a smile as soon as the car stopped.
Ling Ruoke joked, "Of course not! I'm not even planning to let you in. I've got my broom by the door. If you don't want to be chased away by the broom, you'd better turn your bike around and go home, okay?"
After hearing this, all three of them burst into laughter.
Xu An pushed his bicycle, and Mei Yanting quickly reached out to help Ruoke carry the things she was carrying. The three of them chatted and laughed as they walked inside.
"Wow! Sister Ximeng, it's so comfortable here." Mei Yanting plopped down on the sofa and hummed contentedly. Their place was cheap, but the old town wasn't very nice; it was extremely damp in spring and early summer, and the house always smelled musty. The houses were very close together, blocking out the sunlight, so they rarely saw any sunshine throughout the year.
Ling Ruoke smiled. Zhuang Yicheng had put some effort into finding this house because Zhuang Yuqi was also going to live there.
"Sister Ximeng, how much is the rent? It's not like your husband bought it, is it?" After living in places like that for so long, it's really nice to come to this place with a wide view.
"No, it's rented too. It's just that I wasn't in charge of the house at the time, and I paid a whole year's rent, so I'm not really sure." Zhuang Yicheng handled everything. As for the rent, since Zhuang Yuqi also lived there, he refused to calculate it.
Now, they have nothing to do with each other anymore. She'll add the rent to that debt and pay it off month by month. Luckily, Zhuang Yicheng agreed to let her slowly deposit money into his bank account each month; otherwise, with their relationship broken, this debt might never be paid off in a lifetime.
"Your brother-in-law handled it again, didn't he? Ah, Sister Ximeng, you're so lucky!"
Xu Ansui said aggrievedly, "Sister Ximeng, look, Tingting is complaining about me being poor again."
"So what if I look down on you?" Mei Yanting puffed out her chest and raised her chin, looking quite smug.
Xu An's expression turned fierce, and he lunged forward. "Then I'll lock you up and refuse any outsiders a visit!"
Ling Ruoke smiled faintly, watching the two of them bickering. Actually, she envied Mei Yanting, but it was Mei Yanting who truly envied Mei Yanting. No matter how poor life was, being able to be together made even hardship joyful. Life would eventually get better, but some separations might never lead to a reunion.
The three chatted for a while longer. Ling Ruoke then went into the kitchen and started cooking rice.
Hearing the bursts of laughter coming from the living room, Ling Ruoke was somewhat dazed. She remembered how, whenever she was busy in the kitchen, Qingfeng would come in and bother her. Or, when she was alone in the kitchen, she could hear the father and son laughing and joking in the living room. That laughter still echoed in her ears.
Qingfeng, Xiaofuan...
"Sister Ximeng!" Xu An walked in. "Do you need my help?"
Ling Ruoke seemed to snap out of a daze and quickly put on a smile. "No need. Go out and chat with Yanting."
"Tch. We're practically inseparable, what's the point of chatting? As the saying goes, I can tell what she's going to say the moment she opens her mouth." Xu An also stood aside, picking vegetables for her.
Fearing Mei Yanting might misunderstand, Ling Ruo quickly snatched the dishes away. "You can't come into the kitchen to work, you're guests!"
A chuckle came from the kitchen doorway. Turning around, Mei Yanting, holding a water glass, said with a smile, "Sister Ximeng, what kind of guests are we? We're just here to freeload! You should be glad you didn't kick us out. How could we consider ourselves guests, right, Xu An?"
"that is!"
"Fine! So you two are in cahoots, bullying me all by your own side!"
Mei Yanting swayed her hips, looking like she was saying, "What can you do about it?" "Good that you understand. So, the smart one should quickly call your brother-in-law to fly over and save the day."
"Do you want four people to fight? Bare-handed or armed?" Ling Ruoke blinked, asking as if puzzled.
As soon as he said that, all three of them burst into laughter.
Lunch was prepared by the three of us together. We chatted and laughed and joked around in the kitchen, making it a lively place.
Ling Ruoke's wariness of Xu An gradually lessened. She attributed his unusual behavior over the past few days to his bad mood.
After lunch, the three of them played Dou Dizhu (a popular Chinese card game). They played until after 4 p.m. before the other two finally left, refusing to stay for dinner no matter what.
After bringing them back, Ling Ruoke felt a pang of disappointment at the silence of the room. She sat on the balcony for a long time, holding a cup of tea, seemingly frozen in place.
Can she really live like this forever?
Ling Ruoke was unaware that, at least for now, she had not considered accepting another man to form a family with.
With a sigh, she returned to her room and began typing. She typed until past ten o'clock at night, forgetting even to eat dinner.
Ling Ruoke stretched and stood up, intending to go downstairs to make a bowl of noodles. Just as she was about to leave the room, her phone rang. Picking it up and seeing the display, she was surprised. "Hello, Mr. Zhuang?"
"I've received Zhuang Yuqi's things, thank you." The voice on the other end was gentle and calm.
Ling Ruoke clenched her hands and breathed heavily. "That's good. Is Zhuang Yuqi... alright?"
"It's fine. You know, kids adapt quickly, but they also forget quickly." His words were understated, yet every single one was hurtful.
Ling Ruoke smiled wryly. Yes, who can you expect to be unable to live without? "That's good. If Mr. Zhuang has nothing else, I'll hang up now."
"Wait a minute," Zhuang Yicheng called out to her.
Ling Ruoke held her phone and waited quietly. She slightly raised her head, looking at the ceiling, her eyes feeling a little hot.
"There's something I lied to you about, and now it's time for you to know the truth."
Ling Ruoke's heart leaped into her throat. She held her breath, waiting, her body trembling slightly. She knew instinctively that the truth was related to Qingfeng. "Hmm?"
"That newspaper is fake. Huo Qingfeng isn't married at all; he's still waiting for you to come back to him. He insists he won't marry anyone but you..."
Ling Ruoke had no idea what Zhuang Yicheng said afterward, nor when he hung up. She was completely stunned by the news. She remained in that position for a long time without moving.
When she came to her senses, she slumped into the chair. Then, tears slowly streamed down her face…
Qingfeng is not married. He is still waiting for her. He said he will marry no one but her!
Ling Ruoke finally smiled, but it was accompanied by tears. She laughed and cried at the same time, like a fool. She thought about many things, but she couldn't recall Zhuang Yicheng's deception, because he had been forgotten.
She sat there blankly for a long time before finally mustering the courage to log into her long-unused QQ account. Looking at the login screen, her hand holding the mouse trembled slightly. She logged in, and at first the penguin was silent, but after a while it started beeping incessantly.
Ling Ruoke took a deep breath and moved the mouse over it. The chat only had two people: Qingfeng and Peishi. She paused for a moment, then clicked on Peishi's message.
The message was long, containing questions about her whereabouts, her self-blame, mentions of Qingfeng, and even Gu Zhenzhen. Upon seeing that Gu Zhenzhen was in jail, Ling Ruoke was stunned for a long time. She had always believed that Cang Weiwo was responsible for the car accident.
She hovered the mouse over Qingfeng's message for a long time before finally gritting her teeth and double-clicking. The dialog box popped up, but the scroll bar didn't scroll for long. Unlike Peishi, Qingfeng didn't have much time to go online.
Ling Ruoke scrolled to the very beginning, browsing through each message carefully, reading every single word. She recreated Qingfeng's expressions and actions from those words. The images became increasingly vivid, like a videotape playing back.
"Wife, where are you? Wife, I actually lost you, I'm so useless!"
"Wife, how are you? Have I ever bullied you? I still haven't found out where I've hidden you. Am I too useless?"
"Wife, I miss you so much. And the little one, he's been crying all the time since you disappeared. Wife, I'll tell you a secret, I want to cry too."
“Wife, I sent Gu Zhenzhen to prison. Even when Old Master Gu begged me, I didn’t drop the charges. She shouldn’t have hurt my wife.”
"Honey, the little one has gone back to Z City. The big house is empty and I'm all alone. I can't help but imagine the joyful times when you were here."
"Honey, I still haven't found you. But I have to go back to my unit soon. I know you wouldn't want to see me so down and out. I need to do something, otherwise I'll go crazy if I don't think about you!"
"Honey, I'm going on a mission. I cleaned the house spotless because I was afraid you'd be angry if you came home to a mess. I hope you'll be home when I get back."
"Honey, I'm home. You're still not here. I took care of my sister-in-law again, I'm so tired! You used to have to do all the housework and take care of the little one all by yourself, you must have been exhausted!"
"Honey, they want me to marry Gu Miaomiao. But I told them I don't want anyone but you. Honey, will you marry me? If you don't, I'll be a bachelor for life, that would be so pitiful!"
"Honey, I have to go on another mission tomorrow. I don't know if I'll see you when I get back! Honey, no matter what, I just want you to be okay. I'll go crazy without you!"
...
Ling Ruoke watched and cried. She watched it over and over again, crying uncontrollably, her heart filled with a bittersweet feeling. She wished she could grow wings and fly back to his side.
Regardless of whether she's a jinx or a cursed loner, let her be selfish this once! She hopes heaven will grant them a lifetime together, until they grow old! Even if it means going to hell in the next life, she'll endure it!
Ling Ruoke clasped her hands together, closed her eyes, and prayed silently in her heart.
Finally, she couldn't resist picking up her phone and dialing the 11 numbers she remembered. She hadn't dialed them for months, yet she remembered them perfectly, without the slightest lapse in clarity.
She pressed the dial button, immediately switched to speakerphone, and then placed the phone on the table. Her hands were shaking so badly she could barely hold the phone.
"Hello, the number you dialed is currently switched off. Please try again later!"
A sweet voice, but without warmth. The phone is off.
Ling Ruoke paused for a moment, then scrolled the chat window to the bottom. The last message was from seven days ago; he had gone on a mission and hadn't returned yet.
Ling Ruoke had seen this kind of situation many times, so although she was disappointed, she wasn't worried. Qingfeng had promised her that he would always return safely to her side after every mission!
Ling Ruoke turned and ran to the wardrobe, pulling a set of keys from a winter coat. Those were their house keys; she knew Qingfeng wouldn't change the locks, he was afraid she wouldn't be able to open the door when she got home. She held the keys in her palms, pressing them tightly against her chest; the metal was cool, but her heart burned with passion.
She slowly opened her palm, running her fingers over the keys one by one. This was the key to the security door, the key to the front door, the key to the balcony door… She could almost hear herself inserting the keys and the doors opening one by one.
I want to go back to Z City, I want to be back by Qingfeng's side! Her heart was screaming, unable to calm down for a moment.
Ling Ruoke smiled, imagining the look of surprise and delight on Qingfeng's face when he returned from his mission, opened the door, and saw her standing right in front of him. She could almost hear him excitedly exclaim, "Wife, you're back!"
Knowing his personality, he would definitely throw down his luggage and pounce on her. His hot, thick chest was like a solid wall, sheltering her from the wind and rain.
Ling Ruoke was lost in thought, and it was past midnight before she remembered she needed to take a shower.
Even after emerging from the bathroom, sleep was still elusive. So she sat back down at the computer and continued typing away. In her story, the two were still separated by distance, and readers had been clamoring for their happiness for a long time. This time, let them have their wish.
Her writing flowed like a spring, as if all the scenes were playing out in her mind, and all she had to do was write down what she saw.
The night grew deeper, and time slipped away bit by bit.
Ling Ruoke's mind remained unusually clear, her eyes showed no signs of drowsiness, and although her hands were a little sore, she shook them and continued typing. By the time she finished typing the last word, dawn was breaking.
Ling Ruoke looked at the happy family of four in the story, a beautiful smile blooming on her face, even though her eyes were a little swollen. Because she knew that she was the mother in that family of four.
She checked the word count and found she had written nearly 80,000 words in one night. This outburst surprised even herself. She could imagine the reaction of her readers when they saw the update at dawn.
After checking for typos, she uploaded the two separate images. Only after stopping did she realize how tired and sleepy she was. She took a sip of water, then tossed herself into bed, the smile still lingering on her face.
Ling Ruoke slept soundly until four o'clock that afternoon. She was startled awake because she had a nightmare!
In her dream, Huo Qingfeng was shot, and crimson liquid gushed out, staining her vision red...
Ling Ruoke gasped for breath. It was just a nightmare! Thank goodness, it was just a dream!
...
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