Liu Aimin hung his head, truly troubled. He didn't know how to start the conversation, or what to say.
The long half hour finally passed. Liu Aimin took a deep breath and picked up the microphone.
Liu Jingze returned ten minutes ago and has been sitting by the phone waiting. What could her father want to call her about? Had something happened at home? Was it her great-grandmother? Or her grandparents? Her heart was pounding with anxiety.
I've been feeling down and irritable these past few days. This has been going on for a week now, but there's nothing I can do. I just got back from work last night, and I've been sent out again today.
"Xiao Liu, you've been gone for a week, and a lot of people have been looking for you. Your classmate Liu Jingzhang alone has called you three times."
Liu Jingze frowned. Why was Liu Jingzhang calling him so many times? Had something happened?
Liu Jingze was in a state of utter confusion, completely lost and at a loss. He figured he'd be lucky to even get back home before the New Year. For the first time, Liu Jingze felt a growing aversion to his beloved political work. It was too tedious, too exhausting.
"Comrade Chen, thank you so much. I wonder if my classmate said anything?"
"No, but he sounded a bit anxious."
As the two were talking, the county magistrate came over. "Liu Jingze, you will continue to follow up tomorrow. Once this task is completed, your file will have the most perfect record. Moreover, you must go, since you were in charge of the development. Can you complete the task?"
Liu Jingze stood up and said, "Thank you for your appreciation, leader. I guarantee I will complete the task."
The county magistrate patted Liu Jingze on the shoulder and said, "You are a promising young man. I look forward to your best performance." Then he left.
"Liu Jingze, your home phone should be ringing soon."
Just then, the phone rang. Liu Jingze grabbed the receiver and anxiously asked, "Dad?"
"Jingze?"
The two spoke at the same time, and both spoke in a rather urgent tone.
"Dad, has something happened at home?"
"No, Jingze, don't worry, everyone at home is fine, it's not about that."
Liu Jingze was relieved after hearing his father's words. He was relieved that his family was alright.
"Jingze, has Hongmei gone back to Liujiatun?"
"Oh? School's about to start, isn't it? Why did she go back?"
"She's leaving the country on September 8th; everything's already booked."
Liu Jingze fell silent. Hongmei had told him about going abroad, and he had thought about going back to persuade her to give up the idea. But he hadn't been able to go back.
He called her during summer vacation and learned that she had gone to the border. But now that she's back, has this girl really decided to go abroad? Liu Jingze gritted his teeth in anger; she's just too determined.
"Dad, is it just this?" Liu Jingze had a feeling it wasn't just this. Otherwise, his father wouldn't be so hesitant.
“Jingze, Zhang Shouyi came back with Hongmei, and they’ve already registered their marriage.”
After hearing this, Liu Jingze's head was buzzing, his vision went completely black, and his throat tasted sweet.
"Jingze, Jingze, say something!" Liu Aimin shouted anxiously after not hearing his son's voice for a while.
Liu Jingze shook his heavy head, feeling that this simple action had exhausted all his strength.
"Dad, are you kidding me?" Liu Jingze spoke very slowly, enunciating each word clearly.
"Jingze, they're coming back today. And they're going to have a big banquet."
"Dad, don't worry about me. I'll let it go now. I'll be fine." Liu Jingze said and hung up the phone without waiting for Liu Aimin's reply.
I staggered out of the office, my mind completely blank, utterly empty. I missed a step and fell down three steps; thankfully, there were only a few steps, so I wasn't seriously injured.
Liu Jingze lay motionless on the ground, face down, eyes wide open, staring straight at the ground.
It was rush hour, and several people saw what happened. They were startled and rushed over to help Liu Jingze up. He had no external injuries, but they were just staring blankly at this promising and handsome young man.
"Xiao Liu, what's wrong?" the older junior leader asked Liu Jingze with concern.
Liu Jingze can't hear anything right now, he only knows that someone is supporting him, and he sees several double images of the people around him.
I felt like I was shaking my head with all my might, but to outsiders it looked like I was making a slight movement.
Liu Jingze opened his mouth for a while before finally uttering a sound: "Thank you for your help, please take me back to my dorm."
Luckily, the person supporting him was close by, otherwise they wouldn't have been able to hear what he was saying.
Once they got to the dormitory, they laid him down on the bed, and someone poured him a glass of warm water, helped him sit up, and fed him the water. Only then did everyone leave.
Liu Jingze was the only one left in the dormitory. He staggered to his feet, locked the door, and collapsed back onto the bed, tears streaming down his face.
It felt like someone was grabbing my heart with their hand; it was so painful that I could hardly breathe.
How could this happen? Why would this happen? I suddenly remembered what my high school teacher said. I had never believed in the I Ching, let alone fortune telling, but my teacher was right.
Why? I may not be as good as Zhang Shouyi now, but my heart is sincere. Can't she feel that?
Yes, she had told me long ago that she had no feelings for me. At that time, I thought she was too young to understand these things and blindly believed that she was definitely mine. But reality gave me a hard slap in the face.
Liu Jingze felt like he had no will to live. He knew he was cold-hearted and it was impossible for him to be sincere with someone. But this girl appeared, walked into his heart, and made him deeply infatuated with her, unable to extricate himself. It wasn't because of her beauty; she was still young and didn't have the looks to attract him.
What is it about her that I like?
Thinking of this, Liu Jingze's tears fell even harder. Everything about her fascinated him and made him like her. What should he do? He felt that he had no motivation to live without her.
Liu Jingze suddenly got up, took out his duffel bag, packed a few clothes, opened the door and went out.
I need to go back and talk to her. What's the point of wallowing in self-pity if I don't fight for it?
But before he even left the compound, he ran into the county magistrate. Liu Jingze suddenly remembered that the county magistrate had sent him back the next day to continue working on this project.
I was just making a solemn promise, but now that this problem has arisen, I will regret it for the rest of my life if I don't go back.
"Xiao Liu, you can go tomorrow. There's no need to go at night. You're a really ambitious young man with a lot of drive."
Liu Jingze was somewhat embarrassed, but he still had to speak up, "County Chief, I need to ask for leave to go back to my hometown. I received a call from my hometown today, it's urgent."
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