Chapter 121 The Ten-Year Agreement
The old man's funeral was grand and solemn. Many people came to pay their respects, including political and business figures, old friends, and former colleagues. Song Zhiyi, as the granddaughter-in-law (although they were divorced, the Huo family did not announce it publicly) and a junior relative of an old friend, participated in the entire funeral preparation and vigil. Her calm and proper demeanor won the secret admiration of many.
The afternoon after the funeral, the sky over Beijing remained overcast, and a biting wind blew. The international departure hall of Beijing Capital International Airport was bustling with people.
Song Zhiyi changed back into her usual travel attire—a dark coat, neat trousers, a carry-on suitcase, and a briefcase. Huo Yanli drove her there. They drove in silence, only the low, somber music playing from the car radio.
After parking the car, the two walked side by side towards the departure level. The atmosphere was somewhat silent, but not awkward; rather, it was more like a calm and weariness that had settled after a shared sadness.
After completing the simple check-in procedures, Song Zhiyi arrived at the security checkpoint. She stopped and turned to look at Huo Yanli.
"Just leave it here," she said.
Huo Yanli nodded, looking at her slightly thinner face and the faint dark circles under her eyes, his brows furrowing almost imperceptibly: "Where to next?"
"First, I'll fly to Geneva. There's an important multilateral meeting I have to attend to hand over my work," Song Zhiyi replied smoothly, clearly having already planned it out. "Then... I might be stationed in Africa for a while. The specific location hasn't been finalized yet. There are a few post-conflict countries whose reconstruction coordination work needs to be followed up on."
Africa. Permanent presence. These two words weighed heavily on Huo Yanli's heart. They meant a more remote environment, a more unstable situation, and the possibility of less contact.
But he showed no sign of dissuasion or concern; he simply nodded calmly, just as he had done in the past few years, and uttered the same words he had repeated countless times:
"be safe."
Song Zhiyi looked at him and nodded, replying softly, "You too."
A brief pause. An airport announcement urges passengers on a particular flight to board. All around are the sounds of bustling crowds and rolling baggage carts.
Just as Huo Yanli thought the farewell was over and was about to watch her turn away, Song Zhiyi suddenly spoke again. Her voice was even softer than before, yet it was like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, clearly reaching his ears:
"Huo Yanli."
He looked up at her: "Hmm?"
Song Zhiyi met his gaze. Her usually clear and resolute eyes were now churning with complex emotions—struggle, hesitation, but ultimately settling into a resolute acceptance. She took a slight breath, as if making a momentous decision, and spoke slowly, each word clear and distinct:
“If… I mean if,” she emphasized the premise, “that ten years from now, we’re all still here, and we haven’t changed.”
She paused, her gaze fixed on him, as if to confirm whether he had understood the overly subtle hint.
"Maybe... we can give it a try."
Huo Yanli froze on the spot. Her blood seemed to rush to her head, only to freeze again in the next second. All the noise around her—the broadcasts, the voices, the sounds of wheels—vanished abruptly. The world was left with only her words and her eyes, which shimmered with a rare uncertainty and a faint glimmer of hope.
Ten years from now? Want to give it a try?
Is she... offering him a possibility? A promise that's so distant it's almost unreal, yet so real?
The immense shock and subsequent ecstasy nearly overwhelmed him, but the long wait and experience allowed him to barely maintain a semblance of composure. Only the sharp contraction of his pupils and the slight trembling of his fingertips betrayed the turbulent emotions churning within him.
Seeing his stunned expression, Song Zhiyi suddenly smiled faintly, yet genuinely. That smile contained her usual clarity, as well as a rare, almost tender apology and a sense of relief.
“But,” she continued, her tone losing its usual calmness and even carrying a hint of warning, “don’t wait for me.”
She looked at him, her eyes sincere and resolute: "If you meet the right person, go live your life. You deserve a stable and normal life."
After saying that, she gave him no time to react, decisively turned around, pulled up her carry-on suitcase, and handed her documents and boarding pass to the security personnel. Her back was straight, her steps without the slightest hesitation or lingering, and she quickly disappeared around the corner of the international departures area.
Huo Yanli stood rooted to the spot, as if frozen in place. The cold wind rushed in from the airport gate, whipping against his face, but he felt nothing.
Her words echoed repeatedly in my mind.
"Ten years from now...maybe we can give it a try."
"Don't wait for me."
A faint hope, and a clear rejection. A distant promise, and an immediate letting go.
Extremely contradictory, yet so... Song Zhiyi.
After an unknown amount of time, until the initial shock and elation slowly subsided and transformed into a deeper, more complex and indescribable emotion, Huo Yanli's lips slowly, very slowly, began to curve upwards.
It wasn't a happy laugh, but a smile that was almost pious, a mixture of bitterness, understanding, determination, and endless patience.
ten years?
He silently repeated the number in his mind.
good.
He can wait.
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