She even had a fleeting impulse to book a flight to X country to meet him immediately. But reason stopped her. Her past was irrelevant and she could only call her colleagues in the embassy, asking them to contact Song Jingye.
“My colleague from the other country replied: “His phone has been switched off all the time. As far as we know, his equipment batch has arrived.”
She was terrified, had she disappeared?
“We’ll keep trying to reach him, and let us know if you hear anything.” She couldn’t remember how she had hung up the phone. Her mind was a mess, and she could only numbly make call after call to Song Jingye.
The airport was deserted at night, with only the occasional traveler rushing by with their luggage. She remembered that day when he came to see her off, his tight embrace; she remembered that day when they were video calling, smiling at the camera; she remembered that day when he told her to go report on the support equipment to Teacher Zhang, his expression was so well hidden, not revealing a word about going to X country.
Song’s mom just said on the phone that if something happened to him, she wouldn’t live either. She was thinking, if something really did happen to him, what would she do then?
She sat on the icy chair, her head bowed as she stared at the old, clunky cell phone in her hand. It was a heavy, outdated model, feeling like a lead weight in her grasp. Her eyes ached terribly, but not a single tear would fall.
Suddenly
A pair of black leather boots appeared before her.
The moment she looked up, her dry eyes welled with tears. She needed to control her emotions, to control them at all times; she couldn’t cry.
But the tears just wouldn’t stop flowing, no matter how hard I tried to wipe them away.
“Uncle?”
This time it was her who took the initiative to hug him tightly, her arms firmly around his strong frame.
Waist, besides crying, could not say a word.
Song Jingye also encircled her with his arms and gently patted her back to comfort her until she calmed down. Only then did he ask, “Why are you crying?”
Why are you crying?
No one had ever treated her like this before. She had been orphaned as a child, and while her uncle and aunt were kind to her, it was more out of a sense of duty. After she graduated from high school, at which point she became legally an adult, they stopped looking after her altogether.
Song Jingye is the only one who cares about her, worries about her warmth and coolness, her food and clothing, and her safety.
No, it’s not just about putting it in your heart, but also about taking concrete action.
She murmured into his arms, “I miss you, and I worry about you.”
She still held on to him tightly, unwilling to let go.
Song Jingye hugged her again and comforted, “I’m fine.”
After a moment of silent embrace, they separated and walked towards the parking garage together. Song Jingye’s Jeep had been parked in the airport garage all along.
After getting in the car, Chen Ning finally adjusted her emotions and began to criticize: “You know how dangerous it is over there, why did you go?”
Song Jingye was driving with his eyes fixed on the road, but his tone was relaxed: “What’s dangerous for me to do?”
One sentence shut Chen Ning’s words down, a slight sourness prickling at the tip of his nose. He quickly changed the subject: “How did you get back?”
“During my layover, I learned that war broke out in X country. You withdrew, so I changed my route and came back. Rest assured, I have everything under control.”
Because her flight was too tight, she usually walked alone, and had never been in the habit of reporting to anyone, which made her family worry.
A month apart, things just felt different. Sending her off…
When she got downstairs to her home, they didn’t let her up as they usually did. No one spoke a word of goodbye from inside the car.
The atmosphere was a bit awkward. Chen Ling racked her brains for a topic, and finally said softly: “You sent those snacks, it’s a waste, it’s a pity, I haven’t received them yet, not even one.”
At this moment, the first thing that came to his mind was this. Song Jingye smiled: “I’ll take you to buy it again tomorrow. You can buy as much as you want.”
“Okay. See you tomorrow.” She opened the passenger door and got out, not daring to look back at him. Her heart was racing.
Actually, I don’t want to leave.
“Come back.” Song Jingye got out of the car and called her.
She immediately turned back, her mind debating whether to invite him up for a sit.
Then Song Jingye went around to the back of the car and opened the trunk: “You didn’t take your luggage.”
Chen Ning replies <<<
Tell yourself to stay calm and not short-circuit your brain the moment you see him, acting flustered.
Song Jingye had already taken her luggage from the car and said naturally, “I’ll see you upstairs.”
Her suitcase was indeed quite large, containing all her belongings.
“Okay.”
The two rode the elevator all the way to her home. They had actually been on a very long flight, and they should have looked windswept and tired, but there wasn’t the slightest weariness in their eyes, instead, there was a hint of vibrancy.
Until she got to her apartment and opened the door, she was dumbfounded. Only then did she remember that when she went abroad, she had made preparations for a few years’ stay, and all the household items in the apartment were supposed to be cleaned out.
This apartment was originally allocated to her temporarily by the department. If she doesn’t return for a long period, the department has the right to give it to other colleagues.
In short, the apartment is currently uninhabitable.
At least I can’t stay tonight, it’s empty and there’s nothing.
He cast a helpless glance at Song Jingye, it seemed he could only go to the hotel.
Song Jingye was decisive in his actions. He had already grabbed her suitcase and walked out, acting swiftly.
“Thanks, otherwise I might have had to sleep on the floor tonight.”
It’s already past midnight, and without him, I wouldn’t even be able to get a taxi to the hotel now.
Song Jingye single-handedly carried her suitcase into the trunk, and the two got back in the car to find a hotel.
The atmosphere grew even more eerie.
Song Jingye originally wanted to say, why not just go live at his place? His small Siheyuan courtyard wasn’t far from her work unit, and there were plenty of rooms. It would be convenient to go to the unit for reporting in the morning.
But it seems a little strange, bringing a girl home in the middle of the night can easily lead to misunderstandings.
Little do they know, going to a hotel with a young woman in the middle of the night is more likely to be misunderstood.
Upon arrival at the hotel, they weren’t asked how many people were staying. The receptionist just asked for their IDs.
Song Jingye: “I won’t go up, just send her up.”
This large suitcase is too heavy for her to move alone.
The front desk smirked: “Even when sending people up, you need to register with their ID.”
Chen Ning replied, “No need, I can go up myself.”
But Song Jingye had already given his ID card to the front desk for registration.
Song Jingye sent her upstairs. He thought, I should have just let her stay at my place.
The room was large, with a king-sized bed that dominated half the space. As soon as the keycard slid into the slot, lights flickered on, casting a warm glow that sent shivers down your spine.
Chen Ning didn’t even dare to look at him.
Song Jingye held his luggage tightly, standing at the entrance hall, not entering further but neither turning around to leave.
Their eyes met, a silent conversation passing between them.
I don’t know.
He was in a state of inner conflict, and she too was weighing her options. Of course, she knew her deliberations were a pretense; if he took even the slightest action, she would inevitably fail.