Chapter 355 - 168: The Sorrow of Parting, Unstoppable Tears

Chapter 355: Chapter 168: The Sorrow of Parting, Unstoppable Tears

"Alright, I won’t ask any more questions. Okay?"

"That’s more like it. Take good care of Qin Liheng. I’ll see you at Demon Dance later."

"Okay. You should get all dressed up, too. Remember the kind of skirt you wore when you left all those decades ago? You should wear one later, you hear me? Uncle Qin will be happy to see it. And if he’s happy, who knows? He might even get better, right?"

"Thank you."

"You love each other. Fate will definitely bring you together."

...

The ambulance headed for the airport, driving at a moderate pace to keep Uncle Qin from getting carsick. Uncle Qin was in high spirits, perhaps because the thought of someone waiting for him was guiding him onward.

At 5:20 PM, Aunt Luo’s connecting flight landed at Shanghai Airport. She got into a private car and headed for Demon Dance.

Xie Yiren greeted Aunt Luo at the entrance. After exchanging a few pleasantries, she mentioned that she had already organized the students who were back on campus to help clean up the grove.

"Thank you for all your hard work." Aunt Luo caressed Xie Yiren’s cheek. She was very fond of this young woman; for some reason, she just felt a special connection to her.

If Aunt Luo knew this was her own granddaughter, Su Ran would definitely be in for a scolding.

"Let’s go, Aunt Luo. We’ll head to my dorm. My roommates are all waiting for you. They’re going to do your makeup."

"Okay."

Chatting away, the two of them arrived at Room 404 of the women’s dormitory.

At the door.

Aunt Luo looked at the room number and asked, "You live in this dorm room?"

Xie Yiren replied, "Mhm."

Aunt Luo smiled. "It must be fate. I used to live in Room 404 too, though it was in the old dorm building. Girls who live in 404 always have good luck."

"I think so too," Xie Yiren said with a little laugh. "Come on."

She pushed open the door.

Aunt Luo’s gaze fell upon three girls who were more beautiful than flowers: Liu Jinyu, Xiao Wanqing, and Aina.

The three girls were wearing pretty dresses, standing there gracefully, poised and demure.

"Hello, Aunt Luo. We’re Yiren’s roommates. Welcome back to Demon Dance."

The three girls greeted her politely. Looking at their youthful beauty, Aunt Luo was naturally reminded of her own past self.

’Time spares no one.’

"Thank you, everyone."

"It’s nothing. Please sit, Aunt Luo."

Xiao Wanqing pulled out a chair for Aunt Luo. Xiao Wanqing was responsible for her makeup, Liu Jinyu for her hair, and Xie Yiren for assisting. The ever-sociable Aina was in charge of conversation, asking about the story of Aunt Luo and her husband. Young women, of course, love stories like that most of all.

As they chatted, Aina asked, "...How did you find your husband?"

Aunt Luo looked in the mirror and smiled with relief. "It was all thanks to the help of a young friend. He’s the one who helped me find him."

Aina said, "That’s amazing! Who is it? Our Yiren is also looking for her family. We asked a certain someone to help, and all he says day after day is ’soon, soon,’ but there’s no news at all. So unreliable. Aunt Luo, who is this friend of yours? Could you ask them to help our Yiren find her relatives?"

Aunt Luo asked, "Yiren, you’re looking for your family too?"

Yiren replied, "Mhm, but I probably won’t be able to find them. I was adopted. There’s no information about my father at all. It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack."

Aunt Luo murmured "Oh," feeling a pang of sympathy for her. "Don’t worry. If I could find my husband, you can find your family. Fate sees everything. Hmm... How about this? I’ll call my friend. You can give him your information, and he’ll help you search. He loves helping young women..." Aunt Luo picked up her phone. "His name is Su Ran."

"Su Ran?" the four girls exclaimed.

Xiao Wanqing’s eyebrow pencil went crooked.

Liu Jinyu messed up the hairstyle she was working on.

Xie Yiren dropped the water basin she was holding.

Aina sprayed a mouthful of juice onto the floor.

Aunt Luo looked at the bizarre reactions of these four girls, each more beautiful than a flower, and instantly understood. Su Ran had said his girlfriend was in Shanghai. It was probably one of these four. Or maybe all of them. ’Sigh... What a romantic debt. How will he ever repay it?’

Time trickled away. At 5:58 PM, another chartered plane, this one from Jiangning, also arrived in Shanghai.

After getting into the minivan Aunt Luo had arranged, Su Ran turned on his phone and saw 99+ messages from [We Slept on the Same Bed].

Opening it, he learned one piece of news: "The ’friend’ Aunt Luo mentioned is Xie Yiren."

In the back seat, Uncle Qin had changed into an outfit Aunt Luo brought from the Imperial Capital. They were clothes he used to wear, which she had kept in very good condition. They fit him quite well. After tidying up his hair a bit, you could still see a shadow of his handsome younger self.

On the way, Su Ran got out of the car, bought a single rose, and handed it to Qin Liheng, telling him to give it to his Shumin later.

"Thank you, Xiaoran."

"It’s nothing. I just feel that you’ve missed out for too long."

Qin Liheng nodded, extremely grateful for Su Ran’s kindness. He had no time to pay attention to the scenery outside the window, no time to appreciate the great mountains and rivers of his motherland. He just urged Ah Wei to drive a little faster. There wasn’t much time left.

Half an hour later, the private car arrived at the entrance of the Shanghai Dance School.

Su Ran got out of the car first, where the four girls were waiting for him. The moment he stepped out, they laid into him. It was all about how Uncle Qin turned out to be Aunt Luo’s husband. ’What the hell were you thinking? You’ve known him for eighteen years and you never knew who he was?’

Su Ran could only suffer in silence. ’The old man has been out of his mind his whole life and only just came to his senses.’

"Stop, stop, stop, you three, stop fooling around. Can we talk about this later? Let’s take care of business first. By the way, where’s Xie Yiren? Is she hiding? Did she run off and tell Aunt Luo I was mean to her, so now she’s too scared to come out?"

"No, she’s with Aunt Luo right now."

In the car.

HUFF.

Qin Liheng took a deep breath, clutched the single rose that Shumin loved, and got out.

"I can find the address. I’ll walk there myself."

Qin Liheng stopped Su Ran and the others, gave Su Ran another grateful smile, then turned and strode toward the campus.

Su Ran and the others followed from a distance, watching as Qin Liheng followed the path of his memory, walking step by step toward the place his heart yearned for.

The orange-red sunset shone through the swirling shadows of the trees, landing beneath the large scholar tree.

Xie Yiren was trying to calm Aunt Luo, who was understandably flustered. They hadn’t seen each other for decades, and now they were about to meet again. Her excitement was easy to understand.

"Aunt Luo, I really envy you. You’re about to meet the person you’ve been looking for."

Aunt Luo squeezed Xie Yiren’s hand and said, "I’m wishing you the same. I believe my good luck will pass on to you. If Su Ran could help me find him, he can definitely help you find your family."

"Shumin..."

Suddenly, a familiar voice came from behind her, making Luo Shumin jolt. Her whole body stiffened. Xie Yiren smiled. "He’s here." After saying that, she let go of Aunt Luo’s hand and stepped aside.

All the longing, all the tears shed over countless days and nights... in this moment, the dream finally came true.

Luo Shumin turned, and reflected in her tear-filled eyes was the man she had never stopped thinking about.

Qin Liheng looked toward the base of the large scholar tree, as if he had returned to the midsummer decades ago—the moment of his excited proposal, of wanting to be together for a lifetime. Only now, the ring in his hand had become a rose. He strode forward, as if walking step by step into the past, into the most beautiful moment of his memory.

"I’m back. You’re still as beautiful as ever."

Qin Liheng walked up to Luo Shumin, knelt on one knee, and presented the rose in his hand to her.

At that moment, Su Ran took out a DSLR camera and started taking pictures. Xie Yiren and the others were so moved they leaned on each other’s shoulders, watching the scene unfold.

"Thank you."

Luo Shumin accepted the rose and smelled it. "It’s so fragrant."

"As long as you like it." He sat on the ground, leaning against the large scholar tree and gazing at the sunset, just like they used to.

Luo Shumin also sat down beside him, following his gaze toward the sun setting behind the mountains.

"Shumin, what about our child?"

He spoke.

"At home."

She forced a smile.

"That’s good."

"Mhm."

She nodded, her eyes welling with tears.

A smile of relief spread across Qin Liheng’s face. His final wish had been fulfilled. His voice grew strained. After all, he had promised he wouldn’t die far from home, because Luo Shumin was waiting for him to return, right there under the scholar tree.

A single vow, a single yearning, kept for a lifetime.

"Shumin."

"What is it?"

"Let’s go home. I want to see if our child is safe. I want to see if he’s grown up."

"Okay."

She replied, her voice choked with sobs.

"Mhm, let’s go home..."

His hand slipped from Luo Shumin’s, and his head fell onto her shoulder.

"Liheng—"

She suddenly roared, grabbing Qin Liheng’s collar. "Get up! You get up! You can’t sleep! You said you’d take care of me for the rest of your life! Get up! GET UP!"

The sorrow of separation was overwhelming, the tears unstoppable.

Finally...

He had come home.