#67: Don’t Go.

The sound of the slap was as harsh as the shattering teacup.

Qing Hang’s face was turned to the left, and even his breathing was stiff.

The shadows on the ground were clearly overlapping, yet they seemed separated by a thousand mountains and rivers.

Cheng Wanyue overturned the half-eaten bowl of noodles when she got up. She ran back to the room in a few steps, locked the door, and didn’t answer her phone when it rang several times.

Qing Hang knocked on the door three times, but before she opened it, he was called to the hospital.

He closed the door softly, probably not wanting Cheng Wanyue to know he had left, or perhaps thinking he would be back soon.

Cheng Wanyue’s suitcase was in the other bedroom. The living room was empty, and she didn’t care where he went. She took the suitcase into the room and started packing.

Her phone kept ringing but she didn’t answer it. Yang Huimin was very worried and called again a few minutes later.

Cheng Wanyue squatted on the floor, listening to Yang Huimin’s questions and giving vague answers. “Mom, where’s my brother?”

“He’s downstairs. Zhouzhou came for a business trip yesterday and is also at our house,” Yang Huimin stood at the top of the stairs, looking down. “Cheng Yanqing, Yueyue is looking for you.”

Cheng Yanqing complained that it was annoying, but he ran upstairs. He took Yang Huimin’s phone, and Cheng Yuzhou also followed him into the room.

He teasingly remarked that it took her so long to miss her brother, but she didn’t respond.

Before Cheng Yanqing could say a second word, he sensed something was wrong. “Yueyue, why are you crying?”

“...I want to go home.”

Cheng Yanqing heard her choked sobs and felt how deeply wronged she was. He immediately opened his computer, ready to buy plane tickets. “It’s so late; go to sleep first.”

“I want to go home right now.”

“I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning. Don’t worry about your things. We’ll find the landlord, cancel the previous rental, and then go home.”

Cheng Wanyue was reluctant to throw anything away. “No, these are all my treasures; I can’t throw them away. And Coal.”

“Alright, alright, I’ll pack for you and send everything back, not leaving a single item,” Cheng Yanqing worried about her being alone outside. The last time she argued with Qing Hang, she hadn’t mentioned wanting to go home. “Where are you now? Have you eaten? Are you hungry?”

She replied muffled, “...At Qing Hang’s place. We argued after I ate.”

“That’s good. At least he knew to feed you first before arguing.”

“Don’t speak well of him. Even though I made mistakes, I’m very angry right now.”

She wasn’t just angry; she was also deeply hurt.

Cheng Yuzhou canceled his flight back to Nanjing and bought a ticket to Beijing. Cheng Wanyue had held back her tears while talking to Yang Huimin, which meant she didn’t want her parents to know. Huo Zhi’s father was hospitalized, and Cheng Yanqing had been swamped these past few days. The hospital scheduled surgery for tomorrow morning, so he definitely had to stay with Huo Zhi at the hospital.

“You can’t leave; I’ll go,” Cheng Yuzhou told him to cancel the recently purchased ticket, then picked up his phone. “Yueyue, sleep well. I’ll call you when I arrive.”

Cheng Wanyue agreed verbally, but she couldn’t sleep at all.

At three in the morning, light snow began to fall outside, Beijing’s first snow of the winter.

The first snow arrived very early, and the heating hadn’t started in her complex. She lay huddled in her quilt, her hands and feet icy cold. After what felt like an eternity, daylight finally broke. Without waiting to see if Cheng Yuzhou had arrived, she got up and started packing.

The sound of the door opening was as light as the sound of it closing last night.

Qing Hang didn’t have a key, so she knew it was him returning without even turning around.

The bedroom door was open and the light was on. Qing Hang entered the room and saw Cheng Wanyue taking clothes from the closet and throwing them into her suitcase, wiping away tears. His tired expression immediately became anxious.

“Wanyue, where are you going?”

She ignored him, pretending he wasn’t there.

Qing Hang raised his hand to close the closet door and moved the suitcase aside.

She directly threw clothes onto the bed. She’d throw one, and he’d pick one up. After two or three times, she got annoyed. She decided she didn’t want anything at all, picked up Meiqiu, and walked out without even changing her slippers.

Qing Hang blocked the doorway; she couldn’t push him away or get out.

“Move out of my way,” Cheng Wanyue didn’t even look at him.

Qing Hang wouldn’t let her leave like this. “It’s snowing, it’s very cold outside.”

“Qing Hang, when I’m speaking to you nicely, don’t pretend you don’t understand. I’m going home. Try blocking me again.”

“Which home?”

“None of your business. Anyway, I’m not staying here anymore...”

Before Cheng Wanyue could finish speaking, Cheng Yuzhou called. Qing Hang heard her tell Cheng Yuzhou the floor, realizing she was leaving Beijing.

In the few seconds he was distracted, Cheng Wanyue unlocked the door, preparing to squeeze past him. As soon as she took a step, he pulled her into a tight hug.

“Wanyue, don’t go.”

“If I stay, I’ll not only have to put up with your moods but also be lectured by you. Go ahead and bring up old issues, I’m not interested in listening anymore.”

Meiqiu broke free and nimbly jumped to the ground.

Cheng Wanyue was determined to go home and insisted on leaving. “Qing Hang, if Meiqiu gets lost, I’m not done with you.”

Cheng Yuzhou got off the elevator, and the two were still pulling at each other outside the door.

Meiqiu was startled by the sound of a door closing downstairs and scurried into the house along the wall.

“Qing Hang, let go first,” Cheng Yuzhou stood between them. “Yueyue, go change into a thicker coat and warmer, comfortable shoes. Pack your documents. You can’t just carry the cat to the airport like this.”

Cheng Wanyue was so furious that she hadn’t even brought her documents.

After she closed the door, Cheng Yuzhou spoke to Qing Hang. “Qing Hang, I won’t ask who’s right or wrong between you two. We can’t rest assured with her staying in Beijing alone; sooner or later, we’ll take her home.”

Qing Hang said in a low voice, “It’s my fault.”

Cheng Yuzhou: “If the problem can’t be solved temporarily, even if you make up this time, you’ll still argue next time. We have no demands on her, but you’re different. You want something from her, so you’re more calculating. The fact that she didn’t tell her parents shows she left room for you to reconcile. I’ll take her back first; you calm down and think things through.”

Cheng Wanyue changed into a down jacket. Cheng Yuzhou took the suitcase, and the two walked out the main door, one after the other.

Qing Hang didn’t look at them. After ten minutes, he suddenly snapped back to reality. By the time he chased downstairs, it was too late. He hailed a taxi to the airport.

The road conditions were bad, but he actually arrived at the airport before Cheng Wanyue.

Most taxis stopped there, and the snow on the road had been cleared, but he was covered in snow, his hair even white with it.

He waited and waited, then realized Cheng Wanyue might have already gone inside. The weather hadn’t affected many flights, and the hall was bustling with people. Her phone was off, and Cheng Yuzhou wasn’t answering calls either.

Qing Hang finally found the broadcasting room.

After Cheng Wanyue checked in Meiqiu for pet transportation, she waited in the waiting room for boarding. She wasn’t going home first; she was going to Nanjing with Cheng Yuzhou.

When the announcer called her name the first time, she thought she’d missed her flight just by going to the restroom.

“Passenger Cheng Wanyue, your valuable lost item is in the broadcasting room. Please come claim it upon hearing this announcement.”