Chapter 60: Xie Qin

"Su Shi."

"What a coincidence, we are getting off at this station too; we'll take you out of the station when the time comes."

Shen Li: "Okay."

When it was almost time for the train to depart, Shen Li looked out the window and discovered that Xie Qin was still outside on the platform.

Seeing that figure, a nameless emotion suddenly surged in her chest.

It was like being brushed by a warm breeze, gently tickling, yet carrying a hint of subtle sweetness.

She picked up her phone from her bag and tapped on that contact she rarely replied to; looking at the chat box, it was filled with over a dozen messages sent by Xie Qin, none of which she had ever replied to.

This time, she took the initiative to edit the chat box and sent him a message: Thank you for seeing me off, hurry back now.

By the platform.

Xie Qin heard the message notification sound and pulled out his phone; the moment the screen lit up and he saw that line of text, a curve spread across the corners of the young man's mouth.

Just then, the train slowly began to move.

It sped away.

One hour later.

Xu Zhouyuan got off a taxi, cursing and swearing, slammed the door shut, and saw the person sitting by the side of the road, "Damn it, you woke me up early in the morning just to have me come pick you up? I thought it was some big deal; you should have just gone with her."

Xie Qin opened his closed eyes, which had some bloodshot streaks and an unconcealable exhaustion and sleepiness; he took the car keys out of his pocket and tossed them to him, "... Go drive."

The car was parked at an intersection not far away.

Xie Qin sat in the passenger seat, curled himself into the seat, adjusted to the most relaxed posture, crossed his arms over his chest, turned his head to the side, and closed his eyes, even his brows showing a sense of lazy weariness.

Xu Zhouyuan started the car and turned the steering wheel to make a U-turn; glancing at the person beside him, he finally couldn't help but speak: "You've gone this far, I'm telling you... that's enough."

"I've been with you for so many years, to be honest, I've never seen you so eager." He paused, his tone tinged with helplessness, "Tell me, are you really serious, or are you just looking for something fresh and want to chase her down to play around with?"

"Shut up." Xie Qin's voice came out muffled from his throat, carrying a hint of impatience.

"Fine, I'm pouring my heart out to you as a brother, and you still find me annoying! If there's any more of this crap, see if I bother with you again!"

A high-speed rail journey of over three hours.

Looking at the familiar buildings of Su Shi, she hailed a taxi nearby.

However, she was not in a hurry to go back, but instead sat down in a quiet park near her grandmother's house.

She just stayed there, quietly.

It wasn't until twilight permeated the sky and the clock struck eight that she got up and walked toward her grandmother's house.

At the entrance was a courtyard filled with many flowers and plants; the plum tree to the side was one she and her grandmother had planted together when she was a child.

This house was allocated by the city when her grandparents went to the countryside to teach; the location was in the center of Su Shi, and the environment was quite good.

After her grandfather passed away, her grandmother had always lived here.

Looking at the dark room with no lights on.

Shen Li took out her key, opened the door, and walked into the entryway; only a small, warm yellow wall lamp was on in the living room, and her grandmother was leaning on the sofa, her eyelids drooping as if she had long since fallen fast asleep.

Shen Li didn't dare to make a sound; after pausing for a moment, she withdrew her gaze, lifted her feet lightly, and returned to the familiar room upstairs.

She opened the door and felt for the light on the wall; when the light came on, she saw that her room had been kept spotlessly clean, and the floral quilt she used was folded neatly.

The room still held that familiar scent of wood.

On the desk by the window, there was still the photo of Shen Li and her grandmother taken when she was eight years old.

She took the suitcase out of the closet and packed the seasonal clothes she needed into it.

There was also that photo in the frame.

Carrying the suitcase in her hand, she went downstairs quietly.

Before leaving, Shen Li stopped in the unlit living room, walked forward slowly, saw her grandmother sleeping soundly on the sofa, found a blanket, and covered her legs with it.

After doing this, Shen Li took one last look at her grandmother and prepared to turn and leave.

But she had only walked a few steps.

When she heard a gentle and kind voice come from behind her: "Your mother called me; I told her you were with me."

Shen Li's body stiffened; she stopped in her tracks, her long eyelashes trembling as she lowered them.

Her hand at her side clenched; with her eyes cast down, a shadow fell over them, and standing in the dim environment, a faint sense of sorrow radiated from her.

"You've been wronged."

"Grandma~"

A single, insignificant expression of concern was enough to make her drop all her disguises; the emotions she could no longer suppress all surged up.

The vision before her eyes began to blur.

Her shoulders trembled slightly.

The sound of sobbing suddenly rang out in the quiet hall.

"Come here... come to Grandma..."

Shen Li turned around and walked to her grandmother's side, crying; she looked extremely aggrieved, squatted down, leaned on her grandmother's lap, and let out a loud, unrestrained cry.

Until that hand was raised to stroke the top of her head, those aged, deep-set eyes filled with a touch of heartache.

"... In the future, if Ruanruan doesn't know where to go, just come find Grandma."

"Our Ruanruan... still has a home..."

These words made Shen Li cry even harder; fragmented sobs spilled from her throat, and even her body couldn't stop shaking.

Grandma knew everything.

She didn't dare to see Grandma.

It was because she was afraid of being blamed, afraid that Grandma would be disappointed in her.

She feared this disappointment would dilute Grandmother's affection for her.

She feared that the only person who liked her would be gone too.

She could not speak well, nor could she make everyone happy; she could not learn to be like Shen Zhaozhao and make everyone like her.

She gave up better schooling and escaped from everything.

She also lost the better version of herself from before…

…

Shen Li stayed at Grandmother's place for the night.

Grandmother heated up food for her and even fried an egg, drizzling soy sauce over it; this was what she loved to eat most when she was little.

Grandmother did not ask anything about where she had gone.

Nor did she ask what she had been doing.

Grandmother said that as long as she was happy, that was enough.

Fortunately, Grandmother was not disappointed in her and still liked her.

Ten-thirty at night.

After finishing talking with Grandmother, Shen Li went to take a shower, and holding a dry towel to wipe her hair, she walked out of the bathroom wearing her nightgown.

The phone placed by the bedside table lit up several times.

She walked forward and unplugged the charger.

She looked at several unread messages.

They were all sent by Xie Qin.

You're quite the scumbag, aren't you!

Ate your fill and wiped your mouth clean, then left without even looking back.

You didn't even know to send a message.

So many calls, and you didn't know to return them?

Calls?

Shen Li's hand, which was wiping her hair, paused; she exited the messages and indeed saw over a dozen missed calls.

However, her phone was on silent, so she hadn't heard them.

Hesitating, Shen Li tapped on his phone number, walked out onto the balcony, and took the initiative to call him back.

In less than three seconds, the other party answered immediately…