The place where Cheng Lie lived as a child was located in a narrow alley in South City.
Compared to the bustling city center, this area still felt like a rural village.
As soon as Yun Shifei stepped inside, she sensed a dark, damp sll. The light could only stream down through the narrow gaps above.
Because of this, even though it was dayti, the alley was dim and shadowy.
Cheng Lie held Yun Shifei’s hand, guiding her through the alley.
Yun Shifei noticed puddles of water on the uneven ground, garbage scattered everywhere, and even dead cockroaches and rats in abundance.
But she wasn’t scared, nor did she find it strange. She simply thought to herself, so this is the kind of environnt Cheng Lie grew up in.
Finally, Cheng Lie stopped in front of a building roughly six stories high. He glanced at Yun Shifei and said, "We’re here."
Then, he took out a key and unlocked the door.
The staircase light was dim, and the steps, worn from years of use, were no longer level.
Yun Shifei followed behind Cheng Lie as they climbed up. At last, they stopped on the fourth floor.
Cheng Lie opened the door to reveal a small apartnt, likely only thirty or forty square ters, consisting of one bedroom and one living room.
Everything inside was visible at a glance.
It had been many years since anyone had been here. Yun Shifei noticed the old television set and the calendar, untouched and frozen in ti, dating back more than a decade.
Everything was covered in a layer of dust, thick webs of spider silk draped everywhere.
Cheng Lie’s gaze lingered on those surroundings. This was his first ti stepping into this familiar yet foreign ho after so many years.
The furnishings remained as they were back then, but the gentle woman and the young child had long since vanished.
Yun Shifei could sense the sorrow radiating from Cheng Lie. Unable to resist, she held his hand to console him. His expression stayed cold, as if devoid of emotion.
He seed adept at suppressing his feelings.
Cheng Lie walked to a nearby chair and wiped it clean with tissues. Once he was finished, he said to Yun Shifei, "Co sit down. Wait for a mont."
After speaking, Cheng Lie turned and went into the bedroom.
Yun Shifei stood in the living room, surveying the small space. Though the living room was tiny, it had been tidied and organized neatly. Because it had been untouched for years, it was preserved the way it had been back then.
Yun Shifei noticed a photograph placed next to the television.
Unable to resist, she walked forward to examine it.
The photo captured a woman holding a child’s hand, standing in front of a rry-go-round at an amusent park. The woman’s face was soft and smiling, gentle and beautiful. Even now, she looked like a stunning beauty.
The child was very young, his expression filled with innocence and childlike wonder as he faced the cara.
She thought, if this mother and child had been able to grow together like this, perhaps Cheng Lie wouldn’t be so cold and aloof now.
He had endured too much hardship over the years.
Yun Shifei also recognized that the rry-go-round in the photo was the sa one where she had once taken pictures with her parents.
What a coincidence, she thought.
In the bedroom, Cheng Lie rummaged through boxes and drawers, searching for sothing. After his mother passed away all those years ago, nothing had been packed away in her absence. His mother had no relatives in South City, so Cheng Guomin had handled everything.
This included the funeral, as well as taking him back to his own ho.
Cheng Lie figured Cheng Guomin hadn’t gone through his mother’s belongings either.
As he rummaged, Cheng Lie discovered his mother’s diary. Inside were countless entries about her deepest thoughts.
As he read, Cheng Lie’s gaze grew colder, an ominous aura slowly emanating from him.
After a while, he slipped the diary into his pocket, finding nothing else of value.
Cheng Lie stepped out of the bedroom to see Yun Shifei curiously observing her surroundings. Seeing her slender figure, a tender warmth stirred within him.
Mom, can you see this?
I’m not alone anymore.
I’m no longer struggling alone in the darkness.
Yun Shifei heard footsteps behind her and turned to look at Cheng Lie.
Before she fully turned, she was enveloped in his arms.
His tall fra encased her completely.
Yun Shifei obediently stayed within his embrace, neither resisting nor pushing him away. She softly asked, "Did you find it?"
Cheng Lie responded with a simple "Mm."
He buried his head against Yun Shifei’s neck, inhaling her scent greedily. Only like this could he cleanse the filth that tainted his soul.
Though Yun Shifei felt tickled by his actions, she restrained herself from moving.
She could feel Cheng Lie’s fragility in that mont.
On the outside, he seed invincible, capable of pulling himself out of the abyss.
But only she knew how great a price he had paid to climb out of hell.
After a while, Cheng Lie released her. Casting one last glance at this ho, he held her hand and led her out the door.
As they stepped out, they saw the neighboring door open. Out ca an elderly woman, stooped and with a head full of white hair.
The old woman seed surprised. After years of no one visiting the apartnt next door, why were two strangers suddenly erging from it?
Suspicious at first, her expression quickly changed when Cheng Lie called out, "Grandma."
Upon hearing him, the old woman froze, her face initially filled with shock before giving way to excitent.
"Is it... Xiao Lie?" The old woman looked at Cheng Lie with astonishnt.
Cheng Lie nodded.
"Oh my goodness! Look at you—you’ve grown so big! The last ti I saw you, you were just a little bean, so tiny." She gestured with her hands. "I can’t believe how much ti has passed—you’re all grown now, and so handso too."
Cheng Lie smiled gently at the elderly woman.
Yun Shifei recognized that this was a genuine smile. She thought, surely the people and events of his childhood had brought him warmth and solace.
It was why he let his guard down in front of this old woman and showed her such a kind, sincere smile.
Leaning on her cane, the elderly woman chatted with Cheng Lie for a while.
She herself was pleased to see an old acquaintance. Over the years, she had lost her husband, and her children had grown and moved away. They rarely returned. Alone in her house with no one to talk to, she felt increasingly lonely.
Now, seeing Cheng Lie—the child she had cared for during a period of her life—had brought her imnse joy.
As they talked, her gaze shifted to Yun Shifei.
"This young lady here—is she your girlfriend?"
Yun Shifei followed Cheng Lie’s lead and called her "Grandma."
The old woman, observing the gentle expression on Yun Shifei’s face, nodded approvingly before adding, "Xiao Lie, live your life well. Your mother, watching from heaven, will surely be happy."
She had known the events of years past, and as a neighbor, had shared in the sadness.
The man who had taken Cheng Lie away—she had known he wasn’t a good person. But still, she had been powerless to intervene.
Now, seeing Cheng Lie grow into such a fine man and bringing along a girlfriend, the old woman was overjoyed.
"How about we have a al together?" The old woman suggested enthusiastically.
Before Cheng Lie could respond, Yun Shifei said, "Sounds good."
She could tell the elderly woman was thrilled to have company, after being alone for so long.
Suddenly, she thought of Old Mrs. Xu, recalling how this woman seed even older and lonelier than her.
Reviews
All reviews (0)