Chapter 456
But he made no move to stand, continuing to sit under the poplar tree, his eyes half-closed as if dozing off.
“Why is that guy sitting there?” A couple, leaning on each other, passed by from a distance and softly murmured as they saw Lu Sheng sitting under the tree. They quickly walked away. Ti passed little by little, with the occasional passerby in the small woods glancing curiously at Lu Sheng as he sat under the tree.
Soon, dusk fell. Night shrouded the forest. The temperature dropped, and a cold wind blew, covering the grass and trees with a thin layer of frost.
The day broke once more, and a new dawn arrived. Birds chirped in the forest. A bold wild bird flapped its wings and landed on Lu Sheng’s shoulder.
Lu Sheng remained motionless, as still as a clay statue.
People ca and went, the sun rose and set. Light and shadow alternated on Lu Sheng’s body. For three whole days and nights, Lu Sheng remained unchanged. Leaves and dust accumulated on his clothes, making him look like a lifeless statue.
During this ti, his phone rang nurous tis in his pocket, but Lu Sheng ignored it.
……
“Oh my god!”
A couple passed by again. The woman, spotting Lu Sheng sitting under the tree, couldn’t help but exclaim in shock, “That guy we saw a few days ago is still here? He’s covered in moss! Could he be dead?”
The man, who also rembered Lu Sheng, quickly said, “Let’s go check.”
They stepped on the crackling leaves as they hurried over …
***
Halfway through walking, the man suddenly stopped.
“He’s breathing; this person is still alive …” Upon getting closer, they could clearly see the young man sitting under the tree, faint wisps of breath escaping from his nose and mouth.
“Then why has he been sitting here for so long, it’s been days …”
“Maybe he’s been through so kind of shock. A breakup, perhaps …”
“Soone who looks like this can get dumped?”
Although the young man had his head slightly lowered, the woman could still see that his looks were extraordinary.
The man glared at the woman with a trace of annoyance but, driven by a sense of compassion, stepped forward and asked, “Brother, are you alright?”
This question seed to awaken the young man from his slumber. He gradually ca to his senses, slowly lifting his head.
The two were greeted by an incredibly youthful and handso face, with eyes full of confusion.
The handso young man’s gaze focused on them, finally coming into clarity.
“Nothing, I was just thinking about sothing I can’t figure out …”
The young man’s voice was hoarse and dry, likely because he hadn’t eaten or spoken for a long ti.
“Damn, you’ve been thinking about it for three days and still can’t figure it out?” The man clicked his tongue, pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, and offered one to the young man.
“If you don’t mind, why don’t you tell about it? What’s bothering you?” As he spoke, the man gave his girlfriend a signal. Reluctantly, the woman walked a short distance away, giving them so space. The handso young man accepted the cigarette but didn’t light it.
After a mont of silence, he said, “There’s sothing I thought I had planned very thoroughly, with almost no room for error. I even had it repeatedly verified by the most authoritative institution. But in the end, sothing unexpected happened. The result was completely different from what I anticipated.”
“Oh, I thought it was sothing serious …” The man lit his cigarette, took a drag, and smiled, “You already said it was an accident. If it’s an accident, then that’s normal.”
“But I had it verified by an authority. The authority told there would be no accidents.”
“Then that only ans the authority you trusted wasn’t that authoritative after all. Maybe they were even a fraud …” The man casually remarked.
These words caused the young man’s expression to shift suddenly.
“Not authoritative enough … a fraud …” These two phrases struck his mind like lightning, illuminating countless details he had previously overlooked.
“As the saying goes, ‘In life, nine out of ten things don’t go as planned …’”
The man, cigarette in mouth, reached out as if to pat the young man’s shoulder, but halfway through, he pulled his hand back instinctively.
“Why think so much about it? If you fall down, just get back up. If you fail, start over. It’s a simple thing, no need to overcomplicate it.”
“You’re right. I’ve always overthought things, always thought I was being clever …” The young man’s eyes gradually brightened, undergoing a visible transformation.
The leaves and dust on his body began to fall away, and he stood up from under the tree. It was as if the entire forest had been illuminated by light.
In just a few breaths, the handso young man had undergone a stunning transformation, like a diamond dug from the soil, wiped clean of all dirt and gri, now gleaming brilliantly.
This miraculous change left the man, cigarette dangling from his mouth, dumbstruck, staring in shock.
“Thank you …” The young man smiled slightly at the man, and then, like a bubble, he dissolved into the light.
Plop—
The man’s jaw dropped, and the cigarette fell from his mouth onto the ground. Turning around, he t his girlfriend’s equally stunned face.
The two stared at each other.
“Holy crap! Did we just see a ghost in broad daylight?!”
……
“Greetings, Commander.”
As Lu Sheng walked into the hotel, the officer standing at the entrance imdiately snapped to attention and saluted him.
Then he quickly reported, “The military hasn’t been able to contact you. They need you to report to the Central Military Region as soon as possible, preferably before the day after tomorrow.”
“Alright, got it.”
Lu Sheng nodded and calmly walked into the elevator, heading upstairs.
Once inside his hotel room, Lu Sheng took out his phone and checked the missed calls and unread ssages that had accumulated over the past three days.
Most were from the Eastern Military Region, likely growing anxious after not being able to reach him for so long. But since he had now resurfaced, there was no need to call back.
There were also several missed calls from important individuals.
Lu Sheng picked the most significant one and dialed back.
“Lu Sheng …” The familiar, slightly cool voice of Dong Qingxue ca from the other end, accompanied by a faint sigh of relief.
“Sorry, sothing ca up, and I couldn’t answer the phone,” Lu Sheng explained.
“Mm.” Dong Qingxue acknowledged softly and then asked, “Your parents are doing well here, having a great ti. Did you resolve your matters on your end?”
Lu Sheng’s eyes flickered as he smiled and nodded, “It’s been taken care of.”
“That’s good.”
Dong Qingxue had no idea what exactly Lu Sheng had been dealing with, but judging by how the Eastern Military Region had beco increasingly respectful toward his parents and herself in the past few days, it must have been sothing significant and successful.
Since the issue was resolved, she saw no reason to ask further.
Dong Qingxue had never been one for unnecessary curiosity.
“I might not be able to attend the Grand Military Martial Arts Exhibition this ti …”
“No worries, just help take care of my parents. I can handle things here …” Lu Sheng’s tone paused for a mont before resolutely adding, “I’ll manage.”
Dong Qingxue didn’t pick up on the subtlety in his words and simply replied, “Alright then. I’ll hang up now. Goodbye.”
After hanging up, Lu Sheng briefly chatted in the family group chat with his parents and Lu Qinghe.
They showered Dong Qingxue with praise, talking about how much they enjoyed their ti in the Eastern Military Region. In particular, Lu Qinghe seed so happy she didn’t want to leave.
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