Cheng Qing looked up at the upstairs window again, said nothing more, and turned to leave the Luo family.
She left alone, and she returned alone.
In the dead of winter, walking through this unfamiliar neighborhood, every step towards the entrance seemed incredibly long.
When she reached the edge of a garden and saw the lifelike artificial mountain in a pond, she finally couldn't hold on any longer and slid down onto a tree by the roadside.
Tears streamed down her cheeks as she clutched her chest, weeping silently.
In this world, it wasn't just Losi who was separated from the one she loved most...
It's just that everyone expresses sadness in different ways...
***
When Cheng Qing opened her eyes again, she knew what was going on as soon as she saw the unfamiliar ceiling.
A pang of pain shot through her heart, followed by a moment of panic. But when she turned and saw the woman beside her, Luo Xi suddenly flashed into Cheng Qing's mind.
She paused for a moment, took a deep breath, and knew that this was not the time to cry.
She stood up gently and immediately recognized the woman as a former actress who had faded from the spotlight; Cheng Qing had seen many of her television shows.
Seeing that the woman's clothes were intact, he glanced at himself, whose clothes were somewhat disheveled.
Cheng Qing: "..." She could only get up and put on the neatly folded clothes on the bedside table. She knew that these were prepared for her by Cheng Qing from that world, just like she had prepared a set of clothes for her.
She's back. Her body still bears some scars from her sword practice. This is her world, it has everything, except... Losi.
After changing her clothes, Cheng Qing got up and looked around the house, immediately realizing that it was a house where two people lived together.
She stood by the window, peeked out from behind a corner of the window into an unfamiliar neighborhood, a place she had never been before.
A strange noise came from behind, and the woman said coquettishly, "Up so early today?"
Cheng Qing sighed, turned around and looked over, then forced a smile: "Nice to meet you, I'm Cheng Qing."
Cheng Qing looked at the woman opposite him, whose body suddenly stiffened, and at the sudden stare in her eyes. The light in his eyes vanished in an instant.
Cheng Qing could fully understand her feelings, but she couldn't let herself be sad at this moment. Because she knew very well the sadness of the person left behind.
Therefore, she could only face the woman in front of her first, and could only... say goodbye to her properly.
At that moment, she seemed to clearly realize that as a wandering soul from another world, she had casually intruded into someone else's world, their life, their love. Yet, she was leaving like this, and she had no right to be saddened more than those left behind.
"Heh, Cheng Qing? Haven't you always been Cheng Qing?" The woman clearly knew what was going on, but her voice trembled as she spoke.
Cheng Qing lowered her eyelids, concealing the sadness in her eyes, and said softly, "Yes, but today's Cheng Qing is different from yesterday's..."
***
The Luo family heard about what happened on the way and immediately turned their car around and came back.
Even after they returned, Losi simply locked herself in her room and refused to see anyone.
The only sound that could be heard through the soundproof wooden doors was Rossi's constant crying. This was different from when she had just fallen and cried; she was truly heartbroken!
Luo's father stood outside the door listening for a while, and his eyes turned red. He asked his three children angrily, "What's wrong?"
The three Luo brothers were also bewildered and could only shake their heads to indicate that they did not understand.
Luo's father: "Is it because of that Cheng Qing?"
The three Luo brothers shook their heads again: "I don't know."
Luo Mojin thought for a moment, but still said unwillingly, "But who else could it be but her?"
Mr. Luo clenched his fist and asked, "Are you sure it's her?"
Luo Moxiao sighed: "I can't be sure. Bao'er won't let me touch her. She looks like it, but... she doesn't."
Luo's father: "..."
Inside the room, Losi cried for who knows how long; she cried during the day and at night...
Suddenly, I understood that phrase—separation by death.
These four simple words, which used to evoke no particular emotion in anyone, now carry such weight.
She will never see Cheng Qing again, never again!
Just thinking about it made Losi feel like she couldn't breathe, and her whole body ached so much that she wanted to just go and die right then and there.
She lost count of how many cycles of day and night had passed outside the window. As she grieved, she thought of Cheng Qing and everything about her.
So, on that day, she finally opened the door.
The family members waiting outside the door were no more alert than Losi; when they saw the door open, they all showed expressions of relief.
Before she could even get up, Luo Xi had already walked dejectedly toward the guest room where Cheng Qing had slept.
Cheng Qing has left, left this world, so she will leave nothing behind.
Lossie had assumed that was the case, but then she saw a notebook on Cheng Qing's desk. Lossie walked to the desk like a ghost, her hand stroking the notebook.
Her relatives at the door dared not come in. When she arrived home, they all stood at the door watching her touch the notebook, and then slowly turn to the first page.
Only on the homepage did Cheng Qing leave a message.
When Luo Xi saw that Cheng Qing had left a message, she was stunned for a moment, and then looked down at it.
As I watched, I cried... and laughed...
—【We met at the end of September, in early autumn. Perhaps we will part in December, in the depths of winter. Our love lasted only three months, but for the rest of my life, I will love you. —Cheng Qing.】
In the Luo family villa, on the first day of the Lunar New Year, in the dead of winter, in the guest room where Cheng Qing had once slept, Luo Xi's mournful sobs finally rang out again...
Author's Note:
ovo
Chapter 154
Those who were left behind were heartbroken, and those who left were equally heartbroken.
A week after returning to her original world, Cheng Qing gradually adapted to her new world, gradually understood her situation, and gradually began to accept longing as a part of her daily life.
He gathered his shattered heart and set off back to his hometown to visit his family, with whom he had experienced a near-death experience.
Cheng Qing's hometown is quite far from the city she returned to this time. She took a plane to get there and then transferred to another vehicle.
Cheng Qing came from a village. Her parents spent almost all their energy to raise her to become an Olympic champion.
Cheng Qing is not only the pride of the Cheng family, but also the pride of her Cheng family village.
When she got off the car, it was a beautiful time of year in the village, with spring flowers in full bloom. Mother Cheng was sitting at her doorstep weaving baskets when she heard the sound of the iron gate being pushed open. She looked up.
Cheng Qing stood at the gate of the courtyard, pushing her suitcase, looking at her mother, a smile slowly spreading across her face.
Cheng's mother was stunned for a moment, and then tears slid down her wrinkled eyes.
The woven basket in her hand fell to the ground, but she didn't bother to look at it. She just stared blankly at Cheng Qing for a long time.
Cheng Qing was also deeply moved. She walked towards her long-lost mother and called out emotionally, "Mom."
"Qing'er!" For some reason, Cheng's mother burst into tears, and walked tremblingly to Cheng Qing, touching Cheng Qing's face with her trembling hands.
As Cheng Qing got closer, she could see clearly her mother's gray hair and her face, which looked even older than when they last met.
Cheng Qing's eyes reddened and her voice trembled as she asked, "What's wrong? You've already got gray hair in just six months."
Cheng's mother cried and laughed as she carefully looked Cheng Qing up and down before saying, "It's good that you're back. It's good that you're back."
Cheng Qing was stunned for a moment. Logically speaking, Cheng Qing should have met with her family. After all, she left because of a car accident, and her family certainly wouldn't have left her alone in the hospital.
Now that they'd met, what did her mother mean by that? A suspicion suddenly formed in Cheng Qing's mind. She asked doubtfully, "Do you know... about my past..."
She didn't finish speaking, but Cheng's mother already knew what she was going to say and nodded. But she immediately smiled again and led Cheng Qing home.
"Come in quickly, Mom will make you your favorite food." Cheng's mother's voice trembled with excitement at the thought of her daughter being found again.
Cheng Qing felt a pang of sadness and said, "Mom, don't worry, I've been staying at home lately."
Upon hearing this, Cheng's mother was even happier. She went to the yard to help her daughter with her luggage and then pushed her daughter to the living room on the first floor.
As soon as she entered the door, she shouted loudly, "Old man, little sister, come out quickly, Qing'er is back."
As soon as he finished speaking, Cheng's father came downstairs. Seeing Cheng Qing return, he wore a stern expression and sneered, "What are you doing back here?"
Cheng Qing was stunned: "?" Huh? Where did her kind and loving father go?
Upon hearing this, Mrs. Cheng's smiling face froze, then she glared angrily at Mr. Cheng, jumped up, and shouted, "You old fool, what did you say? Say it again! My daughter finally came back, and you're being so mean!!!"
She looked like she was about to rush up and fight him to the death.
Mr. Cheng was also stunned. He backed away while saying, "Why are you yelling at me? She's shameless, so I scolded her a couple of times, and you're yelling at me?"
Cheng Qing: "?" Shameless?
Cheng's mother was even more agitated than Cheng Qing, rushing forward to fight with Cheng's father, yelling, "What did you say! You old fool, what did you say! What did you say?!"
While talking, he started fighting with Cheng's father.
Cheng Qing, stunned, quickly stepped forward to stop them: "Hey, hey, hey, don't do it, don't do it, what happened?"
Cheng Xiaomei also grabbed Cheng's father and looked at Cheng Qing, saying, "Huh? What's wrong? It's just that Dad hasn't accepted your relationship with Miss Qian yet!"
Cheng Qing was stunned for a moment, then remembered that the woman sleeping next to him when he woke up was Qian Xinuan. Ten years ago, she was practically the leading lady on television screens.
Before Cheng Qing left this world, she had already fallen to the point where few young people knew her.
But if we're going to say that, Qian Xinuan could be considered an idol of her parents' generation, right?
Therefore, Cheng Qing couldn't help but complain, "My daughter is dating her idol? What's there to be unhappy about?"
"What did you say?! You little brat?!"
Upon hearing this, Mr. Cheng took off his slippers, but he couldn't withstand Mrs. Cheng's madness and her determination to fight him.
"Why are you yelling at me?! How dare you yell at my daughter?!"
Cheng Qing: "..."
The scene was quite chaotic for a moment, so Cheng Qing simply let go of her mother and let her do as she pleased. With her mother free, Cheng Xiaomei didn't dare to hold onto her father and quickly let go as well.