Chapter 78 p1
Qiao Xiaoxiao didn’t remember the last time she had cried so heartbrokenly.
When she was young, she had never understood why fate had to be so harsh to her. While her peers were playing in the sun, she could only struggle in the gloom. Although the pain at that time was deep, there was always a faint flame burning in her heart.
She always thought that there was still tomorrow, still hope.
It wasn’t until she met Chu Xinrou that God finally showed her mercy. That period of time was as beautiful as a dream. For the first time, Qiao Xiaoxiao tasted the flavor of happiness, as if the whole world was blooming with light for her.
But now, this beam of light that had illuminated her life had been extinguished without a sound.
She had not yet understood the sweetness of love in her youth, but she had first tasted the bitterness of loss. Even the heavens were in tune with her mood, and a drizzling rain began to fall. Pedestrians on the street hurried to take shelter, and only Qiao Xiaoxiao walked alone in the rain like a wandering soul.
The cold raindrops hit her skin, stirring up deep-seated memories. She remembered the day she had first met Chu Xinrou. It was also such a cold and rainy day. She was drenched, and she had watched as her sister’s warm hand reached out to her.
Suddenly, Qiao Xiaoxiao started to run. The black emotions that had been pent up in her chest had nowhere to vent. She ran wildly in this city where she had lived for three years. The rain mixed with her tears, blurring her vision. It wasn’t until she was exhausted that she collapsed on the wet and cold ground, letting the rain and tears mix.
…
Yang Feitang was rummaging through the medicine cabinet for fever-reducing medicine, muttering to herself, “I just don’t get it. How can she get herself into such a state? That little brat even dared to turn off her phone. Does she know how many things are waiting for her to handle?”
On the sofa, Chu Xinrou was lying quietly. Her burning body temperature made her skin flush with an unnatural red, and the throbbing pain in her temples was as if her head was about to be split open.
That day it had rained. She had been worried after all and had gone out in a hurry to look for Xiaoxiao for half a day. Her body was drenched, and that night, she had developed a high fever.
Ever since Qiao Xiaoxiao had stormed out that day, she had never come back. Yuan Lu had said that she had only seen her once at the studio, drenched and in a sorry state. “Sister Ning, I’ll leave this to you. I have to go out for a while.”
Every corner of this city was filled with her sister’s scent. Qiao Xiaoxiao really couldn’t stay any longer. She had to escape, or she would be drowned by these memories sooner or later.
Wang Ning looked at her dripping clothes and hair. “Xiaoxiao, you…”
Qiao Xiaoxiao blinked hard, stubbornly holding back her tears. “Is it okay, Sister Ning?”
Wang Ning looked into her red-rimmed eyes and finally just nodded gently and said, “Don’t worry.”
Qiao Xiaoxiao had only taken her ID card and a bank card. Bai Qi had quietly accompanied her. When she had heard that they were going to her hometown to see the scenery together, Bai Qi’s eyes had instantly lit up. But after seeing Qiao Xiaoxiao’s red and swollen eyes, her small hands had unconsciously clutched the hem of her clothes.
“It’s okay,” Qiao Xiaoxiao’s voice was so distant it was as if it would dissipate in the wind at any moment. “I just want to go for a walk.”
In the end, she couldn’t bring herself to be a complete bastard.
Before she left, she had sent a WeChat message to Yang Feitang.
—Sister Yang, I want to go out and relax. Please take care of my sister.
Yang Feitang’s voice messages had almost instantly bombarded her, but Qiao Xiaoxiao had not opened them. Her fingertips had lingered on Chu Xinrou’s profile picture for a long time before she had finally pressed the power off button, isolating herself from all the message notifications.
It had been too long.
Whether it was the accumulated fatigue in her heart,
or the weariness that had settled in her body,
it was about to crush her.
She needed to breathe,
to escape,
to learn how to breathe again.
A road trip had become the best choice. The nervousness of a novice driver had actually become a salvation, forcing Qiao Xiaoxiao to concentrate on the road ahead, temporarily escaping the memories that followed her like a shadow.
The trunk was soon filled with specialty snacks collected along the way. Bai Qi was, after all, still a child. She was overjoyed at the sight of the colorful packaging bags. All the way, she was like a little squirrel hoarding food, her cheeks always puffed up.
They had decided to go north to Beijing first, then south to Guizhou, letting the scenery unfold slowly under the wheels.
They chased after every sunrise and sunset. At the Juyongguan Great Wall, when the first ray of morning light pierced through the sea of clouds, Bai Qi had excitedly tugged at Qiao Xiaoxiao’s sleeve. On the banks of the Tuo River in Xiangxi, the setting sun had plated the stilted buildings in a golden light. The two of them had sat side by side on the pebble beach, letting the evening wind gently caress their hair. Every kilometer of the journey had made the starlight in Bai Qi’s eyes even more brilliant.
Bai Qi, who had once struggled for survival, had never thought that she would have such a luxurious and happy journey.
The little girl’s innocent and romantic smile was like a ray of sunshine, and it could occasionally make the corners of Qiao Xiaoxiao’s lips lift slightly.
But every time night fell, Qiao Xiaoxiao would fall into a long period of insomnia. She would stare at the unfamiliar ceiling with her eyes open, and Chu Xinrou’s figure would uncontrollably appear in her mind—her smiling eyes, her soft body with a faint fragrance, her gentle and watery whispers, and the way she had said “you must be good” as she stroked her hair.
It was all her.
Her mind was full of her…
Late at night, when Bai Qi had groggily gotten up to go to the bathroom, she had vaguely glimpsed the tears shining in the corners of Qiao Xiaoxiao’s eyes.
She had frozen on the spot and was about to take a closer look when Qiao Xiaoxiao had already turned her back.
Although she had grown a lot, the Qiao Xiaoxiao who was curled up into a ball at this moment looked so fragile and pitiful.
Bai Qi had opened her mouth, wanting to say something to comfort her, but in the end, she had just silently swallowed her words.
She didn’t know anything. How could she comfort her sister?
But Bai Qi had received instructions from Wang Ning and had to report her safety every day and tell her about Qiao Xiaoxiao’s condition.
On the first day, Bai Qi had sent a picture of Qiao Xiaoxiao with her hands on the steering wheel, driving woodenly.
—My sister seems unhappy.
On the second day, Bai Qi had sent a picture of Qiao Xiaoxiao’s back.
—My sister… seems to be crying secretly.
On the third day at dusk, after passing through a dark tunnel, the usually quiet Bai Qi had suddenly pointed out the window. “Sister, look quickly! Doesn’t that cloud look like cotton candy?”
Qiao Xiaoxiao had looked in the direction Bai Qi was pointing and had seen a magnificent sunset spreading across the sky. On the indigo sky, a few fluffy clouds had been dyed a honey-like orange-pink by the setting sun. The one in the middle was particularly cute, with a golden edge around its round shape, and it was spread out fluffily, indeed looking very much like cotton candy.
The evening wind had slipped in through the crack in the car window, gently blowing Bai Qi’s bangs. Her eyes were shining, and the corners of her mouth were lifted into a big curve, revealing two sweet dimples. Her whole little face was bathed in the golden light of the sunset, and even her eyelashes were plated in a warm glow.
That smile was so brilliant that it seemed to outshine the entire sky of fiery clouds.
Nature indeed has a magical healing power.
And a pure heart can soothe a tired soul even more.
Qiao Xiaoxiao felt that the crack in her heart was slowly healing, but every time she raised her phone to take a picture, she would still unconsciously think: if only my sister were by my side, how wonderful it would be.
As they approached Guizhou, Bai Qi’s grandmother had heard that her granddaughter was bringing back a “leader from the city” and had led the whole family to wait eagerly at the village entrance.
This was an ancient village hidden deep in the mountains of Guizhou, rarely visited, but breathtakingly beautiful.
When Qiao Xiaoxiao’s SUV had slowly driven in, she had seen a large family waiting for her. She had turned to look at Bai Qi.
Bai Qi was very happy. She had waved at her family and had said to Qiao Xiaoxiao, “I told them not to come and welcome us, but they insisted.”
Fortunately, Bai Qi was still gentle and sensible. She had not let her family bother Qiao Xiaoxiao too much. After taking her to the hotel in the mountain village, she had let her rest and had said that there would be a bonfire party in the evening.
When the room was finally empty, Qiao Xiaoxiao was once again swallowed by the boundless darkness. She didn’t know if it was the fatigue of the past few days of running around, or the longing that had been suppressed for too long. What was indelible before her eyes was Chu Xinrou’s eyes, which were full of disappointment.
My sister… must be very angry, right?
This thought was like a thorn, deeply embedded in her heart.
…
