Chapter 92 p1
—I should… go home too.
Qiao Xiaoxiao had used all her strength to hold back her tears.
Wang Su stared at her in a daze, her lips moving slightly, as if a thousand words were stuck in her throat, but in the end, she couldn’t say a single one. On the other hand, Wang Nuanyang happily tugged at her mother and said, “Mommy, look. Don’t Sister Xiaoxiao and I look alike?”
Qiao Xiaoxiao raised her slightly red eyes, her gaze lightly sweeping between Wang Su and Nuanyang. Nuanyang was snuggled affectionately by Wang Su’s side. Wang Su closed her eyes and said slowly, “You do.”
“Right! I was stunned the moment I saw Sister Xiaoxiao. I feel like we’re long-lost sisters!”
Nuanyang was very happy to be acknowledged by her mother, but Wang Su couldn’t say anything more.
The last thing Qiao Xiaoxiao left for Wang Su was a thin, paper-like back. The moment she turned, the wind blew up her loose long hair, revealing half of her pale profile. She walked alone into the endless stream of traffic, her figure gradually swallowed by the hustle and bustle of the city.
Behind her, Nuanyang’s cheerful voice could be faintly heard—
“Wow! Mommy, is this a limited-edition Lego? You really bought it?”
“Did you specially queue up at Wangfujing? You promised to build it with me!”
Those voices grew fainter and fainter and finally dissipated in the wind.
…
Qiao Xiaoxiao did not stay any longer.
She wanted to go home.
Immediately, right now.
She didn’t know how she had gotten through the three-hour high-speed rail journey.
:=
She didn’t cry, she didn’t break down, and she didn’t even feel sad.
She just sat quietly, looking at the rapidly receding scenery outside the window. Her brain was as if it had been frozen, all her emotions, all her thoughts, all solidified.
…
Chu Xinrou had come particularly early today.
She stood at the exit of the high-speed rail station, her fingers unconsciously stroking the edge of her phone, her eyes scanning the arrival times on the electronic screen over and over again. As the train’s arrival drew near, her heartbeat grew faster and faster, the corners of her lips lifting unconsciously, her eyes filled with anticipation.
However—
When Qiao Xiaoxiao’s figure finally appeared, Chu Xinrou’s smile instantly froze.
Xiaoxiao’s face was pale, with heavy dark circles under her eyes. Her whole being was as if all her life had been drained away, and even her steps were so unsteady they were like walking on cotton.
Chu Xinrou’s lips were pressed into a line. She quickly stepped forward and grabbed Xiaoxiao’s cold wrist. The warmth from her palm made her heart tremble. How could it be so cold?
Xiaoxiao trembled violently as if she had been startled and turned her head in a daze. The moment she saw that it was her sister, her empty eyes suddenly filled with a watery light, her red-rimmed eyes filled with tears, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall.
Chu Xinrou felt as if her heart had been torn open.
These past few days, she had been constantly convincing herself: some knots must be faced by Xiaoxiao alone. Even if she’s not at ease, she has to let her face them.
But what about now?
The person who had forced a smile and said “I’m fine” when she left had returned as if her soul had been sucked out.
Chu Xinrou’s nails dug deep into her palm, and an unknown fire raged in her chest.
Over the years, she had always told herself to be understanding.
She had never asked much about Wang Su’s matter, let alone commented on it. But at this moment, seeing Xiaoxiao’s appearance, all her reason was collapsing.
After they got home, Qiao Xiaoxiao was as if the last bit of her strength had been drained.
The steaming hot noodles her sister had cooked had gradually cooled on the bedside table. She hadn’t even changed her clothes. She had just curled up and fallen onto the bed, almost instantly falling into a deep sleep. Her pale cheeks were buried in the pillow, her breathing so light that her chest was barely rising and falling.
Chu Xinrou sat on the edge of the bed, her fingertips gently brushing away the sweaty hair on Xiaoxiao’s forehead. Under the light, the two dark circles under Xiaoxiao’s eyes were particularly glaring, and her lips were slightly chapped from dehydration. Her chest tightened. What on earth has this child been through these past few days?
Late at night, Qiao Xiaoxiao began to toss and turn restlessly. Fine beads of cold sweat seeped out layer by layer, soaking her pajamas half-wet. Her brows were tightly furrowed, as if she were struggling in a nightmare, but she couldn’t wake up. Chu Xinrou hurriedly took out a thermometer, but the reading was completely normal.
“Xiaoxiao? Can you hear me?” She gently patted Xiaoxiao’s sweaty cheek, but the only response was a pained groan.
At three in the morning, Chu Xinrou finally dialed Sophia’s number.
When Sophia rushed over with a medical kit, the accompanying Dr. Li was clearly stunned when she saw the figure on the bed. She quickly stepped forward, but the moment she saw Qiao Xiaoxiao’s condition, she gasped. “Oh my god… this child, how…”
Preliminary examination.
There was nothing wrong with Qiao Xiaoxiao’s body. She was just a little exhausted and haggard. She was given some glucose water. The main reason was in her heart.
When Sophia was leaving, she looked at Chu Xinrou and said worriedly, “Do you want to rest for a while?”
She saw that Chu Xinrou’s complexion was also extremely bad.
Chu Xinrou shook her head. “I’ll stay here.”
She would just stay with Xiaoxiao like this.
She was afraid that when Xiaoxiao woke up from a nightmare, she wouldn’t see her and would think that she had returned to her childhood.
Qiao Xiaoxiao did have a dream.
But it was hard to say whether this dream was a sweet one or a nightmare.
The dream replayed a scene similar to this morning, but the person snuggled by Wang Su’s side was now her. She gently rested her head on her mother’s shoulder, humming an out-of-tune little song, feeling the sun gently caress her cheek.
Wang Su’s eyes were full of doting affection, and she said softly, “When we get home, Mommy will make you braised pork.”
“Okay~” she heard herself reply cheerfully.
It was clearly a warm and bright dream, but for some reason, it was soaked with a heartbreaking pain. The desires that could never be spoken in reality, the expectations buried deep in her heart, had all found a moment of fulfillment in this illusory dream.
…
Qiao Xiaoxiao’s eyes shot open, her chest heaving violently. She gasped for breath, staring at the ceiling in a daze, unable to distinguish between dream and reality for a moment.
“Xiaoxiao, you’re home.”
Chu Xinrou’s gentle voice was like a beam of light, piercing through her chaotic thoughts. Xiaoxiao was stunned for a moment, then slowly turned her head. The moment her scattered gaze met her sister’s face, it gradually focused.
That’s right, she was home.
The dim lights.
Qiao Xiaoxiao leaned against her sister’s embrace and recounted her experiences of the past few days. “I saw my younger sister. I recognized her at a glance. Jiejie, she looks so much like me…”
“When she’s a little older, many people probably won’t be able to tell us apart.”
Chu Xinrou cupped her face and looked into her eyes. “You are Xiaoxiao.”
No matter when, she would recognize her at first glance.
Qiao Xiaoxiao’s nose tingled, and she buried her face deep in her sister’s shoulder. “They live in the second ring of Beijing, where land is as precious as gold. My younger sister has a nanny and lives a very happy life.”
She said it calmly, but every word was like a fine needle, pricking Chu Xinrou’s heart.
Qiao Xiaoxiao was silent for a long time and said, “At the very least, my younger sister has been redeemed.”
She doesn’t have to live her previous life.
She really enjoys a life like a warm sun.
Chu Xinrou’s arms tightened, and she hugged her with almost all her strength.
…
In the following days, Qiao Xiaoxiao’s smiles were clearly fewer.
She needed time to digest these emotions.
During that time, as long as she was at home, Chu Xinrou would definitely be with her. Yang Feitang would also come over every few days, trying all sorts of ways to make her happy, but Qiao Xiaoxiao was always listless.
Most of the time, Qiao Xiaoxiao would just sit alone in a daze. No one knew what she was thinking.
She didn’t cry anymore.
And she didn’t say any resentful words.
She just stayed by herself quietly.
Qingxin was about to move, and they were currently looking for a location everywhere. When Qiao Xiaoxiao returned to the studio, she found that in the days she had been away, everything had been progressing in an orderly manner. The moment she came back, Yuan Lu rushed up. “Oh my god, big sister, you’re finally back.”
If she didn’t come back soon, Sister Wang Ning was afraid she would go crazy.
In the days Qiao Xiaoxiao had been away, Wang Ning had become a workaholic. Three cups of Americano every day, living directly at the company, doing everything herself, her eyes red from staying up late.
Qiao Xiaoxiao was grateful in her heart and even had other thoughts. But when Wang Ning saw her return, she didn’t mention a single word of hardship, just stared into her eyes for a long time and said softly, “You’ve lost weight.”
Qiao Xiaoxiao bit her lip and turned her face away.
Her dejection was not only noticed by Chu Xinrou and Yang Feitang, but by the entire Qingxin staff.
The boss was working as usual, still serious, but her soul was as if half gone.
On Friday afternoon, Chu Xinrou came to Qingxin with two large bags of snacks to comfort everyone. While everyone was gathered around happily, Qiao Xiaoxiao was on the phone in the inner room.
Chu Xinrou stood beside Wang Ning and asked, “How has she been these past few days?”
Wang Ning sighed. “Still the same.”
She had gone back to the village and had come back half-dead.
Chu Xinrou thought for a moment and looked at Wang Ning. “I have an impolite request.”
Wang was surprised and looked at Chu Xinrou, not expecting that such a person would have something to ask of her.
…
