Translator:
Lonelytree
Editor:
Millman97
They were in the same city, but he didn’t go look for her, nor did she. Thus, their path diverged.
One week soon passed.
On the morning of Qin Yinan’s birthday, Cheng Qingchong received a call from Jin Ze, telling her that he would arrive at Beijing at 11 pm. However, because he had a meeting with an important client that night, he wouldn’t be able to see her.
Jin Ze also told her to pack her things. The following morning, he would have someone come fetch her stuff, and after accompanying him to a party that afternoon, they would depart for Shanghai. After hanging up the phone, Cheng Qingchong, who had slept late the previous night, lost the need to sleep.
She stayed in bed doing nothing before getting up to walk to the window. Looking at the city that was rising up to welcome a new day, her fingertip scrawled ‘Yinan, happy birthday’ several times on the misty glass before sighing lightly to head to the bathroom.
After her morning ritual, Cheng Qingchong started to pack. She worked until 1 pm before all her stuff was packed, and she placed everything on the balcony attached to the living room.
Jin Ze summoned her only the following morning, so in other words, she had one whole afternoon and night of free time to herself. After this day, she believed that she wouldn’t return to Beijing in her whole life.
Cheng Qingchong glanced at her packed luggage for a while and grabbed her purse, changed her shoes, and left the door. Cheng Qingchong didn’t know where she should go. She wandered aimlessly at the gate of her apartment, and when she saw an empty cab pass, she stopped it.
After she got in, she gave the driver an address. When the driver heard the address, his face was suffused with hesitation.
Cheng Qingchong pulled a stack of bills out from her bag and passed them to the driver. After another bout of hesitation, the driver took the money and started the car.
The car drove for two hours before it reached the destination. Cheng Qingchong didn’t ask the driver to drive her up to the summit but told him to park by the roadside. She asked the driver to wait for her as she got back. She followed the hiking trail and slowly went up the hill.
She walked for forty minutes before she reached the familiar empty space.
It was still early, and the sun hadn’t even set. Cheng Qingchong tipped her head back to look at the blue sky, but for some reason, she felt like she was looking at the sky full of stars from two years back.
Close your eyes.
Why? Why are you being so mysterious?
Close your eyes first.
Okay, you can open your eyes now.
What’s wrong? Did I do something wrong?
She didn’t expect that the night that he had set up for her to fall into was the most beautiful night of her life.
Afraid that the driver wouldn’t wait for her, Cheng Qingchong stood for only half an hour before she went back down the hill. As she got into the car, she apologized and thanked the driver before asking him to drive her back to the city.
Not long after her taxi left, an expensive black car came up the hill. It took the turn and headed up the summit.
The car parked at the empty expanse, and the top opened. Qin Yinan raised his head to look at the sun that was setting as the horizon was painted a golden orange.
It was his birthday, and he was supposed to have dinner with his parents that night, but for some reason, while he was working that afternoon, he was suddenly reminded of her.
From what she had told him, he knew that she would be leaving the next day.
