Chapter 667 Nodding
Qi Tongwei shook her hand off with force and said in a cold voice: "Liang Lu, it's impossible. Get married, have children, and live your own life. Don't come to me again." Liang Lu staggered a few steps and looked at him in disbelief: "I can't help it. You are the only one in my heart..."
Qi Tongwei was upset and went to an old friend to talk. The old friend advised him: "Liang Lu is also a poor person. She loved you too fiercely back then and hurt herself and also hurt you. You have to make things clear with her and break up completely." Qi Tongwei knew this, but facing Liang Lu's tearful eyes, he swallowed back the decisive words.
At the same time, Liang Lu's family was on the verge of breaking up. Her husband noticed her absent-mindedness and they quarreled constantly. The children watched their parents quarrel with fear in their eyes. Liang Lu was filled with guilt, but she could not stop chasing Qi Tongwei. She felt that only Qi Tongwei could fill the void in her heart that had been there for many years, which was the regret of unfinished love in her youth.
After another fierce quarrel, Liang Lu ran out of the house late at night and unknowingly walked to the vicinity of Qi Tongwei's residence. She looked at the dark window, full of sadness, and curled up on the bench downstairs all night. In the early morning, Qi Tongwei went out to work. Seeing Liang Lu, whose face was blue and purple from the cold, a trace of pity flashed through his heart, but reason told him that he should not be soft-hearted. "Liang Lu, wake up, go home, don't torture yourself like this." He gently shook her awake. Liang Lu opened her eyes and saw Qi Tongwei, and hugged him: "Tongwei, I have no home, I only have you..." Qi Tongwei sighed and slowly pushed her away: "Liang Lu, why are you doing this, we can't go back, you have to be responsible for your own life."
After that, Liang Lu fell seriously ill and lay in bed with a hollow look in her eyes. The careful care of her family and the persuasion of her friends made her begin to reflect on her obsession. When Qi Tongwei heard that she was ill, he sent flowers and a sympathy card to her. The card simply said: "I hope you get well soon, let go of the past, and live a good life." Looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar handwriting, Liang Lu burst into tears, and her years of persistence collapsed at this moment.
Liang Lu clutched the sympathy card tightly, her tears soaking the paper and blurring the short but heavy words. The obsession that had supported her for many years collapsed at this moment like a sand castle in the tide. For the first time, she realized so clearly that what she was chasing was just a wisp of wind that had long since dissipated, leaving behind only a devastated life and a broken heart.
After recovering from her illness, Liang Lu dragged her weak body back home. There was anger, helplessness, and more fatigue in her husband's eyes, and the children hid timidly aside, not daring to approach. The family atmosphere was cold as ice, and every inch of air seemed to be condensed with embarrassment and alienation. Liang Lu wanted to apologize, but her throat seemed to be blocked, and those words of guilt could not be squeezed out. At night, she lay alone in bed, looking at the dark ceiling, and the past scenes flashed back wildly: the high-spirited and dream-chasing Qi Tongwei on campus, the indifferent back when he turned away resolutely, and her own shivering in the cold wind in the early morning... She covered her face, tears slipped through her fingers, silently soaking the pillow.
Qi Tongwei was also exhausted by the emotional entanglement that lasted for many years. At work, his frequent absent-mindedness caused him to make several low-level mistakes. The dissatisfaction of his superiors and the strange eyes of his colleagues were like a thorn in his back. He knew that if he continued like this, the foundation of his career that he had worked hard for many years would be shaky. And Liang Lu's relentless pursuit was more like an invisible rope that made him breathless. Every time he faced her tears and pleading, the remaining guilt in his heart would be infinitely magnified, but reason was screaming wildly: they had already embarked on different life trajectories, and if they continued to entangle, there would be no recovery.
Finally, after another awkward encounter with Liang Lu, Qi Tongwei broke down. He ignored the shocked looks of his colleagues, rushed back to the office, grabbed the car keys, and drove away in full view of everyone. He drove at lightning speed, and the scenery outside the window flashed by like a slide show, but his heart and eyes were full of confusion and bewilderment. He didn't know how long he drove until he saw a familiar country road, and then he realized that he had subconsciously returned to his hometown.
That remote but peaceful little village holds his most innocent and unfettered childhood. The old house is mottled and dilapidated, but it exudes a reassuring atmosphere. Qi Tongwei dragged his heavy steps into the house. His parents had been waiting for a long time. Seeing their son exhausted and with bloodshot eyes, they felt distressed and their eyes were red, although they didn't know what was going on. His mother silently brought the steaming hot meals, and his father handed over his pipe and whispered, "Child, what's the problem? Eat something hot and have a good sleep. No matter how big the problem is, the family will support you here." At that moment, Qi Tongwei burst into tears that he had been holding back for many days. In front of his parents, he didn't need to pretend or hold on.
However, the peace did not last long. After Liang Lu found out that Qi Tongwei was missing, she asked around like crazy. The evasive answers from her colleagues and the vague responses from her friends made her more and more certain that Qi Tongwei had returned to his hometown. As if by some strange coincidence, she also set foot on this unfamiliar land. When she stood at the entrance of Qi Tongwei's hometown, looking at the scene of smoke rising from the chimneys and the sounds of chickens and dogs, she suddenly felt that she was out of tune with this land. But the obsession in her heart drove her to move forward.
Qi Tongwei was helping his father repair farm tools in the yard. When he looked up, he saw Liang Lu's familiar yet abrupt figure. He froze instantly, and the hammer in his hand fell to the ground with a harsh sound. "Liang Lu, why are you here?" His voice was filled with anger and helplessness that were difficult to conceal. Liang Lu's lips trembled, and she hesitated to speak. After a long while, she stammered, "I... I'm afraid something will happen to you. I just want to see you." Qi Tongwei laughed in anger: "Look at me? Look at what you have done to my life!"
This roar broke the tranquility of the small village, and the neighbors cast curious glances. Qi Tongwei's father frowned, walked out of the house, and looked back and forth between the two of them: "What's going on?" Qi Tongwei was full of guilt and bowed his head without saying a word. Seeing this, Liang Lu knelt down with a "thump" and burst into tears: "Uncle, it's my fault. I have caused too much trouble for Tongwei, but I... I really can't let him go." The old man was shocked, helped Liang Lu up, and turned to look at his son: "Tongwei, tell Dad the truth, what's wrong with this girl?"
Qi Tongwei took a deep breath and told his father everything about the school dispute many years ago and the subsequent entanglement. After listening, his father was silent for a long time, and then he slowly said: "Son, don't drag on the past. You two have taken different paths, so you should break up completely. Don't let the girl down, and don't ruin your future." Qi Tongwei nodded heavily.