Chapter 28: Lingering Echoes
Wen Hupo was leaving.
After the disastrous sports meet, after losing Miss Lu, she was leaving, departing with nothing, just as she had arrived with nothing. Learning this news, Lu Li became withdrawn and quiet. He was thinking.
Every morning, the first thing he did wasn’t to wake up the sleepy An Baili, or to wash up, but to sit on his bed, thinking about what he should do.
Should he try to keep Wen Hupo from leaving? In what capacity?
Before visiting Wen Hupo, he would have denied it without hesitation. Back then, he had chosen to accept her decision, to respect her choice. He never had the right to interfere with the golden-haired angel’s life.
But Wen Hupo’s words that day were deeply etched in his mind, and he couldn’t help but wonder, what were Wen Hupo’s true feelings for him in his past life?
If it was friendship, then why did she send him those meaningful blank letters without fail? And the reason she gave for their separation didn’t make sense. If it wasn’t friendship, then was it… love? Unrequited love, leading her to cut ties, yet still sending him blank letters because she couldn’t let go? This would explain everything, but…
Lu Li rubbed his temples.
But was he just being delusional again? Wen Hupo always had that indifferent demeanor, making it difficult to read her emotions. Would she really like him? The person he had a crush on also had a crush on him? Was he that lucky?
Whenever he doubted himself, he would remember what An Baili had said, that in the uneventful first life, he and Wen Hupo naturally ended up together. This seemed to confirm something.
Even if Wen Hupo had loved him in his past life, what about this life? Did she still harbor those feelings?
Lu Li ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. He had never felt so conflicted and hesitant. He could make quick decisions when dealing with other relationships, but with Wen Hupo, he was always uncertain and indecisive, losing his usual composure.
Time continued to slip away. He, An Baili, and Chu Jingyi still went to school, ate together, hung out after school, and even had dinner at the Chu family’s on weekends. But behind this ordinary routine was a ticking clock. Wen Hupo was becoming more and more like a ghost, only appearing in the activity classroom in the morning, then leaving in the afternoon. She said she was looking for Miss Lu, but whenever someone asked who Miss Lu was, she never answered.
Whenever he chatted with the girls, Lu Li would often zone out. He was still thinking about that question: should he try to convince Wen Hupo to stay, and could he even succeed?
He didn’t know, but his hesitation was noticed by both An Baili and Chu Jingyi.
One day, An Baili and Chu Jingyi stayed at school to take care of some things. Lu Li went home alone, a rare occurrence. Instead of taking the bus, he walked to the Jinjiang Bridge, looking out at the river, the wind blowing against his face.
A drunken man stumbled towards him. Seeing Lu Li standing by the railing, lost in thought, he shouted, “Young man, don’t do anything rash, don’t do anything rash.” He tried to grab Lu Li’s hand, but he was too drunk and missed. The drunkard collapsed beside Lu Li, still mumbling, “Don’t throw your life away for a woman, young man…”
Lu Li chuckled wryly. “I’m just enjoying the view.”
The man sat up, swaying, and leaned against the railing. “Aren’t you going to jump? I, I thought—hic—I thought you were going to jump. Every year, there are a few young people who jump from this bridge. Splash. Then the police have to borrow a fishing boat to retrieve the bodies, two bloated corpses—hic—I’ve seen it many times! Many times!”
Seeing that Lu Li didn’t respond, the drunkard, emboldened by the alcohol, continued, “Young man, at your age, don’t take love too seriously. Life is long, making money is what matters.” He struggled to his feet and stumbled away, mumbling something Lu Li couldn’t quite hear.
So drunk, with no one to take care of him, you should be the one feeling sad, mister. Lu Li shook his head. But he was right. Every year, many heartbroken young people jumped from the Jinjiang Bridge, like characters in a martial arts novel, ending their sorrows with a single leap, so carefree. But they didn’t know the endless grief they left behind for their loved ones, especially their parents, who had spent over twenty years raising them, only to spend decades trying to heal from the unbearable pain of losing a child. And all this for someone who never cared about them, how ridiculous was that?
Lu Li placed his hand on the cold railing and remained silent.
He took out his phone, opened WeChat, and found Wen Hupo’s contact, the one with the default profile picture. He was the one who helped her register the account. Her only contact was him. He pressed the video call button and waited, trying to gather his scattered thoughts.
The ringing tone seemed to stretch on forever.
The call connected, but there was no sound on the other end.
“Is this Wen Hupo?” Lu Li asked.
A familiar, ethereal voice came. “Yes, it’s me. Is something the matter?”
“Do you have to go back? Can’t you stay?”
“…”
After a long silence, Wen Hupo said, “I can’t…” The last word was drawn out, as if she was also struggling.
“Then… okay, let’s keep in touch.”
“Okay.”
The call ended.
Lu Li looked at his own reflection in the dark phone screen and couldn’t help but mock himself. “Why are you so useless? Why are you so timid in front of Wen Hupo, like a little kitten? Did Miss Lu possess you or something?”
Back in the villa, after ending the call with Lu Li, Wen Hupo received another call, from her father, Mr. Diplomat.
“Good afternoon, my lady, haha, well, it’s not really afternoon anymore. Have you had dinner? If not, I’ll have the driver pick you up and we can have dinner together at the embassy.”
“I’ve already eaten.” She hadn’t. She had been busy looking for the cat and hadn’t had dinner yet.
Mr. Diplomat didn’t press the matter and said with a smile, “That’s a pity. My lady, I’m calling to inform you that I’ve booked our flight for June 6th. Well, to be honest, it’s not an auspicious date, but we’ve wasted enough time already, and we need to return to the Amber family as soon as possible. Have you completed the school withdrawal procedures?”
“Yes, everything is done. I can withdraw anytime.” Wen Hupo’s expression remained unchanged.
“Excellent! You’re a model for the Amber family! If only your brothers were as efficient as you.”
Actually, Wen Hupo had never met her brothers, or rather, no one wanted to meet her. A stray illegitimate daughter, her only purpose was to secure a small share of the inheritance for her father. No one cared who she was, they just needed to know she existed.
“I remember you like pandas? It’s a pity I can’t get you a real panda from China, but I can buy you a giant panda plush toy as a farewell gift.” Mr. Diplomat continued to ramble. He actually misremembered. Wen Hupo didn’t like pandas, it was one of her sisters, a short and outspoken girl, who liked them. He had never truly cared about his illegitimate daughter.
“Thank you. I’ll pack my luggage as soon as possible.”
“Good, then I’ll see you at the airport. Do you need me to send the driver to pick you up?”
“No, I can get there myself.”
“Okay.”
He hung up abruptly, without hesitation.
The little maid finally dared to speak. “Um, Miss, do you need help packing?”
“No, I only have one suitcase.” Wen Hupo returned to her room and closed the door.
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