Chapter 30: Lingering Melodies
The rain continued for days. For most people, the most irritating kind of rain wasn’t a downpour, but a persistent drizzle, a constant, melancholic complaint like a lonely woman in her chambers, its capricious nature reflecting the changing seasons between spring and summer. For Lu Li, however, this drizzle was strangely calming.
Puddles had formed along the covered walkway in the school park, reflecting the gray sky.
Lu Li had been searching for days, but he hadn’t seen Wen Hupo. What worried him most was that the activity classroom had been meticulously cleaned. The empty paint boxes were gone, and so was the easel. The entire classroom looked brand new, so new that it felt unfamiliar to Lu Li.
She truly was like a ghost, suddenly appearing, suddenly disappearing, arriving with boundless promise and imagination, leaving him with a lingering sense of loss. The thought of Wen Hupo cleaning the activity classroom alone, embarking on her journey home in solitude, filled Lu Li with a deep sense of unease.
Before the rain intensified, Lu Li asked Chu Jingyi for half a day off and rushed to Wen Hupo’s villa.
The “Lost Cat” poster was still on the small courtyard wall in front of the villa: “Beloved cat lost near the intersection of Tanyang Road. Please contact XXXX if you have any information. A reward will be given for any useful information, and a generous reward for finding the cat!”
The little maid with freckles was sweeping the damp leaves from the front path. Seeing Lu Li, she instinctively clasped her hands behind her back and bowed slightly. “Good afternoon, Mr. Lu.”
“Where’s Hupo? Is she home?” Lu Li asked anxiously.
“Miss Shirley?” The little maid looked puzzled. “She just left.”
She just left. These words made Lu Li’s heart clench. “Left? Where did she go?”
The maid’s confusion deepened. “Didn’t Miss Shirley have a flight on the 6th? She left for her home country today. Didn’t she tell you?”
The 6th? June 6th? Lu Li’s head throbbed. He vaguely remembered someone mentioning it. What day was it today? Lu Li took out his phone. The white letters “June 6th” on the lock screen were glaring. Today… Wen Hupo left China today. Why didn’t she say anything? Did she not consider him a friend?!
The little maid continued, “Actually, Miss has already terminated the lease on this villa. I’m just here to do the final cleaning.” Terminated the lease? Was she truly determined to leave? The hesitation in Lu Li’s heart instantly turned into regret and unwillingness, a surge of complex emotions exploding within him.
The thought of never seeing that golden figure again felt like a piece of his heart was being ripped out. He interrupted the maid’s rambling explanation. “When did she leave?”
“Two hours ago.”
Two hours ago… Then she must have already arrived at the airport, even boarded the plane.
Seeing Lu Li’s pale face, the little maid tried to comfort him. “Miss took a large suitcase with her, filled with clothes and personal belongings. I don’t know why she brought so many things, but she must be traveling slowly. If you hurry, you might still be able to catch her… Oh, right, I heard Miss mention her flight was at 3:30 this afternoon.”
Lu Li thanked her hurriedly, checking the time on his phone as he ran out. It was already 3 p.m.! Wen Hupo’s flight would be taking off in half an hour! Half an hour!
That stubborn woman, how could she be so proud? Couldn’t she have at least told him? Lu Li tried calling Wen Hupo on WeChat while hailing a taxi. “Driver, to Chuanhai Airport, how long will it take? It’s urgent, I have a 3:30 flight.”
The driver raised an eyebrow. “It’s already 3:05! Even if I speed, it’ll take at least forty minutes! You should reschedule your flight, young man. There’s no way I can get you there in half an hour!”
“Driver, I’ll pay you double, please drive as fast as you can.”
The old driver rolled down his window. “Get in, get in, I won’t charge you double. I’ll take another route and try my best to get you there. Hurry up!”
“Thank you, driver!”
Lu Li got into the back seat of the taxi and repeatedly called Wen Hupo, but there was no answer. With Wen Hupo’s meticulous nature, she couldn’t have missed the incoming calls. The only explanation was that she was deliberately ignoring them.
Lu Li’s mind raced, replaying every moment he had spent with Wen Hupo over the past six months. He only had one thought: make her stay! A man’s first love always held a special place in his heart. She could make him feel like a naive teenager again, cautious and shy. Even if his feelings were one-sided, he would still idealize her, cherishing the memory of their time together.
Make Wen Hupo stay.
This thought burned in his heart like an unquenchable fire.
He sent her messages on WeChat, begging her not to board the plane, using every excuse he could think of to make her stay. He could see the “typing…” indicator at the top of the screen, but she never replied.
That woman! Lu Li couldn’t help but curse. He knew these literary types all too well. They were all stubborn and difficult, including himself. That’s why he disliked dealing with scholars.
The driver swerved the steering wheel, turning into a narrow alley, passing through a run-down neighborhood, and then back onto the main road amidst the curses of streetwalkers. While driving, the driver said, “Young man, even if I speed, it’ll still take at least half an hour. This is already the shortest route. You still have to collect your ticket and go through security. You won’t make it! Reschedule your flight! I won’t charge you extra!”
“I have to stop someone very important from leaving! I have to hurry!”
The driver looked at Lu Li through the rearview mirror and suddenly slammed on the accelerator. “Alright! Hold on tight!”
Outside, the rain continued to fall, the sky a gloomy gray. An old taxi sped down the road.
Wen Hupo dragged her suitcase, her gaze lost in the crowd. After a while, she realized she hadn’t replied to Lu Li’s messages. She opened the chat window. A long message filled the input box. She had thought about it for a long time, then deleted it all.
It felt like nothing she could say was appropriate at this moment.
She looked at Lu Li’s profile picture, wondering when things had changed. Was it when she first felt that the world wasn’t so boring after all? Or was it when she first chatted with Lu Li for two hours straight? In her colorless world, Lu Li was the only one who brought in a splash of color.
She had asked herself countless times, what kind of person was Lu Li? She knew that being curious about a man was a dangerous sign, but she couldn’t help but wonder, if it were Lu Li, what would he do in this situation?
She thought Lu Li was a promiscuous scumbag, but she also saw his genuine affection for the two girls, the harmony of their three-way relationship. She thought he was a hypocritical and superficial person, but she also saw his innocence and cynicism. Lu Li constantly challenged her preconceived notions about the world, making her realize that perhaps this world wasn’t so boring after all. The boring one was her.
Wen Hupo wished there was someone who understood her as well as Lu Li did, someone as passionate and free as him, as ambitious and pragmatic. But that person couldn’t be Lu Li.
After hesitating for a long time, she typed a message in the chat box: “I actually like you a little.” This was the most unrestrained and bold confession her reserved soul could muster.
After sending the message, she turned off her phone, stopped thinking, and walked towards the gate, dragging her suitcase with a determined stride.
This was enough.
Ten minutes until her flight.
I’m taking a day off.
I’m feeling sick and have a terrible headache. Taking a break from updates for now.
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