Chapter 349 - 342 He Didn’t Come

She has forgotten that she could have moved out of the school.

She returned to school early, while Lin Yile came back several days later because he had visited relatives. As for Xu Miaomiao, they ended up further away because they had moved to a new campus. Thus, everyone could only meet during holidays. Everyone was busy with their own things, and the relationships naturally grew distant. After all, everyone had their own studies and their own lives. However, Tang Yuxin and Lin Yile, who lived in the same dormitory and belonged to the same department, had become closer.

But there was no other way around it – after all, this is growth.

Tang Yuxin arrived at school several days earlier than the start of the semester. When she arrived, she called Qin Ziye, but he did not pick up. Throughout her journey, she was full of disappointment and despair.

She took out a phone card from her bag and walked to the nearby payphone. She picked up the phone and dialed Qin Ziye’s number. She knew his private cellphone number, but she rarely called it. She mostly called his landline, which he had once said was the number he used to communicate with his family.

And she was not yet classified as his family. So, isn’t she obedient? Isn’t she well-behaved?

She expected to hear the unavailable tone again. However, the call was connected this time.

“Yuxin, what’s the matter?” Qin Ziye voice was still warm and gentle, speaking at a steady pace, as if he was smiling.

Tang Yuxin was holding the public phone but didn’t know what to say.

I’m here.

I’ve arrived.

I’ve arrived now.

“What’s wrong, Yuxin?” Qin Ziye sounded tired, and his voice was noticeably wearier than before.

“I…” Tang Yuxin paused to moisten her lips. “I’m at the station.”

“Mm, you’ve reached the station. How come you’re so early?” Qin Ziye calculated. The new term at school for Tang Yuxin would start five days later.

“Something came up, so I came early,” Tang Yuxin leaned on the payphone. She originally wanted to go back alone, but Qin Ziye had said that once she arrived, she must call him. Otherwise, what kind of boyfriend would he be?

“Wait there, I’ll come to pick you up.”

Qin Ziye grabbed his jacket, one hand holding the phone while the other looking for the car keys. Then he complimented Tang Yuxin.

“Good girl, that’s right. You can always rely on me.”

He was in a good mood. He hadn’t seen her for almost two months and they only stayed in touch by phone. He couldn’t deny that he missed her a lot. He was eagerly anticipating seeing his girl.

Tang Yuxin sat on the steps of the station, hugging her arms. When she came, the weather was quite bad. It was still the cold season in Beijing. The cold wind occasionally hit her face, quickly stripping away her warmth, practically turning her into an icicle.

Was there a traffic jam? She thought.

Was there a problem with the car?

Did something happen at home?

Regardless of the reason, it couldn’t have taken this long for him to arrive.

Half an hour passed, and he didn’t show up.

One hour passed, and he was still not there.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Two hours passed, and he was nowhere to be seen.

And yet she sat there, just like in the past, all alone in the freezing cold dark night, seeming as helpless as a kitten or a puppy that had been abandoned.

She stood up and warmed her nearly frozen hands before taking the payphone and dialing again.

At first, it connected, and then it was abruptly hung up.

Did she realize what that meant?

He wasn’t answering.

When she tried dialing him again, it turned out that he had switched off his phone.

She went back to sit on the steps.

She kept waiting. As time passed, pedestrians came and went on the street, yet no one stayed.

This place was meant for fleeting encounters and inevitable partings.

She exhaled softly but didn’t leave the place.

She stubbornly waited.

She was afraid that if she left and he arrived, what would happen? She was afraid that if she left just as he was on his way, he wouldn’t find her.

From around ten in the morning, she waited till noon, then till sunset, then till dusk, and now it was night.

The wind blew against her face, its icy pricks of pain almost unbearable.

Ice almost formed on the road, and there was only a lonely suitcase next to her. The station became less crowded as time passed, with no one as foolish as her waiting for someone for half a day.

The street lamps lit up the sides of the road. Although it was not yet as renowned as the Beijing of the future, it already had the foundations of its future splendor.

She stood up, picked up the payphone again, trembling hands pressing the series of numbers. In the end, however, she hung up.

The phone was still turned off. It was around nine at night; the streets were icy and few cars or pedestrians were around. Even the buses had long since stopped operating.

She picked up her suitcase and began to walk forward, step by step.

The distance from here to Qing University was not close. If she were to walk, she didn’t know how long it would take — two hours, three hours or even more.

But all she could do was use her own legs, walking alone in such freezing weather with an equally cold heart. The road ahead seemed to have no end.

Suddenly, a car stopped by the roadside.

It was a dark private car, sleek and simple, but had a sense of luxury. It certainly wasn’t cheap.

The car window rolled down.

The people inside were wearing uniform outfits, likely security personnel.

“Little girl, why are you alone here? It’s dangerous at night.”

Tang Yuxin clenched her frozen lips, which had turned pale due to the extreme cold.

“Nevermind, get in the car. The man opened the car door, lifted Tang Yuxin’s suitcase from her hands without asking, and tossed it into the trunk.

“It’s so cold, and it’s late. You’re a young girl, you shouldn’t be out here by yourself. What if you run into danger? Don’t worry, we’re not bad people.” As he spoke, he pointed to the surveillance camera not far away. “This place is under surveillance. You can trust us. We work for Jin Cheng Security Company.”

He then opened the car door for Tang Yuxin to get in.

Tang Yuxin’s feet had gone numb, and she stared at the nearby surveillance camera in a trance.

“Alright, we’ll take you home. Where do you live?”