Chapter 150
Chapter 150
After Qin Song lost his mind, Hu Heng took him back to City A, while Huang Yuanrui finally returned to her hometown with Xixi in peace.
Before they left, Hu Heng met with Huang Yuanrui once.
Hu Heng said, “I hope we never see each other again.”
Huang Yuanrui nodded. “Same here. I hope this is goodbye forever.”
On the way home, Huang Yuanrui and Xixi were in excellent spirits. They chatted about good food and celebrity gossip while looking out at the scenery beyond the window.
A smile Huang Yuanrui had not worn in a very long time finally appeared on her face. Sunlight fell across her features, but her smile was even brighter than the sun.
Xixi studied her face and said, “You really look like you did when you were little.”
Huang Yuanrui laughed even harder. “What? Really?”
“Really. You’ve smiled the same way ever since you were a kid.”
Huang Yuanrui playfully shook her head, picked up a cup of cola, and took a sip.
Xixi held one of her hands. “From now on, you can live without worries or burdens.”
Huang Yuanrui looked down at Xixi’s hand, then suddenly said, “I remember a long, long, long time ago, when you were trying to convince me to leave him, you said something to me. I really want to hear it again now.”
Xixi asked, “What did I say?”
Huang Yuanrui thought hard for a moment. “Um… something about getting a certificate, going to bed early and waking up early, that kind of thing.”
Xixi rolled her eyes in thought, trying to reconstruct it. “Did I say that you were still very young, that your future had all kinds of possibilities, and that you could choose any kind of life you wanted? Then I told you to go to bed early and wake up early, keep a regular schedule, and live a healthy, positive life…”
Huang Yuanrui nodded excitedly. “Yes, yes, yes! That’s it!”
“Why do you suddenly want to hear that?” Xixi asked.
A little embarrassed, Huang Yuanrui said, “I just wanted to ask you… do you think that still applies to me now?”
Xixi froze for a second, then looked at Huang Yuanrui seriously. “No matter how old you are, where you are, or what you’ve been through… even if you asked me ten thousand more times, my answer would be that those words absolutely still apply to you.”
Huang Yuanrui lowered her head slightly. “Is it too late for me to start over and live properly now?”
Xixi shook her head. “As long as you start, it isn’t too late. The fact that you’re even thinking this way means you’re already halfway there. Besides, you have me. Whatever kind of life you want, I’ll support you.”
And just like that, with Xixi by her side, Huang Yuanrui returned to her hometown and began a brand-new life.
She moved back into her old home and used the savings she had accumulated over the years to open a small flower shop. Every day, she stayed among all kinds of beautiful flowers and plants, often busy from morning until night.
She quit smoking and threw away all her lighters. Whenever she had free time, she went running or played tennis with Xixi.
Her obsession with cleanliness was no longer as severe as before. During the time she lived with Xixi, she discovered for the first time that furry little animals could be so warm and adorable. So Huang Yuanrui went to a pet store and bought a puppy to bring home.
She bought a beautiful bookshelf online, then went to the bookstore and picked out many books.
Huang Yuanrui’s complexion gradually improved, and she gained some weight compared to before. Her cheeks were always rosy, like an apple.
Men often asked her out on dates, but she turned them all down. After everything that had happened with Qin Song, Huang Yuanrui no longer had any thoughts or attachments when it came to romance or marriage.
A book said, “Interacting with friendly animals can have a positive impact on a person’s emotions and body. Pets are machines of unconditional love. The bond between humans and pets is one of our last hopes of receiving unconditional love; the other is a mother’s selfless love.”
She named her puppy Duoduo. With Duoduo at home, she did not feel lonely at all. She no longer had her mother, but the love Duoduo gave her felt like a mother’s love.
She suddenly felt that if she could live a full and happy life like this on her own, that would be a beautiful thing too.
She regretted not figuring it out sooner, but she was also grateful that she had finally figured it out now.
These days were filled with love, with things she enjoyed doing, and with hopes for the future. No matter how long she lived like this, she would never grow tired of it.
Her emotions finally settled into calm, and she never again felt anxiety or obsession.
That day was the weekend. Huang Yuanrui closed the shop and gave herself a day off. Before that, she had worked five days in a row and was already so tired that her back and waist ached.
She planned to do a thorough cleaning at home, then ask Xixi and Nian Gao out for a spa day, followed by a movie and hot pot.
Huang Yuanrui put on an apron and sleeve covers, then patted Duoduo on the head.
“You shedding little monster, you stinky little bug. Mommy has to deal with all the fur you’ve left all over the house!”
She opened every window in the house, letting the fresh wind from outside rush back and forth through the rooms.
Duoduo bounced around after her, lively and excited, wagging his tail happily.
Huang Yuanrui vacuumed the floor, mopped it twice, then gathered two bags of trash and set them by the door.
She opened the door to the hallway, and the air inside the apartment began circulating much more freely.
Huang Yuanrui took a few deep breaths. “This feels so much better, Duoduo. Let it air out for a bit and the smell will be gone.”
Duoduo shot into the hallway with a whoosh, happily running around.
It was a very obedient dog. Without Huang Yuanrui’s permission, it would only wander near the door and never go downstairs on its own.
Huang Yuanrui bent down to pick up the trash bags and kicked off her slippers as she said, “Mommy’s going downstairs to throw out the trash. I’ll be back in two minutes. I’m leaving the door open to air the place out, so be good and stay here, okay?”
Duoduo lay in the hallway, looking up at Huang Yuanrui with its cute little mouth open as if it were smiling.
Huang Yuanrui pressed the elevator button and went down to the first floor, then put the trash bags into the bins downstairs.
An old man was rummaging through the garbage. Huang Yuanrui saw him tear open the neatly packed bags and scatter things all over the ground. Socks, books, and a child’s discarded notebooks were strewn across the lawn and pavement.
Huang Yuanrui cleared her throat. “Sir?”
The old man didn’t react at all and kept digging through the trash.
Huang Yuanrui raised her voice. “Sir!”
At last, he responded. He turned his head and glanced at Huang Yuanrui. “Hm?”
Huang Yuanrui pointed at the garbage on the ground. “You shouldn’t make such a mess. People packed all this up before throwing it out.”
The old man rolled his eyes at her. His hands moved even faster, and he forcefully flung the contents of the bin everywhere.
Huang Yuanrui said nothing more. Suppressing her anger, she turned and went back into the building.
Seeing those things tossed all over the ground filled her with an inexplicable discomfort. But she didn’t want to get into a direct confrontation with someone like that, so she decided she would stop by the property management office and report it when she went out later.
Huang Yuanrui took the elevator back upstairs, but when she looked down the hallway, it was empty – Duoduo was gone!
Huang Yuanrui’s heart seemed to empty along with it. She called tentatively, “Duoduo?”
There was no response.
Huang Yuanrui wiped the sweat from her nose and climbed to the floor above. Nothing. She went down two floors to check below. Nothing there either.
She panicked completely and was about to get her phone to ask for help in the neighborhood WeChat group.
But the moment she stepped into her apartment, she saw Duoduo crouched on the bedroom floor, staring at her.
Huang Yuanrui rushed over in one stride and lightly smacked its bottom. “You scared me to death! Why didn’t you make a sound if you were inside? I thought you were lost!”
Duoduo didn’t run away, nor did it act cute with her. It remained sitting in place, completely still.
Huang Yuanrui knew Duoduo very well. A reaction like this meant it was extremely tense.
She stroked its head. “All right, I’m not mad at you. I was just worried you’d gotten lost, that’s why I was upset. Don’t be scared.”
Duoduo blinked at her, but still didn’t relax.
Only then did Huang Yuanrui realize that Duoduo had been facing the bedroom wardrobe the entire time.
She frowned in confusion. Why was Duoduo standing guard in front of the wardrobe so nervously?
She stood and reached out to open the wardrobe. Duoduo immediately got to its feet as well. It backed up two steps in a row and let out several low barks.
Huang Yuanrui slowly opened the wardrobe, and Duoduo suddenly began barking wildly.
Before she could react and figure out what was happening, Qin Song appeared right in front of her, his eyes bloodshot.
Qin Song stood inside the wardrobe with his eyes bulging wide, his mouth stretched into an exaggerated grin. Beneath his messy hair, he smiled in excitement, then abruptly charged out of the wardrobe and slammed Huang Yuanrui onto the bed.
Huang Yuanrui screamed, “Help!” and struggled to grab the phone on her bedside table, but Qin Song’s hands were already coming down on her.
He pinned Huang Yuanrui’s kicking legs and straightened his arms, clamping his hands around her throat with a death grip.
Huang Yuanrui groped wildly beside the pillow and felt a book and a pen.
She seized the pen tightly and stabbed it hard into Qin Song’s throat.
Whether the angle wasn’t fatal or Qin Song had already gone completely insane, he only paused for a moment before lunging at her again.
Duoduo frantically tore at Qin Song’s calf, biting and dragging him backward with all its strength, but Qin Song showed no reaction. His arms remained locked straight, his hands firmly crushing Huang Yuanrui’s throat.
His eyes grew redder and redder, and the curve of his grin stretched wider and wider. Drool spilled from his mouth, dripping onto Huang Yuanrui’s collarbone.
Another gust of wind blew through, and Huang Yuanrui’s front door slammed shut.
From the outside, the apartment was silent, with nothing seeming out of the ordinary.
(This story ends here.)
This story is over, but this novel is not.
There is still so much I want to share with you. See you tomorrow.