Chapter 26 Part 2

As the car drove away, he calmly and casually withdrew his gaze, but he couldn't resist looking in the rearview mirror, watching until the barracks grew smaller and smaller in the distance, and finally disappeared from view.

He tilted his head back against the seat and covered his eyes with his arm. His lips trembled, trembled, and then pressed into a thin line, as two streams of tears rolled down into his temples.

...

On New Year's Eve, Ran Yuwei personally cooked the reunion dinner.

Unfortunately, her cooking skills were terrible. The chicken soup was undercooked, the okra was too salty, the shrimp was oversteamed, she forgot the sugar in the braised pork, and only the cabbage soup was passable. She was a bit embarrassed, but Song Ran didn't mind. To her, it all tasted the same anyway.

Since learning about Song Ran's condition that night, Ran Yuwei's attitude had noticeably changed. She shed her usual strict-mother persona, became much more tolerant toward Song Ran, and no longer made so many demands on her. On the First Day of the Lunar New Year, even though she herself had a bit of a cough and wasn't feeling well, she uncharacteristically took Song Ran to a temple fair. But halfway through, she declared the fair boring, bought Song Ran a candied hawthorn stick and a cloth tiger, and they went home.

Ran Yuwei was naturally not good with soft words or comforting people; Song Ran also resisted others trying to get her to open up and analyze her psychological problems. Both of them avoided talking about the illness.

Ran Yuwei tried her best to give Song Ran space and not make her uncomfortable. But a person's personality can't change overnight, and it was a struggle for her to restrain herself.

Song Ran could feel her mother's restraint. There was nothing to say, and nothing she could do.

On the day of her return trip, Ran Yuwei drove her to the airport. Neither of them spoke.

The only sound in the quiet car was Ran Yuwei's occasional cough.

Song Ran said, "You should go to the hospital tomorrow when you're at work. Don't focus all your energy on your job."

"Mhm," Ran Yuwei said. "And you remember to see a doctor when you get back to Liang City."

"Mhm."

There was nothing more to say.

It wasn't until they were parting that Ran Yuwei finally said, "It's going to be okay. Be strong."

After saying that, she added, "Short hair doesn't look good on you. Don't cut it next time."

Song Ran was speechless.

On the flight back, she was dead tired but couldn't fall asleep, just like countless other sleepless nights spent tossing and turning.

It was a night flight, and the passengers were all sleeping.

The cabin was dimly lit and quiet.

She sat in her seat, stubbornly keeping her eyes open. Suddenly, without any warning, her nose began to tingle. Ever since she got sick, her emotions would come and go without reason. She was getting annoyed with herself.

But the next second, the feeling was gone. She became inexplicably calm again.

She turned her head to look out the porthole at the endless, vast night.

She sat listlessly in her seat for two hours until the plane finally landed in Liang City.

Weary passengers lined up to deplane, their faces expressionless. The moment Song Ran stepped onto the jet bridge, a blast of cold air rushed over her. The damp, icy chill instantly pierced through her layers of clothing, seeping into her skin and right down to her bones.

She pulled her down jacket tighter around herself and walked out, shivering.

Song Ran came off the jet bridge and turned into a corridor with floor-to-ceiling windows on both sides. Through one set of windows, the night was boundless, with the lights of planes twinkling on the tarmac. Through the other, the departure lounge was brightly lit, with travelers sitting, standing, and moving about.

Not far from her, a crowd of people was lining up to board a flight.

An idle glance, and suddenly she saw a familiar figure.

Li Zan was standing in the line, dressed in a navy blue overcoat. He was very tall with a straight back, and his distinguished air made him particularly eye-catching.

The daylight-bright lights of the lounge illuminated his handsome face. His expression was calm, yet he seemed a little absent-minded as he slowly moved forward with the line.

Song Ran stood stunned for several seconds, hesitating for a moment. But the next second, the emotions surging inside her broke through everything. She dragged her suitcase and ran back to the end of the corridor, shouting at him through the glass, "Ah Zan!"

He didn't hear her, nor did he look in her direction. He just quietly continued to move forward with the line.

"Ah Zan!" In her anxiety, she tapped lightly on the glass with her hand.

The airport glass was very thick. Song Ran could see the passengers on the other side chatting, talking, laughing, and joking around.

The entire scene was silent—it was soundproof glass.

A chill went through her heart. She opened her mouth, but not a single sound came out.

She pressed herself against the floor-to-ceiling window, staring at him blankly, watching him move forward little by little. There were only four people left in front of him.

Someone in the line saw her and found it a bit strange, but didn't quite understand what was happening.

Song Ran was breathing lightly, and her warm breath fogged up the glass. She hurriedly wiped it clean with her sleeve, only to see that there were now only two people in front of him.

Her lips trembled, her nose tingled, and she was on the verge of tears.

That passenger took half a step out of the line to observe, but couldn't be sure who Song Ran was looking for.

The passenger in front of Li Zan began to have their ticket checked.

Song Ran leaned on the glass, watching him blankly. Her heart suddenly grew quiet. All emotions vanished, and her mind went blank.

She knew it was too late.

But just as the person in front of him walked into the boarding gate, Li Zan, for some unknown reason, as if by a stroke of fate, turned his head and glanced in her direction. In an instant, his eyes met hers.

Wrapped in her down jacket, her messy hair falling around her face, she was pressed against the glass window, her palms flat against it, staring at him in a daze, silently.

The moment their eyes met, hers widened. She immediately opened her mouth, forming the shape of "Ah," but the rest of the sound didn't come out.

Li Zan was stunned for several seconds. He had just handed over his ticket but pulled it back and said, "Excuse me."

He stepped out of the line and strode towards her.

Song Ran's nose suddenly tingled, and tears welled up in her eyes. Afraid of embarrassing herself, she quickly blinked them away, pressed her lips together, and turned back to him with bright eyes, giving him an obedient smile.

Li Zan reached the glass and stopped.

Through the pane of glass, he lowered his head to look at her. His gaze was deep, seeming to hold a multitude of emotions, yet it was as calm and restrained as ever.

His eyes were clear as he looked at her quietly, like old friends reuniting, like a long-held wish finally fulfilled. He just looked at her quietly, smiling faintly, a flicker of indescribable sadness in his curved eyes that was gone in an instant, replaced by peace and quiet.

They both looked at each other silently, smiling faintly, their eyes slightly red-rimmed.

After a full ten seconds, he tapped the glass with his finger, pointed at her face, and said something.

Song Ran couldn't read his lips and shook her head. "What did you say? I can't hear you."

He smiled and didn't speak again, just looked at her quietly.

Their last parting had been four or five months ago. It felt like they had become strangers, yet they were still so familiar.

Li Zan asked: "Are you okay?"

She understood this sentence and quickly nodded. "I'm fine. And you?"

He smiled and nodded too.

Song Ran asked, "When did you get back?"

He didn't seem to understand, or perhaps he didn't see clearly. He didn't answer, just smiled with his eyes and glanced down at her suitcase.

Just then, Song Ran suddenly noticed something strange about his right ear. Just as she was about to get a clearer look, the boarding line had finished its final ticket check. A ground staff member said something, and Li Zan turned his head and replied.

He looked back at her and mouthed, "I have to go."

A pang of sorrow hit Song Ran's heart. She could only nod, but then anxiously pressed against the glass again, saying, "Phone! Phone!"

He nodded.

Her mind went blank for a moment, not even thinking of using her phone. In her haste, she directly used her finger to write a string of numbers on the glass. He watched her hand without blinking, his brows furrowed, quickly memorizing the numbers.

After she finished writing, he kept his lips pressed together, his brow still furrowed, as he recited the numbers to himself several times.

She looked at him. "Did you get it?"

He went over it one more time in his head and nodded. "Got it."

A huge smile finally bloomed on her face.

He smiled too, pointed to his right, and said, "Going."

"Mhm." She nodded her head repeatedly.

He walked towards the boarding gate. Halfway there, he turned back to look at her.

She was still pressed against the window, watching him eagerly.

He waved at her and mouthed, "Bye-bye."

She quickly raised her hand and waved back. "Bye-bye."

He quickly got his ticket checked, and as he walked into the boarding gate, he glanced back at her one last time before disappearing from sight.