Chen Zhizhong did not remember how he walked out of the department head’s office.
It was over. Everything. All the effort he had put into his life until now, all his plans and visions for the future, his love, his life, and that tiny embryo belonging to him, resting inside Xiao Heling’s womb… all of it had burst like a transparent bubble with a soft *pop*.
Time was tight and there was much to do. Setting aside the packing, he at least needed to say goodbye to the classmates and teachers he had known for years. Yet, as he walked, he found himself unconsciously returning to the front of Xiao Heling’s dormitory.
She wouldn’t be coming back. Chen Zhizhong knew in his heart that they might never have the chance to meet again in this lifetime. Perhaps it was precisely because of this that he sat there, clinging to a one-in-a-ten-thousand hope. Regardless, he had nowhere else to go.
Young women laughed and played, their footsteps light as they skipped in and out of the building. Occasionally, one would spare a glance in his direction. He was indeed out of place—he hadn't slept all night, his eyes were bloodshot, a dark stubble covered his jaw, his plaid shirt was wrinkled, and his elbows were stained with dirt.
Chen Zhizhong was a man who usually cared deeply about dignity and appearances, but at this moment, a higher level of emotion surged over him, dominating his mind and leaving him no room for anything else. It turned out he loved Xiao Heling this much. The sudden loss had draped this love in a dramatic, romantic veneer. He would do anything. He thought in a daze that he was willing to do anything, to pay any price, as long as Xiao Heling could return to his side.
Never again, before or after, would such a pure moment occur in his life.
Dressed only in thin clothes, he sat outside from dawn until noon. Even with the bright autumn sun, the deep chill of late autumn left his joints stiff. When he finally prepared to leave, the dormitory door was suddenly pushed open from the inside.
“Chen, wait!” It was Xiao Heling’s good friend, the red-headed Rebecca. Rebecca’s cheeks were flushed from running, and she spoke in short, breathless gasps. “I… I have something to tell you!”
A faint spark of hope ignited within Chen Zhizhong. “Is there news of Iris?”
“I heard something from a friend, but I’m not sure if it’s true.” Rebecca looked a bit hesitant. “My boyfriend’s roommate was turning in an assignment to Professor Xiao this morning and accidentally overheard him on the phone. He sounded very intense. Professor Xiao supposedly mentioned Hyde Park several times… maybe Iris is being held by them over there.”
As she spoke, she began to feel uncertain and lowered her head. “I’m so sorry, am I wasting your time? There are so many houses in Hyde Park, where would you even look for Iris? And what I heard might not even be right…”
Before she could finish, Chen Zhizhong stood up abruptly and gave her a tight hug.
“Thank you, Rebecca!” Chen Zhizhong’s voice trembled with excitement. “I’ll be grateful to you for the rest of my life!”
Madam Xiao would never have imagined that Xiao Heling had once written her London address on a remittance slip for Chen Zhizhong. He sprinted all the way to the tube station and caught the earliest train to London. In his haste, he had forgotten his wallet; by the time he reached Hyde Park, he had only thirty pounds left on him.
Clutching those final thirty pounds, he ran to the entrance of the Xiao family’s villa. The iron gates were high and the doors and windows were shut tight, yet the lights were on inside. Behind the curtains of a second-floor room, a familiar, slender silhouette faintly appeared.
Chen Zhizhong took a deep breath.
“Xiao Heling!” he shouted. “I love you! I’ll treat you well for the rest of my life! Are you willing to come with me?!”
The front door of the house was pushed open from the inside, and servants filed out. They were all tall, sturdy, and grim-faced, their objective obvious. It felt as if burning liquor was rushing through Chen Zhizhong’s veins; his whole body felt scorched, and he was lightheaded with a dizzying joy. Ignoring the approaching threat, he continued to shout.
“I’m taking the eleven o’clock flight back to Hong Kong tonight! Heathrow Airport, Terminal Two!” Even as he was pinned down by several pairs of hands, he struggled to keep his head up. “I’ll wait for you!”
Even as he was dragged a block away, he was still shouting that he loved her. The possibility of Xiao Heling escaping her home was miniscule, but if that was the case, he hoped she could hear his love until the very last moment.
He had neither the money nor the time to return to Cambridge. Fortunately, his passport was still on him, as the department head had asked to see it earlier. With his flight at eleven that night, he spent twenty pounds on a train ticket to Heathrow and another two pounds on a coffee at an airport café.
He sat from dusk until late into the night, but the person he was waiting for did not appear.
It was to be expected. It couldn't even be called a disappointment. Chen Zhizhong finally stood up and turned toward the departure hall. The troubles of reality began to surface in his mind one by one. Having gone from returning home in glory to fleeing in disgrace, how was he to face his parents, who held such high hopes for him?
Suddenly, he was pulled into a fierce embrace from behind.
It was actually Xiao Heling—her hair was a mess, she wore an ill-fitting T-shirt and jeans, and there was a scrape on her cheek. She was just as disheveled as Chen Zhizhong.
Yet she was still beautiful. The moment their eyes met, her tear-filled gaze crashed straight into Chen Zhizhong’s heart. Even many years later, when things had changed and people had moved on, and even after Chen Zhizhong had encountered countless more youthful and beautiful bodies, there would never be another pair of eyes like these. Every tear she shed felt like it was searing into his heart, a rasping, grinding ache.
“Senior…” Xiao Heling sobbed, her voice muffled. She curled into his arms like a wronged kitten, whimpering against his ear.
“Take me away.”
