Ye Wanqing, like the brightest star in the night sky, suddenly went out of her light and disappeared silently from people's sight, leaving everyone with only endless worry and anxiety.

That post spread rapidly on the Internet. Even though Lin Xuan and Qin Huai tried their best to curb its influence, they could only slow down its spread but could not completely quell it.

As night fell, the clock quietly pointed to ten o'clock in the evening. Lin Xuan's phone suddenly rang, and the screen showed Su Zimo's name. His heart tightened, and he quickly answered the call.

"Su Zimo, do you have any news about Wanqing?" There was a barely perceptible tremor in Lin Xuan's voice.

On the other end of the phone, Su Zimo's voice was filled with anxiety and helplessness: "I can't contact her, her phone is turned off. Lin Xuan, you don't know, she...she has depression, and she once had suicidal thoughts because of my brother and that woman..."

Su Zimo's words were like a heavy hammer, hitting Lin Xuan's heart hard, causing his heart to shrink suddenly. He knew Ye Wanqing's inner fragility, but at this moment he felt unprecedented powerlessness and frustration.

"I'm looking for her. I've turned almost every place I can think of upside down. Su Zimo, you know her better than anyone else around her. Where do you think she would go?" Lin Xuan's voice was full of pleading.

Su Zimo was silent for a moment, and finally spoke bitterly: "Actually, I... I don't fully understand Sister Wanqing. But you are the most important person in her heart. She may have told you where she might go."

Lin Xuan unconsciously tightened his grip on the phone, his knuckles turning white from the exertion. He truly had no idea where Ye Wanqing would go, and the deep feeling of powerlessness nearly overwhelmed him.

After hanging up the phone, Lin Xuan drove to the small villa that held so many memories for them. The villa was completely silent, with only Ye Wanqing's usual belongings lying there quietly, as if acknowledging her absence.

Lin Xuan sat on the sofa, covering his eyes with his hands, replaying every detail of his time with Ye Wanqing in his mind.

Finally, he decided to go to the cemetery. Late at night, the cemetery was quiet and desolate. Only the bunch of white lilies in front of Ye Wanqing's grandmother's tombstone stood out in the darkness. Lin Xuan's heart skipped a beat; he knew Ye Wanqing must have been here.

He immediately contacted Zhao Yu and asked him to retrieve nearby surveillance footage. Time passed slowly as he waited, until three in the morning, when snowflakes began to fall from the sky, blanketing the small town in a blanket of silver.

Lin Xuan returned to the villa for the third time. He walked into the glass greenhouse, looked at the beautiful roses, and carefully watered them with a kettle. He took a photo and sent it to Ye Wanqing via WeChat: "Wanqing, I've taken good care of your roses. When will you be back?"

Inside the glass greenhouse, Lin Xuan seemed particularly lonely. He recalled Ye Wanqing's past requests for help and dependence, and his eyes couldn't help but moisten. That night, he felt as if he were in endless darkness, groping everywhere, but he could not find any trace of Ye Wanqing.

It wasn't until after eight in the morning that Zhao Yu finally brought good news. He had discovered that Ye Wanqing had purchased a high-speed rail ticket to Outer City, departing yesterday afternoon. Upon hearing this, Lin Xuan immediately stood up and had Zhao Yu book a flight to Fengcheng. He also learned the identity of the poster: Ye Wanqing's high school classmate.

Qin Zhuyu also stayed awake all night. After learning about Ye Wanqing's whereabouts from Qin Huai, she immediately asked for leave and went to the outer city with Lin Xuan. This small city, more than 600 kilometers away from the capital, was very unfamiliar to them.

"Wanqing once told me that her parents have an old house in S County. Moreover, last year she was photographed with Zhao Jinyu in a flower bed in S County. Perhaps Zhao Jinyu knows the exact location of her home." There was a glimmer of hope in Lin Xuan's words.

Qin Zhuyu nodded immediately after hearing this: "Then let's go to S County immediately!"

They drove a black car in the gray sky, rushing towards County S. Although the road ahead was unclear, their hearts were full of determination.

Because they knew that no matter where Ye Wanqing was, they would find her and protect her forever.

On the way to S County, Lin Xuan's furrowed brows never relaxed. He quickly dialed Zhao Jinyu's number. Zhao Jinyu's voice sounded slightly surprised, but then he provided the address of his grandparents without any hesitation.

The vehicle finally stopped in front of a slightly old residential area. Time had carved mottled marks on the walls, as if every inch was telling a story of the past.

Lin Xuan extinguished the cigarette in his hand. In the smoke, his eyes looked particularly deep: "Qin Zhuyu, you go up and check the situation. I... I'll wait for you here."

There was a barely perceptible tremor in his voice. It was a fear he had never experienced in thirty-three years, and it eroded his heart like ice.

Qin Zhuyu nodded gently. She knew that Lin Xuan needed time to calm down his inner turmoil, so she went up the stairs alone.

Behind the door, Zhao Jinyu's grandmother's voice was kind and warm, but when she learned that Ye Wanqing was not at home, her enthusiasm instantly cooled. Qin Zhuyu saw the disappointment in the eyes of the two elderly people through the crack in the door, and she felt a mixture of emotions.

"Grandma, did Ye Wanqing say that she was going to deal with something?" Qin Zhuyu asked tentatively, with anticipation in her eyes.

Zhao Jinyu's grandmother patted her thigh and sighed: "Hey, this child just came back yesterday afternoon, and he hurried out this morning, saying that he was going to deal with an old matter. You came at such an unfortunate time, child."

Qin Zhuyu's heart tightened, but she still kept a smile on her face: "It's okay, grandma, I just stopped by today. I will tell her in advance next time."

She turned and left, each step seeming heavy. Returning to Lin Xuan, she whispered, "Wanqing did come back, but she left this morning, saying she was going to deal with an old matter."

Lin Xuan's eyes froze instantly, as if something had hit him in the vitals. Countless fragments flashed through his mind, and finally stopped at one place.

"Go to No. 1 Middle School in the outer city." His voice was firm and powerful, as if at this moment, he had found the answer.

Ye Wanqing had never revealed that dusty past to Lin Xuan. In front of him, she was always so strong and confident. But one night, while quietly painting in the moonlight, she suddenly whispered, "If I could, I would also jump from there and end it all."

At that time, Lin Xuan didn't know what was going on. He just thought she was venting her emotions, so he hugged her tightly without asking any questions. But now, thinking back on it, his heart felt like it was frozen by frost, and the chill went straight to his heart.

Their suspicions were soon confirmed. On the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, the senior students of Outer City No. 1 Middle School had already returned to school, but the agreement between Ye Wanqing and Fang Hongxing had fallen on deaf ears, with no further news.

What was even more unexpected was that the police and psychologists also appeared on the rooftop. Their eyes were fixed on Ye Wanqing, full of worry and anxiety.

Ye Wanqing stood on the edge of the rooftop. The cold wind blew, and her scarf fluttered in the wind. She subconsciously tightened her scarf and looked down with empty eyes.

The height of the eighth floor seemed nothing to her. She thought of Yin Feiwei, the girl who had once been her classmate, and who had jumped from the eighth floor. If Yin Feiwei had the courage to face death, why couldn't she?

But her heart was filled with doubt and resentment. She wanted to ask Fang Hongxing and the others why, after more than ten years, they were still pursuing her so relentlessly? What happened back then wasn't her fault alone, so why did Fang Hongxing place all the blame on her?

The weather today was unusually bad, and the wind on the rooftop was so strong that it was almost impossible to stand. Ye Wanqing felt unprecedentedly cold and lonely. She glanced down, the height of the eighth floor seemed particularly clear at this moment.

But she didn't jump. She just stood there quietly, letting the wind blow her long hair and letting the pain and struggle in her heart intertwine. She was waiting, waiting for Fang Hongxing to appear, waiting for an answer, waiting for relief.

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