She's waiting for me there.

Gu Hongfei was stunned for a moment when he heard this, then he sighed and shook his head.

He took a piece of peanuts and put it in his mouth: "I guess it's hopeless. I've searched all the nearby cities over the years, but there's no trace of it."

The air fell into silence, and neither of them spoke.

After a while, Chen Yun asked, "Do you regret it? If you were asked to choose again, would you bring her back that day?"

Gu Hongfei took a sip from the wine glass, wiped the corner of his mouth, and smiled calmly. "I don't know. This is also a question I have been thinking about."

At this time, the boss came out with a plate and shouted, "The noodles and beef are ready. Take your time, young man. We are in no hurry to close."

Chen Yun smiled and asked, "Brother, isn't it Christmas today? Why don't you go home to be with your wife and children?"

The eldest brother spoke with a Northeastern accent, sounding very generous: "Haha, what's there to accompany me? My children are getting married and buying a house, so I don't have time to stay here. I have to earn more money to put together a down payment. You guys eat slowly, I'm going to go get busy first."

With that, the boss ran back to the kitchen.

Chen Yun picked up a piece of beef and put it in his mouth, then took a sip of wine and nodded. The taste of the food in this small shop was still authentic.

"Actually, there's nothing to regret." Chen Yun returned to the previous topic: "You only see the surface of many problems. Let me ask you."

"If you were married back then, and you came home from get off work and saw her, and you didn't want to eat, didn't want to go to bed, and didn't want to talk to her, would you regret your decision?"

Gu Hongfei shook his head and said, "Impossible. I know her personality. She wouldn't do that."

"Don't worry, just listen to what I have to say."

"Or maybe it's like you're still single, and you see other people happy and content, and you envy them. But then you see them struggling with mortgages, car loans, the various expenses for children, and the dull and boring daily life. Shouldn't you feel fortunate?"

As he spoke, he glanced in the direction of the kitchen and Gu Hongfei understood what he meant.

Chen Yun picked up the wine glass, took a big sip, and continued:

"The cat in the alley is free, but has no home. The dog in the fence has a home, but must bow his head for life. There are many answers to the multiple-choice question of life, and no matter which choice you make, there will be regrets. We always think that the roads we have not walked on are full of flowers."

He paused, staring into Gu Hongfei's eyes and said, "But are you sure the road you're on now is the one without flowers?"

Gu Hongfei's hand holding the wine glass trembled and he stood there in a daze.

"So, you shouldn't have been so hung up on whether or not you should have come back that night. If it were me, I would probably have made the same choice as you. The girl was willing to elope with you because of her love for you. When you heard her parents were critically ill, if you didn't bring her back, you would have been derelict in your duty as a husband."

Gu Hongfei gave a wry smile, "But who the hell knew this was a self-torture tactic? I won't say more, it's annoying."

After he finished speaking, the wine in the glass was almost empty.

......

It was already late at night when Chen Yun arrived at the gate of the community. Before he could open the door, the security guard diligently opened the small door and greeted him. He waved in return.

Thinking about how drunk Gu Hongfei was just now, he shook his head and sighed, "I can't let this kid get drunk again. I have to carry him back home. I might as well hug my wife to sleep instead of this time. Really..."

Although he complained, his thoughts were very complicated along the way. He could understand Gu Hongfei's current state.

Put yourself in his shoes. If the same situation happened to him, he might not do as well as Gu Hongfei.

Thinking about this, Chen Yun had already walked to the door of the unit. He looked up and looked at the building in front of him.

Logically speaking, the lights in every household should be dimmed at this time.

But the light on the top floor was still on, and the window was shining there alone, looking particularly lonely in the darkness.

Without looking closely, it must be his house. A blurry figure can be vaguely seen swaying back and forth in front of the window.

Could that silly girl still be awake, waiting for me to come back?

It was already past 2 a.m. According to Qingxue's schedule, she would have fallen asleep long ago. Besides, she was so tired that she couldn't even stand up straight at the company today.

Chen Yun muttered something, then ran and stumbled into the elevator.

"Ding dong."

The sound was particularly harsh in the dead of night.

When the elevator door opened, Chen Yun turned around and cursed, "This broken thing will be torn down sooner or later."

I don't know who came up with this idea, but the elevator door needs to have such a crazy device to open, especially in the middle of the night. Every time it makes this sound, it feels like I'm in a horror movie.

After complaining, he pressed his fingerprint on the door handle and tiptoed into the house.

Ok?

Chen Yun stood at the door in a daze, and a big question mark popped up in his head.

The living room was dark and empty.

Did I see it wrong just now?

That's impossible. I haven't drunk enough to distinguish my own from others.

I put my shoes in the shoe cabinet, took off my coat and threw it on the sofa, then tiptoed to open the bedroom door.

The bedroom was dim, with only the night light at the bathroom door on. I could vaguely see Qingxue lying on her side on the bed, curled up in the quilt, and she seemed to be sleeping soundly.

"Are you asleep?" Chen Yun asked in a low voice.

No one answered.

He walked to Qingxue and put his hand on her waist. He could clearly feel her breathing quicken for a moment, then become steady again.

"Whose beautiful sister is lying here? If no one claims her, I will do whatever I want."

Qingxue suppressed the upturned corners of her mouth, but still did not stand up.

She bit the tip of her tongue and didn't turn around and throw herself into Chen Yun's arms.

Oh, why is this man like this? He keeps asking questions.

It’s so late now. If I get restless, it doesn’t matter what time I go to bed.

You have to get up early for work tomorrow, and if you don’t sleep well you will have panda eyes again.

I can hardly act anymore...

Chen Yun raised the corners of his mouth, and after changing his clothes, he got into the quilt and hugged her tightly from behind.

"Good night, my dear." A gentle voice sounded in Qingxue's ears.

After a while, Qingxue felt the man's breathing behind her gradually become even, so she opened her eyes, turned around and nestled into Chen Yun's arms, placing her slender fingers on his abdominal muscles, and then she fell asleep peacefully.

At 2:19 a.m., the last light in the building finally went out.