CH 51.1

Chapter 51 Part 1

As each day passed, the New Year was getting closer. Zhang Man still had not found Li Wei. It was like he had completely disappeared from her world.

It had been dry for many days in N city. It suddenly started to lightly rain during the afternoon on New Year’s Eve.

Zhang Huifang went to the market to buy food. In the evening, she and Zhang Man agreed to go to Uncle Xu’s for the New Year.

Zhang Man layed on the bed, listening to the rain outside.

In the community downstairs, several mischievous boys were setting off firecrackers. On such a wet and rainy day, they have to try harder to light a firecracker. It was timeconsuming, but they still enjoyed themselves.

At this age, it was nice to be carefree. There was nothing to worry about. Listening to the firecrackers was a simple happiness that could last for a long time.

Zhang Man looked at the windowsill. More than half the orchids had died since she hadn’t watered them for days.

Twelve days.

He left her for twelve days already.

When she was with him, every day went by quickly; but ever since he left, she had to endure and would count the days with her fingers.

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Zz. Zz.

The cell phone on the bed suddenly vibrated. Zhang Man jumped up like she had been shocked. She quickly grabbed her cell phone to open it.

It was the end of the year bill from her cell phone provider.

She stared at the message for a long time.

Am I disappointed?

Her lips curved and she smiled.

She didn’t seem to be disappointed. She had zero hopes of it being him.

As time passed by, her hope gradually dropped. Maybe one day, she would suddenly accept that he had left.

The hardest thing she had to do every day was reading through the news.

Weibo, newspapers, NetEase News… She skimmed through the news with different sites every day, and even though she was trembling with fear, she forced herself to read it.

Fortunately. Fortunately, she didn’t see any articles that scared her.

There were no titles like “Youth Suicide”, “Depressed Suicide”, etc.

Zhang Man sat up. Put her legs to her chest and buried her face in her knees.

It really took a lot of courage to find someone. Zhang Huifang said that the grandmother and her family in the unit next door had sold the apartment and were looking for her child in every place they could go to.

She also went to a lot of places to find him.

Two days ago, she even went to Z City alone.

She went to the oceanarium and walked through all the exhibits alone. She thought that he might go there, but she did not dare to hold her breath. She kept looking for him and didn’t look at any of the performances or events.

She also went to the hotel where the two had been to together. The old man listened to her and said that he was not there. She only asked him a question, but he coldly replied that he had not seen him.

She was afraid that he lied to her,  so she squatted in front of the hotel and waited for hours.

It was still snowing in Z city. It was seven or eight degrees below zero and it was freezing cold.

She didn’t wear the earmuffs he sent her, and the frigid sea wind was blowing her ears. The piercing pain helped her to some extent by distracting her from the despair and confusion.

What was more difficult though was missing him.

She missed him all the time, such as now.

How is he doing alone?

Is he eating well? Has he gone out in the sun? Has he gone to the hospital every day for treatment like how he said he would in his email? Did he listen to the doctor and take the medication?

She wanted to tell him that if he was depressed, then he needed to be exposed to the sun more. Only by looking at the sun could a person feel more hopeful about life.

N City and Z City had rain and snow, but it did not have any sun.

At this moment, she even thought, maybe it’s lucky that he is not in N City and went somewhere else.

Maybe his city is different from N City and Z City. Maybe his city has sunshine.

Wait a moment…

Lucky that he is not in N City.

How am I sure that he is not in N City?

Zhang Man suddenly raised her head.

He said in the email that he would go to other cities for treatment.

From the moment she saw his email, she firmly believed that he had gone to another city. What’s more, when she went to his home, his neighbor said that he was carrying a big suitcase out of the door. This made her confirm her beliefs again.

The data from the police station that day flashed through her mind. It showed that there were no records of him traveling on any plane or train.

It can’t be.

If he wanted to make it impossible for her to find him, he would have definitely gone far away. Moreover, how could he possibly take the car?

He would not choose such a slow and inefficient way of leaving.

Therefore, there was only one possibility.

He lied to her.

He was still in N city.

He deliberately led her on, but hid in the closest place he could after leaving her.

Zhang Man’s heart trembled, and her temple was throbbing. She immediately jumped up from the bed and went downstairs.

It was New Year’s Eve. She couldn’t flag down a taxi.

She got on the bus. Only a few families in N City had a car. There were many people travling to buy New Year’s goods by bus. There were no seats at all. She stood during the ride and was crammed in. It was not easy for her to reach Li Wei’s home.

She rushed to take the elevator up and frantically rang the doorbell. Yet, no one responded.

Zhang Man bit her lip. She did not give up.

She thought for a moment and knocked on the neighbor’s door.

It was the same aunt who opened the door last time. She obviously remembered her.

“Little girl, haven’t you found your boyfriend? I haven’t seen him recently, so I guess he hasn’t come back.”

Zhang Man’s spirit was suddenly drained and she sat down on the steps.

Am I wrong? Did he actually go to another city?

It can’t be, I’m sure of it.

If he is still in N City and isn’t living at home, where can he be?

Her thoughts were very chaotic. Suddenly, she had a flash of inspiration. She remembered what he said that day when he stood on the balcony.

“Don’t worry… that balcony back then is not in this home.”

“That year… before the accident, our family lived in another place…”

Wait, Li Wei’s family lives in N City, but they have more than one home.

She immediately opened her cell phone and called Chen Feier.

“Feier, do you remember the classmate who lived in the same neighborhood as Li Wei when they were young?”

Chen Feier had a rough idea about the situation with Li Wei from her beforehand. She knew that she had been looking for him, so she immediately hung up the phone to ask the question to the classmate.

Soon, Zhang Man got the address. It was a luxury villa area in N City. It was far away from the urban area, and it faced a beautiful and clean sea on the northside of N City.

Zhang Man took a deep breath.

She forced herself to stand up. It was slow and took a long time. The dizziness still lingered.

She held the handle of the stairs and walked down as she endured the strong fainting feeling in her head. Her legs trembled uncontrollably.

She was too tired, physically and mentally. The past few days, trying to find him had taken over her life.

How wonderful will it be if I find him this time?

Once she finds him, she would start eating well and sleeping better.

She shouldn’t continue torturing herself like how she did these days.