Chapter 62

That day at the construction site, I saw the look on Yan Jing’s face. She was shocked and furious when she saw me. Though I hadn’t interacted with her much, I could tell what kind of person she was—she wasn’t good at hiding her emotions. As for Lin Xiao’s father, he wouldn’t bother using such methods. So the most likely person behind it all… was Andy.

He knew Lin Xiao’s movements best and could easily get his phone. Even though he had used a voice changer, I was still fairly certain it was him. And judging from his reaction just now, I became even more sure—though I still didn’t know why he had done it.

Andy left, but I knew things here would never be as peaceful as before. If Andy could find me, then others could too. But this time, I wouldn’t run. I would face whoever came, calmly—and continue living the rest of my life here with these children, peacefully and happily.

Sure enough, not long after Andy left, someone else arrived.

He rushed forward and pulled me into a tight embrace as I was cleaning the playground, his voice trembling as he called my name.

“Zhenxi… Zhenxi… it’s really you… I finally found you…”

Despite everything he had done before that hurt me, seeing Jin Fei like this still made my heart ache. I gently pushed him away, but he pulled me back into his arms.

“Nhenxi, listen to me—things aren’t what you think. Really… really…”

I didn’t pretend to be ignorant. Jin Fei knew me too well, and he was too smart. When I suddenly disappeared, he must have seen the last call record on his phone. He understood everything now.

But in truth, I no longer blamed him—nor anyone else. There was no point in holding onto these entanglements anymore, and no need for explanations. In the end, my decision to leave had been selfish. I chose to leave for myself.

“Jin Fei, I know why you did everything you did. And I’m truly grateful for your sincerity. So I don’t care about your relationship with Yan Jing, or when all of this started, or whether it hurt me. Because I believe your intentions were always to protect me.

“But at the same time… I’m sorry. From childhood until now, I’ve seen everything you’ve done for me, and I’ve been deeply moved. But being moved isn’t love. No matter how much of it there is, it can’t become love.

“So… Jin Fei, I’m sorry.”

“Zhenxi, I knew,” he said with a bitter smile. “I knew you would say this. After all these years, how could I not understand you? But I still came. Before coming here, I thought about it for a long time. I knew Andy wouldn’t succeed. I knew you wouldn’t come back with me either. But I still came—not to force you, just because I missed you.”

I smiled.

“Jin Fei, if you’re willing… we can still be friends.”

He smiled too.

“Of course. We’ll always be friends…”

Jin Fei left as well.

I wondered who would come next—Yan Jing, or Lin Xiao’s father? But I quickly dismissed both possibilities. Neither of them would walk five hours into the mountains just to find me.

It seemed my life could return to peace again.

Another two months passed.

Andy and Jin Fei would occasionally come to visit me, but neither of them ever mentioned Lin Xiao. I figured he must already know where I was. He had probably given up on me completely… choosing something else instead.

One afternoon, I was teaching the children a physical education class on the playground when suddenly, a helicopter appeared overhead.

Although I had told them about helicopters and shown them pictures, the children had never seen one in real life. Frightened, they all ran behind me.

As the helicopter descended, the powerful wind from its blades made it impossible to open our eyes. I shielded the children and stepped back. The playground wasn’t large, and there were two wooden basketball hoops. After hovering for a while, the helicopter finally managed to land—barely—knocking over one of the hoops.

The children peeked out from behind me.

Then, a man stepped out of the helicopter.

He wore a dark gray suit and black sunglasses, walking toward me step by step.

My heart began to race uncontrollably.

Even though he had cut his thick black hair short…
Even though he had grown thinner…
Even though the swirling dust made it hard to see his face clearly…

I recognized him instantly.

I thought I had forgotten him.
I thought that even if we met again, I could face him calmly.

But I was wrong.

My heart recognized him.

It remembered him—every feeling he had ever given me. The moment I saw him, my heart moved on its own, following that familiar pull.

The helicopter blades slowed to a stop. The wind died down.

Lin Xiao stood in front of me.

He removed his sunglasses. His eyes were deeper than ever—almost frightening.

Looking at me, he raised his hand and gently touched my cheek, a faint, unreadable smile on his lips.

“Zhenxi… have you been well?”