A street urchin turned academic genius, starting by saving the blind school beauty.

Chapter 36 The Long-Awaited Encounter

"Waaah~ Come here and give me a hug~"

"Come hug me~ I've finally found you~"

As the melodious tune of the song gradually faded, Lu Zhaoye took off the noise-canceling headphones hanging on the girl's ears and asked with a smile,

"How is it? Does it sound good?"

Xu Ziqing seemed to be still in a daze and did not respond to Lu Zhaoye's question.

She remained silent, following Lu Zhaoye's footsteps without making a sound.

Lu Zhaoye vaguely sensed the change in the girl's emotions and was somewhat at a loss.

And then he suddenly remembered why he liked this song.

"Big brother, do you know why I like this song?"

Xu Ziqing spoke, her voice choked with emotion.

Lu Zhaoye pursed his lips and sighed inwardly. He hadn't expected that his unintentional act would bring up the girl's painful memories.

"You probably already know, right? This song was written for my mother, is that why?"

Xu Ziqing was somewhat surprised to hear this, not expecting that Lu Zhaoye actually knew.

"Big brother, do you know, I actually feel very sorry for my mother."

Lu Zhaoye responded softly, slowing his pace slightly.

"Before I lost my sight, my parents were always by my side. My mom would make whatever I wanted to eat, and my dad would buy whatever I wanted."

"I am very happy because I have the best parents in the world. They don't pressure me about my studies and they don't spoil the things I like."

"But after I lost my sight, my home changed."

The girl's voice became increasingly choked, but Lu Zhaoye knew that she was still deliberately suppressing her emotions.

"In order to cure my eyes, my father quit his stable job in the county and left home to find a more lucrative job in a factory in the south to pay for my eye treatment."

"To help me overcome the hardship of losing my sight, my mother voluntarily quit her job and stayed by my side to take care of me for a year."

"Although I've lost my eyesight, I know that my mother cries every day."

"One day, I touched my mother's cheek with my hand. She had wrinkles on her face, and she was only in her forties."

"Only then did I realize that I was the one who ruined this family, that I was the one who dragged this family down, that I was completely useless, that I could do nothing, that I could accomplish nothing."

Hearing the girl's suppressed voice, Lu Zhaoye was somewhat moved, and tears welled up in his eyes.

He couldn't help but remove the girl's hand from his arm and gently hold it in his own.

Xu Ziqing felt the movement and, unable to control her emotions, let out a sob, tears silently streaming down her face.

At that moment, Xu Ziqing's emotions, like a balloon that had been building up for a long time, burst with a snap.

"One day, I realized that I could no longer be a burden to this family."

"While my mom was washing the dishes, I used all my strength to climb from the table to the windowsill."

"I opened the window, and the wind blew on my face. I felt extremely refreshed, and I felt an indescribable sense of joy."

"My mother heard me and rushed over."

"However, she didn't stop me; she was just like before, not a spoilsport at all."

Xu Ziqing choked up and smiled briefly as she finished speaking.

"She said that if I really couldn't take it anymore, I should jump, and she wouldn't blame me."

"I cried a lot at the time, and my mother comforted me and told me not to cry."

She said that life and death are like a piece of paper, with the living on the front and the dead on the back.

"Our family will never leave each other; we'll always be back to back."

"My mother also said that since she signed my birth certificate, she would also sign my death certificate."

"She will celebrate the new life I brought home from the hospital, and she will also accept my departure as I am taken to the funeral home."

"When I leave this world, she will ask my father to buy me a small burial plot so I can lie in it."

"Just like when I first came into this world, my dad bought me a small house to live in."

"Mom even swore to me that she would definitely not cry at the memorial service, and she would not let Dad cry either. If he dared to cry, she would hit Dad."

Lu Zhaoye smiled bitterly, and tears fell unconsciously down his face.

"Because my mother felt that her daughter was free, which was something to be happy about, she would help me lie to my aunts and uncles and say that I left with a smile."

"..."

"I don't know how I got down there. I just suddenly felt that the wind was so cold and it hurt my face."

"When my mom carried me down, I felt so warm inside."

"Later, I began to accept the reality of losing my sight. I desperately learned Braille, learned to use a white cane, learned everything..."

"Because I don't want my parents to leave this world with disappointment."

"As Zhao Lei wrote in his lyrics, time and space are a circle. Whether we go straight or turn, we will eventually meet again."

"Although we may not see each other again for another 129,600 years, I am willing to wait because I have such parents."

Xu Ziqing smiled, her dimples appearing and disappearing gently in the water curtain.

Lu Zhaoye's brows relaxed, he wiped his eyes, and forced a smile as he spoke.

"It's alright, 129,600 years is just a moment to nothingness."

"When you open your eyes again, you will be a family again."

Upon hearing this, Xu Ziqing froze, tears streaming down her pale cheeks.

She instinctively raised her right hand to wipe it, only to find that her hand was being held tightly in the boy's.

Xu Ziqing trembled as she raised her left hand to wipe her face, but before she could reach it, the boy's broad, strong hand was pressed against her face.

He gently wiped away the tears on his face and rubbed his nose.

"Don't cry, Xu Ziqing, you don't look good anymore."

Xu Ziqing lowered her hands, took a step forward, and let the hot tears fall into the boy's palm.

"Think about it, how do you know that this time, it's not the next meeting you've been looking forward to since 129,600 years ago?"

Xu Ziqing could no longer hold back; her body trembled slightly, and she choked out, "..."

"Big...Big brother, can...can you hug me?"

Lu Zhaoye was stunned for a moment, but in less than a second, he carefully stretched out his arms and pulled Xu Ziqing into his embrace.

He gently rubbed the back of the girl's neck with his palm, while placing his other hand on her back and pressing her face against his neck.

"Cry out loud, Xu Ziqing. No matter the past, present, or future, there will always be someone who loves you."

Xu Ziqing nestled her head on Lu Zhaoye's neck, no longer trying to suppress her emotions, and burst into loud sobs.

Lu Zhaoye felt as if his heart was being torn apart by the girl's cries. He nuzzled her ear with his head and hugged her even tighter.

Xu Ziqing should have had a bright future, but such a natural disaster and man-made calamity shattered her family, leaving them on the verge of collapse.

Lu Zhaoye didn't know what he would do in the future, but at this moment he was certain of one thing.

When Xu Ziqing regains her sight, it will be the next time she meets her parents.