Chapter 457 – Song Yi Returns to China
Only by paying attention would she realize what those missing cases were truly about.
If no one had paid attention, some truths might take a very long time to come to light.
It could even lead to irreversible consequences.
Of course, that was something to discuss later.
In theory, hearing that the disappearance cases had stopped should have been good news.
But Xu Jinning still felt that something was off.
The cases didn’t end because the thief had been caught. The cases were still unresolved, and the serial thief hadn’t been apprehended—not even a trace of a clue had been found.
It was almost like Zhang Changzheng said: they had vanished into thin air.
It was precisely these words, “vanished into thin air,” that piqued Xu Jinning’s curiosity, keeping her invested in the situation until now.
Since no new disappearances had occurred, Zhang Changzheng and his people had no further leads, and the previous cases remained a mystery. The stolen items had never been recovered.
However, no leads and no recovery didn’t mean that the previous cases didn’t exist.
In fact, it further highlighted just how strange those disappearances were.
“I’ll keep following these cases,” Zhang Changzheng said at last.
His instincts told him that these missing cases were crucial and couldn’t be ignored!
With no new information on Zhang Changzheng’s side and no leads for Xu Jinning either, the matter seemed to be left unresolved…
*
Meanwhile, far away in Country A, Song Yi was already on the plane returning to his homeland.
As he sat on the plane, gazing at the scenery outside the window, Song Yi felt an overwhelming surge of excitement.
It had been over four years, and he was finally returning to his country—finally going back to see Fanghua and his family.
More than four years! Song Yi had never imagined that after losing contact with Fanghua for three years, he would go on to spend another four years without seeing her.
From the moment he saw Fanghua again after returning from the military, Song Yi had told himself that he never wanted to live through those days of being separated from her, completely out of contact, ever again.
Those days were too unbearable, and Song Yi thought that if he had to go through them once more, he might not be able to endure it.
He didn’t have any grand ambitions. He just wanted to do what he loved and spend his life with the person he loved. A simple, peaceful life like that would be more than enough.
But, unexpectedly, he ended up spending another four years abroad.
Four long years—he hadn’t seen Fanghua for more than four years.
During that time, in order to return home as soon as possible, Song Yi didn’t dare to take any vacations. Even when he was sick with a fever, he still attended classes and worked on experiments.
In the end, he managed to achieve outstanding results and return home over six months ahead of schedule.
But what had become of Fanghua over these four years?
Throughout this time, they had exchanged many photos. He had sent her numerous pictures of himself, and she had done the same.
Each month, they wrote to each other—sometimes as many as two letters, sometimes as few as one—but they stayed in touch.
However, the two countries still couldn’t connect by phone, so he couldn’t call Fanghua, and she couldn’t call him either.
He hadn’t heard her voice for over four years.
In those four years, whenever he dreamt, it was always of Fanghua—her figure, her voice.
She was constantly on his mind, haunting his dreams.
Every time he woke up, Song Yi would feel an overwhelming sense of loss and sadness.
It was in those moments that his longing for her would grow wildly, like weeds in spring, unstoppable.
Many times, he could barely restrain himself, wanting to drop everything and return to her side, to hold Fanghua in his arms and never leave her again.
The impulse was intense.
But in the end, his strong sense of reason managed to hold him back.
And so, for over four years, he restrained himself.
Now, at last, he didn’t need to hold back anymore.
No one could have known how thrilled Song Yi was when he received notice that he had completed his studies with excellent results and could finally return home.
In that moment, his eyes welled up with tears.
He couldn’t help himself and immediately picked up a pen to write to Fanghua, telling her the good news.
And now…
There was still a week left before the date he had told Fanghua he would return.
Yes, Song Yi was coming home a week earlier than expected.
This time, however, he hadn’t told Xu Fanghua.
Instead of writing her a letter, he decided he would surprise her by returning in person.
As Song Yi sat on the plane, his mind raced with thoughts.
He wondered how Fanghua would react when she saw him.
Would she be so happy that she’d run over and hug him?
Would she cry?
Or perhaps she’d scold him? Would she be upset with him?
After all, he had been gone for more than four years.
More than four years, leaving her alone in Beijing. Even though his sister Xu Jinning had been there to keep her company, Fanghua must have felt lonely.
Family was important, of course, but no one could replace a lover.
In any case, Song Yi had already made up his mind: the moment he saw Fanghua, he would hug her tightly, hold her close, and tell her just how much he had missed her.
Oh, and there was one more thing.
The two of them had once agreed to start a family after graduating from university.
Now, he had finished his studies and returned home, and Fanghua had long since graduated from Beijing University. Though she was still pursuing her graduate studies, the time they had set to start their family had already arrived.
So, the matter of having a child could now be put on the agenda.
He looked forward to having a child with Fanghua—a child who would carry both their bloodlines, who would resemble both him and Fanghua.
He imagined that when the child was born, he would shower them with love.
Oh right!
Song Yi suddenly recalled a dream he had over three years ago.
In the dream, he saw a little girl, dressed in a princess dress, looking as delicate as a porcelain doll, running into his arms and calling him “Daddy.”
To this day, he could still remember the intense excitement he felt upon waking from that dream.
He thought that if his and Fanghua’s daughter could be that girl, it would be wonderful.
Boy or girl, he would love them equally.
But of course, if it were a girl, he’d love her even more.
Song Yi planned that once he settled back in after returning home, he would bring up the topic of having a child with Fanghua. Naturally, it would just be a discussion—what happened next would depend on Fanghua’s plans.
Song Yi fully respected Xu Fanghua’s wishes.
With excitement swelling in his heart, and after several hours of flying, the plane finally landed, and Song Yi had finally returned to his country.
As he stepped onto the soil of his homeland and heard the familiar local dialect around him, his eyes immediately reddened.
After leaving the airport, he could hardly wait as he hopped into a taxi and gave the address of the small courtyard.
The taxi slowly began moving, heading in the direction of the courtyard.
An hour later, the car finally stopped at the courtyard gate.
With his suitcase in hand, and a mix of excitement and nervousness in his heart, Song Yi knocked on the courtyard door.
Would it be Fanghua who opened the door? At this time of day, he wasn’t sure if she was home.
Meanwhile, behind the door, little Song Siyi was crouching in a corner of the yard, watching some ants move their nest.
As she watched, she suddenly heard a knock on the door…
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