Ling Momo couldn’t help but burst into tears over the phone, she never imagined that her choked "I’m fine" would prompt him to respond with such heartache, "Where are you?"
Trembling, Ling Momo raised her hand, wiped away her tears, and then blurted out in one breath, "Teacher... I’m in the countryside... I... they curse at me..."
Upon hearing her cry, Li Qingshen grew even more anxious. Her sobs were harrowing, and her voice was faltering. He listened for a long time but could hardly make out what she was saying, only catching the words "curse at me." A fire flared up in his heart, and he kept his voice steady, coaxing her with, "Momo, don’t cry. First, tell me, where are you?"
Ling Momo took a deep breath, managed to stop her crying, and her words came out somewhat jumbled, but this time Li Qingshen heard her loud and clear, "I’m at my old home in the countryside; they won’t give us the land, I couldn’t argue with them, and they curse people."
Even though he didn’t know what exactly had happened, Li Qingshen knew where Ling Momo’s ancestral home was. He soothed her in a low voice, "Wait for me, I’ll come over right away. Just stay at home, don’t go anywhere, alright?"
Sniffling, Ling Momo nodded and responded with a "mm," then Li Qingshen turned around and headed for the door. Halfway there, recalling that Ling Momo had been cursed at, he spun around, covered the mouthpiece, and walked over to Qin Sheng, whispering, "Asheng, get some people to accompany me to the countryside."
Qin Sheng nodded, and Li Qingshen quickly exited.
Ling Momo held the phone, and after a long silence without hearing Li Qingshen speak again, she couldn’t help but call out, "Teacher?"
"Mm, I’m here," Li Qingshen responded. Ling Momo then heard the ding of the elevator, followed by a loss of signal. She figured Li Qingshen must be in the elevator and held onto the phone, continuing to listen. About three minutes later, the elevator doors opened, the signal returned, and Ling Momo faintly heard bustling footsteps, then the sound of doors opening and closing followed by the startup of a car.
By the end of the call, Ling Momo had finally stopped crying and mentioned hanging up. Li Qingshen hummed softly in acknowledgment and didn’t forget to remind her again, "Don’t wander off." Get full chapters from novᴇlfire.net
After hanging up, Li Qingshen’s car recklessly sped out of the city.
After the call, Ling Momo stood there blankly, already in a state of extreme exhaustion, yet her mind remained clear. Her heart raced unusually fast. How had she really ended up calling Li Qingshen over?
She felt somewhat uneasy, but as time passed, she thought, whatever, it had to be this way. Her world was already in chaos, and she had nobody in this world to turn to. She didn’t want to think too much anymore; she just hoped to find someone who could lend her a hand!
She never knew that one day, when she was alone, afflicted and in despair, she would seek help from the man she once despised to the bone and hated so fiercely!
But it was precisely that man who could now bring a little, little bit of light into her dark world. She didn’t ask for much now, not at all; she just wished for that bit of light, even if only for a short while.