The Stranger’s Homeward Journey

Luo Shaoheng didn’t receive any replies after he sent the message and waited for a while. The balcony was a bit cold, so he finished drinking the milk in the cup and turned around to go back into the house. Just after he took two steps, the phone in his hand rang.

–Shen Mucheng.

The name on the screen made him stop in his track, his heart pounded wildly; this was the first time he had seen the three words Shen Mucheng on his cell phone after so many years, excluding the phone call received when he was in Switzerland because he still didn’t have Shen Mucheng’s number saved in his phone at that time.

Just one phone call had such a great magic that it felt like the fireworks had exploded in his heart.

The corners of Luo Shaoheng’s mouth rose. He coughed lightly with his fist against his lips, calming down before picking up the phone, “Hello.”

“Still haven’t slept yet?” Shen Mucheng asked.

“No.” Luo Shaoheng smiled, “I’m waiting for your call.”

“Oh?” Shen Mucheng raised his eyebrows, “You knew I would call you?”

“I didn’t know.” Luo Shaoheng returned to the balcony and leaned his back against the railing, “But I was willing to wait for a while, and it was okay if you didn’t call. However, it turned out that it was worth it.”

His voice held a light smile, affecting Shen Mucheng over the phone and making his dull mood slowly become better, he sat into a rocking chair beside. “Happy New Year.”

“Happy New Year.” Luo Shaoheng asked, “Why are you still awake so late? Are you also staying up all night for New Year’s?”

The finger lightly tapping the armrest stopped, Shen Mucheng remembered all the things that happened at his grandfather’s house today, and once again felt slightly irritable. 

The current head of the Shen family was him. The Old Master was already old and his mental condition had not been good since the death of Shen Mucheng’s grandmother. After suffering from Alzheimer’s in recent years, his memory had also turned so messy that sometimes he couldn’t even remember people. After living in the backyard for many years, safe for the old housekeeper, he didn’t like anyone who went close to him and his temperament became more and more like a child. 

In Shen Mucheng’s parents’ generation, there were four siblings. His parents were killed in an accident early in life, his aunt married abroad and hardly ever saw him, and his third uncle settled in Switzerland, so the only family in the main house was him and his fourth uncle.

Shen Mucheng normally lived in his apartment, and would occasionally go back to see the Old Master, but it was a problem whether he could enter the house. While Shen Qiuxiong was covetously looking at the Shen family’s sovereignty like a wolf. Even if they could sit down together to have a New Year’s Eve dinner, each of them had their own thoughts and secret rivalry, why would they stay up for the New Year together?

In the past few years, after having dinner with the Old Master during the Spring Festival, he would go to the Jiang family at the request of his maternal grandfather.

Although he wasn’t really clear about the situation after the accident, he also knew that it was thanks to his grandfather that he could wake up safely. So even if the social gathering of the Jiang family was annoying, he would still go over.

His maternal grandfather wanted him to get involved in the business of the Jiang family, and although he had no intention to do so, it didn’t stop the rest of the Jiang family from being hostile to him, and the gatherings were like negotiation grounds, it was extremely irritating even if he stayed for one more minute.

He hadn’t had a decent Spring Festival since his parents passed away.

“What’s wrong?” Luo Shaoheng didn’t receive a reply so he asked.

“Nothing.” Shen Mucheng casually pulled up a blanket on the side and put it on his body, “What about you? Are you staying up?”

“En!” Speaking of this, Luo Shaoheng’s voice was obviously much brighter, “I just stayed up for New Year, did you hear the sound of fireworks? Bang-“

“I heard it.” Accompanying Luo Shaoheng’s voice in Shen Mucheng’s ears, was the sound of fireworks, “You’re very happy? “

“Yes,” Luo Shaoheng paused here and his voice became lighter, “I haven’t stayed up for New Years with my parents for ten years.”

“Why?”

“Because I broke their hearts.” Luo Shaoheng turned around to look at the fireworks in the sky, there was despondency in his eyes.

Listening to his words, Shen Mucheng’s hand moved unconsciously, but could only touch emptiness. He stared at his palm; he instinctively made a movement in an instant earlier. He did not know why he did such a thing when there was no one beside him.

“It’s good that you’re back.” Shen Mucheng said comfortingly.

“Ah.” Luo Shaoheng lightly responded and changed the topic, “Are you guys having dumplings over there today?”

Dumplings? Shen Mucheng thought for a moment, he really did not pay attention to what he ate today, so he casually dismissed it.

The two talked for a while. Luo Shaoheng noticed that Shen Mucheng’s voice was a bit tired, so he told him to go rest and took the initiative to hang up the phone.

Putting the phone aside, Shen Mucheng dozed off on the chair for a while before getting up and going back to the house.

On the seventh day of the New Year, Luo Shaoheng went to the city hospital, which was also the first day for the hospital to operate normally. He wanted to look for the doctor who gave Shen Mucheng a death certificate, but did not expect that the other party had resigned in the same year and no one knew his whereabouts.

“You said the other party has resigned?” Chen Zhan frowned.

“Yes.” Luo Shaoheng nodded. He tried to inquire about the incident, but the hospital said the incident happened so long ago that they couldn’t investigate it anymore. He even made some effort to scheme little tricks in order to obtain the news of the doctor’s resignation.

“Strange, according to what you said, the doctor back then should be at a director position, how come he suddenly resigned? Unless ……” 

“I understand.” Luo Shaoheng understood his meaning. Although things were not yet clear, with the information learned now he could also guess that there were hidden truths about the incident. 

“What do you plan to do? Do you need help?” Chen Zhan asked.

“En. Can you help me check to see if you can find some information?”

“Okay.” Chen Zhan said and took out a document from the bag next to him and handed it over, “Take a look.”

“What is it?” Luo Shaoheng opened it. His hand stopped when he took out half of the information inside.

The person on the information was Shen Mucheng.

He looked up at Chen Zhan. “This ……”

“I temporarily entrusted someone to help and check. There is not much, just some simple information.” Chen Zhan paused, “City B’s Shen family, do you know?”

“I’ve heard about it a little.” Luo Shaoheng took the papers out.

Just as what Chen Zhan said, the information was very little, just some simple personal information, but these alone were already a lot for Luo Shaoheng.

When Shen Mucheng lost his memory, all he could know was just Shen Mucheng’s name, even his ID card was done by someone he entrusted. Now, he finally knew the real information about Shen Mucheng.

“Shen Mucheng is the current head of the Shen family. The Shen family’s presence in City B is just like your Luo family’s here.” Chen Zhan’s expression was serious as he looked at him, “Do you understand what I mean? If you’re going to pursue him, you have to be mentally prepared.”

Luo Shaoheng fell silent for a moment, then looked up at him and laughed, “Are you afraid that what happened back then will happen again?”

“You’re still in the mood to joke?” Chen Zhan frowned, “The Luo family won’t make things difficult for you, but what about the Shen family?”

“Well, I know what you’re worried about.” Luo Shaoheng said, “But no matter what happens, there’s nothing that can stop me.”

His eyes were firm with unwavering determination when he said this. Chen Zhan knew him well and knew that it was useless to say anything, so he stopped persuading him, “Take care of yourself.”

“Don’t worry.” Luo Shaoheng put the information away.

After separating from Chen Zhan, Luo Shaoheng went back to the resort, and then booked a flight to City B.

The plane slowly took off after taxiing on the ground for a while. Luo Shaoheng looked at the ground that was getting farther and farther away, his mood was like the plane rushing up to the clouds. For so many years, he never looked forward to any trip as much as this one.

“Finally…” he reached out and pressed his hand on the glass window, as if he was touching the clouds themselves.

The time pointed to four o’clock in the afternoon, Shen Mucheng took a jacket placed aside to put it on and went outside. Shen Yun hurried to follow.

Passing through the corridor, he could see the heavy rain outside through the huge floor-to-ceiling window. The whole city was shrouded in a layer of mist, gloomy and dreary.

“Boss, it’s been raining for a day. It probably won’t stop for a while, why don’t I go over and pick up Mr. Luo?” Shen Yun proposed.

“It’s fine.” Shen Mucheng’s footsteps did not stop and entered the elevator with Shen Yun.

The elevator went straight down to the basement parking lot. The two of them got into the car and left.

Luo Shaoheng did not expect that it would rain so heavily in City B. When he got off the airplane, the person next to him was kind enough to share his umbrella together.

Dragging his suitcase to the entrance of the airport, Luo Shaoheng looked at the heavy rain and regretted letting Shen Mucheng pick him up. He wasn’t sure if Shen Mucheng had arrived and intended to give him a call, but before he could fish out the phone, he saw a black car parked across the street. The driver’s door was pushed open, revealing Shen Yun who got out of the car, holding a black umbrella. He went over to open the door for Shen Mucheng to get out of the car.

The moment Luo Shaoheng saw Shen Mucheng, he felt that the surrounding sounds were suddenly very far away from himself, he could only see the person who was walking towards him slowly.

As he looked at Shen Mucheng coming closer and his face in the rain becoming gradually clear, he suddenly felt that all the pain over the past ten years was soothed by the person in front of him, only the sweet past of the two remained.

— I’ve waited for so many years and now you’re finally walking towards me once again.