"I see your old worrying habit is acting up again." Mi Jing replied with feigned indifference, then turned to Mi Wan and said, "Sister, Xuanxuan is waiting for you."
"Oh, then I'll go first." With that, Mi Wan gracefully departed from Mi Jing and Fang Qingru's sight.
However, Fang Qingru wasn't ready to let it go. She scrutinized Mi Jing's facial expression as if interrogating a criminal, and pressed sternly, "Tell me! Are you and your sister hiding something from me?"
"Ah, the eternal worry of parents! They always worry about their children." Mi Jing sighed deeply, expressing her sincere feelings, then opened her arms to embrace Fang Qingru. "Mom, having you as our mom makes my sister and I so lucky. I wish I could stay with you forever and never get married."
Fang Qingru's heart melted at Mi Jing's words and she felt a bit euphoric. She patted Mi Jing's back with a smile, "You're so unserious, always saying silly things. You have your own happiness to pursue; how can you stay with me forever? Besides, I can't stay with you forever either."
"Then I'll stay with you forever. Even though sometimes I don't like you always controlling me, I really can't bear to leave you and Dad." Mi Jing's throat tightened, she said quietly, "Mom, I'll definitely come back to see you and Dad often. I like being around you two, and I feel like I'll never find anyone who loves me as much as you do."
"..." Fang Qingru felt a warm glow inside her, her eyes reddened, overwhelmed with emotion, she didn't know what to say.
That old saying is so true, daughters are their parents' little warmth keepers!
After reluctantly saying goodbye to her family, Mi Jing didn't let them see her off downstairs.
In their lingering, reluctant gazes, she turned around and followed Shen Lingxing, taking one step at a time down the stairs she had walked on for over twenty years, and disappeared around the corner.
Once downstairs, Mi Jing stopped, turned around, and looked up at the lit window on the third floor. There was a stainless steel security grille on the window, under the light, the horizontal and vertical metal bars were reflecting scattered bright lights, and behind those lights, her parents, sister, and little niece were quietly and reluctantly seeing her off downstairs.
Their gazes pierced through the dim night, holding only each other in their eyes and hearts.
This scene was familiar to Mi Jing, because seven years ago, she and her parents also stood at that window, reluctantly seeing off her sister who was getting married. Every detail of that day was etched in Mi Jing's memory, even though several years had passed, it still felt like it happened yesterday.
And now, she was the one leaving, unlike any of her previous travels or work trips, this time she was really leaving the parents who had raised her for many years, leaving the home she had lived in for many years. Along with her reluctance, there was also confusion and uncertainty in her heart.
She was about to leave a warm loving home for an entirely unfamiliar "new" home. She didn't know what awaited her, what the future would be like, everything was unknown.
While Mi Jing stood still, Shen Lingxing had already packed her luggage into the trunk. At the moment he closed the trunk, he looked up and saw Mi Jing standing silently in front of the building—her blurred profile and thin figure exuded a sense of melancholy and loneliness.
He could see her reluctance, so he didn't rush her, standing patiently by the car, waiting.
After a while, Mi Jing smiled and waved at the window, then resolutely turned around and walked step by step towards Shen Lingxing who was not far away.
Seeing her approaching, Shen Lingxing gentlemanly opened the car door, waiting for her to get in.
Shen Lingxing quickly got into the car too, neither of them spoke, silently, and as the car started, Mi Jing instinctively turned her head to look at the home she had lived in for over twenty years.
The car slowly drove out of the community, into the dazzling night, and was soon swallowed by the crowded traffic.
Beep beep...
Mi Jing's phone made two loud and short sounds, signaling that she had received a message. The car was very quiet, making the sudden sound unusually loud in the confined space. Half-asleep, Mi Jing was fully awake, she took out her phone to check the message.
Jingjing, no matter what the future holds, home will always be your safe haven. Take care.
The message was from Mi Wan, she knew, such a warm reminder also carried her parents' thoughts.
Mi Jing smiled, with tears of emotion in her eyes... her smile contained a myriad of emotions, as she smiled, she replied to Mi Wan: I will take care, you, Mom, Dad, and Xuanxuan take care too.
After sending the message, Mi Jing put away her phone, looking at the night outside the car window, and her heart brightened like the flashing neon lights, all her confusion and anxiety dissipated, and her gloomy mood gradually turned bright. No matter what the future would be, she still had the family that would always be there for her. With this thought, she felt at peace.
The car sped along, passing one traffic light after another, and finally drove into an upscale community.
After getting out of the car, Shen Lingxing went to the trunk to get their belongings while Mi Jing, having nothing else to do, looked around. After a few seconds, Mi Jing was stunned.
Was this a parking lot? It was like a gathering place for luxury cars, Ferraris, Mercedes, Rolls Royces, all lined up imposingly, silently telling Mi Jing that this was where the wealthy frequented.
The wealthy?
Could it be she accidentally married into riches?
When the car entered this community, Mi Jing vaguely had this thought, and now, this thought rapidly fermented and grew. Although the car Shen Lingxing drove was very common, one of the most affordable and mid-priced cars around, living in this prime location community, he had to be at least a small fortune holder if not a big one.
Mi Jing's thoughts were in turmoil, silently following Shen Lingxing into the elevator, then dazedly staring at the numbers displayed above the elevator door.
One, two, three...
The numbers kept changing, until nineteen appeared, and with a ding, the elevator doors opened.
After a turn, they came to a door, and when it opened, Mi Jing was stunned again.
It was a duplex apartment, spacious, elegantly decorated, with simple furnishings, exuding a sense of understated luxury, a true sign of a wealthy residence.
"Why aren't you coming in?" Seeing Mi Jing still standing at the door in a daze instead of entering with him, Shen Lingxing frowned slightly and asked.
"Are your family members here?" Coming to a strange place, Mi Jing felt a bit nervous and uneasy, thinking it might be impolite to visit for the first time without bringing any gifts.
"No, I live here alone," Shen Lingxing said.
Living alone in such a big place?
Based on visual estimates, this place was at least three times larger than her home!