Volume 1, Chapter 165: She bade him farewell in the silence of her heart.

Actually, ever since Liang Jinmo jumped into the artificial lake, Xu Zhi had paid more attention to him than before.

Back then, Xu Zhi's thoughts were very simple, much like the popular saying on the internet: when an avalanche occurs, not a single snowflake is innocent. She had once hurt him, and she did not want to be one of those snowflakes.

If he were to be crushed under the weight of it all, she would feel partly responsible.

The world was cruel to Liang Jinmo, but she hoped he could live on well, and hold some yearning and expectation for the future.

When Liang Muzhi told her that Liang Jinmo was about to go abroad, he could not conceal the joy in his expression. "That illegitimate son is finally leaving. Staying at home, he's truly an eyesore."

At that time, Xu Zhi thought to herself, how was he an eyesore? During college, Liang Jinmo had barely spent any time at the Liang household, and this vacation after graduation, he had constantly been out doing part-time jobs, leaving early and returning late.

She knew it was simply because Liang Muzhi despised Liang Jinmo so much that even seeing him once every few days felt offensive.

Liang Muzhi said again, "I must celebrate his departure. Let's go out and play then, shall we?"

Xu Zhi hesitated for a few seconds and asked, "Which day is he leaving?"

Liang Muzhi promptly told her the date. He was genuinely excited, pulling out his phone and saying he would invite several more friends to join the fun.

Seeing him like this, she thought he was practically ready to set off firecrackers—it was somewhat childish.

She knew for a fact that no one from the Liang family would go to see Liang Jinmo off.

However, back then she thought with cautious optimism that perhaps his mother would go, or maybe over the years he had made friends at school.

Yet, on the day of his departure, she still felt restless and a little worried. After all, his mother had once shut him out... As for friends, with his personality, could he really make any?

She sat on pins and needles, and eventually turned down Liang Muzhi's invitation to celebrate, taking the airport shuttle bus to the airport early by herself.

If someone else was seeing him off, she would not show up in front of him; but if no one was there, she actually had words she wanted to say to him.

She was terribly afraid of hearing some tragic news from abroad one day, and she wanted to tell him to be sure to stay well and take good care of himself.

She had even written her phone number on a sticky note, thinking that if she managed to speak with him, she would hand him the number and tell him to call her if he ever ran into any difficulties.

Though the amount she could do was very limited, she would still help him find a way.

Once she reached the airport, however, she realized she had rushed over on a sudden impulse without even having the specific flight details.

Asking Liang Muzhi was obviously out of the question; that guy certainly wouldn't know and would only question why she cared about such a thing.

All the international departure gates were in the same terminal. She searched through them one by one, but the place was too vast. After running and walking around, by the time she finally spotted Liang Jinmo, he was already standing in line to go through security.

He stood in the queue with a backpack slung over one shoulder, holding his boarding pass. His face was expressionless, maintaining that same unapproachable aura.

Xu Zhi calmed her ragged breathing caused by running, and stood quietly in place for a moment, confirming that indeed, no one had come to see him off.

That man, even standing amidst a crowd, exuded an alienated presence. As she watched him, she felt a vague sense of loss.

Although their interactions could not be considered numerous, and most of the time they didn't even speak when they crossed paths, it was strange—she always felt there was some subtle connection between them. Perhaps it stemmed from her guilt, or perhaps from their somewhat similar circumstances, but...

Regardless, at this moment, she was still enveloped by the sorrow of parting.

She guessed that he might never return. North City held no people or things worth cherishing for him, and if she were him, she would also be desperate to escape this place of heartbreak.

Lost in her own melancholy, she watched as Liang Jinmo walked closer to the security checkpoint. It was like waking from a dream as she belatedly remembered the purpose of her trip. She hurried forward, wanting to call out to him, but her mind went blank.

What should she call him? It seemed she had never addressed him by name before.

In her desperation, she shouted, "Hey!"

Calling someone that way was terribly impolite, but she couldn't care less. Yet, that cry only caused a few people further down the line to turn around and look with curiosity.

Liang Jinmo had already passed the security check and was continuing forward.

Xu Zhi was blocked behind the red cordon and lacked the thick skin to shout a second time. With so many people looking at her, timidity welled up inside her again, and she didn't even dare to call his name—doing so would surely attract attention.

She should have turned and left, but...

She stood outside the red line, gazing at that retreating figure, biting her lips as she said goodbye to him in her heart.

The queue wasn't moving very fast, and Liang Jinmo was swept along with it. Someone in front of him dropped something and bent down to pick it up, forcing him to take a step back. At that exact instant, he turned his head and glanced back.

In truth, he didn't even know why he looked back; clearly, this city behind him held nothing for him.

Yet, on a sudden impulse, he looked back.

And with a single glance, he saw Xu Zhi.

She was standing behind the red line, looking right at him. Their eyes met, and her gaze lit up.

A flash of astonishment crossed his eyes.

The line moved forward, and someone behind him bumped into him, forcing him to keep walking.

But shortly after, as he continued forward, he turned his head to look back once more.

Xu Zhi's heart beat fast with an inexplicable thrill. Her lips parted and closed several times. On the way here, she had thought of so many things to say, but now, with such a long distance and so many people between them, she couldn't say any of it.

She waved vigorously at him.

Liang Jinmo's face remained expressionless, but only she remained in his eyes. His forward movement was mechanical as he turned to look back again and again.

The clamorous noise of the airport seemed to quiet down in this single fraction of a second. He could no longer hear the surrounding sounds, but he could hear the beating of his own heart.

His thin lips moved, but no sound came out.

He wanted to ask why she had come, but across such a great distance, she wouldn't be able to hear him. He even suspected whether some friend of hers happened to be in the queue.

However, just as he was about to round the corner in the line and turned back for the very last time,

he saw her clench her fist toward him, making a cheering gesture, while her pink lips formed two words without sound:

"Jia you" (Keep going).

The line moved forward, and he rounded the corner, losing sight of her entirely. Yet he still couldn't help turning his head for one final look.

Seeing nothing at all, he withdrew his gaze, his lips pressed into a tight line, and thought to himself: who on earth says "keep going" when seeing someone off?

Yet, despite that, he couldn't help smiling. The feeling was akin to a parched, cracking earth receiving a stream of clear spring water—a gentle, lingering comfort.

Xu Zhi stood outside the red line for another few minutes, wanting to slap herself.

Who says "keep going" when seeing someone off... Don't people usually wish them a smooth journey or something similar?

However, the words in the depths of her heart were actually meant to tell him: keep going and live on well.

She did not leave immediately. Walking out of the terminal, she stood outside for a long time, gazing up at the sky and listening to the announcements echoing from within.

Having just checked the flight number at the security checkpoint, she knew the plane he was on was about to take off.

She waited quietly beneath the blue sky until she could see the distant aircraft ascending into the air.

She whispered a farewell in her heart.

Then she closed her eyes and prayed for him, hoping heaven would grant him safety.

The sticky note in her hand, bearing her phone number, had already been crumpled into a ball. She tossed it into a trash can and turned to leave.

Snapping out of her memories, Xu Zhi focused her gaze on Liang Jinmo sitting in the other corner of the private dining room. He noticed her intense look and raised his eyes to meet hers.

Their lines of sight intersected. His pupils were dark and deep, yet filled with light.

A wave of utter softness washed over her heart, as if something was about to spill over. She couldn't help curving her lips into a smile at him and taking a step forward to walk toward him.