When He Qianshan woke up, the sun was already high in the sky. Without even opening his eyes, he instinctively reached out his hand to feel beside him. There was no one in the quilt.
Still suffering from the after - effects of last night's heavy drinking, his head felt groggy.
He rubbed his temples and sat up. A quick glance around the room revealed that Wu Pengpeng was nowhere to be seen.
"Miss Wu," he called out in the direction of the bathroom, but there was no response.
He Qianshan fumbled for his phone on the bedside table and dialed Wu Pengpeng's number. Her phone was turned off.
He assumed that Wu Pengpeng had gone out for a stroll and didn't think much of it. He got out of bed, walked into the bathroom, and began to wash up.
Wu Pengpeng floated into the bathroom after him. Looking at He Qianshan in the mirror, completely unaware of her presence, a pang of pain shot through her heart for no reason.
What would he do if he knew that she had disappeared and would never come back?
"Don't worry. Look, he doesn't seem worried at all when he can't find you. He simply doesn't care about you," the young Heavenly Dao cub said indignantly, sensing her sadness. Maybe the contract hadn't ended yet.
Wu Pengpeng ignored him. She stared intently at He Qianshan in the mirror as he washed his face and then shaved his beard.
He seemed quite satisfied with his refreshed look and gave a smile to his reflection in the mirror.
Even though she knew he couldn't see her, Wu Pengpeng was still struck by that captivating smile. She instinctively raised her hand to cover her chest, her heart fluttering.
The young Heavenly Dao cub let out a disdainful "tsk" sound, clearly despising her infatuation.
Wu Pengpeng gave him a proud "mind your own business" look and then coquettishly threw herself onto He Qianshan's back, making him carry her. She even deliberately leaned over and kissed him on the ear.
Of course, He Qianshan was completely oblivious. The young Heavenly Dao cub on the side glared at her angrily and then floated out of the bathroom.
Wu Pengpeng's heavy mood in the morning finally lifted a little because of this prank.
She "wrapped" her arms around He Qianshan's neck and hung her entire soul on him, swinging back and forth like on a swing.
As a soul had no weight, He Qianshan couldn't feel anything. He was now eagerly looking forward to today's journey with Wu Pengpeng.
When he came out of the bathroom, Wu Pengpeng still hadn't returned.
There were several small restaurants near the scenic area. He Qianshan thought that Wu Pengpeng was hungry and had gone to eat, so he took his phone and went out to look for her.
He searched all the restaurants in the scenic area but couldn't find any trace of Wu Pengpeng. The tourists around also hadn't seen her.
Only then did He Qianshan sense that something was wrong. He dialed Wu Pengpeng's number again, but it was still turned off.
He rushed around looking for her. He searched everywhere nearby, but still couldn't find Wu Pengpeng.
Now He Qianshan was completely panicked. All the fears that he had buried deep in his heart suddenly welled up. His eyes were red as he shouted, "Wu Pengpeng!"
Seeing him like this, Wu Pengpeng felt both pain and anxiety. She stopped "swinging" and obediently stood beside him, answering him.
He Qianshan didn't respond. He just stared fixedly in her direction with blood - shot eyes.
After about half a minute, he suddenly started running like a madman, shouting Wu Pengpeng's name as he walked along the path.
Every time he shouted, Wu Pengpeng would answer.
But it was useless. His throat was hoarse from shouting, and her heart ached from answering, yet he still didn't know that she was right beside him.
There was a white two - story building halfway up the mountain. When He Qianshan saw it, a glimmer of hope suddenly flashed in his eyes.
Wu Pengpeng's heart was in her throat. That was the building where she had died.
If Wu Junchen hadn't had time to move her yet, all her efforts would be in vain.
She was helpless to stop him and could only watch as He Qianshan stepped over a small ditch and scrambled up to the front of the building. He kicked the door open with one foot.
"Wu Pengpeng!" he exclaimed excitedly as he rushed in, but the room was empty.
The spark in his eyes was like a flame caught in a hurricane. It was instantly extinguished, turning into dull, lifeless ashes.
Wu Pengpeng let out a sigh of relief. But seeing He Qianshan's dejected look, she couldn't help but feel heartache.
He Qianshan stood there for a while before turning around and leaving. When he returned to the viewing villa, Wu Pengpeng still hadn't come back.
He left a note for Wu Pengpeng and then drove straight to Jincheng.
Wu Pengpeng sat in the passenger seat, watching as he drove the car as fast as a rocket, wishing he could fly home immediately.
"Is he going to be okay?" the young Heavenly Dao cub in the back row leaned forward, his brows knitted tightly.
Wu Pengpeng ignored him. She "reached out" to "hold" He Qianshan's hand and softly comforted him, "Yanshen, don't be afraid. I'm here."
Of course, He Qianshan couldn't hear her comfort. He sped up even more, exceeding the speed limit countless times along the way.
The original two - hour drive only took him one hour.
He parked the car in the yard and rushed into the house in a hurry. Aunt Tang wasn't there, and there was no one else in the living room either.
He quickly ran upstairs. When he reached the door of Wu Pengpeng's room, his steps instinctively paused.
Please, please be in there.
He Qianshan silently repeated this in his heart. He took several deep breaths before finally mustering up the courage to gently push the door open as if afraid of disturbing someone.
The room was empty.
He Qianshan felt as if a basin of ice - cold water had been poured over his head. He was completely chilled to the bone.
Wu Pengpeng's eyes were red as she leaned over and stood on tiptoe to gently kiss his eyelid.
He Qianshan seemed to be startled by her kiss and suddenly came back to his senses.
Wu Pengpeng thought that he could sense her presence. Just as she was shocked, she saw He Qianshan take out his phone from his pocket.
It turned out that someone had sent him a message.
He Qianshan opened the message app and saw that it was from Wu Pengpeng.
"Yanshen, let's break up. There's no specific reason. I'm just tired. You know that I'm quite fickle. After I met you, I thought I could settle down and live a good life with you, but I found that I can't. This is a life that I've managed to steal. I want to live according to my own wishes and don't want to be trapped by a marriage. So I'm really sorry, but I can't marry you. I'm going to live abroad for a while. Please don't look for me. I'm really sorry for confessing in this way because you've been so good to me, and I can't say these words to your face. Let's say goodbye here. Don't miss me. Wish you well."
Wu Pengpeng read this well - memorized message again and then glanced at He Qianshan.
He was looking at the phone screen tenderly, reading every word extremely carefully, almost as if he was going to recite it on the spot.
As long as she's okay.
He Qianshan let out a long sigh of relief. His fingertips were trembling as he typed, "Take a good rest for a while. Pay attention to your safety. We'll talk about other things later."
He clicked send, but the message didn't go through. She had blocked him.
He Qianshan quickly exited the message app and dialed Wu Pengpeng's number. Her phone was turned off.
He stood there for a while and then quickly ran downstairs. He drove straight to the Wu family's old mansion.
Wu Junchen seemed to have known that he would come. He had told the security guards in advance not to let He Qianshan in.
He Qianshan waited outside for a long time, but no one from the Wu family came out.
He called Zhao Bufan and Shen Qianqian, and the answers were the same. Wu Pengpeng had gone abroad.
He Qianshan didn't believe it. He went to the places they had been to yesterday again but still couldn't find Wu Pengpeng.
He didn't know where else to look for her. In the end, he had no choice but to go back to the Wu family's old mansion. The security guard still wouldn't let him in.
He was at a loss. He had no choice but to wait outside the gate. In the evening, the security guard gave him a business card.
It was Wu Junchen's business card.
He Qianshan quickly dialed Wu Junchen's number. The other side answered quickly, and there was undisguised impatience in his tone.
"Mr. He, I think Pengpeng has made it very clear to you. Let's part on good terms. Live your own life well and stop bothering her."
"I don't want to bother her," He Qianshan argued anxiously. He hadn't eaten or drunk anything all day and had been standing under the sun for a whole day. His throat was terribly hoarse. "I just want to know where she is and if she's safe..."
"Does that concern you?" Wu Junchen on the other end of the phone suddenly lost his patience and interrupted him coldly. "Mr. He, Pengpeng doesn't like you anymore. She's hiding abroad because she's afraid that you'll pester her. Please let her go!"
He Qianshan stood there silently for a while. Just when Wu Pengpeng thought he was going to give up, she suddenly heard him say, "Did she ask you to lie to me?"
Wu Pengpeng was shocked. Before she could listen to Wu Junchen's answer, He Qianshan had already hung up the phone.
He walked expressionlessly to his car, opened the door, and got in. Then he stepped on the accelerator and left the Wu family's old mansion.
Wu Pengpeng and the young Heavenly Dao cub didn't have time to get in the car and were left far behind. Fortunately, there were many curves on the way down the mountain, so they managed to catch up and float into the car.
"Is he crazy?" the young Heavenly Dao cub complained again as he was dragged along by Wu Pengpeng all the way. He was dizzy from the running and couldn't help but grumble as soon as he sat in the car.
Wu Pengpeng didn't say a word. She just stared intently at He Qianshan. His overly calm expression made her a little worried.
Sure enough, after going down the mountain, He Qianshan didn't go home directly. He searched all the places they had been to before but still couldn't find Wu Pengpeng.
When he got home again, it was almost dawn. He sat in Wu Pengpeng's room in silence until dawn.
It was not until it was fully light that he murmured in a low voice, "Are you angry because I didn't take you skiing?"
He stared blankly at a point in the void, his eyes as helpless as a lost child's.
"Come back quickly. I'll take you skiing right away. As long as you come back, I'll build a ski resort for you immediately. You can go skiing every day from now on."
The only response to him was Wu Pengpeng's silent tears.