Some things were missed, but today I'll finally begin to let go.

"My little one, are you coming back for dinner?"

Five years have passed.

Li Jiaxin, who was sent back to the countryside years ago, has long since been brought back.

Over the years, we've moved house after house, like a rootless duckweed.

Zhao Yuheng rarely went back.

It's not that I don't want to, it's that I don't dare.

He had been through too much hardship, and every time he went back home, he was afraid of bringing danger and unease into the house.

"No, Mom, I have another shipment to deliver."

Zhao Yuheng parked his car at the intersection, a cigarette between his fingers, one arm casually draped out the window.

The red light was long enough for him to finish half a cigarette.

It was long enough for him to secretly think about the person who lived in this city again.

The green light comes on.

He started the car again, a cigarette dangling from his lips.

The heavy truck's engine roared as it slowly drove away from the city.

A city with Kimbo.

In the evening, Hu Xiaowen curled up on the sofa and watched TV series.

Suddenly I realized my nails were getting long, so I got up and went into my room to find nail clippers.

As soon as I reached the door, I heard hushed voices coming from inside the restroom.

The door was tightly closed, and Chen Chen was completely unaware that he had come in.

Hu Xiaowen moved lightly and cautiously approached.

She secretly thought to herself: Which bastard dares to seduce my husband?

He slowly moved closer and heard Chen Chen sigh and say:

"Zhao Yuheng, what happened to you today? Even my wife was watching you. You came without telling me, sneaking around like this, what's the meaning of this?"

The voice on the other end of the phone was low and hoarse, so calm it didn't sound like a living person, much less like the spirited young man of yesteryear.

"Come back and take a look."

"You can only stay for half an hour."

"Wow, you're so stingy with words." Chen Chen sighed helplessly. "If you want to read it, just read it openly. You're not like you're going to never see each other again."

The other side remained silent.

"Things are gradually stabilizing over there, and Jinbao'er's career is getting better and better."

"If you're still single and still have feelings for him, then give it a try."

Chen Chen was genuinely trying to persuade him.

He knew all too well that they had both been single for the past five years.

For people like them, it's not easy to meet someone they like once, and it's even rarer to remember them for five years.

After a long silence, a voice drifted from the phone, as light as the wind:

"I'm not good enough for him anymore."

Chen Chen: "..."

At the door, Hu Xiaowen suddenly covered her mouth, her heart pounding.

The person wearing a black mask and a black hat is indeed Zhao Yuheng.

He was so frightened that he tiptoed out, immediately crouched by the door, dialed Jin Bao'er's number, his voice extremely low, his hands trembling:

"Jin Bao'er, that person today... was Zhao Yuheng."

"He was hiding secretly, just to see you."

"Don't get agitated! I just overheard this; our boss, that traitor, has been keeping it from me for a long time!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Chen came out of the restroom.

I saw him on the phone at a glance, and my expression changed instantly.

It was too late when he reached out to grab it.

Hu Xiaowen looked up at him, her eyes clearly saying: You betrayed me.

Chen Chen panicked and reached out to cover his mouth, but Hu Xiaowen stomped on his foot hard.

He winced in pain, but dared not utter a sound.

Thirty seconds later, the door clicked open.

Jin Bao'er stood at the door, looking somewhat flustered.

"Chen Chen, boss." His voice was soft, yet carried an undeniable seriousness, "Is it really him?"

That's right, they later bought a house and moved in across the hall.

At this moment, Jin Bao'er had lost the calm and gentle demeanor she had during the day.

His eyes darted around anxiously, concealing a secret he had kept hidden for five years.

five years.

You can't hide it for five years, you can't hide it forever.

Some things should have ended long ago.

Chen Chen poured him a glass of water, gestured for the two to sit on the sofa, and then sat opposite them before slowly speaking:

Five years ago, his family was completely ruined. They were in debt for a large sum of money, creditors came knocking on their door, and even the safety of his family members was threatened.

"His father had emphysema and was hospitalized for many years. His mother was also in a coma at that time, so she was sent back to her hometown to recuperate."

"The whole family depends on him to support them all."

Chen Chen spoke slowly, carefully observing Jin Bao'er's expression.

Jin Bao'er listened quietly, her face expressionless, as if she were listening to an old story that had nothing to do with her.

"Why did he come back?"

Chen Chen was about to brush it off when Jin Bao'er's gaze stopped him in his tracks.

"to be honest."

After years of hard work, he is no longer the soft, timid coward he once was.

He exudes a calm and composed aura; his words, spoken neither too lightly nor too heavily, command respect and prevent others from taking them lightly.

Chen Chen sighed: "He said he'd just take a look around and only stay for half an hour."

"Kunming is so big, in half an hour... where can he go? He'll probably spend most of that time watching you from a distance."

Jin Bao'er suddenly clenched the sofa fabric with her fingertips, her knuckles turning white.

"When is he going back?"

"I really don't know, he doesn't tell me anything." Chen Chen had a headache.

"Do me a favor."

"What kind of busy?" Chen Chen was inexplicably flustered.

……

midsummer.

The whole city was sweltering, and even the trees along the roadside looked droopy from the heat.

Zhao Yuheng hauled a truckload of goods to a factory near his home, finally able to rest for a day.

He went to the market and bought some vegetables, planning to simply make fried rice to tide him over.

I had just finished eating when the phone rang, saying there was a shipment that needed to be delivered urgently.

All the company cars were dispatched, leaving him the only one idle.

Destination – Kunming.

He agreed without hesitation.

We'll depart at 6 PM.

It's noon now, and he wants to take a shower and take a nap.

Zhao Yuheng took off his shirt and had just stepped into the bathroom when his phone suddenly rang.

He turned back, picked it up, and took a look.

My fingers and my heart trembled violently at the same instant.

five years.

He had longed for this phone call countless times.

I've been afraid of that phone call countless times.

I dare not answer.

The call connected, but he didn't know what to say.

The scene of our breakup five years ago is still vividly etched in my mind.

He especially couldn't bear to think about the way Jin Bao'er pleaded with him with red eyes; just thinking about it made him ache.

The call will automatically disconnect when the ringing ends.

Zhao Yuheng let out a long sigh of relief, slumped onto the sofa, his fingertips still trembling.

The three characters "Jin Bao'er" on the screen were dazzlingly bright.

The wallpaper was taken by him secretly.

Jin Bao'er had just woken up, her eyes still sleepy and her face blank, but she let him pat her without making a fuss or trying to avoid it.

He has never changed over the years.

On the corner of the table sat a peace charm, broken and then glued back together, with red string wrapped around it again and again, and wood shavings deeply embedded in the grain.

That was a gift from Jin Bao'er to him back then.

He reached out and gently touched the face on the screen.

His Adam's apple bobbed violently, and he cursed himself in a hoarse voice, "Useless."

The cicadas chirped noisily outside the window, and sunlight filtered through the gauze curtains, casting dappled shadows on the floor.

It was just like those unfinished words they had five years ago.

The phone rang again.

He wanted to swipe left to hang up.

But fingers are faster than brains; with a slip of their sweaty fingertips, they pressed the connection button directly.

By the time he realized what was happening, the call had already gone through.

His hand trembled, and he almost dropped his phone.

"Is it Zhao Yuheng?"

The voice on the other end was soft and gentle, so familiar that it instantly took his breath away.

Zhao Yuheng's heart clenched suddenly, and the only sound in the room was his rapid heartbeat.

"Hello, is this Zhao Yuheng?"

The other person asked again.

After a few seconds, Jin Bao'er spoke softly, with a firm yet gentle tone:

"Zhao Yuheng, it's you."

The number was one he used years ago, but he wasn't sure if the other party had changed it.

But the only one who hasn't spoken for so long is him.

"I'm downstairs at your place."

"If you don't come down, I'll wait here."

"The sun is very strong; I might get heatstroke in no time."

Jin Bao'er clutched the lucky charm that belonged to him in his pocket.

Silently repeating in my mind:

This time, I won't let you go again.

Zhao Yuheng's mind went blank for a moment. He rushed to the window, lifted the curtain a little, and looked down.

His heart suddenly tightened, as if it were being gripped tightly by a hand, the pain making it hard for him to breathe.

He wanted to rush down immediately.

His feet felt like they were made of lead, and he couldn't move an inch.

He looked down at himself.

The work pants were stained with mud and machine oil that couldn't be washed off.

Her hair was a complete mess, like a bird's nest.

His stubble on his chin was prickly, and his skin was rough and dark.

His palms were covered in thick calluses, and his knuckles bore old wounds.

He is completely different from the boy who wore a basketball uniform and had a clean and bright smile five years ago.

He instinctively shrank back, hiding in the shadows of the curtains.

He dared not let Jin Bao'er see him in this disheveled state.

But through the gap in the curtains, one could clearly see—

The person standing under the locust tree.

Slender and tall, with a straight back, he resembled a stubborn yet clean poplar tree.

Zhao Yuheng dug his fingernails deep into his palm, his eyes reddening with pain.

Five years of longing, forbearance, guilt, inferiority, and fear of getting close...

At that moment, everything exploded.

He gritted his teeth, flung open the door, and rushed downstairs like a madman.

Under the locust tree.

Jin Bao'er raised her head.

I saw the person rushing out of the stairwell.

This was their first real meeting in five years.

A long-awaited reunion should be a joyous occasion.

No matter how bitter or painful the past may have been, there should always be a touch of sweetness in regaining what was lost.

But Jinbao'er felt no sweetness in her heart.

All I feel is overwhelming heartache.

Zhao Yuheng has become darker, thinner, and rougher.

His skin was rough from sun exposure and wind, and his chin was covered in dark stubble.

His facial features were sharp to the point of being cold and hard, and his eyes held a weariness and vicissitudes that he couldn't understand.

She's only twenty-seven, but it's like she's already experienced the hardships of being thirty.

Unlike five years ago, he didn't greet him with a smile, walk over, put his arm around his shoulder, and hold him tightly in his arms.

This time, he stood a few steps away, looking at him with longing, panic, inferiority, and a thin layer of aloofness that made him afraid to get close.

A gentle breeze rustled the leaves.

The cicadas' chirping still lingers in my ears.

Sunlight fell between the two of them, like a river they hadn't crossed in five years.

This time, however, no one backed down.

Some things we missed, we will finally be able to let go of today.