22. Heading to Canghai City.

Fu Hua stood gracefully at the door, unlocked the old security door with her key, and stepped into the entryway.

The girl's previously hazy, drunken eyes returned to their cold indifference, and her face, as if rouged, regained its fair complexion. She appeared completely unaffected, as if nothing had happened.

She took off her leather shoes, half-closed the door, and shuffled into the living room in her indoor shoes, saying softly:

"Dad, I'm home."

There was no response; the empty room felt desolate in the silence that echoed only.

She walked to the center of the living room, puzzled, and immediately noticed a note hidden under a Coke can.

The girl moved the cola aside, and the neat handwriting on the note came into view.

I'm going out for a little while, I'll be back before dinner.

"What era are we living in? A simple text message would have sufficed. I thought it was something more complicated."

Fu Hua secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Actually, she had gotten used to returning to her empty home alone, but perhaps because her father had been staying at home recently, the sudden emptiness and lack of human presence made her feel, for a moment, as if she had returned to the time when she was somewhat at a loss for what to do with such a lonely life.

The girl also understood that there were deeper reasons behind it.

Her father's sudden improvement in his injuries was clearly a wonderful thing, but on the eve of leaving the city, she had a strange feeling that she would never see him again. This bizarre illusion occasionally made her subconsciously feel a sense of fear.

In the end, Fu Hua could only attribute it to the anxiety she felt about heading to unfamiliar territory.

This will be the first time in her life that she has ever taken such a long trip.

It was her first time on an airplane, her first time being so far away from her father, and her first time living alone and facing completely different interpersonal relationships.

From now on, Fu Hua will not see familiar neighbors or her father's warm face when she goes out. She will even have to carefully consider which ramen shop to go to.

Canghai City had taken on a certain outline in her mind, but such a vast and prosperous area could hardly arouse any longing in her heart.

Perhaps she herself felt that such a prosperous and modern metropolis was out of place for her, even though all she could find online was the convenience and beauty of that city, it only painted a gloomy and dull picture in her heart.

It would be a lie to say that she had no expectations, and it was true that she longed for change, but Fu Hua secretly felt some resistance to the unfamiliar environment that was about to arrive.

Besides, Su Qing'an has been cooking for her lately, but once she gets to her new school, she'll have to take care of her own meals.

It's really not easy to get used to.

The girl sat quietly on the sofa, having already placed two bags of groceries on the counter next to the kitchen.

Her gaze was distant, as if drifting in the air, searching for some non-existent fulcrum.

The expression on his face unconsciously dimmed, and a feeling of loss overwhelmed his heart like a tide.

Fu Hua herself understood that even though she had only known Su Qing'an for less than a month, she found it strangely hard to imagine that she would never see him again.

This is very strange.

The girl pressed her palm against her own soft curves, the lingering warmth from her chest transferring to her hand, making her feel shy yet a little lost. Su Qing'an's words from before still echoed in her ears, the fervor in those words almost as if he were saying he couldn't live without her.

Just recalling it makes my cheeks feel hot.

She sensed her own breathing and emotions, and as the corners of her lips turned up, she suddenly felt fear.

Look.

Just a few words, a single glance, and I was already gripped by a sense of insecurity and anxiety.

If he had wanted to do something else instead of picking the leaves at that moment, would I have felt resentful?

My mind briefly conjured up that image, and an overwhelming sense of shame, coupled with a complete lack of revulsion, told me the answer.

She's become so pathetic.

I don't even know how to describe myself anymore.

The boy in front of her chuckled, rubbed his head, and said he'd be back in a bit, telling her to go home first.

What's with that attitude of treating me like a child?

Although that's what Fu Hua thought at the time, when she was being stared at seriously by those smiling eyes, her body seemed to go limp, and she unconsciously started to feel numb and hot, making her dizzy and only able to obediently nod. Obviously, the lingering influence of those words from before was still there.

In short, she seems to be getting used to having Su Qing'an around.

But if Su Qing'an continued to stay here, or simply left this area silently, heading towards a completely unknown and unfamiliar life for her.

So how should I conduct myself then?

The girl was uneasy about his background and the various mysteries surrounding him. It wasn't that she feared he posed any threat or danger, but rather that she was worried about the transparency brought about by the unknown. Just seeing his back slightly away from her was like seeing a faint firefly slowly dying out on a street corner without streetlights.

Su Qing'an was like a prisoner from a fairy tale who would melt under the moonlight.

As soon as night falls, he disappears from this world, never to be heard from again.

Therefore, the more vibrant her life is now, the more she feels her emotions are out of control, and the closer she gradually becomes to him, the more anxious and insecure Fu Hua becomes.

She didn't know what Su Qing'an's goal was.

She didn't know where he came from, or where he would go next.

That person never said anything, only responding with a faint smile and a vaguely complicated look in their eyes.

Fu Hua initially thought it wouldn't matter if Su Qing'an didn't say anything. After all, he was just a slightly special passerby in her life, and why should she care about the past of someone who was destined to leave?

Forcing these things would only cause her distress, so the girl secretly resolved that there was no point in asking questions. The more she knew, the deeper she would inevitably fall into trouble, and she refused to submit to those feelings that inexplicably appeared in her heart.

That's what I thought, but it seems like I already lost the moment I chose to take him in.

A complete and utter defeat.

It wasn't until a hand touched her eyelids that the little girl realized she had been daydreaming for a long time. She suddenly realized that what she had been thinking about was actually quite embarrassing, so she felt a little guilty and avoided looking directly at the other person, instead changing the subject:

"Dad said he had to go out for a while, but he said he'd be back before dinner, so we can start preparing dinner now."

Su Qing'an smiled and said:

"Okay, why don't you watch TV on the sofa for a while? I'll take care of the cooking."

The girl nodded obediently upon hearing this. She was already used to entrusting such matters to the other party, so she naturally had no objections.

Su Qing'an reached out and turned on the TV with the remote. After tuning it to Fu Hua's favorite channel, he placed the things he was holding on the table and said:

"This is a gift."

"Then I'll go cook."

Upon hearing this, the girl looked up at the extra items on the table. What came into view were bouquets of roses, woven together from old newspapers with a vintage feel. The dazzling golden color was almost too bright, and the veins on the petals, which sometimes drooped and sometimes closed, were clearly visible.

This is a bouquet of golden roses artificially created from individual ginkgo leaves. Because the leaves have only recently fallen, they do not appear withered.

At first glance, it even looks like a flower in full bloom, brimming with vitality.

The boy's skillful hands seemed to breathe new life into them, allowing their beauty to penetrate the girl's heart.

She carefully picked up the bouquet, a beautiful smile involuntarily curving her lips, her heart pounding wildly again.

So this is what he meant by "something to do"? Does this person know a lot of things?

This seems to be... the first time I've ever received flowers.

Although this bouquet of flowers was somewhat special, it was precisely this specialness that would allow her to remember it for a very long time.

Fu Hua glanced at the boy who had already put on an apron, then continued to look at his profile, her fair face gradually flushing crimson.

The girl gently hugged the gift, and in a tone as if telling a secret, she whispered softly:

"Master Su is the best."

But is sending this because they can't afford flowers? Fu Hua found it somewhat amusing to imagine that someone like that could be troubled by something like this.

I'll earn money to support Master Su from now on, so we can continue...

I've been eating his cooking for a long time.

Yes, that's right, that's exactly it.

She didn't understand any wicked intentions.

Meanwhile, Su Qing'an, who was secretly observing Fu Hua's reaction in the kitchen, breathed a slight sigh of relief.

It seems you don't dislike the gift, that's good.

Su Qing'an didn't really understand girls; how to please them and gain their favor was a completely new area for him.

Therefore, he wasn't confident that the other person would like him.

To date, all those seemingly skillful maneuvers have been unintentional.

Even the so-called gifts and previous remarks were done and said on a whim.

Both 17-year-old Su Qing'an and 15-year-old Fu Hua are innocently adorable in this respect.

Once he arrives in Canghai City, he'll prepare some funds for a brief period of normalcy. He won't be able to live off young women in Canghai City anymore, and besides, that's not his style anyway.

While Fu Hua was worried about Su Qing'an's future, Su Qing'an had already devised a complete plan in his mind to use [concealment] and [power] to sneak onto the same flight as Fu Hua and go to Canghai City together.

Well, this plan is a bit rough, but it's certainly perfect.

In essence, in the current stage of the Previous Civilization, Su Qing'an's simple plan is enough for him to go to the center of power, assassinate High Command United Nations officials, and the success rate is not low in some respects.

From this perspective, using this plan for hitchhiking might seem like overkill, but it's also a last resort.

If I lived in my own time, being an unregistered Undocumented Resident wouldn't have been so troublesome. Unfortunately, in the current situation, I can only hide like this for the time being.

If it weren't for Fu Hua, Su Qing'an would probably still be somewhere silently waiting for the Honkai to erupt.

This is enough to show that the fact that he can witness the daily life of the person he likes in their childhood is already a blessing.

By the end of November, the ginkgo trees lining the streets had lost their golden hue, which had served as natural decorations.

The streets have been thoroughly cleaned by old-fashioned cleaning robots, and the scene from a while ago is no longer the same.

The continuously dropping temperatures also symbolize the passing of autumn and the arrival of winter.

In fact, the Beginning of Winter has long passed; it is only after those golden hues have completely faded that people suddenly realize the change of seasons.

The temperature was so low that no one wanted to go out, but the girl had no choice but to pack a suitcase full of winter clothes and prepare for her journey to Canghai City.

She placed her diary, which had become much fuller during these days, in a hidden compartment of the cabinet, and her usually tidy desk was now decorated with a golden bouquet of flowers given to her by Su Qing'an.

No one knew what mysterious tricks the boy had used during the creation process, but even as she was about to leave, the petals retained their original appearance, as if they had just recently bloomed.

Fu Hua sat in the car, the warmth emanating from the engine making her feel less cold. In fact, the comfortable temperature made her squint her eyes, her consciousness becoming somewhat hazy as she was overcome with drowsiness.

Unlike her usual good sleep, the girl had an unusual bout of insomnia yesterday.

On the eve of her departure from the city, she tossed and turned, unable to sleep, which left her feeling so weak that she actually wanted to sleep.

Fu Hua shook her head vigorously, then pressed her cool, slender fingers to her cheeks, trying to clear her head.

If I fall asleep now, I might not see Master Su again for a very long time.

The girl felt the softness and warmth of her face, lost in thought.

She had already accepted that Su Qing'an would not go to Canghai City with her.

It would be too much of a burden for Fu Hua to make such a shameful request herself, given her thin skin, although she had had a strong urge to confront this thought in the past few days.

Fu Hua, however, was unaware of Su Qing'an's future plans and feared that her own willfulness might affect Su Qing'an's existing plans.

And so, the last vestiges of courage vanished.

However, Su Qing'an did not mention his intention to leave, as if he had completely gotten used to life at home and would continue to stay there in this way for a long time. This made Fu Hua, who was a little afraid that she would never see him again, breathe a sigh of relief.

Even so, she was still worried about whether her father and Su Qing'an would get along well in the future, since she had always acted as a bridge between them.

So after I leave, the simple life of just the two of us might make the atmosphere a bit too silent and awkward.

What if Master Su is kicked out of the house by his father and ends up on the streets? The girl secretly began to prepare to make sure that Fu Xiuran and Su Qing'an got along well before boarding the plane.

This person clearly hadn't realized that the relationship between the two had long since eased, and they had even gradually come to see each other in a more agreeable way.

The girl breathed into the car window, and with her fingertips, she wrote someone's name on the natural canvas formed by the condensed mist, murmuring with a hint of disappointment:

"It'll be a long time before we see him again."

"I'm a little... reluctant to part with it."