After the downpour, the streets were slightly flooded. Lu Jinnian sped through, splattering water every time his car sunk into the puddles. Several droplets had fallen onto Qiao Anhao's arms when he had driven off.
Once Lu Jinnian left, Mian Xiu Garden's street was empty, with only Qiao Anhao in sight.
The street lamps from both sides of the street shone dimly, their rays hitting Qiao Anhao's thin figure, making her seem all the more lonely.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtShe stood at the same spot for a long time until she stopped crying. She opened her bag to take out a packet of tissues to dry her face. Turning, she walked into the mansion.
When Qiao Anhao opened the doors with her keys, stopping at the entrance to change her shoes, Madam Chen came out of her room, not at all surprised to see Qiao Anhao who hadn't made prior notice of her arrival.
"Mrs. Lu, I've prepared dinner, do you want to have some?"
After crying, Qiao Anhao was still feeling moody and out of sorts, so she didn't find it surprising that Madam Chen was expecting her. She just shook her head, replying softly, "No thank you, I already had dinner." She paused, then added, "I'm a little tired, I'll go up now."
"Why don't I run you a hot bath so that you can feel better?" Madam Chen said,starting to make her way upstairs.
Qiao Anhao smiled, rejecting her, "It's okay, I'll do it myself, you should rest."
"Alright, good night Mrs. Lu."
"Good night."
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmQiao Anhao smiled at Madam Chen once more before heading upstairs.
Back in her room, she tossed her bag on the sofa before taking a hot shower. By the time she changed into a set of dry clothes, she was wide awake. She took out the luggage she had brought over to Mian Xiu Garden and, after entering the code, took out a small box. She brought it over to the carpet and opened it up.
Inside, the box was a mess. There were plane tickets, train tickets, and a few random 100 dollar bills.
Qiao Anhao stared at the contents for a long while before reaching in to search for something. Soon, a sky blue letter came into sight.
She caressed it several times before taking it out.
The letter was still sealed, even after so many years; the owner hadn't opened it.
But since it had been so long, the color of the envelope had faded slightly. The red star in the middle was nearly completely gone, showing patches of white.
A while after Qiao Anhao had went up, Madam Chen returned back to her room. She went to the phone and dialed a number.