"It seems he’s not outside. I don’t hear any sounds. He should have gone to work by now," Guoguo listened carefully, hearing nothing outside, and replied.
Relieved that Xu Ke was not outside, the two sisters both sighed with relief, although even if Xu Ke were there, it wouldn’t stop their intention to leave.
But ultimately, they didn’t want to make things too ugly. They still wished to preserve so dignity for each other, and at that mont, they really didn’t want to face Xu Ke’s face.
As soon as they saw that face, they would recall what had happened to them, feel nauseous, their stomachs would reflexively churn, and they would feel uncomfortable.
If eting made them so uncomfortable, then it was better not to et at all.
Therefore, Tangtang and Guoguo, the two sisters, took advantage of Xu Ke’s absence from ho to leave his place with their few belongings.
They didn’t leave Xu Ke a single note when they left, as they felt there was no need at all.
They left silently, just as they had co.
Xu Ke didn’t notice until he returned ho from work in the evening, cooked, and called out for a long ti without seeing anyone appear, that sothing was off.
When he opened the room of Tangtang and Guoguo, checked their closets, and found so items missing, he finally realized that the sisters had left his life.
Xu Ke stood there dumbfounded, his face maintaining a blank expression, and after a long silence in their room, he finally turned and left.
As he went outside, he closed the door and locked it.
Although he knew it was only a matter of ti before the sisters would leave him, he didn’t expect it to happen so soon and suddenly.
He thought he had explained everything clearly to Tangtang and Guoguo that day, and they should understand his intentions. Even if they didn’t accept it initially, they would eventually understand and accept the facts.
But Xu Ke never expected that Tangtang and Guoguo would react so fiercely, running away the very day the events unfolded.
They didn’t even leave behind a note, clearly determined not to contact Xu Ke again.
Xu Ke had grown accustod to living alone, but the sisters’ presence had made him adjust to a more communal life. However, just as he was getting used to it, they left.
Before they arrived, Xu Ke didn’t feel any loneliness in living alone. He even enjoyed this solitude.
But now, looking at the empty room, hearing only the ticking of the clock, Xu Ke found himself unusually lost in thought.
Ti passed unknowingly, maybe only five minutes, maybe half an hour, before Xu Ke snapped out of his daze, looking at his absent-minded self with a bitter smile.
This is probably the scary part about habits. Once soone gets used to living alone, communal life can be unsettling.
And when soone finally adapts to communal life and then has to go back to living alone, it leaves a void, as if sothing is missing.
Everything feels off, and he even starts to have auditory hallucinations. While eating, Xu Ke subconsciously set three places at the table and even called out Tangtang and Guoguo’s nas.
Feeling disoriented by his own state, Xu Ke said nothing, quietly putting away the two extra sets of tableware, sealing off the room where Tangtang and Guoguo used to live.
But realizing that this didn’t help, Xu Ke decided to lock up the house completely and moved back to the place he first lived.
Returning to the familiar yet unfamiliar place, Xu Ke felt the weight on his mind lighten considerably, and the absentmindedness no longer occurred.
This must be the effect of the environnt, he thought. Without the traces of Tangtang and Guoguo, he could finally live his solitary life peacefully.
This ti, Xu Ke didn’t plan to let anyone else into his territory, fearing the sudden abandonnt again which was hard to bear.
It reminded him of his past self, back in Luo City, living a life worse than animals.
It’s like a soft knife constantly slicing away at his flesh, not enough to kill him, just enough to make him feel pain.
anwhile, on the other side, after Tangtang and Guoguo had left Xu Ke’s house, things weren’t smooth sailing for them.
They first rented a hotel room, then searched for a place where they could temporarily settle down.
Although Ning City is not a first or second-tier city and rent isn’t particularly high, as long as it’s not in the city center...
However, for Tangtang and Guoguo, who hadn’t saved much money, even living slightly closer to the city center was a trendous financial burden.
Most rents require a deposit of one month’s rent plus three months’ rent. Paying this would an that they wouldn’t have any savings, leaving them with nothing for food or drink in the coming month.
Thus, they could only stay on the city’s outskirts, nearly leaving the city altogether.
Living on the outskirts ant inconvenient transportation, taking over two hours, nearly three, to reach their destination.
It ant they couldn’t find a job in the city center, and in the suburbs, work opportunities were scarce for them, with significantly lower wages than those in the city center.
But they had no choice because if they didn’t work, they would run out of food and water.
Moreover, having just graduated from university with no work experience, their wages weren’t particularly high.
Yet the sisters didn’t give up, instead rooting themselves like grass in this land.
They found a job in the suburbs, where the salary wasn’t high, but they could sustain themselves. With so savings, they could even save a bit of money.
The two planned together that once they saved enough money, they would move to the city center to find better job opportunities.
Once they established themselves in the city, any money they saved could be used to repay debts.
Once they had repaid the 300,000 they owed Xu Ke, they could forget about his presence in their lives altogether.
Just the thought of this made the sisters feel good and highly motivated.
User Comments
0 comments from readers