Paper Lover At Old Town Bookstore Chapter 60
byIt would be nice not to go back
The raindrops swept across the blue brick wall diagonally, and the leaves of the wall-creeper were wet and glowed with an oily sheen.I was packing the bookshelf when I heard slight footsteps coming from the door. I looked up and saw Song Zhili standing under the eaves. His black windbreaker was stained with raindrops, his hair was slightly damp, and he was holding a folded black umbrella in his hand.
“Take shelter from the rain.” He said, his voice much gentler than before, without the paranoia and oppression of the past.
I nodded and turned sideways to let him in: “Come in, it’s raining heavily outside.”
The bookstore was filled with the fragrance of paper and tea. I poured him a cup of warm Keemun black tea and handed it over: “Drink some to warm yourself up.”
He took the teacup, his fingertips touched the warmth of the cup wall, paused slightly, and then sat down at the small table by the window.
The rain was getting heavier and pattered on the glass windows, cutting off the hustle and bustle of the outside world.We were relatively speechless, with only the sound of rain and the occasional flipping of pages.
“The bookstore is running well.” He broke the silence first, scanning the neat books on the shelves with a smile in his eyes, “It’s quieter than I thought.”
“Well, I like this kind of day.” I leaned against the bookshelf, holding an unfinished book in my hand, and said calmly.
He took a sip of tea and his Adam’s apple rolled, as if he was considering his words: “Qiu Sheng, before…I’m sorry.”
These three words were spoken very softly, but they carried a heavy apology.I raised my eyes to look at him. His eyes no longer had the madness of the past, only deep regret and relief remained.”It’s all over.” I said calmly, “I’m living a good life now.”
“I know.” He smiled, with a hint of bitterness in his smile, “I come here every day to see you, watching you sunbathing, reading, and watching guests coming in and out, and I feel… this is good.”
“It’s time for you to start your own life.” I looked at him and said seriously, “Song Zhili, I shouldn’t be the only one in your world.”
He was silent for a moment, then nodded slowly: “I know. During this period, I handed over the company’s affairs to my deputy, went to many places, and saw many sights. I used to think that possession is love, but now I understand that letting go is also a kind of fulfillment.”
The rain gradually subsided, and the sun penetrated the clouds, casting mottled light and shadow on the wet ground.He stood up and picked up the umbrella: “The tea is delicious, thank you.”
“Have a nice trip.” I looked at him with a long-lost, truly relaxed smile on my face.
He walked to the door, stopped again, looked back at me, with complete relief in his eyes: “Qiu Sheng, I wish you peace forever.”
“You too.”
He opened the door and walked into the sunshine after the rain, and the black figure gradually disappeared in the alley.I stood at the door of the bookstore and looked at the direction he was leaving. There was no resentment or fear in my heart, only a clear calm.
The paranoia and madness, struggle and despair of those years finally turned into mutual success under the erosion of time.
I guarded my bookstore, he started his new life, and we both found the most stable destination in our respective lives.
Before the whistle at the alley had dissipated, a black figure rushed over like crazy – it was Song Zhili.As soon as he parked the car, he caught a glimpse of the crashed rocking chair and the huddled figure on the stone road. His pupils suddenly shrank, and all his calmness was instantly shattered. He roared and rushed to my side: “Qiu Sheng! Qiu Sheng!”
His trembling fingers touched my cheek, and when he touched the warm blood, the shock and pain in his eyes almost swallowed him up.”Don’t sleep! Don’t sleep!” He picked me up horizontally, his movements quick and gentle, for fear of breaking my fragile body. “The ambulance will be here soon, hold on a little longer!”
I leaned in his arms, unconsciously feeling the violent rise and fall of his chest, and the trembling kiss he placed on my forehead.
He hugged me and rushed to the side of the road, screaming his address to the oncoming ambulance. His voice was hoarse, and his previous calmness was gone.
On the corridor outside the rescue room, Song Zhili stood in front of the window, his fingertips clenched until they turned white.The moment he dialed the phone, his tone was as cold as ice: “Use all your power to check a black car. I have already sent you the license plate number. Within half an hour, I want to know all its tracks and owner information – and check all the business opponents I suppressed back then. Don’t let any of them go!”
When he hung up the phone, the anger in his eyes almost overflowed.In order to clear obstacles and protect me, he did touch many people. Those people had been dormant for many years and actually chose to use the most despicable way to take revenge on me.
“Mr. Song, we found it.” The deputy’s voice was solemn. “The vehicle responsible for the accident was , and the owner’s information was forged. However, we tracked the vehicle’s final location through surveillance. The person behind it was Lin Shaoyu, the heir to the Lin Group who was forced into bankruptcy by you.”
Song Zhili turned around suddenly, with bloodthirsty madness in his eyes: “Find him for me. I want him to know what the price is for touching my people.”
His methods were still ruthless, but overnight, Lin Shaoyu was brought under control. All evidence chains were completely presented, and what awaited him was severe punishment from the law.Song Zhili, on the other hand, stayed outside the ward from beginning to end, never leaving.
When I woke up, all I saw was him lying next to the bed.His eyes were blue and black, with stubble growing on them, and his eyes were full of red bloodshot eyes, obviously he had not slept all night.
When he noticed that I had moved, he woke up instantly. The panic in his eyes faded away, replaced by cautious tenderness: “Awake? How do you feel? Does it still hurt?”
“You…” As soon as I started speaking, my voice was extremely dry.
He immediately handed me warm water and carefully fed me to drink it: “Everything has been taken care of, no one can hurt you anymore.”
“Why…” I looked at him with mixed feelings in my heart.
He held my hand, his fingertips warm and firm: “Qiu Sheng, I used the wrong method before and pushed you too hard. But this time, I will not let you suffer any harm again. Whether it is past grudges or future risks, I will protect you.”
Sunlight streamed in through the ward window and fell on his face, softening his contours.I looked at the sincerity and determination in his eyes, and the remaining barriers and grudges in my heart seemed to be quietly healed at this moment.
On the day the bookstore reopened, the wall-creeper at the alley took out new leaves again, and the sun shone through the branches and leaves on the rocking chair at the door, as warm as before.
I sat in the rocking chair and watched Song Zhili clumsily helping me organize the bookshelf. He was wearing a simple white shirt with his cuffs rolled up, and there were beads of sweat on his forehead, but he smiled seriously.
“Be careful, don’t mess up the book.” I reminded softly.
He looked back at me with a smile in his eyes: “I understand, Boss Song.”
This is his third month staying in the neighboring city.During the recovery period, he would come to the hospital to stay with me every day, bring me the most authentic breakfast in the neighboring city, read the books I had not finished, and silently deal with all possible risks.
He didn’t mention the paranoia of the past, nor did he force any intimacy. He just appeared in my life in a cautious manner.
“Actually, you don’t have to do this.” One night, after the bookstore closed, I watched him clearing the tables and chairs and couldn’t help but say, “Lin Shaoyu has been punished, there is no need for you to stay here to take care of me.”
He paused, turned around, and looked at me seriously: “Qiu Sheng, I am not atonement, nor am I forcing anything.” He walked up to me, his voice gentle but firm, “After so many things, I understand that real love is not possession, but hope that you can live well. I stay here just to be there in time when you need me.”
I was silent for a moment, feeling a little moved in my heart.These days, I can see his changes.
He would sit quietly and handle my work while I was basking in the sun; he would take the initiative to greet me when there were many customers; and when I was sick, he would send me to the hospital as soon as possible, but he would never go over half an hour.
“I can let you stay.” I said slowly, “But we can only be friends.”
His eyes lit up instantly, like stars suddenly burning in the darkness: “Okay, as long as I can stay by your side, I’ll do anything.”
The days passed like this, and there was a permanent “helper” in the bookstore.Song Zhili gradually lost his past dominance and paranoia and became gentle and calm.
He would bask in the sun and read books with me, discuss the plot of the book with me, make me a cup of hot tea on rainy days, and clear the snow at the door with me on snowy days.
Occasionally, Xu Xingruo would bring his children to the bookstore to read, and Song Zhili would take the initiative to find picture books for his children, with a gentle smile on his face.
We would sit together by the window and drink tea and chat, chatting about our lives and future plans. Without the grudges and entanglements of the past, only the plain warmth remained.
One afternoon, the sun was just right. I was lying on the rocking chair and taking a nap. Song Zhili was sitting beside me, reading a book softly.
The wind blew through the alley, bringing a faint fragrance of flowers, and the soft sound of the pages turning, accompanied by his gentle voice, formed the most stable melody.
I slowly opened my eyes and looked at his serious side face, and my heart became clear.
Perhaps, Chuan Shu’s accident was not all a hardship.It allowed me to save Xu Xingruo, and also allowed me to meet Song Zhili, a man who was once paranoid and crazy, but is now gentle and reserved.
It turns out that the best ending is not to return to the original world, nor to force a passionate love, but to find a stable corner after experiencing all the storms, and live a plain and warm life with someone who understands you.