That Nameless Summer Chapter 41

I’ve been looking for you

Song Li’s team won second place in the finals. After the award ceremony, his teammates went to celebrate, but he found an excuse to sneak out.The night wind carried the coolness of late autumn, which made his mind clearer, but the neon lights on the street flashed across his eyes, and the image of Ling Qingye leaning against the car still appeared – the suit was too eye-catching, and it made the seven years of blank space look particularly sharp.

He didn’t go back to the hotel, but walked aimlessly on the street, and somehow ended up back in the CBD.There were still many lights on in the glass-walled office building. Ling Qingye’s car was no longer there, but Song Li stood across the road, staring at a bright window on the top floor for a long time.He took out his mobile phone and found a dusty number in his address book. His fingertips were hovering on the dial button, but he couldn’t press it.

Seven years ago, he changed his mobile phone number and cut off all contact. He was afraid that debt collectors would find him, and he was also afraid of facing those people in the past who fled in a hurry.But when they looked at each other just now, the surging emotions in Ling Qingye’s eyes were like a needle, piercing the pretense of calmness he had pretended to be calm all these years.He wanted to ask if he had lived well in the past seven years. He wanted to ask if he had ever looked for him back then, but he was afraid that the answer he would get would shatter his last thoughts.

Just as he clutched his phone and turned to leave, a low voice came from behind, with a slight hesitation: “Song Li?”

Song Li’s body suddenly stiffened, and his steps seemed to be filled with lead. He didn’t dare to look back for a long time.

Ling Qingye had just finished working overtime and drove by here. He saw that familiar figure from a distance and stopped the car by accident.He looked at Song Li holding the phone, his fingertips turning white, and his back showing an indescribable loneliness, and he felt like something was tugging at his heart.

Song Li slowly turned around, the light of the street lamp fell on his face, and the redness in his eyes could be seen.He twitched the corners of his mouth, trying to force out a nonchalant smile, but it turned out to be uglier than crying: “What a coincidence.”

“Well, what a coincidence.” Ling Qingye walked up to him. The two were half a meter apart, not far but not close, just enough to maintain a decent distance.He looked at the bruises under Song Li’s eyes and thought of the fatigue he saw in the car just now. The peaked cap couldn’t hide his fatigue, and the dull pain in his heart came over him, “Come to compete?”

“Well, it just ended.” Song Li lowered his head and kicked the stones under his feet, his voice as light as the wind, “I didn’t expect to meet you here.”

“My company is here.” Ling Qingye’s voice also lowered, and his eyes fell on the mobile phone he was clenching, “Seven years…how are you doing?”

These words were like a thorn, making Song Li’s eyes instantly heat up.He raised his head suddenly, his eyes filled with grievance and resentment, but his tone was firm: “Okay, okay, what does it matter?”

Ling Qingye’s Adam’s apple rolled, and he was choked to the point of being speechless.He wanted to say that he had been looking for him for a long time. He wanted to say that he went to Song Li’s community, to Laohuaishudong, and to the playground where they often went. He searched for him for a whole year, but there was no news. He wanted to say that he had been carrying the wrong question book with him all these years, but when he said it, there was only a dry sentence: “Yes.”

The two fell into silence again, and the night wind carried the fallen leaves past their feet, rustling, making the atmosphere even more awkward.Song Li looked at Ling Qingye’s tight lips, as stubborn as seven years ago, and suddenly became angry: “If there’s nothing else, I’ll leave first.”

He turned around and walked away quickly, as if he was running away.

Ling Qingye looked at his back and subconsciously wanted to chase him, but as soon as he raised his feet, he stopped abruptly.The seven-year estrangement cannot be erased by just saying “I’ve been looking for you”.He didn’t know what Song Li had been through these years, he didn’t know how deep the knot in his heart was, and he didn’t know whether his approach at this moment would be a disturbance.

Song Li didn’t run far before he stopped at the corner of the street, his back facing Ling Qingye’s direction, his shoulders slightly hunched.He didn’t want to lose his composure in front of Ling Qingye, but the emotions he had been holding back for seven years couldn’t help but surge up.