doomsday shelter

Chapter 3：scheduled girlfriend

The ancestral hometown lacked an airport, so Song Yunian hailed a taxi straight to the high-speed railway station. Seated on the train, his mood was dismal. A man who never cried before now welled up with tears. He had just been deceived out of a million-dollar prize, and now he was on the verge of losing his father. His mother had passed away many years ago, leaving his father to toil tirelessly to raise him and put him through university. Just as he was about to share his joy with his father after earning the prize, however...

Upon arrival at the hospital, the ward was already crowded with relatives and friends. They made way for him, and Song Yunian hurried to his father's side. Seeing his son rushing back, Song Aimin, lying in bed with tubes all over his body, smiled kindly, "Xiaoyao, you've come back!"

Song Yunian knelt by the bedside, tears streaming uncontrollably, and cried, "Dad! You'll get better!"

Song Aimin signaled to his younger brother, asking everyone to leave. Second Uncle promptly led the others out of the ward. Song Aimin said, "Xiaoyao, Dad is about to depart, to reunite with your mother. I have two things to tell you! Don't forget them!"

"Son will remember!"

Song Aimin coughed twice, then continued, "There's another matter, you must heed my words... I had a prearranged marriage with my old comrade-in-arms, Liang Zichen. Don't think poorly of this custom. He once saved my life. There's contact information in the envelope on the table for his daughter. You must find her, then... then..." Before he could finish, he began coughing incessantly.

"Dad! What's wrong! Doctor! Someone, help!" He quickly pressed the bedside alarm, and relatives, friends, and doctors rushed in.

After Song Aimin stopped coughing, he slowly closed his eyes. Song Yunian asked the doctor, "What's wrong with my dad? Please save him! Save him quickly!"

The bespectacled male doctor removed his stethoscope and shook his head, "Alas! The patient has passed away. Please accept our condolences!"

Grief-stricken, Song Yunian threw himself beside his father, crying out, "Dad! Don't leave!" After relatives and friends pulled him away, a white sheet covered Song Aimin's body.

After handling his father's affairs, Song Yunian planned to first find Liang Jiajia, the fiancée his father had arranged for him. Though reluctant, he followed the address in the envelope and found Liang Zichen's home.

Upon arrival downstairs, he made a phone call first. A middle-aged woman answered, and after Song Yunian explained his purpose, she invited him in. Upon entering the house, the first thing that caught his eye was a black-and-white photo of a middle-aged man hanging on the wall.

Song Yunian said to the hostess, "Aunt Liu, is it possible that Uncle...?"

"He passed away last year! Sit down and have a cup of tea first! I'll go cook. Jiajia will be back soon!"

"Okay, Auntie!"

Since their fathers were comrades-in-arms, Song Yunian was not unfamiliar with Liang Jiajia. They used to play together when they were young, and he had heard about the arranged marriage, but being young at the time, he didn't understand and didn't take it seriously.

All he remembered was that Liang Jiajia was two years younger than him, quite mischievous and annoying. Since middle school, Liang Uncle often did business in the provincial capital, so the family moved there. They rarely met, and he almost forgot what she looked like. Later, he heard that Uncle Liang's business failed, they sold the house in the provincial capital, and they moved back to their hometown.

Lost in thought, suddenly footsteps approached the door, and someone opened it with a key. Sitting on the sofa, Song Yunian turned his head and saw a girl with her hair tied in a ponytail, wearing a white cartoon T-shirt and denim shorts, staring at him on the sofa. Her snow-white thighs made Song Yunian unable to open his eyes.

"Who are you?"

Song Yunian smiled, "You're Jiajia, right? You don't even recognize me?"

Liang Jiajia's big eyes rolled several times, still puzzled, "I don't remember!"