Until The Wind Finds Us

Different Paths Home

Before the morning sunlight reached the room, Wei Wei slowly woke from her drunken sleep. Her jacket and shoes had already been taken off, and a blanket was neatly covering her body. She didn't have to guess who had done it.

Still feeling drowsy, she stepped out of the bedroom and found Yu Chen asleep on the sofa. She only looked at him from a distance for a moment. She didn't dare walk closer. Just seeing his face was enough to make her chest tighten again.

She wasn't ready to face him yet.

It wasn't because she wanted to end their relationship. She simply needed time to think and calm herself without Yu Chen by her side.

She packed a few clothes into a bag before leaving for the train station. There was only one place she wanted to go.

Suzhou.

Her hometown.

Before closing the apartment door, Wei Wei looked back one last time. Yu Chen was still sleeping soundly on the sofa. He looked exhausted, as if he hadn't truly rested all night.

"I'm sorry... I can't face you yet."

The words were so soft that only she could hear them.

When she arrived at the station, she took out her phone and sent him a message.

I'm going back to Ahpo's house to clear my mind.

Her finger lingered on the screen after pressing send.

Will Yu Chen be okay?

Even after such a painful argument, she still couldn't stop worrying about him. During their entire relationship, they had rarely fought like this. Wei Wei had always tried to understand Yu Chen's fragile heart and how easily he blamed himself.

The announcement for the arriving train pulled her out of her thoughts. She took a slow breath before stepping into the carriage.

---

The morning sunlight slowly fell across Yu Chen's face as he slept on the sofa.

He opened his eyes, blinking as they adjusted to the bright light coming through the window.

Something felt different.

The apartment was unusually quiet.

A sudden feeling of unease filled his chest.

Yu Chen immediately stood up and hurried to the bedroom. The moment he opened the door, his heart sank.

Wei Wei was gone.

Panicking, he searched every corner of the apartment before running outside to the park where she had been the night before.

Maybe she was still there.

But she wasn't.

There was no sign of her.

Just as fear began taking over his thoughts, his phone vibrated.

Bzzz...

He quickly picked it up.

A message from Wei Wei.

I'm going back to Ahpo's house to clear my mind.

He let out a shaky breath.

At least she was safe.

But at the same time, his heart felt as if it were being squeezed.

She had really left him.

With trembling fingers, he typed a reply.

Will you come back?

---

Inside the train, Wei Wei's phone lit up.

A message from Yu Chen.

She read it several times but never replied.

Not because she didn't want to.

She simply didn't know the answer herself.

Her gaze shifted toward the window.

Rows of houses and rivers rushed past before slowly disappearing from sight.

For some reason, the scenery reminded her of her relationship with Yu Chen.

They were still standing in the same place...

Yet somehow, there were things they could no longer see in each other.

Not long after, rows of white-walled houses with dark gray tiled roofs came into view. A quiet river flowed beside them.

Suzhou.

The city where she was born.

Wei Wei pushed open the familiar wooden door of her childhood home.

Inside, an elderly woman with short white curly hair was quietly embroidering beside the window.

"Ahpo!"

The old woman immediately looked up.

"My granddaughter is home?"

A bright smile spread across her face as she hurried over, wrapped Wei Wei in a warm hug, and kissed both of her cheeks several times.

"I came back because I missed you, Ahpo."

The words came out without hesitation.

"Let Ahpo have a look at you."

She gently turned Wei Wei around, looking her over from head to toe.

"You've gotten thinner."

"Have you been eating properly over there?"

Wei Wei chuckled.

"Of course I have. If I didn't eat, your granddaughter wouldn't even be standing here."

"Oh, this child..."

Ahpo lightly patted her waist.

"Don't joke like that."

"Hahaha... okay, okay."

Just a few minutes with Ahpo was enough to make the weight in Wei Wei's heart feel a little lighter.

"I made chicken soup for you. Go put your things away first. Don't leave your bag by the door. Chen Ge is coming to deliver firewood later. He'll be happy to see you're home."

"Oh?"

"Are Chen Ge and Wan Rou Jie doing well?"

"Of course they are."

Ahpo narrowed her eyes with a teasing smile.

"Were you hoping for something else?"

Wei Wei immediately raised both eyebrows.

"What do you mean? I'm not hoping for anything."

"Oh..."

"Didn't you have a crush on Yi Chen before?"

Wei Wei almost choked on her tea.

"What?!"

"That was back when I was in middle school!"

Ahpo looked at her suspiciously.

"Really!"

"As if I'd still like a married man."

"Good."

Ahpo let out a relieved sigh as she placed a bowl of hot chicken soup in front of her.

Wei Wei took a slow sip.

The warmth spread through her body.

It tasted like home.

"So good..."

After watching her quietly for a while, Ahpo finally asked,

"Then why did you suddenly come home without telling me?"

Wei Wei fell silent.

As expected...

She couldn't hide anything from the woman who had raised her.

"I just missed you, Ahpo."

She smiled.

But this time, the smile never reached her eyes.

"As if."

"I've asked you to come home so many times, but you never did."

Wei Wei lowered her head.

The last time she had come home was before moving in with Yu Chen. Since then, she'd been so happy spending every day with him that she hadn't realized how long it had been since her last visit to Suzhou.

"So..."

"What's really wrong?"

Wei Wei tightened her grip around the soup bowl.

She wanted to tell her.

But she didn't want Ahpo to worry.

"Ahpooo!"

A man's voice suddenly came from outside.

The front door opened.

A tall, athletic man with tanned skin walked in carrying several pieces of firewood on his shoulder.

Jiang Yi Chen.

Wei Wei's childhood friend.

"Well, well..."

"Look who finally remembered the way home."

He walked over and casually threw an arm around her shoulders.

"Chen Ge, you stink."

"Don't touch me."

"Who says I stink?"

Jiang Yi Chen laughed.

"This is the smell of hard work."

"The smell of money."

"Got it?"

"Eww..."

"Whatever you say, Chen Ge."

Wei Wei rolled her eyes.

"So why did you suddenly come home today?"

She let out a long sigh.

"Why is everyone asking me that?"

"Because you hardly ever come home.”

He grinned mischievously.

"Hmm..."

"Don't tell me..."

"It's because of a guy?"

Wei Wei nearly choked again.

Seeing her reaction, Jiang Yi Chen's grin grew even wider.

"Aha. I knew it."

"So it really is because of a man?"

"I... I..."

"I'm going to my room to unpack first."

Without waiting for another word, Wei Wei grabbed her bag and escaped to her room, leaving Jiang Yi Chen laughing behind her.

---

Wei Wei began unpacking her things.

A simple wooden bed.

Walls covered with framed memories of her late parents.

An old study desk.

A sturdy wooden wardrobe that had been with her since childhood.

Everything was still there, as though time had never truly left this house.

Knock... knock...

"Wei Wei, Ahpo's coming in."

"Okay."

Ahpo stepped inside and sat on the wooden chair beside the desk.

"Did you fight with your boyfriend?"

"My boyfriend? No... no."

Wei Wei immediately shook her head.

Ahpo simply looked at her.

That look alone was enough to make Wei Wei give up.

"...Alright."

She let out a quiet sigh.

"We did have a fight."

"Because of another woman?"

Wei Wei nodded.

"Did he cheat on you?"

"No."

She quickly waved both hands.

"He's a good man."

"A very good man."

Without realizing it, a small smile appeared on her lips as she spoke about Yu Chen.

No one knew better than her how sincerely he loved her.

"Then what really happened?"

After a long silence, Wei Wei told Ahpo everything from beginning to end.

"...I just don't understand why he still can't let go of his past."

Ahpo listened quietly without interrupting.

When Wei Wei finally finished, Ahpo gently patted the back of her hand.

"Wei Wei..."

"Not everyone heals from pain the same way you do."

"I know, Ahpo."

Wei Wei lowered her head.

"But I'm angry."

"I'm angry because he still lets himself stay trapped in those memories."

"And his ex wasn't even a good person."

She clenched her fists.

"Don't you think..."

"Wouldn't she assume Yu Chen still has feelings for her?"

"I hate that he leaves things like this."

"He isn't being clear."

Ahpo gently rubbed her granddaughter's shoulder.

"My child..."

"Now that you're home, stay here for a few days."

"Maybe after both of your hearts have calmed down..."

"You'll finally find the answer you've been looking for."

Wei Wei nodded softly.

"Okay."

---

Three days passed.

The apartment that had once been filled with laughter now felt painfully quiet to Yu Chen.

There was no Wei Wei teasing him anymore.

No smell of fresh coffee in the morning.

No one to make the little apartment feel alive.

It had only been three days.

Yet it felt like forever.

"What's wrong with me?"

Yu Chen stared blankly out the window.

"Why can't I let go of my past?"

The question kept repeating itself.

He knew he didn't miss Tang Ruo Xi.

If he still loved her, he couldn't possibly love Wei Wei this deeply.

Then...

What was he really searching for?

Yu Chen slowly closed his eyes.

Maybe all this time, he had only been trying to prove to himself that he wasn't someone impossible to love.

That what happened back then wasn't entirely his fault.

But without realizing it...

That search for an answer had begun hurting the person he loved the most.

Bzzz...

His phone vibrated.

Wei Wei's name appeared on the screen.

He quickly opened the message.

It had been three days since she'd contacted him after returning to Suzhou.

The message contained only one sentence.

I'm staying in my hometown for three more days.

Yu Chen felt as if his heart had stopped beating.

Countless thoughts rushed through his mind.

What if three days become a week?

What if she never comes back?

What if she decides to leave me?

He quickly shook his head.

"Don't think like that."

He tried to calm himself.

But the harder he tried, the stronger his fear became.

If she doesn't come back...

What should I do?

Should I wait?

...Or should I go bring her home?

He stared at his phone for a long time.

Several times, his fingers moved as if to type a message, only to stop again.

Waiting felt like the right thing to do.

But his fear of losing Wei Wei was far greater than his fear of being rejected.

"No."

"I'm going to bring her home."

He couldn't wait any longer.

Every day without Wei Wei felt like another step toward losing the most precious person in his life.

Yu Chen opened his contacts, found a familiar name, and pressed the call button.