An 80s female translator was spoiled rotten by a rough and jealous man.

Chapter 218 Leaving
Meng Youyou walked out of the room carrying her suitcase in her right hand. She turned around and gently closed the door. She heard a noise next to her. There was a creaking sound from next door. Meng Youyou turned her eyes and met the cold eyes from last night.

The man had dark circles under his eyes, looking like he hadn't slept well, and Meng Youyou quickly looked away. A half-baked sincerity is utterly worthless.

Without giving him another glance, Meng Youyou changed direction and walked straight towards the front hall. She took two steps down the stone steps, and as soon as she stepped into the courtyard, she heard the man behind her call her: "Youyou".

Meng Youyou did not stop, unlike last night when she still harbored some hope or lingering affection for him. She stood there waiting for him to utter even colder words, to stab her heart with another knife.

"I'll drive you." The man quickened his pace and, when he spoke again, he was already beside her. He then reached out to take the suitcase from Meng Youyou's hand.

"No need," Meng Youyou said expressionlessly, forcefully pulling back the hand holding the suitcase. Her words were devoid of any emotion, just like he had been yesterday, though of course she couldn't compare to him.

In this respect, who could be more callous than you? Meng Youyou would gladly admit defeat.

He followed her, keeping a distance that was neither too close nor too far, until they reached the town's bus station.

There are only a few bus routes in Nanyu Town: one goes to the train station, one goes to the city center, and one goes to the city hospital.

The bus station is not very large, about the size of two basketball courts.

Meng Youyou arrived early; there were still seven or eight minutes before the first bus was scheduled to depart, but the front door was already open, allowing passengers to board first.

There weren't many passengers on the bus, scattered across less than a third of the seats. The ticket seller sat in a special seat near the door, dozing off, while the driver sat in the cab, munching on a vegetable bun, his mouth greasy.

Meng Youyou gently woke up the ticket seller who was half asleep, bought a ticket, and sat down in a window seat.

As Meng Youyou sat down, a sudden wave of weariness washed over her. She leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes.

She didn't want to care what the person under the car was doing or whether they had left. Meng Youyou felt really tired. This kind of tiredness wasn't an intangible feeling, but rather like walking alone in a desert under the scorching sun for a very long time, only to find herself back at the starting point after going around in circles. She felt helpless and extremely exhausted. Every part of her body ached, and she was almost completely exhausted. She didn't have the extra energy to think about anything.

After a while, there was a knocking sound on the glass window next to her ear. Meng Youyou opened her eyes and looked in the direction of the sound. The car window had been opened a little while ago. In front of her was a dried plum vegetable pancake wrapped in oil paper and a cup of soy milk. The food was steaming hot. Following the arm of the person who came out the window, she saw a handsome face. Meng Youyou didn't want to deny it. She still thought he was very good-looking.

She didn't reach for the food that was still held in front of her. Instead, she tilted her head and looked at him with a bewildered gaze, as if she were looking at a monster or an unsolvable mystery. She stared intently into his eyes, trying her best to detect any hint of hypocrisy.

The final conclusion was that this man was a real actor. Even now, at this very moment, she still couldn't see a trace of pretense in his eyes. The slight concern and affection that he inadvertently revealed in those eyes seemed so real! It was the "realness" that she believed to be real, and also the "realness" of naivety.

The ticket seller standing by the door shouted out, "The bus is leaving in one minute! Hurry up and get on!"

Meng Youyou abruptly stood up from her seat, rushed off the bus, and as she passed the ticket seller, she exclaimed, "Hey, lady, the bus is about to depart!"

Meng Youyou ignored him and ran straight to Huo Qingshan. The man was clearly surprised by her unexpected action. His mouth was slightly open, and he was about to say something to her when a loud slap landed on his right cheek, stinging him.

Meng Youyou stared coldly into his eyes and said, word by word, "Huo Qingshan, you're a real bastard!"

Everyone on the bus, as well as those waiting for their rides, was drawn to the sudden and intense scene. The two quickly became the focus of the bus station, with people whispering and gossiping, all wondering what had happened between such an outstanding-looking couple. But soon one of the main characters left the scene. After saying those words, Meng Youyou turned around and ran back to the bus. The bus departed on time and left the bus station.

Only the other protagonist remained standing there, motionless for a long time, as if his soul had been ripped away, standing there like a lonely stone sculpture. A dark red handprint gradually appeared on one side of his cheek. She had hit him very hard. Huo Qingshan thought that she must be completely disappointed in him.

……

Before entering the station, Meng Youyou found a phone booth to call home. She thought Hu Shulan would answer, but to her surprise, Meng Zhengping's voice came from the other end of the line, with a very formulaic opening line: "Hello, who is this?"

A sudden stinging sensation welled up in her eyes. Meng Youyou sniffed and called out into the receiver, "Dad."

There was a pause of two seconds on the other end, then a surprised and delighted voice, tinged with an inexplicable warmth.

Her nose started to sting, and she listened silently to the person on the other end of the line rambling on and on: "Didn't you say you were going to visit your grandma with your boyfriend? How's it going? You said you'd come back to the capital together after visiting grandma. When are you two leaving? Tell Dad in advance, and he'll send someone to pick you up. Oh, and tell your boyfriend to come over. You don't need to bring too much stuff; we have everything we need. If he's so kind, he can save the money to buy you things."

As Meng Youyou listened to him, she shook her head, then suddenly realized that Meng Zhengping couldn't see.

After calming the sobs that were rising in her throat, Meng Youyou said in a low voice, "Dad, my train is this morning, and I'll arrive in the capital tomorrow afternoon. Can you come pick me up?"

Meng Zhengping readily agreed: "Okay, your mother and I will come to pick you up. Tell us on the phone what you want to eat when you get back, and Dad will cook it for you."

"Then I want to eat sweet and sour pork ribs, braised pork belly, and steamed fish..."

"..."

After hanging up the phone, Meng Youyou carried her suitcase and walked towards the train station. She stood at the entrance and looked back at the street in the distance.

The incandescent light at the breakfast stall was left on, but it was too bright to be of any use in the daylight. An older woman wearing blue cloth sleeves scooped up piping hot soy milk, the white steam blurring the red words "Pure Handmade Soy Milk" on the tin bucket. Beside the shoemaker's small stool, Teresa Teng's "Small Town Story" was playing on the radio. An old man scavenging for scraps walked past Meng Youyou, a rusty snakeskin bag dangling from his shoulder.

On the bustling street, pedestrians all seemed to be in a hurry...

She had spent six months in this city, the only place she knew since coming into this world. She was about to leave, exhausted and disheartened, heading alone to another unfamiliar city.

Her comrades, colleagues, friends, and former lovers were all here, but the day she left was too rushed, and no one came to see her off. Her empty heart seemed unable to hold any emotions, or perhaps all sorts of complex emotions were tangled together and she couldn't recognize them.

But at this moment, Meng Youyou clearly felt that she was reluctant to part, and the feeling was particularly strong. Unfortunately, no one stood in front of her to listen to her story, so she could only bury it completely in her heart.

Fortunately, there were people waiting for her to come home.

It's not that I'm too lonely.