Road to Revival

When Sun Dunquan and Bao Xianbing arrived at Courtyard No. 7, most of the onlookers had already left. Sun Dunquan deliberately took a roundabout route, wasting a lot of time and effort.

It's not far from Building 32, where Bao Xianbing lives, to Courtyard 7, where Han Ruilin's accident happened. From Building 32, just walk south through Courtyard 8; it's only a ten-minute walk, or five minutes by run. But Sun Dunquan ignored Bao Xianbing's questions—what happened? Where are you going?

Sun Dunquan was more shrewd than Bao Xianbing. Lü Qi told him on the phone that Han Ruilin was being held up at Mu Guihua's house and that he needed to go immediately. He completely understood what was going on. Even Yin Yutao, whose work environment was relatively closed, had heard the rumors about Han Ruilin and Mu Guihua; it must have been a hot topic within Hongxing. Sun Dunquan knew Mu Guihua and had heard some of the stories about her. He had visited her home to pay his respects when Cao Wendong died, and he could tell at a glance that the woman was immoral—a spitting image of Wang Liu'er from *Jin Ping Mei*. Who would have thought that after Cao Wendong's death, Han Ruilin would have an affair with her, and, ultimately, things would turn out badly.

Sun Dunquan dragged Bao Xianbing to Han Ruilin's house in Building 54, essentially circling around half of the residential area. When they arrived at Han Ruilin's building, Sun Dunquan slapped his forehead, "Look at my brain! It's not here, it's in the damn No. 7 compound!"

"What exactly do you want to do?" Bao Xianbing was completely confused.

Sun Dunquan then told Bao Xianbing about Lü Qi's phone call. Lü Qi had told him not to make a fuss, but he dragged Bao Xianbing into it anyway. The reason was simple: he was extremely bad at handling such disputes.

"Hey! This is Section Chief Han Ruilin!" Bao Xianbing exclaimed.

He seemed to have heard the rumors. Sun Dunquan said, "After all, they're classmates; it wouldn't be right not to help at a time like this."

"Who cares about this kind of thing? Except his wife..." Bao Xianbing muttered.

Indeed, things are not like they were forty years ago; people avoid matters of the heart that don't concern them. Besides, Mu Guihua is a widow.

When the two hurriedly arrived at No. 7 Courtyard, there were hardly any people left in front of Mu Guihua's door. Several retired old ladies were gathered in the open space at the entrance of the house, discussing something.

"Maybe we shouldn't go in. Should I call Lao Han instead?" Sun Dunquan didn't want to go to Mu Guihua's door.

"Old Bao, who are you looking for?" A worker he knew came out of the public restroom and asked Bao Xianbing.

"I didn't contact anyone..."

"Nonsense. You're here to see a show, aren't you? You're too late, everyone's already left."

Sun Dunquan thankfully didn't dial the number, so he dialed Lü Qi instead. "Lü Qi, I'm at No. 7 Courtyard. He's gone... Old Han? He definitely hasn't gone home, I'm sure." He had just come from Building 54. If Han Ruilin went back, he should have bumped into him. "Okay, I'm at your service anytime."

Sun Dunquan pulled Bao Xianbing back to continue playing cards, saying, "Old Bao, please don't shout..."

"What am I yelling about? Secrecy? Secrecy my ass." Bao Xianbing spat on the ground. "All the secrets are in the hands of the officials, and they're the ones who leaked them all."

"We've gone way off topic."

"Don't worry, if you hadn't dragged me out, I wouldn't have bothered with all this nonsense. Whatever, as long as my wife doesn't cheat on me, that's all that matters."

……

Han Ruilin's scandal was like a bucket of ice water poured over Lü Qi's head.

She didn't sleep a wink yesterday after returning from the club. Fan Yongcheng waited for her, wanting to ask what happened, but she said she had drunk too much. After drinking the plum juice that Lao Fan had prepared for her, she went to sleep in the study by herself.

Lu Qi never imagined that the person she hadn't let go of for over twenty years had once loved her. This discovery caused her immense pain. While she was still in a daze at the East Lake Club, as she lay alone on the single bed in the study, the scenes from earlier flashed back vividly, especially Tao Tang's affectionate gaze, which brought her a pain she had never experienced before.

What kind of mess is this? I secretly liked him, and he secretly liked me too? Two people who liked each other didn't even know each other's feelings? And they only revealed their true feelings after a reunion twenty-five years later? Why didn't he write me a letter? And why didn't I write him a letter? Oh, damn God.

Several times she picked up her phone, wanting to send him a text message from a few hundred meters away, but she didn't know what to say. She hoped he would text her back, but there wasn't a single word from Tao Tang. Finally, she couldn't help but send him a message, asking if he was alright. Then, almost unconsciously, she "sent" him a poem by Yan Xiaoshan, "Partridge Sky," subtly expressing her feelings. Unexpectedly, he quickly replied with a poem she had never seen before; its style suggested it was by Yan Jidao, but it wasn't in the book of 300 Song Dynasty poems she had bought.

"His soul is accustomed to being unrestrained in his dreams..." Does this mean he always meets her in his dreams? Lü Qi was heartbroken.

However, she had completely calmed down when she got up. She began to despise herself. While washing up in the bathroom (she heard Lao Fan's familiar snoring), she cried silently, knowing the reason but unable to explain it. She simply locked the door and took a shower.

It's all too late. Let it all be in the past. Knowing how much he once cared for her was enough; it had already made up for the lingering feelings in her heart. What more could she ask for? He was already the boss of a high-ranking company, a man of great status. It was just a drunken confession; that was enough. She had done right by herself.

Since marrying Fan Yongcheng, Lü Qi had not been attracted to any other man until last night. That's just how society is; Lü Qi, who considered herself part of the "beauty circle" of celebrities, naturally experienced various forms of harassment, but she withstood it all. Two incidents were particularly embarrassing and upsetting. One was when she was still a regular staff member in the Enterprise Management Section of the Development and Planning Department. The director at the time took her to a sister factory for an experience exchange meeting. In a drunken rage, the director grabbed her and said her skin was so beautiful that he wanted to kiss her. She was newly married then, and filled with shame and anger, she pushed him away and ran off. Afterwards, she worried that the director would retaliate against her, but he didn't. Her promotion to head of the Enterprise Management Section was largely due to the director's influence. She admitted that without his recommendation, she wouldn't have overcome that crucial hurdle. She also acknowledged that the director was a man of impeccable character, with no scandals, and that his lapse in behavior could be characterized as a drunken indiscretion. However, she never discussed anything outside of work with the director again, her guard remaining ever-present. The former director has long since retired, and when she occasionally sees him at the factory, they merely nod. Secondly, there's her current boss, Luo Chong, who has always had designs on her; she's convinced it's not just suspicion, but a fact. But she's no longer the newlywed she once was. Having weathered half a lifetime of storms, she knows how to protect herself. As long as she doesn't give him the cold shoulder, he wouldn't dare to force himself on her, and besides, he wouldn't have the opportunity.

She had always despised those who engaged in illicit affairs. But suddenly, she realized she was one of them. If Tao Tang had invited her to Xiao Zhao last night, she would have gone without hesitation. If Tao Tang had further revealed his affection for her, she would have spoken the words she had kept hidden for over twenty years. She knew perfectly well what would happen next. She was no longer a young girl, no longer a young woman, but a mature woman who had entered middle age. She had seen and heard about the things between men and women, even if she hadn't done them herself.

Did she hurt his feelings by taking the front seat when she came back? She didn't know. She felt conflicted, a mix of regret and acceptance.

Without eating breakfast, Lü Qi went out and went to her office.

She vaguely hoped to run into him in the office building, but he didn't. The office building was quiet; no one was working overtime. Looking out of her office window, she could clearly see everyone entering Building 3. Her eyesight had always been excellent; she was neither nearsighted nor farsighted, a fact she was proud of. She stood by the window, lost in thought, until her phone rang. Sure enough, it was Lao Fan. He said he had an urgent matter to handle and was working overtime.

As noon approached, there was still no word from him. A strange resentment rose in her heart, and she began to berate herself before going home. Old Fan had already prepared dinner, which she ate with relish. After dinner, she fell into a sweet sleep until Han Ruilin's phone call startled her awake.

How could Han Ruilin be like this? She understood immediately. Red Star is only so big, and rumors always seem to grow legs. She had already heard the rumors, and now she was in trouble. She couldn't go herself, so she called Sun Dunquan, hoping he could rescue Han Ruilin from Mu Guihua's house first.

Getting beaten up was inevitable. Mu Guihua's younger brother, Mu Jianhua, was a notorious hoodlum. He had been dismissed from his job years ago for stealing public property, was addicted to drugs, and had been to rehab at least twice. He was a complete scoundrel. What good could come of being cornered in the house by Mu Jianhua?

Immediately, Lü Qi felt as if she had been doused with ice water, a chill running to her very bones. She began to thank Tao Tang.

Fan Yongcheng kept pressing for details about what had happened. She hated this about him most; instead of focusing on his career, he was like a gossipy old woman, always wanting to pry into and spread rumors…

"Stop asking, it's so annoying."

Sun Dunquan called back; Han Ruilin had already left, which was good.

"What's wrong? You don't look well."

This kind of news couldn't be kept secret, so Lü Qi told Fan Yongcheng.

"Hey, this old Han," Fan Yongcheng said, who was very familiar with Han Ruilin, "was still thinking of getting on good terms with President Tao. Well, he's lucky if he can keep his job."

Lu Qi was taken aback, and upon reflection, it was indeed true. The fact that Han Ruilin's wife was causing trouble for him was secondary; all she had been thinking about was how Han Ruilin would get past his wife—if Mu Jianhua made a scene at the factory, it could very well cost Han Ruilin his job—in the power structure of Red Star, the deputy director of the legal office was utterly insignificant.

"To be honest," Old Fan said, unusually without gloating, "I really did tell Old Han not to mess around with that woman, but he wouldn't admit it and even got angry with me. Everyone in the factory knows what kind of person Mu Guihua is, she's a piece of trash. She has countless lovers, and Han Ruilin's taste is really terrible."

Mu Guihua was actually quite attractive, Lu Qi thought. The woman in the eye of the storm had dark skin, but a great figure—tall, curvaceous, and, in literary terms, quite sexy. She was probably a little younger than herself…

"Han Ruilin, what a disappointment." Lu Qi recalled that Han Ruilin was drunk at the Donghu Club last night. He should have returned in the morning, so how come he was cornered in Mu Guihua's house in the afternoon?

As the couple were talking, Han Ruilin unexpectedly arrived.

"Lu Qi, you have to save me." Less than a day after their breakup, Lu Qi noticed that Han Ruilin seemed to have aged ten years.

"Old Han, what's wrong with you?" Lu Qi said bluntly.

"Don't even mention it. For the sake of our classmates, you have to keep Shui Jiao calm, or she might ruin me..."

"Jiaojiao found out?" Lü Qi was taken aback.

"I don't know which bastard had nothing better to do. She was in the city, but she just called back. She's probably back now." Han Ruilin's face was full of pleading.

"Okay." Lü Qi felt she couldn't refuse.

"Just tell her I might be dismissed, and she'll stop making a fuss."

"You're very calm," Lü Qi couldn't help but say sarcastically.

Please.

"Okay, I'll be right there."

Lü Qi rode her bicycle to the Han family's house. She was somewhat related to Shui Jiao, and along the way, she pondered how to talk to the woman who must be furious at the moment. Downstairs at Han Ruilin's building, she received a text message from him: "I won't thank you enough. I hope you can put in a good word for me with President Tao at the appropriate time."

What a scoundrel! Why doesn't he mention it in front of Lao Fan? Lü Qi thought angrily.