Part Two: The House That Waited
“Some people preserve a house.
Others preserve the memories inside it.”
The black sedan left the bustling city behind.
The neon lights gradually faded into quiet residential streets.
Inside the car, no one spoke.
Not because there was nothing to say.
But because the silence no longer felt heavy.
It felt…
comfortable.
Yu Mingyue rested her chin on the window, quietly watching the scenery outside.
Everything looked both familiar and unfamiliar.
“This road…”
She murmured softly.
“It used to have a bakery.”
Gu Mengmeng nodded.
“It closed five years ago.”
“…Really?”
“They moved overseas.”
Yu Mingyue hummed quietly.
“So many things disappeared.”
“…Mm.”
“And so many new things appeared.”
No one answered.
Because they all knew…
The person they had wanted back the most…
Was sitting quietly beside them.
The driver slowed the car.
Ahead, a pair of magnificent wrought-iron gates gradually came into view.
The familiar golden emblem of the Lu family gleamed beneath the warm courtyard lights.
Yu Mingyue instinctively straightened.
“…We’re here?”
No one answered.
The security guard standing inside the gate looked toward the approaching sedan.
His expression remained professional.
Until—
He saw the young woman sitting by the window.
The electronic pass slipped from his fingers.
“…M-Miss Yu…?”
His lips trembled.
His eyes widened in disbelief.
The barrier had already begun to rise automatically.
Yet he stood rooted to the ground.
The sedan slowly passed him.
He turned around instinctively.
Watching it disappear down the long tree-lined driveway.
Only after it had gone did he suddenly rub his eyes.
“…I…”
“…I’m not dreaming…”
…
The driveway stretched quietly ahead.
Rows of old phoenix trees lined both sides.
Their emerald leaves danced gently in the breeze.
Yu Mingyue’s eyes curved into crescents.
“They’re still here.”
Gu Mingzhe followed her gaze.
“The gardener wanted to replace them.”
Yu Mingyue blinked.
“Why?”
“The roots were getting old.”
“…Then?”
Gu Mingzhe adjusted his glasses.
“Yanxi said no.”
Yu Mingyue slowly turned toward the man sitting across from her.
Lu Yanxi was still looking straight ahead.
As though the conversation had nothing to do with him.
She smiled.
“…You always liked these trees.”
He didn’t answer.
But…
The tension in his fingers eased ever so slightly.
The sedan continued forward.
Passing the small pond.
Passing the stone bridge.
Passing the pavilion where they used to hide from summer rain.
Yu Mingyue laughed suddenly.
“I remember!”
Gu Mengmeng looked at her.
“What?”
“You fell into the pond!”
“…”
Gu Mengmeng’s face immediately turned red.
“I was pushed!”
Yu Mingyue giggled.
“You chased me first.”
“You stole my pudding!”
“You ate mine too!”
“That was different!”
“How?”
“…”
“…Mine looked tastier.”
For a second…
No one spoke.
Then…
Gu Mingzhe let out a soft chuckle.
Even Xie Chengyi’s lips curved upward almost imperceptibly.
Gu Mengmeng stared at them.
“…You two actually laughed?”
Gu Mingzhe calmly looked out the window.
“I didn’t.”
“You did.”
“I breathed differently.”
“…Brother.”
“I heard it too.”
Even Lu Yanxi quietly closed his eyes for a moment.
Not because he was tired.
Because…
It had been so long since this car carried laughter instead of silence.
The sedan finally slowed.
Ahead stood the Lu residence.
The white manor rested beneath the moonlight, its windows glowing warmly against the night.
The familiar fountain continued to spray crystal-clear water into the air.
Everything looked exactly as it had in Yu Mingyue’s memories.
She smiled instinctively.
“…Nothing changed.”
Then…
Her eyes drifted toward the garden.
She froze.
Near the eastern flowerbed…
Hundreds of white lilies bloomed beneath the moonlight.
Their petals swayed gently in the breeze.
Fresh.
Carefully tended.
As though someone had looked after them every single day.
Yu Mingyue slowly lowered the car window.
The faint fragrance of lilies drifted inside.
She stared quietly at the sea of white flowers.
“…”
“…Lilies…”
She whispered so softly that almost no one heard her.
“They’re still blooming…”
Gu Mengmeng smiled through slightly reddened eyes.
“They bloom every year.”
Yu Mingyue turned around.
“…Every year?”
No one answered immediately.
Finally…
Xie Chengyi spoke.
“They were replanted.”
“…Whenever they withered.”
Silence.
Yu Mingyue looked back toward the flowers.
Eight years.
The flowers had bloomed.
Withered.
Bloomed again.
Withered again.
Year after year.
Someone had quietly cared for them…
For eight long years.
Not because flowers live forever.
But because…
They refused to let the memory fade.
Yu Mingyue lowered her eyes.
A gentle smile appeared.
Not bright.
Not playful.
Just…
Warm.
“…You still remembered.”
No one replied.
Because no explanation was needed.
Some things…
Were simply understood.
The sedan rolled to a gentle stop before the front steps.
No one moved.
For a long moment…
Everyone simply looked at the home that had spent eight years waiting for one person.