The most beautiful space

78. Heading to Country A

After Xie Chengjing and Su Tong parted ways with the others, they walked in the opposite direction from their return to the city. They then turned onto a side road and drove for a few more minutes. When Xie Chengjing told Su Tong they were almost there, Su Tong checked the time on her phone; about half an hour had passed. The road was flanked by continuous, towering, verdant mountains, creating a tranquil and solemn atmosphere. The car pulled into a small parking lot at the foot of the mountain. Amidst the trees and mountains, a dark stone staircase, wide enough for three people to walk side-by-side, led upwards. Dark stone pillars surrounded the parking lot and flank the staircase, adding to the solemn and dignified atmosphere.

Several people were carrying chrysanthemums as they walked up the stone steps. Su Tong immediately understood that this was a cemetery. However, when she entered the parking lot, she hadn't seen any sign that said "Cemetery of [City Name]". It seemed to be a little-known place.

So, the person Xie Chengjing wanted to see was someone who had already passed away?

Xie Chengjing took off his coat, revealing a black shirt underneath. Su Tong subconsciously glanced at her own tracksuit, which contained a black long-sleeved top. Su Tong hadn't packed many clothes when she passed through Beijing; the few outfits she was wearing were mostly things she'd bought on the spot after arriving. The tracksuit and the black top she was wearing today were prepared by the housekeeper, who placed them on the sofa, saying Xie Chengjing had given them to wear. They were all ordinary, affordable brands, and the receipts were included. Su Tong paid for them and took them. Xie Chengjing was like that; he wouldn't let Su Tong stay there and pay rent, nor would he ask her to pay for things like Xie Mingyuan's engagement party dress and accessories. However, Su Tong had to pay for her own utilities, living expenses, and her assistant's salary. Xie Chengjing was so considerate that it was impossible to find any reason to dislike him.

Previously, Su Tong bought and wore her own clothes, which explains why he suddenly stipulated what she should wear when she came out. He didn't want to tell Su Tong that he was coming to sweep the tombs, and he knew that Su Tong liked light colors such as blue and white, so he didn't want her to wear clothes that weren't dark colors.

So Su Tong took off her coat, leaving only the black long-sleeved shirt underneath. Seeing Xie Chengjing get out of the car, she opened the door and let Kongkong and Xie Er'er out as well.

Xie Chengjing looked at the place where his mother was buried, silently took out two bunches of white chrysanthemums from the trunk, handed them to Su Tong to hold, and then took out a black bag, locked the car and walked up the mountain. Su Tong followed him with the flowers in her arms.

Animals have a natural sensitivity, and pets are actually the most perceptive of their owners' emotions. It's rare for a pet to flutter around its owner when they're feeling down. Xie Er'er wasn't one to bark excessively, and Kong Kong was clever enough to read their expressions. Seeing Xie Chengjing and Su Tong walking silently, Kong Kong obediently stayed by their side. Kong Kong timidly leaned against Su Tong, stealing glances at Xie Chengjing, while Xie Er'er followed beside Xie Chengjing, gently licking his hand twice with its pink tongue in a comforting gesture.

Su Tong followed a step behind, clearly seeing that even though Xie Chengjing was in a bad mood, he maintained a pace just fast enough for her to keep up, his back ramrod straight, exuding an indescribable coldness. Sometimes a person's first reaction points to their inner self. Here, it was quiet and deserted, with only Xie Chengjing to her left, whose back seemed to radiate an unyielding determination. By the time Su Tong realized what was happening, she had already stepped forward and grasped Xie Chengjing's right hand with her left.

Before Su Tong could even be surprised or regret her subconscious action, Xie Chengjing felt a hand gently grasp his fingertips. It was soft and warm, a completely different world from his own, yet it made him feel comfortable and attached. He paused for a moment, then firmly took Su Tong's hand, and Su Tong returned the grip tightly.

In the quiet forest, the two people and two dogs walked uphill in silence.

After climbing several dozen steps, tombstones began to appear among the tall pines and cypresses. Compared to the cemeteries Su Tong had visited before, the tombstones in this cemetery were widely spaced, unlike some cemeteries where the dense clusters made one worry about whether their loved ones could rest peacefully in such a place. Each tombstone was tall and majestic, like a story sleeping in time, possessing a unique, sorrowful, and heavy beauty. There weren't many graves in the cemetery, and it wasn't a holiday, so the two walked quite a distance before encountering two people coming down from above. They were a man and a woman, the man in his thirties and the woman in her twenties, both appearing quite cultured. Although they noticed Xie Chengjing's coldness and Su Tong's beauty, the man simply gave Su Tong a polite nod, which she returned, and they passed each other by.

After climbing the stone steps to the middle, Xie Chengjing pulled Su Tong to the left and stopped in front of a tombstone. Several bouquets of flowers and some offerings had already been placed in front of the tombstone.

Xie Chengjing stared at the tombstone and said coldly, "This is my mother's grave."

Su Tong's heart skipped a beat.

The two approached the tombstone. The dark Shanxi-style tombstone bore seven elegant characters in running script: "Tomb of my beloved wife, Li Qingyi." Her name was beautiful, and she was beautiful too. Su Tong carefully examined the photo on the tombstone. A woman with fair skin, an oval face, and wearing a floral-collared shirt smiled gently at her. Her eyes were bright and her smile warm, giving off a friendly feeling. Su Tong whispered, "Auntie is very beautiful."

She handed the bouquet of chrysanthemums to Xie Chengjing, but he only took one bunch. He gently placed the bouquet in front of the grave, stroking the tombstone with one hand. Su Tong was stunned for a moment, then gently put down her own bouquet. Tomb sweeping was never a pleasant thing. Xie Chengjing carefully took a towel and wiped the tombstone clean from top to bottom. He then took out the offerings he had brought from the food box in his bag and placed several small pastries in front of the grave. Su Tong guessed that these were probably his mother's favorite foods, as two of them were also among the offerings that had been placed there earlier.

Xie Chengjing, who had been silent all along, suddenly said, "Actually, I don't remember spending any time with my mother. I was too young when she passed away. I only know what she liked to eat from other people."

Su Tong didn't know how to respond. Since she had already shaken hands once, she figured it wouldn't hurt to shake them again, so she took Xie Chengjing's hand once more.

Kongkong and Xie Er'er stood in an open space some distance from the tombstone. The two Caucasian Shepherds, so large that they were impossible to ignore, were so quiet that they seemed not to exist.

Su Tong suddenly remembered a female classmate from junior high school. Her parents divorced when she was very young; her father moved abroad, and she lived with her mother. Although the family was well-off, her mother treated her well and never remarried, but the hardships of life had made her a bit temperamental, and she was often away from home due to her busy schedule. At that time, some classmates who spent every day with their parents disliked each other. This female classmate had no memory of her father, but because of her unhappiness living with her mother, she was filled with longing and yearning for him. Occasionally, when Su Tong's father would pick her up after evening self-study, she would sometimes show a slight sadness. On Father's Day, Su Tong would buy yellow carnations for her father and hang them by the window, quietly remembering him.

No matter how cold and strong Xie Chengjing may be, he is still a human being who needs warmth and companionship. Throughout his long childhood, he didn't feel much love and care from his middle-aged, high-ranking father, nor did he have any close relatives. He must have felt the same way about his mother, who looked so warm in the photos but could never be reached again. Su Tong seemed to see a younger version of Xie Chengjing that she could never see, secretly looking at his mother's photos, secretly asking about her with a serious face, thinking that if his mother hadn't passed away, she would definitely love him very much and wouldn't let him be like this, lonely and desolate, and then becoming so precocious that he was no longer liked by adults, and then even more lonely and desolate.

"Mother, this is Su Tong." As he was leaving, Xie Chengjing said this to the woman who was now sleeping forever beneath the tombstone.

These few words seemed to carry a substantial weight, making Su Tong dare not let go of Xie Chengjing's hand even slightly, as if doing so would betray Xie Chengjing's words at the grave of his most beloved person: "This is Su Tong."

******

The day before Su Tong was to leave for Country A, she had just seen Xie Chengjing when he returned at noon. However, as she was about to board the plane with Wang Lu, Yang Huan, and a bodyguard named Guo Chen whom she had just met, Su Tong suddenly felt a little reluctant to see him again. After thinking for a moment, she sent him a text message:

As the plane took off, Su Tong looked out at the azure sky and large clusters of white clouds. While gazing at the similar scenery, a figure kept flashing through her mind.

He said he liked her in a very plain and simple way, without any embellishment. But given his status, even the most ordinary expression of affection wouldn't be simple. If Xie Chengjing wanted to be with Su Tong, whether it was for a momentary fling or out of genuine affection, it was entirely his prerogative. With his high position and power, he wouldn't suffer much loss. However, if Su Tong mustered the courage to be with Xie Chengjing, the ending, if it didn't work out, would inevitably be incredibly tragic.

But a man who gives you a sense of security, handles relationships decisively and without dragging things out, cares for you and is considerate, and doesn't interfere with your life—anyone would want to hold onto him, right? So, her current desire to hold onto him isn't because she's too easily moved.

When it comes to matters of the heart, the internet is overflowing with stories and anecdotes, and even some of her friends, with their rich knowledge of love poetry, can offer lengthy pronouncements that seem like absolute truths. But Su Tong's own experience is limited to a relationship she had in college that started suddenly and ended without a trace. Although she didn't directly pursue him, she dared to go to great lengths to get close to Gu Nian'an, regardless of the consequences, all for the sake of her fleeting attraction.

Is it true that the older people get, the more worries they have, and the more timid they become? Or is it because Xie Chengjing is too outstanding?

She couldn't find the answer, but life had to go on as usual.

I saw Xie Chengjing's text message when I got off the plane: