Chapter Five
It was already dark outside, and inside the room the lighting was even dimmer. Qu Tongqiu sat at the table like a dull gray shadow of a man. The small pendant he had bought for Qu Ke was still there—she hadn’t taken it with her. All the happiness and fulfillment he had felt since the previous night had vanished completely.
Someone knocked at the door. The half-closed door then opened, and Ren Ningyuan came in. Thankfully, he hadn’t gotten lost in the maze of clotheslines.
Qu Tongqiu was utterly despondent. Even facing Ren Ningyuan now, he felt numb, without even the urge to avoid him. Ren Ningyuan looked at his eyes, swollen like peaches. “Why did you tell her?”
“She has the right to know the truth,” the man replied in a thick nasal voice.
“I would have helped you keep it from her. As long as you didn’t say anything, she would never have known.”
Qu Tongqiu grew agitated. “Why deceive her? Just so she’ll regret it when she’s my age, and then come to hate me?”
“Lying isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Don’t you want her to call you ‘Dad’ forever?”
Panting, he said, “Even so, I can’t lie to her. I’m not like you—you’re heartless!”
Ren Ningyuan looked at him. “You’re too foolish.”
“……”
“When you truly care about someone, that’s when you have to put thought into deceiving them—be careful to deceive them for a lifetime, so they can always be happy.” Ren Ningyuan paused. “Lies aren’t always bad. Telling the truth isn’t always good.”
“That’s nonsense!”
“After Little Ke went back and questioned me, she refused to eat and locked herself in her room. She won’t see anyone. I don’t know how long it’ll take before she can come to terms with it.”
Qu Tongqiu felt as if his heart were being clawed at again, restless and unsettled.
“If she didn’t know any truth, she’d be much happier now. And you could still be living together like before.”
“……”
“Which do you think is better?”
“……”
“Sometimes, the truth isn’t the most important thing. Do you understand?”
Qu Tongqiu was left staring blankly, regret and conflict tormenting him, until Ren Ningyuan came over and took his hand.
“Come back with me to see Little Ke. Let’s explain things clearly to her.”
When Ren Ningyuan pulled him, their fingers touched, and Qu Tongqiu panicked. “I don’t want to go with you…”
Ren Ningyuan tightened his grip and said firmly, leaving no room for argument, “This isn’t just my and Little Ke’s business, and it’s not just yours and hers either. This is the matter of the three of us.”
As a father who genuinely wanted to take responsibility, Qu Tongqiu still got into the car. Ren Ningyuan leaned over and fastened the seatbelt for him while he was absent-minded.
“Think about what you’re going to say when you see Little Ke.”
“Mm…”
“Kids her age are very sensitive. I’ve tried to comfort her. You also need to let her know that no matter what, you love her, so she won’t feel pressured.”
“Mm…”
Before he realized it, it had turned into a conversation between two fathers. He had even forgotten all his avoidance and resistance toward Ren Ningyuan. This was their shared daughter, and naturally they worried about her together. The grudges and ugliness of the adult world were pushed aside when it came to facing a child.
Qu Tongqiu followed Ren Ningyuan upstairs. Apart from encountering a maid, the house was quiet. Qu Ke’s bedroom door was still tightly shut. Ren Ningyuan knocked first. “Little Ke, your dad is here.”
Qu Tongqiu nervously moved closer and spoke through the door. “Little Ke, it’s me.” He repeated it several times, but there was no response at all from inside. Slightly disappointed, he watched as Ren Ningyuan knocked again, frowning as he reached for the doorknob.
It would have been better if he hadn’t turned it—once he did, it opened smoothly. Sensing something was wrong, he quickly pushed the door open.
The room was empty.
Qu Tongqiu stared as the wind lifted the curtains. After standing there for a while, he asked blankly, “Where’s Little Ke?”
Ren Ningyuan immediately turned and headed downstairs, raising his voice as he went. “Le Fei! Le Fei!” There was no response.
Qu Tongqiu saw his jaw tighten slightly. “Wh-what’s going on?”
“Le Fei’s always been a free spirit,” Ren Ningyuan said as he started dialing numbers. “Most likely Little Ke had the idea of running away, and instead of persuading her, he just went along with it and left together. Young people are hot-headed.”
After dialing several numbers, Ren Ningyuan frowned and put the phone down. “Can’t get through. All turned off.”
Qu Tongqiu’s face went pale. “Then…”
“I’ll have people look for them right away. Don’t worry too much. Le Fei’s very capable—he can handle things. With him accompanying Little Ke, nothing should happen.”
Qu Tongqiu thought for a moment, then grew even more anxious. “But he’s a man.”
“Hm?”
“Little Ke’s still young. The two of them together—alone man and woman…” A father’s worry for his daughter only grew. “He likes Little Ke, doesn’t he?”
Ren Ningyuan looked a little awkward and coughed lightly. “Even though Le Fei calls me ‘uncle,’ my relation to his mother goes back several degrees. There’s no direct blood relation. If I calculate it for you, she’s the daughter of my aunt’s husband’s older brother, so actually…”
Qu Tongqiu cut him off anxiously. “It’s not about blood or not! How old is Little Ke? Even if she were grown up, an adult, if she ran away with a handsome young man, wouldn’t you worry she’d be taken advantage of? What kind of father are you, acting like this? You really are—”
It was the first time he had ever dared to scold Ren Ningyuan so boldly. Ren Ningyuan listened quietly, with a hint of indulgence. After the long string of reproaches, Qu Tongqiu himself came back to his senses and felt a little embarrassed—it felt almost like a child’s mother scolding the child’s father.
Ren Ningyuan was still looking at him. For some reason, the man didn’t quite dare lift his head, only staring at the floor as he said, “Where do you think they might have gone?”
“If Le Fei was the one deciding, then it’s hard to say. But if they followed Little Ke’s idea, the range would be much smaller. Let’s sit down and think it through first, and have people search separately.”
“Mm…”
“At the very latest, we can check the credit card records. They shouldn’t have much cash on them. As soon as they swipe a card, I’ll be able to have someone trace their whereabouts.”
“Can you really find them?”
“Don’t worry.”
“Mm…”
“They’re just being impulsive, going out to clear their heads. Have a drink first.” Ren Ningyuan poured him a cup of hot tea. “I’ll make the arrangements. Don’t panic.”
Qu Tongqiu held the tea and finally took a sip. That familiar yet unfamiliar feeling of being soothed made him feel reassured, and at the same time vaguely uncomfortable.
The credit card records came faster than they had expected. The two of them had used the card to buy plane tickets. As soon as the news came in, Qu Tongqiu hurried to the airport with Ren Ningyuan.
The tickets were for City C. Realizing that his daughter had run away only to return to her hometown made Qu Tongqiu feel even more heartbroken.
“Little Ke has really suffered, following me,” he said, with a whole bellyful of words, and only Ren Ningyuan beside him to listen.
“No matter how much I love her, one person can’t compare to two. When she was little, she used to ask me where her mom had gone. After she grew up and became sensible, she never asked again. Other kids would clamor for things at home, but she never once asked me for anything. All she wants now is a stable home—how can I not even give her that…”
Ren Ningyuan listened quietly and only said, “You can.”
By the time they came out of City C’s airport, it was already late at night. Apart from staff and taxis waiting outside, everything else seemed to be asleep.
“Let’s look for them tomorrow. Give them some time to rest too. Don’t push too hard,” Ren Ningyuan added. “Le Fei isn’t that kind of person. Don’t worry.”
Afraid of missing any news about Qu Ke, Qu Tongqiu could only stay at the hotel with Ren Ningyuan.
He had to struggle hard just to earn the money for a bowl of noodle soup. Staying one night in a place like this cost as much as several months of rent for his basement room—it was honestly painful.
He hadn’t brought much money with him either and couldn’t afford the room fee. He could only say to Ren Ningyuan, “I’ll pay you back when we get home.”
“I’ll cover it.”
Stubbornly, Qu Tongqiu said, “No need. I have money.”
Ren Ningyuan looked at him. After a moment, he said, “I understand. How about this—let’s just book one room. I’ll pay my share. You can sleep on the floor. That way we save the cost, and you won’t owe me anything.”
Qu Tongqiu really wanted a room each, but the unaffordable expense forced him to find a compromise with reality.
The weather had already turned warm. Laying a thin quilt on the carpet, it was quite comfortable to sleep. Thinking about Qu Ke, listening to Ren Ningyuan’s breathing in the same room, Qu Tongqiu lay awake all night, only falling asleep from sheer exhaustion just before dawn.
In his dream, he felt someone watching him. Because the feeling was gentle rather than frightening, he actually slept more soundly.
He woke to the sound of rain outside. Even the well-insulated windows couldn’t block the noise, which showed just how heavy it was. Qu Tongqiu stirred and looked out the window.
“Morning.”
He hadn’t slept enough, but knew it was already late. He got up groggily. “Morning…”
“Should we go downstairs for lunch, or have it brought up?”
That snapped Qu Tongqiu awake. “No need. I’m not hungry.” He was determined to save that meal money.
Ren Ningyuan looked at him and didn’t force the issue. Before leaving, he said, “The fruit and milk tea packets are complimentary. I won’t use them. You eat them—don’t waste them.”
Qu Tongqiu hadn’t eaten anything the previous day, not even two meals, and was already starving. He quickly ate all the fruit in the room and added plenty of sugar and milk to the tea. After eating his fill, he felt a little embarrassed. It was true that Ren Ningyuan never touched these free items—they were replaced daily like decorations. But Qu Tongqiu understood perfectly well Ren Ningyuan’s consideration for his pride.
After eating, Qu Tongqiu sat there thinking about where Qu Ke might have gone. Their old place, her school, relatives’ homes, classmates’ homes, teachers’ homes… The more possibilities there were, the more aimless it felt. And if she had gone to any of those proper places, that would have been fine. He was just afraid that in a fit of childish impulse, she might have gone somewhere dangerous.
Ren Ningyuan pushed the door open and saw him sitting there in a daze. “They just used the card at a shopping mall. But with rain this heavy, are you sure you want to go over?”
He was too eager. On the way, Ren Ningyuan had to remind him, “We’re following them because we’re worried, not chasing fugitives. They can take care of themselves. Don’t be so tense—finding them tomorrow would be fine too.”
Qu Tongqiu nodded. “I know. I’m just worried that she’s out there alone, in her teenage years, with things troubling her. If she runs into bad people, or some kind of danger…”
Ren Ningyuan smiled. “You really are an overanxious dad.”
“That’s still better than you not being anxious at all!”
“Alright then—we’ll balance each other out.”
Faced with Ren Ningyuan’s smile, Qu Tongqiu felt a bit lost. He had once admired this man so much he didn’t dare talk back. Later, he had hated him enough to want to curse and fight him. What exactly was this atmosphere between them now? He honestly couldn’t put a name to it.
The rain grew heavier and heavier. Normally, a downpour doesn’t last long, but this one went on so long that the sky stayed dark, with no sign of letting up. Their car was stuck on the road for a long time, barely moving an inch.
When they got out of the car, the rain caught them completely off guard. They had taken umbrellas when leaving the hotel, but neither of them had imagined it would be this heavy—umbrellas were almost useless.
After walking only a short distance, they were already more than half soaked. In the vast curtain of rain, they could barely see the road ahead. As Qu Tongqiu walked, he began to lose his sense of direction, until he felt Ren Ningyuan reach out and pull him along. In the wind and rain that made it impossible to open one’s eyes, he clung tightly to Ren Ningyuan’s hand and only then managed to reach the entrance of the underground mall.
Escaping the torrential rain beating down on them, the two finally caught their breath. They were soaked through. Even Ren Ningyuan looked slightly surprised and disheveled. He glanced at the sky and the water pooling on the ground, frowning. “This rain isn’t normal.”
“I’ve lived here for so many years and never seen rain this heavy,” Qu Tongqiu said.
More and more people arrived, all drenched. Everyone was taking shelter in the large mall; hardly anyone wanted to brave the rain outside. Ren Ningyuan said, “Looks like Little Ke and the others are still inside. Let’s go in and look for them.”
Inside the mall, even though it was summer, the air-conditioning hit their wet bodies and sent waves of goosebumps over Qu Tongqiu. He shivered several times.
Ren Ningyuan looked at him. “Cold? Want to buy a jacket?”
“No!” Buying clothes just because he’d gotten caught in the rain—he wasn’t that pampered.
“Then at least have something hot first, warm up. Catching a cold would be troublesome.”
“Aren’t we here to find Little Ke?”
Ren Ningyuan walked toward a nearby restaurant. “With rain like this, they won’t be able to leave anytime soon. No need to rush. You can also think about how to talk to Little Ke later. If she appeared in front of you right now, what would you say? Have you thought it through?”
Qu Tongqiu was momentarily speechless. He really hadn’t prepared anything.
Ren Ningyuan ordered two bowls of hot noodle soup and paid first. The price wasn’t high, so Qu Tongqiu sat down, eating and thinking at the same time.
Cold and hungry, he ate with complete focus when he suddenly heard Ren Ningyuan say, “Looks like water’s coming in.”
“Huh?”
He lifted his face from the bowl and looked down. Sure enough, there was a thin layer of water around their feet. The mall was at a low elevation, so some rainwater seeping in wasn’t surprising. “This rain is really too much,” he said, taking another bite of noodles.
But by the time he finished the remaining half bowl, the water had already reached his ankles.
Qu Tongqiu stared at his feet, momentarily stunned. Ren Ningyuan suddenly stood up and pulled him. “We can’t stay here. Let’s go.”
“It’s not that serious, is it…?”
In that brief hesitation, the water rose noticeably again. Some customers were still eating or shopping as if nothing were wrong, but others had already put things down and started heading out.
Qu Tongqiu hurried after him, asking, “What about Little Ke and them?”
“They’ll know to run.”
“No, we need to warn them. What if they’re deeper inside and don’t react in time?”
Ren Ningyuan gave in and took out his phone, dialing several times. On the last try, the call actually connected—probably the other side had just turned their phone on to make a call.
“Qu Ke, are you in the mall? Your dad and I are here too… Water’s flooding in. You and Le Fei need to get to an exit right now… Hello? Hello?”
Qu Tongqiu stared at him anxiously. Ren Ningyuan put the phone down, frowning. “Seems like the phone dropped.”
Before they even left the restaurant, the water had already reached their knees, and it was rushing in fast. Even as slow to react as Qu Tongqiu was, he realized something was wrong. At first, water had only been seeping in through the door gaps. With this rate of rise, it was likely the doors had been forced open.
This wasn’t rainwater—it was river water from the nearby moat flowing back in.
The current was too fierce. The crowd gradually grew chaotic, though evacuation still retained some order. Sales clerks at nearby counters were scrambling to save their merchandise, while some counters suddenly began to float. All kinds of beautifully packaged bottles and containers clattered into the water. That scene finally sent the people wading in the water into panic.
Everyone pushed and shoved to get out. Some twisted their ankles, some were too frightened to run, some were struck by floating counters. Cries and shouts erupted, and people lost all composure. The panicked crowd kept surging past them. A lost child stood crying in the water, calling for his mother. Qu Tongqiu could only pick him up and hold him high. Fortunately, the mother soon found them, thanked him, and took the child away—but that delay separated him from Ren Ningyuan.
He struggled forward through the water for a while. In the chaos, someone nearby fell and couldn’t get up after struggling a few times. When Qu Tongqiu dragged her out of the water with all his strength, the woman’s face was already deathly pale with fear.
He staggered forward a few more steps. Ren Ningyuan was nowhere to be seen. Panic suddenly surged in his chest, and he couldn’t help shouting, “Ren Ningyuan! Ren Ningyuan!”
Amid the din of the crowd, there was no response. Qu Tongqiu stood there, suddenly wanting to turn back and look for him. He didn’t know if Ren Ningyuan had tripped or been trampled. In a situation like this, once someone fell, they might not be able to get up again—the water had already risen past his waist.
With a chill crawling all over his back, he turned and staggered backward, hoarsely shouting, “Ren Ningyuan! Ren Ningyuan!” After only a few steps, someone suddenly grabbed his hand hard.
The moment he looked up and met those eyes, the heart that had been lodged in Qu Tongqiu’s throat finally dropped back into his chest, though it was still pounding wildly. He couldn’t make a sound at first. After two seconds, he managed to say, “That’s great… you’re all right…”
“Looks like we can’t get through over there,” Ren Ningyuan said, gripping his hand. “Come this way with me.”
This time, neither of them let go. The river water surging into the underground mall had already turned into a raging current. The two of them fought their way upstream, and in the end were almost swimming.
In the midst of that desperate struggle, the place suddenly went pitch-black—the power went out. With water already up to his chest and darkness falling without warning, Qu Tongqiu was instantly swallowed by fear. All the strength drained from his body, his mind went blank. He couldn’t remember which direction the exit was in, how far away it was, or whether they would make it in time. He felt short of breath; his legs began to cramp.
“It’s okay.”
At a moment like this, only Ren Ningyuan’s hand and voice remained steady and calm. “Follow me. We’re almost there.”
Qu Tongqiu shook uncontrollably. “Mm…”
“I’ve got you. Don’t let go.”
“Mm…”
At last, his feet touched the stairs. Ren Ningyuan supported him and let him go first. Qu Tongqiu’s mind was completely empty, his legs trembling, while Ren Ningyuan, still steady on his feet, held him and guided him upward.
Behind them, the vast underground mall was gradually swallowed whole by the water. Not a trace of light or sound remained.
Outside, a large crowd had gathered in the plaza—people who had escaped. No one left, because the streets were already a raging sea as well. Buses had stopped running, and many vehicles were submerged, only half a yellow or white body visible above the water. Their owners had long abandoned them and fled.
Everyone was stunned by this unprecedented rainstorm and flood. It was only a rainstorm, yet the world had changed in an instant. Many people were left numb by the sudden disaster, standing there in a daze. Some young women were so frightened they cried openly, clinging to one another and trembling. For a while, the air was filled with shock and desolation.
Ren Ningyuan still held Qu Tongqiu’s hand tightly, fingers interlaced, and looked down at his pale face.
“Are you okay?”
“Mm…”
“Don’t be afraid. The water will go down. It’ll be fine.”
“Mm…”
Qu Tongqiu gradually regained his senses, then suddenly remembered something. “What about Little Ke and Le Fei? Did they get out?” He tried to make a call, only to realize his phone had been soaked beyond use. Panic rose in him as he began scanning the crowd, calling their names over and over.
After searching for a while with no luck, he turned and asked, “Before you got out, where were they?”
Ren Ningyuan looked at him and answered, “In the supermarket downstairs, buying things.”
Qu Tongqiu felt cold all over. He froze for a long moment before barely forcing out the words, “Then… then could it be…”
“No.”
No matter how much truth there was in that firm answer, Qu Tongqiu’s weakened legs managed to hold him upright again. Ren Ningyuan’s hand was warm and strong, leaving him with a shred of reason amid the boundless fear.
“Let’s go look over there.”
They went around to the rear parking lot, which was already flooded beyond recognition. Large areas of parked cars were submerged. The water kept rising; some cars were more than half underwater, yet their headlights were still on. No one knew whether the owners were trapped inside. Qu Tongqiu hurried over. Ren Ningyuan shouted from behind, “Be careful in the water!”
He knew the wiring could fail at any time and that standing in water meant the risk of electric shock, but he couldn’t care anymore. He waded forward, and soon heard Ren Ningyuan following behind him.
Sure enough, there were still people trapped in one or two cars. The doors wouldn’t open, and the windows weren’t enough for an escape.
The two of them helped get those people out as the water slowly crept past the car windows. Then they saw another car, its wipers still moving. Qu Tongqiu struggled through the water toward it. Drawing closer, he vaguely saw a man and a woman inside, sitting there as if on the verge of suffocation. His limbs went weak with sudden hope, and he called out urgently, “Ren Ningyuan! Ren Ningyuan!”
With Ren Ningyuan’s help and all their strength, the car door finally opened. The people inside struggled out, gasping for air, thanking them profusely—but they weren’t Qu Ke and Le Fei.
Qu Tongqiu returned to the safer area nearby, completely exhausted. He couldn’t tell whether he felt relieved or disappointed. He just stood there in a daze, his eyes gradually reddening in the silence.
Ren Ningyuan comfortingly wrapped an arm around his shoulders. As Qu Tongqiu sobbed soundlessly, he pulled him into an embrace.
“They’ll be fine.”
Held in his arms, the man was close to losing control, doing his best to suppress his voice.
“Qu Tongqiu, trust me.”
Still trembling with near despair, the man clutched the fabric at Ren Ningyuan’s back. Ren Ningyuan held him even tighter.
“Dad!”
They quickly loosened their hold and turned to look. Two figures were staggering toward them from another direction.
The man’s eyes widened, tears almost spilling over with joy. The girl running toward him through the rain, stumbling with each step, threw herself into his arms, hugging him tightly and breaking down in loud sobs.
“I was so scared… Dad, I thought you were still inside… We searched everywhere… I was so scared…”
“I—I thought… as long as you’re okay, that’s all that matters… as long as you’re okay…”
It was deep into the night when the four of them finally made it back to the hotel where Ren Ningyuan was staying. All of them were utterly exhausted, soaked and disheveled. Ren Ningyuan booked three more rooms. Everyone took hot showers, then gathered again to eat something and drink a little to calm their nerves.
They were all mentally and physically drained, too tired to say anything. And in truth, nothing needed to be said. Just as Qu Ke’s embrace told him he would always be the most important person to his daughter, human nature became transparent in the face of disaster. Many subtle feelings that had once been tangled with doubt and worry now stood out with perfect clarity.
Everyone felt as if a great weight had been lifted.
Running away from home, or whether a biological father was the same as a foster father—none of it seemed like such a big deal anymore.
Qu Tongqiu also felt that he truly no longer hated Ren Ningyuan. The hands that had held him steady in the water, that had lifted him up, had already repaid what was owed. Even that old feeling of admiration and respect slowly returned to him.
Despite everything that had happened, Ren Ningyuan—armed with nothing but courage and composure—was, in the end, still someone worthy of his respect.
Everyone went back to rest. Qu Ke was still badly shaken and insisted that he stay with her. Qu Tongqiu kept her company for a long while, chatting until she finally fell asleep peacefully. On his way back to his room, Qu Tongqiu thought for a moment, then went and knocked on Ren Ningyuan’s door.
Ren Ningyuan opened it, a trace of fatigue on his face. Qu Tongqiu blurted out, “I accept.”
Ren Ningyuan seemed to widen his eyes slightly.
“Your last proposal—I accept it. I mean, us raising Little Ke together. She needs me, and she can’t bear to part with you either. Let her have two dads.” Ren Ningyuan looked at him for a while, then smiled and said, “Alright.” They had reached an agreement, yet Ren Ningyuan’s reaction was far less joyful than Qu Tongqiu had imagined, which left him mildly puzzled.
After returning to T City, life began anew. Le Fei really did start preparing to open a takeout shop with him. Qu Tongqiu couldn’t help suspecting there was some ulterior motive, but Le Fei loudly protested his innocence, swearing to heaven and earth that he was pure-hearted. Qu Ke even took out her savings and handed them to him as part of the startup capital.
In an instant, he seemed to have become the happiest father in the world.
Although he felt uncertain and anxious stepping into a new line of work, the preparation period was fulfilling and full of hope. Even repeatedly experimenting with his special sauces was such a joy.
As long as the family was together, living happily—that was enough for him.
