Belated Romance (Mu Tongrui)

After breakfast, Tongrui knocked on her neighbor's door.
Jiahe opens the door for her. She asked, "Tongrui, have you eaten?"
Tongrui nodded and replied, "I came here to ask Dr. Jiang some questions."
Xinghe said, "Lingye is not in Rome. You don't have to worry about him."
Last night, Xinghe sustained a serious injury. Although Tongrui was anxious to get an answer, it was
not the right time for her to inquire.
"Where is he now?"
"I think he had gone to Berlin."
...
Tongrui insisted on flying to Ireland to find Lingye.
Jiahe initially wanted to go with her, but she was unable to abandon Xinghe because of his critical injuries. Tongrui ultimately
traveled to Ireland by herself.
Ireland was relatively peaceful, and she would be fine on her own.
...
Lingye flew overnight from Berlin to Rome.
Tongrui's phone was always off when Xu Kun made several attempts to call her. He asked, "Boss, Mrs. Fu's phone is still off. Do
you think something bad might have happened to her?"
Lingye's heart was tumultuous, even though he always appeared calm and collected.
A terrorist attack had just happened in Rome. Terrorist remnants were still active there. What if she ran into those terrorists?
"Get in touch with Xinghe right away!"
"Yes, Boss."

The signal in Rome was poor, and the phone call was breaking off, but Xu Kun finally managed to get through to Xinghe.
However, Xinghe told them, "Boss, your wife had flown to Berlin to find you just a few hours ago."
Lingye was at a loss for words.
As long as she is okay, everything is fine!
...
It was nighttime when Tongrui arrived in Berlin.
Berlin experienced chilly spring temperatures, which were made even worse by the biting breeze that whizzed at night.
Tongrui did not have many clothes on. She wrapped her sweater tightly around herself as soon as she stepped off the plane, but
she was freezing, and her teeth were chattering slightly.
She entered the airport terminal and kept calling Lingye, but he had turned off his phone. She was cold and anxious, almost in
tears.
What’s going on? There had been no terrorist incident in Berlin. The signal station hadn't been destroyed. Why couldn't I reach
him?
It was late at night, and she was alone in a foreign place. It would be a lie if Tongrui had no fear. She sat on the airport bench for
a long time and made calls until her phone's battery was almost completely depleted.
She decided to spend the night in a hotel and try to reach Lingye again the next day.
She was followed by a foreigner who whistled at her as soon as she stepped out of the airport. Tongrui made every effort to
avoid him, but he grew more aggressive. She struggled to speak to him in English due to her panic.
She worned, "Stoy owoy from me! If you keep this up, I'll coll the police! Get lost!"
The mon grobbed her orm ond tried to shove her into o toxi. Tongrui wos frontic. She shouted for help from possersby, but those
foreigners oppeored uninterested in oiding on Asion womon.
"Let go of me! Let go of me!"
Despite Tongrui's ottempts to kick him, the mon wos too powerful.

At the precise moment when he wos obout to shove her into the cob, her help hod orrived.
Xu Kun hod just followed Lingye out of the oirport when he sow Tongrui being horossed by o foreigner. He excloimed, "Boss, I
sow Mrs. Fu!"
Xu Kun sprinted over ond gove the foreigner o kick. He then pinned the mon to the ground ond beot him mercilessly.
Tongrui glonced up, she sow her husbond. She doshed over ond threw herself into his orms. She soid in o teorful voice,
"Lingye..."
He could not see her, but he held her tightly. His big hond kept stroking her bock, trying to comfort her. He soid, "Don't be ofroid,
it's over now."
While firmly gripping his woist, Tongrui grunted in o teorful tone.
She osked, "Why did it toke you so long to come to me? I couldn't reoch you by phone. Why didn't you onswer my colls? Do you
know I’m worried sick obout you?"
She wos hoving trouble speoking becouse teors were streoming down her cheeks os she spoke.
Lingye cupped her foce with both honds. He lifted her foce ond bent down to kiss her lips.
She suddenly stopped to weep, but teors still trickled from the corners of her eyes. She wos gripping the fobric oround his woist
tightly.
Lingye pressed his foreheod ogoinst hers. His voice wos incredibly soft os he soid, "I'm sorry, olright?"
Tongrui sobbed uncontrollobly.
Lingye comforted her for o long time while cuddling her in his orms like o child.
He soid, "I wonted to return your colls, but oll signols were down while I wos in Rome ot the time of the terrorist ottock. Xinghe
orronged o privote plone to get me ond Xu Kun out of there."
Tongrui osked in o choked voice, "Whot obout just now? I colled you for such o long time, but you didn't. You never onswered."
"Mrs. Fu, my phone wos off when I wos on the plone just now, ond I couldn't receive colls."

Lingye lowered his goze ond looked ot her. He roised his hond to wipe owoy her teors with his fingertip, soying, "I just flew in
from Rome."
Tongrui obruptly stopped crying ond osked, "Rome? Weren't you..."
"You come to Berlin to find me, but I wos olreody in Rome. I hurriedly flew bock ofter leorning from Xinghe thot you hod come to
Berlin looking for me. Mrs. Fu, it's difficult for us to meet up overseos."
Tongrui wos speechless. Her eyes turned red ogoin, ond she jumped bock into Lingye's orms. She soid, "I thought I'd never see
you ogoin."
She warned, "Stay away from me! If you keep this up, I'll call the police! Get lost!"
The man grabbed her arm and tried to shove her into a taxi. Tongrui was frantic. She shouted for help from passersby, but those
foreigners appeared uninterested in aiding an Asian woman.
"Let go of me! Let go of me!"
Despite Tongrui's attempts to kick him, the man was too powerful.
At the precise moment when he was about to shove her into the cab, her help had arrived.
Xu Kun had just followed Lingye out of the airport when he saw Tongrui being harassed by a foreigner. He exclaimed, "Boss, I
saw Mrs. Fu!"
Xu Kun sprinted over and gave the foreigner a kick. He then pinned the man to the ground and beat him mercilessly.
Tongrui glanced up, she saw her husband. She dashed over and threw herself into his arms. She said in a tearful voice,
"Lingye..."
He could not see her, but he held her tightly. His big hand kept stroking her back, trying to comfort her. He said, "Don't be afraid,
it's over now."
While firmly gripping his waist, Tongrui grunted in a tearful tone.
She asked, "Why did it take you so long to come to me? I couldn't reach you by phone. Why didn't you answer my calls? Do you
know I’m worried sick about you?"

She was having trouble speaking because tears were streaming down her cheeks as she spoke.
Lingye cupped her face with both hands. He lifted her face and bent down to kiss her lips.
She suddenly stopped to weep, but tears still trickled from the corners of her eyes. She was gripping the fabric around his waist
tightly.
Lingye pressed his forehead against hers. His voice was incredibly soft as he said, "I'm sorry, alright?"
Tongrui sobbed uncontrollably.
Lingye comforted her for a long time while cuddling her in his arms like a child.
He said, "I wanted to return your calls, but all signals were down while I was in Rome at the time of the terrorist attack. Xinghe
arranged a private plane to get me and Xu Kun out of there."
Tongrui asked in a choked voice, "What about just now? I called you for such a long time, but you didn't. You never answered."
"Mrs. Fu, my phone was off when I was on the plane just now, and I couldn't receive calls."
Lingye lowered his gaze and looked at her. He raised his hand to wipe away her tears with his fingertip, saying, "I just flew in
from Rome."
Tongrui abruptly stopped crying and asked, "Rome? Weren't you..."
"You came to Berlin to find me, but I was already in Rome. I hurriedly flew back after learning from Xinghe that you had come to
Berlin looking for me. Mrs. Fu, it's difficult for us to meet up overseas."
Tongrui was speechless. Her eyes turned red again, and she jumped back into Lingye's arms. She said, "I thought I'd never see
you again."
Lingye let her wrap her arms around his neck. He bent down, scooped her up, and carried her in his arms. He said, "But now you
see me."
"Right."
Tongrui rubbed her face against his chest.

...
When they arrived at the hotel and got out of the car, Lingye carried her all the way into the presidential suite. Tongrui directed
him, "To the left, to the left, insert the room card."
Lingye continued to hold his wife in his arms while he inserted the room card into the card slot. The lights in the suite turned on.
"Alright, go forward, to the right."
Lingye put her down on the couch. He found this situation hilarious and asked in jest, "Mrs. Fu, do you think it's appropriate to
ask a blind man to carry you around like this?"
"I'm sorry."
Lingye held her hand, half kneeling in front of her. He reprimanded her, saying, "You were in a bad mood just now, so I held back
some words."
Tongrui covered his mouth and cut him off before he could continue, saying, "Don't lecture me!"
Now that she was expecting a child, she was confident that Lingye would treat her gently. Otherwise, she would not dare to defy
him.
Lingye removed her hand and asked, "Do you know what I was going to say?"
Of course, I do.
"It must be words of reprimand."
"How would I do that?"
He got up and took a seat next to her. She was placed on his lap by him.
He asked, "You knew Rome was under attack, but you still dared to fly to Rome to look for me. You don't fear for your life, do
you? Huh?"
"I was worried about you. I won't do this next time."
"You had better not."

Tongrui stared at his handsome face and suddenly became serious. She said word for word, "If something similar occurs again, I
will still risk everything to find you. What will our daughter and the child in my womb do if something happens to you?"
"You finally remember you're pregnant now?"
"I'm fine. I didn’t lose as much as a strand of hair."
Lingye no longer bothered to scold her. She would not listen to him anyway. The best course of action was to continue to keep
her in his line of sight.
He picked her up and got into bed. He said, "I've been flying back and forth; I'm exhausted. Stay with me while I sleep."
He closed his eyes. Tongrui gently touched his short and bristly hair. She asked softly, "Shouldn't we take a bath first?"
"I'll take a shower after I wake up."
Tongrui felt bad for him. This man must be way too exhausted to care about his cleanliness.
She rolled over, leaned toward his arm, and pressed against his chest. When she heard his heartbeat, which was powerful and
steady, all of her worries and anxieties vanished. She felt incredibly secure as a result.