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Chapter 1267 I'm Going to Find My Former Self

When Lin Mo heard the news that Lao Zhao had passed away, his heart skipped a beat. He thought Lao Zhao was dead, but looking at the expressions of Director Wang and Chuan Mei, he knew that he must have been mistaken.

Watching the three figures disappear into the distance, Miss Yuan was at a loss: "Uh... are we still going today?!"

Liu Ruyan remained calm, spreading her hands: "It's obviously going to be tough. Let's find a place to rest!"

These people are really something, always saying such ambiguous things. I thought something had happened to Old Zhao!

"Something happened? Do you know something?" Upon hearing this, Miss Yuan leaned her face closer.

Liu Ruyan rolled her eyes at him: "Just a little bit. My brother was drinking with Lao Zhao yesterday. They both drank quite a bit. He was swaying when he left. I thought something had happened to him when he came back. Now it seems he just left."

Upon hearing this, Miss Yuan pressed her face against Liu Ruyan's, their faces so close that they were distorted from the force of their touch.

"Cheating? They cheated on me yesterday without telling me? And you even went with them? Mo-zai deserves to die! Just because he's with you, you've corrupted him! Say something!"

Miss Yuan squeezed Liu Ruyan's face with her own and shouted angrily.

Upon hearing this, Liu Ruyan sighed and pushed Miss Yuan's face away: "What nonsense are you talking about? What does it have to do with me? I'm just going to pick someone up, okay? Besides, they only ate some peanuts last night. Do you want some too?"

Upon hearing this, Miss Yuan immediately calmed down: "Peanuts? Forget it, I don't need that!"

I was planning to go to Mozai's hometown for a nice meal today, but now it looks like that's unlikely!

Meanwhile, Lin Mo and the other two hurriedly ran back to the dormitory. As soon as they entered, Lin Mo discovered that Lao Zhao's bed was empty and all his belongings were gone, as if he had never been to the dormitory at all.

"No, didn't you two hear anything this morning?" Lin Mo asked, turning his head.

Both Chuanmei and Wang Chu felt somewhat embarrassed by this.

"Well, I'm a really heavy sleeper!" Director Wang said apologetically.

The Sichuan girl nodded repeatedly: "Last night, Old Zhao came over late at night, and we chatted for a while. We didn't notice anything unusual. Besides, didn't we already make plans to go to your house today?"

Who would have thought that this kid packed his things and left without saying goodbye first thing this morning? By the way, what did you two do yesterday? Old Zhao won't tell me either!

Lin Mo: "I'll forget it, we were just chatting! Sigh~~"

He knew Lao Zhao was leaving, but he didn't expect it to be so soon and so suddenly. He was afraid of this situation, which is why he wanted to go back to his hometown in the next two days, thinking of keeping Lao Zhao for a couple more days and using the safety sign on his door to give him some insurance. He never expected it to be so unexpected in the end.

Of course, he may have also thought of this, which is related to his actions last night. After figuring things out, Lao Zhao's mentality will naturally change, and he may make a decision on the spot.

But he hasn't gotten insurance for Lao Zhao yet. Going home for two days is secondary; the key is the yearly insurance, that's the most important thing.

Thinking of this, Lin Mo couldn't help but ask, "By the way, did you two call him?"

"I called, but Lao Zhao didn't answer. He replied to us saying he's already on the bus. I hope that bastard Lao Zhao is alright?" Chuanmei said upon hearing this.

Seeing this, Lin Mo thought about it carefully, then took a deep breath and finally made a bold decision: "No! But we can't just let it go like this, after all, our plan isn't finished yet."

Chuanzi, contact Sister Yuan right away and tell her the plan has been moved up. Ask her to hurry up and ask her to help check Lao Zhao's schedule. None of us have that kind of connection, but Sister Yuan definitely does, since she knows Lao Zhao's personal information.

After you find out, Director Wang, buy the latest flight and land before him, but don't act yet. After you see him, follow him and wait for us.

I need to go back to my hometown first; I have some things to take care of. Understand?

Director Wang: "Understood!"

Sichuan girl: "I'll take care of it right away, don't worry. By the way, why are you going back to your hometown?"

Lin Mo: "I must have something on my mind. People who can't even tell a living person shouldn't ask me anything!"

Sichuan girl:.

After saying that, the three of them started working. Although Lin Mo did a lot of work, Director Wang and Chuanmei were not without their own efforts and were trying to help Lao Zhao get better in their own ways.

So the three of them discussed it privately and came up with a plan. In the end, they asked Miss Yuan for help. The plan went very smoothly, but they never expected that Old Zhao would leave early.

Soon, Lin Mo drove onto the highway at a high speed, exceeding 100 km/h, and there was a letter in the passenger seat.

Of course, it's not quite a letter; it's just a piece of paper torn from some notebook, with a message left by Old Zhao on it.

There was no standard letter format; it simply began: "My sons, your father is leaving and returning to the Northeast. I have seen the concern of my three adopted sons, but all good things must come to an end, and we must part ways."

I've thought a lot these past two days and figured some things out, so I'm leaving now. I'm sorry I can't go home with you.

This past week since I came back has been the happiest time of my life in the past year.

But I still decided to leave. I wanted to say goodbye to you guys, but the thought of the three of you nagging annoyed me, so this is fine.

Old Mo is right. Fate really does give people who have run their course a chance to meet again. How wonderful!

I used to think that growing old together was the only true happiness, and that parting ways halfway through was a regret. But now I think that the real good fortune, the true destiny, might just be the person who broke my heart.

When I look at time on the scale of a lifetime, I realize that the purpose of forming a connection is to resolve that connection. Some people appear in your life not to give you a home, but to help you see your own heart clearly.

Like a mirror, it reflects dependence, fear, and the desire for control, but also gentleness, resilience, and self-healing ability.

Forced fulfillment can be harmful, while true good karma will gracefully end when its mission is accomplished, parting amicably.

She's like a teacher; once she's finished teaching what she needs to teach, she'll leave no matter how reluctant the students are to part with her, because she believes I can walk the rest of the way independently.

So, I should go. She said that everything lost will return in another form. I want to go and see, to take out the little dampness in my heart and let it air out. This time, I don't need answers anymore. I'm going to find the person I used to be!

I used to be so bright and dazzling that it's hard for me to accept how I've fallen on hard times. Thank you all for accepting me even now that I'm in such a sorry state.

Once I find my former self, I'll come back to you all. Goodbye, Godfather!

It's clear from his words that Lao Zhao has recovered quite a bit; at least he's no longer so depressed, which is a good sign.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Lao Zhao was on a speeding high-speed train, watching the scenery outside rushing past, a slight smile playing on his lips.

If Lin Mo and the others were to see this, they would surely notice that Old Zhao's entire demeanor had changed drastically; his gaze was firm, and he radiated light.

It's clear that he endured a dark period all by himself, going from innocence to darkness and back to kindness. No one saw those nights when he was on the verge of collapse, and no one knows how he confronted his predicament.

This is what a true transformation looks like. It is a rebirth, a transformation from suffering into armor and loneliness into medals when no one cares. At this moment, thanks to the help of his friends, his ruins have finally sprouted beautiful flowers again, even if not many, but he has still come back to life.

Last night, when he was the first to wake up from his dream, he was stunned for a moment, and then he was plunged into a huge emptiness.

He had clearly said goodbye properly, and he had clearly made preparations, but the moment he woke up, he still felt a huge emptiness sweep over him, and he stood there motionless for a long time.

He remembered the contents of his dream very clearly, as if it were his own experience. But after feeling uncomfortable for a while, he felt an unimaginable sense of ease and relief.

He then used Lin Mo's phone to send a message to Liu Ruyan to come and pick her up.

Back in the dormitory, Chuanmei and Wang Chu were still awake. He sat on a chair under his bed, looking at the things Xu Ying had left behind and silently reminiscing, until he took out a doll pendant.

He initially thought it was just an ordinary doll, until he accidentally bumped into something and a ring fell out and hit the ground with a jingling sound.

In an instant, he was struck dumb. He suddenly remembered what Xu Ying had said to him in his dream: she had left him a gift and said that he would definitely find it. Now he had indeed found it.

A ring with their surnames engraved on the inner band—at this moment, he couldn't quite tell whether what he was experiencing was a dream or reality.

But whether it was a coincidence or destiny, it was a great comfort to him, because he would treat this dream as reality.

"They're gone, they're gone. Who knows when they'll be back next time!" Old Zhao murmured softly, looking out the window.

On the ring finger of his left hand, he was wearing a simple silver ring, as if that was all he had.

A week ago, when he came to Jiangning, he was hollow and listless, but this time when he returned, he was less hollow and more energetic.

Although youthful spirit is a non-renewable resource, a dark life force is stubbornly growing within him. Unbeknownst to them, Lin Mo and the others have fulfilled the conditions for healing set forth by psychologist Sun Hui, and have successfully pulled their friend back from the abyss of darkness.

There's a saying that goes, "When you can see a mountain clearly, you're already outside of it."

(End of this chapter)