Apocalypse Forecast

Chapter 544 463 Doing the Right Thing_1

The next time he saw Ai Qing was six years later in Vienna.

She walked down the red carpet with the aid of a cane, entering the Golden Hall that Huai Shi had once dreamed of. She stood by her piano, receiving the applause and admiration of the entire world.

Huai Shi and his teacher sat in the audience, witnessing the pinnacle moment of her life.

"Jealous?" the teacher sitting beside him asked. "If you hadn't given up back then, maybe you'd be the one standing up there now."

"To be honest, a little," Huai Shi nodded, then immediately shook his head, feigning indifference. "But that time has passed, hasn't it?"

"It's not too late to pick up the cello again," the teacher said. "It's fine even if you start from scratch. Coincidentally, I recently retired and have plenty of free time."

...I thought about it, and it's still quite difficult.

Huai Shi gave a wry smile, looking down at his calloused hands. "To tell you the truth, my staccato bowing technique is so rusty it's practically useless. I also don't have the time to start learning from scratch again."

"Is the Northwest keeping you very busy?"

"The water conservancy project is troublesome, and the budget is quite tight. Often, I have no choice but to get involved personally." Huai Shi shrugged. "Honestly, I rarely even bathe. I took several showers at the hotel this time, but I feel like my hair, right down to the roots, still reeked of earth... Coming here, I feel so out of place, like I'm embarrassing Little Qing."

Over the years, he had wandered the world like a nomad. He had seen too many people who were once as helpless as he, and though he tried his best to do what he could, it was never enough.

What can one person's strength truly accomplish? Compared to truly immense difficulties, even a lifetime's supply of Money seemed too meager. It wasn't even enough to bring a trickle of water to the drought-stricken villages in the wasteland.

He could only try to work harder, yet to little effect.

"It's good that you could come." The teacher patted his knee and, gazing at her daughter on stage, asked, "How was your chat backstage just now?"

"Just a few words," Huai Shi shook his head. "It's been too long, and we've become like strangers. It's hard to know what to talk about, so we just exchanged polite greetings—every time she's so cold, I can't help but wonder if I made a mistake back then."

"Everyone makes mistakes. If a person can't even afford to make mistakes in life, that would be truly sad." The teacher comforted him, "Although most of the time I think you giving up the cello was a mistake, sometimes I also think that if you hadn't given it up, you might not have achieved what you have today, nor would you have been able to help so many people. The scholarship programs, Dawn Education, the water projects... So many people have achieved success because of you, Huai Shi. There's no need to be disheartened; you should hold your head high for them."

Huai Shi nodded and said no more.

"The performance is over. Let's go backstage to meet her."

The teacher slowly rose, and as Huai Shi reached out to help her, he was startled to notice the wrinkles on the back of her hand. Imperceptibly, strands of white had begun to appear in her hair.

Huai Shi was stunned.

"I'm old. What's so surprising about that?" the teacher said with a light laugh.

"You're only fifty, still young," Huai Shi said.

"You're the ones who are still young," the teacher said. "You still have the chance to make mistakes, before you grow old—"

She was always so soft-spoken, always treating people with such gentleness. No matter how rebellious a child was, she could always smile and guide them back onto the right path. As long as she was behind him, Huai Shi could move forward with confidence.

But a year later, he abruptly received news that the teacher was critically ill.

A sudden cerebral hemorrhage.

It was said she had stumbled while going down some stairs.

At the time, Huai Shi was at a construction site when he received a call from Ai Qing. When the voice on the other end delivered the news, he was struck dumb with shock, standing frozen in disbelief.

At that moment, everyone else was celebrating the project's completion in a jubilant atmosphere, but Huai Shi sat paralyzed on the ground. A few confused children gathered around him, trying to pull him up, but this 'uncle' felt as heavy as Stone.

So heavy, and so cold.

Huai Shi, dazed, bid his colleagues farewell. He endured a six-hour drive to the airport, waited for half the night, and then boarded a flight to Xinhai.

When the plane finally lifted off the ground, he suddenly remembered something the teacher had once said.

"Even if art itself holds great allure, ultimately, it can't compare to things that are more tangible, more substantial... Huai Shi, art floats among the clouds, but not everyone can adapt to a life adrift. Some will choose to plant their feet more firmly on the earth."

When he had chosen to plant his feet on the earth, he hadn't found solace. But now, as he soared into the clouds once more, he realized he was on the verge of losing his way back.

He covered his face, and muffled sobs finally broke through, like a child who had lost their mother.

By the time Huai Shi reached the hospital room, the teacher was awake.

It felt as if I'd used up a lifetime's worth of good luck.

It was just a False Alarm.

Outside the hospital room, upon hearing the news, he collapsed to the floor. Drenched in sweat, his hands trembled as he struggled to get up, and he couldn't help but laugh like an idiot.

While Ai Qing was inside with her mother, Huai Shi grabbed the doctor's hand. He repeatedly asked about the teacher's condition and then about the necessary precautions. His questions were so frantic and jumbled that the doctor, likely accustomed to such scenes, simply patted his shoulder and waited for him to calm down.

He sat on a chair outside the hospital room, waiting in a daze.

Finally, the door opened, and Ai Qing emerged, leaning on her cane. "Mother is waiting for you inside," she told him.

He hesitated for a long time, unable to muster the courage.

Suddenly, someone kicked him hard in the back.

It was Ai Qing.

"Your constant hesitating is so annoying!" Ai Qing snapped.

She closed the door.

Huai Shi was stunned for a long moment. "Is your leg healed? When?"

"Before the New Year. She had surgery," Ai Qing replied.

The teacher on the hospital bed spoke, her voice a little weak, "I wanted to tell you, but she stopped me. She always wanted to... haha, give you a scare like this, didn't she?"

A mischievous smile flickered across the teacher's pale face.

Was she referring to her own illness, or Ai Qing's recovery?

Huai Shi was stunned for a long time, but finally, he couldn't help letting out a sigh of relief. "Teacher, it's good that you're okay."

"It was just a fall, no need to make such a fuss." The teacher shook her head. "You were so far away, weren't you? It took you so long to get here... If I had been critically ill, you might have missed seeing me one last time."

"I'm sorry." Huai Shi lowered his head.

The teacher on the hospital bed laughed. "Saying sorry means you think you made a mistake—you seem to always be making mistakes, Huai Shi."

"Yes," Huai Shi nodded.

The teacher then asked, "But in a lifetime, one must do at least one thing right, mustn't they?"

A long silence fell. Huai Shi was stunned. He couldn't argue, yet he didn't know what to say.

All he could do was lower his head. "I'm sorry."

"What do you have to be sorry to me for, Huai Shi?" The teacher shook her head. "The things you've done over the years... Dawn Education, the Northwest water conservancy projects, the scholarship plan—were those wrong? Everyone is thanking you for the help you've given them, Huai Shi. But have you forgotten about yourself?"

"I just..."

"You just haven't found it yet, I know," the teacher sighed. "But before helping everyone else, shouldn't you help yourself first?"

"Why can't you occasionally look back while you're moving forward?" the teacher murmured, her gaze fixed on his eyes. "Look back at me, at Little Qing, at your friends... We're watching you too, you know. Waiting for the day you'll come back."

"..."

Huai Shi stood frozen.

In the quiet, the teacher listened to the music from the television, humming softly, "How many roads must a man walk down?"

How many roads must a man walk before he truly becomes a man?

Huai Shi didn't know.

But at that moment, he felt an unprecedented regret and unease. He had traveled such a long road, but for how long had he made those who gazed at him wait?

Was becoming a man that important?

Over the years, he had wandered the world in fear and confusion, like a lost soul with nowhere to belong. Even with all the effort he poured into his endeavors, could they truly bring him satisfaction?

"Huai Shi, love makes people choose to wait," the teacher suddenly said softly. "But don't make those who love you wait too long."

In that instant, he finally understood with sudden clarity.

"Do you understand now?"

The teacher smiled. She gently lifted her hand and smoothed Huai Shi's hair, her voice full of warmth, "Go on, then—go and do the right thing. You still have the chance to set things right, before you truly grow old."

Huai Shi looked at the teacher reluctantly, then turned and ran, almost sprinting.

He nearly collided with Ai Qing, who was just entering the room.

"Are you insane?!" Ai Qing exclaimed, watching him sprint away. She turned back to her mother, bewildered. "What's wrong with him? Is he on drugs?"

The teacher on the hospital bed chuckled.

"Perhaps... he's finally grown up?" she mused.

Huai Shi ran, the wind whipping past him.

He tore off his cumbersome backpack, tossing it aside, ripped open his collar, and ran with all his might, an instinct driving him toward a certain place, toward where a certain person was.

To where she was waiting for him.

He ran until he was gasping for breath, staggering forward, until he finally found that silhouette, ever clearer in his memory.

She was still there.

When she turned around in astonishment, she saw that face, unseen for so long, yet still retaining the sincere contours of the boy he once was.

Even in his disheveled state.

For a moment, Huai Shi felt an unprecedented wave of relief.

Thank heavens.

She was still here.

Huai Shi gathered his last ounce of strength, took a deep breath, and mustered all his courage.

"Fu Yi," he said. "I have something to tell you—"

And from then on, a long expanse of time unfolded.

[The end·part one]

And then, in the instant everything came to an end.

Time began anew, and all things were made fresh.

Huai Shi opened his eyes once more and heard a familiar voice.

"Name?"