The comment section exploded.

Some cursed him, some pitied him, and some claimed he was just performing for show.

I closed my phone and placed it on the table.

Teacher Zhang asked cautiously: "Teacher Clara, are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

I picked up my textbook and walked into the classroom.

Standing on the podium, I looked at the children below and took a deep breath.

"Students, today we are going to learn a poem. Du Fu’s 'Spring View'."

I turned to write the title on the blackboard; the chalk snapped, falling to the floor and breaking into several pieces.

I didn't pick it up.

Outside the window, He Jingyun stood there watching me.

He saw the fingers holding the chalk trembling, saw my eyes slightly reddening, but I didn't mention a single word, and I taught the lesson steadily from start to finish.

The bell rang for the end of class, and I walked out of the classroom.

He Jingyun handed me a bottle of water.

"You saw it?" I asked.

"Yes."

"Do you think he is putting on a show?"

"No," He Jingyun said. "He is truly repenting. But repentance does not mean he can be forgiven."

I glanced at him, unscrewed the cap, and took a sip of water.

"Teacher He."

"Yes."

"I want to leave this place."

"Where to?"

"I haven't thought about it yet. But it won't be here."

He Jingyun was silent for a while, then said: "I will go with you."

Chapter 23

That evening, I packed my luggage. A photo fell out from under the pillow.

It was a photo of Ethan and me during our college years.

I tore the photo up.

I crouched down, picked up the fragments, stacked them together, and tore them again, until they were shredded into pieces that could no longer be put back together.

Then I took the trash can, dumped them in, and buried them at the very bottom.

Teacher Zhang came in to borrow something; she saw the paper scraps in the bin but didn't ask.

"Teacher Clara, are you really leaving?"

"Yes. I will tell the principal tomorrow."

"Then what about the children?"

"A new teacher will come," I said, folding my clothes into the suitcase. "I cannot stay here for my whole life."

Teacher Zhang sighed: "Is it because of Dr. Ethan?"

My fingers paused, then I continued folding the clothes.

"No. It’s just that I don't want to stay anymore."

Teacher Zhang didn't ask further and helped me pack.

Outside the tent, He Jingyun was on a phone call.

His voice was very low, but I still heard a few sentences.

"I said I am not going back... deal with the company matters yourself... I will not give up the life I want to live for the sake of money."

After hanging up, He Jingyun stood there, the wind blowing the hem of his clothes.

I walked out and handed him a bottle of water.

"Is your family urging you again?"

"Yes," He Jingyun took it, unscrewed the cap, and took a sip. "The old man said if I don't go back, he will strike my name from the family records."

"Then why don't you go back?"

"I’ve said before, I decide what I do."

I looked at him; the moonlight shone on his face, his clear and handsome brows carrying a stubbornness only young people have.

"He Jingyun, you shouldn't give up those things for me."

"I didn't do it for you," he looked into my eyes. "I did it for myself. I don't want to become someone like them."

I said nothing.

The night breeze blew in, carrying loose strands of my hair onto my face. He Jingyun reached out and gently tucked them behind my ear.

I didn't dodge.

"Teacher Clara, I like you," he said suddenly. "Not because you are pitiful, not because you need someone to take care of you. I just like you as a person. Ever since the first time you came to the village school and crouched down to tie Ya’s shoelaces, I have liked you."

I looked into his eyes; there was no caution, no testing, only sincerity.

"He Jingyun, I am not as good as you think."

"Whether you are good or not, I decide."

We were silent for a long time.

I lowered my head: "Give me some time."

"I will wait for however long it takes."

The next day, I went to resign to the principal.

The principal tried to persuade me to stay for a long time, then finally sighed: "Teacher Clara, you are a good teacher. Whenever you want to come back, the village school doors will always be open for you."

I bowed, turned, and walked away.

Stepping out of the school gate, I saw Ethan standing under a tree across the road.

He had lost a lot of weight; his white coat had been replaced by casual clothes, and he was holding nothing in his hands.

He saw me come out, took two steps forward, then stopped.

"Clara."

I stopped, not looking at him.

"My transfer application has been canceled. I am returning to Beijing."

His voice was a bit hoarse. "Don't worry, I won't come looking for you again."

I didn't speak.

"I wish you happiness," he said, then turned and walked away.

After he walked a few steps, I suddenly spoke up: "Ethan."

His footsteps stopped abruptly, and he turned around, a flicker of light in his eyes.

"You didn't know about the things your father did," I said calmly. "I don't blame you."

That flicker of light went out again.

"But there is no possibility for us." After I finished, I turned and walked away.

Ethan stood where he was, watching me walk further and further away.

I got into He Jingyun’s car. The engine started, and it drove away.

He did not chase after me.

Because he knew that he could no longer catch up.

Chapter 24

He Jingyun and I arrived in Kunming.

After learning this, Ash came to give me a key.

He said that Sophie had left a box for me, hoping it could be given to me when she was happy.

The box was in a rented room next to the hospital, Ash said.

"I think maybe the time has come."

"Clara, Sophie wanted you to be happy and hoped you could move on from the past, and so do I."

I held the key in my palm for a long time.

He Jingyun stood by without asking any questions.

"I want to go see that rented room," I said.

"I’ll go with you."

The two of us took a taxi to the alley next to the Kunming Children's Hospital.

The alley was very narrow, with the plaster peeling off the walls on both sides, revealing the red bricks underneath.

Following the address Ash gave me, I found the rented room.

The door lock was already rusted.

It took several turns of the key before it finally opened.

The room was very small, containing only a bed, a table, and a wardrobe.

The windows were pasted with old newspapers, and the light filtering in was a dull yellow.

I crouched down and opened the bottom drawer of the wardrobe.

Inside was an iron box with a note attached, written in Sophie’s handwriting: "Wait until big sister is happy before opening."

I picked up the box but didn't open it on the spot.

I held the box as I walked out of the rented room, and the sunlight hitting my face made me squint.

He Jingyun handed me a tissue. I took it and wiped the corners of my eyes.

"Let's go."

The two of us sat on a bench on the street.

I opened the box; inside were three things: a bank card, a letter, and a drawing.

The letter read: "Sister, this is the lucky money and pocket money I saved, totaling eight thousand six hundred yuan. I originally wanted to buy you a wedding gift when I grew up, but Sophie might not make it to that day. Sister, you must find someone who treats you well; don't carry everything alone like Dad did. Sophie loves you."

I folded the letter and put it in my bag.

I picked up the drawing.

The drawing showed three people.

Big sister, big brother-in-law, and Sophie.

But the face of the "big brother-in-law" was scribbled over in black, and below it was a line of small text: "Sister, if that big brother-in-law treats you badly, Sophie doesn't want him. You have to find a better one."

My tears finally fell.

I cried very quietly, without a sound, just tears streaming down incessantly.

He Jingyun sat beside me, not handing me a tissue, but shifting his shoulder toward me so I could lean on it.

I didn't lean on him.

But my hand moved next to his.

He Jingyun glanced at it, but didn't reach out to grasp it.