A Moment Too Late [GL] by cat喵

Chapter 27

With a click, Nan Xue turned on the light.

The painting at the bottom of the stairs was still there, but it was now only a small, low stack of paintings. Nan Xue crouched down, picking up and examining them in the dim light. There was a faint scent of rice paper and paint, similar to the one she carried. Some paintings were only half-finished, like a beautiful woman’s half-done makeup; others, though complete, had been marked with a huge cross.

It was all because of the issue with her hand, which ruined the paintings.

Shu Yubai might have already taken what she liked.

The potted plant on the small window was also gone.

She glanced around, noticing a ring of grayish-brown soil that seemed to have fallen from the potted plant.

She went upstairs again, feeling a slight vibration in the steps.

Passing through a small hall, she reached the two rooms on the second floor. Shu Yubai’s room was now completely empty, while Nan Xue’s room had been left untouched, as if waiting for her to clean it out.

In that moment, carrying her small bag, Nan Xue didn’t know how to react.

It was as if a huge hole had suddenly been blown into her world, taking away the last bit of warmth she had, and throwing her back into a desolate, icy wasteland.

In the living room and bedroom, traces of their shared life had been erased bit by bit. With one less person's presence, the space suddenly felt excessively empty.

Nan Xue sat on the sofa, her gaze fixed on a certain spot.

On the coffee table was a small white velvet box.

The box was pure white and square. Nan Xue held it in her hand for a while, recalling it was the same small box she had seen in her office before. She gently opened it to find red velvet inside, holding two delicate silver bracelets.

The lines were simple and smooth, with diamonds set at the ends, sparkling like starbursts.

When she saw it in her office, she thought it was a gift for Xiao Yi, but it turned out to be for her.

Now, it didn’t matter if she didn’t want it.

Outside the window, a light snow began to fall again.

It was only now that she began to understand the meaning of the word "miss."

••••

Nan Xue stayed in that room alone for a few more days, as if waiting for something.

Waiting for Shu Yubai to appear.

But she didn’t come; she had left with that little dog.

Nan Xue looked at her contact information on the phone screen for a long time, dialed the number, but hung up hurriedly the next second.

On the third day, her father’s assistant, Xiao He, came to pick her up, and she boarded a flight home.

Xiao He stayed behind to continue his work.

Her father’s villa was by West Lake.

In winter, Hangzhou had a lot of rain, always cloudy, with a persistent dampness and haze.

Nan Xue got off the plane, exited the airport, and without calling anyone, she got into a taxi on her own. The driver, a talkative middle-aged man, was overly cheerful. She gave him the address, and he looked surprised, then started chatting aimlessly.

“Property prices have been rising so sharply these years. That piece of land your family has must be worth over a hundred thousand per square meter, right?”