Under the Same Starry Sky

The sea wind was strong. It hit her face, cold and painful.

Beside the new pier in Nan’an City was a cemetery. In front of the cemetery, the battered red sports car was parked.

An Qi ran with all her might.

Her long dress got in the way, so she tore the fabric at the seams, freeing her legs to run.

She loved this dress, but she loved Qin An more.

The old dock was terrifyingly quiet. Starlight fell on the sand, beautiful and desolate like frost.

An Qi sat on the sand, hearing only the sound of the waves. She opened the gift box. Inside was a harmonica and a letter folded into a heart shape.

Qin An had written this letter very carefully. The song inside was one she had never heard before. He must have written it for her. He must have prepared for so long.

“But that alone isn’t enough. He has to explain in person why he didn’t come! Otherwise, I’ll hate you for the rest of my life,” An Qi rubbed her reddened little feet and muttered to herself.

But a long, long time passed. The surroundings remained silent, with only the sea roaring in anger.

“Liar, liar, big liar…”

Huang Jiajun walked through one noisy construction site after another and finally reached the new dock.

The new dock was bright, with lights all around.

She spotted Qin An standing on the dock at a glance.

She stepped lightly, one footprint at a time, like she was hunting prey, afraid that too much noise would scare it away.

“Qin An, get on the boat quickly.”

“Don’t we set sail at eight?”

“We’re a smuggling ship. We leave once we’re full. Hurry up.”

Qin An swept his gaze around.

Huang Jiajun panicked and quickly hid behind a trash can nearby.

When she peeked out again, Qin An had already boarded the ship.

She ran desperately forward, shouting, “Qin An… Qin An…”

But the roar of the ship’s engines drowned out her voice.

She could only stand on the dock and watch the ship sail away.

This must be punishment. Definitely. Because I lied, now I have nothing left, not even a chance to say goodbye to him.

Inside An Tie’s luxurious villa, the guests had all left, but An Tie remained.

“Sir, it’s time.”

“Where is An Qi?”

“Miss An Qi is already at the old dock.”

“Good. But I’m so unwilling! Why did they still find us? It took me three years to become the richest man in Nan’an, buy the Imperial Garden, build Paradise Park, and now I have to give it all up.”

“Sir, everything will change. Right now, survival is paramount. The people outside can’t hold them off much longer.”

Outside, there were already screams. The cries grew closer and clearer. The claws of darkness were finally reaching out for him. This was punishment for his past mistakes. Back then, he had been too greedy.

“I had planned to take An Qi overseas when she could enter high school. By then, our capital abroad would be stronger, and we could confront them directly. But now it seems impossible. I have to start from scratch again. It’s not the first time, anyway.” An Tie smiled bitterly.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes, sir.”

After An Tie left, blood flowed like a river inside the luxurious villa.

The smell of blood filled the entire sky.

The moon…

“Did that old fox get away again?” The man holding two guns kicked the corpse at his feet and spat.

“Tian Tai, who is this guy really? How can he make Hunter Academy put on such a show?”

“Luo Quan, just remember that the old dean’s two daughters both died because of him.” Tian Tai’s hands were trembling as he said this, and he could barely hold his guns.

At the old dock, the strangely new sunken ship suddenly moved. The clattering sound woke An Qi. She rubbed her swollen eyes and looked back. Sure enough, her father was there.

“Dad, are you leaving again?”

“Yes.”

“Where this time?”

“Somewhere very far away.”

On the smuggling ship, even though Qin Yuqing had paid double the price, the air in the cabin was still foul. Qin Yage had already fallen asleep. The shock of the past two days had been too great for her; it would take a while to recover. Qin Yuqing was dead drunk. Qin An carried little Qin Chan onto the deck and touched the railing. “Japan? I never thought that after hiding for so long, we’d end up back where we started.”

Qin An looked up at the starry sky. The starlight was brilliant.

Meanwhile, An Qi touched the wet railing and also looked up at the stars. There were so many stars tonight. They seemed even brighter than the moon.

Wang Luoran, in her own room, looked at the neighboring house. It was pitch black, as quiet as a haunted house. She had just made up her mind, but he had already left. She clutched the letter in her hand and gazed at the star-filled sky.

Huang Jiajun walked home alone on the road. It was already June, but she felt so cold, so cold. The starry sky tonight was so beautiful! The stars were so bright! But she didn’t deserve to look at this beautiful sky. She was a sinner, a villain, a hypocrite…

Under the same starry sky, I’m thinking of you. I wonder if you’re thinking of me too.