68: Chapter 68 A Journey Across Borders

In the square at the entrance of the small town, several elderly men gathered around a stone table playing chess. The chess pieces made a 'clack-clack' sound against the stone surface, though one could easily ignore the occasional bickering between the old-timers.

Everything in this small town was so leisurely; the sunlight spilled over one's body, warm and cozy, making it hard not to feel drowsy.

Old Wang and Old Li sat on a stone bench by the square, chatting with Liu Zijun's father, Liu Qingmu, about the town's trivial matters.

"Checkmate! Old Liu, you've lost again!"

A burst of laughter erupted from the stone table. Liu Zijun's grandfather, Liu Jianguo, was scratching his head, looking at the chessboard with a face full of frustration while the surrounding old men doubled over with laughter.

Liu Zijun's grandmother, Chen Qing, held a pair of insoles, embroidering them while chatting with the other grandmothers of the town.

Liu Zijun's mother, Lin Wanrou, was picking vegetables with the local aunts by the pond in front of Zhou Xiang's house.

Lin Wanrou didn't have a hint of city-dweller pretension; instead, she had integrated perfectly into the environment.

Also perfectly integrated was Liu Zijun, who was swinging a butcher's cleaver to chop pork ribs. His knife skills even earned him praise from Old Yang, the local butcher.

Just then, the girl who had gotten off the bus appeared on the town's flagstone path.

Walking against the morning light, her silhouette appeared somewhat blurry, yet she was exceptionally eye-catching.

The girl arrived at the edge of the square, her eyes filled with confusion and helplessness as she looked around like a little deer that had lost its way.

Her exquisite and beautiful appearance quickly attracted the attention of many people in the square.

The old men playing chess stopped their hands, and those chatting paused their conversations, everyone turning to look at her.

The aunts at the 'rural intelligence station' were the first to speak up:

"This girl is really tall, and so pretty too, just like a star on TV."

"Is she here to visit relatives? Old Zhang, why don't you go ask?"

...

The sounds of discussion rose and fell, and the girl clearly noticed everyone's gaze.

She somewhat awkwardly tightened her grip on the suitcase handle, took a deep breath, hesitated for a moment, and then walked toward the square.

Her steps were slow, not just because of the weight of the suitcase, but also out of fear.

She eventually stopped in front of the nearest group of elderly men playing chess.

Taking a deep breath as if summoning immense courage, she addressed the old man sitting on the outermost edge, asking in extremely unfamiliar and stiffly pronounced Chinese: "Hello! Excuse me, do you know where Liu Zijun's home is?"

Her Chinese was stumbling and carried a heavy foreign accent.

The old man's hearing wasn't good either; he blinked helplessly, clearly not understanding.

He waved his hand and said, "Girl, what did you say? I didn't hear you clearly."

The anxiety on the girl's face deepened.

She quickly pulled a translator from her bag, spoke a sentence rapidly, and then held the translator up to the old man.

A rigid voice came out: "Excuse me, do you know where Liu Zijun's home is?"

The old man squinted and listened for a long time, muttering to himself, "Liu Zijun? Why does that name sound so familiar..."

He was old, his hearing was poor, and combined with the strange voice of the translator, he couldn't quite figure it out after a long while, only shaking his head repeatedly.

The girl's shoulders slumped slightly, the helplessness in her eyes growing stronger, and the tip of her nose turned slightly red as if she were about to cry.

She bit her lip, wanting to say something else but not knowing how to express it, so she could only stand there helplessly with the translator.

Just then, Liu Jianguo, who had been observing secretly, suddenly had a realization.

In this entire town, his grandson was the only one named Liu Zijun.

This girl had traveled thousands of miles to find someone, and she specifically named Liu Zijun?

He stood up and shouted to his wife, Chen Qing, who was sewing shoe soles nearby: "Old lady! Come over and take a look! There's a foreign girl here who seems to be looking for Ji-Jun. Come and talk to her!"

Hearing this, Chen Qing put down the insole in her hand and walked over quickly.

She used to work in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

She walked up to the girl, showed a gentle smile, and asked in fluent English, "Hello! Little girl, who are you looking for here?"

The girl's eyes instantly lit up upon hearing English.

Although her English wasn't great and had a heavy Peninsula accent, it was at least much better than her current Chinese, allowing for some basic communication.

She said excitedly to Chen Qing, "Yes, yes, I am looking for Liu Zijun!"

Chen Qing repeated the name, a flash of understanding in her eyes. She nodded quickly and confirmed in English, "Looking for Liu Zijun?"

The girl nodded.

Suddenly thinking of something, she pulled a photo out of her bag—it was a photo of her and Liu Zijun together.

Chen Qing took the photo and looked at the girl leaning intimately against her grandson; wasn't it the very girl standing before her?

A radiant smile suddenly broke across her face.

She looked the girl up and down, a flash of satisfaction in her eyes.

She suddenly took the girl's hand and said in English, "I am Liu Zijun's grandmother! In your Korean language, that would be his Halmoni."

"Grandmother?"

Choi Sulli suddenly asked in awkward Chinese.

Chen Qing pointed to Liu Zijun in the photo, then pointed to herself and nodded.

Seeing Chen Qing nod, a brilliant smile instantly blossomed on the girl's face.

Her smile was exceptionally bright and carried a sense of relief, making Chen Qing's heart soften.

She and Liu Jianguo exchanged a glance, both seeing surprise and curiosity in each other's eyes.

When did their grandson get to know such a beautiful foreign girl?

She had even traveled so far specifically to find him.

The other elderly men and women also saw the photo in Chen Qing's hand and suddenly began chattering all at once.

"So she's looking for Old Liu's grandson!"

"No wonder, only Ji-Jun, who works abroad, would know foreign friends!"

"Ji-Jun! Ji-Jun! Liu Zijun!"

Old Li and Old Wang, who had been watching the scene, suddenly reacted. Old Li took off running toward Zhou Xiang's house.

He shouted as he ran, his voice booming loud enough to be heard across half the town.

"Ji-Jun! Come out quick! There's a super beautiful foreign girl looking for you! She looks just like a star!"

Liu Zijun was still chopping meat when he heard this, and his heart jumped.

He almost immediately ran toward the square, his heart filled with surprise, joy, and a bit of disbelief.

How could she have time to come here? And how did she find her way all the way to his hometown?

Countless questions flooded his mind, but his footsteps only grew faster.

There were many people at Zhou Xiang's house; it was a local custom.

When slaughtering the New Year pig, neighbors would all come to help. Combined with the fact that rural people naturally loved a good spectacle, hearing Old Li's shout made the place erupt.

Those working or sunbathing all put down what they were doing and swarmed toward the square.

Everyone wanted to see what this foreign girl looking for Liu Zijun actually looked like.

For a moment, they all followed Liu Zijun out, the air filled with non-stop chattering.

"Quick, look, where is she?"

Liu Zijun walked quickly to the square and immediately saw the girl being held by Chen Qing.

It wasn't Im Yoona, as he had initially thought, but Choi Sulli.

She looked a bit thinner than before, and her face showed signs of fatigue—clearly from the long journey—yet her delicate features and lively aura were still hard to hide.

At this moment, she was looking down with a flushed face, listening to Chen Qing speak gently to her with a slight smile on her lips. The sunlight spilling onto the tips of her hair made her look even more beautiful.

Grandfather Liu Jianguo and father Liu Qingmu stood behind them, looking at Choi Sulli with smiles all over their faces.

Old Wang stood behind the two of them, helping Choi Sulli carry her large suitcase, a curious but kind smile on his face.

Since it was almost the Lunar New Year, there were many young people back in town for the holidays.

They were all dazed—was this girl too beautiful?

And those who knew about The Peninsula's entertainment industry rubbed their eyes in disbelief—is this Choi Sulli?

Perhaps sensing a familiar gaze, Choi Sulli suddenly looked up, her eyes instantly meeting Liu Zijun's.

The moment their eyes met, the smile in Choi Sulli's eyes froze, replaced instantly by deep grievance and longing.

Her lips pressed tightly together, and her eyes turned red at a visible speed. Large tears fell without warning, rolling down her cheeks.

She gently pulled her hand away from Chen Qing's and ran toward Liu Zijun.

"Oppa!"

A tearful cry full of longing cut through the noisy crowd and reached Liu Zijun's ears.

Before Liu Zijun could react, Choi Sulli had already lunged into his arms, her arms tightly encircling his waist as if she were clutching a lost treasure she would never let go of again.

She buried her face in his padded jacket, not caring that there were still bits of meat on him.

Her shoulders trembled violently as her tears flowed freely, her voice broken by constant sobs.

"Oppa... I finally found you... I missed you so much!"

The sudden embrace made Liu Zijun stiffen for a second, but he quickly came to his senses and raised his hands to gently hold her back.

Feeling the girl's trembling and hot tears in his arms, his heart was instantly filled with heartache.

He could imagine the hardships she had faced along the way.

She wasn't like Im Yoona; her Chinese was only so-so, and her courage and independence were much weaker than Im Yoona's.

Flying from Seoul to China, then taking various transfers to this small town.

With the language barrier and the long distance, how much courage must this girl have summoned to do this?

Liu Zijun's voice was somewhat raspy, carrying an imperceptible emotion. He gently patted her back, his movements tenderly comforting her.

"Silly girl, why did you come? Such a long way, it's so dangerous."

Choi Sulli looked up at him through tear-blurred eyes, tears still hanging from her lashes, yet she said with utmost seriousness: "Initially, the company wouldn't let me come, but the new President Jiang agreed, so I came. Most importantly, I was afraid you wouldn't return to The Peninsula, I was afraid I would never see you again..."