In the First People's Hospital of City B, the entire medical building was blocked.
Dozens of medical staff performed bandaging and physical examinations for this group of people who suddenly appeared 23 years ago.
Jiang Qianxi was taken by a young nurse. After helping her to deal with the bruise on her forehead, she went through various physical examinations up and down. After all of them were done, she was sent to a conference room in the hospital. The Public Security Bureau arranged for them two household registration police officers to come and find respective family.
There was a row of tables in the conference room, with two policemen sitting on one side and a few checked passengers sitting on the other side.
The expressions of the passengers were not good. An old grandmother was crying sadly in the arms of the grandfather. The woman in the next seat held her child silently, and several others seemed to be staring nervously at the police, watching them make phone calls. .
"The phone number you provided can't be reached."
"Your number is empty."
"Any other numbers?"
It seems that the situation of most people is not optimistic. Jiang Qianxi stood nervously behind a seat. The driver was in front of her. His head was injured and he was wrapped in thick bandages with unwashed bloodstains. After dialing a few numbers to no avail, he finally stood up with red eyes, and he was still holding the crystal pendant he brought from the bus. The little boy's face on the pendant seemed to be blurred.
"Please wait a moment, we will arrange for the household registration police to look up your family's information." The policeman who looked at the driver in front of him and said gently.
The driver nodded, and the 1.8-meter tall man drooped his shoulders and walked cautiously to the household registration police to line up.
Jiang Qianxi sat down nervously, and stared blankly at the male police officer opposite. She is still blinded and can hardly understand, what does it mean that it is 2021 now?
"Excuse me? May I ask, is it really 2021?" Jiang Qianxi looked at the police and asked with some restraint.
"Yes, miss, it's August 20, 2021." the police said.
When Jiang Qianxi heard his answer, her whole body seemed to be drained of strength, her shoulders dropped instantly, and her eyes became even more confused and helpless. She couldn't help biting her thumb, trying hard to suppress her impending collapse.
"Miss, are you ok?" the policeman asked with concern.
Jiang Qianxi hurriedly shook her head and said in a panic, "It's okay, it's okay."
"Then we will start helping you contact your family now." The policeman looked quite young, and the expression on his face was gentle, but it still made people nervous.
Jiang Qianxi nodded: "Okay, okay."
"Have you brought your ID card?" the little policeman asked.
"Take it, take it." Jiang Qianxi took out her ID card from her bag with trembling hands and handed it to him. The police took over the ID card, entered her ID card number into the computer, glanced at her, and said slowly, "Your ID card has been cancelled."
"What do you mean by cancellation?" Jiang Qianxi asked with some bitter.
The young policeman answered her patiently: "After the relatives apply for a declaration of death, the ID card of the missing person will be cancelled."
Jiang Qianxi couldn't help revealing some of the emotions she had been controlling all along. She had to use a lot of strength to control herself not to cry. Her eyes widened, tears welling up in her eyes, she looked at the young police officer in front of her, and asked in disbelief, "How can I be declared dead?"
"Generally, after five years of disappearance, relatives can come to apply for death." The young policeman said softly, "This is a normal procedure, and it does not mean anything."
Jiang Qianxi took a breath and nodded vigorously.
"Do you remember the contact number?" the policeman asked again.
Jiang Qianxi said quickly: "Oh! Yes, yes, I remember a lot of numbers. I remember my landline phone number and my dad's mobile phone number..."
Even though she tried her best to suppress it, her red eyes betrayed her panic and fear now. She reported her home number and her parents' mobile phone numbers in a series, but none of the three numbers got through.
Every number has a busy tone, and the unanswered busy tone poked into Jiang Qianxi's heart, making her whole heart cool. She even trembled with fear, why couldn't she get through? How could it not get through? Jiang Qianxi stared closely at the policeman in front of him and the phone in his hand.
Twenty-three years...there are so many things that can be changed, perhaps it is not an exaggeration to say that the world has changed.
"You don't need to mention the numbers of your parents' relatives, let's talk about some young family members!" Based on the experience just now, the little policeman didn't want to waste time, and didn't want the woman in front of him who looked so fragile to be disappointed again and again by the unanswered phones.
"Oh, well, I remember my husband's phone number." Jiang Qianxi took a deep breath, raised her head to hold back the tears in her eyes, sniffed her nose, opened her eyes, and cautiously reported the message with vague hope. Gu Chi's phone number.
She nervously watched the police press the string of numbers on her phone, listened to the voice on the other end, and waited with bated breath...
Beep... beep.
Jiang Qianxi squeezed her hands.
Beep... twice.
Jiang Qianxi gritted her teeth and suppressed her slightly trembling body.
Beep... three beeps.
Please, take it!
Beep... four beeps.
No one answered the phone, and she felt like she had fallen into an abyss. Jiang Qianxi lowered her head and finally couldn't help crying.
"Hello." Suddenly... a deep and magnetic bass sounded on the other end of the phone.
Jiang Qianxi lifted her cheeks wet with tears, and stared at the phone in the policeman's hands like a glowing eye, her tears falling down one after another. She pricked up her ears and discriminated carefully. She had been on the phone for more than an hour last night, but at this moment she couldn't tell whether the person on the other end was Gu Chi.
"Hello." The policeman was also very excited. This was the only phone call he made successfully tonight. He continued, "Are you Gu Chi?"
"Yes." With the acknowledgment, Jiang Qianxi felt that she was finally able to breathe, and instantly felt a little tinnitus. The little policeman was also very happy, looked at Jiang Qianxi with an encouraging smile, and continued to speak to the phone: "Hello, Mr. Gu, this is the Huancheng Street Police Station in Wulu District, City B, your wife Jiang Qianxi is waiting for you at the city hospital."
The person on the phone was silent for a while, then asked as if in disbelief, "What did you say?"
"Your wife, Jiang Qianxi, is waiting for you at the First People's Hospital." The little policeman said it again, explained the situation here in an instant, told him that he was definitely not a liar, reported the address again, and asked Gu Chi to come quickly Pick up.
Gu Chi on the phone seemed to calmly agree.
The little policeman breathed a sigh of relief, looked up at Jiang Qianxi and smiled kindly: "Congratulations, you are the first to find your family."
"Thank you!" Jiang Qianxi repeatedly thanked, at this time she finally breathed a sigh of relief, stood up, nodded and bowed.
She breathed a sigh of relief, still trembling with fear, rubbing her legs with both hands, and sitting nervously at the door of the conference room. She has found her family! She found her family, okay, okay! Jiang Qianxi was very happy.
The passengers who had been missing for 23 years continued to register their information, but only Jiang Qianxi successfully made the call overnight. None of the others found their relatives. They either sat in the corner crying silently, or stood in front of the household registration police and continued searching without giving up.
There was even a man in his 40s who even pulled the driver up and wanted to fight him. ! It's all about him driving a black car, and it's all about him driving the aisles! The conference room was a mess, and the police quickly separated the two.
After the man vented, he sat on the ground and cried. The driver also cried, and the atmosphere in the conference room was so depressing and suffocating.
Jiang Qianxi was also sad, she couldn't wait to see Gu Chi. She opened the conference room door and waited by the elevator.
She didn't know how long she had waited, but the elevator stopped on the fifth floor with a "ding" sound. The crowd rushed out of the elevator, and a tall figure walked out from behind the crowd. The temperament was outstanding, so people could see it at a glance.
Jiang Qianxi's eyes lit up, and she wanted to look at him carefully through the crowd, but he walked quickly, and his handsome profile flashed quickly. He didn't notice Jiang Qianxi, who was pushed aside. He just walked straight forward. Jiang Qianxi turned around and followed behind him, a little afraid to recognize him. She just felt like, but wasn't sure.
The man in a black suit with a tall and upstanding back, showing a cold face when he bows his head, is it Gu Chi?
Jiang Qianxi followed him to the conference room, only to see the man quickly walk up to the police and say, "Hello, sir, I'm looking for Jiang Qianxi. You called me just now."
"Jiang Qianxi?" The little policeman remembered the only passenger who found his family. He looked up and looked at the door. "Well, isn't it right behind you?"
The man clasped his hands tightly, seemed to take a deep breath, turned around slowly, and looked at the door with a heavy gaze, Jiang Qianxi finally saw his face.
Jiang Qianxi was a little stunned. Gu Chi, who had a clear image in her memory, suddenly became blurred at the moment she saw him. Is this Gu Chi? The young Gu Chi does not wear glasses, and his smile likes sunny, but now Gu Chi wears glasses, and he is very calm and full of scholars style; the young Gu Chi likes to wear loose sweaters, but now Gu Chi is wearing a well-cut suit and has a strong temperament that makes people not dare to offend easily; when he was a teenager Gu Chi smiled delicately and brightly, full of energy, but now Gu Chi's mouth is tightly pursed, unsmiling and indifferent; the young Gu Chi's skin is fair and ruddy, His eyes were bright, and now Gu Chi's face was pale with a hint of sallow, and his eyes were hidden behind the lens, making it impossible to see any emotions.
Jiang Qianxi stopped walking towards him, and looked at him at a loss. This magical trip was like a long night's dream to her, but when she woke up, it was a different person. 23 years... In her understanding, the person in front of her is her husband. They were clearly in love a week ago, but now...
Her husband, Gu Chi, was standing in front of her at the moment, but he was so unfamiliar that no one dared to approach him.
In the past nearly two hours of waiting for him, she had rehearsed many images of his arrival in her mind. For example, she would rush into his arms and tell all her fears and grievances; for another example, she would blame him for being so slow, she didn't want to stay in the police station for a second. She also thought that after 23 years, it might be a little embarrassing for the two of them to meet again, but she didn't expect it to be so embarrassing.
All the thoughts in her heart turned into emptiness and powerlessness after all.
"Jiang Qianxi?" Gu Chi greet her first, but the sound had a hint of uncertainty.
"Hey." Jiang Qianxi awkwardly staggering her gaze, raised her hand hesitantly, and greeted him, "Gu Chi."
Gu Chi looked at her and seemed extremely calm.
The air seemed to be still, and the atmosphere was a little awkward.
Fortunately, the police on the side broke the somewhat suffocating atmosphere in time.
The policeman who had just finished taking the transcript, holding a few forms, said to Gu Chi, "Are you Gu Chi?"
Gu Chi nodded: "I am."
"What's your relationship with Jiang Qianxi?" the policeman asked.
Gu Chi replied, "Before she disappeared, we were husband and wife."
Jiang Qianxi looked at him in surprise when she heard his answer. He was surprised by the word "husband and wife" that he blurted out, and also because of the "before he disappeared" that he deliberately emphasized.
The police glanced at her and Gu Chi, and said plainly to Gu Chi, "Come here and sign with me, you can take her back."
"Okay." Gu Chi suppressed countless question marks in his heart, about the past 23 years that she disappeared. Before he arrived, the police had already told him, and after checking today's news, it was confirmed that it was true. But he still felt incredible. If he hadn't seen her with his own eyes, seeing her face that had not changed at all, he would not believe it.
Gu Chi politely said to Jiang Qianxi, "Please wait for me a moment."
Jiang Qianxi nodded: "Okay."
Afterward, he followed the police a few steps forward, and suddenly thought of something, he turned back and said to Jiang Qianxi, "Don't run around."
"Here, here, and here." Gu Chi filled out the form as instructed by the police, and the police added, "The phone should keep open for 24 hours, and there may be some follow-up. This is a temporary ID card, please keep it carefully. The original ID cards and other important documents will be notified to you in a few days and handled together. There is nothing to do, you can go back now."
"Okay, thank you!" Gu Chi walked over to her, picked up her suitcase, and said, "Let's go!"
Jiang Qianxi followed him, stretched out her hand, and wanted to pull her suitcase, but was a little embarrassed to move forward. She doesn't know the reason, things that she thought were logical before, and suddenly became embarrassed to trouble him.
The two walked to the door of the hospital one after the other, without the slightest communication on the way. When he arrived at the door, Gu Chi suddenly stopped, took out his mobile phone and sent a voice message to the driver, then turned his head, and said to Jiang Qianxi, "Wait a minute, the driver will come soon."
"Okay." Jiang Qianxi glanced at Gu Chi curiously, and muttered in her heart, it seems that he is living well, and he has a private driver.
Gu Chi kept holding up his mobile phone and said some medical terminology to the mobile phone like a walkie-talkie as if he was very busy.
Jiang Qianxi didn't understand what he talking about and felt more isolated. She looked up at this unfamiliar street, the skyscrapers rubbing shoulders together, and the endless traffic. In addition to the city, what makes her feel unfamiliar is Gu Chi?
She turned her head and looked at the deep corridor of the hospital, thinking of the few passengers in the conference room who were the same as her. Before going out, they all cast envious eyes at her.
Anyway, she was lucky.
At least in this completely unfamiliar city, there is another person who can take her in.
While thinking, a black car stopped in front of them. Jiang Qianxi didn't know what kind of car this is, but though that the logo on the car is a capital "B" with wings, like a kind angel, as if the angel Gu Chi came to rescue her who had lost for many years.
"I'm sorry, Professor Gu, I kept you waiting."
"No problem."
"Get in the car!" Gu Chi politely opened the car door for Jiang Qianxi.
Jiang Qianxi was stunned for a while. Gu Chi, who was wearing a suit, opened the car door for her. His movements were elegant and gentlemanly, calm and indifferent. He had a special temperament and charm that belonged to a mature man, especially with this guy who also wore a suit but looked immature. Compared with the young man, he showed more temperament.
Of course, comparing the current Gu Chi with the smart and handsome young man in her memory are completely different.
She even remembered that the suit Gu Chi wore to the interview when he first graduated was borrowed from a senior.
At that time, Gu Chi looked good in a suit, but he was a little immature and could not support the aura of a suit.
Jiang Qianxi took a peek at Gu Chi, who had dressed so elegantly and naturally in a suit, bit her lip silently, and sighed in her heart, it's really different.
After a while, Gu Chi also sat in and the door was closed.
The confined space brings the awkward and alienated atmosphere to the extreme.
She rubbed her hands on her legs slightly, Gu Chi lowered his eyes and saw her unease.
Although so many years had passed, he could easily see through her small movements at a glance.
Gu Chi remembered that when Jiang Qianxi was in school, she would rub her legs unconsciously every time she took an exam, performed on stage, or even during an interview. In the past, he thought her action was very cute, and he couldn't help taking her hand and putting it on his lips to kiss.
Gu Chi was a little lost for a moment. He didn't expect that he could still remember some small details from more than 20 years ago.
"Professor Gu, are we going back to the conference center?" the driver asked in front.
"No, go to my old house!" Gu Chi thought for a while and said.
"Ah? But there are still many experts and leaders waiting for you to report!" the driver reminded.
"It's okay, Xiao Chen is here." Gu Chi said, "I'll just call and talk to him."
Jiang Qianxi pursed her lips and looked at him, wondering if she was delaying his business? She wanted to tell him that she was fine and that he could go to work first, but before she could say anything, she saw Gu Chi was on the phone again.
"Sorry, I'm not going, I have a personal matter right now."
"I'll send you the information, and you can report it."
"It's okay, I will definitely attend the press conference tomorrow, don't worry!"
"Okay, I'll send it to you right away."
After speaking, Gu Chi hung up the phone and started sending emails using the laptop in the car. Jiang Qianxi noticed that his laptop was small and thin, with a silver body arc, which was very beautiful, much better than the big-ass desktop computer he used to have.
Gu Chi opened the file on the computer and wanted to change a few data. He repeated experiments on weekdays. He knew the data in his heart but it was either a hand error or a wrong order when he entered it.
Her sudden appearance made him really uneasy. He took a deep breath and calmed down a bit before he revised all the information, packaged it and sent it.
Jiang Qianxi had been sitting quietly and obediently on the side. Seeing him close the computer and put down the phone, after a while, she was sure that he was all right, and then she mustered up the courage to say softly, "I'm sorry to disturb your work, right?"
Gu Chi turned to look at her and said politely, "It's okay. It's just a meeting, I can go or not."
"Oh Okay." Jiang Qianxi didn't know whether his meeting was important or not, but it seemed that he received a call in the middle of the meeting and ran to pick her up!
"Do you really feel like ten hours have passed?" Gu Chi asked a question that had been simmering in his heart.
Jiang Qianxi nodded: "For me, my parents just took me out this morning!"
"By the way, Gu Chi, do you still have contact with my parents?" Jiang Qianxi asked quickly.
Gu Chi was slightly startled and frowned: "Your parents..."
"What's wrong?" Jiang Qianxi became nervous, her eyes were full of fear, she was afraid of hearing bad news.
Gu Chi took a deep look at her and said, "I haven't contacted them for a long time."
"No more contact?" Jiang Qianxi looked at him in surprise, not expecting this answer. After they got married, their parents liked Gu Chi. Last night, her mother stuffed sausages into her suitcase and asked her to bring it to Gu Chi to eat!
Oh, that's right, it was been 23 years... Maybe he had already remarried, so how could he still contact the parents of his ex-wife? !
Gu Chi pursed his lips tightly, and was silent for a while before saying, "I'm sorry."
Jiang Qianxi smiled hard, her eyes were red, but she quickly waved her hand as if it didn't matter:
"It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter, everyone has their own life, after all, they are not your biological parents, ha ha!"
After Jiang Qianxi finished speaking, she became cold and didn't know what to say.
Gu Chi also lowered his head and stopped talking.
Jiang Qianxi looked out of the car window, bit her lip hard, took a deep breath, and said in a moment: "Then take me to the train station or bus station if it's convenient for you, or you can call me a car, I want to go home, I want to go home and find my parents now."
"Your old house has been demolished a long time ago. I don't know where your parents have moved to now." Gu Chi looked at her and replied, clenching his fists unknowingly, putting them on his knees, "Why don't I ask someone to inquire, you wait for the news first, and then find your parents."
"Has it been demolished?" Jiang Qianxi's whole heart was cold, she felt that the world had suddenly become dark, and she was like sitting on a lonely boat in the ocean, so lonely, desolate and afraid.
And now, the only person she can see is the familiar also unfamiliar Gu Chi in front of her.
"Sorry, I'll trouble you." Jiang Qianxi heard herself say softly.
"You're welcome." Gu Chi also replied politely.
Such a polite and unfamiliar conversation seemed to have formed a thick wall between them, so that neither of them could clearly see each other's mood and thoughts behind the wall.
The two were speechless all the way, the car was silent, Jiang Qianxi kept her head down, gritted her teeth stubbornly, not letting herself cry or getting too close to him.
He was not her Gu Chi, he seemed to be another person.