Passion Raga Novel (Completed) - Chapter 74

“Anyway, to do that, I’ll have to go back there for a bit, because there’s a lot to sort out, including the house. But I won’t be able to stay long, so I was hoping you could handle selling the apartment for me.”

“Alright. I’ll look for a suitable buyer or broker for you. What kind of conditions are you thinking about for the sale?”

James, as if resigned that dragging the conversation out further wouldn’t catch the fish that had already slipped away, sighed and changed the subject.

“Conditions, just average…” Yuri stopped mid-sentence.

“…”

He thought he heard something at the front door just now, and turned his head to look.

But he must have misheard, as no one had entered, and even after waiting for a moment, there was no other sign of movement. It must have been the sound of someone entering the next-door apartment.

“Well, it’s a bit difficult to talk at length over the phone. Let’s meet and discuss it…”

“When are you arriving?”

“I’ve booked a flight for tomorrow.”

Yuri tapped the laptop he had just closed after confirming his flight ticket.

Since he’d thought of it, he wanted to deal with things quickly. When he looked, he found that flights were scarce after next week due to the holiday period, so he just booked the fastest one.

“Tomorrow? That’s like boiling beans in a flash fire.”

“Yes, the contract expires at midnight tonight. Once a decision is made, why hesitate? If I’m going to go back anyway, it’s better to go back quickly.”

Sorting out a life he’d lived there for over a decade wouldn’t happen in a day or two, but he still wanted to finish it as much as possible within a few days and return. Once he sorted out his life there and returned here, he didn’t know when he would ever go back again.

“I’ll be leaving on a morning flight, so I’ll see you tomorrow evening. That would be around afternoon Berlin time. I’ll come to the company.”

“Afternoon, huh. Alright. I’ll have external work tomorrow afternoon, so I’ll probably be back at the office around three or four. Just come when you feel it’s the right time.”

“Yes. I’ll call you when I arrive.”

“Alright. Though it won’t be a very welcome meeting.”

Perhaps the shock of the ‘lifelong contract’ was too great, James didn’t forget to grumble until just before hanging up.

Yuri chuckled softly and hung up. He had also contacted the places he needed to inform in advance. For now, there was nothing else left to do. As for what was left, Yuri looked at his watch again.

If Ling Xinlu had only eaten dinner at his family home and returned, he should have arrived by now, but he hadn’t, which meant he was probably having a long conversation.

However, it was a little surprising. He surely thought Ling Xinlu would rush back after barely eating dinner.

Yuri thought for a moment, then redialed Ling Xinlu’s number, which he had pressed just before calling James. And he pressed the call button.

“…”

Yuri tilted his head. Ling Xinlu’s phone was off.

It was strange, as he rarely turned off his phone except in very basic situations like going to the cinema or boarding a flight.

Maybe the battery had died. Or perhaps he was having an important conversation with the elders at his family home—that would explain why he hadn’t returned yet.

He wished he would come back soon.

He wanted to see the look on his face when he signed and handed over the contract. How beautiful and adorable it would be to see joyful smiles brightly fill that face, which had been a mix of anxiety and expectation.

Yuri let out a contented sigh.

The anticipation of Ling Xinlu’s return made him feel a subtle impatience.

Has he been feeling this way for the past few days?

Yuri thought he should tell Ling Xinlu he was sorry for only answering him now, and put down the phone.

The clock chimed, announcing midnight.

Normally, it was a small mechanical sound that he often missed, but in the quiet, soundless house, it resonated particularly loudly.

There was no sound at all in the house.

With only the living room light on, Yuri sat quietly. The book he had been reading had long been closed, unable to hold his attention.

“…”

Ling Xinlu hadn’t returned.

When he usually went to his family home on weekends, it varied, but sometimes he would return as early as eight or nine, and sometimes as late as past midnight. Usually, after finishing dinner and having a brief chat over tea, he would leave and return around ten.

Occasionally, when conversations with relatives dragged on, it would rarely happen that he returned much later than midnight. So, it wasn’t entirely strange that Ling Xinlu hadn’t returned yet. One could simply think that today was one of those days he returned late.

But he thought he would come back early today. Yuri tilted his head and sighed.

It seemed the conversations with the elders were going on for a long time. Or perhaps he was being held captive by his mother. Sometimes, when his mother got hold of him, he couldn’t escape for hours.

Yuri checked the clock one more time and got up from the sofa.

He wondered if he should have some coffee while waiting for Ling Xinlu, who knows when he would return.

When would he come? Would he come in right away? Or would it be very late, like that one time he came back past two in the morning, the latest he’d ever been?

If it got that late, it would be nice if he’d call. Yuri sighed, remembering that he had tried calling Ling Xinlu a couple more times after his first call, just in case, but his phone was still off.

It was around that time.

The phone began to ring just as the water started to boil. Since there was no one else who would call at this hour, it must be Ling Xinlu.

Yuri turned off the stove and went to the living room to pick up the phone. But unexpectedly, the caller ID on the screen was not Ling Xinlu. “Yes, what’s up, Fei?” Yuri called out the caller’s name, being careful not to let disappointment show in his voice.

From the other end of the line came a cheerful voice, as usual.

“Uncle, I received the book. I’ll take good care of it and return it.”

“Ah, okay. Take your time with it.”

It seemed she had called to thank him for lending her the book. Yuri smiled, listening to her unchangingly pleasant voice.

“Are you feeling alright? I heard you were sick?”

Yuri understood what Ling Xinlu must have told his family as the reason for going home alone. Unable to make Ling Xinlu a liar, Yuri vaguely stammered, “I’m fine. I can manage.” Fei seemed relieved that Yuri’s voice sounded normal and said, “That’s a relief,” with a laugh.

“Still, make sure to make the youngest uncle do a lot of things while you’re sick. If you don’t make him work when you’re sick, when will you?” Yuri’s words, as he laughed, saying, “He took care of me very diligently,” were not a lie. Ling Xinlu had wholeheartedly taken care of Yuri, who had been unwell for the past few days.

Bringing meals to his bed or carrying him briefly to the bathroom to wash his hair was no trouble at all. He took such meticulous care that Yuri even felt awkward from the pampering.

“Ling Xinlu, is he with you?”

Yuri seized the opportunity of Fei’s call and subtly brought up the topic. He thought some answer would come back, like he was with his uncles, or had just left a little while ago.

However, the answer he received from Fei was completely unexpected.

“Youngest uncle? He’s not there? He left a while ago?”

Fei herself seemed surprised, answering as if she naturally assumed he would be there. Yuri blinked in silence for a moment.

“A while ago? When?”

“He left right after dinner. He barely ate dinner, then got up immediately without even having tea. Ah. He said he had an urgent matter and needed to rush back. Did he have another appointment?”

Fei, who had been speaking strangely, seemed to recall something she had vaguely heard earlier and muttered to herself, finally understanding. But Yuri fell silent again.

He hadn’t heard anything about Ling Xinlu having another appointment that evening. If he had somewhere to stop by, he would have mentioned it before leaving. The urgent matter Ling Xinlu mentioned was, presumably, simply returning home.

“…”

“Should I call him?”

“No, it’s fine.”

Yuri shook his head. His phone was off anyway.

He was about to say that Ling Xinlu had no other appointment and hadn’t returned yet, but he didn’t want to cause unnecessary worry in an uncertain situation.

It seemed better if Yuri himself went out to look.

Yuri ended the call appropriately and stood up from his seat. Since the way to Ling’s family home was straight down a main road, there was no chance of getting lost along the way.

If he had left right after dinner, enough time had passed for him to have gone back and forth two or three times, so he wouldn’t still be on the road. Still—though the possibility was very slim—if he had gotten tired while driving and pulled over to the side of the road to sleep, or, though he didn’t want to think about it, if there had been an accident, he would surely see some trace if he went down that road and looked.

“Why, of all times, is his phone off now!”

Yuri, putting only his wallet in his pocket, clicked his tongue and slipped on any shoes. He couldn’t remember the last time he felt this anxious.

Please,

Please, let nothing be wrong.

Muttering a prayer to no one in particular, Yuri stormed out the front door. He tried to storm out.

“…C-click…”

The door didn’t open.

Yuri paused his hand on the doorknob, looking at it with a puzzled expression. He tilted his head in confusion, turned the doorknob, and pushed, but the door, which should have opened easily, wouldn’t budge.

“—Dang!”

Why now, when he was in such a hurry? Yuri clicked his tongue and impatiently shook the doorknob. Clank, clank, the unlocked door remained immovable. As if something was blocking it from the outside.

What in the world is going on? Is the door somehow stuck? Yuri muttered a curse and kicked the door hard. The door shook slightly. It seemed something was indeed blocking the front of the door.

Yuri turned the doorknob and pushed with all his might. When he pushed with a sudden surge of force, the door opened about a hand’s breadth due to the rebound.

However, it wouldn’t open any further. Instead, it pushed back, as if trying to close the hand’s breadth opening. Yuri continued to push the door in bewilderment.

“What is this, something’s blocking—,”

“Don’t open it!”

Just as Yuri clicked his tongue and muttered, a sudden shout came from beyond the door.

Yuri’s arms instantly lost strength, struck dumb. At the same time, the door thudded shut again. “Huh?”

Yuri clutched the closed front door, muttering blankly.

He couldn’t have misheard; that voice was clearly Ling Xinlu’s. Judging by the direction of the voice, he seemed to be sitting in front of the door.

“…”

Yuri just blinked for a moment, staring at the door.

It seemed he had been spared the trouble of going to look for him. Moreover, it didn’t seem like an accident had happened, nor was he late because he had stopped somewhere else.

Though he was relieved that the person who hadn’t been answering had returned, Yuri tapped on the door. He waited a moment, but no answer came back. He knocked on the door again, but it was the same.

In the end, he had no choice but to try opening the door again. He turned the doorknob and pushed, but the door still wouldn’t open, as if something was blocking its way. It seemed Ling Xinlu was sitting in front of the door, but he couldn’t understand why.

Yuri leaned his back against the door and put his full weight into pushing it forcefully. When the door opened a hand’s breadth again, he spoke, “Ling Xinlu?” But the only answer he received was, “I told you not to open it!” And then, thud, the door slammed shut again, as if pushed by an immense force from outside.

Yuri stood blankly in front of it for a while, staring at the door. But soon, he frowned and tilted his head. Don’t open it? Was something wrong?