Volume One, Chapter 52: The Midnight Bomb

At ten o’clock at night, just as I finished showering and was about to go to bed early, my father’s call suddenly came through.

Seeing his number on the screen, my heart skipped a beat, and I instinctively tensed up.

There’s a saying that once you reach middle age, the most dreaded calls are those from family late at night. Usually, calls in the middle of the night bring bad news. I used to put my phone on silent before sleeping, but now I don’t dare to mute it at all.

I took a deep breath and answered the call.

“Hello...”

My father’s hoarse voice came through. “Yu Bin, come back home immediately.”

My heart pounded wildly as I hurriedly asked, “What happened?”

He hesitated over the phone, “Just come back first! You’ll know once you’re here.”

“All right, I understand.”

Suppressing the turmoil in my heart, I hurriedly knocked on Mei Xueyan’s door in the middle of the night.

The door opened, revealing a small face no bigger than a palm, with delicate brows framing a pair of wide, dark eyes filled with surprise.

“You look terrible. What’s going on?”

“I just got a call from my dad telling me to come back right away. I... I need to take a few days off.”

Since receiving the call, my mind was blank and my words faltered.

“Okay, go handle your family matters first. Come back to work when you’re done. How will you get home? By high-speed train?”

I shook my head. “I’m leaving now, driving Feifei’s car. It’s about two hundred kilometers from here to my home, just a few hours’ drive.”

Mei Xueyan’s expression turned serious, worry creeping in. “Are you sure you’re in the right state to drive? If not, I can drive you.”

Her concern warmed my heart, but I declined gently. “It’s only two hundred kilometers. I’ll drive slowly. You still have so much work to handle here.”

Seeing my determination, she didn’t insist further but reminded me to drive safely and let her know when I arrived.

Before setting off, I sent Lin Feifei a message—after all, it was her car, and I hadn’t asked for permission yet.

She replied, simply telling me to drive carefully, nothing more.

I pressed the accelerator, and the car surged forward like a runaway stallion, racing along the highway. Outside the window, the scenery on either side blurred like the wind. Large trucks rolled by one after another in the dead of night. During summer and winter breaks, I’d once traveled with my uncle driving these trucks. Only those who’ve driven them understand the hardship. For truck drivers, working around the clock is routine.

Life is tough, yet we relentlessly charge ahead, racing against time, never daring to slack.

Partway through, the Tesla ran out of power, forcing me to stop at a service area to recharge. I lit a cigarette, trying to soothe my taut nerves.

It was already past eleven at night. Squatting by the roadside curb, I stared up at the deep, pitch-black sky, a darkness so profound it stirred a primal fear within me.

Alone in the dead of night, drifting far from home, the loneliness felt heavier.

As melancholy weighed on me, Lin Feifei’s voice call came through.

I shuddered. So late, and she was still awake!

“Hello, Yu Bin, are you home yet?”

Her concern warmed me. To be cared for when you’re far away is a comfort beyond words.

“Not yet! I’m at the service area charging the car. Why are you still awake so late?”

“Who sleeps early at our age? I was just playing games with Tang Qin and the others. They asked why you weren’t around, so I thought I’d check if you got home.”

I chuckled softly. “Have you ever heard the saying ‘a donkey gnawing on a millstone’?”

She paused, confused. “What does that mean?”

“Stubborn pride.”

“Hey! I’m just caring about you, and you roast me! I’m hanging up!”

Hearing her say that, I hurriedly stopped her. “Don’t hang up!”

A playful hum came through the phone. “Now you’re scared? How much longer will it take you to get home?”

I checked the map. “Eighty kilometers left before the highway exit, then another ten or so kilometers after that. I’ll be there before three in the morning.”

“That’s really late. Why don’t you just rest here overnight?”

I was too anxious to rest. Besides, the service area’s motels were outrageously expensive—I wasn’t about to spend hundreds on such shabby lodging.

“No need. It’s not my first night drive. Don’t worry so much about me!”

“Pfft, who cares about you? You’re overthinking.”

Though she denied it, I felt a surge of happiness.

As the car finished charging, I reluctantly ended the call.

Before hanging up, Lin Feifei stubbornly insisted I let her know when I got home safely.

I smiled. “Then you can put my WeChat on ‘Do Not Disturb.’ I’ll message you when I arrive—then you can see it when you wake.”

“No need. Just message me when you get home.”

Seeing her insistence, I agreed.

Reluctantly, I ended the call, rubbed my face, bought a few cans of Red Bull at the 24-hour convenience store, and set off again.

Perhaps because of Lin Feifei’s call, I slowed my speed and kept within the safe limit on the road.

After more than two hours of driving, I finally arrived home.

Calming my emotions, I pulled out my keys and unlocked the door.

“Dad! Mom!”

I began calling out as soon as I stepped into the yard.

After a moment, my father appeared, wrapped in a coat and dragging his slippers, yawning as he scolded me, “What’s all the fuss at this hour? Why did you come back so late?”

My mother followed closely behind. “Yu Bin’s home! Have you eaten? Mom cooked something for you.”

I shook my head, eyes fixed on my father with suspicion. “Weren’t you the one who called me back? What’s going on? Is it about your medical report?”

My father’s expression grew strange as he hesitated. “It’s so late—let’s talk about it tomorrow.”

“What can’t you say now?”

He sounded impatient. “It’s too late. Don’t worry. Your mother and I are fine. If I’d known you’d come back in the middle of the night, I would’ve called you during the day.”

My mother scolded him, “I told you to wait until daytime, but you couldn’t help yourself.”

Hearing their words, I felt a slight relief. After driving several hours on the highway late at night, the tension inside me was taut like a string. Seeing their mysterious demeanor, I figured I couldn’t get answers now. It was better to wait until morning.

Exhausted, I went straight to my room, threw myself onto the bed, and stared at the ceiling in a daze. Suddenly, I remembered I hadn’t told Lin Feifei I’d arrived safely, so I sent her a message to put her mind at ease.

I: “I’m home. You can finally relax.”

Just as I was about to put down my phone and sleep, Lin Feifei replied instantly.

“Who’s worried about you? I’m worried about my car.”

Seeing her message, I couldn’t help but laugh and quickly responded.

“You’re such a girl, always speaking in opposites. Go to bed early! Staying up late will give you bags under your eyes.”

“Pfft, what do you know? These are my ‘aegyo sal’ (cute under-eye pouches). I won’t argue with you. Good night.”

After exchanging goodnights, I fell into a deep sleep, exhausted from the long drive. I woke once in the morning but felt groggy, so I went back to sleep.

Unfortunately, just moments after lying down, my father suddenly stormed in and yanked me out of bed.

“Stop sleeping. What time is it? Get up! Come with me.”