# 449
**Chapter 449: Wait for Me to Return**
Guangshen City.
Light rain.
Molly stepped out of the crowded high-speed rail station and looked around.
Today, she was different from usual.
She wore a beautiful pale yellow dress, her long black hair carefully braided with a red silk ribbon. On her feet were spotless white sneakers, and at her waist hung a small black bag with a Q-version Zhu Bajie keychain swaying gently in the wind.
Among the chaotic crowd, she was breathtakingly beautiful.
*Splash...*
The drizzle fell on the road in front of her, creating ripples in the puddles. Under the dim sky, pedestrians hurried past like a tide.
She waited for a long time, but the person she was waiting for never came.
She pressed her lips together, hesitated for a moment, then opened her transparent umbrella and carefully stepped around each puddle, walking toward the nearby bus stop.
By the time she boarded the bus, her white shoes were still clean.
“Payment successful!”
She put her phone back in her bag and looked inside.
The bus was nearly empty. She walked to the second-to-last row and sat by the window, staring blankly outside.
The bus slowly started moving.
Fine rain, carried by the wind, hit the window and slid toward the rear, leaving tiny droplets. The view grew blurrier.
The driver turned on the music. A soft, melodic tune filled the bus.
*“Heaven above…
Are you secretly laughing at me?
Knowing I’m not yet able to protect her,
Yet letting us meet…”*
Molly pulled her gaze from the window, took out a mirror from her bag, and studied her reflection.
Her makeup was light, but it perfectly accentuated her delicate features. She hadn’t expected she could look this beautiful.
She didn’t know how to do makeup. Today’s look was done by Zhengzheng, whom she had begged in secret.
Her outfit was chosen by Jiang Han after a whole night of deliberation.
After confirming her makeup was flawless, she put the mirror away and looked out the window again. For a moment, she thought she saw a figure flash by.
She blinked, cracked the window open slightly, but saw only passing traffic.
She closed the window, shook her head, and leaned her head against it, closing her eyes. It would take about forty minutes to reach the Baili Group bus stop—plenty of time to rest.
She didn’t notice that someone had quietly taken a seat in the last row behind her.
*“Heaven above…
Please don’t ever tell her,
That on countless quiet nights,
Someone was thinking of her…”*
The figure sat silently behind her, watching her back with soft eyes.
After a moment of hesitation, a miniature Taiji diagram flickered at his fingertip. A sandalwood safety charm silently flew from Molly’s bag into his hand.
A small knife appeared in his hand. He lowered his head and began carving something onto the back of the charm.
The sweet voice from the speaker continued in the empty bus:
*“…I hope my efforts can one day match hers,
That I can give her a complete home.
But if you’ve arranged someone else for her,
I’ll bless her.
Heaven, don’t worry about me yet—
Let her be happy first…”*
As the music faded, he finished carving and gently placed the charm back into her bag.
For the remaining forty minutes, he simply watched her back, like a shadow in the dark, silently guarding her.
“Baili Group stop—arriving.”
The bus pulled up to the station. Molly slowly opened her eyes, glanced at the sign outside, and quickly stood up to get off.
In the misty rain, she stood alone at the bus stop.
She looked around, frowning slightly.
With a soft hiss, the doors closed.
Molly turned back and glanced at the bus window—then froze.
Behind the seat she had just occupied, a figure wearing a smiling Zhu Bajie mask was staring at her through the glass.
He pointed at her bag.
The bus pulled away, merging into traffic. The masked figure slowly disappeared from her sight.
Molly finally reacted. She ran to the edge of the platform, rain soaking her dress as she stared blankly at the red taillights fading into the distance.
She didn’t understand.
After a moment, she lowered her head and opened her bag. The familiar sandalwood charm lay on top.
On the back, beneath her name “Molly,” the word “Wife” was still there, drawn in ink.
But now, in the corner, two new lines had been carved:
—*“I’m sorry.”*
—*“Wait for me to return.”*
…
Baili Pangpang sat in the back of the bus, swaying gently with the motion. He slowly removed the mask, his eyes slightly red.
A dark figure suddenly appeared in the seat beside him.
“Qiye, you’re awake?” Baili Pangpang turned, quickly wiping the corners of his eyes.
“I just woke up. Heard you were looking for Molly, so I followed,” Lin Qiye sighed. “Why didn’t you see her? I don’t think she’d care about your appearance.”
Baili Pangpang shook his head. “It’s not the scar… I just don’t think I can make her happy yet.”
Lin Qiye looked puzzled.
Baili Pangpang, remembering Lin Qiye’s straightforward nature, explained helplessly:
“Before, when I was still Baili Tuming, I always said I was just an ordinary kid. But no matter what I did, the Baili Group had my back. I always thought I could protect everything I cared about…
But now, I realize I was wrong.
If I had convinced her to come back to Guangshen with me in Gusu, she might’ve died in the missile strike—or in the Baili family’s pursuit. If I had brought her before Baili Xin, she never would’ve left Guangshen alive…
I almost got the girl I love killed because of my ridiculous confidence.
I’m too weak. If anything really happened, I wouldn’t have the strength to protect her.
So, until I feel worthy of marrying her, I won’t disturb her again.
Next time I stand before her, I want to be someone who can protect her for life.”