latelenovela Chapter 407 There is no way back
Chapter 407 There is no way back
"No, no." He stood up in a panic and began to walk back and forth in the store. His heart began to beat violently again, and the feeling of panic made him unable to control himself.
At this moment, a knock on the door suddenly sounded beside him. Su Ming stopped abruptly and looked towards the door nervously. The sound was not as gentle as before, but rather carried a hint of urgency and impatience.
"Who?" His voice was a little hoarse, and he couldn't help but ask in a low voice, feeling uneasy inside.
There was no answer from the door, only the knocks grew more urgent. At this moment, Su Ming felt as if everything was closing in on him. Time seemed to freeze, his heartbeat grew increasingly rapid, and the air in the entire shop seemed to grow unusually heavy.
He swallowed hard, stepped toward the door, and gripped the doorknob tightly. At that moment, a single thought crossed his mind: "If I don't open this door, or if I don't face this sudden test, then... I will never know what role I played in this maelstrom."
He took a deep breath, finally mustered up the courage, and slowly turned the doorknob.
Su Ming's fingers trembled slightly, and he felt the doorknob grow cold in his palm, as if an unpredictable storm awaited outside. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and felt the suffocating tension in the air. The knocking on the door gradually stopped, leaving only the cold wind and the occasional sound of footsteps.
He turned his gaze toward the table. The piles of documents, papers, and scattered items on it cast long shadows in the dim light. The dense handwriting on the documents, like invisible chains, held him firmly within the shadows. He gritted his teeth, his mind involuntarily recounting the contents of the document—no matter what, he couldn't let it fall into the wrong hands.
"What is guiding me?" he whispered to himself, his eyes blank. He felt as if he had lost his way, and all the clues seemed to have disappeared without a trace, leaving only the bottomless darkness.
Just as he was hesitating, a voice suddenly came from outside the door. A low, impatient voice came through the crack of the door: "Su Ming, open the door."
The voice belonged to one of his closest acquaintances—Li Tianhe. Once a friend, he had become a complex figure in his life for unspeakable reasons. Li Tianhe's voice held a threat, yet also a hint of pleading and forbearance. His voice instantly tensed Su Ming's heart, as if something was quietly shifting.
"What do you want from me?" Su Ming gritted his teeth and tried to make his voice sound calm, trying to hide his inner turmoil.
There was no immediate response from the other side of the door, as if Li Tianhe was also waiting for something. After a few seconds, the voice outside the door sounded again, this time with obvious impatience: "I know you are in there. You know I am not here to cause trouble with you. Open the door, and we can talk properly."
Su Ming's heart sank at these words. He knew that Li Tianhe's appearance couldn't be a mere coincidence, especially at a time like this. In the past, they had shared missions and experiences, and had a tacit understanding between them, but now, everything seemed extraordinarily complicated.
"What do you want?" Su Ming asked through gritted teeth, his voice low and a little tired. Every time he faced Li Tianhe, he couldn't suppress the complex emotions in his heart, which were a mixture of past friendship, betrayal, and fear of the unknown.
Li Tianhe was silent for a moment, then said, "You got the document, right?"
Su Ming's heartbeat suddenly accelerated, and the document in his hand instantly grew hot. Li Tianhe clearly knew of the document's existence, or rather, it was more important to him than anything else. This clear awareness made Su Ming's heart even more conflicted. He didn't dare hand the document to Li Tianhe easily, but if he refused, he knew the consequences he would face.
"I don't know what document you are talking about." He forced himself to remain calm, speaking in a cold tone, trying to hide his inner nervousness.
Li Tianhe outside the door smiled dumbly: "You are cunning. You can keep it to yourself, but I know you won't give up so easily. I don't want to play this cat and mouse game with you, Su Ming. You don't want me to force my way in, right?"
Su Ming felt a surge of pressure from all sides, as if the entire world was forcing him to make a decision. That document was no longer just his personal matter; it involved something more important than life itself. He glanced at the documents on his desk, a pang of pain in his heart. What would it mean if he handed this document over?
He took a deep breath and slowly walked towards the door. Each step seemed incredibly difficult. Facing Li Tianhe, facing everything before him, he had nothing to rely on. Everything was spinning out of control, and none of his choices seemed to lead in the right direction.
"Do you really think this document is worth the risk?" He asked softly, turning his back to the door and staring at the document on the table. Even if he handed over the document, what would he get?
Li Tianhe outside was silent for a moment, seemingly in no rush to press him. "You know," Li Tianhe's voice sounded again, this time with a hint of fatigue, "you have the right to choose, but you also know that there are certain things you can't escape. What you have is not just a document. It's an agreement about many things you can't understand. Maybe you've figured it out, or maybe you haven't."
Su Ming's mood grew increasingly complicated, and the seeds of hesitation quietly took root and sprouted deep within him. Everything in the past, past decisions, past promises, all seemed to come back to him at this moment, like long-buried memories, resurfacing bit by bit.
He gently closed his eyes, and a scene from a few years ago surfaced in his mind: the time when Li Tianhe and he fought side by side, an age filled with ideals and aspirations. They had promised to go on together, no matter what difficulties they encountered. But now, all that trust and promise had become so illusory and elusive.
"Su Ming." Li Tianhe's voice broke his contemplation. "Promise me that as long as you have the answer, at least tell me. You know, this document is not only important to me."
"Why?" Su Ming finally couldn't help himself, turned around, and asked in a low voice. His voice was almost inaudible, but it was filled with a long-suppressed emotion.
"Why are you so persistent?" he asked again.
Li Tianhe didn't answer immediately, but remained silent for a moment. Su Ming heard the momentary silence outside, as if time had stood still. He waited, anticipating, feeling an indescribable mixture of anticipation and unease.
"Because this is our last chance." Li Tianhe finally spoke, his tone firm and calm.
"Last chance?" Su Ming repeated, his mind a blur. He didn't understand what Li Tianhe meant by "last chance." Was it about the documents, or about some invisible contract between them?
Su Ming stood at the door, his heart pounding. Listening to Li Tianhe's calm yet pressured voice, his heart churned. Every word Li Tianhe spoke was like a knife, deeply cutting through his inner defenses. He had never imagined he would reach this point, standing at this crossroads, hesitating.
"Last chance..." These words exploded like a bomb in Su Ming's mind. Li Tianhe's tone was filled with urgency, as if the world was running out of time for further deliberation. Every second was slipping away, and there was no turning back.
"I don't understand." Su Ming finally spoke, his voice low, as if forced from deep in his throat. He turned and walked away, taking a few steps back, leaning against the wall. His eyes wandered, no longer looking at the door or the documents on the desk. His mind was in a turmoil, and memories, facts he had never faced directly, were gradually emerging.
"I don't understand why this document is so important?" Su Ming asked again, his voice hoarse, as if he had lost some of his sanity. "You said it was 'our last chance,' I understand, but... why am I a part of it?"
Li Tianhe still didn't respond immediately. The silence outside was so heavy that Su Ming almost couldn't breathe. After a few seconds, he finally spoke again, "Because you are the only one who knows the truth, Su Ming. What you have is not just a document, it is the key to our escape from this predicament, our only chance to control our future. There is no turning back for you and me."
"You and me?" Su Ming chuckled softly, a hint of bitterness in his voice. "I once thought I could make my own choices and decisions. But now... you're saying there's no turning back for you and me?" He paused, his tone gradually calming. "Then tell me, what can I do now? Just hand over what I have without asking any questions?"
"I know you don't like being forced, Su Ming." Li Tianhe's tone suddenly softened. "But right now, this isn't a choice between you and me, nor is it a question of whether you want to participate. This is the only way for everyone to escape this predicament. You may not want to admit it, but you know that this document is of vital importance to you, me, and even to everyone."
"But I never thought about it," Su Ming said softly. "I never thought I'd end up like this." His heart grew heavier, and his vision seemed to be thick with fog. He had always believed that he could control his own destiny, but now he understood that he had long been drawn into a vortex from which he could not escape.