Chapter 404 - Im Sorry [2 in 1] (2/2)

“Can you help me charge this phone? Is there still charger for this model? If the phone cannot be used anymore, then please help me remove the sim card.” Chen Ge passed the phone to the woman. The woman looked at it, and her face scrunched up in difficulty. She rummaged through the counter but could not find a suitable charger. “Sir, your model is quite outdated already.”

“I haven’t used this phone for many years already. I understand the difficulty. If you cannot really turn the phone on, can you help me remove the sim card? I need to get the phone number.” Chen Ge understood the phone spirit’s thought. His mother had been looking for him, so he wanted to use his own phone to send his mother one last message.

“Hasn’t been used for many years?” The person shook her head. “But sir, if you haven’t paid the phone bill for more than three months, the number will automatically be deleted, so I believe your number has been deactivated already.”

“Deactivated?” Chen Ge stood beside the counter; his hand subconsciously went to grip the comic in his pocket.

“Wait, let me check for you.” The person was very patient and kind. She opened the casing and removed the sim card. She then copied the number on the card into the computer to pull out its information. Looking at the information that came on screen, the person was shocked. “Your card is still in operation.”

“Really? But didn’t you say the number would be deactivated after three months? The phone hasn’t been used for years already.” Chen Ge tried to glance at the screen. He also felt this was rather impossible.

“Yes, that’s if you haven’t paid for over three months. But since your number was activated seven years ago, every month, someone would come to pay the bill. Here is the payment record.” The screen showed all the payment records for the past seven years, and the latest transaction had happened the day before!

The woman looked at Chen Ge, and her face turned up into a smile. “Sir, even though you forgot about this number, someone did not. She held on for seven years—that is quite unbelievable on her part.”

“Thank you.” Chen Ge bought a new phone that could use the sim card from the woman and left the center. He slotted the card into the new phone. Looking at the dim sky, he walked into the nearby alley to summon the phone spirit.

“This is our deal.” Chen Ge passed the phone to the phone spirit. The small boy held the phone, and his body was shaking. The rain continued to pour. Chen Ge squatted down silently before the phone spirit and looked into his eyes as he asked, “How about I bring you to go meet her?”

The phone spirit shook his head. He held the phone but did not dare send the message. After a long time, he passed the phone back to Chen Ge.

“She is afraid that you will not be able to contact her after your number gets deactivated, so she goes to pay the phone bill monthly to keep your number activated. She has been waiting for you.” It was unknown whether it was Chen Ge’s words or not, but the phone spirit sent Chen Ge a message and disappeared.

Opening the message, it contained an address—thirty-seven Pu Yuan Road, Tong Tong Florist. Chen Ge did not stop to rest but called a taxi to drive him to the address given by the phone spirit.

At around 8 pm, Chen Ge reached thirty-seven Pu Yuan Road, and by then, it was pouring heavily. Chen Ge’s shirt was completely drenched. He leaned against the wall and studied the florist that was on the other side of the street. The shop was small, but the décor was comfortable and welcoming. When he walked toward it, he could even smell the flowers in the air.

He pushed open the glass door, and the wind chime jingled. A woman who looked about thirty was working on a flower arrangement. When she heard the wind chime, she stood up and quickly put the flower arrangement down.

Chen Ge studied the woman before him. She looked very normal. “Hi, I wish to buy a bouquet of carnations.”

“Is it for your mother? What type of carnations does she like?” The woman led Chen Ge deeper into the shop.

“I don’t quite know. How about you pick the ones that you think are pretty.”

“Okay, then you can come pick it up tomorrow morning. Or I can send you a picture, and if you’re satisfied, I can have it sent to you.”

“Okay.” Chen Ge looked around the shop and found a small wooden board on top of the cashier counter. There was a picture of a cute boy pasted on it. “Is that your son?”

The woman nodded, and the emotions in her eyes were complicated. “His name is Tong Tong. He disappeared around the shop about six years ago. The police suspect that he was kidnapped by human traffickers.”

“Human trafficker?” Chen Ge did not ask for the woman to elaborate. When she was spacing out, Chen Ge left the money for the bouquet on the counter. “I’m sure your boy is fine, perhaps he is thinking about you now.”

Chen Ge walked out the store, not wanting to disturb the woman anymore.

“Wait a minute!” The woman suddenly called after Chen Ge.

“What is it?” While Chen Ge was surprised, the woman came out from the shop with an umbrella. “It’s raining outside, take this and use it. You can return it to me tomorrow when you come to collect the bouquet.”

Chen Ge thanked the woman, but he did not accept the umbrella, striding right out of the florist. The sound of the wind chime was swallowed up by the rain. Chen Ge walked around the block before entering the café across from the florist. He picked a spot that was next to the window and summoned the phone spirit. “Talk to her. She has been waiting for you.”

Chen Ge passed the newly bought phone to the phone spirit. The little boy, who looked thin and vulnerable, held the phone in his two arms and stood beside the window, looking at the opposite street.

The lights in the florist went off, and the woman came out with her bag and the umbrella. Like usual, she locked the door and walked away.

Seeing her shadow disappear into the distance, the phone spirit finally picked up the phone. He thought about it for a long time and used his phone number to send a message to the woman.

“I’m sorry.”

Across the street, when the woman heard the message alert on her phone. She did not pay it any heed at first. She held the umbrella in one hand and pulled out the phone with another. However, when she saw the message on screen, her body seemed to freeze.

The umbrella fell from her hand, and she stood alone in the pouring rain with the phone in her hand.

Inside the café, the phone spirit leaned against the window, and the window reflected the tears that poured down his face.