chapter 4

At this moment, my mind is exceptionally clear.

I have never feared death, but I do not wish to die either.

After twelve years of marriage, He Yunzheng neither loves me nor hates me. Toward me, he is truly, in every sense, devoid of emotion.

That is why we have come to this day so calmly and peacefully.

Now, he is over forty. Time has left a few traces on his face, but he remains elegant and handsome.

I looked at him deeply and told him, “I will not die.”

He Yunzheng merely frowned.

“I anticipated that this day might come, so I prepared a safeguard,” I said. “If you try to kill me, I will trigger this safeguard to make you change your mind.”

“I will not change my mind,” He Yunzheng looked at me with calm, unruffled eyes. “When the sun rises, we will say our goodbyes.”

“Then, since these are the final moments of my life, please give me a little more time. I want to look back on our past,” I pleaded with him.

He propped his head on his hand and looked at me, a bit impatient, but still agreed: “Fine. But this is not a fairy tale. You cannot move me by telling stories.”

In fairy tales, a clever and beautiful young woman tells a thousand and one nights of stories and finally moves the cruel king, sparing her life.

Fairy tales are idealized. But He Yunzheng and I have been married for many years; the time we have spent together far exceeds a thousand and one nights.

For twelve years, I have not been able to move him. How could I expect to do so in these brief moments?

“I simply want to reminisce about the past.”

“And, by the way, tell you a few things you don’t know.”