Chapter 32

At this moment, the umbrella once again hovered above my head.

I asked Fu Ziyi, “Why are you here?”

He replied calmly, “To take you home.”

My gaze fell on his shoulder, dampened by the rain.

It felt as if a part of my heart had been soaked too. Heavy, a little swollen.

I remembered the first time I came to this prison-he was the one who accompanied me the whole way.

He witnessed me taking revenge on them with despicable means.

He saw me hysterical, acting like a madwoman.

But on the way home that day, I asked him, “Don’t you think I’m despicable?”

He didn’t mind. He just naturally patted my head.

Then, as if it were nothing out of the ordinary, he asked, “I know. So, what should we have for dinner tonight?”

Now, I was lying in the passenger seat of Fu Ziyi’s car, quietly listening to him talk to me.

Just like so many times before.

He told me, “That restaurant we often go to in the south of the city has launched a new dish.”

He said, “The last time I gave Zhuozhuo a bath was last week. He keeps running outside. We should catch him and give him another bath.”

He said, “Yesterday I noticed the sofa seemed to have a hole in it. Should we get a new one? When I went furniture shopping last time, I saw a really nice one.”

At first, I listened carefully and responded from time to time, but maybe because I forced myself to see someone I dislike this afternoon, I started to feel drowsy.

Fu Ziyi’s voice gradually faded.

I didn’t sleep deeply. In a daze, I felt someone gently wipe my face with their hand.

So light, it almost felt like an illusion.

By the time we got out of the car, the rain had stopped. Night fell early.

The streetlights along the paths in the neighborhood shone brightly.

I got out of the car, and as I reached the first streetlight, I heard Fu Ziyi’s voice behind me.

“Let’s get you treated. Don’t be afraid, I’ll always be with you. You still have me.”

Suddenly, I realized it hadn’t been an illusion just now.

He’s so smart-of course, he’d already guessed about my illness.

I stood there for a while, not turning around right away.

Or maybe, I just didn’t know how to respond.

In my plans for dying, saying goodbye to Fu Ziyi was the one thing I never knew how to begin.

I blinked hard, trying to force back the tears in my eyes.

Then, with great effort, I managed a smile.

I tried to sound casual as I turned around, wanting to say, “Can you not be so sentimental?”

But as soon as I turned, I saw Fu Ziyi crying.

And I couldn’t smile at all.

Fu Ziyi is someone who rarely cries. I’ve only seen his tears twice-once is now.

I opened my mouth, but no sound came out.

Fu Ziyi just looked at me, tears streaming down his face. He forced a smile, pretending not to care, but his voice was choked, with a hint of pleading: “If you have no reason to keep living, then stay for me. For me, can you stay?”

But all I could say to him was, “I’m sorry.”