Chapter 183

Chapter 183

Splash!

The tranquil surface of the sea shattered as a girl plunged into it.

The frigid water swallowed her without hesitation, only to carry her back to shore.

“Cough, cough, cough…”

Qingshui opened her eyes once more, and once more, the fox-eyed girl appeared before her.

She sat on a reef, staring blankly out at the coast. The sea breeze tousled her hair, and she seemed on the verge of melting into the endless blue, her entire figure imbued with an unreal, dreamlike quality.

It was Li Wei’an-the Li Wei’an who had told her in the Psychiatric Hospital that everything was merely a “game,” the Li Wei’an who had sobbed that she didn’t even know who she was.

She was still here. Li Wei’an was still here.

Qingshui lay motionless on the beach, letting the waves soak her clothes.

Li Wei’an watched the sea. Qingshui watched her.

Time seemed to stand still.

At last, Li Wei’an slowly turned her head, her beautiful fox-like eyes locking precisely onto Qingshui. “Why aren’t you coming over?”

Her smile was gentle, her eyes curving with warmth, yet her tone was cool and tinged with languid indifference.

Qingshui’s heart clenched violently.

Only then did she begin crawling across the sand on all fours, like a child who had done something wrong, inching toward her little by little.

The sea breeze carried a salty, briny scent as it blew against her face. She couldn’t tell whether she tasted seawater or the tears streaming down her cheeks.

At last, she reached the reef. Trembling, she stretched out her arms and wrapped them around Li Wei’an’s waist.

A long time passed before Qingshui whispered, “I’m sorry…”

“What do you have to apologize for?”

Li Wei’an’s gaze was so open and unwavering. As though no matter what happened, no matter how the world collapsed around her, nothing could ever break her.

Qingshui had learned from everyone else. She had built icy walls around herself, suppressed every emotion, and forced herself to remain calm and rational, struggling to survive like a machine.

She had thought that would keep her from breaking. Yet this person would always be her undoing.

Because she had forgotten. Water needed someone to hold it in cupped hands if it was to survive. Without anyone to cradle it in their palms, it would scatter and dry up, before helplessly seeping into the earth and turning murky.

She had thought she was used to loss. Used to loneliness.

In truth, it had simply hurt so much that she had gone numb and chosen to ignore it.

She struggled to smile, trying to be as calm and rational as she once had been.

“Didn’t you say all of this was just a game…?” Her voice trembled. “Then why… why does it hurt so much?”

“If… it’s only a game… will I ever get to see you again?”

Li Wei’an said nothing. She turned her head away and gazed into the distance. “You’re seeing me right now.”

“That’s wonderful… You’re still here.”

Qingshui tried to reassure herself, but her eyes stung unbearably. She was clearly holding this person and could clearly feel the warmth of her body, yet Li Wei’an still seemed so very far away.

“But why… can I only see you at times like this?”

She bit her lip, wanting to say more, but forcibly swallowed the words. Her teeth broke the skin, and the taste of blood spread across her tongue.

Don’t cry. You’re not allowed to cry. At least… not in front of her.

Qingshui blinked desperately, trying to force the burning in her eyes back down, trying to suppress those fragile thoughts.

But she couldn’t.

The moment those fox-like eyes lifted to meet hers, her tears fell like pearls from a broken string. With them flowed away all her strength and every last shred of her disguise.

“Li Wei’an, tell me. Please tell me the whole truth…”

She was like a helpless beggar pleading for mercy from a god.

“What’s real…? What’s fake…? I don’t know… I really don’t know what I’m supposed to do anymore…”

Why was she so weak? Why was she so fragile?

Why couldn’t she possess a strong soul?

“Stop thinking about it…”

Li Wei’an finally moved. She raised a hand and gently wiped the tears from Qingshui’s face, her touch as tender as if she were polishing a fragile treasure.

Then she leaned forward and pulled Qingshui into her arms.

Boom!

Waves surged from the sea and crashed against the reef, like all the resentment and anguish Qingshui had ever felt flooding in at once, utterly submerging her.

She broke down completely.

All her strength, all her reason, dissolved into nothing within that embrace.

“Stay here with me.”

Li Wei’an lowered her eyes, endless tenderness filling them. She gently kissed Qingshui’s temple. The kiss carried the chill of the sea breeze, yet it set Qingshui’s soul ablaze.

“There is no pain here. No zombies. No Madmen.”

“I’ll protect you. Stay with me forever.”

“Qingshui.”

Each call of her name sounded like a summons from the depths of her soul.

Qingshui looked into those eyes-the eyes that held her entire world–and abruptly abandoned every last struggle.

She didn’t want to lose anyone, but she missed Li Wei’an so terribly that the longing ached in her very bones.

“I will.”

From her last life to this one, from life until death.

As long as it’s you, I’ll do anything.

Beneath the azure sky, beside the vast sea, two girls toyed with by fate cast everything aside and held each other tight.