chapter 5
2024-6-4.
Second Episode (Part One).
[Life’s Carousel.]
After returning from Tibet, the altitude sickness and exhaustion from the journey took me a whole month to recover before I could reach out to Xiao Qin again.
During this time, I also had another round of chemotherapy.
Each time, I felt it was harder to get out of bed than the last, as if my strength was being drained, bringing me one step closer to death.
I wasn’t sure if I could trust this girl I’d only met once.
If my first episode video were exposed now, she could become an overnight sensation.
I was gambling-betting that when faced with someone who’s dying, people always show a little more conscience.
“Sister Zhu Yuan, what’s your second wish?”
“I want more people to get to know me, and I want to walk again the roads I once traveled.”
Xiao Qin looked at the camera, worried: “With your health, we can take things slowly.”
“It’s fine. I only come to you when I’ve rested enough. At the end of life, people become greedy, wanting to fulfill more and more wishes.”
“You look great today-kind of reminds me of that idol drama you starred in when you became popular, ‘Do You Still Remember Me Today?'”
Today I’m wearing a short wig.
In the drama, I was a short-haired, freshly graduated college student entangled with the CEO of my internship company.
I smiled and touched my head: “Now I can change my hairstyle at will. Isn’t that cool?”
“But you’re getting thinner and thinner. Hasn’t anyone around you noticed?”
I felt a bit embarrassed: “I divorced Lu Xiao, so naturally we don’t meet anymore. Since I got sick, I see my parents less and less. But they’re my parents, so of course they want to video call me. Guess what I told them-I said I was playing a seriously ill patient.”
I only dare to tell the truth through lies.
She rubbed her eyes in front of me: “So where do you want to go for this episode?”
“I want to go back to where I lived as a child.”
It’s just a two-hour drive, and I arrived at my childhood home.
“Sister Zhu Yuan, where’s your assistant?”
My assistant is a kind-hearted older sister, sometimes she comes with me to events and even creates some memorable moments.
“You mean Yu Li? I told her not to follow me this time.”
“So she knows about your health?”
“Hahahaha.” I laughed at this point, “Guess what excuse I used? She’s been with me so long, how could she not notice something was wrong?”
I sat calmly in front of the camera, “I lied again. I said I loved Lu Xiao too much, but his affair separated us, and I became depressed. I wanted to leave the industry to treat my depression.”
“Did she believe you?”
“How could she? She and my Agent, Sister Li, both cried and said they’d take me to see a doctor. I told them to give me some time, that I’d go myself, and that I’d travel for a while and come back.”
“Do you think they’ve already figured it out?”
“My hair loss is impossible to hide. I thought I was clever making up these reasons, but one day Sister Li said she didn’t care about me making money, she just wanted me to live well.”
Talking about this, I was already in tears.
I wiped the corners of my eyes.
“Probably no one dares to bring up these sad things in front of me, so they haven’t said how much they know.
“Yu Li, that girl, bought me ten wigs out of her own pocket, saying they were gifts for my travels.”
I paused as I spoke.
Right now, I’m completely bare-faced, wearing a mask and a hat, dressed simply in a sweatshirt and jeans, carrying a plain canvas bag.
People on the street just see me as another passerby.
I pulled a thermos out of my bag and took a sip: “This is my elementary school.”
“Sis, you went to First Experimental Primary School?”
I nodded, pointing to the big tree by the playground: “Back then, I competed with others to see who was braver. I climbed up, but couldn’t get down. I was so scared I cried and wet my pants up there.”
“Sister Zhu Yuan, classes are still in session, the gatekeeper probably won’t let us in.”
“We don’t need to go in, I just want to take a look. Don’t disturb their work. I just want one last glance-after I drink Meng Po Soup, I won’t remember anything.”
“Hey, why are you so prone to tears? The director should cast you as a crybaby.”
I pointed to an alley not far from the primary school.
“Let’s go, I’ll show you my old home. I haven’t been back in years.”
But as soon as I entered, I was stunned.
I stood in the wind, bewildered.
I couldn’t help but laugh: “Oh my, it’s been demolished!”
Even my phone camera shook along with me.
“What now? Looks like my old home is gone.”
I turned to the camera; the audience probably couldn’t see my expression.
To be honest, I felt a bit lost.
But I couldn’t say it out loud.
“Let’s walk a few steps forward, and I’ll introduce things as I remember them.
“This used to be an old street. The media always says I’m a rich heiress. I’ve explained at events, but no one believes me.
“So I’ll take this chance to show you. I grew up here, surrounded by old single-story houses. My deepest memory is playing with dogs here, and in the end, I got chased and bitten on the butt.”
“Huh?”
“Luckily, it was winter and I was living with my grandparents. They dressed me in layers and layers of pants. In the end, the dog only bit through the cotton, didn’t get to the skin.”
It really is laughable and tearful at the same time.
At least Xiao Qin was laughing out loud: “Sister Zhu Yuan, I really can’t picture you being chased by a dog.”
After our laughter, I said, “Let’s go, I’ll show you my high school-it’s not far either.”
I paused.
“It’s also where I met Lu Xiao.”