That night, Xiao Yan saw Lin ChuSui again. As he had imagined, the little girl was as determined as ever - she had not only been admitted to university, but her grades were unexpectedly high.
She had chosen her own future.
Xiao Yan bid her goodbye three times. Each time was filled with reluctance. But he was glad to have one more chance to give the person she loved most back to her.
...
Task Progress: 51%, Countdown: 1 hour.
In the living room, Xiao Qian leaned against the sofa reading a book, unconsciously smiling while holding her phone in one hand.
Xiao Yan walked over to the sofa and picked up a knife from the coffee table to peel an apple.
"You got your admission letter days ago. When are you planning to go report?"
"Is my sister trying to kick me out already?"
"Of course not. I'd love for you to stay in province for college so you can come home on weekends. I can cook delicious food and give you a beating as a send-off."
"I probably won't have that fortune." Xiao Yan said lightly with a faint smile: "Save that for Xu JiaNing."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Qian immediately put down her phone and looked at Xiao Yan: "Make food for him...why?"
"Aren't you dating him?"
Xiao Yan was expressionless as he calmly peeled the apple into crescent slices and put them on a plate.
Xiao Qian felt a bit flustered and hurriedly asked: "Did Xu JiaNing tell you that?"
"He didn't need to say it. His phone wallpaper is you, his chat background is you. He might as well tattoo my sister's name on his forehead."
Xiao Qian: ...
"You...don't object?" She looked at Xiao Yan apprehensively.
"It's my sister's life, I won't interfere." Xiao Yan lowered his eyes carefully arranging the apple slices neatly: "Xu JiaNing has some ulterior motives and isn't that simple, but he's not inherently bad and sticks strongly to his principles. He isn't the fickle sort. I can rest assured leaving my sister to him. Though..."
He paused for a moment: "Gaining his father's approval won't be easy."
"We're just casually dating, nothing long-term." Xiao Qian hugged her knees, smiling gently: "Please, you're just going off to college. Why does it sound like you're preparing your last will?"
Xiao Yan smiled faintly and placed the fruit platter with toothpicks in front of Xiao Qian.
Looking at the plate of apple crescents, each slice was near identical in size and shape, more orderly than a military parade.
Having endured much hardship in the past, Xiao Yan was very meticulous about life. He tried his best to live well within his means.
His future girlfriend would probably be very happy. Xiao Yan was so attentive.
"Did you and little ChuSui really end things?" Xiao Qian looked at him inquisitively, trying to glean something from his calm, still eyes: "Who initiated the breakup?"
"Neither of us brought it up."
"Neither?"
"Mm. I transferred schools so we naturally drifted apart."
"Transferring schools shouldn't have led to..."
"The firefighter who died saving me from the fire was her dad."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Qian's hand froze mid-bite. After a long pause, she put down the apple and gently hugged Xiao Yan from behind.
"That wasn't your fault."
Xiao Yan smiled bitterly as he mechanically chewed an apple slice. "She didn't hate me."
Xiao Yan knew Lin ChuSui didn't truly hate him, even after all those hurtful things he said.
In his estimation, those sharp, knife-like words should have completely sabotaged his mission progress.
Yet they didn't. The progress bar remained at 50%.
That was enough for Xiao Yan.
Enough for him to willingly and resolutely go to his death.
...
That night, the summer night breeze was cool. There were faint sounds of children playing tag in the distance. Lin ChuSui walked alone to the wall of Aglaia flowers.
Tomorrow, she would leave for the police academy up north to start closed training. This was her last time coming here. She wouldn't return again.
The aglaia had bloomed all over the red wall, trailing down in lush greenery.
Her fingertips gently brushed the vines as the little white flowers swayed lightly in the breeze...
Just as Xiao Yan said, it really was beautiful.
Recently, the area had become a trendy spot for girls to take pictures.
Leaning against the flower wall, Lin ChuSui took out her phone to compose a message -
"Dad's matter, I never blamed you. As for you deceiving me, as long as you say you had difficulties, I would..."
After typing it out, she immediately deleted every word.
How foolish.
It was clearly over between them. She had moved on and didn't cling onto him like some pathetic girl.
After deleting the previous message, she wrote: "Xiao Yan, I'm leaving tomorrow. I wish you happiness!"
Just then, a familiar chuckle sounded beside her ear: "Wishing you happiness is so cliché. Your dad wouldn't have said that even when he was dating."
"Ah!"
Lin ChuSui was so startled by these words that she nearly flung her phone away.
She saw a lone man sitting on the swing, swaying back and forth, his figure fading in and out of sight.
The ghastly white streetlamp behind him shone over, stinging Lin ChuSui's eyes. She reflexively raised a hand to block the glare.
His features were obscured in the shadows, vague and indistinct.
"Is that...Dad?"
"Took you long enough to recognize me!"
"What the!!!" Lin ChuSui pointed at him and shrieked: "Am I dreaming? Are you human or ghost?!"
Lin Xiuze's mouth twitched. "Is that what you think of your dad?"
"Dad...it's really you!"
Lin ChuSui still couldn't believe it. She walked towards him, but Lin Xiuze suddenly called out to stop her: "My dear, your dad has a few words he wants to tell you. Just listen quietly."
Lin ChuSui was beyond shock and fear. Sadness and longing instantly filled her heart. "It's dad...Dad, you didn't leave after all."
"Do you remember what that cheap older brother of yours told you?"
"I...I remember."
Lin Xiuze rocked the swing slightly, emitting an eerie creaking sound. He continued: "What he said wasn't wrong. Dad has always been here, by your side, watching over you unseen as you grew up."
The summer night breeze gently blew her hair. Strands brushed over her eyes, turning them slightly red.
"Really...?"
"Seeing you become who you are today, finding your own path in life, Dad is truly happy." Lin Xiuze said with a smile: "It's just that now, a silly boy wants to give this life back to me, to give me back to you..."
"You mean Xiao Yan?"
"That was the agreement between me and him. He kept his promise, so I should keep mine."
Lin Xiuze beckoned to Lin ChuSui. "Dear, come here."
Lin ChuSui ran over to him, wanting to embrace him. But Lin Xiuze only had her sit on the swing beside him.
She looked closely at her dad. He hadn't changed at all, still as she remembered. Always smiling, with laughter lines at the corners of his eyes.
"Dad, can I hold your hand?" Lin ChuSui asked in a trembling voice.
He looked at her gently: "Dear, you've grown up. You can take every step towards your future well, even without your dad holding your hand."
The fortitude and courage that had supported Lin ChuSui these past six months finally began to crack at this moment. "Dad, I was disobedient before, I'm sorry..."
"What are you sorry for? It's Dad who should be sorry, for leaving you to withstand the winds and rains of the future alone at such a young age."
"I'm not afraid." Lin ChuSui wiped her tears and sniffed. "I just...I just miss you a lot."
"There, there, don't cry. Dad has no regrets about his decision, because that boy I saved was worth it." Lin Xiuze said with a smile:
"You're embarking on a new journey tomorrow. This place is beautiful. Let Dad take a picture of you here."
"But my makeup is ruined." Lin ChuSui forced an ugly smile as she wiped her tears dry.
"You look the same with or without makeup."
"I do not!"
Lin ChuSui handed her phone to Lin Xiuze, then jogged over to stand below the aglaia wall. She struck a silly scissor-hands pose.
"Dad, help me take a nice one!"
"Don't worry."
Lin Xiuze pressed the shutter button, and in the flash of the camera, Lin ChuSui's eyes blinked. When her eyes adjusted to the light around her, the swing was empty and bare, her dad’s figure gone, only his phone left behind, sitting alone on the swing.
A gust of wind blew by, and Lin ChuSui awoke as if from a dream.
“Dad.”
“Dad, are you still here?”
Tears streamed down her cheeks as she walked to the swing and sat down, picking up the phone. The last photo on the phone, a radiant smile, forever frozen under the seven li fragrant flower wall.
...
Xiao Yan lay in bed, eyes closed, waiting for time to pass second by second.
The midnight moonlight shone through the window into the room, falling on his cold face.
28 minutes, 27 minutes, 26 minutes...
He reviewed this short life before his eyes, having lived in an orphanage since he could remember.
There were many children in the orphanage, but few resources. Even the candy given out weekly couldn’t make it into every child’s hands.
From a very young age, Xiao Yan learned how to act cute and pitiful, in order to get more attention and more resources.
People like him didn’t know what kindness was, what selflessness was... The only thing he knew was to fight and grab.
But this past short year, he experienced a joy and happiness he had never known before, that kind of willingness from the bottom of one's heart to be good to someone, even willing to give his life to her.
With Lin ChuSui, the happiness he once had was worth a lifetime of loneliness and ignorance.
It was enough.
Xiao Yan closed his eyes.
10 minutes, 9 minutes, 8 minutes...
However, in the last ten minutes, Xiao Yan realized the progress bar on his mission had suddenly changed -
51%, 52%, 53%...
He quickly sat up. In just over two minutes, the progress bar jumped to 80%, and was still rising steadily.
He panicked a little, and immediately called Lin ChuSui.
84%, 85%, 86%...
The phone rang for a long time before connecting, Lin ChuSui's obviously hoarse voice came through.
"Teacher Xiao, something wrong?"
"What's going on with you!" Xiao Yan was very anxious and panicked, pretending to be fierce: "I've never liked you before! Not for a minute, not for a second."
89%, 90%...
"What's wrong with you, I said I don't like you, why can't you just forget it, can you have some self-respect?"
"Xiao Yan, I'm leaving tomorrow, can you come see me off?"
Xiao Yan's heart was twisted in knots, pulsating slightly. Every breath hurt.
"T3 terminal at Nancheng Airport, 6:30 pm."
"I won't come."
"Whether you come or not, I'll wait for you."
95%, 96%...
In the last thirty seconds, 98%.
Xiao Yan stood up and paced around the room twice, finally deciding to tell her the truth: "Lin ChuSui, I can give your dad back to you. Don't you want your dad anymore?"
"I do, but dad has made his choice, just like he never interfered with my choices, I also respect his choice."
"Lin ChuSui!" Xiao Yan was really anxious now: "There's nothing left in my life worth lingering for, but he's different, he still has you..."
"Nothing left worth lingering for?" Lin ChuSui smiled shallowly: "Then let me ask you one last question, Xiao Yan, do you still...linger for me?"
98%, last twenty seconds.
Xiao Yan's mind went blank, only her last words echoed.
"Do you still...linger for me?"
99%, last ten seconds.
Xiao Yan's heart suddenly calmed down. He closed his eyes and answered firmly and sincerely: "Didn't I...already give you my answer before."
"Did you?"
"That day, on the note, you asked me, 'I only wish your heart be like mine', and the next line was..."
3, 2, 1.
"I promise I'll never disappoint, this longing in my heart."
100%.
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