Chapter 113: Qin Liang Is Dead

My name is Qin Liang. I have loving parents and a caring older brother.

My family is very rich. Since I was a child, my family’s doting and abundant material possessions have almost turned me into a sugar cube in honey. In theory, such a life should be a smooth and happy one.

“But my childhood was not happy, not because of my family, but because of the illness I was born with.”

“When children of the same age were running and playing freely on the playground, I was lying in a hospital bed, receiving all kinds of treatment. When other children were chasing each other and making a ruckus in elementary school, I could only hide on the side and watch with envy because of my physical condition. In junior high and high school, when my peers were talking about brotherhood and romance, I was still running to the hospital every few days because of my illness.”

“Sometimes, I really wonder if I’m in the same world as them.”

“I also like to cry a lot. I don’t know if it’s because my family has spoiled me, or because of my illness, that I like to use crying to vent my emotions. Sometimes I would cry for several hours, and my mom would often call me a ‘little crybaby’ (laughs).”

“Uh, now that I’ve written this, let me think. Ah Le, you must be very sad, aren’t you? Or maybe you’re sad because of my departure. The latter should be more.”

“Pat your head. Don’t be sad. Death is the end for everyone. I’m just one step ahead of you. I’ll go down first and see if there really is an underworld in this world. If there is, I’ll go to Cat Star to pick up Baoshi, and then I’ll come down and wait for you.”

“Don’t be too sad for me. Life has to go on. Besides, who says I’m really ‘dead’? (laughs)”

“A person has three deaths in their life. I’ve only just finished the first one. I’m telling you this because I want you to take a good look at my past and remember me firmly—this way, I’ll always be with you in your memory.”

“Alright, that’s enough idle talk. It’s time to get down to business. If your box isn’t mistaken, the one reading this letter right now must be you, Tang Yunle.”

“My best friend, my best brother, and I… forget it. I won’t say this. Anyway, I’m already gone. The dead should make way for the living. I don’t need to disturb your life anymore. (Of course, when you come down one day, I’ll definitely make up for this sentence.)”

“Anyway, I still remember the first time I saw you. It was on the day we moved into school. Seeing you carry my luggage, all the way up to the eighth floor, I envied you. I envied you for having a healthy body, unlike me, who has to go to the hospital every few days.”

“Later, I discovered that besides a healthy body, you also have an interesting soul. Especially after we transmigrated to this world, this feeling became even more obvious.”

“Every time you call me ‘daddy,’ I want to pull you into my arms and give you a good rub.”

“Good daughter, remember to call me ‘daddy’ a few more times at my funeral. Hahaha!!”

“That’s all for the family matters. Ah Le, you also know what the core of our coming to this world is. I’m sorry. Although my family is powerful and influential here, in the end, we can’t shake the rules of this world. So, the following are the arrangements I’ve made for you. There are three options:”

“First, I’ll buy you a small island, build a luxurious villa, and provide you with a few maids. Supplies will be sent on time every month, so that you can live a retired life in advance.”

“Second, you can live in my manor for the rest of your life. My brother has promised me that he will treat you like his own sister. He’s a little lecherous, but he’s never broken a promise.”

“Third, go and travel the world! This world is so big. Go and see the scenery that I never had the chance to see.”

“Although female pets don’t have many human rights, they can still take the civil service exam. My family has some influence here. I can arrange a job for you that allows you to fly all over the world—you don’t have to work. You can just take the federation’s money and play as much as you want.”

“Actually, you don’t have to choose. Only children make choices. I just want you to live a comfortable life, so—I want all of them!”

“You can go and travel the world first, and then retire to a small island when you’ve had enough. Or you can live in my house as a rich second-generation first, and then go and see the world when you’re tired of it.”

“Of course, Ah Le, if one day you meet the happiness you want to pursue, don’t hesitate. The dead should make way for the living. I understand.”

“I hope you’ll be happy. That’s enough.”

“Hahaha, Yanhuo is messing with my computer desk again. I’ll stop here for now. Don’t be too sad for me. As I said before, I’m just one step ahead of you.”

“Maybe many years later, when you look back on this world, you’ll still remember that distant afternoon when school started, and that big boy with ice-blue eyes under the dormitory building. (laughs)”

Your best friend, Qin Liang.

The phone “slapped” and hit the floor. Tang Yunle bent down, picked it up, and patted off the dust.

“Thank you for being so good to me.”

She said softly to the black screen, her voice a little muffled, as if it were blocked by something. She pouted, trying to force a smile, but the corners of her mouth were stiff.

“You’re right. The dead should make way for the living.”

“Since it has come to this, let’s go to sleep first.”

The girl casually threw her phone on the bedside table, lifted the quilt, and lay down, her back to the center of the room.

The faint morning light had just begun to shine through the cracks in the curtains when Tang Yunle woke up. Her consciousness had not yet fully returned, but her throat had already moved. “Ah Liang, breakfast is…”

Her words were cut off halfway.

The space beside her was empty. The bedsheet was so smooth that there wasn’t a single wrinkle. No one had been lying there.

She maintained her side-lying posture and stared at the empty space beside her for a long time, until the emptiness made her eyes sore.

“Good morning. I wonder if you’ve gone to steal the stars and pick up Baoshi.”

Tang Yunle blinked, as if she were talking to someone.

She sat up, and the quilt slid off her shoulders, revealing the empty collar of her pajamas.

The room was so quiet she could hear her own breathing.

She slowly got out of bed, her feet on the slippers, soft and fluffy, as if she were stepping on cotton.

She didn’t go to the dining room, but to the kitchen. She opened the refrigerator. There was still half a carton of milk and two bags of toast.

Humming a little tune, she had her breakfast. Then she went to the garage, wanting to find a go-kart to go out for a drive. And then, she saw the bicycle.

That very ordinary shared bicycle that was everywhere in the Qin family manor.

It was just that one glance.

The nerves that had been numb a second ago suddenly snapped.

Tang Yunle stood there, looking at the ordinary bicycle. Her throat felt as if it had been suddenly stuffed with hot cotton, and she couldn’t make a single sound.

Tears welled up without any warning. Not sobbing, but a torrential downpour, the kind that would create dark wet marks when they fell on her clothes.

She bit her lip hard, trying to hold it back, but her shoulders still couldn’t stop trembling.

All the sadness that had been bottled up all night, that she couldn’t say, the emptiness she had felt when she woke up in the morning, the dull pain of the two words “Ah Liang” stuck in her throat, all of it burst forth the moment she saw this bicycle.

When a person is at the peak of their grief, they can’t cry, until an old object comes to remind them—that big boy with ice-blue eyes, who she would take for a bike ride, was really gone.