“When I was eight, if you hadn’t appeared, I would have killed that old man and escaped from that mountain. I had planned my route and prepared to wander aimlessly, but you reached out and offered to take me home.” Jiang Nanshu paused here.
“Through all the twists and turns, I never had a home.”
Zhou Yanxu remained silent for a long time, so long that Jiang Nanshu thought that he had woken up from his dream.
His eyes were gentle, and his tone was soft: “You already have one. You have people who care about you, people who love you, and people you care about, people you want to love. You will have a happy home in the future. I won’t let you die.”
Jiang Nanshu scoffed.
Do you think you’re a god? (T/N: Yes, he is, hehe…)
You think you can control her life and death?
The dream ended quickly.
Jiang Nanshu opened her eyes; it was already bright outside.
She looked somewhat dazed. How could she be dreaming?
She had clearly taken sleeping pills.
Ever since her last dream of Lu Qingyan, she had increased her dosage to prevent herself from dreaming of those bizarre scenes again.
The pain of his grabbing her made her heart pound, even fill her with terror.
This guy could even catch her in her dreams; it was terrifying.
Moreover, the Lu Qingyan in her dream was clearly a completely different person from his usual self, very abnormal.
Jiang Nanshu didn’t know if the flow of time in that world was the same as in hers. If it were, then she had been dead for almost two years.
Lu Qingyan had probably found someone new by now.
He had long forgotten about her, his old flame.
This dream with Zhou Yanxu was also strange, as if she were really talking to him in real life.
She shook her head, trying to banish the dream.
…
Winters in Beijing are very cold.
Jiang Nanshu has become too lazy to go to the company anymore. She spends her days at home by the fire or going to the hospital to get some medicine to stabilize her condition.
As the New Year approached, Jiang Nanshu received an invitation from Uncle Qi.
He wanted her to come home with him for the New Year.
Jiang Nanshu glanced at the invitation, then turned and burned it in the stove.
She had lost count of how many times Uncle Qi had invited her, and she had never gone.
To her, betrayed feelings held no meaning.
She just hadn’t expected that this invitation was Uncle Qi’s ‘suicide note’.
On New Year’s Day, he committed suicide by burning charcoal, dying in his courtyard house.
She heard that he died peacefully, dressed neatly, having cleaned all the rooms, even settled the old cat, and holding a letter of repentance in his hand. He died with regret.
Jiang Nanshu sneezed, holding Xiao Xiao in her arms.
The cat had been brought to her by Uncle Qi, and she was the first to discover Uncle Qi’s death.
She only glanced at him before calling the police and an ambulance.
Even though he had already stopped breathing.
Jiang Nanshu didn’t read the letter of repentance in Uncle Qi’s hand.
She didn’t want to see those words of ‘a life for a life’, using his death to stop her revenge against Zhou Yanbai, to restore peace to the Zhou family.
Was that possible?
Jiang Nanshu sat by the window, holding Xiao Xiao in her arms. She stroked the cat’s head and pinched its ears.
“Xiao Xiao, it seems like you’re the only one who’s been with me since I grew up.”
Xiao Xiao tilted its head and glanced at her.
“Meow.”
It didn’t know that Uncle Qi, who had cared for it for so long, had passed away.
It just rolled around on Jiang Nanshu’s lap affectionately, rubbing its head against her palm in a pleading manner.
“You really are carefree.” Jiang Nanshu chuckled and flicked its ear.
“Being a cat is so much fun. Eating and sleeping, sleeping and eating. You don’t have to do anything.” Jiang Nanshu complained, pinching its chubby cheek.
“Meow~”
Xiao Xiao meowed in dissatisfaction, wriggling free from Jiang Nanshu’s arms and waddling over to the fireplace to warm itself.
*****
Translator’s Comment:
Btw, there will be an extra story about Zhou Yanxu’s background and why he help Jiang Nanshu.
You can support this lovely translator and your favorite series by buying me a cup of Ko-fi ( ˘▽˘)っ♨
I will really appreciate it. ♥️♥️♥️
Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152