DREB CHAPTER 83

Lu Lianning stood by the hospital room’s window, watching as Li Yan’s figure disappeared into the distance.

Step by step, he walked away, his slender frame never once turning back.

In Lu Lianning’s sight, his silhouette grew smaller and smaller until it finally vanished.

Lu Lianning remained still, unmoving, his gaze fixed ahead.

He wondered why Li Yan hadn’t looked back, why his steps were so unhurried yet so resolute.

It shouldn’t have been like this. This moment shouldn’t have been like this.

Right now, dark clouds should have covered the sky, and the whole city should have lost power.

In the shadows, only Lu Lianning’s spot would have held a faint light.

Then, Li Yan, terrified of the dark, would have slowed his steps or perhaps even turned around.

But he didn’t.

From the moment Li Yan left, Lu Lianning remained in the same posture, even as the sun set and the silvery moonlight bathed him once again.

He stood like a statue covered in dust.

The 22-year-old Lu Lianning would have shattered every piece of equipment in the hospital room to express his anger and grief. But at 27, he only stood there.

Li Yan left this season, as spring blossoms and life renews, to embrace a new chapter—one filled with light, freedom, and sunshine—leaving Lu Lianning behind in an eternal, icy winter.

No spring could feel colder than this day.

Standing by that window felt like standing at the center of all the world’s winds.

It wasn’t until dawn, when the first hint of morning light appeared on the horizon, that Lu Lianning finally moved his numb, stiff body. He lay down on Li Yan’s hospital bed, pulling the blanket over himself.

Slowly, he wrapped his arms around the blanket, curling up, clinging to any trace of Li Yan’s scent.

He buried himself completely beneath the covers.

But as he’d once said, Li Yan had no scent. Li Yan’s scent was his own.

And so, there was nothing left.

Li Yan had left nothing behind and taken nothing with him.

What Lu Lianning hadn’t wanted to face, what he feared most, had still come to pass.

The inevitable yet unhurried had happened. Even if dark clouds had filled the sky and the city had lost power, Li Yan would have left all the same.

So, Lu Lianning thought it was a relief that Li Yan hadn’t looked back. If he had, even just once, Lu Lianning wouldn’t have been able to let go. He would have ended up being that capricious, fickle villain all over again.

Outside the hospital, Qi Zhen had spent the whole night smoking by the front entrance. Each ash fell with a flicker, the glowing cigarette bright against the dark.

It wasn’t until he saw the figure by the sixth-floor window disappear that he finally stomped his numb feet and turned toward his car.

He stubbornly watched over Lu Lianning, just as he had when they were kids. Whenever Lu Lianning got into trouble, Qi Zhen would always rush to shoulder half the blame.

–

At 5:30 PM, Li Yan returned to Wujingwan Town.

Chen Yu had gone back to school, leaving a card with Li Yan, calling it just some pocket money. Li Yan didn’t refuse.

By the time he reached the depths of the forest, the sky had already darkened. The dead grass beneath his feet was thick, and each step made a noisy rustle. He had been suppressing his discomfort for a while, but now he could no longer hold it back. Leaning against a tree, he began to cough.

His body seemed unable to endure even the slightest chill, and the early spring weather wasn’t warm at all.

After five or six minutes, he calmed his violently heaving chest and continued walking.

When he finally reached Chen Yaxin’s grave, he slowly crouched down, raising a hand to touch the serene smile on Chen Yaxin’s photo.

He no longer wanted to tell her the lie that he was doing well. In a hoarse voice, he said, “I’m so tired… Maybe I should have left with you back then.” His eyes were filled with sadness, and his face looked utterly exhausted.

He sniffled, his eyes reddening again. A cold wind blew, lifting his thin coat. Covering his mouth and nose with his hand, he started coughing violently, finally coughing up a mouthful of blood. A small smear of blood remained on his hand.

Unable to hold himself up any longer, he collapsed to his knees, his body hunched over. His clothes clung to his back, revealing the outline of his bones.

If I could choose, I wouldn’t want to die in front of you in this broken body, which bore a child for another man. Li Yan’s tears flowed again. He reached out, wanting to touch the cold tombstone, but when he saw the blood on his fingers, he slowly drew his hand back, fearing he might stain Chen Yaxin’s grave.

Suddenly, he felt filthy, unworthy of dying in front of her.

But he was going to die. This was his only remaining wish. He apologized to her again in a low voice, hoping she wouldn’t be angry. After all, Chen Yaxin had always been gentle and would forgive him.

He lay down in front of her grave, hoping the fallen leaves would cover him. He wished that in ten days, or maybe longer, someone would find him and understand his final wish: To be buried beside Chen Yaxin.

In that moment, Li Yan felt a peace like never before. He no longer felt the cold. His mind grew foggy, his consciousness slipping away.

Just as he thought he could quietly slip away, a sudden beam of light shone down on him.

The brightness stung his eyes, making him frown. Before he could make out the figure approaching, he heard hurried footsteps crunching over dead branches and leaves. Liu Qing’s slightly exasperated voice called out, “Hey! Aren’t you a few years too late to be dying for love!”

Li Yan opened his eyes and saw Liu Qing striding toward him. Without hesitation, Liu Qing yanked him up from the ground, giving Li Yan’s haggard face a disapproving click of his tongue.

When Li Yan had dozed off earlier, the sky wasn’t completely dark. Now, it was pitch black, with only the faint glow from Liu Qing’s flashlight providing any light.

Li Yan stared blankly at the light, unable to snap out of it for a moment.

Liu Qing called his name twice before he slowly responded. Li Yan asked, “What are you doing here?”

Seeing his vacant expression and flushed face, Liu Qing reached out to feel Li Yan’s forehead and cursed, “Damn, you’re burning up. Don’t let the fever fry your brain.”

Liu Qing dragged the frail Li Yan all the way back to his house.

Li Yan’s place was in terrible shape. It had been years since anyone had lived there, and dust lay in thick layers. The electricity and water had been cut off. Liu Qing slapped his head, cursing himself for being an idiot, and took Li Yan back to his own home.

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Author’s note:
This story has a HE. If you’re rooting for a BE, you can stop reading here. Up next: chasing the wife