Finish

Inside the factory, Liang An heard gunshots and abruptly looked up. Wen Zhi also woke up with a start.

“He lied to him,” Liang An murmured.

Minutes later, chemical police cautiously entered the factory and deactivated the chemical equipment. Medical personnel and police then rushed in and rescued the two teenagers.

"You're safe now," a policeman said as he cut the restraints on Wen Zhi's hands and feet.

Wen Zhi stood up and looked out the door. In the moonlight, he could see a group of people gathered there, and a human figure lying on the ground.

"Is he dead?" Wen Zhi asked.

The police officer hesitated for a moment: "The sniper was on orders. Mr. Li has already... We are very sorry you have to go through all this."

Liang An's eyes were bloodshot, his Adam's apple bobbed, and his voice was filled with an overwhelming weariness: "He just wanted the truth. He never hurt us."

The police officer's expression was complex: "Regardless, kidnapping is a crime. He has grievances to pursue through legal channels..."

Silence engulfed Liang An like a tidal wave. He stared at the distant figure, his eyes lifeless, his mouth opening and closing silently without uttering a sound. His eyelids suddenly sank, and he lost consciousness completely, collapsing to the ground. The accompanying medical personnel immediately transferred him to a stretcher, carried him out of the factory, and placed him for a medical examination.

The kidnapping and Li Wei's death caused a huge uproar online. The media gave extensive coverage to the kidnapping case, inevitably mentioning Li Wei's motives—Li Yuwen's suicide and the uninvestigated pregnancy.

Public opinion surged like a burst dam, overwhelming the police. The investigation into Li Yuwen's case was reopened.

A week later, the investigation made a breakthrough. In the cloud backup of Li Yuwen's phone, the police restored the deleted information records and also found a cloud account that Li Yuwen had used before his death. All the information pointed to one person—Zhang Yi, a key mathematics teacher at Haicheng No. 1 Middle School.

It all started when Li Yuwen first enrolled at Haicheng No. 1 Middle School.

Li Yuwen is a typical daughter from an ordinary family. As a child, she was raised by her parents to be very obedient and well-behaved, and because she had no temper, she had a very low profile. After her mother passed away due to illness, she understood her father's hardships and became even more obedient, quiet, and never caused trouble.

After being admitted to Haicheng No. 1 High School, she was not particularly noticeable among her classmates and was often lost in the crowd. She was so ordinary that she received very little attention or kindness. She was never the center of attention, and she often thought that perhaps one day she would disappear from the school and no one would even notice.

Despite her ordinariness, she caught the attention of her math teacher, Zhang Yi, shortly after enrolling in school. In her eyes, Mr. Zhang was so kind and approachable. He always smiled gently at her, affirmed everything about her, and comforted her grief over losing her mother. She regarded him as the elder she trusted most, yet she was always uneasy, feeling that everything beautiful was stolen.

The first time she was kissed, she was terrified and ashamed, but being inexperienced, she didn't know how to express that fear and shame. What Zhang Yi valued was her docility; the experienced man knew that no one had ever taught a girl raised under such traditional rules how to behave after being offended.

However, this shame was suppressed in Li Yuwen's heart, and as time went by, it became an unresolved knot in his heart.

To combat her shame and fear, she gradually transformed her initial thought of "How could Teacher Zhang kiss me?" into "Why did he kiss me?" He was Teacher Zhang, after all, an outstanding teacher at the school, a top graduate from a prestigious university—he was so upright and virtuous. How could she suspect that his kiss was harassment? He was so respectable, standing in a position she couldn't reach, looking down at her, so insignificant, and he even reached out to her.

Li Yuwen, a little girl with extremely low self-esteem and a fearful attitude, a pitiful little girl who is closed off in her own little world—she must find a reason that is not vulgar for this kiss.

After much thought, she could only connect the kiss with love. So she used love to cover up her shame and vulgarity, and a despicable act slowly transformed into a sincere expression of her heart. If he kissed her because he loved her, then everything made sense; he was still the dignified Teacher Zhang, and she was unworthy and should not feel any fear, anger, or resentment.

When a strong sense of inferiority welled up in his heart, Li Yuwen, like a sacrifice, sank deeper and deeper into the abyss.

If she didn't refuse the first time, how could she have the courage to refuse countless times afterward? So this poor little girl, unseen and unable to speak for herself, after countless self-examinations, finally chose to jump, finding liberation for herself and giving an answer to this unfair world.

The truth of the case came to light, causing a city-wide uproar. Several school administrators were held accountable, and Zhang Yi was arrested and prosecuted. The Education Bureau promised a comprehensive review of the school's regulations governing teacher-student relationships.

But Li Wei will never know any of this.

-----------------

Li Wei's funeral was held on a drizzly day. The graves of the three members of their family were placed side by side.

Liang An, accompanied by Ling Xiao, rushed over from the hospital. They each carried a bouquet of flowers and placed them in front of Li Wei's grave.

Neither of them spoke, standing silently in solemn silence. The rain gradually subsided, and sunlight shone through the clouds onto the tombstone.

As the two left the cemetery, they saw Wen Zhi standing not far away. For the first time, Liang An nodded to Wen Zhi and slowly walked away under Wen Zhi's surprised gaze.

After leaving the cemetery, the sunlight finally pierced through the clouds and shone on the wet asphalt road.

Is this world fair? Liang An doesn't know, and he can't find the answer. Perhaps justice will ultimately be served, but at too high a price.

A few days later, Liang An was finally discharged from the hospital.

After he was kidnapped by Li Wei, the police notified his aunt, Liang Xiaohui. She and her uncle rushed from Xing'an Town to Haicheng immediately. During Liang An's hospitalization, Liang Xiaohui and her husband stayed with him and took care of him.

Liang An inquired about his cousin Chen Yao and learned that she was doing well and temporarily being cared for by her grandmother, which brought him a sigh of relief. He still didn't want to involve his aunt's family in his uncertain life, so as soon as he was discharged from the hospital, he urged Liang Xiaohui and her husband to return to Xing'an Town.

As for Ling Xiao, he was the first person Liang An saw when she woke up in the hospital. During her hospitalization, he came to the hospital every day after school, like clockwork, and stayed until late at night before going home. Liang Xiaohui had a very good impression of this handsome young man who voluntarily came to tutor Liang An every day.

The dark gold plot marker on the story bracelet on his left wrist had already reached 50%. Liang An counted the days, knowing that his time was running out.

But after this kidnapping incident, Liang An gradually came to understand certain aspects of life, and he stopped being anxious. Unfulfilled desires may be the norm in the world; perhaps he would exhaust all his strength but ultimately be unable to rewrite the predetermined trajectory, or perhaps he would eventually be consumed by the bracelet.

So what? At least he will give it his all in the process.

After losing 50% of his life force, his body seemed to begin to adjust and adapt. The ticking sound in his mind finally disappeared, but the frequency of his nosebleeds increased, and his cough became more frequent, often coughing up bright red blood spots. He had to develop the habit of carrying a handkerchief to cover up his disheveled state.

He exuded a lingering sense of weakness, his face pale and bloodless. However, when he wasn't experiencing nosebleeds or coughing, he only felt a little weak; otherwise, everything else seemed normal.

He increasingly enjoyed being by Ling Xiao's side. Ling Xiao was like a blazing stove in the cold night, a source of warmth and salvation for someone like him who was almost frozen by the winter snow.

After being discharged from the hospital, Liang An returned to Haicheng No. 1 High School and began his high school life of leaving early and returning late.

As the end of the semester approached, a tense atmosphere enveloped the entire school. Young faces were etched with focus, everyone silently toiling away amidst mountains of practice books. Since the Li Yuwen incident, the lighthearted banter in the corridors had long since vanished, leaving only the soft rustling of leaves carried by the cold wind against the windowpanes and the scratching of pens on paper in the classrooms.

During the class meeting, the homeroom teacher tirelessly emphasized campus safety, teacher-student boundaries, and adolescent mental health. The Li Yuwen incident seemed to be over, yet it also seemed to remain in everyone's heart.

Ling Xiao told Liang An that Wen Zhi, along with other classmates, had initiated a silent memorial event. Every day before school ended, they would place a small white flower at the spot where Li Yuwen had fallen. At first, there were only a few people, but more and more people joined in. The school tried to stop it, but failed.

This activity has continued, and perhaps in many unknown corners, there are far more than just one or two people who can't let go of Li Yuwen. In the world of teenagers, the words that slip out are rough and unpolished, clearly hiding hurtful thorns, yet they themselves are completely unaware of them. Then, these thorns hurt others, while also leaving unhealable scars on their own hearts.

-----------------

"Liang An, how did the exam go?" Ling Xiao asked as he walked over to Liang An.

"It's alright, I'm fairly confident," Liang An replied with a smile.

Ling Xiao looked at Liang An. His lips were pale, his face bloodless, and even when he smiled, his brows seemed weary and strained, like a fragile porcelain doll, as if his fragile vitality would dissipate at any moment. He frowned, suppressing his worry. Since the Li Wei kidnapping case, Liang An seemed to have never fully recovered, and he was always sickly after being discharged from the hospital.

"Once this exam is over, the semester will be finished. What are your plans for winter break?" Ling Xiao asked softly.

"Hmm, I haven't thought about it yet. What about you? Do you have any plans for winter break?" Liang An asked. Actually, he had been worried that if he had to be separated from Ling Xiao for the entire winter break, he didn't know if he could withstand the corrosive effects of the bracelet. He needed Ling Xiao's protection, and his body was breaking down faster than he had expected, but he couldn't find a better reason to cling to Ling Xiao.

“I’m planning to spend the winter on the South Island. My dad has businesses there and can provide free room and board. I’ve been wanting to ask you if you want to come with me; it’s so boring going alone,” Ling Xiao said.

Ling Xiao had long planned to take Liang An to the South Island for the winter. Winters in Haicheng were extremely cold, and there was no heating indoors. Even for someone as strong and healthy as him, winter wasn't a comfortable season, let alone for the seemingly fragile and delicate Liang An. The South Island had a pleasant winter climate, neither too hot nor too cold, perfect for Liang An to recuperate.

"Hmm, would it be appropriate for me to go?" Liang An wanted to agree immediately.

“What’s inappropriate about it? Do you know how much I need a playmate? If you can come with me, I’ll have to give you a banner to thank you. What do you think should be written on the banner?” Ling Xiao winked mischievously at Liang An.

"Let's write 'Thank you for visiting, Comrade Liang An!' Haha... But let's make it clear beforehand that we'll split all the expenses."

"Of course, just wait and see if I empty your wallet..."