I really like it.

The dim sunlight streamed into the Jiang family villa, where Jiang Songyun, dressed in a fluffy little mouse pajama, was imitating Jiang Songhe's dancing.

Jiang Songhe bent at a right angle, holding the camera to accommodate the child's height, capturing Jiang Songyun's adorable antics while repeatedly encouraging him in a high-pitched voice: "Songyun is so handsome! Let me see, whose little brother looks like a big star~"

Jiang Songyun, who had been frowning and trying to look cool with his chubby little face, suddenly smiled shyly after hearing Jiang Songhe's praise. He ran towards Jiang Songhe and jumped over her, tumbling her into the sofa behind him.

"Brother, when I become a big star, will you still be there for me like you are now?" Jiang Songyun asked coquettishly, blinking her watery eyes.

"It's hard to say. Being a big star is very busy. There will be a lot of people surrounding you shouting 'Songyun, Songyun, I love you!' 'Songyun, Songyun, can you sign my autograph?' In that case, your brother will only be able to see you on the headlines if he wants to see you." Jiang Songhe affectionately pinched Jiang Songyun's cheek.

Jiang Songyun's lips slowly pursed up, her walnut-shaped eyes visibly filled with tears, and after a moment of restrained trembling, her tender peach lips parted with a loud "whoosh."

"What kind of crappy celebrity is this?! I don't want to be one if you're not with me!" Jiang Songyun cried, hugging Jiang Songhe's neck.

"Why are you crying?! I was just teasing you!" Jiang Songhe gently patted Jiang Songyun's back and said softly, "I'm not going anywhere. I'll be your full-time manager from now on, okay? Okay, okay, stop crying..."

"You're lying! You won't care about me anymore after you get married and have a baby!" Jiang Songyun hugged her tighter, and her cries became heart-wrenching.

Jiang Songhe tried to lift Jiang Songyun up to wipe his tears, but the little arms and hands were surprisingly strong. He tried a few times but couldn't lift him. Helpless, he tried to coax and scare him, "If you cry again, your voice will become hoarse, and you won't be able to sing well. Be good, we won't cry anymore. What did I tell you? We are men of the Porcelain Country..."

Jiang Songyun was finally untied, and tried to act strong like a little adult, but still couldn't stop sobbing: "I won't shed...tears, and I won't kneel..."

“That’s more like it. Songyun is a real man, isn’t he?” Jiang Songhe cupped Jiang Songyun’s face and wiped away his tears with his thumbs. “I hate being lied to the most, so why would I lie to you? As long as Songyun is alright, I’ll do anything.”

...

"You're already in your thirties, how can you joke around like this without any sense of propriety?!" A deep male voice rang out.

"Me? In my thirties? Dad?!"

Before Jiang Songhe could figure out whether she was in her twenties or thirties, she quickly turned around and looked in the direction of the sound.

“Those two brothers are just playing around! I think you’ve brought your boss’s airs home. Why are you always nagging Songhe? Isn’t he your son?” Jiang’s mother came out of the kitchen and scolded Jiang’s father, then turned to Jiang Songhe and gently called out, “Come on, son, dinner’s ready.”

"Coming, Mom." Although Jiang Songhe didn't know what was strange, she didn't think much of it and happily agreed before entering the restaurant where the dishes were plentiful.

"Today is New Year's Eve, and in a few days our Songyun will be eighteen, a grown man! I'll raise a toast..." Father Jiang sat down in the main seat with a grand air, raising his cup with great swagger.

"Jiang Chenghai! Do you think this is the company's annual party, raising a glass?" Jiang's mother rolled her eyes at Jiang's father, then picked up a soft white dumpling and put it in Jiang Songyun's bowl. "Yun'er, don't listen to your dad's pretentiousness, quickly try Mom's cooking! Eat this first, Snowy Red Bean Paste, see if it still tastes the same as you've been craving!"

Young Jiang Songyun stuffed the whole dumpling into his mouth: "Hehe, Mom's the best! Wow, so sweet! This is the taste!"

"I'm happy as long as Yoon-ah likes Mommy! Whether she's eighteen or eighty, Yoon-ah will always be Mommy's darling!" Madam Kang smiled and stroked the back of Yoon-ah's head.

"Of course! If I live to eighty, then Mom and Dad will live to be a hundred!" Jiang Songyun ate a hamster that looked like it was only storing food in its cheeks.

Seeing that her father was annoyed by her rebuke and was about to drink himself, Jiang Songhe quickly picked up the wine glass in front of her and clinked it with her father's: "Dad, I was ignorant before. I shouldn't have said those things on the phone to urge you and Mom to come back. I apologize to you."

"It still has to be my eldest son..." The father and son drank their wine in sync. As soon as the father put down his glass, Jiang Songhe obediently refilled it. The father then said, "Hmm? What kind of compensation are you making? The four of us are together every day, why are you rushing us? Why are you making phone calls?"

Jiang Songhe was taken aback: "Huh? Uh... I might have been too happy and was talking nonsense... Dad, I toast you."

After finishing another glass, Jiang's father exhaled a breath reeking of alcohol, his face flushed, and began to speak to Jiang Songhe: "But you really should apologize! I haven't seen you bring a partner home for your parents. You're not getting any younger, what's the point of you staying single like this?"

"My boyfriend..." Jiang Songhe lowered her head thoughtfully as she poured herself a drink, her mind drifting away.

A figure of indistinct gender vaguely appeared at the end of Jiang Songhe's mind. The person was standing too far away for him to see clearly, and he couldn't remember who it was.

"Oh my, look! The weather outside is so beautiful!" Jiang's mother exclaimed in surprise.

The family of four looked out the floor-to-ceiling window at the same time. The sun was setting in the west, and the evening glow dyed the sky a gradient of rose gold.

For some reason, Jiang Songhe's eyes welled up with tears at this ordinary yet heartwarming scene. He turned his head and quickly ran his knuckles across his face before picking up the camera beside him and suggesting, "Let's take a family photo in front of our house!"

"Mom and Dad, I'd like to take a picture of you two first." Jiang Songhe set up the tripod in front of the house and guided his parents to their positions through the camera lens.

"Brother, I want to take a picture with Mom and Dad!" Jiang Songyun kept bothering Jiang Songhe from all sides.

“Stop messing around. Mom and Dad haven’t had a decent photo together all these years. After I take a picture of them, you can take it however you want, okay…” Jiang Songhe focused on adjusting the camera while casually patting her younger brother.

"Oh, okay then."

Upon hearing Jiang Songhe's words, Jiang Songyun obediently stopped and remained so quiet that it was as if he didn't exist.

In the eyepiece, Mr. Jiang initially refused arrogantly, but after being glared at by Mrs. Jiang, he straightened his chest and obediently cooperated. Mrs. Jiang held Mr. Jiang's arm intimately, and the two were very affectionate and full of smiles.

Time seemed to stand still in this square frame.

“Mom and Dad, this camera has a fixed-focus lens, so please stand back a little…” Jiang Songhe said.

I don't know if it's just my imagination, but my parents' faces looked exceptionally young in the setting sun, especially my mother, who had a plump and round figure and radiated a warm and peaceful maternal glow.

Mr. and Mrs. Jiang remained motionless in the same pose for the photo, simply smiling.

"Dad? Mom?" Jiang Songhe waved behind the goggles to prompt him.

boom!

Jiang Songhe was terrified by the loud crash of the vehicle hitting flesh and blood. When he refocused his gaze through the eyepiece, his parents had already disappeared from the crimson image.

"Dad! Mom!"

...

Funeral, on a rainy day.

Jiang Songhe and Jiang Songyun, carrying urns containing ashes, arrived at their parents' graves, surrounded by a procession of honored guests with black umbrellas covering the sky.

The tomb is opened facing upwards, so that the souls of the deceased may rest in peace.

Jiang Songyun collapsed and knelt before the monument for a long time, unable to get up. Jiang Songhe suppressed her heartbreak and wanted to go closer to comfort her.

"Songyun, come home with me. Mom and Dad have worked hard all their lives, let them rest in peace..."

Jiang Songyun suddenly stood up and shoved Jiang Songhe to the ground. His eyes were bloodshot, and he roared angrily, "How dare you mention Mom and Dad to me?! It's all your fault! If it weren't for you, Mom and Dad wouldn't have died! You're the one who killed Mom and Dad!"

Jiang Songhe seemed to have suddenly lost the ability to understand porcelain writing. He felt his heart clench so hard that he could hardly breathe. Every word his brother spoke was like a sharp knife, mercilessly stabbing him with holes.

"You're the one who deserves to die! I hate you!" Jiang Songyun ran away without looking back.

Jiang Songhe watched numbly as Jiang Songyun's figure disappeared into a gray maze. The rain grew heavier, the honor guard dispersed, and he remained kneeling listlessly in the mud.

"Brother Songhe." A soft female voice came.

The rain stopped only around him, and Jiang Songhe looked up.

Tao Nian, dressed in a black suit, held an umbrella for him from behind.

"Brother Songhe, I'm going abroad soon, can you... sleep with me?"

...

Tao Nian, holding onto the hem of Jiang Songhe's clothes who had remained silent the whole way, led her to a five-star hotel.

Jiang Songhe took off his half-wet black suit jacket and covered Tao Nian with it, then used his ID card to book a double room at the front desk.

Once inside the room, Tao Nian hesitated to remove her coat from her head, simply standing there blankly.

Jiang Songhe leaned over and cornered Tao Nian against the wall, placing his hand on her head. He clearly noticed that Tao Nian's whole body was trembling violently, and in the end, he simply helped her take off her damp coat.

“You’ll meet better people in the future, don’t be silly. Go dry your hair and go to sleep.” Jiang Songhe patted Tao Nian’s shoulder weakly. “I shouldn’t have scared you today. I’m just a little tired and want to find a place to rest. Don’t be afraid, I’ll sleep on the sofa.”

Jiang Songhe closed his eyes facing the wall, curled up on the sofa, the damp and cold fabric clinging to his skin. He felt extremely uncomfortable but dared not sleep. After a while, he heard the sound of someone quietly getting into bed and turning off the light from the inner room, and then he drifted off to sleep.

In his dazed state, Jiang Songhe felt himself being hugged from behind, and warm, light kisses traveled from the back of his neck to his cheeks. He still felt very cold, and instinctively, he turned over to embrace the warmth.

"Songhe, please... I don't want to leave with regrets." Tao Nian pleaded between kisses, the warmth of their embrace gradually spreading to Jiang Songhe's lower body.

Jiang Songhe instantly sobered up. He grabbed Tao Nian's hand and saw that Tao Nian's bathrobe had been mostly removed. He then raised his forearm to cover his eyes: "Listen to me, you are very good, but the first time you have to experience it with someone you are worthy of liking, understand?"

"Pure like a virgin, that's something I really like!"

"Tao Nian!" Jiang Songhe wanted to continue his earnest persuasion, but his throat suddenly felt like it was on fire, and his body ached, especially his ribs and shoulders. So he maintained his posture of stopping him and stopped making any interactive movements.

"Who are you calling?" The person on top of her persisted, moving Jiang Songhe's wrist away and then grabbing it again. "Jiang Songhe, look at me."

Tao Nian's voice has changed at some point.

...

Jiang Songhe stirred, hesitantly opened his eyes, and the scene before him was filled with ripples of dazzling colors.

Joe... Nash?!

The face is nice, but something's not quite right.

He didn't seem to be lying on the sofa; all he could see was Jonathan, shrouded in a halo of light, while Tao Nian was nowhere to be found.

Completely different from the previous times they had met, this person's eyes now held none of the cunning smile I remembered, but rather a strange tenderness and compassion... Why was my black suit on him? And how did he get in?

The dream Jiang Songhe had earlier about "a skeleton inlaid with jingling things" provided some clues.

The person in front of me is dressed in all black, and is most likely a "life-reaping messenger" who came through the wall from the underworld.

The strange occurrences we see today are likely part of the inevitable process before death – a final burst of energy before death.

That makes perfect sense.

The "death space" was unusually dry, and swallowing saliva after taking a deep breath was even more difficult. Jiang Songhe resignedly closed his eyes, thinking that when he was discovered, he would most likely be a dried-up corpse.

The "death messenger" hadn't performed its duties for a while, and after a while, it asked Jiang Songhe, "Want some water?"

End-of-life care?

It's very "humane," but unnecessary.

Jiang Songhe withdrew his hand, interlaced his fingers, and placed them on his abdomen, awaiting death.

His head and neck were lifted up, and a cool sensation reached his lips, with moisture spreading out in a line between them.

"Meng Po soup"?

No need. He has no intention of entering any cycle of reincarnation, so there's nothing he needs to forget.

Jiang Songhe kept her mouth shut, but out of respect for the identity of the "life-reaping messenger," she handed over her "remains" to him to do as he pleased.

The "Death Slayer" appears in the form of Jonah, and seems to have inherited some of the original's memories and certain traits.

"Even after all this, you're still so wary... Do I have to apologize properly before you'll drink it?"

Jiang Songhe was completely confused. Did making a dying person drink "Meng Po soup" have some kind of KPI? Did the underworld officials get commissions like human artists' agents?

Forcing someone to drink without even apologizing—what kind of roundabout tactic is this, a form of forced buying and selling?

While living people can be appeased with money, Jiang Songhe has never died, so it's unclear what a dead person can use to quell harassment.

Jiang Songhe was completely baffled, his brows furrowing into a deep frown.

Just then, he felt a peck on his forehead, and then heard the "Death Reaper" say, "Is this alright?"

So it turns out they're trying to suck people's brains out, like something out of a ghost story?

Jiang Songhe felt that this method of eating directly from the lid was understandable, but it was not very hygienic, so he frowned even more.

One "chu" wasn't enough, so they took two more "smacks".

That's enough.

Even though Jiang Songhe was barely alive, he still had a bit of a germaphobia. He couldn't bear it any longer and gave in a silent compromise.

"I'll drink it."