The Last Letter

Lin Chaoying lay drowsily on the chair, her eyes half-open and slightly slit, waiting for Linlin to come out.

Jiang Xu leaned against the other side, waiting for Jiang Chuan Valley.

"Jiang Xu," Lin Chaoying said, too tired to speak, "why don't you and Jiang Chuangu come stay at my guesthouse?"

"Huh?" Jiang Xu reacted as if she had heard a ghost story. "Is your guesthouse safe? And Jiang Chuan Gu might not even want to go back."

Lin Chaoying said weakly, "My place is the safest place, and there's police surveillance. You saw the bald, scarred man the police showed you. Aren't you afraid that when he finds out Jiang Chuangu was released, the first thing he'll do is seek revenge on him?"

Jiang Xu was skeptical. "But wouldn't it be easier to get him back from your place?"

"Ask Jiang Chuan Valley later." Lin Chaoying was too lazy to explain further, and simply said, "My place is really the best place for you right now. The scenery is great, and at worst, we can all die there together."

Jiang Xu felt it was unreliable, but she also sensed that her relationship with Jiang Chuan Gu was unusual, so she decided to ask her later.

Just then, the elevator dinged, and Linlin and two policewomen stepped out.

"Sister." Linlin looked extremely tired and walked limply to Lin Chaoying's side.

Lin Chaoying draped a coat over her shoulders, saying, "It gets chilly at night."

The policewoman handed her the medical report and said, "There's nothing seriously wrong. There were signs of hypnosis a few days ago, so you'll be mentally exhausted during this period. Rest for a week to recover. If you're still in the same state, then we'll consider going to the hospital for medication."

"Thank you," Lin Chaoying said, expressing her gratitude.

"Jiang Chuan Valley!" Jiang Xu's excited voice came from behind, "What happened to you, and you're in this state?"

Lin Chaoying turned her head. The man's angular face was full of sorrow and vicissitudes. His bangs covered his eyes, so his expression could not be seen. He nodded slowly, his back was hunched, and he could hardly stand.

She gazed at him from afar, without saying a word.

Suddenly, a tall figure passed through the doorway, cursing, "Jiangchuan Valley! You heartless beast!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a fist landed on Jiangchuan Valley's face.

Jiangchuan Valley could not withstand such a powerful attack. His body fell heavily to the ground, like a dead man, without any reaction.

Jiang Xu tried to pull the man away, but was elbowed and pushed to the ground. Two policewomen rushed to break up the fight.

Lin Chaoying strode forward, pushing through the crowd, grabbed the man by the back of his collar, pulled him back, took off her high heel with one hand, and slammed it into his face. Pointing at the man, she angrily shouted, "This is a police station! What are you doing!"

Police officers who heard the noise rushed to the first floor and quickly subdued the man.

The man charged at Jiang Chuangu like a wild bull, yelling, "Jiang Chuangu! You fucking pay for my brother's life!"

Everyone stood there, stunned.

Jiang Xu, clutching his bleeding nose, stood up. "Li Ming? What are you doing here?"

Dawn shouted recklessly, "You called my brother to this ravine with just one phone call, did you kill him?!"

Officer Li: "Enough! This is a police station! Stop shouting! Control yourself!"

Lin Chaoying turned her head and saw Jiang Chuangu lying on the ground, his eyes half-open, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth, like a withered flower stuck in the mud... lifeless.

Officer Li ordered someone to take Li Ming away.

Lin Chaoying asked Jiang Xu, "Would you like to come to my guesthouse?"

Jiang Xu exclaimed in surprise, "You've practiced martial arts?"

Lin Chaoying said calmly, "No, it was all brute force."

Officer Li stopped Jiang Xu: "We've fixed Li Chao's computer. It contains not only videos and work documents, but also a letter. You can show it to Jiang Chuangu; it's addressed to him."

Spring came too late this year; there was no sign of life in May, and traces of winter remained everywhere, leaving scars all over the ground.

At the entrance of a guesthouse in Kekexili.

After Lin Chaoying stopped the car, she pressed the doorbell and helped Linlin out of the car from the passenger seat. In the back seat, Jiang Xu carried the half-dead Jiang Chuangu.

When Zhou Pei ran out of the inner room and saw Jiang Chuan Gu, her smiling face instantly fell.

The ancestor actually came back?

Lin Chaoying warned, "If you dare to tell anyone, it won't be as simple as just having your salary docked!"

Zhou Pei: "I know, sis. The rooms have been arranged, 201 and 202."

Linlin returned to her dormitory in the backyard and lay down on the sofa without saying a word. Lin Chaoying helped her change her coat, carried her to bed, covered her with a blanket, and closed the door.

She stood in the courtyard, looking up at the high-hanging moonlight. Her body grew colder and heavier. Leaning against the wall, she took out her phone and sent a message: Come to Hoh Xil immediately.

The other party replied: Okay.

Lin Chaoying closed her eyes and listened carefully to the sounds coming from the second floor.

Jiang Xu seemed to have lost his patience: "Jiang Chuangu! Can you stop being half-dead!"

After a long silence, he sighed and relented, "Li Chao left you a letter. Shall I read it to you? Otherwise, I'm afraid you'll jump off a building and commit suicide in the middle of the night..."

"Gu Zi, it's been a long time..."

As Lin Chaoying listened, that gentle face appeared before her eyes.

--

Gu Zi, it's been a long time.

I vaguely remember the first time we met was when you were 13. You were pale and thin, with bandages on your head, and you looked like a little bean sprout. I never imagined that you would be taller than me now and become a big star. I was fortunate enough to be a part of your journey for less than three years.

Does it seem strange that I'm writing this letter?

Do you remember when we first argued when we were 13? You bit my arm and wrote me an apology letter.

Now, I also need to explain the reasons for what happened 15 years ago.

I hope to untangle this knot in my heart that has lasted for more than ten years, so that it doesn't become a ticking time bomb someday.

I gave up on debuting back then for three reasons:

① Family reasons. My family needs someone to support the family business and shoulder this responsibility. Firstly, I enjoy the benefits brought by the money and power in the family, and I have to repay them accordingly; secondly, my younger brother's dream is to be a policeman, and if someone in the family has to give up their freedom, I believe I am more capable of doing so.

②Personal reasons. I love singing, and I love pure singing and songwriting. But if I debut, I worry that I'll be in a cutthroat arena of profit and won't be able to maintain my original passion. I'm proud and arrogant, and I think that if I can't have complete control, then I'd rather go to an industry I don't like. Even if it changes everything, it won't desecrate my love for it.

③In the end, it really was because of you. Back then, Boss Guan showed me the debut list. That year, he suddenly gave up on a large group of 16 members to create a small boy group of 7. After a comprehensive evaluation of abilities, you were ranked 8th. I know your family situation; if you lost this job, you would face losing everything, and it might even affect your survival.

Therefore, I gave up debuting for the sake of my family, my father, my brother, myself, and my best friend.

I know your personality and the company environment too well; you'll face many situations I can't even imagine.

But, little sprout, all I wanted then was for you to survive, to live a stable life.

I know you'll blame me for leaving suddenly, blame me for telling Jiang Xu but not you, blame me for the whole company knowing but you being the last to find out, blame me for not saying goodbye.

Later, I often wondered if we could have remained friends if I had explained things to you properly back then.

On second thought, if you had known this at 16, you might have been carrying your luggage and sleeping under a bridge the next day...

Rather than preserving this friendship, I care more about you having more options in the future.

Fortunately, we are still friends who can sit at the same table and drink together, and who can complain to each other. I hope this belated apology letter will add to your special day.

Finally, I wish you success!

By the way, the best men can only be me and Jiang Xu!

--

After Jiang Xu finished reading, he didn't say anything, and the room fell silent.

"Ha." He sneered, "I thought you two were just being dramatic, that Li Chao decorated the room for your birthday, but it turns out it was you who proposed? I had no idea! You two, you both kept it from me... How could you... How could you do this to me?"

Jiang Xu burst into tears as he complained.

“Jiang Xu…” Jiang Chuangu finally spoke, his voice hoarse, “Li Chao was right in front of me, disemboweled…”

Jiang Xu burst into tears, sobbing, "He... sob... how could such a respectable person accept this..."

Jiangchuan Valley's voice sounded like a vengeful ghost crawling out of the underworld, "I want to find the murderer."

Lin Chaoying opened her eyes, pulling herself out of her thoughts, and suddenly felt a splitting headache and a sharp pain in her chest. "Pfft—" Warm, fishy-smelling blood gushed uncontrollably from her mouth and nose. She knelt on the ground, clutching her chest tightly.

It hurts, it hurts so much!

Today, with frequent use of her hearing and the experience of her soul leaving her body, Lin Chaoying's body couldn't take it anymore. She stumbled back to her room, slammed the door shut, and felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar. She lay on the floor, constantly adjusting her breathing, trying to suppress the pain.

A knocking sound came from the door.

Lin Chaoying didn't have the strength to stand up and stared in the direction of the door.

"Lin Chaoying, it's me." A deep female voice came from the doorway.

The person at the door received no response and knocked a few more times, but then there was no further movement. Lin Chaoying felt increasingly sleepy, and her eyelids began to droop.

"Click-" The door lock suddenly turned and unlocked by itself.

A woman dressed in black burst in, and upon seeing the person and bloodstains on the ground, her eyes widened instantly. "Lin Chaoying!"

Lin Chaoying was carried to the bed. The woman took out a bottle about the size of a thumb from her pocket, poured out a few pills from her palm, and stuffed them directly into Lin Chaoying's mouth. "Suck it in!"

The moment the pill entered her mouth, Lin Chaoying felt much lighter, and the pain disappeared quickly; it was even more effective than ibuprofen.

The woman was relieved to see the color return to her pale face and then complained, "How many times did you use your superpowers today?"

"Not many times..." Lin Chaoying answered guiltily. As her strength gradually returned, she supported herself with her hands and sat up straight.

The woman sighed, "Your body is already overdrawn. You're only using your powers twice a day at most. If you don't want to die young, you'd better behave yourself!"

Lin Chaoying honestly replied, "I understand."

The woman crossed her arms. "Speak, what's the matter this time?"

Lin Chaoying took out her phone to show her a screenshot of the news. "A murder case has occurred at our guesthouse. Based on the speculation of the past few days and the evidence taken by the police, I suspect that it was not done by an ordinary person. Could we let Twelfth Street take over the case?"

"What do you suspect?" the woman asked seriously.

Lin Chaoying recounted Linlin's ordeal over the past few days, Li Chao's death, and the appearance of the bald, scarred man.

The woman's relaxed demeanor gradually tensed, and she frowned. "A bald man with a scar? I think I know who you're talking about. I'll go follow up."

Lin Chaoying: "Can you hurry up?"

The woman explained, "The main reason is that the boss recently returned to Yuzhou to investigate your case. If we want to intervene directly, the boss needs to step in. All I can do is call the boss back. Don't worry, I'll find out in two days that the case really involves people with superpowers, and we'll definitely take action immediately."

"It's not that I don't believe you," Lin Chaoying said, sounding somewhat dejected. "It's just that the person who died was a bit unusual."

The woman asked, "Your friend?"

"I suppose so," Lin Chaoying nodded. "I just don't understand. Jiazhou has been quiet for so many years, and now a superhuman suddenly appears and attacks capitalists with such violent methods? Isn't that a bit too arrogant?"

The woman pointed to her head and said disdainfully, "Some superhumans are better at using their bodies than their brains. It's normal that you can't understand their intentions. Your main task now is to rest well. I'll help you clean up the bloodstains outside later."

As she spoke, she handed her a bottle of medicine, saying, "There are five pills left in here. You can only take them once every seven days. Don't overwork yourself."

"Thank you." Lin Chaoying accepted it.

The woman patted her on the shoulder, "Don't worry, I've got it all taken care of. I'm off now!"

Lin Chaoying nodded with a smile.

Tonight is destined to be a sleepless night.