Chapter 153 Li Yong is dead. No matter what, he doesn't need to think about it anymore…

Li Yong died in December 2014.

He was found unconscious in a dilapidated rented room, half-dead. Three days later, the landlord came to collect the debt and found him. There were scattered beer bottles and various kinds of medicine on the floor; it was a truly pitiful sight.

Li Yong probably never imagined in his life that he would be brought down by his own actions; he brought about his own demise.

After receiving a call from the hospital, Li Leshan rushed back to Shengping from Beijing.

The corridor of Shengping First People's Hospital was dimly lit, and the lights flickered. Li Leshan, covered in sweat, ran to the operating room. He stood at the door, his eyes fixed on the red words "In Surgery" on the sign.

Since Li Yong was released from prison in early 2011, three years have passed. In the twenty years of Li Leshan's life, he has been tormented by Li Yong for more than ten years, tormenting him as if he had died several times.

Images of those years flashed through my mind: the sounds of pots and pans being smashed on the ground, countless curses and resentments, and the indelible scars left on my body from the beatings…

Li Leshan snapped out of his daze and returned to reality. He slowly sat down on the bench and touched the scar on his left wrist. Staring at the scar, which was no longer too gruesome, Li Leshan couldn't help but wonder what he had been thinking back then. Did he really just want to die? Did he really not want to live anymore?

I can't think about it anymore; just thinking about it makes sweat trickle down my forehead.

I don't know how much time passed, but suddenly the light on the doorplate went out. The doctor took off his mask, his tone tinged with apology, "We did our best. The patient was brought in with multiple organ failure. The preliminary assessment is that it was sudden death caused by long-term alcoholism and drug abuse. Please accept my condolences."

Li Leshan stood there, expressionless.

The shadow that had loomed over him for over a decade vanished with Li Yong's death. Life is unpredictable; the person he had fought so hard to escape, the fate he had desperately tried to reverse, was rewritten in the blink of an eye.

Human life is so fragile.

There was no need for him to grieve; Li Leshan felt nothing at the moment. He nodded quietly, indicating that he understood. His calm demeanor led the nurse beside him to believe he was simply too grief-stricken to react.

The nurse secretly watched Li Leshan for a long time. She had seen all kinds of life and death scenes in the hospital. She had seen the departure of her closest relatives, her best friends, and her beloved. She had seen people cry their hearts out. But she had never seen him like this before, so indifferent. He was as calm as if he had just been told something trivial that had nothing to do with him.

He must hate Li Yong. He hates Li Yong for ruining his life, he hates Li Yong for killing his mother, he hates Li Yong for his heartlessness, and he hates Li Yong for dying so easily...

He deserved to be torn to pieces, so why did he die so easily, leaving such deep wounds that he could never get rid of them for the rest of his life? Why did he die so decisively, yet his pain lingered for a lifetime?

He stood there in front of the operating room, like a statue, completely motionless. Only when his toes went numb did Li Leshan slowly turn around and lift his feet.

As he left the hospital, a light snow began to fall. The snowflakes landed on Li Leshan's face, their icy coldness making him feel a little more awake. He stood at the hospital entrance, watching the pedestrians and passing vehicles on the street, unsure of where to go.

Shengping has changed, yet it seems like nothing has changed at all. The grocery store on the street corner is still there, only the sign has been replaced; the post office across the street has been repainted and looks much cleaner; the small shopping mall in the distance has closed down, its roller shutters plastered with various rental notices and small advertisements.

Li Leshan walked slowly, snowflakes falling on his shoulders. He thought of Jiang Yueming again. What would his reaction be if he knew Li Yong was dead? Would he be happy for him? Or what...?

Since summer, there has been no news of Jiang Yueming. He has vanished like a drop of water into the sea of ​​people.

Li Leshan walked to the Lijiang River. In winter, the river level was not high and it was very shallow. He remembered catching fish in the river with Jiang Yueming and Han Jiang when he was a child. The two of them went into the river with great enthusiasm, while Li Leshan stood on the bank and watched.

The river was crystal clear then, and you could see small fish swimming around. Jiang Yueming braided his trouser legs high and quickly caught a fish. The little fish thrashed about, seemingly protesting his actions. Then, Jiang Yueming strode out of the river in a few steps, holding the fish, his bright eyes smiling at him.

He found a flat rock by the river and sat down, taking his phone out of his pocket. The screen lit up; the wallpaper was still a photo of him and Jiang Yueming from years ago, though it was a bit blurry due to the low resolution. In the photo, both of them were smiling brightly, Jiang Yueming's arm around his shoulder, with the Lijiang Bridge and the river in the background.

His fingers gently traced Jiang Yueming's smiling face, then he opened his contacts and found the number he hadn't dialed in a long time.

He pressed the dial button and held the phone to his ear. A long busy tone came through the receiver, over and over again, until the call was automatically disconnected.

"Hello, the number you dialed is temporarily unavailable..."

Li Leshan didn't put down his phone; he simply remained in that position, sitting quietly by the river.

Li Yong is dead. With that, the last blood relative he had in the world was gone. The nightmares that had haunted him for over a decade, the deep scars etched into his body and heart, the countless nights of fear and despair—all ended the moment Li Yong died.

But he felt no sense of relief.

The snow fell heavier and heavier, snowflakes gradually covering his shoulders. Li Leshan slowly stood up, brushed the snow off his body, and walked back the way he had come. His steps were still slow, but more determined than before.

Regardless, he no longer needs to think about it. At least tonight, he no longer needs to think about who hates whom, who resents whom, or who wishes whom dead.

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

Author's note: Seeing this title, who wouldn't want to click in and take a look!