Chapter 260 Epilogue - New World Arc (57)

E027 recalled that day, also in this room, when Yu Qingzhou brought up the topic of when a person should apologize—

Suddenly I became curious.

Why should I apologize?

When the question was posed, E027 already had several answers in mind, ranked in order of probability, waiting for the boy to choose.

But what I actually heard was a completely unexpected answer.

I didn't realize I called your name earlier.

Yu Qingzhou explained with unusual calm.

His voice was calm and his speech was clear.

Apart from a slight hoarseness in her voice, and water stains and a faint redness at the corners of her eyes and brows, she could hardly be seen having cried.

Some people become exceptionally weak after crying, appearing utterly vulnerable as if they have lost all their strength.

Yu Qingzhou, on the other hand, is like a towel.

When it is fully soaked with water, it is at its smoothest and most slippery state. After being wrung out thoroughly, it becomes extremely hard.

Of course, once exposed to the sun, it will become soft and light again.

However, the same towel, after repeated washing and drying, will gradually lose its soft texture and eventually become dry and stiff.

Until it completely weathers away, shattering into unrecoverable dust...

—And where are the people?

Does it also possess similar characteristics?

If the answer is yes—

Does that mean that the Yu Qingzhou I saw in my dream, that weary and dusty man, was the result of being soaked, wrung out, and exposed to the scorching sun too many times...?

And what did that other self do?

That's terrifying.

Even now, E027 still cannot say for sure—

What we see in our dreams—are they memories of a past life, omens of the next, or simply figments of our imagination when our thoughts are in disarray?

But at least as the dream unfolded and tragically came to an end, looking at the boy before him, E027 felt an impulse surge in his chest without any surprise.

He didn't want to see Yu Qingzhou cry anymore.

In particular, I don't want the other person to shed tears because of me.

This desire was exceptionally strong, far exceeding the previous simple desire to derive pleasure from the boy...

My heart was pounding heavily.

There was a vague, pulling pain.

It's as if what's weighing on him right now isn't just the unspoken thoughts of "him" alone...

If only it were really just like this.

E027 thought with a hint of helplessness.

It's hard to say whether it's a stroke of luck or misfortune.

We finally met, but it happened at a time like this.

Then he chuckled to himself inwardly.

Human greed is insatiable, and I have never considered myself a virtuous person, so why bother with this pretentious act of self-reflection?

With all this free time... why didn't you do this earlier?

After Yu Qingzhou finished speaking, E027 remained silent for a long time.

Seeing that the latter had a heavy expression and a pale face, pressing his hand to his chest, he thought that something was wrong and decided to ring the bell to call someone to come and take a look.

As soon as he reached out, he was stopped in the middle of the road.

Yu Qingzhou looked over in confusion, only to see that E027 had already put on a smiling face.

"Did I scare you just now?"

E027 approached with a shameless grin.

"..."

Yu Qingzhou was speechless for a moment.

It turns out that crying is not only an expression of emotion, but also a real physical activity.

Although Yu Qingzhou's mood had recovered after her recent bout of grief, her hands and feet were still somewhat strained.

E027 simply grabbed the boy's wrist, and like catching a chick, gently pulled him into her arms.

Yu Qingzhou was choked by the minty aroma mixed with a strong medicinal smell.

At first, she was a little dazed, but when she came to her senses, she immediately struggled to try to escape the restraints.

However, he clearly forgot that E027's strength was disproportionate to the man's appearance.

Therefore, even for someone like me in my normal life, I wouldn't necessarily have much of a chance of winning against someone like that.

Moreover, at this moment, Yu Qingzhou was mindful of the other party's status as a patient and did not dare to use too much force.

E027 was clearly aware of this as well.

Therefore, the smile in his eyes was even more pronounced.

He picked up Yu Qingzhou, turned her around, walked a few steps to the bedside, and without saying a word, threw her onto the bed.

Yu Qingzhou felt a momentary loss of weight and involuntarily closed her eyes and clenched her fists—

When I opened my eyes again, my cheek was already pressed against the soft blanket.

His forehead was pressed against the front of the striped hospital gown, still completely encircled in E027's arms... This madman still had some conscience; when he fell, he didn't use him as a cushion.

However, even if E027 is willing to be that cushion, Yu Qingzhou wouldn't be very comfortable.

Firstly, they felt that E027 was too thin; her bony frame made her uncomfortable to lie on no matter how she lay down.

Secondly... at this moment, the distance between the two can no longer be described as "too close".

Their breaths mingled, their hands and feet intertwined...

E027 smiled with his head down, and Yu Qingzhou's chest seemed to tremble as well.

"Are you sick in the head?"

Yu Qingzhou finally couldn't help but express his feelings directly.

"Oh, isn't that obvious?"

As E027 spoke, he pretended to tug at his hospital gown.

That arrogant and despicable demeanor was utterly shameless.

Yu Qingzhou felt that there was no reasoning with this person, so she simply turned her face away and stopped talking.

He thought that since there was no point in arguing now, he might as well take a break and conserve his energy.

I don't know if it's because I've been up and about for too long, but despite not being comfortable lying down, a strong sense of weariness still came over me.

Yu Qingzhou closed her eyes again in drowsiness.

Just as I was drifting off to sleep, I suddenly heard a sentence in my ear—

"You were holding me so tightly just now."

"..."

"Like a frightened little rabbit, it's kind of cute."

"..."

Yu Qingzhou had already made up her mind to ignore this guy, but E027 kept muttering to himself like a primary school student on the eve of a school trip.

The sound of E027 is not loud.

Not enough to completely wake Yu Qingzhou, but just enough to keep her from falling asleep.

One of the most painful things in the world is being dragged back to reality just when you're about to fall asleep.

Especially since this process is so repetitive, it's unclear when it will end...

"That's because you suddenly went crazy," Yu Qingzhou suddenly said, her voice already carrying a hint of anger.

Over there, E027 seemed surprised that Yu Qingzhou would respond at this moment.

He paused for a moment before saying, "Yes, that was indeed a miscalculation. I'll be more careful next time."

He said he would be more careful next time, but his voice betrayed an undisguised smile.

Yu Qingzhou immediately concluded that this guy had no remorse whatsoever and was simply putting on an act.

Sure enough, the next second E027 continued, "If only you could always be this honest. If you're scared, just hold on tight like you did before, and I'll know."

E027 spoke slowly, with utmost seriousness and emotion.

If Yu Qingzhou updated her memories every seven seconds like a goldfish, she would probably really believe the other party's nonsense.

It is clearly not like a light boat.

He still clearly remembered who had helped him just now.

"Ah, you must be tired after listening to me ramble on and on for so long."

E027 seemed to suddenly realize that there was such a thing, and softened her voice, whispering in the boy's ear, "Then let's get some sleep."

Yu Qingzhou did not respond with a word, but instead responded with concrete actions.

In a half-dream, half-awake state, he vaguely heard E027 say something else.

It seems to be—

If it's you, you can call me whatever you want, because originally... that's what this name is...

"Born for you."

It's you who's leaving.

I'm thinking of you too.

Therefore, E027 doesn't actually dislike that name at all.

He was even pleased to hear Yu Qingzhou address him that way.

However, it ultimately depends on Yu Qingzhou's wishes.

Whether it's E027, Li Nian, Yun Zhi, or some other, more ancient name...

Regardless of which option Yu Qingzhou chooses, it won't change his desire to stay by the other person's side.

E027 gazed at the sleeping boy, silently finishing the rest of the sentence in her mind.

Then, just like the person she was in her dream, she lowered her head and lightly kissed the boy's forehead.

How wonderful, it's so warm.

There was no smell of dried blood either.

At the same time, it snowed in Yu Qingzhou's dream.

The overwhelming, fluttering white rain fell on his head and body, and somehow turned red.

Even stranger is...

Surrounded by such heavy snow, he didn't feel the slightest bit cold.

Instead, a long-lost sense of peace rose in my chest.

It was a comfortable feeling, like falling asleep to the sound of your own heartbeat.

Later, he seemed to be carried and walked unsteadily through the snow.

Step by step...

After walking for an unknown amount of time, the person who had been holding him carefully released his grip and placed him in an open white coffin.

Only then did he realize that he was actually dead.

Realizing that he was dead did not shock him much; instead, he had a sense of "so that's how it is."

That seems to make sense now.

He was more worried about the person he brought with him than about himself.

Because the other person was actually muttering to himself incessantly while looking at his corpse... as if he wasn't dead, but simply asleep.

That person doesn't always show up.

But every time he appears, he talks to himself like that, acting like a complete idiot.

When will you wake up?

—How is that possible?

No matter what, I will be here waiting for you.

—Fool, that's a waste of time.

[After a quick look, I've decided. The child is ten years old, about the same age as when I first met you...]

—When was the first time mentioned here?

As he was thinking this, he suddenly realized with a start that he didn't even know who he was...

Actually, if you look closely, that person wasn't entirely doing useless work.

In fact, he had been listening and answering the whole time.

The other person just can't hear it.

The person couldn't hear, and kept muttering to himself, but what he kept repeating most was what he would do when the other person woke up.

But how can a dead person wake up?

Even he himself wasn't sure if he was asleep.

Then one day, that person reappeared.

His usual smile was gone, but his body was now filled with a long-lost, heavy smell of blood.

And unusually, he only said one sentence.

The man said, "Wait for me to come back."

It carries a sense of resolute determination.

The only time, and the last time.

After that, it never appeared again...