A cheerful cell phone rang. Gu Minhang was focused on planning his eighteenth birthday celebration. His older sister was rushing back from abroad to celebrate his eighteenth birthday, and he wanted to make the venue look nice.
Half a minute had passed since he heard his phone ring, but it kept ringing. He looked at the unfamiliar number and instinctively hung up, but the call came in again, and this time he answered.
As soon as the call connected, a businesslike female voice came from the other end: "Hello, are you a family member of Ms. Liu Nian, who was in business class seat D36 on flight XX?"
Gu Minhang thought for a moment, and realized that his older sister did indeed have this seat, so he said, "That's me."
"Sir, due to strong turbulence, the plane on flight XX lost its balance and tumbled and crashed at an altitude of 10,000 meters, disintegrating in the X mountain area. There were no survivors. We found through our information that a lady named Liu Nian was also on this flight. We would appreciate it if you could come to the police station to confirm the identity of the deceased."
Gu Minhang's heart stopped. He couldn't believe his ears. He thought he must have misheard, or it was a prank by the other party.
How could his older sister have been in an accident! She was so kind, she was destined to live to be a hundred years old, how could she possibly encounter something like a plane crash!
He remained silent for a long time before snapping out of his daze as the other person kept calling him.
"Are you a liar? Don't you think before you speak? Who did you say died? Believe me or not, I'll wipe you out!"
"Sir, we understand how you feel right now, but the situation is urgent. You should come to the police station to confirm first! It's possible that it's not someone you know."
Finally, Gu Minhang went to the police station, where he obtained the last recording of Liu Nian's life. It was only a few seconds long, but he watched it over and over again.
He still couldn't believe that his beloved older sister would leave in this way, especially on his birthday!
From that time on, Gu Minhang suddenly forgot many things. He forgot everything about the passing years and lived a life without memories of those years.
He was always alone, no, he wasn't alone either, his older sister was always with him, accompanying him with her voice for decades.
Suddenly remembering so many things, Gu Minhang felt a headache coming on. Then, recalling the video, he immediately instructed his driver, "Don't go back to the company, go straight home."
When the car arrived home, before it had even come to a complete stop, he got out and went straight inside without saying a word. He even entered the wrong password twice when trying to unlock the door, and it only opened on the third try.
He went straight to the study on the second floor, hoping to find the video, but no matter how hard he searched, he couldn't find it.
He went back to his room and searched through the bedside table and wardrobe. He looked everywhere he could, but he couldn't find it.
"Why can't I find it! Why can't I find it!" she cried out, frantically searching for it.
He didn't give up until he had searched the entire villa and still couldn't find it.
He sat slumped on the sofa in the room, his expression somber and tears streaming down his face.
"Sister," he murmured absentmindedly, tears streaming down his face.
A man doesn't easily shed tears, unless he's truly heartbroken!
Who would have thought that a man nearing forty would cry like a helpless child!
Since that day, Gu Minhang discovered that no one else had those memories, and he didn't believe it was just his own imagination.
He started doing charity work every year, supporting children in mountainous areas. Occasionally, he would personally visit those poor people and orphanages, and then he would pay for people to repair roads and build houses for them. He has been doing this for more than 30 years.
When he was 73 years old, Gu Minhang had become an old man.
He had no parents and no children.
He never married.
Before his death, he donated all his assets to charity.
He only kept enough money for himself to buy a burial plot and a tombstone.
In the last second before he passed away, his wish was that all the good deeds he had done in his life would be added to his next life, and that she would live a peaceful and prosperous life, reaching a hundred years old.
"Sister, actually... what I like about you isn't the kind of liking you have for an elder, but the liking you have for the passing years."
In the quiet of the night, he would secretly reveal his innermost thoughts in a corner unknown to others.
His only regret in life was that he hadn't been able to properly share his innermost thoughts with Liu Nian.
His only wish in life was to marry Liu Nian.
If there is a next life, I don't want to be your younger brother, I want to be... your lover.
At his memorial service, there were many people who came to pay their respects; they were all families he had helped, and they came with sincere tears and heartfelt prayers.
At the place where he was buried, there stands an old stone tablet with the inscription "..."
The Tomb of My Beloved Through the Years
Only then did everyone realize that Mr. Gu had never married because he already had a lover, but the two were unable to be together.
When offering incense, they also offer incense to Liu Nian's tombstone. In front of the two tombstones, bunches of blooming white roses are placed around them.
As the crowd dispersed, a conversation between a child and an old man could still be heard in the distance.
"Grandpa, do you think people really have an afterlife?"
"Perhaps! The bond we share in this life may continue in the next life, who knows?"
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