Chapter 111 The Third Wish
Lin Yao had a dream.
I dreamt that he was in the laboratory, surrounded by rows and rows of needles and tubes of blood—it was all part of his daily routine.
He skillfully rolled up his sleeves, revealing his slender, pale arm, clenched his fist, and offered it to her: "Please be gentle."
Just as the needle was about to pierce his vein, another hand grabbed him, and he burst out of the door, running and running through experimental areas and empty corridors, before finally managing to open the tightly closed door.
"Run, I'll let you go, but don't look back."
Lin Yao ran forward and fell into the vast snow. He turned around and saw Xie Xingchen's face. Not as a child, but as an adult, very tall, like an umbrella that could be opened to block the rain.
"And you?"
"I'm staying here to avenge you."
Lin Yao frowned and fell into a long, deep sleep.
Xie Xingchen originally wanted to wait for him to wake up, but was afraid that he would have a stress reaction if he saw her, so she quietly left at six o'clock in the morning.
Before leaving, he left a letter and a jar of sugar, then stood by the bed, bent down, and gently touched his lips.
Even though he was still asleep, a tear welled up in the corner of his eye, wetting his eyelashes.
Xie Xingchen reached out and wiped the corners of his eyes, whispering, "Yaoyao, be happy."
Lin Yao gave a mumbled "hmm," as if in response.
Xie Xingchen reached out, hooked the ring hanging around his neck, put it on his hand, and put another one on himself. They put their hands together and took a photo of the birthday they hadn't taken that day because they were too happy.
He had initially thought that wearing matching rings and having his hands intertwined would be a frequent occurrence in the future, so he hadn't thought about recording it. But now, he wanted to do everything he could to preserve everything about Lin Yao.
He walked to the door, but couldn't bear to leave. He turned back and looked at his lover lying on the bed with lingering affection: "Don't think about me for now. I always make you sad, but Xie Xingchen will always love you."
Xie Xingchen went home to pack his things. Actually, there wasn't much to take. A large box was full of items related to Lin Yao: the bathrobe he wore, the pillow he slept on, the bowls and chopsticks he used, and he even took a bunch of sunflowers from the yard.
For a long time to come, he will have to rely on these things to survive.
He woke Xie Dai, who was sleeping, and instructed him, "If Lin Yao is unhappy, fly over and tell me."
"Where are you going? Did you break up with your master?" Xie Dai thought he was dreaming. He looked at him dragging his suitcase, and his wings almost poked his eyes out.
"Yes, I'm joining the army on Riyu Star. I won't be in contact with him for a long time."
Xie Xingchen thought that only when the acting reached its peak would the old man feel at ease revealing his career to him little by little, and only by slowly showing those inseparable private relationships could he have the opportunity to capture them all at once.
Xie stood there stunned for a long time, then raised his hand to cover his face with his wings, hiding the expression that was contorted with pain: "Then what should I do?"
"Lin Yao will take good care of you. He's tough on the outside but soft on the inside, and he won't mistreat you," Xie Xingchen said softly. "Your task is to make him happy, understand? Otherwise, I'll have to cross stars to come back and kill you."
Xie was stunned, feeling a pain in her chest, and sensing a subtle sadness spreading through her.
He didn't dare ask; he only knew that Xie Xingchen looked like he was about to cry, so he unusually didn't retort.
He just nodded repeatedly, like pecking at rice: "I understand."
"You are the best pet in the world, Xie Dai." Xie Xingchen raised his hand to smooth his messy fur.
Xie Dai wanted to cry, but realized she couldn't. So she could only open her mouth slightly and watch Xie Xingchen drag his suitcase out.
His home was so full, but now that he's leaving, he's taking only a tiny bit of stuff with him.
Xie Dai suddenly took off, flapping its wings and rushing towards He Mu. When it arrived at the ward door, it found that Lin Yao had just woken up and was reading a letter on the bedside table.
"Xie Xingchen... he's leaving." Xie Dai gestured incoherently, "He's going to a very far place and won't be back for a long time."
Lin Yao simply nodded slightly: "I know."
"Aren't you going to try to stop him?" Xie paced anxiously back and forth. "Aren't you going to see him one last time?"
"I don't know how to face him."
The letter in his hand was slightly damp. Lin Yao said in a low voice, "If he could see the fear in my eyes when he looked at me, he would be very sad too."
No one wants to see avoidance and panic in their lover's eyes.
But he couldn't control it.
That report brought back all the forgotten memories. He closed his eyes, his mind filled with fragments of pain attacking his brain. He didn't want Xie Xingchen to see him lose control and break down again.
Xie Xingchen's letter was brief, but Lin Yao understood what he wanted to do.
Five-year-old Lin Yao:
Hello, I am Xie Xingchen, who is nineteen years old.
I'm so sorry I only realized so late that you were trapped in such a painful hell, and that it was all indirectly caused by me. I don't want seeing me to remind you of your painful past again and again.
So, I left without saying goodbye to you in person.
I'm sorry, you've suffered.
Brother Xie Xingchen is going to do something very important: to find all the people who have hurt you and make them suffer the same pain and punishment. It may be a long road, but it has to be done.
Next time you're feeling down, eat the candy I left for you, and remember to brush your teeth afterwards.
If you see Lin Yao at eighteen, please tell him that Xie Xingchen will always love him, regardless of whether he responds or not.
Respectfully submitted by Xie Xingchen on December 12, 2024.
At the end of the letter was an email address and password (all the evidence I found will be kept here, and you can log in at any time).
Lin Yao opened the candy jar he had left behind, stuffed a candy whole into his mouth, chewed it, and found it to be orange-flavored and very sour.
He thought he should scold Xie Xingchen for not leaving any sweetness behind when he was supposed to leave some candy.
So I grabbed my phone from the bedside table, dialed the number, and the other end answered immediately.
"Yao Yao..." Xie Xingchen's voice was very hoarse as he restrained his emotions, with the sound of wind rising behind him as the aircraft was about to take off.
"Xie Xingchen, it's sour. I ate a sour candy," Lin Yao said.
"I'm sorry, I always make you angry," Xie Xingchen said softly. "So when I'm not around, you should try to be happy."
Lin Yao didn't speak, but his hand holding the phone was trembling.
Listening to the disordered breathing on the other end of the phone, Xie Xingchen said softly, "The doctor told me not to meet with you, for fear of upsetting you, so we won't say goodbye in person. After that, we shouldn't use each other's contact information anymore, otherwise they will become suspicious."
“I know.” Lin Yao lowered his eyes. “I’m grateful that you chose to help me.”
They were both overly rational, so they were very clear about each other's motives, but even knowing this, their hearts still ached as if being stabbed by a dull knife.
Xie Xingchen's voice became even hoarser: "It's our Xie family that owes you, but..."
But, can we not break up? Wait for me.
This statement is too demanding; he has no grounds to make it, and he can't bring himself to say it.
He glanced at Xie Hengzhi, who was urging him on, and said in a low voice, "Then I'm leaving, Lin Yao, goodbye."
He solemnly called out the other person's full name, and those few words marked the end of his bittersweet youth. This departure meant there would be no return.
"Xie Xingchen." Lin Yao called out to him just before hanging up the phone, "Of the three wishes we made, you only used them twice."
Xie Xingchen was suddenly pulled back to that sunny evening.
"My first wish is that you tell me whenever you're unhappy."
"My second wish is to see you every day, or even every week."
"I'll tell you my third wish when the weather is nice."
At this moment, Xie Xingchen stood in the swirling snow, his eyes moist, unable to see where he had come from.
He heard Lin Yao's trembling voice say, "Whatever your third wish is, I will grant it."
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