Beyond the First Dimension: A Pact of Life and Death, A Bond Made with You
When Fang Shaohan came out of the hospital, it happened to be the first heavy snowfall in Y City.
He suddenly felt a little dazed and looked up at the sky.
The sky was overcast and gloomy, but the snowflakes falling gently became the only glimmer of light in the boundless darkness.
So much has happened these past few days that Fang Shaohan hasn't been able to relax for a long time.
Suddenly, the cell phone in my pocket started vibrating, emitting a long series of ringtones.
Fang Shaohan then snapped out of her daze and took her phone out of her pocket.
"Are you back yet?" It was Chen Yingyan's voice on the other end of the phone. The man's voice was deep. "It's snowing outside. Do you want me to come pick you up?"
Fang Shaohan looked up at the sky again, sighed, and said, "No need, I'm getting on the bus soon."
Chen Yingyan had no objection.
The man simply asked, "How's Ayumi doing? Has the situation stabilized?"
“Not good,” Fang Shaohan said honestly, opening the car door and getting in. “The doctor said that it had improved a while ago, but it has started to relapse recently.”
After they finished speaking, both of them fell silent.
This was the second month since Huai Yan left, and Fu Tingyu was already on his deathbed.
The grand wedding has now been forced to be canceled.
The wedding could not proceed because both grooms were absent.
When Fang Shaohan faced the guests with a stiff upper lip that day, she hadn't anticipated the scene that was about to unfold.
He just couldn't understand why a perfectly good wedding had turned into Huaiyan's funeral.
Even now, Fang Shaohan can still recall the two shallow dimples on the child's lips when he smiled.
So vivid, so lively.
It feels like it was just yesterday.
-
Fang Shaohan was woken up the next day by a barrage of phone calls.
Chen Yingyan was also woken up by the noise.
While comforting the people around him, Chen Yingyan reached for the phone.
But Fang Shaohan beat her to it.
"Hello?" Fang Shaohan's voice was hoarse, carrying the languidness typical of someone who had just woken up. "What's up?"
However, the voice on the other end of the phone was panicked and terrified.
After a long pause, Fang Shaohan's voice suddenly rose, his brows furrowing tightly: "What did you say?!"
It seemed like they were saying something else over there, but Chen Yingyan couldn't hear it clearly.
But he could hear a commotion on the other side, as if some kind of disturbance had occurred.
Fang Shaohan finally couldn't contain his anger. Veins bulged on his forehead, and he was wide awake: "What to do?! You fucking ask me what to do?! You can't even keep an eye on one person, what use are you to me?!"
"Search! Search even if you can't find them!" Fang Shaohan's chest heaved violently, his whole body trembling with anger. "I want to see them alive or dead!"
After hanging up the phone, Fang Shaohan threw the phone down and slammed it into the blanket.
"What's wrong?" Chen Yingyan gently stroked his lover's back and asked, "What happened?"
Fang Shaohan only slumped for a few seconds before quickly getting up.
He bent down to pick up his phone from the ground, his tone filled with panic and helplessness.
He looked at Chen Yingyan, bewildered, and whispered, "...Ayu is missing."
When the nurses went to check on the patients in the morning, they found the VIP ward to be empty.
The bedding on the bed was neatly arranged.
Even the hospital gowns were folded up and placed there neatly.
The nurse was immediately terrified, almost scared out of her wits, and reported the incident to the hospital.
Fu Tingyu was an important patient received by the hospital, and even during his initial treatment, the team he was assigned was top-notch.
This time, the person disappeared, causing widespread panic throughout the hospital, which was turned upside down.
They only called Fang Shaohan when they couldn't find anyone else.
Previously, fearing something might happen to Fu Tingyu, Fang Shaohan had someone keep an eye on him at the hospital.
Since nothing had happened, Fang Shaohan was quite relieved.
This time, however, everyone was gone, and none of the group noticed.
In a fit of anger, Fang Shaohan gave them all a thorough dressing-down.
With seven or eight people together, they couldn't even keep an eye on one patient.
But after the extreme anger subsided, Fang Shaohan felt a lump in her throat and tears quickly streamed down her cheeks.
“Yingyan,” Fang Shaohan said, his voice hoarse and almost choked with emotion, “I’m so afraid something might happen to Ayu…”
He and Fu Tingyu grew up together and had a life-or-death bond.
Even when he was being hunted by the Mafia in North America, Fu Tingyu never thought of giving up on him.
Although many years have passed, Fu Tingyu still bears the scars from that time.
Whenever Fang Shaohan thinks of that scar, he feels guilty towards his childhood friend.
Normally, Fu Tingyu is very capable, and there's nothing he needs to do.
Now, the only thing he could do has been messed up.
"I...I'm sorry, Ayu..." Fang Shaohan cried like a child, her usually straight back bent completely at this moment.
He should have anticipated this and taken some measures.
“It’s not your fault,” Chen Yingyan said gently as he pulled the man into his arms. “Ayu must have his own ideas. He’s always been a very opinionated person, as you know.”
If Fu Tingyu really makes a decision.
Even if the two of them find him, it won't change the outcome.
Once Fu Tingyu has made up his mind, no one can change it.
The only person who could be brought back is no longer here.
Since Huai Yan left, Fu Tingyu's condition has deteriorated day by day.
At first it was just a hallucination, but eventually it developed into a combination of auditory and visual hallucinations.
It was so severe that the hallucinations persisted for more than ten hours a day.
Fu Tingyu had been hospitalized several times for self-harm, and yesterday he drowned after jumping into the sea.
Fortunately, they were discovered in time, and they were able to snatch their lives back from the jaws of death.
Less than half a day later, Fu Tingyu disappeared again.
Fu Tingyu is very shrewd and has the characteristics of a businessman.
He can distinguish between what is important and what is not, and he also knows clearly what he is doing.
So even if Fang Shaohan goes to look for them, he might not be able to find them.
“I’ll go to the hospital with you later,” Chen Yingyan said calmly. “You have to trust Ayu’s decision.”
Having already experienced the loss of his childhood friend, Chen Yingyan was frighteningly calm at this moment.
Even after so many years, he still hasn't accepted his friend's departure, but he can now pretend to be calm and collected on the surface.
As expected, Fang Shaohan sent people to search the hospital and other places Fu Tingyu frequented more than ten times.
Each attempt yielded no results or gains.
Fu Tingyu vanished without a trace, as if he had evaporated from the face of the earth.
As Chen Yingyan said.
Fu Tingyu didn't want to be disturbed, so no one could find him.
-
On the day the second snow fell in Y City, Fang Shaohan went to the cemetery again.
The cemetery was very quiet, without even the occasional bird call.
Only the silent wind could be heard all around, desolate and barren.
Accompanied by Chen Yingyan, Fang Shaohan slowly walked toward the tombstone she remembered.
Fortunately, the heavy snow did not cover the photos on the tombstone.
The boy in the photo has a faint smile and is in the prime of his life.
He watched the two of them quietly, just as he had always done.
The weather today was not gloomy; in fact, the sun was shining, which is quite rare.
Fang Shaohan felt as if the photo on the tombstone had pierced his eyes; all his strength left him, and he collapsed to his knees on the stone slab.
Because where there was originally only one photo, there is now another person.
The man in the photo has no expression, but there is a hint of a smile in his dark blue eyes.
—That was Fu Tingyu.
The empty tombstone was also engraved with new, golden regular script characters.
Under the sunlight, the lettering reflected an unusual glow.
The Tomb of Fu Tingyu.
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