Chapter 29 Illusion: She Returned Nine Years Later
When the two of them turned around at the same time, they saw the tall, burly man from before return, now riding a motorcycle. He looked quite impatient and snatched the puppy from He Shenmo's arms, saying, "Mind your own business. Is this your dog? How dare you steal it?"
"I'm sorry, I just thought you were going to abandon it, so I... It was my fault, I misunderstood you. Here you go, but I really didn't mean to steal your dog."
"What thief would admit to being a thief? This dog is disobedient today, can't I even scare it? Some dogs are just like people, they won't listen if they're not trained. But if I hadn't come early, you would have stolen it already. Get lost."
“It’s him.” Ning Yanzhao noticed that the man cursing He Shenmo now was the same man who had tried to knock her and Jing Yiran down earlier that day and snatch their bags, only now he was in the driver’s seat instead of the back seat.
"I'm sorry..." Because He Shenmo had been well protected by her parents since childhood, and her teachers cared for her a lot, so very few people would speak ill of her so directly. Now she was quite frightened.
This tall, strong man was used to being arrogant in this area. Relying on the fact that no one dared to interfere with him, and that He Shenmo also seemed like someone who could be easily bullied, he was even more smug now. After snatching the puppy from He Shenmo's hand, he forcefully pushed He Shenmo to the ground, then rode off on his motorcycle.
"Shenmo, are you alright?" Seeing He Shenmo being pushed down by the tall, strong man, Ning Yanzhao immediately tried to help him up, but her body still passed straight through He Shenmo's arm without supporting him. Therefore, He Shenmo was completely unaware of Ning Yanzhao's actions.
"Damn it, and who is this guy?" It seems that Ning Yanzhao and Jing Yiran's experience is not an isolated case; this man looks like he has committed many evil deeds.
Ning Yanzhao decided to help He Shenmo call the police, but her phone still had no signal, so she couldn't even call the police. She once again felt how painful it was to be powerless.
He Shenmo had been malnourished recently, and the push from that tall, strong man made him even more aches all over his body. He couldn't get up for a while. Although his clothes were thick, they were not very effective against the hardness of the concrete.
And not knowing what she had hit her forehead on when she fell, He Shenmo's vision blurred, and her consciousness gradually slipped out of her control, slowly fading away...
"Shenmo, Shenmo, what's wrong with you?" Ning Yanzhao saw that He Shenmo had been lying motionless on the ground for several minutes before she realized that something was wrong. She squatted down and saw that He Shenmo had been pushed by the tall and strong man. His forehead had hit an extra brick that the workers were building a new flower bed on the street, and his face was covered in blood. He had also fainted.
"Shenmo, Shenmo." Ning Yanzhao tried to call He Shenmo, but her condition remained the same as before. He Shenmo could neither see her nor hear her voice.
"What should we do?" Since Ning Yanzhao couldn't help He Shenmo with her own abilities, she could only hope that someone on the road would see her.
It's like waiting for a bus normally, but the bus never comes for ages. However, as long as you don't need to take the bus, it feels like buses are flying everywhere. But now you need to wait for pedestrians to come, but no one comes for ages.
It was the peak time for late-night food business on this street, and most people were still eating. For a while, no one came over, except for the occasional pedestrian riding a bicycle or motorcycle and speeding by. Because it was late and they were moving quickly, almost no one noticed He Shenmo, who was wearing a black coat.
"Got it, someone's coming." After a while, a few people finally came over, but they weren't surprised to see He Shenmo lying on the ground.
There's another person there.
"Has someone gotten drunk and passed out on the ground again today?"
"Have we seen enough of each other already?"
"Yeah, be careful not to get scammed. Let's go."
"..."
Similar glances and conversations were repeated among several groups of passersby. Ning Yanzhao was extremely anxious, but helpless, since she couldn't do anything with her current abilities.
Ning Yanzhao's unease grew stronger, but time continued to pass. During this time, He Shenmo's phone rang a few times. Ning Yanzhao guessed that it was probably He Shenmo's parents calling, but the phone probably ran out of battery and the calls stopped.
Ning Yanzhao was also trying to make a call using her phone, but she couldn't make a call. Both "reality" and time seemed so cruel. Suddenly, a fierce winter wind blew by, and Ning Yanzhao's vision began to blur, and she couldn't see anything.
"Such a strong wind!" When Ning Yanzhao blinked again with all her might, she found that He Shenmo was still "lying" in the same spot, motionless. But the sky was already showing the first light of dawn, and time seemed to have passed several degrees faster.
Fortunately, not long after, a few people dressed as sanitation workers finally came to He Shenmo.
"Why is someone lying on the ground?" one of them asked his companion.
"Could she have been lying here drunk all night in this cold weather? She doesn't smell like she's been drinking, and her family hasn't come to take her home," another person said.
"Oh no, this person has frozen to death." The last remaining person patted He Shenmo's shoulder, puzzled by He Shenmo's lack of response, until he felt an unusual touch and realized that something was wrong. He then turned He Shenmo over and saw the terrible state of her face, and began to scream loudly.
Frozen to death? So He Shenmo's attire was actually normal, while she, wearing thin clothes, was the one "out of season." Then why didn't she feel any cold? Is this something that will happen in the future? Could this be the real reason why He Shenmo died back then?
As Ning Yanzhao pondered, the exclamations of the three people drew a large crowd. Most were early-rising commuters or elderly people buying groceries. They discussed He Shenmo's body animatedly. Some said they had already called the police, some were chatting with their families on their phones, and some were taking photos to post on social media...
Ning Yanzhao could only watch helplessly, just like the whole thing last night, unable to do anything.
"Zero, zero, zero..." Amidst the noise, Ning Yanzhao heard her phone alarm ring. It turned out that it was time for her to get up and go to school. Should she stay here to observe He Shenmo's situation, or go back to class? Right, could she even go back to class? She simply couldn't do anything more.
But I should turn off the alarm first, otherwise if the phone battery runs out, it won't even have the function of telling time. Luckily, Ning Yanzhao's phone came with a full charge.
But when Ning Yanzhao picked up her phone to turn off the alarm, she found that the world was spinning. Due to the dizziness, she had to close her eyes, but fragments of He Shenmo kept appearing in her mind.
A person arrived at the new school somewhat timidly, greeted everyone, and dared not refuse other people's requests;
During PE class, I cautiously tried to integrate into the group, and felt a fleeting sense of disappointment when I saw everyone else with their teammates.
When she looked at Ning Yanzhao and Jing Yiran during the spring outing, hoping to join their group, and the warm smiles she gave after joining;
The classroom was buzzing with discussion, and the relaxation and joy of watching the small animals came from Ning Yanzhao and Jing Yiran's approval.
However, the brief warmth could not stop the rampant comments, and he had no choice but to drop out of school with his parents. In the end, he looked at the helpless eyes of everyone in the classroom.
After receiving little effect from psychiatric treatment, he took the initiative to suggest to his parents that he go to M City Agricultural University to work as a volunteer cleaner at the animal habitat to heal his inner self. Eventually, his symptoms were relieved and he was able to fall asleep occasionally at night.
That day, He Shenmo's parents were about to travel far away for work and asked He Shenmo if he wanted to come along. He Shenmo smiled and told his parents that it was fine and he could be alone sometimes.
A person stands alone under the dim streetlights in the cold winter, lost in thought.
A fleeting moment of joy at the thought that I might be able to rescue the puppy;
The pain of being pushed down and being unable to struggle due to physical weakness;
In the end, another person stood in the cold, feeling sorry for their parents, but no longer had the strength to stand up again. They could only accept their fate and die silently...
Aside from the fact that it is still unclear who spread the rumors about He Shenmo, Ning Yanzhao has roughly figured out the general outline of the matter.
Just as Ning Yanzhao had heard, He Shenmo's mental and physical condition was very poor after he dropped out of school.
Besides receiving regular psychological and psychiatric treatment, the only thing that could give her the courage to go out was to visit the animals at the university. But she didn't come for nothing; she also volunteered to clean the animals' enclosures every day.
As He Shenmo spent time with the animals, his symptoms gradually improved.
Because He Shenmo's parents are busy making a living, she usually goes out alone. Since she carries a mobile phone and the university is not far from her home, her parents are generally at ease.
On a seemingly ordinary day, He Shenmo went to the agricultural university to see the small animals as usual. After she finished looking at them and cleaning up, she returned home around dusk.
But that day was different from usual. On his way home, He Shenmo saw someone who seemed to be abusing his dog and had abandoned the puppy next to a trash can on the road.
The other party was a very tall and strong man. In order to ensure his own safety, He Shenmo naturally did not step forward to stop him directly. Instead, he waited for a while after the man left before going forward to pick up the puppy and taking the opportunity to check on the puppy's physical condition.
However, when He Shenmo tried to take the abandoned puppy away, she was met with displeasure from its owner, who unexpectedly returned. The owner took the puppy away, verbally abused her, and pushed her to the ground.
Perhaps it was too dark to see clearly, and the person didn't know that just as He Shenmo pushed her, her forehead hit the brick on the ground, causing a serious head injury;
And that person just didn't know that He Shenmo was in poor health and couldn't be pushed so hard, so he was wrong from the start, both morally and logically.
Because this street is often filled with drunkards lying on the ground, He Shenmo's situation of lying on the ground is ignored by passersby as a matter of course, who think it is "normal" since she will go home by herself when it gets light.
Another important coincidence is that He Shenmo's parents happened to be working out of town that day; otherwise, they would have definitely come out to look for their daughter if she hadn't returned home.
In short, due to various factors, He Shenmo froze to death one winter night during the prime of his life, until he was discovered by sanitation workers who came to sweep the streets in the early morning...
When Ning Yanzhao opened her eyes again, the scene before her changed once more, and she found herself back nine years in the future.
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