Chapter 56: Finale
Wen Eryu rarely goes to the supermarket with Aunt Sun to buy groceries.
In the fruit and vegetable section, Aunt Sun was carefully picking tomatoes with a supermarket bag.
"No, this one's too old."
"This one won't work either. Look, there's a hole underneath."
After a while, Aunt Sun picked out a bag of round and plump fresh tomatoes.
"Okay, let's go pick out some more ribs."
Wen Eryu nodded and followed Aunt Sun obediently to learn how to buy vegetables.
She thought that when Chen Jize was resting at home one day, she would cook a few dishes for him.
Aunt Sun joked beside him, "Mr. Shen marrying you is really a blessing from his previous life."
Wen Eryu lowered her head shyly: "Auntie Sun, when we get back later, I want to learn a few dishes from you."
"Of course," Aunt Sun agreed readily. "Let me put it this way: there's no dish I can't cook. I can teach you anything you want to learn."
"Wow, Aunt Sun, you're amazing."
"Oh no, no." Aunt Sun felt embarrassed by the compliment.
After paying the bill, the two were about to leave the supermarket.
But Aunt Sun stopped at the supermarket door.
"Wait a minute ma'am, I think I forgot my wallet in the shopping cart."
Wen Eryu took the bags of various sizes from Aunt Sun and said, "It's okay. I'll wait here for you. Go back and get them."
"Okay, I'll be right back."
Wen Eryu nodded: "Yeah."
She was carrying a bulging eco-friendly bag, her fingertips slightly numb from being squeezed, and she was wondering when Shen Jize would come home tonight.
Wen Eryu's heels felt a little sore as she had just stepped down the last two steps in front of the supermarket.
Suddenly, a strong and pungent smell of perfume came from the side.
"Wen Eryu——!!!" Xu Wenrou's sharp voice rang in her ears, "Go to hell."
She didn't have time to turn her head, and only caught a glimpse of a blurry black shadow out of the corner of her eye.
Then, a huge, crazy force hit her side hard.
Wen Eryu's body lost balance in an instant, and the heavy eco-friendly bag flew out of his hand.
The tomatoes rolled to the ground, covered in dust.
Her back hit the glass curtain wall of the supermarket covered with promotional advertisements hard, and the huge impact force made her internal organs seem to shift.
She suddenly felt a sharp stabbing and burning sensation below her right ribs, near her stomach.
“Hmm…”
A short, muffled groan was cut off by the severe pain and forced out from between Wen Eryu's clenched teeth.
All sounds at this moment are infinitely distant and blurred.
Every weak breath she took was a torture. Her body slid down weakly and her eyes moved downwards with difficulty.
A hand with mottled nail polish was tightly gripping a fruit knife.
Xu Wenrou's face was very close.
The face, which was now distorted like a demon, and the eyes covered with spider-web-like bloodshot, stared at Wen Eryu.
"Bitch! I'll let you ruin my plan!" She made a hoarse sound in her throat, and the hand holding the handle of the knife seemed to want to use up the last bit of strength to thrust the cold blade deeper.
Just when the blade was about to be pushed forward again—
A sharp and piercing brake sound, as if it was about to tear the tires apart, instantly exploded in the hustle and bustle at the supermarket entrance.
A completely black Bentley Mulsanne with lines as cold as a knife suddenly swerved and stopped sideways, with the front of the car less than half a meter away from the two entangled people.
The green smoke rising from the tires rubbing against the ground mixed with the pungent smell of burnt rubber spread instantly.
The huge impact force and harsh noise made Xu Wenrou, who was in a frenzy, suddenly stop moving.
A hint of surprise flashed across her pupils, and she subconsciously turned her head to look at the Bentley.
The car door was kicked open with a violent force.
Shen Jize stepped out of the car. He stood tall and straight, and the brutality emanating from his body instantly froze the air around him into ice.
There was no expression on his overly pale face, but his eyes were like a bottomless cold pool.
Xu Wenrou's hand holding the knife handle trembled violently.
"Let her go."
His deep voice was filled with anger and a cold aura of murder.
"Oh, you came at the right time. I will let you watch your beloved woman die in front of you!" Xu Wenrou laughed with her head raised, looking like a madman.
But the next second, her hand was kicked away by a force, and a uniformed man in black appeared beside her at some point.
The long and narrow dagger lost its support and slipped out of Wen Eryu's wound.
It fell to the concrete floor with a clang, rolled a few times, and stopped next to the scattered tomatoes. The tip of the blade still retained a glaring bright red.
Wen Eryu's last vague perception was his figure running towards him.
The next second, a powerful force supported her rapidly falling body.
The bony hand was tightly covering Wen Eryu's wound which was bleeding profusely.
Shen Jize's other hand passed through her knees and carefully lifted her up sideways.
Wen Eryu's cheek was unexpectedly pressed against his violently heaving chest through the thin fabric.
The vibrations from there made her eardrums numb, and every heartbeat was like a dull drumbeat, making her feel his presence.
"Wen Eryu, hold on!" His tense voice sounded above his head.
Shen Jize carried her into the car, then he stepped on the accelerator and sped towards the nearest hospital.
Leaving behind a group of onlookers and the dazed Xu Wenrou.
"Police! Freeze!"
"Drop your weapons! Put your hands on your head!"
A cold and rapid scolding sounded behind Xu Wenrou.
Several uniformed police officers surrounded her.
The expression on her face was replaced by boundless fear, and she allowed the police to roughly put her arms behind her back and the cold metal handcuffs locked her with a "click".
*
As dusk deepens, the city's neon lights begin to light up one after another, spreading a blurry and illusory sea of light in the damp and cold air.
Shen Jize carried Wen Eryu to the door of the emergency room, and soon, the medical staff inside immediately surrounded them.
In the panic, the only thing that was clear was his hand tightly holding hers.
Shen Ji Ze's knuckles turned slightly white due to the force, and there was even a barely perceptible tremor. The scorching heat and sticky blood of his palms pressed tightly against her cold skin.
The force seemed to want to inject all his strength into Wen Eryu's rapidly hypothermic body through this hot contact.
The bottomless fear in Shen Jize's eyes was eventually suppressed, leaving only crazy paranoia.
"Hold on, Eryu." His voice was filled with tears. "Don't sleep... I will definitely save you this time... Eryu, don't leave me again."
Wen Eryu couldn't hold on any longer and slowly closed her eyes.
Shen Jize stopped in front of the operating room, with only a wall between them.
*
Wen Eryu had that dream again.
In her dream, she was lying in a pool of blood, and a young man ran over and held her in his arms.
It rained heavily that day, and the raindrops hit her face, but she didn't feel any pain at all.
In her blurred vision, she seemed to see the boy's face clearly.
That was the first time she saw Shen Jize cry, and he kept holding her body to let her hold on.
But later, she never woke up again.
The scene changed, Wen Eryu was floating in the air, and she saw Shen Jize again.
Only this time, he was kneeling in front of her tombstone.
It was a sunny spring day. Shen Jize had lost a lot of weight and there was no light in his eyes.
He arranged the speedwell he had picked up into a heart shape in front of her grave, and then placed the photo on his chest in the middle.
Suddenly, the wind picked up and the purple flowers were blown up.
Shen Jize subconsciously reached out to grab it, but only a fragrance remained on his fingertips.
He seemed to have noticed something and looked towards Wen Eryu.
Just then, she woke up.
Facing the familiar ceiling and the beeping sound of instruments in her ears, she slowly opened her eyes.
"Awake?" Shen Jize said as he sat next to her.
Wen Eryu moved her body and turned to look at him: "I'm not dead."
"Don't say that." Shen Jize said in a deep voice, "As long as I'm here, you'll be fine."
Wen Eryu weakly raised the corners of her mouth, raised her hand and gently touched his face.
"Shen Ji Ze."
"Um."
"Have we met somewhere before?"
"Um?"
"I'm not talking about this life, I'm talking about... the last life."
Shen Jize's breathing stagnated, and he looked at her in disbelief, but he quickly denied it: "Of course not, you need to rest well now."
Wen Eryu lowered her eyes and looked at him silently.
Shen Jize stood up, picked up a fruit knife and started peeling an apple.
"The scar on your arm was caused by someone cutting you when you were helping someone collect a debt."
"And the birthday present I gave you, I saw it in the drawer of your study. It was that ring."
Wen Eryu really thought it was just a dream at first, but until she saw the ring, she completely accepted this absurd and fantastic thing.
That life did exist, and she had indeed experienced it. Moreover, Shen Jize knew it before her, or perhaps he had not forgotten his previous life at all.
Shen Jize said nothing, lowered his head and peeled the apple in his hand. Suddenly, her next words made his hand tremble, and the long apple peel broke at this moment.
"In high school, you were the one who always followed me home."
“…”
"Is what I said correct?"
Shen Jize raised his eyes and looked at her with mixed emotions: "...Yeah."
The ward fell into silence, and the two looked at each other, as if all the answers were clear at this moment.
Wen Eryu smiled, and after a moment, the man also smiled.
*
Xu Wenrou was eventually sentenced to twenty years in prison. In addition to returning the Wen family's assets, she also had to pay a huge sum of money to Wen Liang.
When Zhou Yi learned about this, he felt like the sky had fallen. He couldn't accept this fact and jumped off the building, but was rescued in the end. However, he had to spend the rest of his life confined to bed.
A few months later, Wen Eryu received a text message from Song Bowen.
[Happy wedding! I'm sorry I only just found out about this. I hope you can accept this belated blessing. My hand can now move again. In a few days, I'll be going abroad for final reconstructive surgery. I probably won't be back by then, so, are you free to meet me?]
"Who sent you a message?" Shen Jize asked as he pretended not to care while cutting the bacon on the plate.
Wen Eryu held the phone in front of him: "Here, take a look for yourself."
Shen Ji Ze vigorously forked up a piece of chopped egg and said, "Then do you want to go?"
"Will you let me meet him?"
"I'm not such a stingy person."
"Oh? Then why do I see that you don't look very good?"
"..." Shen Jize coughed lightly, "No, no way."
Wen Eryu couldn't help but laughed out loud.
Shen Jize glared at her: "If you want to go, go, I won't stop you."
After a moment, Wen Eryu suggested: "You go with me."
"No." Shen Jize refused.
*
"Didn't someone say he wouldn't come with me?"
Wen Eryu looked at the man behind him.
"I'll wait for you at the door, come out quickly."
Shen Jize didn't respond to her, but turned around and sat on the seat at the church door.
Wen Eryu couldn't do anything to him: "Okay, then I'll go in."
"Um."
Wen Eryu pushed the door open and walked in. His eyes passed through the empty church and fell on the black grand piano next to the altar at the front.
Song Bowen sat on the piano stool with his back to the entrance. His figure looked very thin in the heavy shadows cast by the huge organ and stained glass.
He lowered his head slightly, as if praying to the void.
"You're here." Song Bowen looked up at her with a smile.
"Why did you want to meet me here?" Wen Eryu asked.
"When I was little, my mother often brought me here to listen to the nuns singing. When I grew up, I would also come here to play the piano when no one was around."
Wen Eryu sat down in the first row, facing him: "I didn't even know this."
Song Bowen said, "I asked you to come here today just because I wanted you to listen to me play a piece of music."
"But your hand...is it okay?" Wen Eryu asked worriedly.
"certainly."
Wen Eryu smiled and said, "Okay."
Song Bowen turned around, then slowly raised his somewhat stiff hands and gently placed them on the white piano keys.
Then, a series of notes with a cold sadness flowed out from his fingertips.
It’s Jay Chou’s “Sunny Day”.
——
On this windy day, I tried to hold your hand
But the rain gradually
So big that I can't see you
How long will it take before I can be by your side?
Wait until the sunny day
Maybe I'll be better.
Once upon a time, there was someone who loved you for a long time
But the wind gradually
Blow the distance far away
It's so hard to love you for one more day
But the end of the story
You still said goodbye
——
Wen Eryu couldn't understand why she felt like her heart was being slowly tightened by an invisible hand, bringing a suffocating sourness.
She clutched the bag in her hand, unable to take her eyes off his back.
The sound of the piano seems to pour out in this last note all that has not been said, all that has been desired but not obtained, and all the attachments and regrets buried deep in the heart.
The last few notes, as light as falling feathers, disappeared quietly in the huge church with a calmness as if the dust had settled, and finally fell into complete silence.
Song Bowen maintained the posture he had in when he finished playing, with his hands still suspended above the keys.
After a long time, he stood up, his movements showing a hint of barely perceptible fatigue, as if the song he had just played had exhausted his last bit of strength.
He picked up the dark gray coat that was draped on the bench, but did not put it on, just casually draped it over his arm.
He finally turned around and his eyes fell heavily on Wen Eryu's face.
Song Bowen looked at her and nodded slightly.
It's not a farewell, more like a confirmation.
Confirm that this silent confession is complete.
"We must continue to be happy. Perhaps one day in the future, we will meet again."
After saying that, Song Bowen did not stop. He took a step forward, his leather shoes stepping on the marble floor. He walked along the empty aisle between the benches in the opposite direction of her.
His outline became increasingly blurred, and the sound of his footsteps echoed in the empty space, gradually fading away.
Wen Eryu stood up and didn't leave.
Just when Song Bowen's figure was completely engulfed in the dim light and shadow, he seemed to pause for half a second and raised his hand and waved.
Then he gently pushed open the heavy wooden door.
The darkness outside the door embraced him gently.
There was only endless silence in the church.
The stained glass windows were coated with a layer of golden light by the setting sun.
No one knows that there are a few drops of undried water deep in the piano keys.
Wen Eryu also raised his hand and waved at the door.
"Goodbye, Brother Bowen."
*
After coming out of the church, Shen Jize was staring at the watch on his wrist.
At this time, it was already evening, and the magnificent sunset was so beautiful that people could not take their eyes off it.
"Let's go home."
Shen Ji Ze raised his head when he heard that, he stood up, and Wen Eryu took his arm.
"What do you want to eat tonight? I'll make it for you."
Shen Jize said: "Let's not go home now, let me take you somewhere."
"Huh?" Wen Eryu looked at him puzzledly, "Where are you going?"
"I won't tell you."
After the car stopped, Wen Eryu finally knew where the place he was talking about was.
The empty campus was devoid of the hustle and bustle of the day, with only the sound of the wind passing through the empty teaching buildings and basketball courts. I wonder which classroom had its windows not closed tightly, and the wind was pushing them, making a creaking sound.
The plastic track under my feet has been worn rough and dull by time, with a few tenacious weeds growing in the cracks.
Shen Jize walked half a step ahead of her, and then stopped.
In front of me is the familiar yet unfamiliar teaching building. The withered vines of ivy are entangled with the walls. I can still smell the scent of chalk dust in the air, mixed with the sweat of my youth and the vigorous breath evaporated by the sun.
He turned slightly, his eyes not at Wen Eryu, but at the classroom at the end of the corridor.
The setting sun's rays just happened to slant down on that door. — Senior 2 (9)
His gaze lingered on the plaque for a long time.
The wind got stronger, blowing up the sand on the runway and making a crackling sound.
He turned his head slowly.
His gaze seemed to have traveled through a long and tortuous period of time and fell on Wen Eryu's face.
The morning and evening fell into his dark pupils, spreading a gentle and burning halo.
"Here." He spoke, his voice piercing the wind. "This is where I first saw you in my previous life."
Wen Eryu felt like his heart was hit by something, neither light nor heavy.
Shen Jize took a small step forward, and the distance was instantly shortened.
The aura of him, now baked by the warmth of the setting sun, created a heart-pounding sense of familiarity.
"Thursday's physical education class." He paused. "You were running down the hallway carrying a thick stack of freshly collected math papers. You ran so fast that you fell at the corner of the stairs."
Wen Eryu remembered everything.
That distant afternoon, she squatted down in a hurry to pick up the white test papers scattered on the ground.
At the top of the stairs, a young man wearing the same blue and white school uniform was holding the railing, looking down quietly.
"The papers were scattered all over the floor. You squatted there, head bowed, the hair on the back of your neck matted with sweat, your fingers quickly trying to catch the papers blown around by the wind."
He described it in such detail that every detail was like a faded old movie that was wiped clean and projected before our eyes.
"Clumsy." He suddenly uttered these four words, "I didn't pick up all the papers, I tripped myself and almost fell again."
Wen Eryu's cheeks began to heat up uncontrollably.
It turned out that he had seen all of her embarrassment at that time.
So embarrassing...
“I stood there and watched,” he said. “At that very staircase, for a long time.”
"Okay, okay, don't go on." Wen Eryu was almost embarrassed to death.
"Later, the day you confessed to me, I knew it."
The wind seemed to stop at this moment.
"Know what?" she asked curiously.
Shen Ji Ze didn't answer immediately, but leaned forward closer and gently brushed a strand of her hair that was messed up by the wind.
The slightly cool fingertips accidentally brushed against the sensitive skin of the earlobe.
On the ring finger of his left hand he wore the ring that had stood there for so long.
"It turns out that in this world, there really is happiness after suffering."
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