Perhaps provoked by Song Guizhou's attitude, or perhaps because he had other things to attend to, Si Beiling did not stay for long.
After Si Beiling left, Shi Xi lay down on the recliner to rest.
Song Guizhou chose the suite with the best view for him, and he looked at the scenery outside the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Two tall maple trees stand downstairs, looking quite old, with red ribbons tied to their branches. It's autumn now, and the maple leaves are turning slightly yellow, creating a rather picturesque scene.
Shi Xi looked at the maple leaves and pondered—where would she go if she died?
If my guess is correct, he should just be playing a role, and in theory, he should be the one receiving tasks from the system.
Where did his system go?
Just then, a cold, mechanical voice suddenly rang in his mind.
[System is activating...]
[Ding—Activation successful]
The next second, a fennec fox suddenly popped into Shi Xi's mind.
"Waaaah... My darling Shi Xi, I've finally found you!" Ganmaoling exclaimed excitedly.
If Shi Xi hadn't been clever enough to guess that he had a system, it would have had to wait until after his death to enter the time-travel space.
Even so, this was the result of his reasoned argument with the main system.
Ugh, the main system is so annoying!
"I'll activate pain shielding for you first," Ganmaoling said immediately after calming down a bit.
"Why didn't you come in with me?" Shi Xi asked curiously as her memories returned.
[The main system temporarily changed the rules, and the time-travel system automatically detached from the host. Not only that, it also sealed your memories! (▼皿▼#)]
The fennec fox waved its claws, looking as if it wanted nothing more than to drag the main system out and beat it up.
Shi Xi asked, "Is there a mission?"
The fennec fox shook its head. "You can just wait to die."
"That's fine then." Shi Xi closed her eyes to rest.
But a slight noise came from behind.
"...?" What is this child doing?
Shi Xi turned her head and saw Song Guizhou folding paper. He didn't seem to be very skilled at it, as there were countless creases on the paper in his hand. Shi Xi guessed that he must have failed many times.
He failed at least a hundred times, and the paper was almost crumpled up.
"What are you folding?"
"A thousand paper cranes." Song Guizhou looked somewhat annoyed. His hands were not very dexterous, and he had been trying to fold a decent paper crane for almost an hour.
Hearing him say that, Shi Xi was stunned.
Amidst the surprise, I also had a strange sense that the plot had finally fallen apart.
Aaaaaaah! This is unbelievable!
Why would he be used to this thing?!
"Why are you folding origami cranes?" Shi Xi asked.
"I saw online..." Song Guizhou paused for a moment before looking at Shi Xi and saying softly, "There's a symbolic meaning about origami cranes."
Since science cannot save Xiao An, then he will abandon science.
He prayed to the gods not to let his brother Xiao An leave him.
He wanted Xiao An to live, no matter what, no matter the cost.
All he wanted was for him to live, to be safe and healthy.
Shi Xi asked curiously, "What's the meaning?"
Song Guizhou looked at Shi Xi and gave her a gentle smile. "It's said that as long as you fold a thousand origami cranes..."
"You can then make a wish."
Shi Xi thought of the other party's iron box, which contained far more than a thousand origami cranes.
"..." Shi Xi frowned. "You believe in this?"
"I didn't believe it before." Song Guizhou lowered his head, his long, slender fingers with distinct joints picked up the origami paper and folded it up again.
Just as Shi Xi had guessed, his movements were not very skilled, and he encountered various problems several times in the middle. Song Guizhou could only patiently start over again and again.
It took him more than ten minutes to finally fold a paper crane.
Because it had been remade so many times, the origami crane was wrinkled and not very pretty, but Song Guizhou still showed a satisfied smile.
"But now I can't help but want to believe," he murmured softly.
The two weren't very close, so Shi Xi didn't hear Song Guizhou's last sentence.
Shi Xi frowned, hesitated for a second, and did not continue to ask questions.
"The first one."
After Song Guizhou finished speaking, he walked over, took Shi Xi's hand, and handed him the origami crane in his hand.
"Thanks."
Shi Xi took the origami crane, then turned her head back to look at the scenery outside the French windows. "The view here is nice."
Song Guizhou followed Shi Xi's gaze and looked over. Because this was a private sanatorium, there weren't many people here, making it a quiet place.
A cool autumn breeze swept by, causing the maple leaves to tremble twice. The golden leaves and red ribbons danced together, creating a beautiful scene. Song Guizhou was not interested and looked away after only two seconds.
"Should we go down and take a look?" Song Guizhou asked Shi Xi softly.
\"No.\"
Shi Xi glanced at Song Guizhou, shook her head, and said, "Some things are better left unsaid."
Song Guizhou remained silent.
It seemed as if he had just asked casually and hadn't taken it to heart, or as if he hadn't heard Shi Xi's answer. He stood there like a statue, motionless.
Since unlocking the skill of folding origami cranes, Song Guizhou has been holding origami almost every moment, except when taking care of him.
When Shi Xi felt unwell in the middle of the night and got up to vomit in the bathroom, she saw—
Song Guizhou sat on a stool with a dim light on, folding origami cranes with practiced ease.
Unlike before when he struggled, he is now much more skilled and can fold a paper crane in less than five minutes.
Hearing the commotion, Song Guizhou immediately dropped the origami and ran over.
"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" Song Guizhou patted Shi Xi's back, and when he saw the blood in the pool, the color drained from his face.
Taking a sip of warm water, Shi Xi cleared her throat, frowned, and said, "You..."
Shi Xi wanted to advise Song Guizhou not to waste his energy folding origami cranes.
That implication is obviously fake; it's probably just something the origami seller made up to sell their stuff.
Only a fool would believe that.
Seemingly realizing he had disturbed Shi Xi, Song Guizhou immediately spoke up, "Was I too loud and woke you up? I'm sorry, I'll be more careful next time..."
"No." Shi Xi shook her head, looked up at him, and finally said, "...You can only fold one origami crane a day."
"If you're too greedy, your wishes won't come true."
If he keeps going like this, the child will probably die before him, and then what's the point of him continuing the storyline?
Hearing this, a flicker of panic crossed Song Guizhou's face, and he asked somewhat uneasily, "Really?"
Shi Xi raised her hand and flicked him on the forehead, then lied with a straight face: "Of course it's true."
Song Guizhou stammered, "...Then I won't be greedy."
Seeing him like this, Shi Xi felt a headache coming on.
He thought to himself.
How did such a gentle and sunny protagonist end up like a pitiful little cabbage?
Damn it, this is clearly his persona!
He put down his glass before saying, "I need someone to take care of me."
"So you'll go and get some rest." Shi Xi looked at Song Guizhou, "Right?"
Song Guizhou looked at Shi Xi and nodded. "Yes."
"I will get some rest."
"That's more like it." Shi Xi smiled. "Go to sleep."
...
Yu Jiu'an's name has not appeared on the university's campus forum for a long time.
The forum was flooded with posts: some alumni were asking whether to cut ties with their weird friends, some were using the forum as a confession wall to try and win back their friends, and others were complaining about how difficult their graduation theses were and whether they might have to extend their studies...
Occasionally, someone would post a question asking why Yu Jiu'an had dropped out of school, but because no one answered, the question would quickly be buried by other posts.
Si Beiling ignored all these trivial things, only saving a few pictures of Shi Xi, including the anti-bullying video.
Si Beiling looked at Shi Xi, who was full of energy in the video.
Hearing that harsh "short-lived wretch," he pursed his lips.
Countless conclusions from renowned experts both at home and abroad flashed through my mind—
"Physically weak."
These two seemingly insignificant words carried the weight of a human life.
Si Beiling stubbed out his cigarette, which had long since burned out, in the ashtray.
"What did you just say?" He only looked up at Si Huaiyu after hearing the name Song family.
Si Huaiyu: "..."
"Did Song Huachu drop out of school?"
He previously attended the prestigious school that Song Huachu had gone to great lengths to get into, but his grades weren't very good, so Si Nanjun transferred him to No. 2 Middle School.
However, Si Huaiyu has many friends and is well-informed, so even after transferring schools, she can still get some inside information.
"I heard he couldn't afford the tuition and was kicked out of school," Si Huaiyu shrugged, seemingly unconcerned.
The Si family and the Song family originally had no dealings, but he had heard some rumors about the Song family.
It is said that the Song family couple died unexpectedly, and the Song family's power fell into the hands of Song Chaoyang, an incompetent member of the collateral branch. This couple played their cards more and more outrageous than the other, and their divorce was so big that the entire upper class knew about it.
Song Chaoyang's wife even staged a scene at a charity banquet where she physically confronted his mistress.
Recently, for some unknown reason, Song Chaoyang's entire family was kicked out of the Song family villa. The couple, one with a broken leg and the other with a broken arm, could only slink away with their tails between their legs.
Anyone who knows the inside story can guess that it was the young master of the Song family who did it.
However, since taking the young master of the Song family back, he has disappeared without a trace, and there has been no news of him.
Even when people went to visit, they were always turned away, told that the person was ill and refused to see guests.
For a time, rumors about this person spread like wildfire.
As Si Beiling listened to his words, he was thinking about something else... If he remembered correctly, the private sanatorium where Shi Xi lived seemed to be the Song family's private residence.
Thinking of this, he suddenly stood up, turned to Si Huaiyu, and said, "I'm going out for a bit."
...
Shi Xi was feeding the carp in the pavilion in the middle of the lake, and Song Guizhou stood beside him, holding fish food in his hands.
The carp in the lake are artificially fed. As soon as they see someone stop, they rush over, opening their mouths wide and waiting to be fed.
"Suckling sound."
After throwing the last handful of fish food into the lake, Shi Xi clapped her hands. Just as she was about to grab another handful of fish food, she saw Si Beiling.
The other party arrived at some unknown time and did not say a word.
"So you were here." Si Beiling said.
When he first arrived at the sanatorium and saw that the room was empty, he thought that Song Guizhou had hidden Shi Xi away.
It wasn't until he made several calls that he noticed his phone vibrating on the bed, confirming that Shi Xi was still there. The pavilion in the middle of the lake was the most conspicuous spot, which he hadn't noticed at first.
"...?" Shi Xi looked at Si Beiling. Judging from his words, the other party had come to find him on purpose?
What did Si Beiling want with him?
Si Beiling glanced at Song Guizhou, then said to Shi Xi, "Can we talk alone?"
Shi Xi didn't understand why he had come to find her, but she still agreed and left the pavilion under Song Guizhou's gaze.
Only after the two figures disappeared from sight did Song Guizhou take out his phone and turn on the surveillance camera.
Once they were under the maple tree, Si Beiling finally spoke, "Don't you feel something's off?"
"Really?" Shi Xi asked in return.
Si Beiling, assuming Shi Xi wasn't sensitive to cameras, pointed to the surrounding flowers, trees, and decorative stones in the yard, saying, "Here, here, and here... there are over a dozen cameras in this yard alone."
"This number far exceeds the normal range..." he said to Shi Xi, "and besides you, I didn't see anyone else."
If this were some kind of private sanatorium, there should be other people here, but in fact, apart from a few staff members, he didn't see anyone else in the vast space.
Si Beiling was absolutely certain that Song Guizhou was the young master of the Song family.
This is Song Guizhou's private territory, not a private sanatorium at all.
Shi Xi remained surprisingly calm in the face of Si Beiling's words.
"That's how it is in private nursing homes."
He simply looked up at the red-lit camera on the tree trunk. "Mr. Si is making a mountain out of a molehill."
Seemingly not expecting Shi Xi's answer, Si Beiling was stunned.
Shi Xi reached out and grabbed a red ribbon with the words "Peace and safety, good health" written on it. The handwriting looked very familiar; it was written by Song Guizhou.
Shi Xi looked at it for a while and thought his handwriting was not bad.
He knew.
The moment Si Beiling saw the handwriting, these words suddenly popped into his mind.
"This is for you." Shi Xi walked to the maple tree, reached out and untied a red ribbon from a branch, then handed it to Si Beiling.
He waved to Si Beiling and said, "The fish haven't been fed yet, I'll go ahead first."
Then he turned and walked towards the pavilion in the middle of the lake.
That's all he can do to help.
In the later part of the story, Si Beiling and Song Guizhou have an important token that they share: this red ribbon.
Song Guizhou wrote mostly blessings for peace, joy, and a smooth life, with this one being the only exception.
Judging from the current situation, Song Guizhou probably won't give it to Si Beiling, so he'll have to do it for him.
There were so many red ribbons that Shi Xi almost couldn't find them if it weren't for the cold medicine reminding her.
Although he didn't know why, Si Beiling clearly didn't recognize him or remember him afterward, so it should be fine even if he handed him over.
Anyway, the handwriting is Song Guizhou's.
Si Beiling originally intended to throw away the annoying red ribbon, but when his gaze fell on the ribbon, he hesitated for a second and changed his mind.
Because the ribbon read, "May I find a soulmate."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com