Chapter 259 Epilogue - New World Arc (56)
Hearing Yu Qingzhou call out his number—
E027 gave a soft "hmm," then said half-jokingly, "Why do you look like you've just woken up?"
"..."
"Those who know the truth might think he just dozed off, but those who don't might think he'd been possessed by a ghost."
E027 joked casually, but the concern in his eyes was genuine.
In this situation, Yu Qingzhou subconsciously avoided that gaze, while muttering under her breath, "Stop talking nonsense."
The tone was a bit too serious.
It was just like a teacher disciplining a naughty student in class.
Even Yu Qingzhou herself was somewhat surprised when she said those words.
E027 was clearly taken aback for a moment, but then smiled good-naturedly at Yu Qingzhou in the chair.
"Okay, then I guess I was just talking nonsense."
The boy half-squatted down, his arms supporting him on the armrests of the backrest, and looked up at Yu Qingzhou with a smile that curved his eyes.
Even though Yu Qingzhou was the one sitting, she was being looked up at by the former.
The feeling was indescribably strange...
It's like...
It's as if you are the one being held dear, gazing upon a rare treasure with reverence.
However, the truth is that the two were just strangers who met by chance.
Aside from their uniform numbering and love of sweets, Yu Qingzhou knew almost nothing about the boy.
Oh, no...
Yu Qingzhou pressed her temples, which were throbbing with pain from poor sleep.
I realized that I had actually known the other person's name not long ago.
“Li Nian…”
Yu Qingzhou thought to herself and unconsciously murmured it aloud.
The moment the words were strung together, a sudden, inexplicable, sharp pain shot through his heart, pricking his nerves like needles.
The faint pain in my temples seemed to intensify as well.
strangeness……
The feeling was as if what I had just uttered was not merely the name of the boy in front of me, but a heart-wrenching curse.
But that shouldn't be the case.
Yu Qingzhou couldn't find a reason to explain why these two simple words made her feel so bad.
He instinctively raised his hand to cover his face, and warm tears seemed to well up in his eyes.
Am I crying?
Why……
It was as if a long-suppressed, boundless sorrow found an outlet in an instant with the complete presentation of this name in Yu Qingzhou's presence.
Yu Qingzhou's shoulders trembled, and she felt a surge of emotion welling up in her eyes, like a flood bursting its banks.
He couldn't make a sound; instead, he silently wept.
Therefore, one could clearly hear E027's almost helpless voice nearby.
Presumably, anyone who suddenly hears someone call them by their full name and is waiting for what happens next, only to see the other person start crying silently, would find it difficult to react in time.
What's more, this person is Yu Qingzhou.
She was the lover he thought he would never see again in this lifetime...
"I'm here, I'm here... I'll stay here with you, so there's nothing to worry about."
While gently comforting her, E027 reached out and hugged Yu Qingzhou, who was burying her head in her hands and crying.
The movement was so gentle, as if embracing a handful of snow that might melt at any moment.
After an unknown amount of time, the trembling on the boy's body gradually subsided until it completely stopped.
After being swept away by a huge emotional wave, people can easily fall into a state of excessive calm that is almost exhausting.
Yu Qingzhou was in the same boat, and not only that, she was also somewhat embarrassed.
For him, crying is inherently a private matter.
From childhood to adulthood, the only place where he could let down his guard and cry freely was in his mother's arms when he was a child.
That is already a very distant memory.
In recent years, Yu Qingzhou has expressed her inner needs less and less in public, especially strong emotional expressions.
Pain, anger... let alone the inexplicable sobbing like just now.
Yu Qingzhou had thought that she was past the age of experiencing great joy and sorrow.
But in reality, those emotions did occur.
Instead, it is suppressed beneath an unchanging calm surface, quietly accumulating weight, waiting for a chance opportunity to arrive, and then it will suddenly and completely erupt.
Just like just now—
In the face of E027—
Are you feeling any better?
After an unknown amount of time, E027 whispered a question.
The tone was undeniably cautious.
Yu Qingzhou did not answer immediately, but kept her head down, covering her face.
He wasn't ready to repeatedly expose his most vulnerable and vulnerable side to the same person.
So I made up my mind to pretend that I was an ostrich for the time being.
"It's okay. I've completely forgotten about you crying your eyes out just now, so don't feel embarrassed."
"..."
"I won't mind your comical appearance—tears, snot bubbles, and eyes red and swollen like walnuts from crying—and also—"
Before Yu Qingzhou finished speaking with a smile in E027, she suddenly reached out and covered that damned mouth.
This is how he revealed his face.
Actually, apart from being wet and tear-stained, my eyes and nose were only slightly red; it wasn't as exaggerated as the other person described.
E027 was suddenly silenced, but showed no displeasure whatsoever.
Instead, the smile on his face widened even further.
With a smile playing on her lips, she looked at the expressionless Yu Qingzhou, her eyes seemingly tinged with the smug satisfaction of a successful scheme.
That invincible, rogue-like demeanor seemed to bring back memories of when they first met.
However, something seems different.
Yu Qingzhou couldn't explain it. He let go of her hand, somewhat dejected, and refused to look at the increasingly familiar face.
As I turned my head, I couldn't help but whisper an apology.
The sound was barely audible, but E027 had excellent hearing, and besides, he had been focusing almost all his attention on Yu Qingzhou these past few days.
These days specifically begin from when E027 was rushed to the emergency room due to a sudden illness, and woke up in the ward to see Yu Qingzhou.
The incident happened so suddenly that E027 almost thought she was going to die. Unexpectedly, she not only survived, but also saw the boy she had been longing for shortly after waking up.
It was supposed to be a joyous occasion, worthy of popping champagne and celebrating.
Unexpectedly, that woman Shen Yingxue also came along.
For various reasons, E027 has been at odds with her cousin since childhood.
Fortunately, the two later embarked on completely different paths.
I thought we could just stay apart forever, out of sight, out of mind.
Unexpectedly, this guy didn't even bother to say hello, and instead, under the guise of an internship, he showed up on my turf and even tried to steal someone right under my nose.
That day, right in front of him, they blatantly began to sow discord.
—Can we tolerate this?
Yes, it is possible.
Even the old E027 wouldn't have been so tolerant.
But this time is different, because this matter is related to Yu Qingzhou.
Yu Qingzhou is no one else, but the one E027 has been longing for for so long... Therefore, only this person, and only when it comes to matters related to this person, E027 will never back down.
Even E027 believes that if he could live a long life, but only at the cost of losing the other person, then living would be worse than dying immediately...
As a result, E027 made some extremely irrational moves.
It could be said that this played right into Shen Yingxue's hands.
As the footsteps faded into the distance, E027 was filled with deep regret.
But he knew that at this point, it would be futile to try to persuade him to stay.
Because that person is just that stubborn; once they've made up their mind about something, they won't turn back even if they hit a brick wall.
The more you try to stop them, the less likely they are to stay; pushing them too hard will only backfire.
even--
He simply smashed his head against the south wall and died.
He was left with only a broken body... This was something he had experienced before.
It's too cold.
Blood should be warm, but as he embraced the mangled body and flesh, he only felt an icy chill.
He was wrong.
However, it was too late to change anything.
He tried desperately to piece the other person's body back together, but the more he tried, the more futile it was.
after all--
She jumped from such a high place.
What was Yu Qingzhou thinking at that time?
Aren't you scared at all?
Yes.
—It's because of myself.
Because in that person's eyes, only that way could they escape from her. That's why she went without hesitation...
A chill settled on his face. The boy looked up and saw snowflakes falling from the sky, as if announcing the end of this brief period of sunshine in his gloomy life.
—It's so cold.
For some reason, I suddenly remembered a rainy night from a long time ago.
He was still quite young then, and on a whim, he made up an excuse to go find Yu Qingzhou.
The other party did not suspect anything.
The boy lay beside him with his eyes closed, dozing off while listening to Yu Qingzhou's soft sighs in the night rain.
He was secretly pleased because the other party felt sorry for him, but on the surface he pretended that nothing had happened.
I thought to myself, how wonderful it would be if time could stand still on this night.
Nothing else is needed.
As long as the other person is by your side, and you can spend the long nights together... it's as if this stolen warmth is enough to comfort the cold of the rest of your life.
What made them no longer satisfied with this?
Greedily wanting to be the only one.
Since we can't be the first to do it, we can at least be the last one to do it.
The boy thought to himself.
I took quite a few detours for this trivial idea.
They thought they were on the verge of success, but in reality they were going in the opposite direction.
[...But at least this way there won't be anyone else. You'll only have me by your side, and only me.]
The boy murmured, pressing his chapped lips against his lover's empty eye sockets.
His favorite pair of eyes were once set there.
It's okay now that it's broken.
He would never have to see that look of disappointment again, from fear to hatred to numbness... He was actually afraid of that look.
It was as if I had disappeared from the other person's world.
They were unilaterally kicked out.
—How can this be?
—Absolutely not.
so……
It's okay if it's cold; at least it's better than living in constant fear.
I'm afraid of being abandoned, afraid that you'll run away from me.
And so we'll never be apart again—
Is it cold?
For a moment, E027 couldn't tell whether the voice came from a dream or reality.
Is the one speaking the corpse in his arms, or the boy who has returned?
He turned around in a daze and saw E025 standing not far away, quietly watching him.
Or perhaps it's the young Yu Qingzhou, or the grown-up Pipa.
Regardless, they are all alive and well...
What are you just standing there for? If you're cold, just cover yourself with a blanket. I'm not a furnace.
As the boy said this, he still went around to the other side and reached out to close the window.
You...didn't leave.
What, are you hoping I'll leave?
No! I—
E027 was speechless for a moment, as if the salty, cold taste of ice and blood still lingered in her mouth.
Finally, he lowered his eyes and murmured in a hoarse voice, "Because I made you angry again. I'm afraid you'll really be angry and never come back..."
The boy seemed taken aback for a moment upon hearing this: "You're quite self-aware. However—"
He paused, then added, "At a time like this, shouldn't we be saying something else?"
【Other...what?】
E027 looked up blankly, meeting the boy's calm gaze, a pair of perfectly intact eyes that were completely different from those in the dream.
Now that you realize you've done something wrong, you should sincerely repent and apologize.
Is remorse and an apology enough?
E027 felt increasingly lost, yet within that uncertainty, a glimmer of hope seemed to linger.
Regarding this...
Yu Qingzhou thought for a moment: "The specifics should depend on the severity of the mistake and the seriousness of the situation. However, it mainly depends on the person involved's own wishes. If someone makes a mistake, they should apologize; whether or not they accept the apology is their prerogative."
E027's repeated confirmations made even Yu Qingzhou somewhat uncertain.
That being said, isn't this common sense that even elementary school students should have?
However, recalling the deathly pale face of E027 she had just seen, who seemed utterly hopeless and as if he might break through the fence and jump out of the open window at any moment to end it all, Yu Qingzhou patiently explained it this way.
During this time, he felt E027's gaze was constantly fixed on his face.
His eyes were strange; it had only been a moment since he turned around, but it seemed like they hadn't seen each other for a long time.
Just as I was about to say something to break the heavy atmosphere, a serious expression suddenly appeared on E027's pale face.
I'm sorry, Yu Qingzhou.
He stared into the boy's eyes and slowly said, "I promise you, this will absolutely never happen again."
Every word was spoken with the solemnity of a vow.
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