Three years after my death, Lu Wang’s new song written for me became a huge hit.
A song titled “Unforgettable” spread wildly on the Internet.
With a 0.8 – times lowered pitch and his deep voice, it sang of a tragic and affectionate love, making a large number of netizens cry.
At the new song launch conference, the host asked him, “Top – star Lu, do you have anything to say to Yu Nian?”
“Yes.”
Lu Wang didn’t look at me. Instead, his eyes fell on Jiang Mei. “Niannian, I don’t want to love you anymore.”
“Yu Nian, stop haunting me, okay?”
“Okay.”
I left with a smile, but Lu Wang panicked and even spat blood in public.
1
The live – broadcast of Lu Wang’s new song launch conference hadn’t even started, and it had already topped several hot searches.
#Retired from the entertainment industry for three years for his late wife, still a top – star upon return#
#So true love isn’t just an ancient legend#
…
Netizens commented one after another below, “Unforgettable is so tragic. I’m really crying. I’m always moved by pure love.”
“Yu Nian has been dead for three years, and Brother Lu still can’t forget her.”
“It’s really pitiful. She was only 23 years old, just graduated from university.”
“I heard that she was trying to save someone and was dragged into an alley by a drunkard. She was stabbed thirteen times, each stab fatal. Until she died, she kept shouting Brother Lu’s name and was still tightly holding the engagement ring in her hand.”
“She died in the year he loved her the most, and right before the wedding. How can anyone let go?”
The comment section was filled with sobs.
In the auditorium, in the form of a soul, I sat in the most conspicuous empty seat in the first row. Looking at the rapidly scrolling subtitles on the huge screen, I started to daze.
Suddenly, I felt so regretful and sad.
“Ah, it’s Lu Wang. He’s so handsome.”
As soon as Lu Wang appeared, it caused his fans to scream continuously.
Today, he was wearing a high – end custom – made black suit, dressed meticulously, which made him look even more noble.
The spotlight shone on him, and he was the center of attention.
Ah! I almost forgot how long it had been since I last saw him looking so dazzling.
Since my death, Lu Wang had changed a lot.
He announced his withdrawal from the entertainment industry, quit racing, and dyed his flamboyant red hair black.
The vain him no longer took care of himself. He didn’t even shave his full – faced stubble.
He stayed at home writing songs every day.
He wrote all our stories into his songs.
From the innocent campus days to the romantic wedding in our fantasies.
The lyrics recorded every bit of our journey from school uniforms to wedding dresses.
He worked day and night to perfect the songs, just to catch up with my funeral.
Finally, he sang to me in front of my tombstone, “Niannian, I’m here to marry you.”
Perhaps because of this strong bond, my soul had been following Lu Wang’s side after my death.
And he could occasionally see me.
2
I pulled back my thoughts.
The launch conference had entered the Q&A session.
In order to increase the show’s popularity, the host, being very bold, directly asked, “Top – star Lu, do you have anything to say to Yu Nian?”
This was a topic that everyone was concerned about.
All the lights and microphones were directed at him.
Lu Wang slightly narrowed his eyes, with a faint sense of fatigue on his face.
Having stayed in the dark for a long time, the strong light made him very uncomfortable, so he slightly lowered his head to avoid it.
But he happened to see me, and our eyes met.
This was the first time he saw me in a sober state, but he wasn’t surprised.
There was not even an extra expression on his cold face.
Not getting the answer he wanted, the host became anxious.
He pushed his luck and continued to ask, “Yu Nian has been dead for almost three years. Does Top – star Lu really have nothing to say to her?”
The host deliberately guided the conversation, repeatedly emphasizing how I died, trying to make Lu Wang recall those painful pasts and see him go crazy for love and lose his composure in public.
Lu Wang’s face was as cold as water, his jawline tightened, and the fist hanging by his side clenched tightly, with veins bulging.
His emotions were obviously wrong, as if he had reached the limit of his patience.
The atmosphere suddenly became very solemn.
After a long time, Lu Wang sneered, “Yes.”
His tone was so cold that there was not a trace of warmth.
Lu Wang didn’t look at me. Instead, his eyes fell on Jiang Mei. “Niannian, I don’t want to love you anymore.”
As soon as he finished speaking, even the host was stunned. He didn’t react for a long time, suspecting that he had heard wrong.
You see, everyone thought that Lu Wang was deeply in love with me.
But no one expected that he would say in public that he didn’t want to love me anymore.
And the people present were even more unacceptable than me when they heard him say these cruel words to me.
Ridiculous, right?
But I wasn’t surprised.
3
Jiang Mei was our high – school classmate.
At school, because of her outstanding appearance, she became the recognized school beauty.
The look in one’s eyes when they like someone can’t be hidden.
I knew that she had always had a crush on Lu Wang.
There were also rumors of their relationship in school, and everyone was really into it.
After all, a cool and attractive school beauty and a cold and aloof school hunk, just standing together, were very well – matched.
I was also very angry with Lu Wang because of this.
He was so scared that he misused his power as the student council president, directly used the school radio to refute the rumors, and publicly begged me for forgiveness, “Yu Nian, I was wrong. Don’t ignore me, okay?”
The cold and aloof top student, in order to make me happy, didn’t hesitate to violate school rules and loudly tell everyone that I was the one he cared about the most.
I was deeply attracted.
But Jiang Mei became a joke.
She was a person with strong self – esteem. Unable to bear the ridicule from those around her, she chose to study abroad and cut off contact with everyone.
It seems that they are destined to be together.
I witnessed their reunion with my own eyes.
During those days when he gave up on himself, it was Jiang Mei who pestered him shamelessly and scolded him awake bit by bit.
It was also because of her encouragement and company that Lu Wang wrote his masterpiece – “Unforgettable”.
It was she who helped Lu Wang return to the entertainment industry and realize his dream of becoming a superstar in the music industry.
If real life were a novel, she would be the female lead who redeemed Lu Wang.
Soon, the reporters caught on to something unusual and immediately pointed the camera at Jiang Mei.
She was not flustered at all. She smiled and looked at the camera, generously admitting her relationship with Lu Wang.
Do you think she is my substitute?
Wrong.
Jiang Mei is a rich girl, cold and beautiful, with delicate features, and her temperament is also very cold.
And I have a neighbor – girl look, big eyes and a round face, and I’m very straightforward in doing things.
Whether in appearance or personality, Jiang Mei and I are completely different.
How could Lu Wang regard her as my substitute?
“You guessed it right. I have a new love.”
Lu Wang laughed out loud.
He lowered his head, his shoulders shaking with laughter. “Yu Nian, everyone is advising me to let go of you and be a normal person.”
“So, stop haunting me, okay?”
I stared at Lu Wang without blinking.
Until my eyes became unfocused, until he became blurred in my sight.
It turned out that Lu Wang wanted to use this grand launch conference to say goodbye to me and the past, and officially announce his new relationship with Jiang Mei.
My heart seemed to be empty in a big piece, but I wasn’t very sad.
I just felt quite regretful.
From now on, I can no longer deceive myself.
No one will only love one person forever.
“Okay.”
I replied calmly.
4
My voice wasn’t loud, but Lu Wang heard me through my lip – reading.
The pale smile froze on his face, pain flashed in his eyes, and he looked at me in disbelief.
“So, who is your new love?”
The reporters definitely wouldn’t let go of this huge scoop and continued to ask.
But Lu Wang seemed not to hear. He staggered a few steps, as if he was going to jump down and question me why I could agree so calmly.
But he was stopped by Jiang Mei, who hugged him tightly.
And the scene where she rushed onto the stage without hesitation just now was also recorded by the camera.
After being hugged by Jiang Mei, Lu Wang’s emotions were still very excited, and his body was even trembling with great effort to control.
It was not until Jiang Mei whispered a few words in his ear that he calmed down.
Both the people on – site and the melon – eaters in front of the screen were deeply shocked by this scene.
Although Lu Wang didn’t clearly say who the person he liked was.
But Jiang Mei’s public hug and comfort were enough to explain everything.
#Confirmed, Top – star Lu has a new love#
The hug between Lu Wang and Jiang Mei was on the hot search, and the comment section exploded again in an instant.
A full screen of blessings kept popping up.
From their perspective, I had been dead for three years.
It was already very rare for Lu Wang to do so much for me.
No one had the heart to blame him and keep him trapped in the past.
Among the many blessings, there were also a few comments speaking for me.
“How can he say he doesn’t love anymore just like that?”
“Didn’t the vows you made when you proposed at my funeral count?”
“So, in the end, love depends on one’s conscience.”
…
My eyes felt a bit sore, and I didn’t want to look anymore.
I tried to stay away from Lu Wang.
Before, every time I floated more than five meters away from him, I would be pulled back to his side by a domineering spiritual force.
But this time, I could really leave him completely.
I floated far out of the venue and wasn’t sucked back.
I no longer had to watch Jiang Mei gradually replace me, nor watch Lu Wang slowly forget me.
I was finally free.
I’m a stingy person. I really can’t wish them well with a smile.
According to my hot – tempered personality when I was alive, if Lu Wang dared to betray me, I would definitely slap him a few times.
But now, I’m just a person who has been dead for three years, only a wandering soul left.
No one can see me except Lu Wang.
If he really doesn’t love anymore, I don’t need to waste my ghostly feelings and continue to pester.
After getting a short – term relief, another kind of sadness grew in my heart.
I turned my head to look in the direction of the venue. Lu Wang didn’t chase after me.
And my body was becoming more and more transparent.
I thought that when Lu Wang completely forgot about me and no one in the world cared about me anymore, I would completely disappear.
5
I drifted aimlessly on the street. The vehicles were flowing, the neon lights were shining, and people were coming and going.
Everyone has their own starting point and ending point.
But I didn’t know where to go.
A heavy rainstorm started in the sky.
I looked up, and the dense raindrops seemed to pass through my eyes and fall, splashing countless water flowers at my feet.
Three years ago, it was also such a rainy night.
I deliberately put on the white dress that Lu Wang gave me and secretly went to find him, originally wanting to give him a surprise.
But unfortunately, I encountered a drunkard causing trouble.
Before I could dial the police number, I was stabbed to death, stabbed again and again.
Actually, when the knife pierced my heart, I couldn’t feel the pain anymore.
All I could think about was how sad Lu Wang would be after my death.
The blood mixed with the rainwater, spreading continuously, staining my white dress dirty.
The rain stopped, and my body was found the next day.
After receiving the news of my death, Lu Wang completely collapsed.
He desperately shrugged off everyone trying to hold him back, then held my cold corpse in his arms and wept his heart out.
At that moment, my heart really hurt! It hurt so much!
I never doubted Lu Wang’s sincerity to me.
But now, I have to admit that even he, who loved me so much, would change his heart and like someone else.
Actually, this is also good.
It seems that I can only use the spiritual victory method. “Lu Wang, I will punish you by never seeing me again for the rest of your life.”
The rain was getting heavier and heavier.
A bolt of lightning lit up the night sky brightly, and soon, thunder exploded beside my ears.
“Fuck, it scared me. Could it really be Yu Nian’s wronged soul coming back for revenge?”
“I watched the live – broadcast. Lu Wang not only spat blood at the launch conference but also fainted and was sent to the hospital for emergency treatment.”
“With this heavy rain, lightning, and thunder, and Lu Wang spitting blood and fainting, it must be.”
The passers – by were in a hurry. They ran to take shelter from the rain and didn’t forget to discuss the hot search and gossip.
I didn’t have such great ability to control the weather.
When I heard that Lu Wang spat blood, I didn’t want to care at first.
But the more I tried not to think about it, the more I cared.
This kind of reluctance to let go strengthened the bond between me and Lu Wang.
I was pulled back to his side by a domineering force again.
6
“Bang!”
“Lu Wang, you heartless bastard, why didn’t you die!”
When I floated to the hospital, the sound of smashing things, shrill crying, scolding, and beating kept coming.
Lu Wang’s ward was in chaos, with a mess all over the floor.
I saw my mother, and my heart rose to my throat.
“Woo – hoo, my daughter is so pitiful. She was stabbed to death because she went to see you. You must take full responsibility.”
“Why did she die while you all live well? You’ll never have a good life.”
My mother smashed all the things in the ward that could be smashed into pieces.
The glass water cup was broken all over the floor, showing sharp edges.
The door was surrounded by doctors and nurses. They couldn’t stand it anymore and wanted to step forward to stop it, but they were stopped by Lu Wang’s bodyguards.
And my mother wasn’t satisfied with the commotion. After finding there was nothing else to smash, she glared at Lu Wang angrily.
She was like a roaring monster, barbarically pulling out his drip needle, pushing down the drip stand, grabbing his hospital gown, and constantly pushing and questioning him.
Lu Wang just coldly watched my mother go crazy. He didn’t dodge, not even making the instinctive move of protecting himself when in danger.
He was pushed off the hospital bed and happened to fall into the pile of glass. Glass shards deeply embedded in his palm and leg, and a lot of blood flowed out.
But he seemed not to feel the pain. Instead, he seemed to enjoy this pain and laughed abruptly.
I was almost crying anxiously. “Lu Wang, what are you doing? Are you deliberately making me feel bad?”
He seemed to be able to see me and hear my words.
But he pretended not to see or hear.
This farce didn’t end until Jiang Mei arrived.
“How much do you want this time?”
Every time my mother came to make trouble, on the surface, it was for my own good, but in fact, she was trying to get money in different ways.
“One million.”
My mother wiped away her tears, held her head high confidently, and stretched out her index finger to show the number “1”, making an exorbitant demand.
“Don’t want to give it? Then I’ll keep making trouble and ruin that brat’s reputation.”
Jiang Mei didn’t want to entangle with my mother anymore. She threw a bank card in her face and threatened, “At most 200,000. That’s all you’re worth.”
“If you dare to make trouble again, I’ll definitely send you to prison for life.”
After entrusting a lawyer to handle it, Jiang Mei came to visit Lu Wang.
The doctor had already pulled out the glass shards for him and bandaged his wounds.
In the hospital ward, only the dim bedside lamp was on. It was eerily quiet and oppressively still.
“Click, click…”
Jiang Mei walked closer in high – heels.
She sat by Lu Wang’s hospital bed, looked at his injured body, and scolded angrily, “Why didn’t you dodge? Are you a masochist?”
Lu Wang looked up at her. His broken hair covered his eyes, and his expression couldn’t be seen.
Jiang Mei sighed and hugged him distressedly, comforting him, “Lu Wang, no one in this world can’t live without someone else.”
“And I’m your best choice now. So, try to have a relationship with me, okay?”
I turned around. I was still very sad, very sad.
Tears kept streaming down involuntarily.
Not wanting to see their intimate appearance, I endured the severe pain of resisting the attractive force and moved away from Lu Wang little by little, floating outside the ward.
I squatted down against the wall, burying my head in my knees.
The pain was still intensifying. I tried my best to divert my attention. “It’s okay. Just endure it.”
7
Someone approached.
When I looked up and saw that it was my mother, the alarm bells in my heart rang immediately. What was she here for again? Hadn’t she had enough of profiting from my misfortune?
“Niannian, it’s mom who’s sorry for you.” My mother took out a yellowed diary. The edges of the pages were curled, clearly having been flipped through countless times. She lowered her head, looking at the diary, and stroked it gently, just like she used to stroke my head when I was a child. It was a rare display of tenderness towards me. She muttered to herself, and as soon as she called my name, her voice choked up, and tears of remorse trickled down one by one.
“I had no other choice. Your father owed a mountain of debts. If he couldn’t pay them back, he would be hacked to death.”
It was the same old story again. Throughout my childhood and adolescence, the words my mother said to me the most were, “I have no other choice…” Every time she hurt me deeply, she would later say some nice words to deceive me. In the past, I really believed her, thinking that my mother was so pitiful.
She got pregnant before marriage at a young age. My father didn’t like her, and she could only pester him relentlessly.
Finally, she went to my father’s house to force a marriage while pregnant. After giving birth to me, their relationship deteriorated even further, and my father even started staying out all night.
My mother would scold me for being useless and force me to keep calling my father, crying and begging him to come home. Later, our family went bankrupt, and my father became even more dispirited, drinking and gambling every day.
I advised her many times to divorce my father and live her own life, but she just wouldn’t listen, constantly complaining about everything.
Her temper became more and more irritable, and she would scold me to vent her anger whenever she was unhappy.
She even went to a fortune – teller, hoping to repair her relationship with my father through metaphysics.
The fortune – teller said that my fate was bad. And just like that, I became the scapegoat. Everyone called me a jinx.
With that acrimonious and mean look on her face, she seemed as if she couldn’t wait to curse me to death.
And my mother would just cry and say, “I have no other choice. Blame your bad luck.” There weren’t really that many things beyond her control. She was just both stupid and selfish.
Since she couldn’t live a good life herself, she dragged me down with her. The pitiful often have something hateful about them. All her pitiful state was self – inflicted.
“Niannian, this is your last relic. It’s better to leave it to someone who needs it.” She stroked the worn – out cover reluctantly. After much hesitation, she placed the diary at the door of the ward. She was not yet fifty, but her hair was already completely white, and her face was full of wrinkles. As she stood up, she seemed to think of something and covered her face, crying so hard that she was out of breath. She knocked on the door and then ran away crying. Looking at her desolate back, thinking that she would have to live in endless regret and torment from now on, I thought she really deserved it! At first, I sympathized with her, then I hated her to the core. And now, I didn’t even want to waste my emotions hating her. After letting go, I found that my body became transparent again. In the hospital corridor, a gust of wind blew through, and the diary was flipped open by the wind. The childish words, crooked and uneven, pieced together my short and bumpy life. When the wind stopped, the diary had turned to the end of the last page. What was excerpted was a powerful passage I saw on the Internet: The only one who can pull yourself out of the abyss is yourself. Please, by all means, again and again, tirelessly, thousands of times, save yourself from the trials of the world.
8
“So, you regret it, right?” A lazy voice sounded above my head. The unique way of speaking was both arrogant and annoying. I suddenly looked up and saw a familiar face. Surprised, my voice was tinged with obvious sobs as I said, “Why are you here?” The person who came was the underworld messenger in charge of me. His name was 082. He didn’t have a real name, just a number. After not seeing him for a long time, 082 was still dressed in black clothes and white pants, with a cigarette in his mouth. “My end – of – month performance assessment didn’t meet the standard, so I came to catch you, this escaped soul.” After everyone dies, there will be an underworld messenger in charge, guiding you through the post – death procedures and taking you to reincarnation. But my hatred for my mother was too deep, and my obsession with Lu Wang was too strong, so the reincarnation process was stuck. In the end, even 082 lost patience. He dropped a sentence, “Hopelessly lovesick,” and then left me alone. I originally thought that I had no chance of a next life. People with too deep obsessions would end up disappearing into thin air. But I never expected that 082 would come to find me. I still had a chance to be reincarnated.
“Yu Nian, look at the mess you’ve become. In your next life, you’ll either be blind or disabled…” “Ah! Forget it.”
Maybe he saw that I was too sad, or maybe he thought of something else. He sighed and held back his venomous tongue. “You’ve only got three days.
Settle all the unfinished business, and then go get reincarnated. Maybe in your next life, you can be born with a full set of healthy limbs. But I can’t guarantee anything else.”
“I’ll wait for you at your gravesite. Think it over and come to me.
I’m in a hurry to catch the next task.” Without saying any more nonsense, the underworld messenger warned me once and then left immediately. I thought I was lucky. Three days was indeed enough time for me to make a proper end.
“Click.” The ward door opened from the inside. Jiang Mei came out and saw the yellowed diary on the ground. She was stunned for a moment, picked it up, flipped through a few pages casually, and keenly caught Lu Wang’s name. It not only recorded my repeated attempts at self – rescue but also Lu Wang’s long – planned schemes for me. She then learned that in high school, the first time Lu Wang was beaten and sent to the hospital was because he saw me passing by. He took several solid punches, which broke his ribs, and he just didn’t want to fight back. He was waiting for me to save him, creating more opportunities to be alone with me.
… Jiang Mei’s eyes gradually dimmed. At this moment, she was very sure that this diary was one of the few remaining relics of mine. She turned to look at Lu Wang, hesitated for a moment, and then casually threw it into the trash can at the door.
9
“What’s wrong? Is there someone outside?” From the ward came Lu Wang’s deep voice. “No, no one. It should be a child’s prank.” Jiang Mei replied quickly. Afraid that Lu Wang would become suspicious, she glanced at the trash can, quickly composed herself, and then turned and walked back in. Coincidentally, Doctor Li came in for a routine check – up. He flipped through Lu Wang’s medical record and asked, “Does your stomach still hurt?” “No.” Doctor Li didn’t believe it. He looked up from the medical record and observed Lu Wang, finding that his face was still very pale. He was Lu Wang’s attending doctor. In the past three years, Lu Wang had been sent to the hospital more than once. Doctor Li knew that he was used to enduring pain. Once, his stomach was bleeding severely, but he still said it didn’t hurt. Thinking of this, Doctor Li sighed helplessly. He took Lu Wang’s temperature, prescribed some medicine, and then left.
“It’s time to take your medicine.” Jiang Mei poured a glass of clear water and handed the pills to Lu Wang along with it. Lu Wang took them with a smile and swallowed the medicine. Jiang Mei stayed by Lu Wang’s side all the time and didn’t go to the company. She took three days off to take care of him. People are most vulnerable when they are in a weak state, and it’s easy for others to take advantage of this. Jiang Mei’s unwavering presence finally warmed Lu Wang’s heart. He actively cooperated with the treatment and recovered quickly. Their relationship developed really fast! When he was in good spirits, Lu Wang would pick up a sketchbook and use a paintbrush to draw Jiang Mei’s appearance when she was taking a break from work. In fact, Lu Wang wasn’t interested in painting. It’s just that for a while, I was obsessed with a tragic novel. The male lead in the novel was a talented painter. After the female lead died, he suffered from severe delusional disorder and finally sacrificed his life for his masterpiece. After reading the novel, I was so deeply affected that I cried my eyes out. On a whim, the next day, I dragged Lu Wang to learn painting with me. In the end, I didn’t learn it, but Lu Wang learned very quickly and was frequently praised by the teacher. The painting skill was learned with me, but now he was painting another woman. By the way, I still remember that at that time, I asked Lu Wang a question, “If I die, will you commit suicide for love?” “No.” “Yu Nian, if you dare to die, I’ll dare to forget you.” Lu Wang really didn’t like this topic. He bent down and kissed me as a punishment, getting more and more intense.
… He really did what he said. I originally wanted to have a good talk with him. I really hoped to have a good ending with Lu Wang. But now it didn’t matter anymore. Because Lu Wang could no longer see me. No matter how close I got to him or how loudly I shouted, he didn’t react. He might have forgotten what it felt like to love me, and when he thought of me, he wouldn’t be that sad anymore. He had truly let go of me. And I was like that diary lying in the trash can. No one cared about me anymore. But so what? I will always love myself!
10
On the day Lu Wang was discharged from the hospital, I didn’t follow him anymore. I turned around and floated to No. 13 Middle School, the high school I attended. If there was anything in this world that I still lingered on, it was probably this place. I still remembered that at the opening ceremony, the principal said, “The alma mater is the place that you may dislike hundreds of times, but will miss hundreds of times after you leave.” When I first heard it, I didn’t understand the meaning. Now, I was the one who understood the feeling. No. 13 Middle School carried almost all my unforgettable memories. It was the time of school dismissal. The students were like birds that had been imprisoned for a day. As soon as the school gate opened, they rushed out merrily. But I floated into the school in the opposite direction. In a trance, I felt that the ones passing by me were not only the youthful teenagers but also myself in the school uniform in the past.
Following my vague memory, I floated to Class 8, Senior 3. There were still two or three students in the classroom, buried in their exercises, preparing for the college entrance examination. In the seat by the window in the last row, there was a girl with a high ponytail, looking out of the window in a daze. From her position, she could just see the key class across. In my senior year of high school, because my parents were arguing fiercely, everyone more or less heard the absurd things about my family. No one wanted to be my deskmate, so I moved to the last row. During that time, I had a hard time and often stared out of the window in a daze. Lu Wang was in the key class across. After he learned that I was being ostracized, he secretly found an excuse to quarrel with his deskmate and also moved to the last row. “Yu Nian, you don’t need to care about other people’s opinions.” He pointed to his heart and said to me, “You are always the most wonderful in my heart.” At that time, as long as I turned my head, I could see Lu Wang. But now, everything had changed.
Goodbye, 18 – year – old Yu Nian.
“Have you heard? Lu Wang is going to get engaged to his new girlfriend.” Just as I was about to leave, I heard the cafeteria aunt and the school gate security guard chatting about gossip. “Lu what Wang? Who is he?” “He’s that big star who often appears in the news. His fiancée died, and he was crazy for three years. Now he has a new girlfriend and is said to be getting married.” “Oh, I know. My granddaughter is also a big fan.”
… At this time, when I heard the news that Lu Wang was going to get married, my heart didn’t stir at all. Sometimes, people are very contradictory. I didn’t hate them, but I also couldn’t sincerely wish them well. The aunt and the uncle were still chatting casually, but I didn’t listen anymore. There was only one day left before I went for reincarnation. But I didn’t want to go anywhere. I floated in the direction of my gravesite. I just wanted to accompany my ashes for a while longer. 082 was waiting in front of my tombstone early. When he saw me coming early, he wasn’t surprised.
“082, I’m ready. Come and take me away.” “082, can I make a wish?” “In the next life, I want to be a child loved by my father and mother. I also want to find someone who loves me more than Lu Wang and live a peaceful life with him until I’m a hundred years old.” 082 was silent. I took his silence as an agreement. I hugged my cold tombstone and closed my eyes with a smile. “Lu Wang, you got what you wanted. I will never haunt you again.”
11
Lu Wang’s Side Story:
“Yu Nian, she’s gone.” When 082 found me, I was submerging myself in the bathtub. The sense of suffocation made me feel a little better. He told me that Yu Nian left with a happy smile. My heart twitched violently, but I just replied indifferently, “I know.”
“Drip, drip…” Water droplets fell from the ends of my hair, hitting the bathtub one by one. The first time 082 found me, he scolded me harshly. He also told me that if I continued to keep Yu Nian trapped, she would disappear completely. At that time, I seemed to reply indifferently, “I know.” Although my mood was very complicated. I was very happy. So, every time I missed Yu Nian terribly and was in great pain, what I saw was not an illusion. She had always been by my side. But then I thought that she was wandering alone in this world for me, exhausting her last wisp of soul. I felt feel very distressed. I couldn’t be so selfish as to keep her by my side. 082 said that the longer a person stays in the world after death, the deeper their obsession and bond will be. And now the only way to make her truly let go of me was to let her see that I had fallen in love with someone else. This was too cruel to her. But it was the last thing I could do for her.
So when Jiang Mei found me, I didn’t reject her anymore. At the beginning, I made it clear to Jiang Mei. “I can see Yu Nian. Can you act out a ‘redemption’ play with me? Make Yu Nian hate me and then leave me.” Jiang Mei laughed out of control as if she had heard a joke. “Lu Wang, you’re really crazy.” She picked up the wine glass beside her, took a few big gulps, and said with a drunken smile, “Lu Wang, I’ll make you fall in love with me for real in this fake play.”
Jiang Mei had changed a lot. In the past, she would be duplicitous for the sake of her dignity. But now, after going through the training in her family’s company, she was very capable and was no longer afraid of getting hurt. She was not ashamed to express her true thoughts. The more difficult things were, the more she had a sense of conquest. Jiang Mei was right. She was my best choice.
Originally, when I was sober, I couldn’t see Yu Nian. Only when I was drunk, indulging, or seriously ill and unconscious could I see her. I don’t know if it was because of 082. Although I still couldn’t see her when I was sober, I could always hear her voice in my heart and sense her emotions. Seeing me with Jiang Mei, Yu Nian was very sad. And this sadness rebounded on me, torturing me day and night. But it instead gave me unprecedented inspiration, prompting me to complete my masterpiece – “Unforgettable”.
In fact, since Yu Nian’s death, my creative inspiration, like my heart, was slowly dying. I hadn’t written or sung songs for a long time. After Jiang Mei listened to my new song “Unforgettable”, she hugged me and cried excitedly. The next day, my new song became a huge hit on the Internet. I knew it was Jiang Mei who released it. She was forcing me to take that step as soon as possible. So, I put on a high – end custom – made suit and stepped onto that stage in the spotlight again.
No one knew how much effort it took me to say those cruel words. “Yu Nian, I don’t want to love you anymore.” “Yu Nian, stop haunting me, okay?” Perhaps because I was really in too much pain, I actually saw Yu Nian. This was the first time I saw her when I was sober. I was very surprised. But I kept reminding myself to hold back and pretend well. I couldn’t let all my efforts go to waste. So, I looked at Jiang Mei and high – profilely announced that I had a new love.
I was already prepared for the cyber – violence. But the netizens were all on my side, sending blessings all over the screen, and even pitying me. The people who blessed me were the same ones who had scolded me for setting up a deep – in – love persona back then. And Yu Nian, sitting in the audience, readily agreed after hearing this. She said she wouldn’t haunt me anymore. It was me who couldn’t accept it. I completely lost control, wanting to jump off the stage, explain everything to her, and tell her that I was actually lying to her. Fortunately, Jiang Mei arrived in time and stopped me.
Watching Yu Nian leave me, I was in so much pain that my stomach was twisted into a knot. I was in such agony that I spat blood on the spot, and the whole world seemed to spin. When I was sent to the hospital, I was already in a panic. Because I found that even when I was on the verge of fainting, I couldn’t see Yu Nian anymore.
When Yu Nian’s mother came to make trouble, I didn’t stop her or dodge. I let her scold and hit me to vent her anger. When I fell to the ground and the glass pierced my palm, I didn’t feel the pain. Instead, I was unexpectedly able to hear Yu Nian’s voice again. I was very glad and laughed abruptly. But the next second, I learned that the time left for her was running out, only three days.
Sometimes, fate is so cruel. The only thing I could do was to act the part thoroughly and try to accept Jiang Mei. Finally, Yu Nian was completely disappointed in me and left me for good.
After I was discharged from the hospital, I pretended to be fine. On the first day, I took on a commercial performance, trying to live a normal life. On the second day, I fulfilled my promise and watched a magnificent fireworks display with Jiang Mei. On the third day, I lay in the bathtub for a whole day. When it got dark, 082 came to me and told me that Yu Nian left with a smile.
“Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me. I’m a ghost – messenger. If it weren’t for your strong aura of death, you wouldn’t be able to see me.” 082, accustomed to life and death, said indifferently. He extinguished his cigarette butt and carefully confirmed the death information with me: Name – Lu Wang; Gender – Male; Cause of death – Drowning for love.
“Yu Nian, I really tried to move forward, but I just couldn’t.”
12
Jiang Mei’s Side Story:
Lu Wang’s phone couldn’t be reached, and he didn’t reply to my messages. I suddenly had a bad premonition and immediately drove to his house. I searched the living room, kitchen, and bedroom but couldn’t find him. Finally, I walked towards the bathroom. Pushing open the door, I saw Lu Wang submerged in the bathtub. His whole body was in a relaxed state, but his face was deathly pale, without a trace of blood. He had long lost his breath and heartbeat. I stood there, stunned.
In the past few days, Lu Wang had been living a more normal life than a normal person. I thought my efforts had worked, that Lu Wang had let go of Yu Nian and started a new life. But I never expected that he would end his life in such a way, without any warning.
However, for such an ending, I didn’t seem to be overly shocked. In the years since Yu Nian left, Lu Wang had been in pain every day, like a walking corpse. It was really difficult for him to survive these three years.
“Lu Wang, congratulations on your liberation.”
When I was sorting out his belongings, I found his treasured sketchbook. I opened it with a nervous heart, and soon, my heart sank to the bottom. The sketchbook was filled with drawings of Yu Nian, not a single one of me. I had lost completely.
Originally, I was jealous of Yu Nian. Why, although I was better than her in every way, Lu Wang only liked her and didn’t even look at me with any sincerity. Later, when she had an accident, I felt sorry for her, dying at such a beautiful age. But seeing Lu Wang torturing himself for her, I hated her. I didn’t understand how, in this era of fast – food love, there could still be someone who loved so deeply and passionately.
I asked Lu Wang more than once why he couldn’t forget her. Lu Wang didn’t answer me, just said lightly, “You don’t understand.” I really didn’t understand. After graduation, I had been in several relationships. But I had never been truly loved by anyone, nor had I ever loved someone to the point of being unable to extricate myself.
It was not until I saw Yu Nian’s diary and learned about their past that I realized that true love needs no reason. And Yu Nian was all of Lu Wang’s youthful infatuation, like strong liquor, which would only become more intense as time passed.
Lu Wang’s gravesite was bought next to Yu Nian’s. I didn’t attend his funeral. I found a grave – keeper and burned his sketchbook and Yu Nian’s diary. The tongues of fire curled, and the wind carried the smoke into the distance, taking away the ending of their story.
(The End)
