It was their expertise, Cheng Luo.
The young man's skin was already pale, and under the cold air of the ice chamber, a layer of frost formed between his brows, and his lips were even paler.
But he still lay there, embracing the dead man, his eyes closed, looking as if he were asleep...
The boy was terrified. He took a half step back and fell to the ground, almost crying from fright at the bizarre scene.
It took him a while to get up and run outside.
Afterwards, she had nightmares for several days and told everyone she met that Cheng Luo was sleeping with a corpse.
Cheng Luo met the children's inquisitive gazes, sighed, and smiled helplessly.
To avoid frightening the children, he took the ice pack and left the shelter, moving into the hotel where he and Yu Tang had stayed ten years earlier.
Ten years have passed, and everything has changed.
They lived in the same room, 1314, but ultimately could not be together forever.
He bought the hotel a long time ago, and converted the middle floor into a research lab, where he placed the ice chamber and his experimental equipment.
Then she officially began living "cohabiting" with Yu Tang.
The children from the shelter would visit him occasionally, and Yan Yan and Xiao Yu would constantly apologize for the child's behavior.
They both cried uncontrollably after learning about that.
They thought that after so many years, Cheng Luo should have let go of some things, but reality told them otherwise.
No matter how happy Cheng Luo appears on the surface, the pain she endures behind the scenes is something they can't know.
They wanted Cheng Luo to go back.
Cheng Luo refused.
“I don’t blame that child,” Cheng Luo said softly. “Actually, I’ve wanted to say goodbye to you all for a long time.”
"That incident just gave me an opportunity."
He has already done everything he promised Yu Tang. So it's time for him to do what he wants to do.
He then had Yan Yan and Xiao Yu keep him company for a few more minutes, invited the two boys to stay for dinner, and finally escorted them home.
Before parting, Yan Yan took a piece of candy from her small bag, pulled Cheng Luo's hand, and stuffed it into his hand.
The girl was sensitive; her eyes reddened as she looked at Cheng Luo, frightened by her own suspicions.
She said, "Brother Cheng Luo, you must take good care of yourself."
"Please don't do anything foolish, okay?"
The girl's tone was just like Yu Tang's back then.
This caused Cheng Luo to lose her composure slightly.
He accepted the candy but didn't eat it; he just nodded and gave her a muffled "hmm."
When he returned to the hotel, he sat outside the ice cell where Yu Tang was kept, staring blankly at the person inside.
He paused for a long time before speaking.
His voice was hoarse, filled with deep fatigue.
"I... can't hold on much longer."
Cheng Luo reached out and placed her hand on the ice pod, her eyes terribly red.
"Ten years..."
"In the ten years since you left, I have done everything you asked me to do."
“I also did a lot of good deeds, and I thought I would feel a lot of joy and happiness, just like you said…”
"But I've realized that without you by my side, all of that seems so insignificant to me..."
"Tangtang, I want to take back what I said to you before."
"I simply cannot live in a world without you..."
Even if I wait for you in the next life, I can't do it anymore...
As he spoke, Cheng Luo's words turned into incoherent sobs. He struggled to hold back his tears, leaning against the ice pod, his voice filled with helplessness and grievance: "Tangtang... I really don't not want to listen to you, I don't not want to live, but I really... I really can't find any meaning in living anymore... My heart is numb, and the people around me are like gray and white to me, I feel nothing..."
"Tangtang, do you understand? I can't feel anything anymore..."
The smarter you are, the clearer you are about what you truly want.
From the day he confessed his love to Yu Tang, Cheng Luo knew that without Yu Tang, his life would be meaningless.
Then it loses its meaning.
His joys and sorrows, all his desires, and his eagerness to face a new life all stemmed from Yu Tang.
Therefore, for the past ten years since Yu Tang left, he has endured every day in agony.
He forced himself to eat properly, but he had no appetite at all.
I forced myself to sleep, but once I lay down, all I could do was keep counting in my head.
He felt as if he had returned to the life he had when he was imprisoned in a closed space.
I was enveloped in loneliness.
The world I live in is eerily quiet.
All I could hear was my own desperate heartbeat and breathing.
But at least at that time, he still had hatred to keep him alive.
Now, he can't even find a single target.
Whether his eyes were open or closed, it was all darkness to him.
Yu Tang, that big liar, stole all the light from his world.
He left decisively and gracefully.
He could only struggle in the mud, suffocating in pain.
"So, Tangtang, I want to come and be with you..."
At this point, a glimmer of light finally appeared in Cheng Luo's eyes. He pressed his face against the ice chamber, as if touching Yu Tang through the transparent glass.
"I will soon be able to develop a drug that destroys cells in the body."
"Once I take the medicine, I'll be able to get rid of this condition and come find you..."
As he spoke, he suddenly started laughing.
"When I cross the road to the underworld, I will definitely not drink the Meng Po soup. I will reincarnate with my memories, find you, and cling to you, so that you can never get rid of me..."
On the day the potion was successfully made, Cheng Luo broke his promise to Yu Tang for the first time and went to the shop called "Time Settling" ahead of time to retrieve Yu Tang's letter.
The shop assistant asked about the gentleman from before.
Cheng Luo replied, "He's sleeping at home."
The autumn weather was cool and sunny.
Sunlight streamed through the shop's wooden window, falling on Cheng Luo's hair and shoulders.
He smiled sincerely at the shop assistant.
As if in casual conversation, she added, "I'll be home soon and I can sleep with him."
The shop assistant found the statement strange, but couldn't quite put her finger on what was wrong with it.
In the end, all I could do was watch Cheng Luo walk away, clutching the letter.
Despite his tall and slender back, he exuded an inexplicable sense of desolation.
And an overwhelming loneliness.
Back at the hotel, Cheng Luo placed the injection beside him before opening the envelope, from which a thin, yellowed piece of paper fell out.
As the painting was unfolded...
Those memories that he had recalled thousands of times spontaneously appeared in his mind.
He pretended to be naive and showed Yu Tang the painting he had drawn.
Ask the man, "Does it look good?"
nice.
You drew a lot like me, that's amazing!
"Then consider this painting a gift for you!"
Did Tangtang really keep this painting all this time?
He thought...
I thought Yu Tang had long ago thrown away such an insignificant thing.
Cheng Luo covered her eyes, her teeth chattering. Tears she had held back for so long finally streamed through her fingers, soaking her hands.
In the blurry vision, next to the Yutang drawn with a pen, there was a small chibi version of him.
It's obvious that the artist isn't good at drawing; the cartoon character isn't cute at all, nor does it resemble him.
To let Cheng Luo know that this was him, he even specially added a name and an arrow to the note.
"Silly Tangtang..."
Choking back tears, Cheng Luo cursed Yu Tang, then tried to wipe away her tears.
He took the letter out of the envelope and saw that it belonged to Yu Tang.
It was very neat and meticulous, just like him.
I'm sorry, Lolo, by the time you read this letter, I will have already left you forever.
The style of this sentence is the most normal; the second sentence is not.
The words he wrote seemed to come from a completely different person, written in a lighthearted and humorous tone.
But please don't be sad! Because I have a secret I've been keeping from you! I didn't actually die!