Chapter 60

Qiu Peng tossed and turned, unable to sleep, and An Xiaohai was also having trouble sleeping.

Looking at the moonlight, it should already be past midnight.

An Xiaohai was about to force himself to sleep when he suddenly heard a rustling sound. He opened his eyes and saw, under the moonlight, a figure quietly walking toward the metal rack where toiletries were kept.

It was Lai Donglin!

An Xiaohai furrowed his brow.

Lai Donglin had returned a couple of days ago, and since his return, he had been acting like a completely different person. His eyes were vacant, and he spent his days sitting on the bed in a daze. When the guards called him or when other inmates beat him, he showed no reaction at all.

This had been going on for two days already, and now, in the dead of night, what was he planning to do? An Xiaohai suddenly had a bad feeling.

Lai Donglin reached the toiletries rack and carefully took something from under his washbasin. He hid it in his hand and then cautiously returned to his bunk.

“Not good, he might be planning to commit suicide!”

Although An Xiaohai couldn’t see it clearly, from the vague shape of the object, he judged that it was a toothbrush that had been sharpened.

Damn, again with the toothbrush!

Lai Donglin was definitely not planning to use it for revenge or harm anyone else. If that were the case, he would have gone to someone else, not returned to his own bunk.

Since Lai Donglin had returned to his own bed, it was likely that he intended to harm only himself.

An Xiaohai felt a turmoil in his heart. He understood Lai Donglin’s situation and feelings very well—he could even relate to him. In another time and place, he himself was no different from Lai Donglin!

If it weren’t for his mother, Lin Xuan’er, and Pan Zhuangzhuang never giving up on him, he might have chosen the same path as Lai Donglin.

“Just go to sleep… we agreed not to interfere with other people’s business…”

An Xiaohai covered his head with the blanket, but the more he tried to avoid it, the more upset he felt inside.

“Damn it! Why did I have to see this? I’m so unlucky!”

An Xiaohai cursed inwardly. He knew that if he had remained oblivious, it wouldn’t have mattered. But since he had seen it, if he did nothing, this incident would probably become a knot in his heart, tormenting him for the rest of his life.

Damn!

Frustrated, An Xiaohai threw the blanket off, got up, and walked barefoot straight to Lai Donglin’s bed.

Lai Donglin was lying there, his face covered in tears, his eyes fixed on the bed above him. The sharpened toothbrush was pressed against his neck artery.

If An Xiaohai had arrived a little later, he might have already plunged it into his neck.

“Move over and make some space for me!” An Xiaohai said irritably in a low voice.

“What… What?”

Lai Donglin didn’t notice An Xiaohai approaching until he spoke. Reflexively, he quickly hid the toothbrush in his blanket.

“I need to talk to you. It’s easier to avoid detection if you’re in the corner. Move over a bit, just for two minutes. I’ll leave as soon as I’m done!”

Although Lai Donglin was completely confused, years of being bullied had made him instinctively move over, leaving a large space.

Seeing Lai Donglin curled up in the corner, with a face full of fear and confusion, An Xiaohai’s heart softened slightly. The Lai Donglin before him seemed to overlap with the version of himself in another time and place.

An Xiaohai lay down in the space Lai Donglin made, took a deep breath, and began to speak:

“There was a young man, born in a small fishing village. Though his background was ordinary, he had a mother who pampered him to the bone, a girlfriend who loved him deeply, and a friend to whom he could entrust his life.

He was very satisfied and vowed to stand out in the future, pushing himself to excel in every way.

His hard work paid off, and he was admitted to a prestigious national university with top provincial scores. He became the most outstanding person in his village.

Just when he was riding high, feeling his dreams getting closer, he accidentally killed someone. From then on, he fell from heaven into hell!”

An Xiaohai paused here.

Describing his life in such a way was not a pleasant experience—it felt like tearing off all the pretense and exposing his wounds for others to see.

“You’re talking about yourself, aren’t you? I’ve heard some of your story, but I didn’t expect it to be like this…” Lai Donglin murmured softly, his tone carrying a hint of relief.

“Yes, we’re different. But thank you for listening,” An Xiaohai replied.

From the way Lai Donglin responded, An Xiaohai could tell that his words had some effect, but it was limited. His tone was full of indifference.

When someone has already resigned themselves to death, they become indifferent to everything.

“Yes, that’s me, and we are indeed different. But this difference is not what you think!” An Xiaohai took another deep breath and continued:

“I’m not here to talk about myself; I just want to tell you one thing:

The way others see you is a projection of yourself; the way you see others is also a projection of yourself!

Life is your own, and there’s only one chance. Even if there were a chance for reincarnation, we must still fight for life!”

“What do you mean by that?” Lai Donglin’s eyes finally showed some emotion.

“I believe you’ll understand what I mean. There’s nothing more I can say or do. The choice is yours to make.

I feel much better now! I’m leaving, it’s late—get some rest.”

After speaking, An Xiaohai got up quietly and went back to his bed, immediately falling asleep. He had said and done everything he needed to, and his heart was at peace.

Though he slept late, his biological clock still woke him up at the usual time.

He glanced around the cell instinctively, relieved to see that everyone was present. Lai Donglin was already cleaning his toiletries and preparing to wash up. He looked extremely tired, but his mental state had noticeably improved.

Sensing An Xiaohai’s gaze, Lai Donglin looked up at him. Though he didn’t say anything, An Xiaohai could clearly feel his gratitude.

An Xiaohai smiled at Lai Donglin, quickly got up, and thought to himself: “There’s a good show waiting for me today!”

“Get lost! Don’t hang around in front of me, you’re so annoying!” The thin monkey shouted at Lai Donglin. He was the type to bully Lai Donglin whenever he could.

Normally, Lai Donglin would immediately step aside, like he had been stung by a bee. But this time, Lai Donglin ignored him completely.

“Damn, are you deaf?” The thin monkey was about to say more when Lai Donglin suddenly erupted. He lunged at the thin monkey, knocking him to the ground, and relentlessly stabbed him with the sharpened toothbrush!

“Stop bullying me! Stop bullying me! I’m not afraid to die! I’m not afraid of you! I’ll kill you!” Lai Donglin yelled as he violently stabbed the thin monkey, acting as if he had gone mad.

Blood splattered!

For a moment, everyone was stunned by the scene. When did Lai Donglin become so fierce?

The thin monkey, already small and weak, had no chance against the suddenly enraged Lai Donglin. After several screams, he fell silent, his body lying lifeless on the floor, sending a chill down everyone’s spine.

By the time the guards arrived to pull Lai Donglin off, the thin monkey was motionless on the floor.

Holy shit! Did he go too far?

An Xiaohai shuddered in disgust. As soon as the guards left, he rushed to the wash rack.

The whole place was covered in blood from the fight, and if it splattered onto his towel, he’d have to clean it for ages!