“Hey? Why are you staring like that?”

“Huh??”

It was as if he had just woken up from a long, long dream, or perhaps it had only been a moment. Liu Sizhen found himself back in the half hour before he went on stage to perform. When he returned, he felt a bit disoriented and stood backstage in a daze for a long while.

Even then, he could still vaguely feel the familiar pain in his body.

He looked down at his wristwatch, because this time he knew the prop above would break. Not only did he not go to rehearsal, but he also told the others on stage not to use the set for now.

At first, they didn’t believe him, but Liu Sizhen’s expression didn’t look like he was joking. They reluctantly got off the stage, and as soon as they did, the long-neglected prop came crashing down.

Liu Sizhen not only saved the others from this accident, but he also insisted the school inspect the entire stage to check for any other loose areas.

[But this has nothing to do with you, right?]

258, who hadn’t left yet, expressed confusion.

[But… I couldn’t just watch and do nothing while someone might get hurt.]

[……]

Liu Sizhen thought back to everything he had gone through. Even though he had left his small world behind and was no longer in the body of a late-stage cancer patient, he could still feel pain, as if it was still there.

Perhaps it was because that shell had been created on the basis of his own, and it looked exactly like him. Sometimes, when Liu Sizhen looked in the mirror, he would feel… a wave of dizziness.

The system had once said that his wish would be fulfilled. After leaving that world, he told 258, and 258 said that once the wish was fulfilled, it would leave.

Around the third day after returning to the real world, Liu Sizhen received a phone call from the care facility. From the phone, he could hear the chaos and some arguments in the background. In the midst of all the noise, the nurse’s voice was particularly clear.

Even though Liu Sizhen heard it clearly, he still asked in a slightly trembling voice, as if he hadn’t understood, “Are you serious?”

“Yes, but I’m not exactly sure of the details…”

The voice on the other end was very polite.

There have been cases both domestically and internationally of patients in a vegetative state suddenly waking up. There had been similar cases before, but even with numerous experts observing, no one could explain the reasons. Besides, cases of recovery were so rare.

It was a faint hope, like waiting for a miracle that was almost impossible. But now, this miracle had happened.

“Thank you, thank you. I’ll come by this afternoon. Is that okay?”

Liu Sizhen almost forgot about the strange experience he had gone through. But not completely — he still had faint memories, but they weren’t clear.

When he remembered, it felt like it was behind a fog, almost like a dream. He remembered that something might have happened, but if asked to describe the dream in detail, he couldn’t say a single word.

As the days passed, Liu Sizhen was about to graduate from university. He had already passed the interview for a job at a company his family was very fond of, which had made a name for itself in a very short time.

Before entering the building, Liu Sizhen took a deep breath and gave himself a little encouragement.

In the elevator, he adjusted his tie in the reflection. After wearing casual clothes for so long, putting on a suit made his neck feel a little tight. That day, he didn’t know if it was luck or something else, but it seemed that he was the only one called in for an interview.

When he pushed open the conference room door, he was slightly stunned.

Liu Sizhen thought the man looked very familiar, but couldn’t remember where he had seen him before. He just felt that he must have seen him somewhere.

When he saw him, Liu Sizhen noticed that the man sitting in the main seat had several small piercings in his right ear.

Although he wasn’t wearing earrings, the marks were still very clear. Liu Sizhen didn’t expect this well-dressed man to have once been a bad boy. He also noticed that the man wore a wedding ring on his ring finger. Was he married?

In just a few seconds, Liu Sizhen secretly assessed the man several times and quickly gathered some basic information.

The man being assessed didn’t show much of an expression. He asked Liu Sizhen some routine questions, which Liu Sizhen answered fluently.

The man had a strong knowledge of the field, and fortunately, Liu Sizhen had prepared a lot for this interview, so his answers were smooth. He personally felt that the interview went quite well.

Just as he was about to get up and leave, the man suddenly called out to him.

The man’s face didn’t show much emotion, but if it weren’t for his sudden movement, no one would have noticed the suppressed excitement in him. However, it was still subtly revealed.

As he reached out to Liu Sizhen, the latter clearly noticed that he seemed to be trembling slightly. It wasn’t a tremor of fear, but one of excitement or perhaps agitation. Even his voice carried a husky, unclear tone.

“Hello, I’m Lin Bosheng.”

“……”

After hearing this name, Liu Sizhen faintly heard a small clicking sound in his ears, as though something that had been frozen for a long time began to turn again, quite mysteriously.

It seemed as though everything around them slowed down.

In that instant, Liu Sizhen suddenly remembered everything. All the memories that had gradually become blurry or forgotten after the system’s departure came rushing back into his mind, along with all the experiences with the person standing before him.

What should I say? What should I say…

He stopped breathing for a moment, hesitated, opened his mouth but couldn’t find the words.

He looked… a little foolish.

“……”

Seeing Liu Sizhen like this, Lin Bosheng let out a low laugh.

“You still… haven’t changed at all.”

“……”

How are you still so foolish? Every expression is written on your face.

— This time, I will never let you run away again.

We will eventually meet again, even if you have no idea the cost I paid and how much long waiting I endured to be able to meet you once more.

This will be the end of one story, and the beginning of another.

【The End】