"Her?" Lu Lingchen feigned confusion. "Who's 'her'?"
Lu Lingchuan shot him a glare.
Unfazed, Lu Lingchen had brought two cans of beer when he came up. He kept one for himself and tossed the other to Lu Lingchuan.
Lu Lingchuan caught it, popped the tab, and took a big swig.
Lu Lingchen clinked his can against his brother's and took a sip before asking, "Having regrets?"
The man didn't answer, just staring silently ahead.
It was pitch black in front of them. Who knew what he was looking at.
Lu Lingchen hadn't expected a reply. He continued, "Since you've made that decision, there's no point in me appearing before her anymore. I'm a Lu – seeing me would just remind her of you and Ling Rui. That would negate your choice."
Lu Lingchuan remained silent as the cold wind whipped his face. December nights were already quite chilly.
"Will she come tomorrow?" Lu Lingchuan finally found his voice, low and soft.
Lu Lingchen paused, not answering directly. Instead, he asked, "What if she comes? What if she doesn't?"
"If she comes... I'll definitely leave with her." Lu Lingchuan took another big gulp of beer after speaking.
Lu Lingchen raised an eyebrow, immediately grasping the situation. "You want her to crash the wedding? As long as she makes the first move to fight for you, you'd be willing to abandon everything without hesitation, just for her?"
Silence.
"Does it have to be her crashing the wedding? Why won't you run away yourself?" Lu Lingchen countered.
More silence.
"Brother, I know when it comes to intellect, I'm no match for you – not even if there were three of me. But when it comes to emotions, you have to admit, you're really terrible."
Lu Lingchen's words were blunt, showing no mercy to Lu Lingchuan.
He took another big swig of beer, looking at Lu Lingchuan as he continued.
"But I'm in no position to lecture you. Because from your perspective, your decision isn't wrong. In this tangled web of emotions, your choice is indeed the best conclusion for now. But thinking it through carefully, there are still many regrets."
"Many things in life can't be debated in terms of right or wrong. This path is wrong, that path is also wrong. Which decision you make depends on what you're willing to give up."
Some decisions have no correct answer; any choice could be marked as right.
But in making that choice, you also lose something.
Lu Lingchuan had been avoiding it all along, but now, he had made his choice.
Lu Lingchuan remained speechless from start to finish.
Since making that decision, he had become much more silent. Often, like now, others could speak dozens of sentences without hearing a single word from him in response.
Lu Lingchen clinked beer cans with him again and said, "Brother, I've always been an outsider to your situation. I'm not you; I can't put myself in your shoes or fully understand your torment. But there's one thing I think I should say."
"Now that you've made your choice, I hope you'll never regret it. Just keep walking down this path."
Finishing the last of his beer, Lu Lingchen stood up.
"Lastly, congratulations on your marriage."
With that, he left the rooftop, leaving Lu Lingchuan sitting there alone, once again enveloped in solitude.
...
The next day, December 24th.
The day of Lu Lingchuan and Liang Jinghe's wedding.
The Lu and Liang families had booked the most luxurious five-star hotel in the city. Wealthy guests from all circles, having received invitations, attended the wedding.
All employees of Lingrui Group were given the day off and invited to witness the event.
Everyone's faces were beaming with bright smiles, happy for the groom, happy for the bride, happy for this beautiful day – everyone except the groom himself, Lu Lingchuan.
He had been off since early morning, seemingly preoccupied. He remained distracted throughout the day, making frequent mistakes during the bride pickup ceremony and canceling many planned procedures at the last minute.
The wedding was set for the evening, and now darkness had fallen outside.
Standing on the stage, Liang Jinghe walked towards him step by step, a smile on her face as she held her father's arm. But Lu Lingchuan wasn't looking at Liang Jinghe. Instead, he stared, lost in thought, at the empty seat next to Jiang Lingling in the corner for a very long time.
She didn't come...
...
In the apartment, the bedroom was pitch black, curtains drawn tightly shut.
Lying on the large bed, Shen Nian was trapped in a nightmare. Her sleep was restless, her head tossing from side to side, her usually gentle features now contorted.
She was in great discomfort, her body burning hot with a high fever.
The phone on the bedside table kept ringing, its shrill tone piercing the air...
Shen Nian's eyes snapped open, and she gasped for air, staring blankly into the darkness before her.
Her breathing was rapid and labored, one hand pressing hard against her chest.
Today was the 24th, Christmas Eve, yet she felt anything but peaceful.
Her hand clutched the edge of the bedside table, feeling for the drawer underneath and pulling it open.
It was stuffed full, making it difficult to open, and it got stuck.
She yanked it forcefully, causing medicine blister packs to fly out and fall onto the carpet.
The drawer was crammed with medicine packs and bottles, far more than before.
Many of the blister packs were empty, with only the aluminum backing remaining.
Shen Nian's mind was foggy, her eyes barely able to open due to the high fever. She didn't even know what medicine she was taking, just grabbing whatever she could reach and shoving handful after handful into her mouth, swallowing mechanically and numbly.
The phone's ringtone became background music, continuously ringing without pause.
It felt as if someone was repeatedly crushing her stomach. The reaction to the pills she had just swallowed set in.
Her body loved herself more than her mind did, as gastric juices mixed with various half-digested substances surged up her injured throat.
Shen Nian, with barely any consciousness left, her chest heaving dramatically.
She needed to vomit.
She reached for the trash can, turning slightly, but her body, out of control, rolled onto the floor, scattering pills everywhere.
Retching involuntarily, her vision grew increasingly blurred.
In the last few seconds, Shen Nian thought she heard Xiao Mubai's near-hysterical shouts, but before she could listen closely, she lost consciousness completely.
...
When Shen Nian opened her eyes again, she unsurprisingly saw Xiao Mubai.
Staring at his haggard face, she could tell he hadn't slept all night.
She shook her head, no longer feeling dizzy. The fever must have broken.
She wanted to sit up, but felt a sharp pain on the back of her hand. Turning her head to look, she realized she was still hooked up to an IV drip.
"Don't move!" Afraid that she might dislodge the needle, Xiao Mubai immediately stepped forward, carefully supporting her.
Shen Nian lay on the hospital bed and gave Xiao Mubai a wry smile. "It seems like I've been frequenting hospitals far too often this past year. Should I go pray at a temple to rid myself of this bad luck?"
Even in this situation, she managed to crack a joke.
