REI : Chapter 106

The evening breeze blew, rippling the surface of the lake.

The wind in the mountains was cold, and the long curtains of the lakeside pavilion fluttered, giving off an eerie vibe in the twilight. No one in the sanatorium would go there to rest.

Xu Zhen sat in his wheelchair. The caretaker at the hospital wasn’t very diligent in her work, and at the moment, she was holding a handful of sunflower seeds, chatting with other patients’ caretakers.

Xu Zhen didn’t mind. He sat quietly in his wheelchair, his fingers brushing over the fine fur of the blanket covering his legs.

His gaze was empty, as if his mind was too.

It felt like his left nerve had connected to his right nerve, and after a few tangled thoughts, they suddenly snapped, leaving his entire skull numb and disoriented.

When he first arrived here, he still clung to the hope of leaving, thinking that after atoning for his sins, he could live the rest of his life like a normal person. But after three years in prison, his beliefs and fighting spirit had long turned to ashes. Now, sitting among a group of patients, old and frail, who could recognize him as the once-celebrated, award-winning director of countless film festivals?

Two caretakers chatted softly, one pointing in Xu Zhen’s direction and whispering, “The one you’re taking care of seems pretty well-behaved. Ugh, you have no idea how troublesome mine is! He won’t eat his meals, complains the food isn’t good enough. If he’s so picky, why doesn’t he ask his children to take care of him or go to a better nursing home? He’s got the nerve to act like an emperor when he’s just a poor old man!”

The other sighed, “It’s not as easy as you think. To be honest, I’m a little scared of him sometimes.”

“Why’s that?”

“He doesn’t talk!”

“What’s wrong with that?”

“It’s not about whether he talks or not!” The caretaker grew anxious and couldn’t help but sigh. “It’s just this eerie feeling he gives off, you know? He eats and sleeps with this air of dignity and order, but it’s like he’s not really alive. It’s like he’s a skeleton that crawled out of the ground, with no human warmth at all.”

“I heard he was transferred directly from the 17th Hospital? What did he do?”

“Who knows! He can’t even pee by himself, so how could he have done anything serious?” The two women found this amusing and started giggling together.

For the people in this so-called sanatorium, which was more like a semi-welfare nursing home, Xu Zhen was a mystery. Transferred directly from a prison-affiliated hospital, paralyzed and eerily quiet, he was like a ghost that had crawled out of some unknown corner. Pale, thin, deformed, and gloomy, he exuded an aura that kept people at a distance.

Since he had been admitted, not a single friend or relative had come to visit him. Not one! This was unusual even in a nursing home known for housing lonely elderly people. Everyone had at least a few friends or distant relatives, but Xu Zhen had none. He lived day by day, never speaking to the other residents. Proud, almost arrogant, he lived in quiet solitude.

Over time, people stopped paying attention to him.

Seeing that it was almost time, the caretaker glanced at her watch and quickly walked over. Without asking for Xu Zhen’s opinion, she pushed his wheelchair with some effort. “Let’s go back.”

Xu Zhen seemed to snap out of his thoughts and turned to look at her. His gaze sent a chill down her spine.

She paused for a moment but continued pushing. Whatever, he was here now. It wasn’t like anyone was going to pamper him.

Xu Zhen’s initial anger at being ignored slowly faded. He had grown used to it. He was no longer in the same social circle, and he would never climb back to where he once was. In this new circle, he had to adapt to its rules.

He knew the people in the sanatorium were curious about his past, but whenever he thought about it, he just wanted to laugh coldly.

The truth about Cao Dingkun’s murder had come out after Su Sheng Bai was arrested. Not just the fact that Su Sheng Bai had killed him, but the entire story—everything.

Su Sheng Bai had confessed everything. His mental fortitude was weaker than Xu Zhen had imagined. Realizing he would be severely punished, he had lashed out like a rabid dog, determined to drag Xu Zhen down with him. Xu Zhen’s affair, his misuse of Cao Dingkun’s savings, his efforts to cover up the truth after the car accident—it all came to light.

Their “friends” in the industry acted quickly, especially those who had been close to both Xu Zhen and Cao Dingkun. They immediately issued statements cutting ties with him. The overwhelming condemnation from society and those around him felt like an avalanche, and Xu Zhen’s heart grew colder and colder with each harsh word.

Su Sheng Bai was undoubtedly sentenced to death by firing squad.

Xu Zhen, on the other hand, was sentenced to three years in prison, with a one-year suspended sentence due to his health.

But before Su Sheng Bai’s execution, Xu Zhen went to see him.

He was probably the only one who visited Su Sheng Bai, and when they met, Su Sheng Bai’s eyes were filled with disbelief.

Su Sheng Bai’s face was bruised, badly. He also had small cuts on his body. After realizing it was Xu Zhen, all past grievances seemed forgotten. He clutched the phone and cried, desperately recounting the inhumane treatment he had suffered in prison.

“There’s a group of Cao Ge’s fans in the second prison. They have TVs here, so they all know who I am. As soon as I got in, they started beating me, so badly. They beat me in the cafeteria too, and the guards just turned a blind eye… How can they do this?!”

Xu Zhen listened silently, his expression calm and unmoved.

“I don’t even want to go to the cafeteria anymore. Now I can only eat one meal a day, the kind they deliver to your cell. If I go to the cafeteria, they’ll just beat me. Look, look…” It was as if he had completely forgotten about “dignity.” He used his fingers to pull back his lips, showing Xu Zhen the empty gaps where two teeth used to be.

“Brother Xu, when you get out, you have to speak up for me. I’m here to serve my sentence, but they can’t treat me like this!”

The guard by the door glanced over, not even raising an eyebrow.

Xu Zhen understood. The ones who beat him weren’t the guards. The prison had surveillance cameras, and even if this got out, the guards wouldn’t be blamed. Besides, given Su Sheng Bai’s current situation…

Xu Zhen lowered his eyes. “Xiao Bai.”

It had been a long time since Su Sheng Bai had heard that name. He was stunned for a moment before slowly responding, “Yeah.”

Xu Zhen said, “Do you regret it?”

Su Sheng Bai didn’t answer. His fingers stopped pulling at his lips, and he slowly returned to a normal sitting position. His expression shifted from one of grievance to one of calm.

Did he regret it?

In truth, he had regretted it long ago, but there was no way out.

Seeing his expression, Xu Zhen let out a soft laugh. “Sometimes, when I’m alone, I think about how we ended up like this.”

Su Sheng Bai looked at him.

“Now I can’t even figure out what I was thinking back then,” Xu Zhen sighed. “Someone like A Kun was a blessing to have in your life. He’d been with me since we were young. You’re probably too young to remember how hard things were back then. He went to Hong Kong to become a star, a place ruled by gangsters, and he fought his way to the top. He never told me about the hardships he faced.”

Su Sheng Bai lowered his eyes, his lips pressed together, his gaze distant.

“When we were at our poorest, we could only see each other once every six months. We’d go out and order a plate of stir-fried pork, and we’d be so happy. We wore silver rings, passed down from my grandparents. Back then, I really thought we could live like that forever. Later, A Kun became famous. He gave me money to make movies, took on roles for free, helped me promote my work… When I earned my first paycheck, we got married.”

Su Sheng Bai licked his lips, his throat suddenly dry. He looked up at Xu Zhen and thought he saw a glimmer of tears in the man’s eyes. But when he looked closer, it seemed like he had imagined it.

“Xiao Bai,” Xu Zhen said, “You and I, in this lifetime, have never wronged anyone except him. We owe him two lives.”

For some reason, as soon as these words reached Su Sheng Bai’s ears, his tears began to flow uncontrollably.

Even with his swollen face, he still looked delicate when he cried. Tears rolled down his sharp chin and dripped onto the table.

Xu Zhen’s tone made Su Sheng Bai realize something. He asked softly, “Has the verdict been decided?”

“Yes,” Xu Zhen replied with a single word.

Su Sheng Bai sighed. All his grievances seemed to dissipate like mist in that moment. He rubbed his eyes and forced a smile. “Alright then. After I’m gone, I’ll make sure to apologize properly to Brother Cao. In the next life, I’ll serve him as an ox or a horse…” He trailed off, as if remembering something, and let out a soft laugh.

Xu Zhen didn’t wait for the visitation time to end. He left without a hint of reluctance.

At the door, he turned back for a final look. Su Sheng Bai was still sitting there alone. The guard seemed to be about to call him or do something, but in that split second, Xu Zhen saw Su Sheng Bai collapse onto the table as if he had completely broken down.

From a distance, it was hard to hear clearly. Xu Zhen watched for a while, and the caretaker at the door, thinking he couldn’t manage the steps, came in to push his wheelchair.

On the day of the execution, the internet was flooded with messages celebrating Su Sheng Bai’s sentencing. Xu Zhen read some of them, feeling both hatred for Su Sheng Bai and a sense of desolation, as if he were mourning his own kind.

He had thought about ending his own life, but for some reason, he never dared to go through with it.

Perhaps he was afraid of facing Cao Dingkun in the afterlife.

As death approached, Xu Zhen saw no reason to lie to Su Sheng Bai.

Memories were like a string of beads that had snapped, scattering and shattering as they hit the ground.

He snapped out of his thoughts and looked around. The caretaker had stopped in a panic. “I’ll go get a broom.”

He was left alone in the center of the room. After a moment’s thought, Xu Zhen decided not to get angry. No one here would apologize to him just because he lost his temper.

When the caretaker returned, she found him still sitting by the window, staring at the sky as if lost in thought.

She quickly swept up the mess, not daring to linger. The red glow of the setting sun fell on Xu Zhen’s face, making his ghostly, sinister aura seem slightly less terrifying than usual.

After taking care of him for so long, the two of them had barely exchanged more than a few words. Curiosity got the better of her, and she couldn’t help but ask.

“Mr. Xu,” she ventured, “What did you used to do?”

Xu Zhen turned to look at her, his demeanor unusually relaxed.

When he didn’t answer, she pressed on, “Don’t you have any family or friends? Why hasn’t anyone come to visit you? Isn’t there someone you’d like to see?”

Xu Zhen didn’t respond. He stared at her for a while, and she quickly left, unnerved.

After the door closed, Xu Zhen let out a long, quiet sigh.

Someone he’d like to see.

But that person was already gone.

Author’s Note:

I’ve been really busy lately, so I’m sorry it took so long to write this. Finally, it’s done.

Rain : Yes that’s the end…right?!

Pineapple : The real end. If not.. I don’t want to know !

Rain : LoooL ! I hope you guys enjoyed it ! ( *¯ ³¯*)♡