Chapter Sixty-One: Truth and Illusion

After bidding farewell to the disgruntled driver, Luo Qing and I strolled along the clean, spacious sidewalk. Watching the congested traffic on the road, my mood was as chaotic as the scene before me. I sighed inwardly, realizing how complicated relationships between people could be; a single word or gesture might completely alter the bond between two individuals.

Luo Qing seemed to be in good spirits, humming a tune as we walked, but I was still trapped in the melancholy of earlier, wandering aimlessly in silence.

"Luo the heroine?"

"Hmm?"

I stopped and looked at her, asking, "How did you know I was singing there?"

She halted her cheerful steps, removed her sunglasses and tucked them into her pocket, hesitating before replying, "I can't tell you."

A pang of frustration struck me—did Luo Qing have eyes planted around me? No matter how I racked my brain, I couldn't find a clue. Seeing her still-swollen eyes, my heart ached, so since she didn't want to say more, I chose not to press and continued walking.

"You're so clever, you must have guessed," Luo Qing teased as she caught up.

"Clever? When have I not been spun around by your tricks?" Her remark touched a nerve. I wondered if I owed her in a previous life; whenever we bantered, I always seemed to lose.

Luo Qing burst into laughter, muffling it with her hand, then said, "Of course you’re smart. Wasn’t it you who organized Zhao Ke Wen’s bar event? It was a great success. With her own promotion, the place has become one of the hottest spots in town."

"I see…" I shifted my guitar from my left shoulder to my right, not feeling much about it. I had simply done what needed to be done. Still, I hadn’t visited Ke Wen’s bar in quite a while and wondered how it had developed. Perhaps I should go sometime, to relax my weary mind and body.

A brisk autumn breeze lifted Luo Qing’s golden hair. We walked so close that a few strands danced across my face, lightly tickling me with their fragrant softness. Watching her gather her waves and smooth them behind her ear, I was suddenly overwhelmed by a surreal feeling—as if we were characters in an oil painting of early autumn, a coolness touched with sweetness.

"Yang Chen, promise you’ll never upset me!" Luo Qing, her hair now in order, walked ahead and turned to face me, speaking with unusual seriousness.

I turned my head aside, uncertain what she meant, waiting for her to continue.

"I’ve been frail since childhood. If you upset me, I’ll get sick," she whispered, her rosy lips close to my ear, "Who knows, I might die one day."

I stiffly turned to look at her face, so close, disbelief written all over mine. "Is… is that true?"

Her bright eyes met mine, and she nodded with a smile.

How could this be? Did she suffer from some incurable illness? Staring blankly at the smiling Luo Qing, I saw no hint of deception. A wave of grief surged inside me, my hands trembling, my heart contracting painfully. I… I…

I didn’t want her to leave…

"You’re lying. Tell me it’s not true!" I pulled Luo Qing into my arms, holding her tightly, refusing to accept such a fate.

"In truth… I haven’t been able to see you for so long…" her voice trembled, "because I was stuck in the hospital, unable to leave."

Her words were so calm that my tears poured out, falling onto her shoulder. "It’s all fake, isn’t it?"

Luo Qing fell silent in my embrace, and it felt as if my heart was being torn apart. I held her with all my strength, sobbing uncontrollably. Why hadn’t she told me sooner? Why did it have to end like this?

"I’m not dead yet!" Luo Qing gently pushed me, "People are watching us!"

But I didn’t care anymore. No matter what she said, I wouldn’t let go, clinging to her as tears streamed down my face. I didn’t know when I had become so fragile; once, even after being battered and bruised, I never shed a tear. Yet now, I cried like a child before this girl.

"Will you ever upset me again?" After several failed attempts to push me away, Luo Qing finally spoke.

I shook my head firmly.

"Will you ever ignore me again?"

I shook my head again.

Parting is the greatest distance; I feared such farewells. Even if we were worlds apart, as long as she was safe, the sky would be bright.

As I sobbed uncontrollably, Luo Qing’s body suddenly began to tremble. I loosened my hold, worried something was wrong.

Luo Qing was sitting on the ground, covering her mouth as she laughed, her eyes curved like crescents. When I let go, she pointed at me, laughing so hard she could barely breathe. "I was teasing you—how could you cry for real?"

I stared at her, stunned, as my grief and sorrow vanished in an instant. The emotional rollercoaster left me dizzy. She… was joking with me?

Hearing Luo Qing’s explanation, the nearby passersby seemed to realize what had happened and laughed at me as well, shaking their heads before moving on.

"Was that fun?" I said, not bothering to hide my irritation as Luo Qing tried to stifle her laughter.

"So my tears are worthless, aren’t they? Fine, Miss, you can continue playing, but I won’t accompany you anymore!" I yanked at the guitar bag and strode ahead. I was pathetic—no shame, no memory, and always someone else’s plaything!

"Wait for me!" Luo Qing jogged after me, grabbing my arm with a hint of panic. "Don’t be angry. I know I went too far this time and wanted to warn you, but you wouldn’t let me explain!"

Slap with one hand, offer candy with the other! I ignored her, quickening my pace. From now on, I should learn to be cold, to protect myself.

Sensing I was truly angry, Luo Qing ran ahead and blocked my path, wiping the sweat from her brow before she finally asked, "Do you really care about me that much?"

"What do you think?" I shot her a look and turned to walk in the opposite direction.

"Don’t be angry. Why are you acting like a child, pouting?" Luo Qing quickly caught up and tried to coax me with my own tricks.

"Hey, every time I get angry, you cheer me up, and I’m fine. If you get angry and I cheer you up, you have to forgive me too!" Luo Qing continued chattering in my ear, but I ignored her.

"Yang Chen, do you need me to kiss you before you forgive me?" She sidled up, deliberately giving me a supposedly seductive look.

"Don’t!" I stopped. "I couldn’t hope for that!" With that, I sped up again.

Luo Qing was briefly stunned by my words, but when she recovered, I had already put some distance between us. Unfazed, she ran after me once more.

"Yang Chen… ah!" Luo Qing called out, suddenly screamed, and then fell silent.

I instinctively turned around, but passing crowds blocked my view—I couldn’t see Luo Qing.

Worry seized me, and I hurried back, weaving through the crowd until I found her sitting on the ground, staring at me in confusion.

I rushed to her side and knelt, about to check her foot when she punched my shoulder, scolding me, "You heartless thing! You finally came back!"

I let her hit me a few times, offering no explanation. Gently propping her leg on mine, I slipped off her shoe and found her ankle swollen and purplish—she had sprained it badly.

Seeing Luo Qing’s tearful eyes, pain etched on her face, guilt flooded me.

"Let’s go to the hospital," I said, stuffing her high heels into my pocket, though it barely fit half.

"I won’t go!" Luo Qing pouted.

I ignored her stubbornness, lifting her in my arms and heading to the roadside to hail a cab.

"Yang Chen, can we not go to the hospital?" Luo Qing realized I was determined and tried to negotiate.

"No. I’m not a doctor—I don’t know how bad it is. What if something goes wrong and you’re left with a permanent injury?"

"Yang Chen, I’m fine, really. Just some ointment for the swelling!" She gazed at me pitifully, and my resolve wavered.

"I know my body. It’s nothing," she quickly added, seeing me soften.

"But what now? If we don’t go to the hospital, where can we treat the swelling?" I sighed, knowing her temperament well—if she didn’t want to do something, no amount of persuasion would work. She might seem reasonable now, but if I forced her into a cab, she’d fight me tooth and nail.

"Let’s go to your place," Luo Qing whispered.

"My place?" I frowned. "Again?"

She smiled at my surprise. "You hurt me—don’t you want to take responsibility?"

I hesitated, then finally agreed. "Fine, I’ll take responsibility."

"Then no taxis—carry me all the way home. That’s your punishment!" she said after a moment’s thought.

"You’re messing with me!" I protested. Even a sheet of paper has weight, let alone a living person, and the distance wasn’t short!

"Yes, I’m messing with you—what are you going to do about it?"

"You said it yourself!"

"Yang Chen, don’t you dare touch me… Yang Chen, you scoundrel… Help, someone’s trying to take advantage of me!"