You Weren't This Grand in Your Last Life

Today happened to be the day Chen Shu was going to the hospital to get his stitches removed. He originally planned to go by himself, but Zhuang Yihan insisted on accompanying him. The two changed their shoes together in the entrance hall, their relationship seeming more intimate than before.

Zhuang Yihan's mind and eyes were filled with the injury on Chen Shu's hand, unaware that the man beside him was seriously contemplating how to break up with him. He finished changing his shoes and was about to leave, but when he turned around, he found that Chen Shu hadn't moved and couldn't help but ask:

“What are you thinking about, so absorbed?”

The voice pulled Chen Shu's drifting thoughts back. He subconsciously looked at Zhuang Yihan and smiled, "Nothing. I'm putting on my shoes. You can go press the elevator button first."

Ever since Chen Shu injured his right hand, his fingertips had been rather inflexible. Coupled with the fact that he was still in the recovery period, his speed at putting on shoes was a bit slow. He sat on the shoe bench by the door, bending over to sort out the messy shoelaces, but another pair of hands suddenly reached over to take over the task.

“Let me help you.”

Zhuang Yihan unexpectedly crouched down and lowered his head to help Chen Shu with his shoelaces. He had probably never done this for anyone before, so his movements seemed a bit unfamiliar and clumsy, but his expression was serious, showing no reluctance at all. He sorted out the laces bit by bit, adjusted the length, and finally tied a beautiful knot to finish.

Chen Shu wanted to refuse at first, but he couldn't win against Zhuang Yihan, so he had no choice but to let him. He lowered his eyes to watch Zhuang Yihan's movements, his thoughts unknown. A moment later, he spoke with interest, “Zhuang Yihan...”

“Hmm?”

“Have you ever tied someone's shoelaces before?”

Zhuang Yihan's movements paused. "No."

Tying shoelaces meant bending over and lowering one's head. In a certain sense, this posture represented a subtle submission. How could someone as proud as Zhuang Yihan possibly lower his head to tie someone's shoelaces? When he was a child and saw his younger brother trip and fall flat on his face because of an untied shoelace, he would rather go upstairs to call the nanny for help than do it himself.

Others did not receive such special treatment. Zhuang Yifan didn't, and neither did the late Old Master Zhuang.

Chen Shu didn't speak again, because he knew very well that the two of them would soon break up. Although he found it hard to be moved by this answer at the moment, he was indeed aware of his increasingly special position in Zhuang Yihan's heart.

Even the indifferent Chen Shu of this life didn't think that feelings were something to be trifled with. He had suffered from this in his last life, so he was even more reluctant to touch this taboo.

But he also didn't want to be a fool who lost his head over love like in his last life, returning to the river to become a cold and rotting corpse.

After all, being stupid once is enough for a person. Being stupid twice is worse than not being reborn...

Zhuang Yihan finished tying Chen Shu's shoelaces and was about to get up when his wrist was suddenly gripped. He unexpectedly fell into Chen Shu's lap. He hadn't anticipated this action. Coming back to his senses from his daze, he subconsciously looked at Chen Shu, "What's wrong?"

“...”

Actually, it was nothing.

Although they were about to break up, it didn't stop him from being a qualified little lover during this one-year term.

Chen Shu silently raised his hand and slowly caressed Zhuang Yihan's warm and delicate cheek. His fingertips seemed to have a magical quality, dyeing every place they touched a faint red. Zhuang Yihan didn't know what he wanted to do, unconsciously pursing his lips, looking a little nervous.

It was unexpected, yet also reasonable.

Chen Shu leaned closer and closer, finally kissing him without a sound. His kisses were always very gentle, with the slow, methodical pace of boiling a frog in warm water, but every time he touched the tip of a tongue, he would suck with particular force, making even the root of the tongue ache.

“Mmm...”

Zhuang Yihan was kissed until his whole body went soft. A muffled groan escaped from between his lips, and he wrapped his arms tightly around Chen Shu's neck to keep from sliding down. His breathing was rapid, and in his daze of passion, he couldn't help but repeat his name over and over, “Chen Shu... Chen Shu...”

“Yes.”

Chen Shu was very patient, answering him again and again. Zhuang Yihan's fingertips slid slowly down his arm, inadvertently touching a piece of snow-white gauze, and his movements stopped—

That was the wound Chen Shu got from saving him.

No one knew better than him how bloody and grotesquely open that wound had been before it was bandaged. Even after it healed in the future, it would leave an indelible scar.

Such a pair of beautiful and slender hands like Chen Shu's would have to live with this scar for the rest of his life.

A person so afraid of water, yet he had to risk his life to jump in and save him.

Every time Zhuang Yihan saw it, his heart felt like it was pierced by something, bringing an indescribable dull ache. He closed his eyes and frowned, feeling the words that had been hidden in his heart for a long time stirring restlessly, uncontrollably wanting to break free from their cage, "Chen Shu, I..."

“I...”

His lips trembled, and those few words suddenly rushed past the tip of his tongue uncontrollably. In that instant, all the sounds in his ears fell silent. "I love you..."

He said, I love you.

However, because his voice was too hoarse and the love was too deep and low, it was inaudible to the ear. Only he himself could hear it.

After saying those three words, Zhuang Yihan felt as if a heavy burden of thousands of pounds had been lifted. He panted softly, his heart still racing. He could only feel his cheeks burning, no longer having the courage to say it a second time.

Chen Shu read Zhuang Yihan's lips but said nothing. He just looked at him with that faintly smiling gaze, then slowly caressed his burning cheek, a tender and intimate gesture.

“In the next few days, is there anything you want to do with me?”

he asked casually.

Things to do together?

Zhuang Yihan was stunned. "What do you mean?"

Chen Shu casually pecked at his neck, again and again. Because of his placid emotions, his low voice always had a sense of abstinence. "Besides wanting to spend the New Year with me, what else?"

Only then did Zhuang Yihan realize he had gotten the wrong idea. However, his mind was a mess of paste from the intense kiss just now, and he temporarily lost his ability to think. For a moment, he actually couldn't think of what else he wanted to do with Chen Shu. “Also... also, I have to go to the hospital with you today to get your stitches removed...”

Chen Shu hummed softly with great patience. "And?"

Zhuang Yihan's eyelashes fluttered, casting a shadow below his eyes. He had fair skin and was actually quite delicate and handsome. It was just that his eyes were long and narrow, making him seem cold most of the time. Only by getting close could one feel the beauty of melting ice and snow. "It's almost the New Year. Let's go to the supermarket and buy some things on our way back from the hospital."

Only the two brothers were left in the Zhuang Family. They had already cut ties with their relatives, so there were never many people around during the New Year. Zhuang Yifan would occasionally go out to find some fun for himself, but Zhuang Yihan truly stayed at home without taking a single step out. Other than being busy with work, he was busy with work. Usually, there was a nanny to look after him, but when she went back to her hometown for the New Year holiday, Zhuang Yihan would be the only one left in the entire house, making it even more empty and desolate.

I wonder if this year will be any different...

“Okay,” Chen Shu agreed. “Anything else?”

Zhuang Yihan thought seriously. "Not much else. A few friends invited us to a drinking party and told me to bring you along to have fun. I was afraid you'd find it noisy, so I didn't agree."

Chen Shu asked with a half-smile, “Do you want to go? If you want to, I'll go with you.”

Zhuang Yihan actually didn't like crowded occasions either, but for some reason, he actually nodded. "Then let's go together."

Chen Shu raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Zhuang Yihan: “I was too busy before and didn't have time to formally introduce you to them. It's good to go and get acquainted with those friends.”

Since the drowning incident, Zhuang Yihan had cut off all cooperation with the Jiang Family. He directly withdrew any investments and sold off any shares he held. Although it wasn't enough to cripple the Jiang Corporation, the sudden withdrawal of a large sum of money also caused them to suffer a great loss, sparking a lot of discussion outside. People didn't understand why the two families, who had always been close, would suddenly have a falling out. After all, most people in their circle still maintained the ingrained impression that "Zhuang Yihan is hopelessly in love with Jiang Xi."

However, sometimes ingrained impressions needed to be changed.

Otherwise, others would misunderstand, and it would be unpleasant for himself as well.

Zhuang Yihan's gaze was dark. He held Chen Shu's face and kissed him hard, saying seriously in a low voice, “Let those people know that we are the ones who are a couple.”

Autumn passed and winter came, but the sunlight was still warm and gentle. The withered trees by the roadside had experienced one long, continuous rain after another during the height of summer, and not a single leaf could be found on them. Their branches stretched and twisted towards the sky, quietly waiting for the first snowfall of the year.

In the afternoon, Chen Shu went to the hospital accompanied by Zhuang Yihan to have his stitches removed. Without the cover of the gauze, the wound was completely exposed to the air, inevitably looking a bit gruesome. A winding, dark scab ran down his right arm, climbing like a snake on his fair skin, like a flawless piece of white jade that had been cracked right down the middle.

That hand was truly too beautiful. Even the doctor felt it was a pity, reminding Chen Shu to be careful next time. With such a deep wound, it would be difficult to recover even with scar removal treatments later on.

Zhuang Yihan sat beside him, and upon hearing this, he felt a dense pain in his heart, as if thousands of needles were pricking him. Chen Shu, however, had no reaction. He would occasionally nod in agreement with the doctor's words, but most of the time he looked out the window at the empty, withered branches and the occasional bird flying across the sky, seemingly not paying much attention.

“Keep the gauze on for another three to five days, then you can take it off. Remember to apply the ointment on time, and don't eat spicy or stimulating foods, or it will affect your recovery later on.”

“Thank you, doctor. We'll be careful.”

Although the doctor's instructions were all the same, Zhuang Yihan still listened very attentively. He repeatedly confirmed some precautions before leaving with Chen Shu, holding the prescription slip. On their way past the elevators, they suddenly heard a quarrel from the end of the corridor. Many people were gathered around to watch the commotion. From a distance, it looked like two men were arguing. They were grabbing collars and cursing, on the verge of fighting. The nurses trying to pull them apart were useless.

“Fuck you! You scum fucked with my brother, do you not know how to spell the word 'death'?!”

“Zhuang Yifan, if you have the guts, then kill me. I really don't believe you can be so lawless! Chen Chuyao wanted to slit his own wrist, I didn't force him to do it with a knife. It has nothing to do with me if he dies. Besides, he's not dead yet. It's not too late for you to settle the score with me after he's dead!”

“I'll fucking kill you right now!!”

Zhuang Yihan originally had no interest in watching the commotion, but when he suddenly heard a familiar name in the argument, his expression immediately changed. He quickly pushed through the crowd of patients that was three layers deep and squeezed in, only to find two men in the center grabbing each other's collars and fighting. One of them had an unfamiliar face, but who else could the other one be but Zhuang Yifan?!

“Zhuang Yifan!”

Seeing this, Zhuang Yihan's face instantly darkened. He strode forward, yanked the two apart, grabbed Zhuang Yifan's collar, and forcefully pinned him against the corner of the wall, hissing in a low voice, "What are you messing around for in the hospital?!"

It had been a long time since Zhuang Yifan had messed around. Usually, at most, he would drink and race cars with his good-for-nothing friends. He never expected to run into him fighting with someone in the hospital today. Zhuang Yihan could only feel his temples throbbing violently, terrified that this troublesome little brother had caused some other mess.

“Bro?! Why are you here?!”

Zhuang Yifan was first stunned to see his older brother, then he reacted and was about to go settle scores with the other guy. He angrily pushed Zhuang Yihan away and said, "Bro, I'll explain to you later. Don't stop me. I absolutely have to beat this son of a bitch to death today!"

Zhuang Yihan's expression was as cold as ice. He forcefully dragged him back and slammed him against the wall. "Have you forgotten what I told you?! Cause less trouble for me outside! You want to kill someone? Who gave you the guts!"

Zhuang Yifan was furious and directly talked back to Zhuang Yihan. "Fuck! You don't know, that bastard played Chen Chuyao for his feelings, toyed with him, and then kicked him to the curb without a word. Yesterday, Chen Chuyao slit his wrist in his apartment to commit suicide. Who knows what would have happened if he hadn't been sent to the hospital in time!"

A cold laugh suddenly sounded from the side, its tone filled with undisguised sarcasm. "Don't worry, he only cut himself once. He won't die."

Zhuang Yifan's eyes widened instantly upon hearing this. The anger he had just managed to suppress flared up again. He was about to launch a flying kick at him, and even Zhuang Yihan almost failed to hold him back. "What did you just say?! Say that to me again?! Believe it or not, I'll find a knife right now and poke a few holes in you?!"

Just as the scene was getting out of control, hospital security guards rushed over. They immediately pulled the two fighting men apart, one to the left and one to the right, and sternly reprimanded them, "What are you arguing about! Do you want us to send you to the police station? Don't you know the hospital is a public place?! There are patients all around. If someone gets hurt, who can afford to take responsibility!"

The nurse beside them, seeing that the situation was finally under control, also frowned and complained, "Exactly. What can't two grown men talk out properly? Why resort to violence? You won't be happy until the police are called over. Everyone else, stop crowding around here. Disperse quickly, don't block the way!"

She dispersed the crowd as she walked away. Seeing that there was no more commotion to watch, the people also scattered. Only Zhuang Yifan remained, his anger not yet subsided, being held down on a chair and persuaded by two security guards. The young man opposite him who had almost fought with him, however, was not arguing. He raised a hand to touch the corner of his mouth that had been bloodied from the punch, and staggered to his feet from the ground, about to leave.

Zhuang Yifan grew anxious upon seeing this. "Who told you you could leave?! I'm telling you, Chen Chuyao isn't awake yet. You're not leaving today until he wakes up!"

The young man paused at his words, his gaze turning cold as he looked at him. "He and I have already broken up. We have no relationship. Let alone Chen Chuyao not being awake now, even if he were buried in his grave in the future, it would have nothing to do with me."

“You!”

Zhuang Yifan stood up in a rage, but he was held down firmly by the security guards beside him. He could only watch as the other person left from right in front of him, disappearing around the corner of the corridor in the blink of an eye.

Zhuang Yihan had been listening from the side for a while and had finally understood the cause and course of events. It turned out that Chen Chuyao had been dating a male university student, loving him to death. But unexpectedly, the other party had inexplicably dumped him some time ago. He wouldn't answer his calls, and he couldn't find him at school. Chen Chuyao had an extreme personality, and yesterday, he couldn't get over it and slit his wrist in his apartment.

Fortunately, it was his first time, so he had no experience. The cut wasn't deep, and he was rescued in time.

Zhuang Yifan and Chen Chuyao had always gotten along well. He had rushed to the hospital to visit today and had happened to run into that "scumbag" at the door of the ward. The two of them started fighting after a disagreement... Strictly speaking, it wasn't a fight, but a one-sided beating by Zhuang Yifan. The other party didn't seem to have fought back much.

Zhuang Yihan felt that this matter was too improper and frowned slightly. "Where are Chen Chuyao's parents? Have they been contacted?"

Zhuang Yifan suppressed his anger and said, "Not yet. They're both abroad. You know what kind of people his parents are. They've never cared about Chen Chuyao since he was little. When they heard he was rescued, they stopped caring and said they could only find time to return to the country next month."

Zhuang Yihan pushed open the door to the ward and took a look. He saw Chen Chuyao lying on the bed with a pale face, his left hand wrapped in gauze, still unconscious. He didn't know how much of the commotion outside the ward he had heard.

He was silent for a moment, then finally closed the door gently. "It's good that he's been saved. We'll talk about things when he wakes up. This is someone else's private relationship matter. You should stay out of it."

After speaking, Zhuang Yihan suddenly remembered that Chen Shu was still outside. His expression changed slightly, and he immediately went to look for him, but he was nowhere to be seen.

To the side of the ward was the emergency stairwell exit. Pushing open the closed gate revealed a pitch-black interior. The fluorescent exit sign glowed with a ghastly green light. The stairs spiraled down endlessly, and even a slight cough would echo, inevitably sending a chill down one's spine.

Duan Chengcai clutched his abdomen, holding onto the stair railing as he walked down with difficulty, step by step. Zhuang Yifan was a good fighter. He had either punched him in the face or hit him in the stomach. He hadn't felt much during the argument, but now that he had calmed down, the pain was becoming more and more obvious.

After taking two steps, he really couldn't hold on any longer. His face was pale, and his forehead was covered in dense cold sweat. He simply leaned against the stairwell entrance and slowly sat down to rest. His voice was weak and hoarse as he suddenly spoke to the air:

“Still not coming out? How long are you planning to watch the show?”

The voice echoed in the stairwell, but no one answered him, as if he were just talking to himself.

Duan Chengcai was not in a hurry. He closed his eyes and leaned against the wall to catch his breath, calming the waves of pain washing over his body. Not long after, he heard a steady, low footstep from behind him. In the dividing line of light and shadow, Chen Shu's familiar face was reflected.

Duan Chengcai looked back and smiled faintly. "I knew it was you."

He leaned weakly against the wall and extended a hand to Chen Shu. "Come give me a hand. I can't walk."

Chen Shu expressionlessly grabbed his hand, but instead of helping Duan Chengcai up, he unexpectedly yanked him up from the ground, grabbed his collar, and slammed him against the wall with a bang. His expression was gloomy as he sneered coldly, "You're afraid you can't walk? I thought you weren't even afraid of death!"

Duan Chengcai seemed not to have expected this turn of events. He froze for a moment, then found it somewhat amusing. "What do you mean?"

Veins popped on Chen Shu's forehead, and the hand gripping his collar tightened. An nameless anger rose in his heart, burning so fiercely that even his internal organs ached. "Duan Chengcai! When the fuck did you become like this?! You drove someone to slit their wrist and lie in the hospital, and you still have the face to laugh?!! I told you to stay away from people like Chen Chuyao, but you ended up driving him straight to the hospital?!! Do you really think people like Zhuang Yifan are pushovers? They might not kill you, but they have a hundred ways to make your life a living hell!!"

Upon hearing this, the curve of Duan Chengcai's lips slowly fell. He looked at Chen Shu and asked, "Are you trying to seek justice for Chen Chuyao?"

Chen Shu didn't speak. The hand gripping Duan Chengcai's collar was trembling slightly from extreme anger. He didn't know why he had been so angry while watching that farce just now; he only found Duan Chengcai's indifferent attitude particularly jarring.

It was as if someone was teetering on the edge of a cliff. Chen Shu had once tried to pull him back, but he had still disappointingly jumped in himself, shattering into pieces.

Seeing that Chen Shu wasn't speaking, Duan Chengcai viciously grabbed his collar and asked through gritted teeth, word by word, “I'm asking you, are you trying to seek justice for Chen Chuyao?!”

He said this with exceptional force in every word, his expression once looking somewhat distorted and frightening. After speaking, without waiting for Chen Shu's reply, he suddenly pushed him to the ground and roared angrily, "Is he worthy of you seeking justice for him?! Huh?!"

Like a taut string suddenly snapping, the usually smiling person also turned into a madman. The quiet corridor was left with only his crazed, angry roars:

“You all pity Chen Chuyao, but who pities me?! Huh?! Is slitting his wrist so great?! Is slitting it just once so great?! It's wrong for me to be with him! It's wrong for me not to be with him! After we broke up, he wanted to die, and that's my fault too!!”

“Doesn't Chen Chuyao like to court death? Then why isn't he dead yet?! Why isn't he dead yet?! If he dies, I'll pay for it with my life immediately! I came to the hospital today just to see if he was dead...”

“Bang—!”

Before Duan Chengcai could finish cursing, he was unexpectedly kicked to the ground by Chen Shu. He fell into a dusty corner of the stairs, struggling to get up from the ground. However, halfway up, he fell back down again, and finally curled up and stopped moving.

Chen Shu had only wanted to shut Duan Chengcai up, but he didn't expect him to lie on the ground motionless. Seeing this, his expression couldn't help but change slightly. "Duan Chengcai?!"

Duan Chengcai didn't move. His shoulders trembled twice.

Chen Shu quickly approached in the darkness and reached out to turn him over. However, when he saw the scene before him, he couldn't help but freeze on the spot, his hand slowly falling.

...

Duan Chengcai was crying.

It's hard to imagine what a person who smiles every day looks like when they cry.

His expression was pained. He bit down hard on the back of his hand, trying to suppress his trembling sobs. Tears streamed down his cheeks and fell to the ground, soaking a large wet patch. The bulging veins on his forehead and his tightly clenched jaw all showed how hard he was trying to endure it, like a trapped beast curled up.

Duan Chengcai whimpered, as if he were saying something. Only when Chen Shu leaned closer did he make out the words.

He said,

“I'm in pain too...”

Duan Chengcai's eyes were red-rimmed. He was crying more wretchedly than the most destitute beggar on the street. A thick, impenetrable gloom enveloped him, tightly wrapped in pain. His voice was choked, “Chen Shu... I'm in a lot of pain too...”

“I cut myself twelve times before...”

“Every cut was deeper than Chen Chuyao's... Every cut went down to the bone...”

“I was lying in the hospital just like this back then... My hand was crippled... I couldn't go to school anymore... But he never came to see me even once... He just had someone leave a card and left...”

“He used to say he liked me... that he'd be with me for a lifetime... but in the end, he kicked me to the curb without a single word... Chen Shu... No one pitied me back then...”

Upon hearing this, Chen Shu only felt a buzzing sound in his ears, as if he had been hit hard by something. His mind went blank.

The things Duan Chengcai was talking about had clearly happened in his previous life. They hadn't happened in this life, so how could he know?! Could it be... could it be that he was also reborn?!

When this thought emerged, Chen Shu felt that many questions that he couldn't answer before now had an explanation. He staggered to his feet, his mind in a trance. So that's how it was, so that's what happened. Duan Chengcai was also reborn?!

Chen Shu's expression was dazed. He slowly reached out and gripped Duan Chengcai's shoulders, asking in a low voice, word by word, "Why?"

“Why, Duan Chengcai?”

“Since you've already been reborn, why repeat the same mistakes? Why still get together with Chen Chuyao? Huh?!”

Chen Shu stared at Duan Chengcai in disbelief, feeling that he had made the most incomprehensible decision in the world. In his last life, he had been abandoned by Chen Chuyao, which led him to commit suicide and drop out of school. The fact that he had once been a male model was also exposed at school. He was forced to return to his hometown in the County Town. The results he had worked so hard for were gone, and his future and life were shattered. Now that he was finally reborn in this life, why would he repeat the same mistakes?!

If he hadn't been forced and threatened by Black Snake, if he could choose freely like Duan Chengcai, he definitely would not have had any interaction with Zhuang Yihan in this life. He wouldn't have approached him, wouldn't have gotten to know him, and certainly wouldn't have hated him. The matters of his past life were over, after all. Why drag this life into it as well?

Perhaps what Chen Shu had craved deep down was never money and fame, nor the pleasure of revenge, but simply a new life.

But what had Duan Chengcai done?

He had finally been reborn, so why was he still entangled with Chen Chuyao?!

Duan Chengcai stared motionlessly at Chen Shu and suddenly fell silent. His eyes were red-rimmed, and his fair cheek was stained with dust and blood, faintly overlapping with the pale figure from his previous life who was hastily carried out of the dormitory after committing suicide. He slowly uttered a sentence: “Because I'm in pain...”

His voice was hoarse. “Chen Shu, I'm really in a lot of pain...”

“I know I deserved it in my last life. I didn't study hard, I became a male model to make money, I was vain and wanted to reach the top in a single bound. In the end, I deserved to be played by Chen Chuyao...”

“Chen Shu, I also know that since I've been reborn, I should stay far away from them. I should study hard, find a down-to-earth job in the future, and be a good son to my parents. I can't let them be shamed because of me like in my last life, being pointed at and talked about by people every day...”

As Duan Chengcai spoke, he suddenly paused and gave a smile that was uglier than crying. He tremblingly raised his right hand to Chen Shu's eyes. Apart from a bloody tooth mark, the rest of the skin was smooth, but only those who had seen it knew that there had once been twelve scars here, deep enough to see the bone.

Duan Chengcai smiled and asked with a trembling voice:

“Look, isn't it all healed? You can't see it anymore, right?”

“But Chen Shu, I'm still in so much pain that I can't sleep day or night...”

“The moment I close my eyes, this place hurts as if someone is carving my flesh with a knife. The moment I hear the sound of a faucet, I feel the blood pouring out of my body. When I dream at night, I dream of myself lying on a hospital bed, unable to move. My dad is ashamed of me, calling me worthless. My mom is crying beside me until her eyes are almost blind. When I finally returned to my hometown, every time I went out, there were people pointing and whispering behind my back...”

Duan Chengcai pulled down his sleeve, pointed to a spot in the middle, and smiled at Chen Shu with red eyes. "And then I cut myself a thirteenth time here. I thought I could finally be free this time, but I never expected to come back again when I opened my eyes."

Chen Shu was stunned and bewildered.

“Chen Shu, do you think God is playing a trick on me? I really want to live a good life, and I really want to study hard and be a good son to my parents, but I really can't do it. I don't know how to make myself feel better.”

He pointed forcefully at his heart and said, word by word, “This place here, it hates him to death!”

Chen Shu's voice was hoarse. After a long silence, he finally spoke, "The more you hate him... the farther away you should stay from him..."

“Why should I stay far away from him?! I won't let him have it easy!”

Hearing this, Duan Chengcai suddenly pushed away Chen Shu's supporting hand and struggled to his feet. He leaned his back against the cold wall and took a deep breath. When he looked up again, his face had returned to that cold, faint, sarcastic smile:

“Chen Shu, did you know I discovered something very interesting after I was reborn?”

Chen Shu gave a self-deprecating smirk. "That I'm also reborn?"

“No, not that.”

Duan Chengcai shook his head slightly, then leaned close to Chen Shu's ear and said something. Although it sounded somewhat nonsensical, it caused the latter's expression to change imperceptibly.

Duan Chengcai said,

“Chen Shu, did you know that every night when I'm in too much pain to sleep, I can see the light on in your bed curtain...”

In this world, was he the only one who was so consumed by hatred that he couldn't sleep all night?

Chen Shu himself was already stuck deep in the mire, so what right did he have to advise others?

After saying this, Duan Chengcai slowly stood up straight and reached out to pat the dust off Chen Shu's shoulder. He looked at this person before him, whose fate was so similar yet different from his own. His gaze held a hint of pity as he reminded him in a low voice:

“Chen Shu, you weren't this grand in your last life.”