Lied to You

That memory was very long, long enough to encompass a person's life from birth to death.

That memory was also very short, so short that when Chen Shu abruptly awoke, the falling snow outside had only just covered the branches.

He sat stunned on the long bench, never expecting that Zhuang Yihan would die in such a way in his past life. His mind felt completely blank, and all the blood in his body seemed to rush to his head, leaving him without even the strength to stand up.

But the Black Snake, as if Chen Shu wasn't suffering enough, affectionately coiled around his shoulder. Its tone was playful and pitying, every word striking his heart like a heavy hammer:

"Actually, Zhuang Yihan had fallen in love with you long ago in his last life. He just didn't dare to admit it himself."

"So foolish. Why did he have to jump into the river? Maybe if you had just been cruel enough to break up with him, he would have realized it sooner or later..."

"Shut up!"

Chen Shu cut it off hatefully in a low voice. A lock of hair quietly slipped down before his eyes, looking so weak and pale. He knew very well that this Black Snake wanted to feed on his pain, but this emotion was not something he could control, just like the fickleness of fate, which played its tricks on people silently.

"Shut up..."

He lowered his head in pain, his voice hoarse and utterly helpless.

Chen Shu supported himself with his hands and struggled to get up from the chair, wanting only to escape the Black Snake's control. However, just as he managed to reach the elevator entrance, he unexpectedly bumped into a familiar figure—it was Zhuang Yifan, who had rushed over urgently after receiving a message from his older brother.

Zhuang Yifan was startled when he saw Chen Shu's pale face. "What's wrong with you?"

Chen Shu stared at him motionlessly without speaking. After a moment, he asked out of the blue, "What are you doing here?"

Zhuang Yifan was inexplicably intimidated by him and subconsciously told the truth, "I don't know. My brother suddenly sent me a message just now, telling me to find out where Jiang Xi is and then to come over with a lawyer."

Hearing this, Chen Shu froze, his eyes narrowing slightly. "He told you to find out where Jiang Xi is?"

Zhuang Yifan nodded, his face full of confusion. "Yeah, what's wrong?"

Besides, his tone on the phone was terrifying, sending a chill down one's spine. He also said a bunch of messy things like telling him to take good care of Chen Shu in the future, things that sounded like a last will. Zhuang Yifan felt really uneasy, so he rushed over immediately.

Chen Shu: "...It's nothing."

After saying that, he ignored him and took the elevator downstairs.

When Chen Shu walked out of the hospital, the road was already covered in a layer of white frost. Tiny snowflakes drifted down from the pitch-black sky, swallowed by the darkness in the blink of an eye.

He walked to his parked car by the roadside, opened the door, and got in. Then he leaned back against the seat, lowered his head, took out a lighter, and lit a cigarette. A closer look revealed that even his fingertips were trembling. The familiar scent of tobacco soothed his agitated emotions, and he gradually calmed down.

Chen Shu leaned his head back against the seat, his dark eyes staring at the car's ceiling, as a thought suddenly emerged in his mind—

Zhuang Yihan was probably going to start dealing with Jiang Xi, but his mobility was limited right now. The fact that he called his brother and a lawyer over clearly meant he was planning to arrange his affairs.

Thinking of this, Chen Shu expressionlessly extinguished the cigarette butt, then found his phone and made a call. His cold, dark eyes were hidden behind the lingering smoke, giving off an inexplicable sense of looming danger.

Hong Dawen was originally lying at home recovering from his injuries. When he suddenly received a call from Chen Shu, he was so scared that he scrambled to sit up. He fumbled to press the answer key, his voice trembling as he spoke, "Hello? This is Hong Dawen. Is there something you need?"

Chen Shu's voice was ice-cold. He spoke faintly through the receiver, "Didn't Jiang Xi still owe you the final payment? I don't care what method you use, arrange to meet him at the Yangtze River Bridge in one hour. If I don't see him by then, you'll face the consequences."

Without waiting for Hong Dawen's reply, he hung up and tossed the phone onto the passenger seat, accelerating towards the riverbank in the vast darkness.

The cold wind howled, whipping the calm river surface into surging waves. A magnificent bridge spanned across it from above, connecting the north and south passages. It had stood silently in this city for fifty years.

The vicinity was lined with towering buildings, brightly lit even at night, but the lights still couldn't illuminate the pitch-black, murky riverbed. It was as if a greedy, wide-mouthed beast lay dormant within, ready to devour someone at any moment.

Chen Shu had died here in his last life.

Because of his death, he had become afraid of water. Because of his death, he had become terrified of any place called a bridge. Every time he drove through the city, he would take a long detour around it. It had truly become a lifelong inner demon.

But Chen Shu knew very well that his inner demon was not just the bridge, but also that Parasite.

Today, everything should come to an end.

Chen Shu parked his car at the end of the bridge. Below was the river beach, its bank lined with withered trees covered in white snow. The icy river water surged onto the shore, wave after wave, and the sound of the tide traveled far and wide on the night wind.

Chen Shu leaned against the car door, lowered his head, and lit a cigarette. A closer look revealed that even his fingertips were trembling. He exhaled a sharp puff of smoke, forcing himself to calm down. Yet, the closer he got to the river, the more a bone-deep tremor and fear uncontrollably surfaced, urging him to flee.

Time passed quietly. After an unknown period, a pile of cigarette butts had accumulated at Chen Shu's feet. Just then, the roar of an approaching car suddenly came from the distance, sounding particularly abrupt on the silent bridge late at night.

Chen Shu glanced down at his watch. The time was just right, about an hour had passed.

When Jiang Xi drove onto the bridge, he saw a black car parked quietly by the guardrail. A cold, murderous glint flashed in his eyes. He raised his hand to pull down the brim of his hat, took a small suitcase full of cash from the passenger seat, and strode towards the car.

Hong Dawen, that good-for-nothing who only screws things up, couldn't even kill someone and now he dared to threaten him for money. He'd make sure that even if Hong Dawen got the money, he wouldn't live to spend it!

Jiang Xi's face was grim, unable to conceal the chilling killing intent emanating from him. He took a handkerchief soaked in anesthetic from his pocket with his right hand, obviously well-prepared. However, just as he was about to open the car door, he suddenly seemed to realize something and abruptly stopped in his tracks—

'Something's wrong! Hong Dawen is clearly a pauper! Where would he get the money to drive such a nice car?!'

Jiang Xi instantly realized he might have been set up. His expression changed, and he immediately turned to leave. But before he could move, a whooshing sound suddenly cut through the air by his ear. A sharp, cold dagger stabbed viciously towards his neck, its speed and force clearly aiming to kill him!

Jiang Xi didn't have time to see clearly. As a reflex, he threw the black case in his hand forward. The blade's path was diverted, and it stabbed fiercely into his shoulder blade. The pain made his face turn pale, and he immediately cried out in agony, "Ah—!!"

Jiang Xi clenched his teeth and desperately gripped the hand holding the knife, trying to see who had ambushed him. However, the face that came into view was one he never expected to see, and his eyes widened in shock. "Chen Shu?!! How can it be you?!"

No wonder Jiang Xi was so surprised. After all, the person he wanted to kill was Zhuang Yihan, and the person he had been dealing with was also Zhuang Yihan. Although he had issues with Chen Shu, it was far from the point of a life-and-death struggle. He wouldn't have been this shocked even if the attacker had been Hong Dawen.

Chen Shu desperately pressed the tip of the knife down. His cold profile was splattered with blood, making him look as terrifying as an Asura in the dark night. Hearing the question, he tilted his head and smiled, the malice in his eyes almost tangible. "Why can't it be me?"

The veins on Jiang Xi's forehead bulged as he struggled against him. "Chen Shu! You lunatic! You want to kill me just because I sent someone to kill Zhuang Yihan?! Wake up! Is it worth going to jail for him?!"

However, this questioning tone lasted for less than three seconds. Unable to resist Chen Shu's strength, Jiang Xi struggled to beg for mercy, "Chen Shu! Let me go! I promise I'll never bother Zhuang Yihan again! I can give you lots and lots of money! Whatever you want, name your price, I'll definitely agree!"

Hearing this, Chen Shu couldn't suppress the violent emotions in his heart. He asked in a low, emotionless voice, "Let you go? Jiang Xi, how much money do you think it would take to buy back all our years of suffering?"

Jiang Xi's pupils contracted in shock. "You know my identity?!"

Chen Shu didn't answer him. Instead, he abruptly pulled the knife out and, with a powerful gust of wind, stabbed viciously at Jiang Xi's neck. "You don't need to know that much!"

The Black Snake had once told him that a Parasite was not human, but its weak spot was also the neck. As long as he stabbed there, the other would completely disappear from this world!

Chen Shu's eyes were bloodshot; he truly intended to kill. While his own actions were a factor in the miserable end he reached in his past life, Jiang Xi had committed all sorts of evil deeds while cleanly hiding in the background, toying with others' genuine feelings. A person like that deserved to die ten thousand times over!

Forced into a life-or-death situation, Jiang Xi found some unknown strength and began to scuffle with Chen Shu. The two of them rolled to the ground. In the haste, one of them kicked over the black case on the ground, and a black object slid out. It turned out that it didn't contain money, but a modified firearm.

Jiang Xi's eyes lit up at the sight. Seeing the gun was like seeing a lifeline. He used all his strength to slam an elbow into Chen Shu's shoulder, and then, taking advantage of the few seconds Chen Shu was slowed by the pain, he scrambled to pick up the gun, turned, and frantically pulled the trigger at Chen Shu—

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

They were no more than two meters apart. Even though the bullets from the modified gun weren't that lethal, at such close range, all of them pierced through his abdomen.

Caught off guard, Chen Shu was shot. His movements slowed for a moment due to the pain. He looked down and saw his black jacket covered in thick, gushing blood, which dripped down the hem onto the unmelted snow on the road, a glaring, vivid red.

Jiang Xi kept pulling the trigger frantically until it could no longer fire a single bullet. Only then did he laugh and stagger to his feet. Clutching his wound, he pointed at Chen Shu and cursed breathlessly, "What the fuck do you have to fight me with?! I thought you were so tough, but you're still going to die by my hand!!"

"So what if I played you both?! I'll kill you first, then kill him! Once he's dead, I can just change my identity and go to another world, and live just as freely as before!"

The mask and hat he had been wearing had fallen off during the fight. His originally black hair had turned frosty white at some point, and even his skin had developed shallow wrinkles. In just a few short months, he seemed to have aged from thirty to forty.

Chen Shu didn't speak; his mouth was filled with the metallic taste of blood. His face was pale. He tried to take a step towards Jiang Xi, but the next second, he collapsed to his knees from weakness.

In the distance, a truck happened to be passing by. The driver saw the bloody scene outside his window and his face went white with shock. He didn't even dare to stop, quickly accelerating away. The wind howled past, sweeping up the snow in the air and carrying it far away.

Jiang Xi finally stopped laughing and looked viciously at Chen Shu. "Speak! How did you know my identity?!"

Chen Shu didn't answer, his back slowly bending. He struggled to support himself with his hands on the ground. His blood was absorbed by the snow, forming a shocking patch of dark red.

Jiang Xi guessed, shocked and uncertain, "Could it be that you're also a Parasite?!"

He seemed convinced by this answer, a hint of joy appearing on his face. He quickly stepped forward to snatch the knife from Chen Shu's hand, hissing through clenched teeth, "Then your death won't be in vain. For the sake of the little bit of life force you can provide me, I can be merciful and let you and Zhuang Yihan die in..."

"Pfft—!"

The man, who had been on the verge of death, suddenly looked up without warning. He tightened his grip on the dagger and slashed at Jiang Xi's throat with lightning speed. However, what gushed from the wound was not blood, but countless green points of light. They surged and burst towards the night sky like fireflies scattering further and further away, revealing the fact that he was not human.

Jiang Xi's eyes widened in astonishment. He frantically tried to cover his neck, but he couldn't stop the torrential outflow of life force.

"Hh... Hh..."

Jiang Xi's chest heaved with the sound of an old bellows as he struggled to breathe. He wanted to grab Chen Shu, his face full of hatred, but his body grew heavier and heavier, finally collapsing onto the snow with a loud thud.

"Thud—!"

The surroundings fell into a dead silence.

He was like a deflated balloon; his exposed skin began to wither, shriveling bit by bit at a visible rate.

"Warning! Warning! Lifeform severely damaged! Please replenish energy immediately!"

"Warning! Warning! Lifeform severely damaged! Hibernation mode will be activated in ten seconds!"

A series of urgent warnings came from somewhere, circling in the sky, making one's head spin.

But Chen Shu paid no attention. He picked up the broken-bladed dagger, staggered over to Jiang Xi's side, and knelt on the ground, stabbing fiercely into his neck again and again, until the human skin used as a disguise was completely destroyed.

However, inside Jiang Xi's neck was not the skeletal structure of a normal person, but a light green, completely transparent chip. Because it was too fragile, it was hidden in the vital area of the throat.

But now that it had lost its protection, even a broken dagger could easily shatter it.

Chen Shu didn't know how many times he had stabbed. It wasn't until his movements became numb that he finally paused, a beat too late.

"Warning! Chip damaged, data collapse imminent!"

This deep voice came from far away in the night sky, carrying an indescribable majesty and divinity. When the last syllable fell, it seemed to deliver Jiang Xi's final death sentence. His body collapsed before Chen Shu's eyes, turning into a pile of mysterious green data that scattered all around, eventually becoming more and more transparent until it vanished like a wisp of smoke, leaving no trace.

The wind blew the falling snow. The large, shocking bloodstain on the ground was a silent testament to what had just happened.

Chen Shu stared blankly upwards and saw a blinding light coming from the dark road in the distance. Piercing sirens tore through the long night. The originally empty and silent bridge was suddenly flooded with countless vehicles—police cars, ambulances, the truck that had driven away earlier, and...

A familiar black car.

No one knew how Zhuang Yihan had gotten here. He opened the car door and saw the scene before him, his face turning deathly pale. When he came to his senses, he immediately started running towards Chen Shu, his voice filled with a bone-deep panic and terror:

"Chen Shu!!!!"

However, the police quickly set up a cordon, blocking them outside. Even Zhuang Yifan and Xue Miao held Zhuang Yihan back tightly, trying their best to persuade him.

Whether it was Chen Shu, covered in fresh blood, or the gun of unknown status lying not far from him, it all made the police wary and afraid to act rashly. Instead, they did their best to evacuate the crowd.

They cautiously approached the scene while trying to negotiate with Chen Shu, wanting to determine if his mental state was stable. However, Chen Shu didn't say a word. Instead, he bent down, picked up the empty gun that had long run out of bullets, supported himself to struggle to his feet, and then, under everyone's watchful eyes, climbed over the guardrail.

Seeing this, Zhuang Yihan's heart shattered. He desperately wanted to rush forward. He felt as if all the strength had been drained from his body, terrified that the scene from his past life would repeat itself before his very eyes. "Chen Shu!! Are you crazy?! Get down from there!!"

But Chen Shu couldn't hear anything at that moment. There was a constant ringing in his ears.

He stood precariously on the edge of the bridge. When he looked up, he saw a giant, coiling Black Snake appear before him. It stared at him with its magnificent, crimson eyes and hissed, flicking its tongue. This time, there was no mockery or ridicule, no deep temptation, only confusion:

"Why?"

Chen Shu raised a hand to wipe the blood from his face. "Why what?"

As soon as he spoke, blood began to trickle from the corner of his mouth. He looked like a cornered madman. The police, wary of the gun in his hand, whose authenticity they couldn't confirm, hesitated to approach.

"I told you long ago, I didn't recommend you kill him."

A long, long time ago, on the night of Xue Miao's birthday party, Chen Shu had asked it: How could he kill Jiang Xi? And how could he change Zhuang Yihan's fate?

The Black Snake told Chen Shu:

"Jiang Xi is an intruder in Zhuang Yihan's peaceful life."

"Because of Jiang Xi's appearance, Zhuang Yihan's original destiny was disturbed, becoming miserable. Only if he dies can the other's life return to the right track."

"However, I do not recommend you kill him. The existence of a Parasite is too special, inherently carrying an ominous curse. If you kill him, as the one who brings his life to an end, you will also disappear along with him."

"After you and Jiang Xi die, the world will automatically erase all traces and memories of your existence, and Zhuang Yihan will forget you both."

The Black Snake felt it had made itself very clear, so it didn't understand why Chen Shu still insisted on killing Jiang Xi. Its crimson pupils slowly swept over the large, bleeding wounds on Chen Shu's body, and it let out a sigh of unclear meaning:

"Human, your physical body is destroyed. You will die soon."

"You clearly said back then that you wouldn't kill Jiang Xi."

It considered itself an expert on the darkness of human desire, yet sometimes it was still perplexed by their contradictory actions.

Hearing this, Chen Shu laughed while coughing up blood. His handsome face was mottled with bloodstains, making him look like a demon that had crawled out of hell. He looked at the Black Snake, his gaze triumphant, like a child who had successfully pulled off a prank, and finally spoke his heart:

"I lied to you..."

He said in a low voice, "I actually don't hate Zhuang Yihan at all..."

That was the person who had pulled him from the abyss when he was at his most helpless. He had loved him so deeply it was etched into his bones, tossing and turning at night. How could he possibly hate him?

Chen Shu could hate his poor family background, hate his own lack of accomplishment, his mediocrity and despicableness, but he could never bring himself to hate Zhuang Yihan—

The person who had paid for his education, helped treat his father's illness, personally taught him to paint and play the piano, and pulled him out of the abyss.

It was he himself who had been a disappointment. He had been pulled to the mountaintop by Zhuang Yihan, only to be pushed off by the boulder named jealousy.

"I just didn't get his love, and was a little unwilling to accept it..."

Getting closer step by step after rebirth was just his past life's unwillingness and inferiority complex at play, unable to let go of the lingering warmth in his heart.

After saying this, Chen Shu, as if remembering something, suddenly turned his head to look to his right front—where Zhuang Yihan was standing.

At that moment, even the sound of the wind fell silent. Just as the police thought Chen Shu was about to do something, he suddenly revealed a smile. He moved his lips silently, saying something no one could understand, then slowly released the gun in his hand, closed his eyes, leaned back, and let his body fall into the vast river water.

He said,

"Zhuang Yihan, forget it all..."

Forget them all. From now on, you will finally owe each other nothing.

"You still have a long road ahead of you. Don't look back..."

This was Chen Shu's best wish for Zhuang Yihan.

He was returning this peaceful life to him, so that he would never again become a tool for others to draw pain from.

"Chen Shu—!"

Zhuang Yihan's eyes nearly split from their sockets at the sight. With a sudden burst of strength, he actually broke through the police cordon. He reached out in a panic, trying to grab the falling Chen Shu, but his fingertips merely brushed against the corner of his clothes as he watched him fall.

"Plop—!"

It was the sound of a heavy object falling into the river. A life so heavy, yet the splash it made was fleeting. Zhuang Yihan remained frozen in that reaching posture, staring desperately and dazedly at the dark river surface below. He called out in a trembling, disbelieving voice, "Chen Shu—?!"

The river surface was dead silent. No one answered him.

He had jumped again...

He had died in front of him again...

The first time, he couldn't save him. The second time, he still couldn't save him...

"Brother—!!"

A jumble of sounds came from behind him, as if someone was calling him.

Zhuang Yihan looked up blankly and saw Zhuang Yifan and the police rushing anxiously towards him, only to stop fearfully a few meters away, as if afraid he would do something rash. For some reason, he suddenly began to slowly back away, saying something completely out of context to the crowd:

"I can't leave him alone again..."

His face was pale, and he shook his head blankly.

"I really can't leave him again..."

He suddenly turned and resolutely jumped into the bottomless river.

"Brother!!!"

"Yihan!!"

Shocked cries erupted from the riverbank. In an instant, countless people crowded around. The blood-soaked ground was trampled into a mess, and the scene descended into chaos.

In a place no one could see, the shadowy figure of a man in black quietly appeared on top of the guardrail. He paced slowly, playing with a magnificent, noble-looking snake ring on his right hand. The cold wind made the corners of his clothes flutter loudly, but it couldn't disperse the sound of his low sigh:

"You see, buried at the bottom of that river are the bones of the unwilling..."

However, the energy from the pain Zhuang Yihan produced at the moment of Chen Shu's death was surprisingly astonishing, many times greater than during their breakup. This was rather unexpected.

So the most painful thing in the world wasn't being abandoned, but losing the one you love forever?

The man's lips curled into a pleased smile, feeling as if he had discovered something interesting.