Paper Life 32 Part 2

A tear streak slid down Shang Nan's face.

The team stretched for hundreds of meters, moving slowly on the winding mountain road. Spirit money drifted down from the mountaintop, and the sharp sound of the suona gradually faded away.

......

Upon returning to the city, Shang Nan began to feel unwell.

The helper at home called to say that Madam had passed away. The helper's voice trembled, saying that Madam hadn't come down for breakfast today, nor had she called for her. So she went upstairs to knock on the door. There was no movement inside. She boldly pushed open the door. Speaking of the scene she saw that day, the helper still had lingering fears. She said she saw Dai Lili lying face up on the ground, eyes wide open, mouth agape, body already stiff.

Even though Shang Nan had no affection for Dai Lili now, his body's reaction wouldn't deceive him. When he saw Dai Lili's face in the spirit-sending procession, Shang Nan had felt discomfort at that time.

Shang Nan persisted in presiding over the funeral. After the funeral ended, Shang Nan fell seriously ill, suffering from dizziness, coughing, and vomiting. He could barely eat anything, and the doctors couldn't find the cause.

[14: Such a long spirit-sending procession, with such heavy yin energy, you clashed with it. You'll get better on your own after some time.]

But Yu Zhibai didn't know the reason. He asked for leave from school and guarded Shang Nan day and night, sleeplessly. When Shang Nan leaned over the bedside and vomited out the food he had eaten, his eyes even turned red.

This situation lasted for nearly a month. In a blink of an eye, summer was almost here.

Shang Nan suddenly recovered. Yu Zhibai was skeptical, only relaxing after seeing Shang Nan eat two large bowls of rice. He clasped Shang Nan's hand, his voice hoarse, "I thought you were going to die."

He could accept Yu Changyue's passing, but not Shang Nan's. Just imagining Shang Nan losing his life, Yu Zhibai was already thinking about how grand to make Shang Nan's spirit-sending procession. Even if everyone in the whole world went to send Shang Nan off, plus himself, it wouldn't be enough.

Shang Nan had lost a significant amount of weight, making his eyes look even bigger, like a deer's eyes, watery and sparkling. "No, I still want to go to university with you."

"Okay."

......

Speaking of taking the university entrance exam, this worried Zhang Xueli. Zhang Xueli didn't worry about Shang Nan; anyway, Shang Nan had plenty of choices. What worried her was Yu Zhibai. Yu Zhibai had taken leave for as long as Shang Nan was sick. If this child couldn't get into university... Zhang Xueli suddenly thought, if Yu Zhibai couldn't pass, he could rely on his little boyfriend. As soon as this assumption appeared, Zhang Xueli immediately pinched herself hard. As a teacher, how could she have such thoughts?!

In the last mock exam before the Gaokao, Yu Zhibai's grades surprisingly didn't show any changes, still firmly sitting at first place in the grade. What was more shocking was Shang Nan; he leaped up to the sixty-ninth place.

It made people suspect Shang Nan hadn't been sick but had secretly gone for tutoring.

Zhang Hu looked at the exam paper, looking again and again. "No way, no way, were you really sick?"

Shang Nan yawned, "Really. Look, I've even lost weight."

"Suspect you went for a head transplant." Zhang Hu put the paper back. "But it doesn't matter. My dad has already found someone to contact overseas schools for me."

"Shang Nan, are you going abroad?" Zhang Hu continued to ask. Most of the class chose to go abroad, while a small half stayed in the country.

Given Shang Nan's grades and family background, he could even apply to the top-ranked universities in the world. It would be a pity not to go.

"I'll stay in the country," Shang Nan said. "Isn't it the same wherever I go?"

Zhang Hu was choked for a moment. True, the heir of the Shang family, even if he picked up trash for four years after graduating high school, could still sit in the position of the largest shareholder of the Shang Group in the end.

He looked at Yu Zhibai again, "What about you? You?"

Yu Zhibai was brushing up on questions, not even lifting his head, "Not going."

Shang Nan leaned over, resting on Yu Zhibai's shoulder. "Why are you writing so seriously? You can just eat it, and won't you have learned it?"

"That's not learning."

Shang Nan looked at Yu Zhibai for a while, clapped his hands, and gave a commendation.

......

Summer passed in the blink of an eye. When Zhang Hu went abroad, he cried his eyes out, but a few days later, he started posting all sorts of daily life updates on his Moments. Other classmates were about the same. The small portion who stayed in the country had already started preparing for their first university class.

Shang Nan and Yu Zhibai were at the same university in the capital, just not in the same major. Yu Zhibai studied medicine, while Shang Nan, under the suggestion of his family's special assistant, majored in Economics and Management, minored in Law, and had to sit in on various company meetings when he had no classes.

Under the special assistant's nagging, Shang Nan didn't really want to stay in this world anymore. "I have classes every day!"

[14: Willing to leave now?]

Shang Nan: "Just kidding."

Yu Zhibai was exceptionally popular in their college. Gentle and elegant, excellent grades, a pitiable bad family background, no relatives and helpless. However, the last two items immediately disappeared after they knew Yu Zhibai's partner was Shang Nan, turning into—bad family background plus a delicate boyfriend who never touched spring water with his ten fingers to serve, and no relatives but a little boyfriend who was a wealthy heir.

University life was as beautiful as imagined. Yu Zhibai got along well with people in his major. Entering the university with the title of Top Scorer in Science of Huinanfang City, he was naturally the darling of the counselor and class teacher.

Of course, many people confessed to him. Love letters were even mailed to Shang Nan's home. He was calm and handled it with ease. But if it were Shang Nan being confessed to, he wouldn't be calm at all, using this to make various unreasonable demands every time. University life was rich and colorful, with classmates from all over the country. He learned a lot from them, good and bad, white and yellow.

Scholarships, first prizes in various competitions, the first paper published in top medical journals within the profession... Yu Zhibai slowly started doing experiments with seniors, applying for projects with teachers, getting recommended for Master's and PhD...

His path was almost smooth sailing. He became a role model for many future juniors and was invited back to his alma mater to participate in many activities.

At work, he had zero mistakes and zero errors. From an intern to a chief surgeon whom patients would rather wait in line for even if it took time, he used less than ten years, which could be considered unprecedented and unrepeatable.

Outside the industry, he was called the most compassionate doctor. Only the most compassionate doctor could truly understand the patient's pain and end the patient's pain.

Actually, that wasn't the case. Yu Zhibai loved the world and the other people in this world a little bit along the way because he loved Shang Nan.

While Yu Zhibai received all the praise, Shang Nan played more than a hundred and eighty rounds of Tai Chi with a bunch of old foxes in the company.

But no matter what, he was still more relaxed than Yu Zhibai. If he didn't want to work, he could dump it on his assistants and secretaries, but Yu Zhibai couldn't. The hospital could be without anyone, but it couldn't be without Yu Zhibai.

Shang Nan thought, this was probably what Yu Changyue and Yu She had hoped and prayed for—hoping Yu Zhibai would be successful in his career and have a smooth and healthy life.

At night, the moon was bright and stars were sparse. Shang Nan drove to the hospital to pick Yu Zhibai up from work. Yu Zhibai got his driver's license in university but never had his own car. He said he didn't like driving.

Later, under Shang Nan's repeated pressure, he said that if he had a car, Nannan wouldn't pick him up from work anymore.

Outrageous, so that was his idea.

A Paper Person over ten years old; compared to before, he was more childish and had more schemes.

Standing at the hospital entrance, the summer night wind was cool and pleasant, blowing from behind. Shang Nan wore a short T-shirt and jeans. He looked young, still appearing like a young man in his early twenties.

Yu Zhibai's assistant ran out of the elevator. Seeing Shang Nan, he hurriedly went over and said, "Director Yu will be down right away. He asked me to come tell you to wait a bit longer, and he'll take you to eat something good later."

Shang Nan: "..." Asking him to wait was understandable, but saying things like going to eat something good wasn't necessary to tell others.

After the assistant left, 14 appeared.

[14: Today is the final deadline. I'm going offline. Are you leaving?]

Shang Nan still gave the same answer, "Not leaving. See you in the next world."

[14: You have thought it through.]

It had been so many years; Shang Nan had long thought it through. He knew 14 was worried about him, worried he couldn't handle the Paper Person alone, worried he would get hurt in this world. But he couldn't bear to leave Yu Zhibai alone in this world.

"I've thought it through." Shang Nan said firmly.

14 hadn't left yet. Shang Nan could feel it, but he didn't make a sound.

Not long after, Yu Zhibai came out of the elevator, walked through the long corridor, and arrived at the hospital lobby. He saw Shang Nan at a glance, and Shang Nan saw him at a glance too.

Yu Zhibai was much more mature than in his student days. He also wore glasses, making his temperament even more refined and elegant, but only it knew if he was truly nearsighted.

He walked up to Shang Nan, lowered his head to kiss Shang Nan's forehead, and held his hand as they walked towards the parking lot. "A colleague introduced a restaurant. The taste is fresh and sweet. I think you will like it."

Shang Nan nodded.

At the same time, 14 said goodbye.

Shang Nan froze.

After a moment of silence, Shang Nan replied to the other party, "Goodbye."

Not long after, Shang Nan couldn't feel 14's presence anymore. The other party had gone offline.

The car drove in the traffic. With rush hour plus the weekend, every car moved with difficulty.

Huinanfang's night was actually very beautiful. The ginkgo trees were thoroughly covered with a layer of thick green in midsummer, and colorful neon lights illuminated half the sky.

Yu Zhibai sat in the driver's seat, speaking softly to Shang Nan about how the weather might turn cool in a few days and it was best to wear a bit more when going out.

"Next week I'm going to the capital for a consultation. Don't eat random things at home, I..."

"Xiao Bai, let's get married." Shang Nan interrupted the other party, turning his head to smile at Yu Zhibai.

Neither of them had ever mentioned this matter. Yu Zhibai should be very similar to humans now, but he never mentioned it either. Because Shang Nan didn't mention it, the more human-like Yu Zhibai became, the less he dared to mention it easily.

Shang Nan thought, they should have gotten married long ago. Hold a wedding, invite all friends to witness it. They were no longer each other's lovers; they were each other's spouses. They would support each other and love each other until old age.

The car stopped at the intersection; it happened to be a red light.

Yu Zhibai revealed the Paper Person's face. His blood-colored lips sucked and bit Shang Nan's lip fluid until it was red and swollen. He lowered his eyes, snow-white eyelids covering pitch-black eyes, "Happy newlyweds."

Shang Nan: "...It counts as marriage only after getting the certificate."

The Paper Person: "Oh."

Paper Life End