The Big Shot in the Wheelchair - End

Some scientists have conducted research showing that human affection for another person may stem from an attractive appearance, elegant conversation, or prominent family background at the first meeting; or it could be due to long-term companionship and staying by their side.

But all of this is merely affection.

Just like how you like a beautiful bouquet of flowers, you would feel sad when it withers, but your heart wouldn't ache tearingly, because you haven't fallen in love with that bouquet.

The rapid loss of blood had already made it so Su Jinzhi could no longer see things clearly. Qin Yezhou could also see that his pupils were slowly dilating due to excessive blood loss. Lying in his arms, his body trembling faintly and constantly, the cold sweat and tears on his forehead and the sides of his face intertwined, dampening the young man's cheeks that were soft and pink a few hours ago, but were now ashen and deadly pale.

Looking at him, Qin Yezhou suddenly felt that even speaking had become difficult.

He couldn't help but raise his hand to cover his eyes. Subsequently, Qin Yezhou heard his own unbelievably hoarse voice, "Be a good boy, Jinzhi. Endure it a little and it won't hurt anymore."

Su Jinzhi sobbed twice, but soon smiled again. His lips, drained of all color, curved up as he asked softly, "Really..."

Qin Yezhou replied softly, "Yes."

Su Jinzhi laughed weakly twice more, but to Qin Yezhou, this laughter was even more agonizing than crying.

"You're lying to me..."

"But Mr. Qin... today... I'm really happy..." Su Jinzhi's breath was already as faint as a gossamer thread, and his words were intermittent. Words that others could easily say were extremely difficult for him. "Really... I have never been this happy before..."

Qin Yezhou thought to himself: 'You're lying. If you were truly happy, you wouldn't refuse to even call my name at this moment.'

And at this moment, Qin Yezhou couldn't bring himself to say the words he had just spoken, "As long as you're happy."

The hot tears continuously overflowing from the young man quickly soaked the hand covering his eyes. Looking at the upward curve of his lips, Qin Yezhou felt as if he too had contracted a heart disease, experiencing a suffocating pain in his chest.

Su Jinzhi raised his hand to grasp the palm Qin Yezhou used to cover his eyes, wanting to pull it down.

He had no strength left at all, and Qin Yezhou only felt as if his hand was being held by a block of ice—he really was going to die soon.

This realization made Qin Yezhou's eyes swell and ache. He forced a smile uglier than crying, meeting Su Jinzhi's slowly opening eyes.

Su Jinzhi struggled to free a hand, smiling as he pointed to his unfocused eyes. He asked him, "Mr... Mr. Qin... Look... what is in here?"

Qin Yezhou saw his unbearably ugly self reflected in his eyes. He smiled and placed a gentle kiss on Su Jinzhi's forehead. "There are beautiful little stars."

"No..." The young man frowned, panting a bit harder. He seemed a bit anxious, terrified he wouldn't have time to finish his remaining words. "There are no little stars in here... be... because..."

Qin Yezhou closed his eyes, unable to bear looking into his eyes anymore. The young man, however, refused to blink even once, continuing to gaze at him with reluctance as tears streamed in lines from the corners of his eyes to his temples. "Because I met Yezhou..."

"Inside here... it is all Yezhou..."

"It's all you..."

"I... I really, really want to stay with you a little longer..." The young man struggled to widen his eyes, wanting to look at him one more time. "If only I could... be a little more greedy..."

If only he could be a little more greedy.

He couldn't be greedy enough to stay with him forever, but if only he could just stay with him for a little while longer.

The young man's chest heaved rapidly twice. The hand clutching Qin Yezhou suddenly tightened, and then weakly let go, as if he lacked the strength to hold onto the most precious thing he couldn't bear to let go of, yet had no choice but to lose.

Qin Yezhou abruptly opened his eyes, grasping Su Jinzhi's other slipping hand.

In the young man's not fully closed eyes were pupils dilated so much they almost occupied the entire eyeballs.

And at this moment, Qin Yezhou finally lowered the head that seemed as if it would never bow. He pressed his forehead firmly against Su Jinzhi's, closing his eyes without making a single sound. After a long time, he chuckled softly, "In the future, if you're unhappy, don't smile anymore..."

A week later, Atlantis docked at a harbor in the northernmost part of the Atlantic Ocean. It had already started snowing here.

Qin Yezhou was still sitting in a wheelchair, just as if he had never stood up.

Standing beside him were two men in suits and leather shoes. One was behind him pushing the wheelchair, and the other was Qin Luo, who held a black umbrella to shield the man in the wheelchair from the rustling, falling fine snow.

The blood-like glow of the setting sun shone on Qin Yezhou, adding a bit of warmth to his cold and hard features. The car coming to pick him up had already arrived, but Qin Yezhou remained stopped on the deck, looking at the sea, delaying his disembarkation.

Qin Luo looked at his watch, then at the deep blue sky twinkling with a few stars on the other end of the sunset, and said to Qin Yezhou, "Sir, the car is here."

Qin Yezhou continued looking at the sea, not shifting his gaze, and suddenly said a sentence, "Qin Luo, your marksmanship has always been very accurate."

Upon hearing this, Qin Luo's eyes widened abruptly.

Qin Yezhou, however, smiled. "But now it's become a bit rusty. Go home and enjoy a good retirement."

"You don't need to follow me anymore."

After saying these words, Qin Yezhou stood up from the wheelchair. Without taking the umbrella handed over by the bodyguard, he allowed the fine white snow to fall all over his shoulders and turn his hair white, as he slowly walked off Atlantis.

That night, Qin Yezhou was sitting on a reef watching the stars. The doctor who had followed him to Iceland answered a phone call before walking to his side. "Sir..."

Qin Yezhou grunted in acknowledgment, signaling for the doctor to finish his sentence.

"A call came from the United Kingdom. They said a matching heart has been found."

Qin Yezhou fell silent for a while. He lowered his eyes to look at the transparent glass bottle wrapped in a layer of soft cloth, resting obediently in his arms. Inside was a fine, snow-white powder, but it was not snow.

"There's no longer any use for it. Tell them to give it to someone else."

Doctor Bai said, "Yes, sir."

"Bai Dong." Qin Yezhou called out to stop Doctor Bai. "Do you feel that the stars here this year don't seem as beautiful as in previous years?"

The starry sky in Iceland was very beautiful, and one could even see the aurora borealis if they came during the right season, which was why Qin Yezhou visited here every year. Hearing him say this, Doctor Bai turned around to glance at the starry sky, then replied, "They are still as bright as in previous years, sir."

"Is that so? I actually feel they've gotten a bit dimmer." Qin Yezhou looked up at the night sky, placing that transparent glass bottle onto the small, low table aside.

Doctor Bai couldn't guess Qin Yezhou's intentions, so he didn't speak.

Qin Yezhou stayed silent for a while, then spoke up, "By the way, do you know what the flower language of the sunflower is?"

"The sunflower?" Bai Dong paused to think for a moment. "I remember it should be 'silent love'."

"According to legend, there was a water nymph who met the sun god Apollo while he was hunting in the woods. She was deeply captivated by this handsome god and fell madly in love with him. However, Apollo left without even sparing her a glance. She eagerly hoped that one day Apollo would speak to her, but she never encountered him again. As a result, she could only gaze intently at the sky every day, watching Apollo drive his magnificent golden sun chariot across the sky until he departed. Every day was like this; as soon as the sun rose, she would look towards the sun. Later, the gods took pity on her and turned her into a golden sunflower so that she could face the sun forever, following Apollo every day and conveying to him her eternally unchanging love. Therefore, the flower language of the sunflower is 'silent love'." Bai Dong said.

Forever following, yet forever unable to touch. Thus, the sunflower, a flower that seemingly faces the sunlight all day long, is actually very pitiful.

"What a tragic story. I thought it would be a good legend." Qin Yezhou smiled slightly. "You may step down. Tomorrow, I'd like to eat something a bit sweeter."

Doctor Bai nodded and said, "Yes, sir."

After Bai Dong left, Qin Yezhou picked up the sketchbook on the side table and flipped to the page the young man hadn't finished drawing.

That day on the bed, the young man had said he would only show it to him once he finished drawing. It was just a pity that he would never be able to wait until the day it was finished.

And as Qin Yezhou looked at the drawing by Su Jinzhi, depicting the two of them standing among a bunch of sunflowers smiling radiantly, his pupils suddenly contracted.

The way the young man had drawn him was standing up. He had completely drawn him and the extremely brilliant sunflowers blooming behind him, but he hadn't had time to finish drawing his own full body. He hadn't even finished drawing half of his body.

Looking at this drawing, Qin Yezhou suddenly recalled the wish Su Jinzhi had told him on the ship: he wanted to cure his illness, and then continue studying and painting.

—He was not in his wish.

No wonder whenever he made him any promises or treated him well, he would always cautiously ask, "Really?". No wonder when he heard that he was going to marry him, he wasn't particularly happy at all.

Qin Yezhou hooked his lips into another smile. He closed the sketchbook and turned his head to look at the glass bottle on the small table. He reached out to touch it, feeling the icy-cold temperature transmitting from the bottle, before closing his eyes and saying softly, "Silent love, is it..."

This voice was too light, so light that it was quickly swept away by the howling night wind blowing in from the sea.

This year's stars weren't as bright as those in previous years, and the stars in the future would be even dimmer than this year's.

From now on, my world no longer has the sea of stars.

Because at the moment I met you, the vast multitudes of stars all fell to dust.