Chapter 7: Peach Blossoms and Human Faces

layer of pale golden light was enveloping him. "See you later then! I'll also come to your place another day to buy stationery, and remember to recommend something for me!"Returning to the two-story W...Chapter 7: Peach Blossoms and A Human Face

The night was terrifyingly quiet.

Su Can immediately canceled his flight to Shanghai and urgently changed it to Zhengzhou. The plane pierced through the pitch-black night sky, and through the window, he saw the lights of Huancheng City disappear under the clouds, leaving behind a vast expanse of darkness that seemed like an eternal descent into gloominess. After a slight turbulence in the troposphere, a huge full moon rose above the dark cloud sea.

Su Can silently gazed at this magnificent scene; if it were any other time, he would have felt some subtle or profound emotions, but now he dared not feel anything. He tightly clenched his fist, as if gripping the valve of a major artery in his heart, squeezing rhythmically.

The situation must be extraordinary. If it weren't urgent, how could so many people have been alerted Even Wang Weiwei and Lin Luoran were notified; from their tone of voice, this matter couldn’t be simple.

Su Can forced himself to calm down, but he felt as if sitting on needles, sensing that his body was embedded in the engine with every slight vibration. Countless restless thoughts churned within him, and the more he tried to suppress them, the more his mind raced uncontrollably in an attempt to analyze the current situation, making him feel even more anxious.

A pretty flight attendant noticed his unusual behavior and kindly asked if he wanted coffee or orange juice. Su Can requested a cup of coffee, which made him feel as though there was something blocking his heart and esophagus, similar to having chewed betel nut.

One and a half hours later, the flight attendant announced that they were about to land at Zhengzhou Airport. Only then did Su Can realize how long it seemed since he boarded the plane; circling above the airport several times before landing made him break out in a sweat by the time he stood up.

There had been some premonition, like the silent darkness that covered the sky and blocked even light. Yet, Su Can couldn’t pinpoint what this foreboding feeling was from such an expansive sense of uncertainty. This is precisely why it caused fear and panic.

Since his rebirth, he relied most on knowing everyone’s future fates around him and learning how to change them—for instance, Tang Xiaowu, Xue Yi Yang, and many others. However, from this moment onwards, he couldn’t foresee the fate of other people whom he would never encounter, such as Wang Weiwei, Lin Zhouwu, and Lin Luoran.

There was an invisible constraint that bound him, like some kind of system within government compounds or the lives of those who had spent decades in prison behind barbed wire fences. He feared this restriction yet relied on it immensely; just as prisoners who are suddenly released after spending most of their lives incarcerated feel lost and unable to adapt to the outside world, would he regress to fearing the unknown like a child Would he choose to escape by ending his life because he couldn’t place himself within society

Now that the bonds of fate have released him, he has altered his own life and those around him, but must also bear the consequences of the changes in the lives of others caused by his actions. Most importantly, only he knows about all this, suppressing it deeply within himself.

The moment he turned on his phone after exiting through the passage, a series of unadorned "ding" sounds rang without pause for just one or two minutes.

Before Su Cen could read them, a call came in; not knowing if it was Zhuang Zixian or Zhuang Yu at the other end, he asked straight away, "What happened to Lin Zhouwu Neither Lin Luoran nor Wang Weiwei are answering our calls. Are you with them What’s going on"

Su Cen couldn’t hold back his emotions any longer, and retorted, "I don’t know what the hell is going on! Who am I supposed to ask" Likely stunned at the other end of the line, Su Cen hung up with a click. Looking up, he saw everyone in Zhengzhou International Airport staring at him, wondering what had happened.

He hailed a taxi outside and said, "Drive me to Shengjun District Hospital. Please hurry, it’s urgent." He was still carrying the backpack that was meant for his trip back to Shanghai. Probably intimidated by Su Cen’s demeanor, the cab driver nodded and sped off, covering an hour-long journey in less than forty minutes. Su Cen handed over seventy yuan to the driver without expecting change as he got out of the car, entering the hospital lobby while still on the phone, looking for the elevator.

When he reached the emergency room, among many anxious relatives, he saw Wang Weiwei and the solitary girl who stood alone like a rare flower in an empty valley.

The recent developments involved Zhao Zhibin, who was a childhood friend of Lin Zhouwu. Zhao Zhibin used to be one of those annoying followers in the big courtyard, but Lin Zhouwu had always been kind and protective towards him. Zhao Zhibin's father, Zhao Changhe, was formerly the manager of Xinyuan Group’s Beijing branch before being transferred to Hunan as the vice-president of its local subsidiary, Xinghua of Hunan. Zhao Zhibin has always been treated poorly by everyone due to his nouveau riche attitude; he often drove expensive cars and didn’t care about studying when he was in Hunan. His father indulged him excessively, sending him to Central South University where he ended up causing trouble and got expelled. He is now idle but known for keeping his promises and being loyal to his friends. The money he has lent to others over the years amounts to several million yuan.

While sitting on a hard bench, Wang Weiwei explained to Su Cen what had happened: "Recently, Zhao Zhibin’s family faced a series of misfortunes—someone smashed his father's car window and sent threatening letters to their home. Not long after, Zhao Changhe went missing; the Hunan Provincial Public Security Bureau is now investigating this case. Zhao Zhibin’s mother divorced him years ago and fled abroad out of fear. Without his protective father around, Zhao Zhibin was too terrified to return home, relying on his savings and credit cards for living in hotels. A few days ago, he called Lin Zhouwu and mentioned that someone had been following him; Lin Zhouwu and some friends went to stay with him at the hotel."

Wang Weiwei paused before continuing: "It happened today afternoon—after watching a match, Zhao Zhibin and Lin Zhouwu left their hotel for dinner. Surveillance cameras showed several off-road vehicles arriving outside Wanshang Hotel around that time. The attackers were well-timed and immediately targeted Zhao Zhibin; a fight broke out between the two sides. One of Lin Zhouwu's friends was hit in the chest and fell to the ground, unable to get up. He was rushed to hospital where an X-ray revealed a shadow on his lungs—the doctor said there’s over seventy percent chance it could be cancerous."

Su Cen felt his heart sink; he seemed not to hear Wang Weiwei speaking anymore. Looking up, Lin Luoran's stunning face remained calm and composed, although her eyes were blank, giving her a sorrowful yet captivating beauty.

It was like the portrayal of an ancient Jiangnan town after years of heavy rain—knowing deeply that the woman depicted in the painting has no life left in her eyes, thus unable to evoke any emotion from you.

Su Cen felt a sense of panic.

The air around him seemed to thicken and become oppressive.

He noticed there were still many people at the scene. Among them was a middle-aged man dressed in general uniform with stubble that couldn’t hide his rugged, square face, and silent eyes bearing the marks of life’s trials. His spine was as straight as a flagpole, standing upright like he had been posted outside countless sentry posts or military camps, but now there was an added sense of desolation.

Next to him was weeping middle-aged woman, likely Lin Zhoudou's mother. She appeared to be someone who strictly adhered to rules and never overstepped boundaries, unremarkable like the clearly mediocre father of Lin Zhoudou. Lin Zhoudou’s thick-headed yet cunning nature obviously didn’t come from this woman. Beside her were some aunts or cousins rushing in from other parts of the family, their faces full of sorrow as they tried to offer comfort.

The scene was filled with an intense emotional tension.

Immediately after, the lights in the hospital room went off and the door opened. First out came a nurse, followed by a doctor carrying a medical chart. The doctor glanced at everyone before asking who were Lin Zhoudou's parents or relatives.

The middle-aged man standing next to the hospital room straightened even more, as if bracing himself against an impending cataclysm.

The doctor looked at them and said softly, "This is a lung tissue sample from the patient. It has been confirmed to be stage III non-small cell lung cancer. Surgery generally won't play a major role in treating this type of cancer. Immediate chemotherapy needs to start, and the family should prepare themselves mentally."

Su Cen felt as if Satan’s hand had seized his heart and pulled it down hard.

He saw the man in military uniform shudder slightly. His back leaned against the cold wall. Even the coldest bullets or fiercest guns could not make him fear or retreat, but now it seemed like everything around him was crumbling.

Su Cen heard his mumbled words, "Son, Dad knows you’re in pain. Dad won’t hit you anymore, I promise."

Su Cen remembered the story Lin Luoran had told him.

In Jingshan High School's yellowed courtyard, this rugged middle-aged man slapped Lin Zhouwu to the ground and asked, "Are you still going to beat people up after this"

Lin Zhouwu got up and said, "I'll keep beating them up if they continue chasing after Lin Luoran."

Slap. Another slap sent him sprawling on the ground. The man asked again, "Are you still going to fight or not"

Hesitantly getting back up, he said, "I'll keep fighting if they chase after Luoran."

Slap, yet another slap followed. The question was repeated, "Will you still fight or not"

His lips trembling and bleeding, he murmured softly, "If they don't pursue Luoran, I won’t beat them up."

The belt was taken off and whipped against him again, "I asked if you will still be involved in fights that start trouble." A father and son were engaged in such a tug-of-war in Jingshan High School's courtyard.

Looking at the crowd watching them, he couldn't help but angrily declare, "Whoever dares to give flowers to my sister after school hours will get beaten by me!"

****These scenes and faces will fade away into time, never to be heard or seen again.

(To Be Continued) bargain, you won’t get ripped off."Tang Wu nodded. It was clear that girls' obsession with shopping for clothes was just as intense as boys' fixation on games.Their small table attracted some attenti...