Chapter 222: Rotten Stench

It was now afternoon, and Qi Xia and Yu Nian'an had been together for a while.

He still felt a sense of unease in his heart.

After all, there were things he had once doubted, and even seeing them with his own eyes couldn't completely dispel his concerns.

Was Yu Nian'an really connected to "Tian Yang"?

He pulled out his damaged shirt from the wardrobe in the bedroom.

On the chest of the shirt, there was a cartoon sheep that Yu Nian'an had sewn by hand.

"What’s wrong, Xia?"

"An, why did you sew this little sheep for me?" Qi Xia asked directly.

Yu Nian'an stared at Qi Xia as if he were a fool.

"Xia, is it possible that I sewed the sheep for you because your shirt was torn?"

"That's not what I mean." Qi Xia shook his head. "Why did it have to be a 'sheep'?"

"Because that was the only patch I could find at home..." Yu Nian'an said with a hint of grievance. "You don't like 'sheep'? I guess you're right; sheep might be a bit too cute. Next time, I'll sew a little dinosaur for you instead."

Hearing Yu Nian'an say this, the dark clouds in Qi Xia's heart cleared away.

Of course—why didn't he trust Yu Nian'an and instead believe in a "Hu"?

He had only met Di Hu once and exchanged a few words.

But Yu Nian'an had been with him for a full seven years.

"An, I'm not a child." Qi Xia shook his head. "Besides, if clothes get torn in the future, we can just buy new ones instead of mending them."

"Mm..." Yu Nian'an nodded. "I was just trying to save some money."

At the mention of money, Qi Xia's face darkened again.

He silently pulled out the crumpled lottery ticket from his pocket.

Today was the last day to claim the prize.

"An, I have to apologize to you." Qi Xia said.

"What?"

"I've already scammed that scumbag's money." Qi Xia said. "I thought I could use his money to give us a better life... but in the end, it failed."

Yu Nian'an paused for a moment after hearing this.

"'Scammed'?"

"Yes, I had no other choice." Qi Xia shook his head. "I wanted that scumbag to get what he deserved, so I had to resort to deception."

Yu Nian'an let out a deep sigh and said, "Xia, was that why you set up a code with me before? Because you were going to commit fraud? Were you afraid the police would find me?"

"Yes."

Qi Xia had once told Yu Nian'an that if he asked her, "Did you feed the fish yesterday?"

She must reply, "I fed it, but not much."

Any other answer would be wrong.

"Xia, why don't you understand?" Yu Nian'an lowered her head, a bit disheartened. "I don't want to seek revenge on anyone. I just want to live a peaceful life with you. Being by your side is more important than anything else."

"I..."

What Yu Nian'an said was exactly what Qi Xia had been thinking.

"So that's why I'm apologizing to you. First, I didn't respect your wishes, and second, I couldn't give you a better life." Qi Xia said with regret. "Both things have been tormenting me."

Yu Nian'an was silent for a while before speaking. "Xia, do you think I'm not tormented too? I don't want you to become a fraudster for my sake—that would make me miserable for the rest of my life..."

"Don't worry." Qi Xia patted Yu Nian'an. "This was my first time scamming someone, and the police probably won't track me down. I handled it well."

"Xia, no matter what happens in the future, as long as we can live happily together, that's enough for me." Yu Nian'an's eyes shone with light. "I don't want to think about anything else."

"I understand." Qi Xia replied.

"Although there are many paths in this world, and everyone has their own to follow, I don't want you to take that one."

Qi Xia nodded and held up the lottery ticket in his hand, glancing at it before tearing it to shreds.

Perhaps, as the books say, everyone's fate is predetermined at birth.

If Qi Xia had claimed that two million, he would have lost Yu Nian'an.

If that was the case, he would rather let the ticket turn to ashes forever.

The two of them went up to the rooftop, basking in the warm afternoon sunlight of early autumn.

They snuggled together, gazing at the sky and chatting about their memories.

From the moment they met to when they fell in love, every scene Qi Xia brought up, Yu Nian'an could describe in detail.

Every scenario she recounted matched perfectly with Qi Xia's memories.

It was clear she had always kept him in her heart.

They kept chatting until the sunset appeared, tinting the distant horizon with color.

"Xia, do you know?" Yu Nian'an whispered. "If time could stop right now, that would be perfect."

"Yes." Qi Xia nodded. "If it could stop forever at..."

Before he could finish, Qi Xia paused slightly.

He looked at the dark red sky and the earthy yellow sun in the distance, suddenly at a loss for words.

It was sunset, yet it strangely resembled "Zhong Yan Zhi Di".

"Stop at this moment...?"

Time could stop at any moment... but why did it have to be this one?

If Qi Xia had never been to "Zhong Yan Zhi Di", the eternal twilight would have been a beautiful sight to him.

But having witnessed that hellish desolation, the red sky and earthy yellow sun only reminded him of rot and blood.

"Rot...?"

Thinking of "rot", Qi Xia furrowed his brow.

He must have spent too long in "Zhong Yan Zhi Di", because now in the real world, he could smell the stench of decay.

When the sun had fully sunk below the horizon, Yu Nian'an had already fallen asleep, leaning on Qi Xia's shoulder.

Qi Xia felt the cool night breeze, then bent down to pick her up and carried her back home.

He laid Yu Nian'an on the sofa and pulled out a few blankets to make a simple bed on the floor.

After settling her, Qi Xia sat beside her, watching her peaceful sleeping face, and slowly smiled with relief.

He tried lying down next to her, gently holding her in his arms.

It had been so long since he had lain down to sleep; this relaxed feeling made every pore in his body open up, and his blood began to flow freely.

How long had it been since he experienced this?

Probably seven years.

Qi Xia didn't remember how he fell asleep; he just felt all the tension in his mind slowly releasing.

He dreamed again.

He dreamed of that long corridor, with the "Sheng Xiao" slowly emerging from both sides, all looking at him. Their eyes held neither respect nor contempt, but rather as if they had something to say.

When would this path ever end?

"Knock knock knock..." A soft sound echoed in his ear.

Qi Xia slowly opened his eyes and saw the pitch-black night outside, with Yu Nian'an sitting beside him, staring at him expressionlessly.

"An?" Qi Xia was startled. "What’s wrong?"

Yu Nian'an didn't answer; she just stared into Qi Xia's eyes and said slowly,

"Knock knock knock."