Time moved into the afternoon. Qi Xia had already spent a period of time with Yu Nian’an.

He remained in an uneasy state of mind throughout.

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

Did Yu Nian’an have any connection with “Heavenly-Sheep”?

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

On the chest of this shirt was a cartoon little sheep that Yu Nian’an had sewn on with her own hands.

“What’s wrong, Xia?”

“An, why did you sew this little sheep for me back then?” Qi Xia asked bluntly.

Yu Nian’an stared at Qi Xia as if she were looking at a fool.

“Xia, is there any possibility… that the reason I sewed a little sheep for you is because your clothes were torn?”

“That’s not what I meant.” 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 somewhat aggrievedly. “Don’t you like the ‘sheep’? You’re right, a sheep might be a bit too girly. Next time I’ll sew you a little dinosaur instead.”

Hearing Yu Nian’an say this, the gloom in Qi Xia’s heart was swept away completely.

That’s right—why didn’t he trust Yu Nian’an, and instead chose to trust a “Tiger”?

He had only met Earth-Tiger once and exchanged a few words.

But Yu Nian’an had accompanied 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, don’t mend them. We can just buy new ones.”

“Mm…” Yu Nian’an nodded. “I just wanted to save a bit of money, that’s all.”

Speaking of money, Qi Xia’s expression darkened again.

He silently pulled out that 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 already swindled money from that scumbag.” Qi Xia said. “I could have used his money to give us a good life… but in the end I still failed.”

Yu Nian’an was slightly stunned after hearing this.

“‘Swindled’?”

“Yes, I had no other choice.” Qi Xia shook his head. “I wanted that scumbag to get his comeuppance, so I could only use ‘fraud.'”

After listening, Yu Nian’an let out a deep sigh and said, “Xia, the reason you set up that code phrase with me before was because you were going to commit fraud? You were 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 answer “I did, but not much.”

Any other answer would be wrong.

“Xia, why don’t you understand?” Yu Nian’an lowered her head with some disappointment. “I don’t want to take revenge on anyone. I just want to live a stable, peaceful life with you. Being able to stay by your side is more important than anything else.”

“I…”

The answer Yu Nian’an gave was exactly the same as what Qi Xia was thinking in his heart.

“That’s why I have to apologize to you. First, I didn’t follow your wishes. Second, I didn’t give you a good life.” Qi Xia said with chagrin. “Both of these things cause me immense pain.”

Yu Nian’an was silent for a while, then spoke: “Xia, how can I not be in pain? I don’t want you to become a fraud criminal for my sake. That would make me extremely miserable for the rest of my life…”

“Don’t worry.” Qi Xia patted Yu Nian’an. “Although this was my first time committing fraud, the police most likely won’t find me. I did it beautifully.”

“Xia, no matter what happens in the future, as long as you and I can live happily together, that’s enough.” Yu Nian’an’s eyes shone with light. “I don’t want to care about anything else anymore.”

“I understand.” Qi Xia responded.

“Although there are many paths in this world, and everyone has their own path, I don’t want you to walk down this road.”

Qi Xia nodded. He held the lottery ticket in his hand up to his eyes, looked at it, and tore it to shreds.

Perhaps it was just as the books said—everyone’s fortune is determined at birth.

If Qi Xia obtained those two million, he would lose Yu Nian’an.

If that was truly the case, he would rather this lottery ticket forever turn to ashes.

The two of them, bathed in the warm afternoon sunlight of early autumn, came to the rooftop.

They nestled together, looking at the sky, chatting about memories.

From when they first met to when they fell in love—every scene Qi Xia brought up, Yu Nian’an could describe all the details of that time.

Every scene she described matched Qi Xia’s memories perfectly, down to the smallest detail.

It seemed she had always kept him in her heart.

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

“Xia, you know what?” Yu Nian’an said softly. “It would be wonderful if time could stop at this moment.”

“Yes.” Qi Xia nodded. “If it could stop forever at…”

Before he finished speaking, Qi Xia paused slightly.

He looked at this dark red sky and that earthy yellow sunset in the distance, and for a moment was at a loss for words.

It was clearly sunset, yet inexplicably it resembled the “Land of the End.”

“Stop at this moment…?”

Time could stop at any moment… but why must it stop at this moment?

If Qi Xia had never been to the “Land of the End,” an eternal dusk would naturally be an extremely beautiful scenery for him.

But he had, after all, witnessed that desolate place that was like hell. This red sky and earthy yellow sun inevitably made him think of putrid stench and blood.

“Putrid stench…?”

Speaking of “putrid stench,” Qi Xia wrinkled his brow.

It seemed he had stayed in the “Land of the End” for too long. Now, even in the real world, he could smell the putrid stench.

When the sunset completely sank below the horizon, Yu Nian’an had already fallen asleep leaning on Qi Xia’s shoulder.

Qi Xia reached out to feel the cold wind of the night, then bent down and picked up Yu Nian’an, returning home.

He placed Yu Nian’an on the sofa, then took out several quilts and spread them on the floor to make a simple small bed.

After settling Yu Nian’an, Qi Xia sat beside her, watching her sleeping face, and slowly showed a reassured smile.

He tried lying down, lying beside Yu Nian’an, then gently embraced her.

It had been a very, very long time since he had lain down to sleep. This relaxing sensation made every pore on his body slowly expand, and his blood began to flow freely throughout his body.

How long had it been since he experienced this feeling?

About seven years.

Qi Xia didn’t remember how he fell asleep. He only felt that all the tense pressure in his mind was slowly releasing.

He dreamed again.

He dreamed of that long corridor. On both sides, “Zodiacs” were slowly walking out at this moment. They were looking at him, their eyes containing neither respect nor contempt, but rather all seeming to have something to say.

When would this path ever reach its end?

“Knock, knock, knock…” A gentle voice sounded in his ear.

Qi Xia slowly opened his eyes and found that outside was the pitch-black night. Yu Nian’an was sitting beside him, expressionlessly looking at him.

“An?” Qi Xia was startled. “What’s wrong?”

Yu Nian’an didn’t answer. She just stared into Qi Xia’s eyes and slowly said, “Knock, knock, knock.”