Xu Sui caught sight of that upright figure disappearing from the corner of her eye. Like someone suddenly waking from a dream, she stepped back and spoke to Bai Yushi: “Thank you, and I’m sorry.”

Thank you for helping me, and sorry for using you.

Bai Yushi withdrew his hand and smiled: “I was the one who overstepped.”

“Professor Bai, I still have some matters to attend to. I’ll head back first, thank you.” Xu Sui lowered her head, hurriedly said this sentence, and left.

Returning home, Xu Sui felt completely relieved. Lying on her bed, she picked up her phone and deleted all the text messages she had exchanged with Zhou Jingze during this period, including their call records.

She was erasing everything related to Zhou Jingze.

In the pub, Zhou Jingze sat at the bar counter drinking one glass after another. Red and green lights from the dance floor alternately swept over him in beams, casting his profile in even sharper, more profound shadows.

Perhaps feeling somewhat heated from drinking, Zhou Jingze removed his jacket and set it aside, wearing only a wide-necked sweatshirt. His forearm lines were firm and smooth, and the wrist bones of the hand gripping the square-mouthed glass were clearly defined and prominent—roguish yet carrying a hint of restraint.

This attracted many people in the pub to approach and strike up conversations. There were so many that Zhou Jingze grew annoyed. Combined with his slight intoxication, he ordered a row of the strongest liquors and directly handed a glass to a nearby girl who wanted to flirt with him.

Zhou Jingze lazily tugged at the collar near his collarbone, his posture languid as he raised his brow: “Drink this, and I’ll give you a chance.”

The girl looked shocked. What kind of man challenges someone to drink upon first meeting? Just as she was about to curse at him, a man appeared, snatched the glass from his hand, and gave her an apologetic smile: “He’s had too much to drink and is acting foolish. Sorry, sorry.”

The girl snorted coldly and walked away on her high heels.

Zhou Jingze picked up another glass from the table, tilted his head back, and drained it in one gulp. Sheng Nanzhou stood beside him, knowing that too many frustrating things had happened to him recently, so he sat down to drink with his brother.

Halfway through their drinking, Sheng Nanzhou patted his shoulder and said: “Li Haoning, that scum from the gutter—and to think you considered him a brother. Don’t worry, this matter isn’t over. Old Zhang said he’ll continue investigating privately for you, and I’ll also look into it.”

“Whatever.” Zhou Jingze tilted his head back and took another sip of alcohol.

Anyway, Xu Sui wouldn’t come back. He no longer cared.

Things had already reached this point—how much worse could it get?

Sheng Nanzhou sighed and could only continue drinking with him. He thought Zhou Jingze was just drinking to vent and knew when to stop, but he had no idea that toward the end, Zhou Jingze showed no signs of stopping at all. Sheng Nanzhou snatched the glass from his hand and cursed: “Are you trying to kill yourself? I’m calling Xu Sui right now.”

Zhou Jingze indeed made no more moves to reach for his glass.

Sheng Nanzhou thought to himself that indeed, Xu Sui was his weakness—hit it every time.

He called Xu Sui in front of Zhou Jingze, putting it on speaker.

The phone took a long time to connect. Just as Sheng Nanzhou uttered the word “I,” the other party hung up.

Sheng Nanzhou looked embarrassed, while Zhou Jingze’s expression remained relatively calm. He casually spun a small ball on the table with his hand, his thin lips moving as he said something inaudible.

“What?” The electronic music from the dance floor penetrated their eardrums, so loud it nearly caused tinnitus. Sheng Nanzhou leaned forward to hear what Zhou Jingze was saying, and inadvertently glancing over, he froze.

Zhou Jingze’s dark brows pressed down, and he tugged at the corner of his mouth, his tone slow: “It’s over.”

After speaking, Zhou Jingze slowly removed the silver ring from his finger. When he took it off, because he had worn it for so long, there was a circle of white marks around that joint.

He held it in his hand and examined it carefully for a while. The lights flickered over, making his facial expression unclear.

With a “clunk,” the ring was thrown into the glass. The liquid immediately began to boil, bubbling and gurgling, with some spilling over.

The silver ring quickly sank, then fell to the bottom.

Zhou Jingze glanced at it once, then left the bar without looking back.

Sheng Nanzhou understood Zhou Jingze well—he knew this person would definitely regret it, so he quickly fished the ring out of the glass and chased after him.

“Damn it, every time I’m either your slave or your nanny—” Sheng Nanzhou complained as he chased after him.

After the first snow of the season, Beijing’s temperature plummeted sharply.

It was so cold that in the morning, people lying in bed didn’t want to get up at all.

Xu Sui’s teaching assignment at the base officially ended. She no longer had to go to that dusty place, nor did she have to see Zhou Jingze anymore.

Since that time when he saw her with Bai Yushi, Zhou Jingze hadn’t sought her out again.

Xu Sui believed her life was relatively peaceful. Until one weekend when she was home, Sheng Nanzhou came to visit.

As soon as Xu Sui saw Sheng Nanzhou, she wanted to close the door, but he put his hand there saying “ow, ow,” while slipping inside.

“What do you want with me?” Xu Sui’s voice was indifferent.

Sheng Nanzhou accepted the glass of water she handed him, took a sip, and said: “You should go see him. He’s hospitalized.”

Xu Sui was pouring water for herself when her movements paused, and she said:

“He should have people taking care of him. Whether I visit or not makes no difference.”

“Of course it makes a difference. Isn’t it because of you that he got himself into this state? Sister Xu, you don’t know how miserable Zhou Jingze is. He drank until he had gastric bleeding and had to go to the hospital because of you. He’s not even going to work at the base anymore, and his grandfather has been calling me about it.”

“I’ve rarely seen him this dejected. I think only you can resolve his inner turmoil. Just go see him.” Sheng Nanzhou appealed to her emotions and reason.

Sheng Nanzhou took another sip of water to moisten his throat and continued: “I don’t know what happened between you two, but we’ve all known each other for so many years—there’s still some affection there, right? He’s lying there half-dead now. Just go see him once. I’m begging you.”

“I’ll leave the address here. I’m leaving first, sister—I still have things to do.”

Sheng Nanzhou placed a business card on the table, got up, and left the living room. Only Xu Sui remained. She picked up the business card from the coffee table and looked at it—it was a hospital address.

At 3 PM, Xu Sui tidied up, bought a fruit basket from a fruit store, and headed to West Harmony Hospital.

After arriving at the inpatient department, Xu Sui asked a nurse for Zhou Jingze’s room location.

After taking the elevator upstairs, Xu Sui came to room 702. She hesitated before knocking. A hoarse, deep voice came from inside.

“Come in.”

Xu Sui pushed open the door and entered. Looking up, her eyes met those of the man on the hospital bed.

A nurse was changing Zhou Jingze’s medication. Zhou Jingze lay there, also looking at her. His disheveled hair fell over his brows, his eyes were dark and indifferent, and his lips were pale.

After the nurse finished changing his medication, she blushed and said: “Remember to rest well. For the next few days, stick to mainly clear porridge for meals.”

After speaking, the nurse walked past Xu Sui carrying a tray. Xu Sui caught sight of a familiar medication, picked up the medicine box, and looked at it.

It was anti-inflammatory medication used after appendectomy surgery.

“Did the patient have appendix surgery?” Xu Sui asked.

The nurse nodded: “Yes.”

Xu Sui put the medicine back on the tray and immediately understood that she had been deceived by Sheng Nanzhou into coming here.

What dejection, depression, being greatly affected because of her—it was all lies.

Xu Sui placed the fruit basket on the low cabinet beside his bed. Zhou Jingze’s gaze was sharp as he lifted his eyelids to look at Xu Sui, his tone heavy:

“How did you end up here?”

So he didn’t know either. His tone carried coldness, as if she shouldn’t have come.

After setting down the fruit basket, Xu Sui’s tone was flat: “Sheng Nanzhou asked me to come. Since you’re fine, I’ll leave first.”

This was a meeting that shouldn’t have happened in the first place.

Just as Xu Sui walked out of the hospital room, Zhou Jingze’s expression darkened. He pulled out the IV needle, swung his long legs over, and strode after her.

Xu Sui had just reached the window in the corridor when a tall figure appeared. Zhou Jingze pressed her entire body against the wall, using his knee to part her legs, restraining her and firmly encircling her in his arms.

The man’s eyes stared at her intently: “What did that text message mean?”

“It meant we’re not suitable for each other.” Xu Sui turned her face away as she spoke.

Unexpectedly, her face was turned back by the man. Zhou Jingze looked at her and directly cursed: “How the hell are we not suitable? How did we manage to be together for so long before?”

“But didn’t we still break up in the end?” Xu Sui said softly.

Though Xu Sui’s tone was gentle, her words were sharp and to the point. This single sentence made them both fall silent.

Zhou Jingze’s hand was covered in bruises from two days of IV drips, and blood droplets were now seeping out.

Zhou Jingze’s chest rose and fell dramatically. He grasped Xu Sui’s chin with one hand, looked at her, and said seriously, word by word:

“As long as you say you don’t like me anymore, I’ll let you go.”

His tone wasn’t challenging or petulant. That’s just how he was—admit mistakes when wrong, treat someone well when you like them, but if the other person doesn’t like you anymore, constantly pestering them is rather pointless.

Xu Sui lowered her eyes, her gaze falling on the second button of his collar shirt, and said softly:

“I don’t like you anymore.”

As these words landed, the surroundings became so quiet that even the sound of wind hitting the windows could be heard.

There was no sun today; the weather was gloomy, oppressive, and hard to breathe.

Fine dust floated in the air, fragmented and falling to the ground.

Xu Sui felt Zhou Jingze slowly release her, withdrawing himself. His pleasant basil scent disappeared with him.

Zhou Jingze stood there without saying anything more. After gaining her freedom, Xu Sui hurriedly went down the stairs with her bag.

After Zhou Jingze returned to his room, he picked up his phone to watch a soccer match, his emotions so composed it was as if he hadn’t been the one to experience all these frustrating events.

He was watching Neymar sprint across half the field, about to execute a major spinning kick, when his phone screen suddenly switched to an incoming call from Da Liu.

Zhou Jingze answered, and Da Liu shouted from the other end: “Buddy, which room are you in? This place is huge—hard to find!”

“Don’t come.” Zhou Jingze said.

“Huh?” Da Liu was puzzled.

He looked outside at the sky—gusting winds and thick dark clouds pressing down, as if it was about to rain.

“Xu Sui just left. Go see her home,” Zhou Jingze’s tone paused before continuing, “If she won’t let you, help her call a taxi.”

After saying this, Zhou Jingze ignored Da Liu’s protests on the other end and hung up.

A week later, Zhou Jingze was discharged from the hospital. After resting at home for a few days, he returned to work as usual. In his free time, he would take his German Shepherd out for walks.

At least he had cats and dogs.

On Friday, Zhou Jingze took Lord Kui to the park for a walk, but somehow, as they walked, they ended up downstairs from Xu Sui’s building.

Zhou Jingze lifted his eyes to look at the floor where her apartment was—pitch black, no lights on. She hadn’t come home.

He led Lord Kui into the convenience store and picked up a pack of Yellow Crane Tower cigarettes and a lighter.

Pushing open the convenience store door, Zhou Jingze immediately saw Liang Shuang who was about to enter.

Liang Shuang stopped in her tracks, obviously having seen him too.

Xu Sui had an emergency surgery today and needed to stay at the hospital overnight. Liang Shuang had rushed over to help her get some things.

“Why are you here?” Liang Shuang’s tone was unfriendly.

Zhou Jingze bit the cigarette package wrapper and tore it off. The transparent film ripped open, and he shook out a cigarette.

“If I said I was just passing by, would you believe me?” Zhou Jingze twisted the cigarette butt between his fingertips and chuckled.

Liang Shuang snorted, walked up to him, and said: “Since we’ve run into each other, I have something to say to you.”

“Mm, go ahead.” Zhou Jingze put the cigarette in his mouth.

Liang Shuang stood in front of Zhou Jingze and spoke for a long time. He remained silent throughout, finally nodding and saying hoarsely: “Alright, I understand.”

Then Zhou Jingze left the area below Xu Sui’s building with Lord Kui.

That night, Zhou Jingze had a dream. In the dream, he returned to university.

That was the most recklessly arrogant time of his life. Everything he did earned As or perfect scores, teachers valued him, and his future seemed to have no obstacles—a smooth path ahead.

He carried an air of invincible arrogance then. Speaking on a thousand-person stage, he folded his speech into a paper airplane and flew it into the audience, laughing wildly as he said, “God remains silent, so I shall be master of all.”

The scene shifted to a blazing summer. Zhou Jingze was playing basketball on the court while Xu Sui, wearing a white dress, stood in the shadows with her hair in a bun, quietly and obediently waiting for him with a bottle of water.

Zhou Jingze tossed the ball aside, lifted the corner of his jersey to wipe sweat from his eyes, walked over to Xu Sui, and said with a playfully irreverent smile: “Missing your boyfriend already?”

“Not at all—I was just passing by.” Xu Sui’s eyelashes fluttered as she denied it with a red face.

Just as he was about to continue speaking, the scene before his eyes became blurry.

Summer, the girl, ice water, the airplane—everything drifted away from him.

Zhou Jingze woke from his dream in a cold sweat.

He opened his eyes to stare at the pitch-black ceiling, sat up, and reached for the cigarettes and lighter on the table.

Zhou Jingze sat on his bed wearing only pants and began to smoke.

With a cigarette between his lips, the lighter made a “click” sound as he cupped his hand around the flame, revealing a section of his brows and eyes—cold and weary.

Zhou Jingze exhaled a puff of grayish-white smoke and reflected on the dream he’d just had, letting out a self-mocking laugh.

What was it the books said?

“In dreams, deep love and passion; in dreams, the throne remains, but upon waking, all is empty.”

Regarding dreams—fleeting as they pass. Regarding love—no longer what it once was.

He had nothing left.