Inside the tattoo shop.

Lin Qingye washed his hands, but blood stains remained on his body, spreading with the water into a pale pink.

Xu Zhinan sat to one side, her body still trembling.

Both were silent. Lin Qingye sat on the sofa, Xu Zhinan on a wooden chair. The tattoo shop was quiet, with incandescent lights hanging overhead, casting a harsh white light.

Online, people were already hotly discussing the photos and videos of Lin Qingye appearing on the street today.

The most viral video was from in front of the milk tea shop, showing Lin Qingye coldly telling people to move aside, then pushing someone. He hadn’t paid attention at the time and had pushed a girl to the ground.

“What’s this about? How can he treat fans like that?”

“The girl didn’t do anything wrong. She wasn’t a sasaeng stalking his schedule, yet he pushed her.”

“I feel sorry for that girl. Lin Qingye’s behavior is unacceptable.”

“Come out and apologize!”

…

At that time, unable to find Xu Zhinan, his rationality had completely vanished, and his actions were no longer controlled by his brain.

He thought of how Xu Zhinan had described her father’s death, of that extremely unlucky fortune slip that looked as if it had been carved in blood under the light bulb.

He had searched everywhere but couldn’t find Xu Zhinan. When he asked passersby, they all said they hadn’t seen her or didn’t know. Everyone was just excited to see Lin Qingye on the street.

He was anxious and frantic, while everyone around him formed a circle to take photos.

Finally, Lin Qingye had to call Lin Guancheng, asking if he could help access the nearby surveillance footage.

It was the first time he had asked Lin Guancheng for help. Lin Guancheng asked with surprise, “What are you trying to do?”

Lin Qingye: “Just tell me if you can get it or not.”

Lin Guancheng instinctively sensed that his son was in a very unstable state, so he didn’t question further: “I’ll have someone look into it.”

He crouched down, hands tightly pressing against his face: “Hurry.”

Lin Guancheng was highly efficient, quickly obtaining the surveillance footage through a friend. Lin Qingye saw Xu Zhinan and Su Qian standing beside her, and cold sweat immediately broke out.

He followed the direction where Su Qian had taken Xu Zhinan. There was no signal in that area. After searching everywhere, he finally entered that dilapidated building, deliberately making noise to lure him down.

But when he saw him, his rationality collapsed. By now, it wasn’t difficult to confirm that Su Qian was indeed the murderer who had killed Xu Yuanwen.

Xu Zhinan’s tears, Xu Zhinan’s pain were all caused by him.

He looked at the tattoo on his arm, and all his anxiety and anger reached a peak in this moment.

Lin Qingye picked up a red brick from the ground and walked straight toward Su Qian—

Fang Houyu called to tell her that Su Qian was currently in emergency surgery, but the situation didn’t look good.

Lin Qingye heard this too, and only then did he move, raising his head to look at Xu Zhinan.

They looked at each other, and he spoke: “Ah Nan.”

“Mm.”

He was very clear about how hard he had hit him.

“If I’m not by your side later…”

Xu Zhinan interrupted him: “Why wouldn’t you be?”

Lin Qingye laughed, without explaining further. He understood this question, and so did Xu Zhinan. He simply continued the second half of his sentence: “Remember to take good care of yourself. If you find someone else you like, you can try dating them. As long as they’re good to you. So many people like you, it won’t be hard to find someone who will treat you well.”

“I don’t want anyone else.” Xu Zhinan’s voice carried the sound of tears, but it was also extraordinarily firm. “I only want you.”

Lin Qingye looked at her without speaking.

Xu Zhinan walked over and sat beside him, holding his hand, suddenly leaning close and kissing his lips.

This was the first time she had initiated a kiss.

Because of this, she didn’t know how to take the initiative in kissing, only following her memory, trying to kiss him bit by bit as Lin Qingye had done before.

“Qingye-ge.” They were very close, and she looked at him this way, speaking slowly, “Let’s be together.”

“Chasing you for so long.” He smiled in surrender. “Why choose such a moment to agree? Aren’t you afraid of being deceived?”

Xu Zhinan’s tears fell one by one: “You said you loved me, I heard it. You can’t go back on your word.”

Lin Qingye stroked her hair: “Ah Nan.”

Through her tear-filled eyes, Xu Zhinan saw a broken Lin Qingye. He said: “I love you, but I might not be able to like you anymore.”

Xu Zhinan suddenly understood his meaning.

The fortune slip’s text about He Wenxiu meeting with disaster referred to He Wenxiu going to prison.

And what Lin Qingye just said meant that he wanted her to live her own life, that he would completely remove himself from her life. Throughout the long future ahead, he would be relegated to the past.

“No.” Xu Zhinan lowered her eyes miserably, large tears falling. “No.”

Lin Qingye gently stroked her hair.

“Qingye-ge, do you remember the second birthday gift you gave me?” Xu Zhinan suddenly asked.

“Mm.”

Back then, he’d said he would give her a clean version of himself for tattoo practice.

“I want you to fulfill that gift now.”

It was rather strange to discuss this in such a situation.

Lin Qingye asked: “What do you want to tattoo?”

Xu Zhinan stood up and took out the self-portrait she had drawn in class: “This.”

Lin Qingye raised an eyebrow.

“On your back.”

He didn’t ask many questions, simply agreeing: “Alright.”

The night was quiet. The image wasn’t small, and tattooing it took a lot of time.

By the time they finished, it was already early morning the next day.

Lin Qingye’s eyes were red. He was sensitive to the pain of tattoos but had held back his tears.

Xu Zhinan looked at the newly etched image on his back, put away her tattoo pen, and said to him: “You’re mine now.”

He laughed.

The girl in the image on his back matched Xu Zhinan’s appearance, with two characters on the shoulder blade area—Ah Nan.

It was like truly marking him as hers.

“A tattoo this large can’t be completely removed. You’ll have to carry it your entire life,” Xu Zhinan said softly. “Don’t think about leaving me behind.”

Early the next morning, Fang Houyu called.

Su Qian had survived the emergency treatment but remained in a coma, possibly becoming a vegetative patient.

What followed passed like a lantern show, and later Xu Zhinan could barely remember the details.

Su Qian had kidnapped Xu Zhinan and personally admitted to his crime years ago. The case of Xu Yuanwen, which had been dormant for five years, was finally solved, and multiple kidnapping cases that had waited even longer finally received a just resolution.

The arrest warrant had been issued, but Su Qian never woke up, lying in the hospital.

News about Lin Qingye’s situation was leaked to some newspapers, spreading instantly and causing a huge commotion. During that time, Xu Zhinan couldn’t go anywhere without hearing people discussing the matter.

From sensation to just an after-dinner topic of discussion, opinions were divided.

A month later, the verdict regarding Lin Qingye came down.

His case was special and didn’t qualify as legitimate self-defense. It was classified as aggravated assault causing serious injury. The original situation would have resulted in a heavier sentence, but Fang Houyu had done his utmost to submit reports explaining the circumstances, and Lin Guancheng had hired the best lawyers.

In the end, he was sentenced to three years in prison.

The final judgment.

Xu Zhinan didn’t know about the verdict. The day before it was announced, like an ostrich burying its head in the sand to avoid reality, she fell seriously ill with a high fever that wouldn’t break.

Originally, they hadn’t told Xu Zhinan’s mother about this, but later it couldn’t be hidden anymore. Zhao Qian and Jiang Yue were also at a loss, so they eventually told their mother.

Xu Zhinan’s mother took her home.

Under the high fever, she was often in a comatose state. Even when awake, her consciousness wasn’t very clear.

Until one afternoon, she regained consciousness and saw her mother sitting by her bedside. She seemed to have aged years overnight.

“You’re awake.” Her mother’s voice was hoarse.

“Mm.” Xu Zhinan struggled to sit up in bed, and her mother fed her a sip of warm water.

She hadn’t eaten properly for a long time and had become thin. The warm water going down her throat made her feel somewhat better.

“That boy—”

Xu Zhinan’s mother had already learned the whole story from Zhao Qian and Jiang Yue, and was shocked and heartbroken.

Xu Zhinan raised her eyes, her whole body stiffening, waiting for her to continue, as if she too were awaiting a verdict.

Her mother also found it difficult to speak, saying with great effort: “Three years.”

Xu Zhinan understood, and her tears immediately broke free.

She curled up her legs, hugging them, her entire body hunched over, her eyes pressing against her knees through the blanket, quickly soaking it.

Outside the window, the light softened, the setting sun creating an illusion of warmth.

The necklace Lin Qingye had given her on her birthday rested against the center of her collarbone, feeling somewhat cool, yet seemingly warmed by her body temperature, like the feeling of tears.

“Ah Nan.” Her mother sat on the bed and held her tightly, crying with her. “Mom knows he’s a good boy, and so are you.”

“Mom also knows that three years is a long time, more than a thousand days and nights, but you can’t torture yourself for more than a thousand days and nights. He wouldn’t want to see you like this either. You still need to try to live your life.”

“I know.” Xu Zhinan said tearfully, her hand tightly gripping the necklace. “But I just feel so sad. I’ve only known him for less than four years, yet he has to sacrifice three years of his youth for something like this. Why?”

Her voice was hoarse, each word filled with blood and tears: “Why?”

After crying for a long time, she became completely exhausted and collapsed back onto the bed.

This illness kept Xu Zhinan down for a long time. When the high fever finally broke, she returned to school, only to realize that it was already final exam week, having lost all concept of time.

Her body had weakened considerably, and the weather had turned cold. The slightest chill would cause a cold, fever, or headache—it was agonizing.

Jiang Yue and Zhao Qian also avoided mentioning “Lin Qingye” in front of her, fearing it would trigger painful memories.

After finishing the final exams of the first semester of senior year, all university courses were completed. The second semester would only include graduation projects and internships.

This meant they already had one foot out the university door.

After the exams, they returned to the dormitory together.

It had started to snow.

Xu Zhinan raised her head to look at the sky.

Nearby, some classmates from the same major were also leaving together, casually mentioning Lin Qingye in their conversation.

Although two months had passed since his incident, he had once been a legendary senior at Pingchuan University. His sudden imprisonment, right when he was becoming a star in the entertainment industry, seemed filled with dramatic elements. Even now, posts about him frequently appear on the school forum.

“It’s such a shame.”

“I heard that prison is a terrifying place. He’s there for causing serious injury, so the other inmates might be quite scary too. Who knows what might happen.”

“My mom has a friend who went to prison for killing someone in a car accident. After coming out, he wasn’t the same anymore and looked much older.”

…

The voices came through clearly.

Zhao Qian tightened her grip on Xu Zhinan’s hand and couldn’t help turning around to rebuke them: “Aren’t you annoyed with yourselves? How long has it been since this happened, yet you keep talking about it! Don’t you have anything better to do?”

The girls were baffled: “We’re talking among ourselves. What does it have to do with you?”

Xu Zhinan held her hand and shook her head slightly, signaling her not to argue with them.

One of the girls added: “Seriously, the whole school is discussing this matter. Why can’t we talk about it?”

Back at the dormitory, Zhao Qian had already packed her luggage and soon said goodbye to go to the airport.

Jiang Yue had also finished her graduate school entrance exams earlier and was waiting for the written test results. She felt good about it, though, and finally didn’t have to stay at school for this holiday, so she would be leaving soon too.

Xu Zhinan lived in Yancheng and wasn’t in a hurry to go home.

She sat at her desk and unconsciously began to space out. Her mind was empty, thinking of nothing, yet somehow filled with everything. She had been experiencing such moments frequently lately.

When her phone rang, it was Jiang Yue who tapped her shoulder to remind her.

It was Wang Qi calling.

Xu Zhinan was startled for a moment but quickly answered.

“Hello?”

“Is this Ah Nan? How have you been recently?”

“I’m fine. Just finished my last exam.” Xu Zhinan walked out to the balcony. “Did you need something from me?”

“Oh, are you free right now?”

“Yes, what is it?”

After a pause, Wang Qi said: “Qingye left some things at the company. After thinking about it, I feel it would be more appropriate to give them to you.”

Xu Zhinan gripped the balcony railing. At his words, her fingers slid down, catching on a crack in the railing, causing her to bleed.

She sucked the wound briefly and replied: “Okay.”

She didn’t linger in the dormitory. The weather was changing, so she put on extra clothes, took an umbrella, and went out.

At the Chuanqi Entertainment building, Wang Qi was already waiting at the entrance. Xu Zhinan took the elevator with him.

“You look thinner. Is school pressure high?”

Xu Zhinan smiled: “It’s fine. Senior year doesn’t have many classes.”

It wasn’t academic pressure that had made her lose weight, and Wang Qi knew this.

They reached the 16th floor and entered the office.

Wang Qi pulled open a drawer under one of the bookcases and took out a square object, placing it on the desk: “This is the album Qingye was preparing to release. The songs were actually finished, the cover photographed, and we had even arranged for music show appearances. It was almost ready for release when this happened.”

Wang Qi sighed: “This is the finished sample. After much thought, I believe giving it to you is most appropriate.”

Xu Zhinan lowered her eyes to look at the album sample on the desk.

The cover featured a photo of Lin Qingye when he still had blue hair.

The young man looked uninhibited and willful, not looking at the camera, his slightly raised chin showing a smooth, superior jawline.

The album title was: Nannan.

“What’s the album called?”

“It’s a secret. I’ll tell you later.”

“You’re being so mysterious.”

“Want to know?”

“Give me a kiss, and I’ll tell you.”

“…I don’t want to know.”

Now she finally knew what Lin Qingye’s album was called.

Xu Zhinan picked up the album, holding it to her chest: “Thank you, Uncle Wang.”

Wang Qi patted her shoulder: “Young lady, cheer up. Life is long, and turning things around isn’t impossible.”

She responded with a soft “Mm,” lowering her head again, her final syllable tinged with a choke: “Uncle Wang, where’s the bathroom here?”

“Go out and turn left, it’s at the end.”

Xu Zhinan said goodbye to him and ran to the bathroom.

Once inside the stall, she closed the door and leaned against it. No longer able to hold herself together, she slowly slid down to sit on the floor, hugging her knees tightly.

She clutched the album tightly in her hand.

She hadn’t cried over Lin Qingye recently, but seeing this album broke her resolve. All her pretense of strength crumbled in this moment.

Sitting on the cold floor, she cried in despair and devastation. Tears seeped into the cut on her finger, causing a stinging pain.

After staying in the bathroom stall for who knows how long, Xu Zhinan washed her face and left Chuanqi Entertainment.

The unreleased album lay in her bag.

Xu Zhinan walked into a hair salon.

“Miss, wash or cut?” Someone immediately came up to ask.

“I want to dye my hair.”

“Sure, what color?”

“Blue.”

The hairstylist raised an eyebrow in surprise, looking at Xu Zhinan’s obedient and quiet demeanor, which didn’t seem to match someone who would choose such a hair color.

“For this color, we need to bleach your hair first before we can dye it.”

“Okay.”

The process of bleaching, dyeing, and setting the color took several hours. By the time it was finished, the sky had already darkened.

Her hair hadn’t been cut for some time and was longer than before, reaching her chest. The hairstylist had also given her some curls.

Blue makes skin look fairer. Xu Zhinan’s skin was already fair, and with the blue hair framing her face, along with her delicate and obedient features, she displayed an alternative kind of docility, different from her previous appearance.

She looked at herself in the mirror, thinking of Lin Qingye smiling at her from the stage at the music festival, and then winning the championship on “I Come for Music,” and how in the final seconds that night, he had said to her, “Ah Nan, happy birthday.”

Her fingers twirled through the blue hair tips, and somehow, she suddenly felt relieved.

She felt as if she had finally accepted this reality and let go.

She returned to the dormitory to pack her luggage. Jiang Yue was just about to leave for the station when she saw her and froze.

“Ah Nan, why did you…?”

Blue hair.

Jiang Yue understood and didn’t finish the second half of her sentence.

“That hair color looks good on you,” Jiang Yue said.

Xu Zhinan smiled: “Are you leaving now?”

“Mm.” Jiang Yue looked at the time. “I have to go now, or I’ll miss my train.”

“Alright.”

Xu Zhinan finished packing her luggage alone and took the subway home.

Her blue hair had a powerful effect. After just a few stops on the subway, a young man came over to talk to her: “Um, can I have your contact information?”

Xu Zhinan paused, looked at him, and then said slowly: “Sorry, I have a boyfriend.”

The subway continued its journey.

People got on, people got off. Xu Zhinan rode to the terminal station.

Getting off the train, the sky outside was pitch black.

She pushed her suitcase out of the subway station and looked up at the sky.

Through the thick layer of clouds, a few stars were faintly visible.

Just like what she and Lin Qingye had seen on the rooftop of the abandoned building that day.

The wind gently brushed past.

Carrying his tender “I love you” across time and space.

Time carried the city and its clamor away into the dust. The timeline kept stretching longer, but fortunately, the distance between her and Lin Qingye was continually shrinking.

Three years, two years, and later, it would be just one year.

Xu Zhinan gazed at the sky, with destruction and starry galaxies reflecting in her pupils. Looking at the brightest star, she slowly curled up her lips, her voice echoing in the quiet night.

She softly responded: “I love you too.”