Chapter 277
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Chapter 277: I Should Wake Up
“Xiao Qi, what did the doctor say?” Auntie, wearing an apron, walked into the room.
“He said I’m recovering well.” Lin Qiye shrugged. After hesitating for a moment, he finally asked, “Auntie, is this Dr. Li really sent by the hospital?”
“Yeah, what’s wrong?” Auntie asked, puzzled.
Lin Qiye shook his head. “It’s nothing, I just think he’s a bit strange.”
Auntie seemed to remember something and said, “Oh right, I just realized while cooking that we’ve run out of soy sauce at home. I need to hurry out and buy some…”
“I’ll go, Auntie.” Lin Qiye volunteered. “You still have food cooking in the pot.”
Auntie paused for a moment, then nodded. “Okay, just be careful and pay attention to safety.”
Lin Qiye replied with an “mm,” changed his shoes at the door, and pushed it open to step outside.
He walked down the stairs plastered with small advertisements to the first floor, then headed towards the main street along a familiar alley.
The low wall beside him had a bare gray-white surface, with a few yellowed ads stuck haphazardly. The cement pavement beneath his feet was uneven, and he could easily step into a shallow pit if he wasn’t careful.
He entered the nearest small shop by the street, picked the cheapest bottle of soy sauce, and carried it in a plastic bag as he walked home with the scattered crowd.
Lin Qiye looked up; the sunset had turned the clouds in the sky a fiery red. The distant cicadas mixed with the music from a corner audio shop, echoing in his ears.
How I wish I could return to that summer,
How I wish I could be by your side.
I feel like I could see you again,
Back to the beginning when you were there…
Lin Qiye took a deep breath, a slight smile appearing at the corners of his mouth.
Yes, this is the simple and warm life he loves.
Boom—!!
Just as he passed a traffic light, a loud buzzing sound suddenly came from afar, and the ground beneath him began to tremble!
An earthquake? Lin Qiye was stunned, steadying himself as he looked up.
The once beautiful sunset sky had vanished, replaced by a dark and deep blue that split the vast sky apart, and everything around him dimmed.
Lin Qiye lowered his head, suddenly frozen in place.
He realized that the pedestrians who had been waiting for the traffic light with him had disappeared, leaving the entire street empty, not even a shadow in sight.
Under the two-colored sky, the red traffic light flickered, casting the boy’s silhouette in deep crimson.
What… is happening? Lin Qiye murmured to himself.
At that moment, a figure in a gray robe suddenly appeared before him, gazing into Lin Qiye’s eyes, calmly speaking:
“You should wake up…”
As the words fell, the street around Lin Qiye shattered inch by inch, as if the world built from mirrors was collapsing. Everything around him turned to nothingness, dissipating into gray mist.
Lin Qiye felt as if he were weightless, his body plummeting rapidly.
Countless streams of light surged around him, those were his past memories.
Night watchman, Team 136, training camp, Loki, the vanished city…
The memories he had buried surged forth at that moment, flooding his mind. Lin Qiye’s eyes narrowed, and a look of pain appeared between his brows.
He remembered.
As the memories returned, the deep-seated pain, sorrow, and regrets exploded like gunpowder, surging back into his heart.
Are these… all fake? Lin Qiye’s body continued to fall, staring blankly at the soy sauce bottle in his hand, murmuring.
Suddenly, it seemed he thought of something, and he abruptly looked up, his eyes shining with a strange light.
I can’t just leave like this. A blinding golden light erupted from Lin Qiye’s eyes, and his falling body suddenly halted!
Whether it’s real or fake… this is my… last chance to say goodbye to them.
As Lin Qiye’s words fell, the city collapsing into nothingness reassembled, the golden light restoring the street to its original form. He stood on the empty street, holding the soy sauce.
The red light of the traffic signal flickered above him, and Lin Qiye suddenly took a step forward, rushing towards home.
With each step he took, the city behind him transformed into golden light, dissipating into endless mist.
He didn’t look back, his gaze fixed ahead, where there stood a small old house.
Finally, he stopped in front of the low house.
The entire imagined world had vanished, leaving only this small house standing in the mist, golden light dots swirling around it like an island in the sea.
Lin Qiye took a deep breath, pushed open the door, and walked inside.
“Xiao Qi, did you buy the soy sauce?” Auntie walked out of the kitchen and froze in place when she saw Lin Qiye, whose face was streaked with tears.
“Auntie.” Lin Qiye smiled faintly upon seeing her.
Auntie hurried over, took the soy sauce from Lin Qiye’s hand, and wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes. “You child, how did you come back looking like this after just going out to buy soy sauce?”
Lin Qiye gazed at Auntie’s face, a wave of bitterness rolling in his heart. He opened his mouth as if to say something but ultimately said nothing.
“It’s nothing…” After a moment, he shook his head.
“Are you hungry?” Auntie asked with concern. She glanced back at the kitchen and said, “You go sit down; the food will be ready soon.”
Lin Qiye nodded and sat down at the table, staring blankly at Auntie’s busy figure in the kitchen.
After a while, Auntie came out with two steaming plates of food and placed them in front of Lin Qiye. She wiped her hands on her apron and handed him chopsticks.
“Eat while it’s hot.”
Lin Qiye took the chopsticks, looked at the food in front of him, and after a moment of silence, began to eat heartily.
Auntie liked to put a lot of salt in her cooking since it was the cheapest seasoning they had, which meant that every meal she made tended to be a bit salty. After countless protests from Lin Qiye and Yang Jin, they could only accept this reality.
This meal was no different.
But Lin Qiye wasted not a single bite, swallowing everything down. He had never realized how delicious Auntie’s cooking could be, as if it contained not just a lot of salt but also the sweetness of life’s little moments.
“Slow down, slow down, don’t choke.” Auntie advised from the side. “You really must be starving…”
The surrounding walls gradually crumbled into nothingness, and the last remnants of this world began to collapse—doors, bedrooms, kitchens, bathrooms…
Room after room disappeared, leaving only this corner by the dining table, suspended in the mist.
In such a bizarre scene, Auntie seemed completely oblivious, simply watching Lin Qiye eat with concern.
Lin Qiye looked up, swallowed the food in his mouth, and slowly spoke:
“Auntie.”
“What is it?”
“In the future, I still want to eat your cooking.”
Auntie was slightly taken aback. “What silly thing are you saying? As long as you want to eat, when have I ever not cooked for you?”
“Mm.” Lin Qiye nodded, looking down at his empty bowl, not even a grain of rice left.
“I will definitely… bring you all back.”
He murmured to himself.
He set down the chopsticks in his hand.
Auntie, the dining table, the chair, and the empty bowl all vanished, leaving Lin Qiye standing alone, isolated in the mist.
I should wake up…