Chapter 106

After chatting with Wu Guanzhong for a long time, he hung up the phone, set it aside to charge, and glanced at the bed covered with all sorts of gifts. These were prepared by Yu Xingyue for everyone; on the day of their farewell, these would be the presents he gave them. Each gift represented the personality of its recipient.

“I’m sure everyone will be deeply moved when they receive these,” Yu Xingyue murmured to himself. He knew everyone well—who else could truly understand all the members of the Tianyuan team? Only Yu Xingyue, as the team’s medic, had come to know each person intimately; it was part of his job.

Yu Xingyue stepped out onto the balcony, gazing at the bustling street below. He felt reluctant to leave this place. Having lived here for seventeen years, he had grown accustomed to this life. Now that he was going abroad, he needed to learn to take care of himself and stop relying on others. He had long since learned to solve problems on his own, though when faced with truly difficult challenges, he would still seek help.

A light rain began to fall. The wind blew, and raindrops touched Yu Xingyue’s face. He savored the coolness of the rain; the sensation of raindrops pattering down calmed him. He spread his arms wide, embracing the feel of the rain washing over him.

After a long time, Yu Xingyue returned to his room and began writing letters to everyone. Writing was his greatest headache—he had never been good at it. But for his friends, he pondered long and hard before putting pen to paper. After finishing one letter, he moved on to the next. With only two days left, he tried to avoid repeating himself. The rest of his time was spent holed up in his room, writing.

Yang Shuting passed by Yu Xingyue’s room, which was left open. Seeing her son so focused, she smiled faintly. If only he could improve his communication skills, Yu Xingyue wouldn’t be so introverted. Lin Zimo had managed to make Yu Xingyue listen to others without interrupting, but in other ways, there was little change. Perhaps this study abroad experience would help Yu Xingyue grow.

Her phone vibrated. Yang Shuting stepped away to the balcony to check her messages. Don’t think that the earlier vibration was nothing—Yu Xingyue knew the vibration wasn’t from his own phone but from outside. Turning back, he saw his mother on the balcony reading her messages. He understood that apart from texts about deducted phone charges and spam, she kept important information away from him.

Yu Xingyue tiptoed closer to the balcony. The glass door was open. He overheard a voice outside: “Yu Xingyue, you don’t have to hide anymore. This message isn’t a big deal—you can look at it.”

Yu Xingyue approached Yang Shuting. Why was she being so kind? If it wasn’t important, it was probably just spam or billing notices. He wasn’t interested and was about to return to his room.

“This is important, not for me but for you. Are you sure you don’t want to see it?” Yang Shuting asked.

Yu Xingyue turned around, puzzled. If it was important to him, he was half skeptical but took the phone to read the message.

The message read:

“Please give this letter to Yu Xingyue. We confirm you are the only family member of the deceased Yu [surname]. We couldn’t find your contact information in his phone, so we have entrusted this message to your mother, Yang Shuting, to inform you of his death. We apologize for the late notice. He will be buried this afternoon. Whether you wish to see him one last time is up to you.”

The sender was a staff member from the funeral home. It had been over a month since Yu Chun’s car accident. Yu Xingyue didn’t want to face it, but what must come, must be confronted; there was no escaping it.

“This decision is yours. As for me, I will see him off properly, ensuring he has a peaceful journey without suffering,” Yang Shuting said, patting his shoulder before leaving. She had changed into a black suit dress—a heavy mood hanging over her. With a “bang,” she shut the door.

Yang Shuting left while Yu Xingyue remained frozen, hand trembling as he held the phone. Whether to go or not was his greatest struggle. Outsiders would surely expect him to attend, but don’t forget, this was the man who had caused both him and Yang Shuting so much pain. Though he was dead, Yu Xingyue’s heart had not yet let go.

He sat on the bed, conflicted, staring at the phone message, unable to accept it.

To go or not to go—these two thoughts circled endlessly in his mind.

Hours later, at the funeral home, Yang Shuting arrived early. She didn’t recognize any of the people gathered; they were Yu Chun’s friends, only seven or eight at most. The rest were just fillers, hired mourners who cried loudly, even though they didn’t know Yu Chun. It was only Yu Chun’s few true friends who did not weep, silently bidding farewell to their brother.

Seeing the unfamiliar crowd, Yang Shuting felt helpless and stepped outside to avoid the noise. Then someone arrived who surprised her; she hadn’t expected him to come, yet there he was, accompanied by Sun Yao.

“Have you made up your mind? What are you thinking now?” Yang Shuting asked.

Yu Xingyue wore the black suit Sun Yao had given him. Yang Shuting hadn’t taken the phone, so when Sun Yao called, Yu Xingyue answered. Seeing his distress, Yu Xingyue confided in Sun Yao, who immediately came over after learning the situation.

Yu Xingyue was touched by Sun Yao’s response—just some inner turmoil, and he rushed over. It moved him deeply.

After a moment of silence, Yu Xingyue said, “This is a one-time exception and will be the last time I see this man. After this, there will be no more connection between us.” Though he said this, tears welled in the corners of his eyes, but he forced them back, unwilling to show weakness before Sun Yao.

Sun Yao handed him a tissue, but Yu Xingyue waved it away and wiped his tears with the back of his hand. “I’m not crying because I’m sad for him, but because this wretched man is finally gone. From now on, no one will bother us anymore. That’s a blessing.”

“Yu Guo...” Yang Shuting knew he was putting on a brave front. Though he called it a good thing, she knew he was deeply conflicted. He wasn’t a good father, but if there were a next life, Yu Xingyue hoped he wouldn’t gamble but find a proper job. Had things been different, maybe Yu Xingyue would have lived in a harmonious family.

“The memorial service is about to start. Let’s go in,” Sun Yao reminded them. The two nodded, and the three entered the funeral home together.

Throughout the ceremony, Yu Xingyue kept looking at Yu Chun’s portrait. The pain in his heart was indescribable, but he stayed silent. Hearing the hired mourners’ exaggerated sobbing felt like an insult to the deceased. Only Yu Chun’s few true friends mourned quietly for their brother.

After the funeral procession, watching the car carry Yu Chun’s remains away, Yu Xingyue broke down in tears once everyone had left, but not in front of Yang Shuting or Sun Yao. He told Yang Shuting, “It’s over. I’ll go home now.”

Watching him leave, Yang Shuting felt sorrowful, hoping he would face reality and eventually forget his pain.

...

After all preparations were complete, Wang Tianqi was left with only one task: gathering everyone to apologize to Huang Feifan. Wang Tianqi called Yu Xingyue, but he didn’t answer. She didn’t know that Yu Xingyue was grieving the recent loss of a loved one.

She then called Lin Zimo and Chen Siyu. Lin Zimo said he hadn’t been feeling well these days, so his responses to Wang Tianqi were perfunctory. Chen Siyu was still at work and hadn’t finished her shift. As for Xiao Jian, no need to mention—he was at Lin Zimo’s house. Wang Tianqi guessed there was some discord between Xiao Jian and Lin Zimo.

As for Yu Li, she was busy working with Coach Tian Nan and hadn’t agreed either. Wang Tianqi had no expectations for her; after all, Yu Li was deaf and mute, merely a bystander.

Seeing that no one agreed to her plan, Wang Tianqi crossed her arms in frustration. “We were doing so well before—why are you all ditching me now? Fine, I can do it alone.”

Without hesitation, Wang Tianqi gathered a large bag of items and prepared to leave. These items were crucial.

Wang Tianqi wanted to complete this task alone, without the help of a bodyguard. She carefully lifted the large bag, which contained fragile items. Bringing fragile goods to apologize to Huang Feifan seemed strange.

To show her sincerity, Wang Tianqi chose not to take a car to Huang Feifan’s house but walked instead. Huang Feifan hoped to see a new version of Wang Tianqi, but her walking there was clearly a way of sulking—using this excuse to apologize was hardly appropriate.