The surroundings fell silent, leaving only the howling cold wind through the shattered window.
Rong Xianning walked over and picked up the phone that had fallen to the ground.
The screen was cracked, but it was still functional.
"It’s late. I’ll take you home."
"Aren’t you going to ask why I’m here?"
Shen You’an’s voice came from behind.
Rong Xianning pressed his lips together. "It’s dangerous here. There might even be stray cats wandering around. Let me take you out of here first."
He turned and grabbed Shen You’an’s hand, walking forward with steps both hurried and heavy.
Shen You’an did not pull his hand away, instead following his pace.
At the doorway, Rong Xianning suddenly stopped, releasing the hand gripping Shen You’an’s.
He stood quietly, his slender figure etched in the darkness, radiating endless loneliness and solitude.
Like a lone wolf wandering across a desolate plain.
"You already know."
That single sentence seemed to drain all his strength.
An oppressive silence.
"I’m sorry..."
A choked sob broke out in the darkness.
"It’s because of me that you lost your father. You should hate me. Why do you keep helping me, again and again?"
There was no answer. The surroundings were terrifyingly quiet.
His heart sank, falling into a bottomless abyss.
If he had never seen the light, he could have stayed content within the darkness forever. But why must fate be so cruel...
At this moment, his entire body felt as though it had been plunged into an icy cave, his hands and feet so cold they were numb.
"My father had his duty. Though I grieve his sacrifice, I will always be proud of him. If he had another chance to choose, he would still save you without hesitation."
The girl’s soft but resolute voice cut through the darkness like a blade.
"That night, my father saved nine people in total. You were just one of them."
"So why should I hate you?"
His right hand was held gently, the soft touch like warm jade melting ice, carrying a faint warmth.
"Rong Xianning, that fire changed many lives. When faced with disasters and tragedies, we are powerless. The only thing we can do is live well."
"When... when did you find out?"
Shen You’an hesitated. "Not long ago."
For a long time after her father’s death, she deliberately avoided anything related to that fire. She was afraid she wouldn’t be able to hold herself together.
Everyone told her her father was a great firefighter who saved many lives, a true hero.
But she would have preferred if her father had been an ordinary man—one who could attend her parent-teacher meetings, protect her when she was bullied, and be part of every moment as she grew up.
She had even resented the people her father saved, blaming him in her younger, more ignorant days.
Why would he give his life for strangers, leaving his own daughter fatherless, an orphan subjected to the world’s cruelties?
As she grew older and faced the harsh realities of life, she found herself missing her father more deeply. She wanted her father to witness her triumphs, and to comfort her in moments of failure—wanted even just a single embrace.
But in this lifetime, she would never have that chance again.
Fate has a way of playing cruel jokes. Even though it gave her the chance to start over, it also deepened her regrets.
After weathering the storms of life, she eventually came to understand: there is no such thing as a perfect world. The moment her father chose to be a firefighter, he had already entrusted his life to that duty.
This time around, she had vowed silently in her heart—a vow known only to the heavens, the earth, and herself. Because of this, the fire she had deliberately avoided no longer seemed so important.
Not long ago, while going through her father’s files, she found detailed records of that fire, including a confidential list of the nine individuals her father saved.
Among the names on that list was one she found familiar.
The youngest survivor of that fire years ago—Rong Xianning.