He stopped, rested his hand on his shoulder, and stared at him as he asked, "I’m very curious about something."
Tao Hua’s heart skipped a beat. Had he seen through something?
"What are you curious about?" he asked, maintaining a calm facade.
Rong Shaoze smiled and said, "The way I am, nobody can stand it, not even my own mother wants to deal with me. But... why do you come over to stay with me every day? What’s the reason?"
Because he felt guilty, uneasy within!
If something happened to him, he would blame himself for a lifetime!
Of course, these reasons were not to be shared with him.
Tao Hua raised an eyebrow and said with a slight smile, "Didn’t you realize that I am into you?"
Rong Shaoze silently watched him for two seconds, then suddenly asked, "When did you start liking being the bottom?"
"Damn it!" Tao Hua jumped up abruptly, his face ashen, pointing at him and cursing furiously, "I only like women. If you dare to slander my sexual orientation again, I’ll end you!"
Rong Shaoze watched his angry hopping about and burst into uproarious laughter once again.
Yet his eyes grew sadder as he laughed.
Even his laughter was filled with pain and sorrow.
Tao Hua fell silent. He looked at Rong Shaoze, wrestling with whether to tell him the truth or not.
But telling him would probably make him experience the pain once more.
Perhaps, like when Lin Xinlan died, he might choose death...
Furthermore, he couldn’t let down Lin Xinlan’s painstaking efforts.
She had purposely let Rong Shaoze misunderstand that her heart had changed. She deliberately made him believe she was still alive and would come back to see him one day, all to keep him wanting to live on.
Whether it was with hatred, love, or the wish to see her one more time, she wanted him to keep living.
If he spoke up now, he would not only hurt Rong Shaoze but also waste Lin Xinlan’s efforts.
Considering this, Tao Hua decided to remain silent.
After all, Lin Xinlan was beyond saving. Speaking wouldn’t change anything.
In a remote little town in H City.
Lin Xinlan stared at her own reflection in the mirror, feeling numb.
Her hair had turned almost completely white, wrinkles multiplied on her face, and her body was frail and thin. She was truly aged.
At her current age, she must be in her sixties or seventies.
So, this was what she looked like getting old.
After arranging her hair, wearing a white woolen hat, she wrapped herself in warm clothes, planning to go out for a walk.
Having stayed inside for almost half a month, it was time to go get some fresh air.
She should breathe in the fresh air and bask in the sun while she still could, for she wouldn’t get the chance later.
Besides, a person should honor life for every day they’re alive, cherishing every second, every minute.
The streets of the small town were narrow yet the area was large.
It was a typical place with vast land and few people.
Lin Xinlan lived near a pasture. Upon leaving her house, she slowly walked along the edge of the pasture.
Along the way, she could hear the calls of cows and sheep.
The winter sun brought a chill, and as she took a deep breath, she felt a pain in her lungs.
Good, she could still feel pain, and she liked this sensation.
After walking for a bit, two people approached her from ahead.
One was a girl in tattered clothes and the other an old man with white hair.
They resembled vagrants, their faces etched with exhaustion, walking incredibly slowly as though they hadn’t eaten in days.