The moment Su Mingran received the call from the person who had adopted the puppy, Xiao Huang, he felt his entire world go black.
The girl on the other end was still crying inconsolably, but Su Mingran suddenly couldn’t hear anything. His thoughts drifted far away, and the scene around him shifted. He wasn’t in a hospital ward anymore; he was on the grass where Xiao Huang loved to roll around. He was running joyfully with the puppy, its soft ears flopping as it jumped into a puddle and rolled about. He called for it to get up, and the dog shook itself dry, splashing water all over him while circling him playfully.
Gradually, the vision faded into a blank white. The smile on his lips vanished, and Su Mingran returned to the ward—returned to reality.
“I didn’t realize he had run off. By the time I noticed, I couldn’t find him. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I wanted to kill that other dog, but the owner apologized and paid compensation… I had no reason to cause a scene, I…” The girl on the phone was sobbing, consumed by self-reproach.
Su Mingran’s heart felt a dense, localized pain, as if thousands of ants were devouring it bit by bit. He clenched his fists, listened patiently until she finished, and said softly, “He won’t blame you.”
“Can you bury him in a wide, open space? Because he loved running on the grass. I can’t make it there right now.”
“Okay… I’m truly sorry.”
After hanging up, Su Mingran forced his body upright. Having just woken up only to be hit by such a massive blow, he had no strength left. With trembling hands, he opened his phone. There were photos sent by Qi Xinghe—photos of Xiao Huang, every single one of them bloody and gruesome.
Su Mingran’s throat constricted, and he began to dry heave. His face turned purple and swollen from the strain, but he couldn’t vomit anything. Tears crashed onto the floor. He propped himself up against the bedframe and used all his strength to slap himself hard across the face. Feeling it wasn’t enough, he slapped himself again and again, only stopping when his mouth was filled with the taste of blood.
“Su Mingran, you are so useless.”
He sat motionless in the ward. He wanted to see Xiao Huang one last time, yet he was terrified of seeing him. He was afraid the puppy would blame him. He sat there from the darkness of night until 8:00 AM, when Gu Pei appeared.
Gu Pei had somehow heard he was in the hospital. He didn’t seem to dare look at him. After a long silence, he muttered, “I’m sorry. I bought a dog for Xinghe. That dog is aggressive… I, I didn’t stop it in time.”
Su Mingran closed his eyes. He remembered that when he first found Xiao Huang, Gu Pei had been there. They had discussed how to raise him together. Gu Pei had once held Xiao Huang and spun in circles on the grass. He truly didn’t understand how Gu Pei had become this person.
“Gu Pei, what exactly do you like about Qi Xinghe?” Without waiting for an answer, Mingran continued, sounding as if he were talking to Gu Pei and himself at the same time: “What do all of you like about him?”
Even now, Gu Pei protected Qi Xinghe. “He didn’t do it on purpose. He just accidentally let go of the leash. Your dog was wandering around, it—”
Su Mingran tapped his phone and showed Gu Pei the pictures Qi Xinghe had sent—the blood-soaked photos of the puppy’s corpse, a set of pictures filled with provocation. Gu Pei felt nauseous. He swallowed hard, opening his mouth several times to defend Xinghe, but the words wouldn’t come. Those photos were so full of malice that no one could interpret them as an “accident.”
Watching Gu Pei’s expression, Su Mingran suddenly laughed. At this moment, he no longer saw Gu Pei as a childhood friend who had once given him warmth, but as an enemy.
He said vindictively, “Remember? In high school, when you were depressed because your family was too controlling? I was the one who wrote to you all that time. We were friends for years; did you really not recognize my handwriting?”
“Who else would know your preferences so well? Who else knew you liked those cheap little snacks? Qi Xinghe probably doesn’t even know what your favorite cold drink is. Go ask him, see if he can answer.”
Before, Gu Pei wouldn’t have believed a word. But now he hesitated, because the “kind and beautiful” Qi Xinghe in his mind had actually sent those horrific photos to Su Mingran. Gu Pei suppressed his doubts and said, “You can’t try to take his place in my heart just because of his mistake.”
Su Mingran laughed out loud until tears squeezed out. Finally, the laughter died, and he said coldly, “Gu Pei, if you want to lie to yourself, go ahead.”
“I—”
“Get out,” Su Mingran said with loathing. “Our friendship died the moment you chose Qi Xinghe.”
Gu Pei opened his mouth several times, but eventually closed it and walked away.
The ward fell silent again. Su Mingran looked at the sunlight outside; he thought Xiao Huang would have liked today’s sun. He glanced at the medicine on the nightstand, picked it up with a shaking hand, and swallowed it all.
Half an hour later, the medicine kicked in. His hands stopped shaking so much. He slowly, bit by bit, got out of bed. He was unsteady at first, but fortunately, there were crutches by the bed. He used them to hobble out of the ward. He took a deep breath; he told himself he had to stay alive. He had to wait for news of Sister Xiao Ling. No matter what, he had to live.
Just as he turned a corner, he saw Su Minmin in the hospital. Her face was pale, her back was hunched, and there was a visible bruise on her face, as if she had been slapped. She held a lab report, looking lost.
Su Mingran walked toward her. Seeing him, Su Minmin straightened her back and glared. “Are you here to mock me?”
Mingran paused. “What happened? Are you sick?”
“None of your business!” she spat. “You’ve been kicked out of the Su family. Look after yourself!”
Mingran lowered his eyes and said nothing, slowly turning to leave. Halfway away, Su Minmin called out, “Hey, did you ask Su Mo to find a woman named Xiao Ling?”
Mingran spun around.
“Don’t bother asking anymore. Gu Pei found her, but Su Mo suppressed the information and wouldn’t let him tell you. That woman was sick and came to this hospital for treatment. She saw you on the road and chased after you, but she collapsed in front of our house from exhaustion. She knocked on the door, but no one opened it. Dad ran into her when he got home. She asked if an ‘A-Ran’ lived there. Dad kicked her away and told the security guards to drag her off.”
Su Minmin hesitated, seeing the last spark of light in Mingran’s eyes vanish instantly, leaving him looking like a corpse. “The guards were too rough when they threw her out. She fell, and she had no money. It was the middle of winter; she sat nearby waiting for you to come out… she didn’t make it. She froze to death.”
“I’m telling you this, but don’t you dare tell anyone you saw me at the hospital today, hear me?!”
Su Mingran looked up at the ceiling. His strength felt as if it had been drained in an instant. He said to Su Minmin, “Thank you.”
He turned stiffly and walked mechanically with his crutches. A step away from his ward, he collapsed. Su Minmin stood by and watched. “Can’t even handle hearing that? Useless.”
…
Su Mingran had a dream. It was so long that he didn’t want to wake up. In the dream, he bought a small house and helped Sister Xiao Ling, who had trouble walking, into their new home. She was so happy, holding his hand and saying how proud she was of him. They lived there for a long time. In the spring, they went on outings; in the summer, she wove mats for him; in the autumn, they watched the leaves turn; and in the winter, they bought groceries for hotpot. Life went on, and he had never been so happy—until his head began to ache more each day, and he finally woke up.
He opened his eyes and pulled out his IV drip. Someone had left the TV on, and local news was playing.
“Rising star Qi Xinghe officially enters the entertainment industry; his future is limitless.” “Qi Xinghe’s background is not simple; he is rumored to be the second son of the Su Group.” “Su Group successor Su Mo told the media that Qi Xinghe is his brother—his only brother—praising him for being sensible and hardworking.” “CEO Gu Pei of the listed Gu Group published a long post praising Qi Xinghe as a rising superstar.”
Mingran glanced at the date. Today was his birthday. He smiled; it was a good day. He threw off the covers. A suit jacket draped over the bed fell to the floor, but he didn’t care. He tried to stand and found he had some strength. He went to the hospital rooftop, looked at the view, then went back down.
Taking his phone, he left the hospital and hailed a car. The driver asked a few questions seeing his hospital gown, but got no response. He watched worriedly as Mingran entered an office building. Mingran took the elevator to the top floor.
This entire building belonged to the Su family. The roof was usually locked, but due to a recent event, it was open. It looked like a party had just ended; a banner celebrating “Qi Xinghe’s Official Entrance to the Entertainment Industry” was still hanging. Mingran ignored it and sat on the edge of the rooftop wall. Below him was the bottomless river.
Sister Xiao Ling was gone. The person who had supported his will to live was gone. There was no point in living anymore. Dying in a hospital was too quiet; he should die on the roof of the Su family company, on the day of his birth.
He checked his phone. It was 11:53 PM. He looked at his contacts. Su Renhua wouldn’t answer, nor would Yan Qian. He tried calling Su Mo. Surprisingly, it connected.
Su Mo sounded like he was celebrating; people were shouting, and he could hear Qi Xinghe’s voice. Swinging his legs over the edge, Mingran remembered being a child, sitting on a high wall and calling Su Mo to play. Su Mo had acted disdainful, yet his eyes had been full of longing for the boy on the wall.
Mingran spoke softly into the phone: “Brother, do you hate me that much? Do you really never want to see me again?”
Su Mo clearly hadn’t realized who was calling. He didn’t want to think about his “useless” brother during such a happy moment. He said coldly, “Yes. So stop calling me.”
“Brother, I remember now… there was a time you didn’t hate me. When we were little and Father forced you to study, you refused. I asked you to play, and you didn’t say no. Back then, you didn’t hate me, right?”
“Save your pathetic guesses. I have always loathed you. I don’t want to see you.”
Su Mingran smiled, his dimples appearing. “Then you’ve got your wish.”
Su Mingran tossed the phone away and leapt down.
A gust of wind rushed past his ears. He thought he heard Xuan-xuan calling his name. To hear someone call him “A-Ran” before he died made him happy.
But Xuan-xuan, we probably won’t meet again.