hotmtlnovel Chapter 55: 100%
Chapter 55: 100%
Chapter 55
That night, Xiao Yan saw Lin ChuSui again. As he had imagined, the little girl was as determined as ever - she had not only been admitted to university, but her grades were unexpectedly high.
She had chosen her own future.
Xiao Yan bid her goodbye three times. Each time was filled with reluctance. But he was glad to have one more chance to give the person she loved most back to her.
...
Task Progress: 51%, Countdown: 1 hour.
In the living room, Xiao Qian leaned against the sofa reading a book, unconsciously smiling while holding her phone in one hand.
Xiao Yan walked over to the sofa and picked up a knife from the coffee table to peel an apple.
"You got your admission letter days ago. When are you planning to go report?"
"Is my sister trying to kick me out already?" Yôur favorite stories at novelhall.com
"Of course not. I'd love for you to stay in province for college so you can come home on weekends. I can cook delicious food and give you a beating as a send-off."
"I probably won't have that fortune." Xiao Yan said lightly with a faint smile: "Save that for Xu JiaNing."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Qian immediately put down her phone and looked at Xiao Yan: "Make food for him...why?"
"Aren't you dating him?"
Xiao Yan was expressionless as he calmly peeled the apple into crescent slices and put them on a plate.
Xiao Qian felt a bit flustered and hurriedly asked: "Did Xu JiaNing tell you that?"
"He didn't need to say it. His phone wallpaper is you, his chat background is you. He might as well tattoo my sister's name on his forehead."
Xiao Qian: ...
"You...don't object?" She looked at Xiao Yan apprehensively.
"It's my sister's life, I won't interfere." Xiao Yan lowered his eyes carefully arranging the apple slices neatly: "Xu JiaNing has some ulterior motives and isn't that simple, but he's not inherently bad and sticks strongly to his principles. He isn't the fickle sort. I can rest assured leaving my sister to him. Though..."
He paused for a moment: "Gaining his father's approval won't be easy."
"We're just casually dating, nothing long-term." Xiao Qian hugged her knees, smiling gently: "Please, you're just going off to college. Why does it sound like you're preparing your last will?"
Xiao Yan smiled faintly and placed the fruit platter with toothpicks in front of Xiao Qian.
Looking at the plate of apple crescents, each slice was near identical in size and shape, more orderly than a military parade.
Having endured much hardship in the past, Xiao Yan was very meticulous about life. He tried his best to live well within his means.
His future girlfriend would probably be very happy. Xiao Yan was so attentive.
"Did you and little ChuSui really end things?" Xiao Qian looked at him inquisitively, trying to glean something from his calm, still eyes: "Who initiated the breakup?"
"Neither of us brought it up."
"Neither?"
"Mm. I transferred schools so we naturally drifted apart."
"Transferring schools shouldn't have led to..."
"The firefighter who died saving me from the fire was her dad."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Qian's hand froze mid-bite. After a long pause, she put down the apple and gently hugged Xiao Yan from behind.
"That wasn't your fault."
Xiao Yan smiled bitterly as he mechanically chewed an apple slice. "She didn't hate me."
Xiao Yan knew Lin ChuSui didn't truly hate him, even after all those hurtful things he said.
In his estimation, those sharp, knife-like words should have completely sabotaged his mission progress.
Yet they didn't. The progress bar remained at 50%.
That was enough for Xiao Yan.
Enough for him to willingly and resolutely go to his death.
...
That night, the summer night breeze was cool. There were faint sounds of children playing tag in the distance. Lin ChuSui walked alone to the wall of Aglaia flowers.
Tomorrow, she would leave for the police academy up north to start closed training. This was her last time coming here. She wouldn't return again.
The aglaia had bloomed all over the red wall, trailing down in lush greenery.
Her fingertips gently brushed the vines as the little white flowers swayed lightly in the breeze...
Just as Xiao Yan said, it really was beautiful.
Recently, the area had become a trendy spot for girls to take pictures.
“Dad, are you still here?”
Tears streamed down her cheeks as she walked to the swing and sat down, picking up the phone. The last photo on the phone, a radiant smile, forever frozen under the seven li fragrant flower wall.
...
Xiao Yan lay in bed, eyes closed, waiting for time to pass second by second.
The midnight moonlight shone through the window into the room, falling on his cold face.
28 minutes, 27 minutes, 26 minutes...
He reviewed this short life before his eyes, having lived in an orphanage since he could remember.
There were many children in the orphanage, but few resources. Even the candy given out weekly couldn’t make it into every child’s hands.
From a very young age, Xiao Yan learned how to act cute and pitiful, in order to get more attention and more resources.
People like him didn’t know what kindness was, what selflessness was... The only thing he knew was to fight and grab.
But this past short year, he experienced a joy and happiness he had never known before, that kind of willingness from the bottom of one's heart to be good to someone, even willing to give his life to her.
With Lin ChuSui, the happiness he once had was worth a lifetime of loneliness and ignorance.
It was enough.
Xiao Yan closed his eyes.
10 minutes, 9 minutes, 8 minutes...
However, in the last ten minutes, Xiao Yan realized the progress bar on his mission had suddenly changed -
51%, 52%, 53%...
He quickly sat up. In just over two minutes, the progress bar jumped to 80%, and was still rising steadily.
He panicked a little, and immediately called Lin ChuSui.
84%, 85%, 86%...
The phone rang for a long time before connecting, Lin ChuSui's obviously hoarse voice came through.
"Teacher Xiao, something wrong?"
"What's going on with you!" Xiao Yan was very anxious and panicked, pretending to be fierce: "I've never liked you before! Not for a minute, not for a second."
89%, 90%...
"What's wrong with you, I said I don't like you, why can't you just forget it, can you have some self-respect?"
"Xiao Yan, I'm leaving tomorrow, can you come see me off?"
Xiao Yan's heart was twisted in knots, pulsating slightly. Every breath hurt.
"T3 terminal at Nancheng Airport, 6:30 pm."
"I won't come."
"Whether you come or not, I'll wait for you."
95%, 96%...
In the last thirty seconds, 98%.
Xiao Yan stood up and paced around the room twice, finally deciding to tell her the truth: "Lin ChuSui, I can give your dad back to you. Don't you want your dad anymore?"
"I do, but dad has made his choice, just like he never interfered with my choices, I also respect his choice."
"Lin ChuSui!" Xiao Yan was really anxious now: "There's nothing left in my life worth lingering for, but he's different, he still has you..."
"Nothing left worth lingering for?" Lin ChuSui smiled shallowly: "Then let me ask you one last question, Xiao Yan, do you still...linger for me?"
98%, last twenty seconds.
Xiao Yan's mind went blank, only her last words echoed.
"Do you still...linger for me?"
99%, last ten seconds.
Xiao Yan's heart suddenly calmed down. He closed his eyes and answered firmly and sincerely: "Didn't I...already give you my answer before."
"Did you?"
"That day, on the note, you asked me, 'I only wish your heart be like mine', and the next line was..."
3, 2, 1.
"I promise I'll never disappoint, this longing in my heart."
100%.