As the words fell, he raised his fist without hesitation. Channeling all his strength into his arm, he pounded again and again on the invisible wall before him.
The boy's nearly feral actions caught Ruan Qingqing completely off guard.
The light in her eyes could no longer remain calm.
"Mu Mu, you need to go. This place is about to collapse."
Please… stop wasting your strength.
But Ji Mu paid no heed.
The force behind his blows didn't lessen at all.
If the mountain won't co to , then I'll go to the mountain.
In short—
"Silly goose! I will never allow you to give up on yourself!"
The firm tone, accompanied by the relentless banging of fists against the barrier, echoed, chipping away at the ice Ruan Qingqing had worked so hard to build around her heart.
"Why do you even care about , Mu Mu?"
"I'm a curse. Being around soone like will only drag you into danger again and again. Don't you get it?!"
The boy's stubbornness shattered the mask of indifference she had worked so hard to maintain.
Her frail body trembled, and her voice rose involuntarily.
"Just stop caring about already..."
After repeatedly pounding the wall, she saw blood trickling from his fists, and her voice trembled.
"Mu Mu, please… just go. Please..."
Ji Mu's face remained expressionless.
Ignoring the girl's pleas, he slamd his fists into the seemingly invisible, unbreakable barrier with all his might.
But every strike vanished like a stone sinking into the sea—no echo, no resistance, no sign of impact.
Was this damned wall truly indestructible?!
Frustration and desperation threatened to drown out reason when, suddenly, a surge of heat blood in his chest.
In an instant, he looked down and saw the pendant around his neck glowing with light.
It seed to repel the barrier between him and the girl.
Could it be...?
A thought flashed through Ji Mu's mind.
"Mu Mu, it can safely take you back to the real world."
Thinking he had finally given up, a faint smile appeared on Ruan Qingqing's pale face.
"All you have to do is silently will it, and you'll—"
But the next second, the smile on her lips froze.
Ji Mu reached up, tore the pendant from his chest, and flung it away without a mont's hesitation. The glowing charm traced an arc through the air before vanishing into the distant gloom.
"Silly goose, If you have the courage to die, why don't you have the courage to live?"
He clenched his fists and struck the invisible wall once again.
Bang—
Bang—
Bang—
The shockwaves from each blow rippled outward. The barrier, once intangible, now trembled, as if it had gained substance. It was no longer the untouchable void it had been.
With the final strike, the wall of air shattered like fragile glass. A crisp crack echoed as the shards scattered and dissolved into specks of light that vanished into the air.
Lowering his bloodied, mangled hands, Ji Mu stepped through the breach in the barrier.
Without the pendant's protection, his once light steps instantly grew heavy.
It felt as though invisible gravity were pressing in from all directions, crushing his bones and organs, each step draining what little strength he had left.
"Cough."
He forced himself forward, thick blood dripping from his fingertips with every movent.
With each step he took, a vivid crimson pool was left behind.
Ruan Qingqing trembled violently.
"Don't you realize you'll die too if you keep going like this?!"
Staring at the approaching figure, she scread, "Stop! Mu Mu, don't co any closer!"
She didn't understand; truly couldn't understand.
Why would soone go this far for her?
She wasn't worth it. Not even close.
Tears welled in her eyes as she whispered pleadingly, "Please… don't co any closer..."
...
"Mu Mu, I'm a curse. Why would you try to save soone like ?"
"Because you're my silly goose."
...
"But I'm not that silly girl anymore. I've changed. I've beco sothing terrifying."
"That's okay. As long as you're still my silly goose, that's enough."
...
"It's really scary. So scary that I might hurt you in the future."
"That's fine. Just leave enough life to hang on to."
...
Ruan Qingqing bit her lower lip, tears silently streaming down her face.
After a long pause, she forced out a whisper through clenched teeth.
"...what if I end up doing sothing against your will?"
Ji Mu panted heavily, his breath coming in ragged gasps. "If you want to, then do it."
Despite his trembling legs, he kept moving forward.
"You don't need to worry about ."
You're not a puppet. You don't belong to anyone. So...
Just stay true to yourself.
Ruan Qingqing lowered her gaze, understanding the deeper aning behind his words.
Monts later, a tall, slender figure cast a shadow that gently enveloped her.
"Silly goose."
It was just like that day long ago when a lonely little girl t a boy at the mouth of an alley.
Ruan Qingqing lifted her head and t a pair of amber eyes.
"I've co to stand before you."
Her heart trembled.
mories of her ti with the boy, once beautiful monts, fell like rain, soaking into the barren soil of her heart.
In an instant, tiny green seeds took root and sprouted, breaking through the earth and breathing life into the wasteland until it beca a sea of vibrant green.
"Now, look at properly and answer that question again."
The gaze that t hers seed to burn away the lingering darkness and sha within her. Instinctively, Ruan Qingqing turned her eyes away, unable to face it.
She forced a casual tone and joked, trying her best to ignore the sting rising in her nose.
"You really don't want to die that badly, huh, Mu Mu?"
Ji Mu frowned, his chest rising and falling unevenly. "Don't talk like that. Stop talking about dying."
Ruan Qingqing let out a soft laugh.
"But I'm seriously asking you."
Seeing the boy's slightly shaken expression, she felt happy, if only a little.
"If I disappeared from this world, would it hurt you?"
"Don't say that."
"No, I want to say it."
Ruan Qingqing pressed further, unwilling to let up.
"So, would you feel heartache or not?"
She admitted that when she saw the boy break through the barrier without hesitation, staggering yet determined as he walked toward her, her long-dead heart started beating again… for him.
But it wasn't enough.
She wanted more. She still wanted more.
She wanted to see sothing—anything—other than his usual calm, indifferent expression.
As he remained silent, a mischievous thought stirred in her chest. On the surface, though, she feigned sorrow and let out a soft, pitiful sigh.
"Forget it. You probably wouldn't have anyway. After all, with one less troublemaker like in the world, Mu Mu would finally have peace."
"Don't say that!"
His raised voice cut through her feigned murmuring.
Drip—
With a trembling breath, a cold droplet landed on the back of her hand.
In front of her, a crystal-clear tear slid down from the corner of the boy's eye. His thick lashes were soaked and clung together, making him look like a big, abandoned puppy left out in the rain.
She had never seen this tone or expression on him before.
Ruan Qingqing froze instantly.
"Stop saying that..."
Ji Mu reached out and gently brushed his fingertips against her pale face.
Cracks, irregular and jagged, spread beneath her skin, marring her once-flawless complexion.
They were as fine as strands of hair, yet etched deep and clear as if carrying a lifeti of pain.
"Please... don't say any more..."
It was him; he hadn't protected her.
It was him; he hadn't protected his twenty-five million.
Ji Mu's eyes grew redder and redder.
The emotions he had nowhere to release could no longer be held back.
He leaned down, closing the distance between them once more.
"Right now..."
He pulled her gently into his arms.
He closed his eyes and held her close, feeling the warmth of her soft body against his.
His voice was already hoarse.
"It hurts so much."
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