Fog Returns to the Capital

Chapter 115 Let's call it even
……

The night was boundless, like an indelible ink.

The dim, yellow light of the streetlights poured down quietly. Zhou Jinghuai stepped out of the car, as if he had walked out of a dream, with an unreal, surreal feeling.

It was like a dream.

As he drew closer, that sense of illusion gradually became tangible.

Li Wu hadn't seen him for a while. Seeing him suddenly, she was at a loss for words.

There was a pause.

Li Wu greeted him first, "Are you eating here too?"

"What do you say?"

Zhou Jinghuai looked down at her, his tone no different from before, as if to say that she was asking a question she already knew the answer to.

"..."

Li Wu's expression froze slightly.

She then lowered her head and remained silent.

She never seemed to be able to guess what he was thinking.

Under the dim, yellowish streetlights, Li Wu looked tiny. Her bulky down jacket gave her a soft, vulnerable appearance. She had also lost a lot of weight, standing there so thin she seemed as if she could be blown away by the wind at any moment.

Zhou Jinghuai felt a pang of pain in his heart, as if he had been suddenly pricked by a needle.

"I'm sorry." Zhou Jinghuai raised his hand to tidy her long hair that had been blown by the wind, and apologized in a low voice, "It was my tone that was not good just now."

“It’s alright, you don’t need to do this…” Li Wu smiled and shook her head.

As she spoke, Li Wu took a step back without making a sound, avoiding Zhou Jinghuai's contact.

Zhou Jinghuai's hand paused in mid-air for a moment, then he finally withdrew it.

"Have you felt any discomfort in your shoulder lately?" Zhou Jinghuai asked gently.

“…No.” Li Wu replied softly.

"If you feel unwell, go see a doctor right away. Don't keep putting it off because it's too much trouble. If you really don't want to go out, you can call Dr. Liu. I've already told him, and he's available whenever I call."

Zhou Jinghuai, still worried, urged, "Don't bear the pain alone. You need to change this habit. Take good care of yourself, don't let yourself suffer. There's nothing you can't handle..."

"Before I met you, I was able to take good care of myself on my own."

Li Wu suddenly spoke, interrupting Zhou Jinghuai, in a small voice, "I won't let myself suffer a loss."

Looking at the little girl with her head down in front of him, Zhou Jinghuai felt as if he had met her just yesterday, and his heart was silent for a moment.

After a long silence.

Zhou Jinghuai then said, "That would be best."

"You should also be careful yourself, and always have someone with you."

Li Wu said softly, "Your own safety is the most important thing. Don't put yourself in dangerous situations again."

Zhou Jinghuai knew that Li Wu was referring to the time he risked his life alone.

but.

Not anymore.

In his world, there would never be anyone like her again. "Walk with me for a while," Zhou Jinghuai later said.

Li Wu originally wanted to refuse, but looking at Zhou Jinghuai, she somehow ended up nodding.

She actually finds it very difficult to refuse him.

The alley was quiet at night, and the cool moonlight shone on the ground, as if a layer of hazy mist had been spread over it.

Two long shadows stretched out under the streetlights, moving slowly, leaning on each other. From a distance, they seemed to have walked together from youth to old age.

"When you were with me, did you still suffer a lot of grievances? I remember at the beginning, you were very afraid of me and apologized from time to time, even if you hadn't done anything wrong."

Zhou Jinghuai said slowly, "But now you're completely free from me. From now on, you can do whatever you want, and no one will care about you anymore."

Li Wu shook her head slightly, not caring whether Zhou Jinghuai saw it or not.

She opened her mouth, trying to use a light tone, but her throat felt a little hoarse, "...I wasn't wronged, I was just too timid."

"No one has ever been this kind to me since I was born... Meeting you is the luckiest thing that has ever happened to me."

Li Wu stared at the shadows of the two people on the ground, not daring to look up.

If it weren't for him, she wouldn't have achieved what she has today.

Perhaps she's still struggling to make ends meet in some corner of the city. After they got together, he gave her a nominally compatible status, never looking down on her and treating her with utmost respect.

She didn't blame him.

However, due to the vast distance between them, they were ultimately not on the same path.

"You showed me a wider world, and you made me a better version of myself. I will always remember you."

In the end, Li Wu's voice inevitably trembled with a sob.

Completely unable to control myself.

Zhou Jinghuai just watched her silently.

I don't know how much time passed; maybe three or five minutes, maybe an entire century.

Zhou Jinghuai then said slowly and deliberately, "Even without me, you can become a better version of yourself. If you encounter any problems in the future, don't bear them alone. If you don't want to see me, go to He Yanting and Shen Yichen; they will solve your problems."

"This statement is always true."

This statement will always hold true.

After understanding the meaning behind those words, Li Wu unconsciously clenched her hands at her sides.

"Actually, no need..."

Let's call it even.

Zhou Jinghuai looked at Li Wu, his eyes dark and unfathomable, and said, word by word.

Let's consider this a draw.

She was shot because of him, and he solved her lifelong problems.

Li Wu didn't understand how they could call it even.

But Li Wu had no intention of contacting any of them again, so she nodded gently, her voice slightly choked, "...Okay."

This is the end.

May you sit high on the bright platform, untouched by the mortal world.