Bengtie: My death fueled their madness.

"Let me offer you a bowl first."

Qi Zhimu put down the wine jar, picked up the bowl, and drank it all in one gulp.

Long Jing couldn't figure it out for the time being, so she simply stopped thinking about it and drank it all in one gulp.

"Forty-odd years have passed in the blink of an eye... You're still so young, I really envy those who live forever..."

"You haven't changed much since nine years ago. Besides, I'm not an immortal being." Qi Zhimu poured the wine again.

"That's true. Even I can maintain my youthful appearance through cosmetic procedures. You, the miracle doctor, must have even more methods. It's a pity you don't sell them to the public," Long Jing said regretfully.

Qi Zhimu didn't respond, but raised his bowl in a gesture of respect.

The rims of the bowls collided, making a crisp sound.

"happy!"

Long Jing wiped the corner of his mouth, revealing a satisfied expression.

"Hey Lao Qi, did you sense I was about to die, that's why you're willing to bring out this plum blossom wine?"

"..." This time it was Qi Zhimu's turn to be stunned.

Not receiving a reply, and without paying close attention to his expression, Long Jing assumed it was a tacit agreement and continued talking to herself.

"I didn't come to you for my medicine last year because I felt it wasn't necessary..."

"I don't want to continue to suffer the bitter consequences left by human efforts to extend lifespan. Having lived to 336 years old, I've endured the bitterness for 247 years. I'm tired."

"Oh, I should be more precise, 204 years."

After all, after finding Qi Zhimu, his medicine allowed her to live peacefully for 43 years.

What good is being a senior executive at a company, one of the ten most trusted people at Shixin, and enjoying immense prestige?

The excruciating pain, like a thousand ants gnawing at your heart, that occurs in the dead of night is something only you truly understand.

"...I'm sorry, but I'm powerless to intervene in matters involving the power of abundant destiny," Qi Zhimu sighed.

"Hey, I didn't come here to hear your apology."

Long Jing took a swig of wine with a sigh, as if talking to himself:

"Such a large company, even the custody order executor couldn't do anything about it, but you were able to solve the problem. That's pretty impressive, Lao Qi."

"I've come today to say goodbye. Waiting to die is not my style. I've already chosen my own day."

"I have no regrets about being able to drink your most treasured wine before I die."

"The company is rife with backstabbing and intrigue; countless people are hoping you'll make a mistake, and it's a cutthroat competition..."

"Now I understand why you chose to live in seclusion in the mountains for peace and quiet. You don't have to be on guard against sneak attacks all the time, nor do you have to worry about the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands or even millions of people under your command. That's wonderful."

"I'm so tired, Lao Qi... I've gone through my entire contact list, but I can't find a single friend I can confide in... haha..."

"So before I die, I've shamelessly come to find you."

"I think that even if the legendary doctor Qi Zhimu doesn't consider me a friend, I'm at least someone I can confide in."

"Listening to patients who have lived a life of loneliness recount their emotional struggles is also part of a doctor's duty, wouldn't you agree?"

"..." Qi Zhimu remained silent, only refilling Long Jing's wine and listening quietly.

He did not deny one of Long Jing's statements.

Between friends and patients, Long Jing is the latter in his relationship, an equal one where each person has their own needs.

He gave Long Jing medication to suppress her pain, and Long Jing used her position to do important things for him. That was all; there was no further interaction between them.

But at this moment, Long Jing is a friend.

Friendships between men often don't need much preparation.

"My parents died young; they were beaten to death..."

"To support me when I was just over 11 years old, they stole and robbed, eventually getting into trouble with some tough guys..."

"The world would have lost all order then; might makes right."

"I killed those people to avenge my parents, and to prevent future trouble, I burned everything down, not even sparing some children younger than me..."

"I was going to die anyway, but a blind woman saved me."

"When the company's people arrived, I signed the contract without hesitation, and from then on I worked my butt off to climb the ladder."

"Because I know that only by climbing to a higher level can I control my own destiny."

"In fact, I did manage to do it, but looking back now, I find that all I've left behind is a mess, even a sorry state, haha..."

"You might think I'm being sentimental, but I still have to say that from the moment the blind woman who saved me died in front of me, the real me should have died at that time as well."

"I didn't have a chance to tell her I liked her, loved her, or wanted to marry her..."

"I promised her... I promised her..."

"I want to take her all over the Milky Way. Before her eyes are healed, I will become her eyes and show her countless beautiful sights."

"But I stood you up, hahaha—"

"The story is cliché, right? But that's my life. I'm a success, and I'm also a complete failure."

"In old age, people desperately seek ways to prolong their lives, simply because they are unwilling to accept their own failure and die like that."

"...Now I see things clearly, Lao Qi."

"I have donated all my wealth to those worlds as turbulent as my homeland, and I am going to find her without any worries."

"But... so many years have passed, she's long gone, she wouldn't be waiting for me, would she...?"

Qi Zhimu lowered his eyes, offering no comment and feeling he had no right to comment.

The only thing I can empathize with is the suffering I experienced in my childhood.

"...At the crossroads of fate, I was a little luckier than you."

"Tell me about it?"

"When I was about to die in a pile of rotting corpses, my teacher took me back. Unlike the blind woman you described, she was a very capable biologist."

"Are the things you send out every year just for your teacher?"

"Yes."

"You're definitely luckier than me; at least you have no regrets." Long Jing, whether laughing or crying, tilted his head back and downed his drink without any regard for his image.

Qi Zhimu's lips twitched slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he just slowly closed his eyes.

Compared to Long Jing's experience, what regret is it that he couldn't persuade his teacher?

Why?

My heart suddenly ached terribly, as if someone had pierced my chest with their bare hands and was tightly squeezing my beating heart.

Some extremely blurry fragments flashed through my mind, causing unbearable pain.

I can't see it... I can't see anything at all.

"Dragon Crystal".

"Um?"

"Just like you, I've also chosen a date for myself."

"Could it be that you...?"

"Yes, your lifespan is coming to an end, you don't have many days left to live. That's actually why I served you plum blossom wine."

Long Jing stared blankly at Qi Zhimu, whose expression was calm, and after a long while, she burst out laughing.

"That stingy old man, he only takes out the good wine he usually treasures when he's about to die."

"You're the same; you only think of doing good deeds when you're about to die, and you donate all your belongings."

"Haha, that's true."

Long Jing laughed loudly at first, then slowly composed herself and asked seriously, "So, how many days left?"

"That day of great cold."

"Hey, I arrived a day earlier than you, but now neither of us can see the other off."

"I have no regrets about saying goodbye today."

"That's true, but Lao Qi, why do you no longer have any attachment to this world? Don't you have any regrets?"

"It is precisely because there are no regrets that there is no lingering attachment."

"So this is what a doctor who's seen through life and death is like... Fine, bottoms up, friend!"

Life may be long or short, but it always passes by in a hurry, and many people don't even have time to say goodbye.

But at least these two old men, whose friendship lasted only half a day, can say goodbye to each other today.