Which way to go is the road?

At 8 a.m. the next morning, Xiang Fei finally woke up from a deep sleep, having been exhausted the night before. As soon as his electronic watch chimed, Xiang Fei sat up abruptly. The movement was so fast that he felt slightly dizzy due to insufficient blood supply to his head. After calming himself down, he put on his clothes, washed up quickly, and left the basement.

As they entered the hospital, they ran into Qian Luomei and Dong Lu, who were walking out. They had played games all day yesterday, and staring at the computer screen was tiring enough; they had stayed up all night, looking utterly exhausted. But for some reason, when they glanced at Xiang Fei, they couldn't help but laugh.

"You two look exhausted, go back to sleep! How can you still be laughing? Who's taking care of you in the hospital now?"

"Bai Xue just arrived, and the girl has woken up! She can manage on her own. Why don't you come over this afternoon?" Qian Luomei stopped smiling and said seriously.

"The life I saved with my own hands has now been reborn, so of course I, as the savior, have to show up! Besides, two people are always better than one to take care of it!" Xiang Fei's pride and smugness were evident in his words.

"No, it's mainly about you..." Dong Lu started to say something but was stopped by Qian Luomei, who pulled her outside while saying goodbye to Xiang Fei, "Then you go ahead, we'll head back first!"

"No, what was Dong Lu trying to say? Let her finish!" Xiang Fei sensed something was wrong, but couldn't pinpoint the problem.

"Yes, what were you trying to say? I'm so tired, I just wanted to drag you back to rest early!" Qian Luomei hooked her arm around Dong Lu's and gave her a meaningful look from an angle where Xiang Fei couldn't see her!

"It's nothing, go ahead and watch if you want! We're going back to rest, you can watch it at your leisure." After saying that, Dong Lu and the two walked hand in hand, chatting and laughing, towards the parking lot.

Xiang Fei didn't care about anything else and stepped into the hospital. He arrived at the ward he remembered from last night but couldn't find the ghost woman. Strange, could he have gone to the wrong place? Xiang Fei left the ward and looked around. He was sure he was in the right place. He just couldn't figure it out! Just as he was wondering, he saw Bai Xue carrying a basin walking down the corridor and quickly went over to her.

"Snow White, what happened to the girl who tried to commit suicide yesterday?"

"Isn't he in the ward? He was just here!" Bai Xue walked into the ward with a question in her mind, glanced at him, and smiled, "Isn't he here?"

Xiang Fei followed Bai Xue into the ward and saw a girl in the direction Bai Xue pointed. However, she was completely different from the ghost girl in his memory. Upon closer inspection, although the few strands of red and green hair were still there, the exaggerated nose ring and earrings were gone, as was the smoky makeup. In their place was a face that, although haggard, was clean and beautiful. Her skin was not very fair, but that did not detract from the fact that she was a beauty.

"You're the ghost woman? How is that possible?"

"How can you talk like that? I have a name, Zhang Chu. Zhang is the bow and the long arrow, and Chu is the charming and lovely one. Don't call me a ghost girl!" Bai Xue scolded playfully.

"Don't you know her name? Hello, beautiful lady, my name is Xiang Fei, we're neighbors!" Xiang Fei was using handshakes more and more often, and he was getting more and more used to it.

The girl still seemed a little weak. She slowly extended her right hand and gently shook it: "You're Xiang Fei, the one who saved me?"

"Doesn't it look like it?"

"No, he's just not as handsome as I imagined... Just kidding! But what's wrong with your hair? It's so funny!" Zhang Chu actually laughed, like a forsythia blooming on his face.

Xiang Fei didn't take Zhang Chu's words to heart. The fact that she could joke meant that she wouldn't continue to think negatively. However, when the topic turned to hair, Xiang Fei suddenly realized that he hadn't looked in the mirror, washed his hair, or combed it that morning because he was in a hurry. Wouldn't he look terrible? He turned around and asked Bai Xue to take a look at him.

"I didn't notice it just now, but your hair is really unique, growing straight up, as if you want to fly!" Bai Xue giggled, covering her mouth with her hand.

"Where's the restroom? I need to find one. This whole morning's been a joke. I was wondering why Sister Luomei and Dong Lu kept laughing whenever they saw me. Those two rascals didn't even tell me!"

Bai Xue hurriedly led Xiang Fei to the bathroom, muttering as she went, which made Zhang Chu on the hospital bed shake her head and smile helplessly. But then the light on her face dimmed again. She turned to the side and pulled open the curtains, letting in a few beams of sunlight that shone on her face and body, and into the dark corners of her heart, sweeping away the musty smell that the basement had brought her!

Xiang Fei followed Bai Xue to the restroom and saw his ridiculous reflection in the mirror next to the public sink. He tried to pat and cover himself with his hands, but he couldn't get the reflection down.

"Hey, Xiang Fei, you can't press it down like this. Use some water, okay!"

Xiang Fei did as instructed, but that small tuft of hair was very stubborn and wouldn't obey.

"I have a way, do you want to use it?" Bai Xue blinked mischievously and asked with a smile.

"Use it! My image is the most important thing right now, hurry up!"

Bai Xue brought her hand close to her mouth, spat, rubbed the saliva in her hands together, and was about to smear it on Xiang Fei's head!

"Wait—wait, Bai Xue, look at you, such a beautiful and refined woman. This behavior is not like you. I won't use this method anymore, really, I won't!" Xiang Fei dodged left and right, refusing to give in.

"So you're going to keep your hair standing on end like that all day? It'll be hilarious! Don't worry, nobody sees, hurry up!"

"No, I have a way!"

After Xiang Fei finished speaking, he turned on the tap, stuck his head into the sink and rinsed it thoroughly. After wiping himself with his coat, the problem was solved! Bai Xue rubbed her hands, unwilling to give up. Taking advantage of Xiang Fei's inattention, she smeared all her saliva on him, smiled triumphantly, and walked towards the ward.

Bai Xue's outburst didn't actually lower Xiang Fei's opinion of her. On the contrary, he felt that even though Bai Xue was beautiful, she was beautiful in a real and down-to-earth way, unlike some girls who, even if they are slightly pretty, like to put on airs and always feel that others have ulterior motives towards them! However, what Xiang Fei didn't know was that if a pretty girl treats a boy like this, she actually has a strong liking for him deep down, just waiting for an opportunity to develop it.

Back in the ward, Xiang Fei stood in front of Zhang Chu again: "How is it? Not so bad, right?"

"Not bad looking, quite handsome!" Zhang Chu, devoid of his earlier playfulness, spoke each word calmly and gently: "Thank you, Xiang Fei! Actually, after taking the sleeping pills yesterday, I regretted it not long afterward, but the pills worked... Without you, I probably would have really said goodbye to this world!"

"Silly girl, the bigger the trouble you face, the more you need to cherish and protect yourself. Life is only once, it's such a waste to waste it like this! Look at me, I was determined to go to university, but I failed the college entrance exam three times, and I was heartbroken! But you can't give up on yourself just because of one setback. Later, I went to Yandu and met Bai Xue, Dong Lu, Sister Luo Mei, and Lao You, and I felt like I had started a new chapter in my life and entered a whole new world! The key is to break free from your current predicament and not be misled by what's in front of you. Life has length, height, and depth, and most importantly, there's the warmth from family, friends, and even strangers. All of these are worth continuing your life in, living a rich, colorful, and fulfilling life!"

Zhang Chu listened attentively, and Xiang Fei became more and more enthusiastic as he spoke.

"Suicide may allow one to escape their current predicament, but what is the point of escape if one loses the foundation of life? It takes eighteen years for a person to become an adult, to develop a complete mind, and to begin their colorful life. Life is a mixture of sweet, sour, bitter, spicy, and salty flavors; one must taste them all. Even sweet things become tiresome after a while, while sour, bitter, spicy, and salty flavors may cause grimaces while being eaten, they are worth savoring afterwards. There is no need to dwell on the past. Growth inevitably comes at a price. What seems insurmountable at the moment will seem insignificant in retrospect once it has passed!..."

Xiang Fei had originally intended to offer some words of comfort, but seeing Zhang Chu's pale and vulnerable face, and reflecting on his own experience, he was unexpectedly overwhelmed with many insights. He spoke as he thought, and couldn't stop speaking. Not only did Zhang Chu find it very insightful, nodding repeatedly, but Bai Xue was also captivated. Even the others in the ward stopped what they were doing to listen attentively to Xiang Fei's inspirational speech. Xiang Fei, however, was oblivious to all this, continuing his self-indulgent performance. When he finished, everyone applauded. Xiang Fei blushed and humbly clasped his hands in greeting.

"That's so well said! Now I won't have a reason to commit suicide anymore. Don't worry! I won't do anything foolish again. The old Zhang Chu died yesterday; the Zhang Chu in front of you today is a completely new Zhang Chu!"

"It's great that you think that way! Keep it up!" Not only did Zhang Chu's mood brighten, but Xiang Fei's heart also felt like a window had opened, receiving a gentle breeze and light rain. Giving roses leaves a lingering fragrance, after all.

"Hey, Xiang Fei, why do you have so many ideas? You always have a whole set of them." Bai Xue asked, resting her chin on her hand and blinking her bright, sparkling eyes.

"Don't let your emotions control you when things happen. Think things through, write down your thoughts, and review them regularly. Make it a habit! You'll naturally have more ideas and thoughts!"

"Xiang Fei, it's a pity you didn't go to university. You're so thoughtful and insightful; you could have done so many things!" Bai Xue said regretfully.

"The university won't accept me!" The topic always felt heavy for Xiang Fei, so he quickly changed the subject: "By the way, Zhang Chu, I've moved all the important things from your basement to my place. After all, I broke your room door, and it would be troublesome if someone stole them!"

"Actually, I don't need those things. Like you said, I also want to break free from the old constraints and enter a new life!" Zhang Chu's eyes regained their brilliance, and he had gained more maturity after the hardships.

"Alright then!..." Xiang Fei stopped himself from saying the words he was about to say and casually flicked his hand.

"Go ahead and ask!"

"What do you want to ask? I don't have anything to ask!"

"I know you're all wondering why I'm so upset, and you all want to ask but are too embarrassed to ask. It's okay, I've thought it through! Maybe only by talking about it can I let go and enter a new world, a new life!"

"Let's forget about it. We can talk about it after you're discharged from the hospital. There's no rush!" Bai Xue said, seeing Xiang Fei's troubled expression.

"Okay, I'll tell you myself. Xiang Fei, you probably already know, that basement apartment was rented by my boyfriend and me, but now he's run away, he's escaped!"

"Why run away? Why are you running away?" Bai Xue asked, puzzled.

"It was about running away. We're both from Sichuan. My boyfriend—no, my ex-boyfriend—was my high school classmate. His name was Wu Xiaobo, but he later adopted the stage name Yuandian. He was a music student, but his academic performance was terrible, and he could never get into university! To be with him, I deliberately failed the college entrance exam too! You wouldn't believe it, he's tall and handsome, loves playing basketball, and is also a great guitarist! How could a girl like me resist him!"

"It's not just you; very few girls can resist handsome men. That's what they call 'women can't resist handsome guys'!"

Xiang Fei glared at Bai Xue, signaling her not to disturb Zhang Chu. Bai Xue stuck out her tongue and gestured for Zhang Chu to continue. Zhang Chu didn't mind and smiled tolerantly.

"Wu Xiaobo's family isn't well-off. His parents were laid-off workers from the supply and marketing cooperative and lived in a bungalow area in the city. His mother has diabetes, and they can barely make ends meet! My family runs a business, so we're relatively well-off. My parents are firmly against us being together and even said they would sever all family ties if I were with him!"

As Zhang Chu spoke, he smiled bitterly, paused, looked out the window, and a few tears fell. He quickly wiped them away with his hand and continued his story.

"Doesn't it sound like a scene from a TV drama? But when it happens to you, it's even more thrilling and heartbreaking than watching TV! Later, I didn't think too much about it and followed him to Yandu. The process was tortuous, but the story was uneventful. Anyway, in the end, we ended up like this! But I've always felt very happy. We live in poor conditions, eat poor conditions, and dress poorly, but we're together! Others need to drive Mercedes-Benz and BMWs and stay in five-star hotels to feel happy, but we find even instant noodles with an egg delicious; others enjoy romantic candlelight dinners, but we're street performers, singing and playing our own instruments, and we're still dashing... So what if our happiness cost is low? Isn't happiness just about finding joy in simple things?"

Zhang Chu paused again, subconsciously reaching out to touch something. When he saw his hospital gown, he stopped, gave an embarrassed smile, and shook his hand, as if trying to shake off the unpleasantness and disappointment of the past.

"I was content with my life, but Wu Xiaobo always complained and would occasionally lose his temper. I always felt that my career wasn't going well, and I could let him vent his anger; life had to go on! But a week ago, I went out to pay my phone bill, and when I came back, he was nowhere to be found. He left a note saying that he had accomplished nothing, that being with me was too much pressure, and that it was ruining my life, etc., leaving me behind and disappearing! I looked for him for a whole week, but his phone was off, and he was nowhere to be found in the places we usually went. Every day I was alone in the cold basement, and I was going crazy! I was too ashamed to go home, so I decided to end it all and make that bastard regret it for the rest of his life!"

Xiang Fei and Bai Xue looked at each other, unsure how to persuade Zhang Chu. Xiang Fei thought of something and was about to speak when Zhang Chu's words cut him off.

"But I've also figured it out. We're just not compatible. To put it nicely, Wu Xiaobo is an ambitious person; to put it bluntly, his desires for his career and life are too great, even to the point of being abnormal. He doesn't want to settle down and live a good life, to delve into music. He's always anxious and preoccupied with fame and fortune! If we continue to be together, whether he succeeds or fails, I won't get the happiness I want! So I'm saying goodbye to him. Goodbye Wu Xiaobo, goodbye bastard, even if you come back, you're not my type!"

Xiang Fei and Bai Xue exchanged surprised glances and simultaneously gave Zhang Chu a thumbs up.