Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

The appearance of Jia Zhang made Li Xiangqian feel uneasy. His breathing became a little short and his feet were a little at a loss. He never thought that he would see her again in this situation. When he saw her again, Li Xiangqian's heart was not as calm as he imagined.

"Jia Zhang." Li Xiangqian's voice was low and hoarse. He stopped and looked away, not daring to look directly into her eyes. He knew that he could not avoid this moment no matter what.

Jia Zhang did not respond immediately. Her eyes seemed a little confused, and her eyes curved slightly, revealing a long-lost tenderness. That look seemed to be able to penetrate everything, evoking the long-dormant memories in his heart. At that time, his and her world was as simple as a book in his hand, and every page revealed new hopes and new dreams.

However, everything today is no longer a chapter in that book. Reality is ruthless and more suffocating than any dream.

"You are still here." Jia Zhang said softly, her tone a little gloomy, as if she was stating a simple fact, but also as if she was asking a question.

Li Xiangqian paused for a moment, a surge of emotions in his heart. He knew that she was not asking him why he was still here, but why he didn't leave, why he didn't escape to another place. When she said this, there was a deep sense of loss in her eyes, as if she could no longer change anything and could only stand there and look at him.

He suddenly smiled, with a kind of indifference that didn't fit the situation, "I can't leave. You know, I can never go far."

Jia Zhang was silent for a while, then took a step forward and got closer to him. Her eyes never left Li Xiangqian, as if she was trying to read something from his face.

"Have you... been hiding?" she finally asked, her voice so soft that one almost forgot what she was asking.

Li Xiangqian did not answer, but lowered his head, his eyes unconsciously moving towards the shopping bag in his hand. His heart was full of confusion and fear, as if something was preventing him from answering the question. Hiding? What was he hiding from? What was he running away from? Was it his past self, or the fate that he could not escape?

"Aren't you planning to go back?" Jia Zhang asked again, her eyes becoming a little anxious.

Go back? Li Xiangqian felt a sharp pain in his heart and his face changed slightly. He tightly grasped the shopping bag in his hand, gritted his teeth, and whispered: "Go back? Go back to where? Do you think I can go back?"

Jia Zhang's face froze, as if she was hurt by his words. Her eyes became a little confused, and her lips moved slightly, but she didn't say anything more. She pursed her lips, as if trying to control her emotions.

"I... I just think that you should stop. Stop and make a decision." Her voice was so soft that it was almost inaudible. "Li Xiangqian, you have come so far, why don't you look back?"

Li Xiangqian smiled bitterly, and an indescribable bitterness rose in his heart. Turn back? He no longer had the qualifications to turn back. No matter how he struggled, he could not change the decision he had made. All he could do was to continue moving forward and continue to escape from the world that had once caused him pain.

"Stop?" He repeated the word in a low voice, with a hint of fatigue in his eyes. "If I could stop, I would have stopped long ago." When he said this, his tone was almost self-deprecating, like a silent sigh for his own fate.

There was a flash of pain in Jia Zhang's eyes, but she said nothing more. She just stood there, like a statue oppressed by time, looking at him quietly, as if trying to find the answer from his eyes. However, Li Xiangqian's eyes did not give her an answer, only deep helplessness and emptiness.

"I really hope you can stop," Jia Zhang said softly, "Li Xiangqian, it's time for you to take a break."

Li Xiangqian did not respond. His heart was empty, like a desert blown away by the wind, lifeless. He knew that he could not stop, nor could he go back to the past. No matter what Jia Zhang said or did, he could only bear it silently and keep going.

At that moment, Li Xiangqian just wanted to turn around and leave, no longer paying attention to anyone's gaze. He couldn't stay in this place, because this place no longer belonged to him. His heart had been thrown on the road of no return, and all his emotions dissipated at this moment.

However, just as he was about to turn around and leave, Jia Zhang said, "If you really leave, I will never see you again."

This sentence was like a sharp knife, piercing Li Xiangqian's heart mercilessly. His steps froze instantly, and his mind was suddenly filled with intense pain. His hands unconsciously tightened the shopping bag, and he could almost hear the sound of his own heartbeat.

Li Xiangqian's heart suddenly sank, as if something heavy was pressing down on him. He loosened his hands on the shopping bag, which made a slight sound, as if warning him not to move forward. Jia Zhang's words came from behind, softly, but with a deep meaning that could not be ignored: "What are you doing?"

This question was like a bolt of lightning, splitting the haze deep in his heart. Li Xiangqian's thoughts were in a mess, and countless fragments emerged in his mind - escape, cover-up, secret plan... He almost didn't dare to look back at Jia Zhang, because he knew that she would be able to see something from his eyes.

"I..." Li Xiangqian's voice was a little hoarse. He stopped where he was, feeling the ground beneath his feet seem to be shaking slightly. "I am alive."

This sentence seemed like the answer he had been avoiding for a long time, and also like a helpless way for him to defend himself. He knew very well that this simple answer might not make any sense, but it was the only response he could give.

Jia Zhang still stood there, looking at him silently. Her eyes were deep, as if they could see through everything about him, but they also carried an inexplicable pity. Her gaze did not leave him, as if she was trying to find some answer she expected from his eyes, even though she knew that the answer did not exist.

"Alive?" Jia Zhang repeated what she had just heard, her tone calm but with a hint of coldness, "Li Xiangqian, have you ever thought about what the meaning of your life is?"

Li Xiangqian's mind went blank for a moment, and he subconsciously took two steps back to avoid looking into her eyes. His heart felt like it was being tightly grasped, and every beat was filled with pain. He knew that he had never really thought about this question, or rather, he was not qualified to think about it. Because he didn't know how far his life had gone from what it had been before, and he couldn't even see his future clearly.