Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

"Why do you ask that?" Li Xiangqian said with a wry smile, "You know I'm not the kind of person who can give you an answer."

Jia Zhang was slightly stunned when she heard this, as if she didn't expect him to say that. Her eyes became deeper, as if she was looking at a stranger who no longer belonged to her.

"What are you running away from?" She asked softly, with a tone that was almost gentle but also pressing. Her eyes were no longer gentle, but mixed with doubt and anxiety.

Li Xiangqian felt a sharp pain. He didn't want to answer this question anymore, because no matter what answer he gave, she couldn't understand. Moreover, the word escape had become vague to him. He didn't know what he was running away from, but he knew that no matter where he went, there were things he couldn't avoid, like heavy chains, locking his steps tightly.

"Escape?" Li Xiangqian sneered, "If escape was useful, I would have hidden myself at the ends of the earth and would not be standing here."

"Do you really think you can escape if you say that?" Jia Zhang suddenly raised her voice, a trace of anger flashed in her eyes, as if silently accusing him, "Do you think you can escape from yourself and the past?"

Li Xiangqian's heart trembled suddenly, and the pain made him almost unable to stand. He closed his eyes, as if he didn't want her to see his inner struggle. "I can't escape, you know? But I can't stop. Stopping means death." He finished speaking, with a hint of helplessness in his tone, as if he was talking to himself, and as if he was explaining it to her.

Jia Zhang was stunned for a moment, her eyes softened, but there was still an unspeakable pain. "You said you can't escape, but are you running away from yourself? Li Xiangqian, do you really think you are living? Every step you take, are you really living for yourself?"

Li Xiangqian was speechless, and his heart was at a loss. Yes, did he really understand what he was doing? Was every decision and every action he made really for his own survival, or was it just because of an instinct for survival, or an irresistible fate?

He suddenly felt a little suffocated, as if the air had become heavy and could not enter through his chest. He took a deep breath, and the scene in front of him seemed to begin to blur, and the sound began to become distant. The unspeakable heaviness was like a mountain, pressing him so hard that he could not breathe.

"What do you want me to do so that I can stop running away?" Li Xiangqian asked in a low voice, with a hint of fatigue in his voice. "Tell me, what should I do?"

Jia Zhang didn't answer her immediately, but slowly walked a few steps closer and stopped in front of him. Her eyes became soft, but there was still an unconcealable worry in them. She whispered, "Li Xiangqian, escaping may make you forget the pain temporarily, but you will eventually understand that the pain is just hiding behind you, waiting for you to face it. If you don't face it, it will never disappear."

Li Xiangqian's face turned pale, and he felt an inexplicable tremor in his heart. Her words were like a knife, cutting his numb skin bit by bit, making him feel the heavy pain again. He slowly raised his head and stared into Jia Zhang's eyes, suddenly feeling a little confused: "I don't know what to do, I really don't know."

Jia Zhang looked at him with a trace of pity in her eyes, but she said nothing more. She just sighed softly, as if she felt helpless and as if she had given up something. Then, she turned and walked towards a car not far away. The car's engine had begun to roar, and a faint beam of light shone through the car window.

"I'm leaving." She looked back at Li Xiangqian and said with a hint of determination, "Take care of yourself."

Li Xiangqian stood there, watching her go, until her figure disappeared in the distance. The emotions in his heart became more complicated, as if he had been torn into pieces and could no longer be put back together. He did not chase her again, but stood there, letting the wind blow on his face, his heart filled with endless emptiness.

He knew that he still couldn't escape, and no matter what, he had to keep moving forward.

Li Xiangqian stood there, watching Jia Zhang gradually disappear from his sight. The heaviness in his heart did not ease because of her departure, but was like a surging tide, becoming increasingly difficult to contain. Her figure disappeared in the shadow of the car in the distance, but Li Xiangqian's footsteps remained unchanged. He stood quietly, his heart empty, like a discarded stone, letting the wind blow, but unable to find a place to rest.

However, suddenly, he felt something inside him being torn apart. His lips trembled slightly, and he murmured in a low voice: "I really should tell you something."

This thought was like a flash of lightning, splitting all of Li Xiangqian's thoughts and instantly freezing his whole body. The words were almost squeezed out from the depths of his throat. For some reason, those unspeakable truths and those long-suppressed emotions seemed to be suddenly released at this moment. He raised his head and looked at the empty street in front of him, and the figure of Jia Zhang unconsciously emerged in his mind. When she asked him those questions, the worry and expectation hidden in her eyes deeply hurt him.

What should he tell her, the secrets from his past or the pain he never spoke of?

Li Xiangqian's thoughts returned to that dark night. At that time, he made a choice, and that choice pushed him to the path he is on now. Many years of escape had long made him lose the courage to face the past. Every time, he told himself that everything was in the past and no longer important. However, why was he so unable to resist the guilt and confusion when Jia Zhang's eyes were fixed on him?

"Why didn't I tell you?" Li Xiangqian whispered to himself, as if he was asking himself, or as if he was asking someone else.

He did not look back at Jia Zhang's car. He knew that what he needed most now was to calm down and think clearly about his next move. But why did he feel powerless again, as if all his strength had been drained away?

At this moment, suddenly, a cell phone ring broke the silence. Li Xiangqian took out his cell phone from his pocket, and a strange number appeared on the screen. He hesitated for a moment, and finally pressed the answer button.

"Hello." Li Xiangqian's voice was low, with a hint of unconscious fatigue.

There was silence on the other end of the line for a few seconds, and then a slightly anxious voice came: "Li Xiangqian, it's me."

Li Xiangqian was stunned for a moment, and then his heartbeat quickened. He asked anxiously, "Why did you make this call?"