My whole family is the protagonist, and I am the only cannon fodder!

But these are no longer possible.

All his previous ideas were shattered. He couldn't even hold up the ring and ask earnestly, "Lu Zaozao, after all these years, do you still like me? Have you fallen in love with someone else?"

He stared at the ring on his finger knuckle with vicious eyes. Love and hate became the same thing, constantly expanding and fermenting in his body, stretching his entire chest to the point of exploding and making him feel like he was dying of pain.

But Xie Huinian didn't know who to hate. Who should he hate?

Lu died early, and along with it, the most important part of Xie Huinian's body also died.

For a long time, he was unwilling to accept the truth of Lu's early death - even though he knew better than anyone else that it was true - no one knew better than him that it was true.

It's just that he doesn't want to believe it. He has never been willing to believe it, and he is trapped in a kind of stubborn obsession.

"I don't dare, nor do I want to believe that the news of your death is true, so I always try my best to avoid this issue. As long as I don't think about it, I will pretend that you are still alive and well, just separated from me by a great distance, and it takes me some time and energy to see you."

Apart from visiting his grandfather Jiang Ming, he actually didn't want to go back to Lincheng. He rejected all the high school reunions and his alma mater's invitations to return to the school to give a speech without any hesitation.

It was actually a long time later that he found out the cause of Lu Zaozao's death: a car accident.

At that time, Xie Huinian's mind was already shaken by the two heavy-meaning words "death", and he didn't dare to look at any other information carefully. After a long time, he was finally able to convince himself that Lu Zaozao had really passed away.

It's not like we're separated by an ocean, a phone line that can't be reached, or a time difference of several hours.

But it is separated by yin and yang, the distance between life and death.

He finally could no longer deceive himself in panic.

Lu Zaozao's death initially caused a huge stir, generating widespread public opinion, but it was only temporary. It was simply because she was a member of the Lu family, the daughter of Lu Aotian and Shen Xingyao. As for her, she was quite ordinary and dull, with little to discover. Therefore, the matter quickly died down, and few people were willing to continue discussing it.

Those group chats have fallen silent again, like stones that have sunk to the bottom of the river, with no more waves.

Only then did Xie Huinian feel willing to open the news that had long been outdated and long-ago, carefully browsing through it bit by bit. With every bit he read, Xie Huinian's brows furrowed deeper.

In such a serious car accident, Lu Zaozao was the only one who died. Her body was covered in blood and flesh. Xie Huanian wondered, "Lu Zaozao, are you in pain?" — He had always wanted to ask Lu Zaozao, "Are you in pain?" over the years.

It seemed as if asking would make him feel better, as if asking would transfer the pain to him. He wished so much that the pain would transfer to him. That was why he would always ask Lu Zaozao that question in his dreams.

In the third year, the third year after Lu Zaozao's death, he saw Lu Zaozao again. "I finally saw you again at your grave. It was the third year after your death. The weather was really hot that day, did you know? It was the hottest summer season of the year."

Xie Huinian smiled at Lu Zaozao and gently wiped away the tears from the corners of Lu Zaozao's eyes.