reignition

Jiang Mian didn't know where she was or what day it was; she drifted in and out of sleep.

Just like the dream I had while soaking in the hotel bathtub before, it felt like a dream, but more like a forgotten memory.

Or rather, memories that shouldn't have appeared in her memory, because she was already dead at that time.

How could a dead person know what happened and what they saw afterward?

But Jiang Mian saw it in this floating dream, and it was as clear as if she had experienced it herself.

Seeing Lu Bozhou seemingly possessed, he closed the door to the memorial hall, just to spend more time alone with her.

He sat beside the crystal coffin, motionless day after day, and no one knew what he was thinking. His face was expressionless, and his eyes were filled with a desolate despair.

When Gong Yan finally knocked on the door of the memorial hall and slapped him across the face, his expression didn't change.

He watched as he personally pushed her body into the incinerator. Even Jiang Yu wouldn't dare do that, because it was too painful.

But Lu Bozhou, emaciated and dressed in a black suit, stood next to the staff and together they pushed her into the incinerator.

As soon as he came out, Song Xun was waiting beside him. Before he could say anything, Lu Bozhou's body went limp, and Song Xun hurriedly supported him.

Aside from these fleeting dreams and memories that seem both real and unreal, Jiang Mian had never seen Lu Bozhou so distraught and vulnerable in her past life of unrequited love.

At this moment, she saw this usually tough man, who could barely stand, his once jet-black hair now streaked with white at the roots…

His hair turned white overnight.

"Moor the boat!" Song Xun's voice was urgent.

Lu Bozhou raised his hand to cover his mouth, and blood was already seeping out from between his fingers.

What kind of emotion could drive someone to vomit blood... Jiang Mian didn't even dare to think about it.

In this ephemeral dream, she remained conscious, and perhaps that's why she suddenly realized...

Could it be that during the time she was dead, she became a wandering ghost or something else?

Perhaps she has always been in this state, staying by Lu Bozhou's side, clearly watching him suffer and torment.

Watching him drive in the rainy night, about to have a car accident but not trying to save himself, watching him give up on himself and head towards death, crashing into the mountainside.

I watched as he headed towards the temple on the mountain, kowtowing with each step, from the foot of the mountain all the way to the temple gate.

He knelt before the old monk and said in a hoarse voice, "I am willing to exchange my life for his."

"I'd be willing to die for her if she could come back, even if it was just in my dreams."

Seeing him working tirelessly, as if he were trying to exhaust himself, I felt a pang of sadness.

Jiang Mian finally understood what they meant when they said that Lu Bozhou went mad after her death.

When he saw that he was almost dying from exhaustion, the old monk finally told him that their karmic ties were not yet severed.

This is the first time I've seen someone suddenly find hope and have a spark of life in their eyes because of the phrase "unfinished worldly ties".

But Jiang Mian is just watching now. She doesn't know what would have happened if she had stayed by his side as some kind of wandering ghost and witnessed all of this.

Is it really because you can't bear to do it?

Are there any regrets?

She knows nothing.

All she saw in the video was Lu Bozhou bowing before the Buddha and remaining there for a long time.

It sounded as if bells were ringing.

Then, her vision was filled with a dazzling white.

All the previous images and sounds vanished; nothing remained.

Perhaps, this is the last time.

The images I just saw were probably something like a revolving lantern.

Jiang Mian had no idea how much time had passed; it felt like a fleeting moment, yet also like an eternity.

Without images or sounds, consciousness began to slowly fade.

Until some very faint sounds broke the deathly silence, gradually awakening Jiang Mian's almost dormant consciousness.

At first, there were sounds of pages turning. Occasionally, people could be heard talking in hushed tones.

She had to listen very hard to hear clearly.

Sometimes I'm impatient.

"Have them organize all the work they need to report into written form, and then bring it to me."

"Tell them that if all they come up with is this kind of stuff, then they shouldn't waste my time."

"Meetings? I don't have time to hold meetings for them. I'm not available for video conferences either."

Sometimes she is gentle.

"...My son drew a picture today titled 'Me and My Mom.' I asked his teacher, who said the topic was 'Draw My Home,' but he didn't include me in his drawing. It seems he really blames me."

"The weather is nice, so I asked Gong Yan to take my parents out for a walk. They get very sad every time they come and see you still sleeping. I'm fine, though."

"The fact that you are by my side and that you are still alive is already an invaluable blessing to me."

"Honey, I still miss you so much."

Sometimes he was talking, and sometimes he wasn't, and Jiang Mian could only hear his voice.

And then there are the low, sobbing cries of the night.

"The test results are in, and they say you have heart disease, even though previous tests didn't show it. But that doesn't necessarily mean it's the reason you're unconscious."

"Song Xu said the best solution is surgery. But I... I'm a little scared."

"Honey, I'm scared."

"What are the risks of the surgery? What if something goes wrong during the surgery? What should I do? Just thinking about it is unbearable. I'm so anxious that I can't close my eyes all night."

"At least you're still by my side, even though you're fast asleep."

The sounds came and went, making it difficult for Jiang Mian to judge the time; she had no idea how much time had passed.

Until unbearable pain occurs.

It felt as if the pain was unbearable, spreading to every part of my body, with every nerve screaming in agony.

Jiang Mian wondered if she was going to die from this pain.

Amidst these waves of increasingly intense pain, it felt as if something was pulling her consciousness away.

She was like an animal submerged at the bottom of the water, being pulled to the surface, getting closer and closer to the water.

finally--!

The woman, who had been unconscious in the hospital bed, suddenly opened her eyes!

The lines on the monitoring equipment showing vital signs fluctuated because she suddenly woke up!

The previously steady, gentle beeping suddenly changed frequency.

The man, who had been resting by the bed for a while, suddenly sat up straight after hearing this subtle change in frequency.

His thin face was filled with panic, as if he feared there might be some danger to her vital signs.

And just like that, without any prior warning, his eyes met Jiang Mian's.

The air seemed to freeze.

As if some switch had been pressed, Lu Bozhou stood there motionless, like a statue.

Only the beeping of the instruments...