Luo Tian felt helpless.
Back then, after high school, she could not afford college tuition, so she chose to work instead.
Now the main issue was that she had no identity.
She was undocumented.
Where could she possibly go to attend college?
And she did not plan to go anyway.
There were many things in front of her now, but the only real problem was making money.
“Su Wan, I…”
“You don’t want to?”
“Su Wan, isn’t this too sudden?”
Luo Tian shook her head.
“How can I let you, at twenty, already… You can’t just never study for the rest of your life, right?”
“I’ll go with you, you come with me, okay? You study with me, I’ll stay with you…”
“I… I have to take care of my boyfriend.”
Luo Tian came up with an excuse.
Su Wan’s expression immediately turned complicated.
“Tiantian, is your boyfriend really worth you giving up your entire life?”
“I’m not trying to break you apart. I just think you’re too good—so good it hurts to watch.”
“He cooks, does laundry, works to support you—what else can he even do?”
“My mom and I have told you so many times. Haven’t you understood yet?”
Luo Tian lowered her head.
“Su Wan, he’s really important to me.”
“I know, but you also have to think about yourself. You’re only nineteen. Your life is still very long.”
Luo Tian knew Su Wan meant well.
The problem was, her future belonged to herself.
She could not give up on who she was.
“Tiantian, you are yourself. Isn’t something this simple obvious?”
“You’re living for yourself—not for someone who only drags you down!”
Su Wan suddenly grabbed Luo Tian’s shoulders, speaking emotionally.
Luo Tian froze.
“I… he is… he?”
“I am him.”
The air fell silent for a moment.
No.
She looked down at herself.
A white T-shirt, light blue jeans, small white sneakers.
Her chest was soft.
Her face was delicate.
The face in the mirror was no longer that thin boy from before.
Su Wan was right.
The Luo Tian from before was already gone. The one standing here now was simply herself, having become a woman.
If she wanted to keep living, she should fight for a real identity for who she was now.
Not continue living under a false one.
“Tiantian?”
Su Wan’s voice pulled her back.
“Are you okay? Did I go too far?”
Luo Tian lifted her head and looked into her worried eyes.
“Su Wan, you’re right. I can’t spend my whole life living only for him.”
“I have to… live for myself.”
Su Wan suddenly hugged her tightly.
“That’s great…”
Luo Tian was almost out of breath.
“Su Wan, let go…”
“Then promise me you’ll go back to school with me?”
Luo Tian shook her head.
“Why?”
“Because I have my own things to do.”
“But didn’t you just say…”
“There are things I must do first. Only after I finish them can I think about the future.”
Su Wan’s expression became complicated again.
“What things? Can you tell me?”
“Make money.”
“Make money?”
“Yeah. Earn enough money, get myself a new identity, cure my illness—then I can start over.”
“Not study?”
“We’ll talk about studying later. But at the very least, I want to live openly and honestly.”
Su Wan looked at her.
“When the time comes, if you still want to be friends with me, I’ll go back to school with you.”
“If you find me annoying, then I’ll just go do my own thing.”
Su Wan bit her lip.
“Tiantian, do you promise?”
“I promise.”
“Then let’s make a pinky swear.”
Su Wan held out her little finger.
Luo Tian hooked hers with it.
“Pinky swear, no breaking it for a hundred years.”
Su Wan shook their hands firmly, then let go.
“Then you have to hurry. I don’t want to wait until we’re old.”
Luo Tian smiled.
“Okay.”
The two of them pushed the door open and walked in.
Su Wenjun saw them and glanced between their faces.
Su Wan walked over and sat by the bed.
“Mom, I promise you—I’ll go back to school.”
Su Wenjun froze for a moment, her eyes turning slightly red.
“First, you need to take care of your health. Go to a good hospital in Shanghai or Beijing and get properly treated.”
“Once you’re sure you’re fine, I’ll enroll.”
Su Wenjun pulled her daughter into a tight embrace.
“Alright, alright. I promise, I promise everything.”
Su Wan felt a bit uncomfortable from the hug but did not pull away.
Luo Tian stood nearby, watching the scene, a faint smile on her lips.
“Auntie, I’ll head back now. You two talk.”
Su Wenjun released her daughter. “Stay a bit longer?”
“No, I still have things to do.”
Su Wan waved. “Take care of Auntie.”
“I’ll walk you out.”
“No need.”
Luo Tian pushed the door open and walked out.
The hallway fell quiet.
She slowly walked toward the elevator.
That person called Luo Tian… really should disappear.
She would go to the police station. No matter what, she would get her identity sorted out.
She was just an ordinary girl.
Her parents had not prepared an identity for her, but she could fight for one herself.
She reached the first floor.
Sunlight streamed through the glass doors, a bit dazzling.
She narrowed her eyes and pushed the door open, walking outside.
There was a small square in front of the hospital, with a few trees and benches underneath.
Several family members of patients sat there—some looking at their phones, some dazing off, some smoking.
Suddenly, she felt someone staring at her.
She turned her head.
By the flower bed, behind a tree, a figure was peeking out sneakily.
Sportswear, a baseball cap, a mask.
Only a pair of eyes were visible.
Those eyes…
Luo Tian frowned.
Lin Lin.
“Why are you here again?”
Lin Lin clearly did not expect Luo Tian to turn around suddenly. She shrank back in shock.
But soon, she straightened up.
Lin Lin slowly stepped out from behind the tree.
“Stop following me. There’s no longer any possibility between you and Luo Tian,” Luo Tian said coldly.
“He’s already dead.”
“What?!”
Lin Lin stared at her in disbelief.
“What did you say?!”
“Luo Tian is already dead. No matter what you want from him, you have no chance.”
“How can he be dead?! He still has more than four hundred thousand—how can he be dead?!”
Lin Lin’s voice changed.
Her expression began to collapse.