“By the way, where on earth are you taking me?”
Seeing that Liu Anran was already on the highway, Liu Xie increasingly felt that something was wrong.
“Taking you to see my parents.”
“You have parents? Weren’t you an orphan?” Liu Xie immediately covered her mouth after the words left her lips.
Liu Anran seemed completely indifferent, simply continuing to drive as the scenery outside the window became increasingly desolate.
The clusters of high-rise buildings were no longer visible, the brilliant billboards disappeared, and the heavy traffic vanished. The presence of people began to thin out, and the city’s clamor was replaced by the clear chirping of birds and beasts.
“You aren’t really kidnapping me to the wilderness to dump my body, are you?” Liu Xie said, though there wasn’t a hint of fear on her face. “If so, remember to set up a wordless tombstone for me. I’ll delete any bad reviews.”
“No. If you die, I’ll carve ‘Wife of Liu Anran’ on your headstone,” Liu Anran replied. “Anyway, once you’re dead, you won’t be able to talk back to me. Whatever I say goes. I’ll just have my way with your body while it’s still warm.”
“Honestly, you’re being a bit creepy now. Have you been suppressing yourself too severely lately?”
“It’s because I don’t have to hide it anymore. You’re mine, and you can’t belong to anyone else. Sooner or later, you’ll be mine.”
“Wow — so overbearing. Unfortunately, I’m not some Mary Sue female lead, so I don’t buy that act. I’ll definitely exercise and live a healthy life to make sure I outlive you.” Liu Xie instantly came up with a way to counter him.
“That won’t work. If I die and you’re left alone, it’ll be very painful. The dead don’t have to think about anything; pain is something the living must bear.” Liu Anran shook his head gently. “I can’t die before you.”
“Whoa, the legendary survival king.” Liu Xie searched around, found a mint in the car, and popped it into her mouth. “So, are you taking me to dump my body now so you can live longer than me?”
“…” Liu Anran thought of a solution. “How about this: we can just die together.”
Liu Anran and Liu Xie looked at each other and spoke at the same time.
Liu Anran spoke of a lovers’ suicide, while Liu Xie spoke of not seeking to be born on the same day, but seeking to die on the same day.
Then Liu Xie suddenly laughed. She said Liu Anran was being a bit cliché, and that nowadays, no one committed suicide for love anymore. Those who did would only become the most pathetic and cheapest kind of people.
Liu Anran told her that she thought too much about others. To him, she was very precious.
“So you mean if you accidentally drop dead, you’d encourage me to follow you?”
“If it comes to that, I hope you instantly develop Alzheimer’s and forget who I am, so you can continue living your carefree life,” Liu Anran said, his tone turning somewhat serious. “But I will never forget you.”
“So cheesy.” Liu Xie curled her lip, yet she leaned a bit closer to Liu Anran.
The car stopped in front of a somewhat dilapidated iron gate.
Not many signs were left on the stone wall beside it. The only one remaining was a slogan nearly covered in dust that read “Caution: Slippery Floor,” which had likely been moved there from a bathroom.
The car was parked by the roadside. When Liu Xie opened the door, she could see piles of fallen leaves on the ground.
She stepped cautiously, her toes touching the withered leaves like a dragonfly skimming the water. Sometimes, things that weren’t very friendly lurked inside such leaves, scurrying into the gaps of one’s shoes as they passed by, which was very uncomfortable.
The edges of the dry leaves weren’t sharp, but they brushed against her calves with a slight stiffness. The young girl was as light as a white deer wading through a river, and the ornament on her phone was still jingling.
Between her rising and falling skirt and her feet, it was as if the dead summer was waving to someone again.
“Phew…” After confirming that she was lucky enough to not have anything get into her shoes, Liu Xie poked the nearby Liu Anran. “Aren’t you going to introduce this? Where is this?”
“This is the orphanage that took me in.”
“Here?”
Liu Xie looked up and down at the decaying gate. She remembered how far the journey was from her home city and how much time it had taken to get here.
“The place where I picked you up and brought you home was at least 108,000 miles away, right? Did you have a vehicle back then?”
“I followed a man who was going into the city to sell furniture. Sometimes I would come out and target large cargo trucks to hitch rides until I found a city where even the trash cans had enough food.”
Liu Anran spoke quite plainly, uttering words that made it difficult for Liu Xie to even imagine the scene.
“Then…” Liu Xie interrupted Liu Anran, otherwise this guy would likely continue using that flat expression to say things that were incredibly heartbreaking. “Is this place your ‘relative’?”
“No, I’m taking you to see the old Director.”
That was the director of the orphanage.
“He lives here?” Liu Xie shook the rusted iron gate, feeling as though it would collapse if she just pulled at it.
Looking through the iron gate, there wasn’t the slightest sign of life inside. It looked as though it had been abandoned for many years. It looked like a ruin or an antique, but certainly not like a place where people could live. There wasn’t a single trace of daily life.
“This was just the place where the children were settled when the orphanage was still active. It was placed here to make it convenient for couples coming to adopt children to take them away.” Liu Anran raised his hand and pointed toward the back of all the buildings. “The old man’s quarters and the place where the children rested at night aren’t here; they’re in the back.”
But it wasn’t night right now.
Liu Xie looked at Liu Anran.
As if he had read Liu Xie’s thoughts, Liu Anran continued, “When I ran away back then, the orphanage was already struggling. This outcome was always meant to be; it’s within expectations.”
Liu Anran quite directly removed the rusted lock, which was merely a decoration, and stepped into this place he hadn’t returned to in a long time.
The last time he had been back was over 1 year ago.
“This doesn’t count as trespassing, does it?” Liu Xie, who was here for the first time, was acting timidly, like a high school student trying to sneak her phone back from the teacher’s office.
“It doesn’t. This land doesn’t belong to anyone. The old Director originally used it as an orphanage unofficially.”
Walking in front, Liu Anran suddenly turned around and held out his hand toward Liu Xie.
“Hmm? What is it?” Liu Xie fumbled around her person but couldn’t find anything Liu Anran might need.
“Give me your hand.”
“Huh?” Liu Xie tilted her head. “I was thinking, it’s not like anyone can separate us here.”
“I want to hold hands.”
“Oh, here.” Liu Xie placed her hand in his. —
Please keep translating.