Does she have to personally shatter the false happiness that’s about to come?
Liang Rou’s hands trembled as she cooked.
She turned around and looked at Wen Xiaoliang sitting on the sofa.
Love, or to claim her own life?
Actually, Liang Rou had always pondered this question: why can’t she have both? But now, she only found such a thought laughable, because Wen Xiaoliang absolutely would not allow anyone—or anything—to be more important than her in Liang Rou’s world, not even Liang Rou herself.
Wen Xiaoliang had said:
“In my heart, no one can surpass you, so likewise, in your heart, no one must surpass me. Wensheng, in my world, there’s only you. I don’t know how to love myself, so I can only love you… by begging you to love me, so I can feel that love still exists in this world.”
“Wensheng, I really can’t live without your love. Without you, I can’t live…”
Liang Rou’s hands clenched slowly.
But she wanted a life of her own.
She didn’t want to be caged at home like a pet.
She didn’t want to see Wen Xiaoliang self-harm in pain every day.
She didn’t want to live in this vibrant world communicating with only Wen Xiaoliang—not even able to chat for long with online friends, not even with women.
It was so painful.
She was truly in agony.
Thinking this through, Liang Rou finally turned back and gave Wen Xiaoliang a deep look.
“Clatter~”
She poured all the Powder into the bowl of porridge she had served to Wen Xiaoliang and stirred it slowly.
Although the vague figure had said this thing was colorless and tasteless, she was still scared, so she had made it with sugar pumpkin porridge.
During the meal, Wen Xiaoliang’s gentle smile, the way she picked food for her and placed it into her bowl, and her words dreaming of a beautiful future—all of it stabbed at Liang Rou’s heart.
Time and again, she wanted to give up, time and again, she saw a dark future stretching ahead of her.
Isn’t living for herself… enough?
After dinner, Liang Rou sat absentmindedly on the sofa, with Wen Xiaoliang nestled in her arms, still talking about their beautiful future.
She even mentioned the day they would get their Marriage Certificate—the day they would completely become one—and reminded Liang Rou to buy a house.
She wasn’t ready for children yet.
Liang Rou lowered her head slightly, looking at Wen Xiaoliang in her arms, the struggle growing deeper in her eyes.
One person imagining a beautiful future for two, while the other was planning how to leave—this must be one of the most painful things in the world.
If she left, what would Wen Xiaoliang do? Would she jump off a building and commit suicide? Would she slit her wrists? Would she overdose on drugs? Would she… forget to start a new life?
Hopefully, it would be the last one.
She had never hated Wen Xiaoliang. On the contrary, she still loved her now.
But she really couldn’t hold on anymore. Leaving might be the best ending—for her.
Wen Xiaoliang said she was feeling sleepy, started rubbing her eyes, then slowly fell into Liang Rou’s arms and fell deeply asleep.
Liang Rou quietly stared at the girl’s face in her arms, gently running her fingers over her smooth, fair cheek.
She just kept looking, and looking. The Clock on the wall ticked steadily—one hour passed.
During that hour, Liang Rou did nothing but quietly stare at Wen Xiaoliang’s face, as if trying to imprint this beautiful face into her mind.
Finally, Liang Rou lifted Wen Xiaoliang in a princess carry and laid her back in the bedroom.
She sat beside her, smoking one cigarette after another like a defeated middle-aged man.
She hadn’t smoked for a long time; Wen Xiaoliang had told her it was bad for her health and helped her break the habit.
She “tap tap” smoked, the whole bedroom filled with smoke, until the last cigarette was stubbed out in the Ashtray.
It was ten o’clock at night.
If she didn’t make a decision soon, it would truly be too late.
Liang Rou took a deep breath and gripped the bottle of Potion tightly in her palm.
“Sorry, Yan Fu, please forgive my selfishness. But I’d rather die than stay by your side anymore…”
Liang Rou gave Wen Xiaoliang one last deep look, raised the dark purple bottle, and drank the liquid all at once.
The Potion was bitter and strong, making her cough harshly, but she didn’t reach for water. Instead, she lay down beside Wen Xiaoliang and held her close.
“Yan Fu, let’s… meet again in the next life.”
She said this as a tear slipped from the corner of her eye, slowly closing her eyes.
At that moment, she thought this Potion was more likely poison, because her world didn’t have such magical things—things that could swap an identity, change an appearance, and leave Wen Xiaoliang without a trace.
However, the sleep that followed was like a revolving lantern, replaying her whole life: from her parents’ divorce and the new family no one cared about; to being penniless, with no money for food or winter clothes, when Wen Xiaoliang reached out her hand and gave her a new home; then to confirming their relationship, engagement, and living under control—a life of some happiness, but mostly pain.
Well, there was one regret: she never truly merged with Wen Xiaoliang until the end.
But perhaps that was for the best—at least Wen Xiaoliang’s body remained pure.
“Yan Fu, don’t ever meet someone weak like me again, someone who runs away from problems.”
That was the last sentence Liang Rou spoke in her dream.
“Ding ling ling!!”
A clear Bell Sound pierced her ears. Liang Rou suddenly opened her eyes.
She found her body had somehow changed… Looking down, she realized she was wearing a little skirt she had never seen before.
“Am I… dreaming?” she asked herself.
Then she glanced sharply to the side and saw Wen Xiaoliang sleeping soundly.
“My voice…”
A female voice?!
Liang Rou almost stumbled as she rushed into the bathroom.
Looking at the stranger in the mirror, she pinched her own face hard in disbelief.
It hurt!
She wasn’t dreaming!
Liang Rou was overjoyed, trembling all over.
She dashed back to the bedroom, only to face another harsh reality—though her appearance had changed, she still had no ID card or anything… so she had become a Black Household.
Just as she was feeling frustrated, she noticed that the bottle which had been on the bedside table was now replaced by a piece of paper.
She picked up the paper and saw a line of small writing:
“Don’t worry. Please give your new identity a name. I will take care of everything else. You just need to write the name on this paper, close your eyes, count to sixty, and when you open your eyes, you will have a new identity, a new life.”