“Tiantian, I want to ask you too,” Su Xiao said softly.
“H-he…” Luo Tiantian scrambled for words.
“He treats me really well.”
Su Xiao raised an eyebrow.
“Really well? So well that you wear his torn clothes?”
“That’s because… he wears torn clothes too.”
“So well that you can’t even afford underwear?”
“That’s because… because all the money goes to medical treatment.”
“Then has he ever gone to the Hospital with you? Bought you medicine? Taken care of you when you were sick?”
“He’s seriously ill… his body isn’t in good condition,” Luo Tiantian said quietly.
Su Xiao clenched her teeth, her tone growing more emotional.
“Tiantian, do you know what you sound like right now?”
“Like what?”
“Like one of those love-brained girls making excuses for a scumbag.”
Luo Tiantian: “……”
From the side, Su Wenjun coughed lightly.
“Xiaoxiao, don’t say that.”
“But Tiantian is so good—why should she serve a man who never even shows his face? If he really cared about her, even if he couldn’t get out of bed, he could at least send a message or make a call! Has he done that? I’ve never even seen him! They say he’s sick, but he doesn’t go to the hospital, no one can find him—where is he?!”
Su Xiao’s face flushed as she slammed the table.
Su Wenjun quickly tried to calm her down.
“He… he does have good points,” Luo Tiantian forced herself to continue.
“Like?”
“Like… he tells stories.”
“Stories?”
“Yeah. He’s really good at storytelling. Ancient stories, modern ones—he knows everything. When I can’t sleep at night, he tells me stories, and I fall asleep listening.”
That part was true.
Her Grandfather (爷爷) and Maternal Grandfather (外爷) used to tell her many stories.
She was just retelling them to herself.
“That’s it? What else?”
“He’s really good at comforting people. When I’m sad, he says warm things that make me feel like someone still cares.”
She was comforting herself.
It sounded pitiful.
But it was true.
“Anything else?”
“And… he’s handsome.”
Su Xiao: “?”
“Really handsome. More handsome than celebrities. The kind of face you can’t forget after one glance.”
Luo Tiantian got more confident as she spoke.
“Over 1.8 meters tall, beautiful eyes, a sharp nose, a bright smile. If he weren’t sick, a talent scout would’ve already discovered him.”
Su Xiao’s expression turned strange.
“Over 1.8 meters?”
“Yes.”
“Tall?”
“Yes.”
“More handsome than celebrities?”
“Yes.”
Su Xiao fell silent, then turned to Su Wenjun.
“Mom, have you seen him?”
Su Wenjun shook her head.
“Once, but I don’t remember clearly. There were too many patients that day.”
“What about his medical record?”
“I’ve seen the record… but never the person.”
Every time, it was Luoluo who came instead—
saying she was picking up reports for her boyfriend.
That man named Luo Tiantian had never appeared.
Su Xiao turned back, staring at Luo Tiantian.
Luo Tiantian started sweating.
“Tiantian.”
“Yeah?”
“Are you sure your boyfriend even exists?”
Luo Tiantian panicked slightly.
“Of course he exists!”
“Then let him come out and meet us.”
“He really can’t…”
“Then video call him. Now.” Su Xiao slammed her phone down.
“Call him. I just want to say a few words.”
Luo Tiantian’s forehead broke into sweat.
Video call?
Call herself??
How—use her feet to dial?!
“He might be resting right now… he’s not well…”
“Excuse.” Su Xiao cut her off.
“Tiantian, are you lying to us?”
“I’m not!”
“Then explain—why are you always the one coming to the hospital? Why do your eyes dodge every time you mention him?”
Luo Tiantian couldn’t answer.
After a long silence, Su Xiao spoke slowly:
“Tiantian… tell me honestly.
Is your boyfriend already dead, and you just can’t accept it… so you’ve been lying to yourself?”
Luo Tiantian froze.
Dead?
Who?
Me? 🤔
Su Xiao saw her expression and immediately teared up.
“Tiantian… you’ve suffered so much.”
She grabbed her hand tightly.
“I know losing someone you love is unbearable. Some people… pretend they’re still alive. I understand. I really understand.”
Luo Tiantian: ???
No, sis—what exactly do you understand?!
“But you can’t go on like this! People can’t come back from the dead—you have to move on!”
“He’s not dead…”
“I know, I know—he’s alive in your heart.”
Su Xiao nodded vigorously, almost crying.
“That’s why you wear his clothes, come to the hospital for him, pretend he’s still with you. This is… this is PTSD!”
Luo Tiantian tried to speak, but Su Xiao didn’t stop.
“My mom is a doctor—she must know this condition! Mom, right?”
Su Wenjun looked conflicted.
As a doctor, she knew sudden death was possible…
but everything felt too abrupt.
Yet with Su Xiao’s certainty—and Luo Tiantian’s situation—
even she began to waver.
“Xiaoxiao, calm down…”
“How can I calm down?! Tiantian is too pitiful!”
Su Xiao grabbed Luo Tiantian’s hand again.
“Don’t worry. I won’t嫌弃 you. If your boyfriend is dead, I can take his place and take care of you.”
Luo Tiantian: “……”
Su Xiao… are you speaking human language right now?
Is this a confession or a curse??
“He’s not dead,” Luo Tiantian said firmly.
“Then let him come out!”
“He can’t…”
Su Xiao slammed the table.
“See! You’re saying that again! A normal person can’t ‘not come out’—unless…”
Her eyes lit up.
“Unless he’s a fugitive.”
Luo Tiantian: ???
“Tiantian, did your boyfriend commit a crime? Is he on the run? Is that why you won’t let him be seen?”
“No…”
“Don’t worry! I won’t call 110!”
Su Xiao raised three fingers.
“I swear I won’t betray you!”
Luo Tiantian covered her face.
She really wanted to say:
Sis… can your imagination chill for one second?