006 Memories of the Green Years (3)

When Shen Yunfei pushed the door open, the two people inside hadn't yet cleaned up the mess. He stood in the doorway, his eyes as cold as a winter's frost.

Ming Xichen sprang up instinctively, gaping at him like a fish out of water.

Shen Yunfei's eyes were fixed on her, yet it felt as if his gaze had pierced through her, the wall behind, and the space beyond, landing on a desolate place only he could fathom.

His empty and despair - filled eyes hit Xichen like a thunderbolt. She suddenly jolted. Turning her head, she saw the bed behind her in utter disarray. The white bedsheet was splattered with spots of blood, a terrifying sight. She subconsciously shifted her body, but all this had already been caught by Shen Yunfei's sharp eyes. He grabbed her and dashed out of the door like a gust of wild wind, and there was a shattering sound echoing behind them.

Shen Yunfei dragged her downstairs in a staggering rush. Then he forcefully pinned her against the wall, placing his hands on either side, caging her within his arms. He lowered his head, and his lips crashed onto hers, sucking and biting with a wild, desperate force.

She stared at him in horror, eyes wide open. She saw that his eyes were tightly shut, and tears streamed down, mingling with the blood on their lips and seeping into the very core of her heart.

After leaving her lips, Shen Yunfei stared at her with a gaze so deep and cold. It was like an endless blizzard, layer upon layer, bit by bit, freezing the raging sea of his anger into a desolate expanse of ice. That gaze penetrated her soul, seeing through her past and present, the vicissitudes of a lifetime, and the cruel joke of fate.

He roughly yanked her onto the motorcycle parked nearby. Without bothering to put on the helmets, the motorcycle roared off like a bolt of lightning. She had no idea where he was taking her. As the motorcycle sped down the street, fear slowly crept over her, and she clung tightly to his waist. At a turn, before she could even react, a blinding white light flashed before her eyes. For a moment, she saw a shower of blood - red roses falling in front of her. There was no sadness, no pain; it was as if her soul was floating in the sky.

A single icy tear, a moment of fleeting splendor.

That night became an eternal nightmare for Ming Xichen.

Angels seemed to flutter in front of her eyes. For a split second, she thought she had reached heaven. But reality was always a harsh mistress. The gates of heaven remained shut, and the agonies of life awaited this fragile soul.

The fairytale - like prince had vanished without a trace. The glass slipper was shattered into a million pieces that night. The innocent youth was shrouded in a gloomy haze.

Those who had left felt no more sorrow, but those who remained alive wept in the endless darkness.

Ming Xichen was pregnant. A tiny life was growing inside her, constantly reminding her of the sin she had committed. This sin pushed her to the brink of collapse. She often sat alone in the room, lost in a daze, not bothering to wash her face or comb her hair, not wanting to do anything at all. She would either sit in silence or burst into tears for no reason. She suffered from headaches, insomnia, and memory loss, and finally had to drop out of school. She remembered that when she was leaving, her good friend Gao Hong had said to her, "Is it easy to get into a top - tier university? Are you just going to throw it all away like this?"

Death is the ultimate truth. It will eventually make people realize that what others say or think doesn't matter. What matters is that I must face it head - on. I have to be accountable for the lost life. My youth died in that fateful memorial.

In a pre - meditated incident, she tumbled down the stairs. The large patches of bright red blood announced the passing of a frail life.

The innocent youth couldn't bear the successive torments. She was haunted by nightmares every night. Even in moments of calm, she always felt as if Yunfei was watching her from some hidden corner. His despairing eyes made her once - proud heart sink into the dust.

All the past beauty had been reduced to shards. Ming Xichen and Kang Hao hugged each other and sobbed.

After the crying and the suffering, the scars remained. They just didn't want to mention it out of modesty and self - respect.

The people and things of the past were gradually fading away in the distant yearning. How many times she looked back, only to count the broken fragments of her infatuation. Vaguely, that year had turned into a shattered dream.

She left Ice City. She took an afternoon flight that day. As she went through the security check, she knew that she would never belong to this city again. It was a certainty. Looking at all the familiar things around her, she couldn't hold back her tears all the way.