[TCFO] Arc 2 — Chapter 102

Kick off the Campus’ Cinderella (62)

Looking at Zhou Min in his arms, those eyes, the gaze that had appeared countless times in his mind during midnight dreams, the pain in his heart that hurt every time he recalled it, as if his heart was tightly squeezed together in agony, making him feel alone time and time again. That's why he stubbornly wanted to find the owner of those eyes.

But why did the gaze that Zhou Min directed at him at this moment start to overlap with the gaze of the woman in his memory? The person who was once forever indistinct in appearance suddenly became clear, causing Liu Haoyu's face to turn pale as a ghost.

It was Zhou Min!

The same dire situation, the same eyes. Except that the Zhou Min from back then was a bit older than the current Zhou Min, everything seemed to be like a reproduction of the scenes in his dreams. Liu Haoyu looked at the person in his arms, suddenly unsure if this was a dream or reality!

"Hao Yu, it hurts. Do...do you feel the pain too?" Zhou Min spoke with great effort, as if every word exhausted her strength. But Liu Haoyu dared not respond, he just held onto Zhou Min's hand tighter.

His lips trembled, wanting to say something, but he couldn't utter a word because he feared that speaking out would reveal his fear and dread, as well as the pain that his heart was on the verge of stopping.

"Why? Why?" Liu Haoyu held Zhou Min in his arms and trembled as he asked near her ear. The tremor in his voice was so evident, but Zhou Min suddenly felt even more uncomfortable.

"Do you believe in past lives... and this life?" Zhou Min's voice sounded hollow, desolate, and feeble. However, it made Liu Haoyu freeze in his tracks because he felt that she was about to tell him something that could destroy everything, something he didn't want to know, didn't want...

"That humiliation allowed me to dream of our past lives. I... I love you, love you so painfully. With a ruined home and the loss of loved ones, in despair and sorrow, I destroyed myself... and caused my parents to suffer because of me. But, just as if I owe you something, even if I love you to the point of heart-wrenching pain, I'd rather endure the pain of loving you than not loving you at all. But even deep love is nothing more than a desolate room and remnants of frost..."

As Zhou Min spoke, blood began to trickle from the corners of her mouth. Liu Haoyu frantically looked at the blood that wouldn't come off no matter how he wiped it. The once beloved color suddenly became glaring, cold, fearful, and suffocating.

Rain began to fall from the sky, the icy raindrops hitting their cheeks one by one. Liu Haoyu's eyelashes quivered, and the cold rainwater slowly seeped into his eyes, bringing a sour and despairing sense of helplessness. It seemed to be telling Zhou Min, and perhaps even himself, "That was a dream, not real. Jiang Min, because of a dream, you erected a high wall between us during this period, completely isolating me from your life. Isn't it so? How could you... How could you..."

Liu Haoyu suddenly felt his whole body grow cold. Almost nowhere on his body felt warm. His heart was being repeatedly tortured by sharp blades.

The rain blurred Zhou Min's vision. She lifted her hand and gently brushed it across Liu Haoyu's cheek, wanting to smile but unable to. It hurt too much. "Ah Yu, do you truly believe that everything was just a dream? But why did it feel so real? So real that whenever I see you, I feel such pain..."

Liu Haoyu wanted to refute, but the image of those eyes and the clear face in his mind reminded him that it wasn't a dream. Perhaps nothing was a dream. But Liu Haoyu felt overwhelmed with panic...

"So, you did it on purpose... didn't you?" Liu Haoyu leaned against Zhou Min's neck, smelling a faint fragrance mixed with the raindrops. It was Zhou Min's unique scent, very subtle, so faint that it was almost imperceptible.

Unable to bend her limbs, which had become almost stiff, Liu Haoyu gently kissed Zhou Min's lips. It was so cold!

His vision was already blurred by the rain, but he could still see the person in his arms so clearly. The rain-soaked black hair clung to her pale, lifeless face, making her appear devoid of vitality. The cold wind blew, bringing a bone-chilling coldness, as if plunging into an abyss...

At this moment, he seemed to suddenly realise something. Looking at the person in his arms, struggling to breathe, he helplessly pulled the corners of his mouth into a faint smile. Then he tilted his head back, letting the rain hit his face, and lowered his head. His tongue tasted bitter, "You planned it all, didn't you? You knew about my feelings for you... Are you trying to punish me? Is that it?"

"Ah Yu..."

"Fine, I accept your punishment. Whatever you want to do to me, I'll accept it. But please, don't leave me, okay?" Liu Haoyu's voice was full of pleading, causing Zhou Min's body to feel a mix of pain and tenderness.

"What do you want me to do?"

"A… Yu, I don't want to feel pain anymore. Let it be you who suffers in this life... then we'll be even. This way, we won't have to entangle with each other anymore... I don't want to have any connection with you, can we... never see each other, never... love." Zhou Min's words were spoken lightly, filled with a plea and a sense of seeing through everything, as she looked at Liu Haoyu.

But such a gaze was enough to shatter Liu Haoyu's heart. The softer the words, the more ruthless they felt. Zhou Min's lack of demands, her pleading, made Liu Haoyu silently gaze at her, like a deflated ball devoid of all strength. She seemed like she could die in the next second. Her hair clung to her temples, wet from the rain, her face deathly pale, and her lips, at this moment, were drenched by the icy rain, slightly turning purple. Her dense eyes, however, held an inconsolable desolation.

Her voice had once been so familiar and warm to him, but now her words, light as a feather, carried the familiarity and nostalgia from his memories, yet the words she spoke were so... harsh...

His heart was squeezed tightly, again and again, as if someone held it in their hand. His breath felt like it was being choked. Not seeing each other, not knowing each other, not... loving... Not being entangled anymore...

But he didn't want that... He didn't...

Just then, a low "buzzing" sound suddenly came from the sky. Everyone looked up into the gloomy sky. Amidst the dark and stormy weather, several planes had been circling in mid-air, and from below, they could see clearly. They stood amidst the debris of corpses, ruined stones, and rubble, with nothing around to provide any cover. In plain sight, people wearing white protective suits were descending from the sky, hanging from ropes. As they descended, they wielded their weapons and opened fire at the remaining scattered remnants of the subordinates.