With that thought, Cheng Huanzhen casually took a sip of water, got up, and went to the door of his Little Uncle’s bedroom.

Sometimes his Little Uncle didn’t sleep soundly, and the next day he’d find the blankets all on the floor. Now that his Little Uncle was blind, Cheng Huanzhen often worried that one day he might kick off his blankets, try to pick them up himself, and end up falling headfirst.

Cheng Huanzhen quietly placed his hand on the bedroom doorknob. He gently pushed the door open a crack and peeked inside—

The floor was clean. No blankets on the ground. Good.

It seemed his Little Uncle was also sleeping soundly today, so…

Huh?

Cheng Huanzhen’s gaze suddenly sharpened. In the dim room, the bed seemed somewhat flat and thin.

Thump, thump.

His heart gave a heavy beat.

For some reason, Cheng Huanzhen once again remembered the heart palpitation that had jolted him awake just now.

He stood frozen at the door for two seconds, then suddenly pushed the door open wider.

…He would just take a look. Just a look at his Little Uncle.

Cheng Huanzhen tiptoed into the room and towards the bed. But the closer he got, the more he felt that his Little Uncle’s bed was… abnormally flat.

Wait. Where were his Little Uncle’s slippers?

There were no slippers by the bed!

Cheng Huanzhen’s heart skipped a beat. He suddenly strode forward and yanked back the covers—

Empty.

The bed was empty!

Expressionless, Cheng Huanzhen immediately turned and flipped on the bedroom light. With his Little Uncle not in bed, there was no need to hide his footsteps.

“Little Uncle!” he shouted, then quickly walked to the en-suite bathroom to check. The door was open, and no one was there.

He immediately turned and left the bedroom, clapping his hands twice to activate the lights in the hallway. He strode to the shared bathroom on the same floor—empty. He ran downstairs to the dining room and kitchen—empty!

What was going on? Where was his Little Uncle??

The butler, hearing the commotion, came out of his room. He was groggy and asked blankly, “Young Master, what happened?”

Cheng Huanzhen’s lips were pressed into a thin line. “Have you seen Little Uncle? He’s not in his room, and I can’t find him in the bathroom either!”

The butler became three-tenths more awake. “Young Master Yiming? I haven’t seen him. Have you called him?”

“I’m calling now. He’s not picking up,” Cheng Huanzhen said.

The call wasn’t answered.

The GreenChat call wasn’t answered.

Once, twice, three times, no answer!

Realizing the gravity of the situation, the butler hurriedly woke up all the security guards and servants, asking each one if they had seen Young Master Yiming and dispatching everyone to search.

Cheng Huanzhen’s heart was pounding wildly. He couldn’t care about anything else and shouted loudly in the house, “Little Uncle—Little Uncle! Where are you? Come out, Little Uncle, don’t play this kind of game!”

He ran up to the rooftop, then down to the garage. He shouted as he searched, but there was no response from anywhere.

His Little Uncle… had disappeared? How was that possible!!

His Little Uncle couldn’t even see with his eyes. How could he suddenly disappear??!

Cheng Huanzhen was agitated and restless. A buzzing tinnitus once again pierced through his brain. He gripped his phone tightly, his mind racing. He suddenly turned his head and shouted hoarsely at the butler, “The snow! The snow hasn’t melted yet, turn on the floodlights and check for footprints in the snow! And the surveillance, pull up all the footage and check it carefully. If we can’t find anything in ten minutes, call the police!”

The butler took the order and immediately acted.

The results from the surveillance room came faster than from the team in the snow.

The moment he got the news, Cheng Huanzhen immediately strode out and hurried towards the surveillance room. His mind was a chaotic mess, with only one clear thought remaining: Find Little Uncle. Find Little Uncle!

“Young Master, look. At three in the morning, Young Master Yiming…”

On the surveillance screen, his Little Uncle’s figure appeared. He was tightly wrapped in a down coat, holding a small stool in his arms.

In the darkness, he quietly felt his way along, stumbling as he climbed out a window, then over a wall, using the stool to get over a low section of the courtyard wall at the back.

He made no sound from beginning to end. Even when he fell to the ground because he couldn’t see the path, his Little Uncle silently fumbled and struggled on the ground, striving to get back up and continue outwards.

There was no one else. No kidnapping. No theft. It wasn’t someone stealing his Little Uncle. It was his Little Uncle leaving the house on his own!

…What was going on?

His Little Uncle… why would he suddenly leave??

He couldn’t even… couldn’t even see. His illness wasn’t better. It was still snowing today. They had just celebrated his birthday together yesterday and said goodnight!

How could his Little Uncle… how could he…???

The butler was also stunned for a moment, his face flushed with anxiety. “This… Young Master, how could Young Master Yiming suddenly… suddenly leave! Young Master Yiming can’t even see the road!”

Cheng Huanzhen tried his best to keep his voice from trembling. “Call the police. Now, immediately. Check the surveillance on the surrounding streets. Little Uncle only left two hours ago, he shouldn’t be far. Call the old residence and my father, tell them to be on the lookout and notify me immediately if there’s any news!”

Just then, someone from outside suddenly shouted, “Young Master! We found Young Master Yiming’s phone in his bedroom!”

…His phone? His Little Uncle didn’t even take his phone?

Cheng Huanzhen pushed past the butler and strode back to his Little Uncle’s bedroom, snatching the phone from the security guard’s hand.

His Little Uncle’s phone was turned off.

His hands were trembling violently. He turned it on, fumbling a few times before successfully unlocking it. After a quick search on the phone, he soon discovered a recording that had just been made early this morning.

Recording Time: 03:17.

Recording Duration: 10:22.

Cheng Huanzhen clenched his jaw tightly, his cheeks slightly puffed out. He said in a hoarse voice, “You all… step out for a moment.”

Soon, he was the only one left in his Little Uncle’s bedroom. He slumped powerlessly onto the edge of his Little Uncle’s bed and played the recording.

His Little Uncle’s clean voice came from the phone: “Good morning, Nephew. Happy twenty-first birthday.”

The volume wasn’t loud. As soon as Cheng Huanzhen heard it, he could imagine his Little Uncle hiding under the covers, whispering into his phone. His Little Uncle’s voice was soft and slow, with a faint hint of a smile, as if he were whispering right in his ear.

“I know that when you find out I’m gone, you’ll definitely be very nervous and uneasy. But please don’t worry, no one has done me any harm. I wanted to leave on my own. I’m sorry, Nephew. I… I just wanted to go out for a walk by myself.”

His Little Uncle’s voice gradually became lower, with a faint, barely perceptible nasal tone.

“I actually know that I’ve caused a lot of trouble for everyone these past few months. Especially you, Nephew. You’ve spent so much time, energy, and money taking care of me. I know you’ve been so busy recently just to earn money for my medicine…”

“But I also know that my test results were very bad. I probably don’t have much time left to live, right?”

“Thank you for taking care of me all these months. This year of living with you after returning to the country has been the happiest time of my life. Do you know why I chose you out of so many people when we first met? Because I knew that you, like me, were also longing for a close friend you could confide in, right?”

“I think… I probably did a pretty good job, right?”

His Little Uncle’s voice paused here for a moment, as if in thought, then concluded:

“Mm… I should have done a very good job. Thinking back now, when I first met you, you didn’t even know how to smile, didn’t even know what you liked or what you wanted. You really were like a robot!”

“But now, under the leadership of the great Comrade Cheng Yiming, Classmate Cheng Huanzhen has successfully evolved from a robot into a living, breathing person! See, aren’t I amazing?”

His Little Uncle let out a short laugh. But Cheng Huanzhen couldn’t laugh.

Yes. Yes. Yes. You did a very good job, Little Uncle, a fantastic job.

Then why did you have to leave? Little Uncle, where have you gone? Don’t hide, please come out, okay?

His Little Uncle’s voice flowed slowly in his ear, once again becoming dejected.

“But, Nephew, I’m sorry, I don’t think I can continue to accompany you. If I don’t make it, will you be sad for me, will you cry for me? I guess you probably will, but… I probably won’t be able to comfort you then. I… I don’t know how to comfort you either.”

“When I was little, I lived in the hospital for a long time. I know what people look like before they die. You only need to remember me at my best, just like yesterday. That’s enough. After that… Nephew, I don’t want you to see it.”

“So, I’m gone. I’ve been planning this for a long time, without telling anyone.”

“Originally, I planned to leave earlier, which would have saved a quarter’s worth of medicine money. But then I suddenly heard that your birthday was in January, and that you’ve rarely celebrated it growing up, so I thought… at least before I leave, I want to celebrate your twenty-first birthday for you.”

“After all, it seems this is the only chance I’ll have to celebrate your birthday.”

Cheng Huanzhen’s mind was a complete blank, with only his Little Uncle’s soft and slightly sorrowful voice echoing, word by word, in his ears, in his mind, in his chest.

Moisture dripped onto his face. But his whole body was stiff and weak, and he couldn’t summon the strength to wipe it away.

He… he had clearly prepared so hard. Financially, psychologically, and in every other aspect, he had been trying his best to accept it in advance! Even if, in the end, he really couldn’t find a cure and there was no hope, at least he could have accompanied his Little Uncle on his final journey, right?

But why wouldn’t his Little Uncle let him? …Why!!

“But, Nephew, you don’t have to worry too much about me. I’ve taken the rest of the medicine with me. I won’t give up. After I leave, I will also live very happily. I’ve found an old friend to take care of me, so you don’t need to worry about my daily life. If I can get through this period, I will come back to find you. So, Nephew, don’t look for me, don’t miss me. Wait for me to come back and find you, okay?”

“After I’m gone, you don’t need to be busy with work every day either. You need to live a little more easily, use the money you earn to buy more things you like, live well, and be happy. Province A, Province B, Province C, Province D… there are so many places I haven’t traveled to yet. If you have the chance, you can go and see them for me. If we are fated to meet again in the future, you can tell me what you saw, okay?”

His Little Uncle’s voice, gentle and low, murmured in his ear: “Promise me, Nephew, even after I’m gone, you have to live well on your own.”

“At least once a month, buy a piece of clothing you like, go to a place you like, eat at a shop you like. You’re not allowed to be indifferent to everything, not allowed to not know what you like, not allowed to turn back into a robot, not allowed to let my year of effort go to waste.”

“Otherwise, even if I pull through and get better, I won’t come back to find you. Do you hear me, Nephew? You must live well!”