Chapter 70: Cloudy with a Chance of Sun

Liang Yi’en was not a good drinker. After a few glasses, he was no longer clear-headed and collapsed onto the table.

The room became very quiet. Zhu Zhixi sat silently across from him, the only sound in his ears being the ticking of the countdown.

[4 days 21 hours 23 minutes 08 seconds]

He was drunk too, his head feeling hot and his whole body groggy, as if stuck in a high fever that wouldn’t break, making it difficult to think. A moment later, Zhu Zhixi unbuttoned his coat and staggered to his feet, walking step by step to the kitchen. He went to the refrigerator, opened the left freezer door, twisted the ice maker knob a few times, and with a clatter, ice cubes fell out. He pulled open the drawer, grabbed a handful, stuffed them into his mouth, and crunched them.

He stuffed a few more in, standing there propped up by the freezer door. He heard the long “beep” of the warning alarm, a stark contrast to the short ticks of the countdown in his head, and stood there in a daze.

Soon he finished the ice, and the ice drawer was empty. Zhu Zhixi felt it wasn’t enough. He squatted down, wanting to rummage through the lower compartments to see if he could find any other frozen treats.

Because he loved cold food, Fu Rangyi had long forbidden him from buying ice cream. But Zhu Zhixi suddenly remembered the strawberries he had frozen himself during the last susceptible period.

Are there any left? He searched layer by layer, until he pulled out the bottom drawer. Unlike the other compartments that were stuffed full, this one, despite being the largest, held only a Christmas-themed cake box.

Didn’t we finish the cake long ago?

His neck flushed, Zhu Zhixi groggily opened the box and then suddenly sat down on the floor. Inside the box was a tiny snowman.

It was the snowman he had built downstairs at dawn on the night of the first snow, unable to sleep because his heart was so full. In an instant, Zhu Zhixi was transported back to that quiet, snowy night. In that unknown corner, Fu Rangyi had given him a kiss as gentle as a snowflake.

He had been surrounded by pheromones, falling into a cold garden of flowers.

He had even once thought that the snowman would melt and disappear by the next morning. But it had been perfectly preserved here, and even modified. The comically long carrot had been replaced with a small, delicate baby carrot. Two blueberries had been added as eyes, and the strange branch arms had been replaced with neat archaeological bamboo skewers.

A snowman built on a whim, just like the countless things he had said casually, had all been collected and carefully preserved by Fu Rangyi. It was so clumsy, as if he were trying to build a Zhu Zhixi museum in his heart, hiding everything about him away, but not opening it for exhibition to anyone.

Even Zhu Zhixi himself didn’t know.

How could there be such a person?

Zhu Zhixi was in a complete daze, almost at a loss. A moment later, he gently picked up the snowman, placed it in his palm, and carefully turned it halfway around. He found a pink band-aid with a cartoon bunny printed on it stuck to the back of its neck.

A sticky note was attached to the back of the snowman, bearing Fu Rangyi’s elegant and neat handwriting.

[Congratulations to the slow-witted classmate Zhu Zhixi for finally discovering its existence. But I guess a long time has passed, since a certain someone’s frequency of using the refrigerator is extremely low, and the area of use is also very limited. But in any case, because of this refrigerator, your snowman has lived a long time.]

This passage almost filled the entire small sticky note, but at the very bottom, another line of small characters was squeezed in. The thickness of the pen stroke was different; it must have been added recently.

[Baby, you too. I’m here, don’t be afraid.]

Zhu Zhixi finally couldn’t hold it in anymore. He held the snowman and leaned against the refrigerator door, crying softly.

It wasn’t the refrigerator that kept the snowman alive at all; it was Fu Rangyi’s love. Idiot.

I don’t want to leave this idiot.

Liang Yi’en’s words echoed continuously in his mind.

[He will only spend the rest of his life regretting over and over again why he fell asleep, why he closed his eyes, why he didn’t even get to see you one last time.]

That’s right. A brilliant mind who remembers every single detail, a little sad sack who is always saying “I’m sorry” and “thank you” to him—how could he fool him? How could he let him live on without regret, without burden?

Before meeting him, Fu Rangyi had never lived a single moment without a burden, not for one second.

To make him forget the terrible first blind date, forget the imagined romance at the dining table, the strange countdown agreement, the messy care during the susceptible period, the forced proposal, the confession at the childhood ruins, the letter from universe 823523…

Zhu Zhixi cried and then laughed. How was that possible? He couldn’t even forget it himself.

To live happily until the very last second…

Zhu Zhixi took off the sticky note, and with trembling hands, carefully placed the snowman back in the box, closed the lid, pushed it back in, and shut the refrigerator door.

He finally understood. Lies were useless. In front of all the people who loved him, any pretense was transparent and fragile.

Only by doing his best to make Fu Rangyi happy until the very last second could he himself live happily until the very last second.

Zhu Zhixi took a deep, deep breath. He was like a withered flower, all life sucked out of him by death. But in that instant, he smelled the lingering scent of aromatherapy in the apartment—cold enough to feel like he had fallen into a polar wasteland, yet faintly exuding the vibrant fragrance of flowers. Every petal, every vein was filled once more.

Following the familiar, heart-warming scent, he stumbled back to the room, step by step, and frantically pulled open drawer after drawer, searching continuously, making a mess of the entire room. In the chaos that Fu Rangyi would absolutely not be able to tolerate, Zhu Zhixi found what he was looking for.

The fake marriage contract that he had signed and never opened again. Four thin sheets of paper, the beginning of a lie.

Zhu Zhixi didn’t look at it. He picked up the contract, intending to tear it up immediately, but his hand paused in mid-air. He sat in the messy room, blinked his slightly swollen eyes, and suddenly felt that this lacked any sense of ceremony.

I’m the kind of person who wants to turn even his funeral into a party.

Zhu Zhixi lowered his hand, clenched the contract, and stared at it quietly for a moment, finally making up his mind.

He stuffed the contract into his bag, went to the bathroom, washed his face carefully, then left the guest room and walked quickly to the dining table, shaking the drunk Liang Yi’en awake.

“Xiao En, Xiao En!”

Liang Yi’en groggily lifted his head. When he opened his eyes and saw him, he seemed startled, grabbing his arm tightly and holding on, mumbling, “Senior, you’re not going to die… Don’t do anything stupid.”

“I’m not going to do anything stupid.” Zhu Zhixi pulled him up and said to him, “Xiao En, I’m counting on you for the hospital matter. You must convince the doctor to operate on Granny as soon as possible. Whether we find Snowball or not, Granny’s illness must be treated properly.”

Liang Yi’en’s eyes gradually cleared from their chaotic state. The small hamster in his pocket also excitedly climbed onto his shoulder, stretching out its little paws to tug at Liang Yi’en’s ear.

Zhu Zhixi’s heart was beating extremely fast. He could clearly feel that he was still alive. At least in this moment, he was very, very alive.

“I’ve decided. I’m going to tell Fu Rangyi everything, be completely honest with him. No matter what happens in five days, I don’t want to lie to him anymore. I want to tell him that I truly, truly love him.”

He took a deep breath and laughed. “Every time we’ve proposed or confessed, it’s been so rushed, with no sense of ceremony at all. And I’m a curator! It’s too sloppy. I’m going to set up a particularly romantic place, tear up our stupid contract, and become his real partner.”

“Then…” Liang Yi’en wiped his face. “Do you need my help with anything? Buying flowers?”

“No, you just need to help me by going to the hospital. That’s the only thing. I need to go back to my house now to get something very, very important.”

After speaking, Zhu Zhixi hugged Liang Yi’en, a tight, heavy embrace. “Thank you, Xiao En. It’s so good to have you. Quick, wish me success.”

He let go, but Liang Yi’en started crying. While crying, he tilted his head up, as if breathing a huge sigh of relief. “What are you doing? You really scared me to death.” The little hamster stretched out its tiny paws, trying to catch the tears falling from his chin.

But he still managed to say between sobs, “…I wish you success.”

“Okay! Let’s keep in touch!” Zhu Zhixi said, running to the entryway to change his shoes and leaving the apartment.

He went downstairs, his steps quick. Time was short, and every minute, every second had to be used well.

Standing downstairs from the apartment building, Zhu Zhixi called a car to go home. The two days of continuous rain were finally showing signs of ending. The thick clouds were being blown away by the wind, and the warm twilight fell through the gaps, making the rain-soaked road sparkle with tiny points of light.

While waiting for the car, he glanced at the time and dialed Fu Rangyi’s number. Each busy tone was overlaid with the ticking of the countdown. Why isn’t he answering? Zhu Zhixi worried. Is he not off work yet? Still busy?

The car he called arrived. Zhu Zhixi got in and started typing a message to Fu Rangyi.

[Wifey (rabbit emoji): Why didn’t you pick up? I’m done with my work. Your flight arrives at 8 PM tomorrow night, right? I might be a little busy around that time. If I can’t pick you up early, can you go to the museum after you arrive? Remember the floor we visited together last time? I’ve moved your bronze mirror to the very center of that floor. At 9:09:09 PM, I’ll be waiting for you in front of that display case. You must be on time.]

Staring at the screen, thinking it over, he still added another sentence after arriving home.

[Wifey (rabbit emoji): Ya’aburnee, you idiot.]

The house was empty. His brother and father were both at work, and Zhu Zhixi’s heart felt a little empty too. He still went upstairs, knocked on both of their doors, and wrote them sticky notes. He thought for a moment, then crumpled them up.

This really seemed like a joke, and he happened to be the kind of person who loved to joke the most. It would be better to tell them in person.

Back in his room, from the small drawer at the very top of his wardrobe, Zhu Zhixi found his precious little box, placed it in the innermost layer of his backpack, and then left the house.

On the way to the museum, it was the blue hour. Zhu Zhixi leaned against the car window, earnestly watching the street scenes flash by, the gradually deepening night, the streetlights and neon signs lighting up one by one. Everything was so brilliant and vivid.

Suddenly, a small house overflowing with flowers flashed past.

“Sir, please stop for a moment,” Zhu Zhixi leaned forward. “I’ll get out here.”

“Huh?” The driver was a bit confused. “We’re not there yet.”

“It’s fine,” Zhu Zhixi paid and opened the door. “I need to buy flowers for my lover.”

After getting out, he shouldered his bag and ran back in the direction they came from, the hem of his coat flying up, a faint blush appearing on his cheeks. Panting, Zhu Zhixi stopped in front of the flower shop. He looked around at the clusters of flowers and, seeing the owner come out, said with a smile, “I’d like to order roses. 999 of them.”

The shop owner’s eyes lit up. “So many! When do you need them? Would you like to choose the variety of rose?”

“Hmm…” Zhu Zhixi looked around. “I want white ones. Snow-white.”

He went inside and, with the owner, selected the roses, carefully chose the wrapping, paid the deposit, and confirmed the delivery time and location.

“Please make sure they’re a little early,” Zhu Zhixi emphasized. “These flowers are very important. I’m using them to set up the scene.”

“What kind of scene?” the owner asked with a smile.

“A confession,” Zhu Zhixi smiled and shook his head. “A proposal.”

Tick-tock, tick-tock… The countdown flowed by, second by second, without stopping. For the first time in his life, he realized how precious, how urgent time was.

Leaving the flower shop, Zhu Zhixi held a single white rose the owner had given him and walked down the street with his backpack on. This street wasn’t as bustling as the main road; it was quiet, and Zhu Zhixi’s mood inexplicably calmed down. He lowered his head, his nose gently touching the petals, and sniffed lightly. A very faint rose scent.

I hope Fu Rangyi won’t be scared. Should I record a video in advance?

I have to ask Xiao En to help. Thinking this, Zhu Zhixi took out his phone, looked down, opened his contacts, and started scrolling to find Liang Yi’en’s number.

However, in the next second, a sharp, needle-like pain pricked the side of his neck. A cold liquid was slowly pushed into his bloodstream.

Who? He tried to turn his head to look, but he quickly lost consciousness and closed his eyes.