Chapter 74: Wish List

Unlike last time, this time it was a physical entity that could be seen and filmed, not a soul. Zhu Zhixi turned the video volume to maximum and faintly heard a whimper, very quiet, drowned out by the sound of tires screeching in the underground garage.

“It really is Snowball.”

Although more than a dozen hours had passed since the video was taken, and Snowball was likely gone, everyone still went to the garage to search for the puppy’s trail upon learning this clue.

The most bewildered person in all of this was Zhu Zeran. He didn’t know why they were suddenly looking for a dog with such a fuss. He was getting a real headache from his restless younger brother. “No, wait, can’t you rest first? And when did you get a dog? How come I don’t know?”

“I can’t explain it to you right now, bro. You have to help me find the dog too. I’ll die without it!” What nonsense is this kid talking? Zhu Zeran was completely baffled.

The elevator couldn’t fit so many people. As soon as the two tallest men stepped in, it started beeping. Even one was too much. So, the two of them got out to take another one.

While waiting, Zhu Zeran found it increasingly amusing and looked at Fu Rangyi. “I say, brother-in-law, can you tolerate this?”

Fu Rangyi glanced at him. “What?”

“He’ll die without the dog. Doesn’t that mean the dog is more important than you?” Zhu Zeran said bluntly.

Fu Rangyi took a deep breath. “…For now, yes.”

Zhu Zeran was dumbfounded and almost forgot to get into the elevator when the doors opened.

However, for the sake of his brother’s life, he called a bunch of people in the middle of the night to help conduct a grid search of the hospital’s underground garage.

Zhu Zhixi watched the video over and over again. Combining it with the specific location where Liang Yi’en had parked that morning, he finally found the approximate spot where Xiao Xiang had been filming from. As he had imagined, the puppy was no longer there.

But they found its paw prints on the ground, a small string of them, like little plum blossoms. Zhu Zhixi squatted down, peered under the nearby cars, and found no trace of Snowball. When he turned his head, he froze. There was a trace of blood on the pillar.

His heart trembled.

Following the direction of the paw prints, everyone continued to search. They thought it was a long shot, but forty minutes later, Zhu Zeran’s phone rang.

“Found it,” Zhu Zeran said, holding his phone and looking at Zhu Zhixi.

Snowball was hiding behind a trash can on the westernmost side of the B1 level, curled up. Its fur had turned a dusty gray, and its blue collar was dirty.

Seeing it, Zhu Zhixi’s heart almost stopped for a second. The light on his palm’s countdown flickered but didn’t stop because of this.

The person who found it picked it up. When they turned to look at Zhu Zhixi, their face suddenly turned very pale.

“I don’t think this puppy is breathing.”

“What?” Zhu Zhixi immediately took Snowball from their hands and checked for its breath and heartbeat.

There really was nothing. Nothing at all. What do I do…

He looked up at Fu Rangyi. He was at a loss, and Fu Rangyi’s eyes showed a rare bewilderment.

Liang Yi’en suddenly came closer and, before Zhu Zhixi could speak, whispered in his ear, “Don’t be afraid. Xiao Yu said Snowball’s soul and body are just separated right now. As long as the soul returns, there’s hope.”

The little hamster in his pocket poked its head out, looking at him as if to say “that’s right.”

“At least we’ve found Snowball’s body,” Liang Yi’en said. “Its soul can’t be separated from its body for too long. It has to come back sooner or later.”

Was this good news?

Zhu Zhixi looked down, feeling a bit sad, but not because of the countdown.

He gently kneaded Snowball’s small paws. Is it my imagination? Why is it so much thinner than when I first met it? So small, so light, like a dirty cotton ball. It looked like it had suffered a lot. Its paws were worn, there was blood around its mouth, and its belly was slightly purple. Was it because it had pounced on Xiao Xiang to protect him, only to be kicked away viciously?

Was that why its soul and body separated? Is that why the countdown suddenly started to run out so fast…

Xiao Xiang didn’t make a move right away then. Was it the same thing that happened when he slashed the tire?

The little puppy’s soul, forcibly separated, was still trying to bite at his pants, to stop Xiao Xiang from hurting him.

Why are you so foolish?

The puppy was found, and the others left.

Zhu Zhixi persuaded Liang Yi’en to go back and rest. “You’ve been exhausted these past two days because of me, and you can’t sleep well in the hospital room. Go home and get some rest.”

Liang Yi’en was still a little worried. “I can just sleep on the sofa.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be with him,” Fu Rangyi said. “Go back and get a good night’s sleep.”

Before leaving, Liang Yi’en thought of something and turned back. “By the way, Granny has agreed to the surgery. I watched her sign the consent form before I came to meet Professor Fu. The surgery is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon.”

Zhu Zhixi was a little surprised. “Why did she suddenly agree?”

“When Professor Fu called me, Granny was right there and overheard. She was worried about you. I told her you really hope she can live a long and healthy life, that if she’s well, you can be at ease. So she said she’d give it a try.”

Hearing this, Zhu Zhixi felt a little uneasy. “I hope the surgery goes well.” He said, gently rocking the puppy in his arms, “Snowball, you have to bless Granny, okay?”

Zhu Zeran looked at his brother, uncharacteristically silent. He thought the puppy was dead and his brother was so sad he was in a daze.

“I’m leaving. I’ll pick you up to go home tomorrow afternoon.” He squeezed Zhu Zhixi’s shoulder. “Get some sleep, don’t overthink it. Dad is coming back tomorrow too.”

“I know.” Zhu Zhixi nodded. After seeing them off, he took Snowball back to the hospital room and went to the bathroom alone to wash up.

When he came out, he saw Fu Rangyi sitting on the sofa, head bowed. His right arm was in a sling, and his left hand was gently stroking Snowball, from its ears to its forehead, eye sockets, nose… Snowball was curled up quietly in a small nest. Zhu Zhixi looked closely at the pattern and realized it was made from Fu Rangyi’s shirt.

“You miss him a lot too, don’t you?” Zhu Zhixi spoke softly.

Hearing his voice, Fu Rangyi’s hand paused. He looked up at Zhu Zhixi and, after a moment of silence, said, “He looks so different from when he was little.”

This sentence inexplicably made his eyes sting.

The countdown ticked by, second by second. He realized a very cruel fact. No matter what the final outcome was—whether he left, or Snowball disappeared—Fu Rangyi would be the saddest one. He was always losing, destined to lose.

Even his sadness was silent, so it was always overlooked.

Zhu Zhixi walked over, stood by the sofa, and hugged him. Fu Rangyi was a little confused at first, but then he buried his face in his side, his nose nuzzling him. With his remaining hand, he wrapped it around Zhu Zhixi’s waist, loosely at first, then tightening his arm, very tight.

The hospital gown became damp in a small patch. Zhu Zhixi noticed but didn’t expose it.

“How much time is left?” Fu Rangyi’s voice was muffled, with a slight nasal tone.

Zhu Zhixi answered honestly, “4 days and 13 hours.”

After hearing this, Fu Rangyi repeated it under his breath and took Zhu Zhixi’s hand. The new wedding rings clinked together with a soft sound as they interlaced their fingers.

“It’s enough. It will come back.” His tone sounded like he was trying to convince himself.

The atmosphere was too sad. Zhu Zhixi tried his best to make his tone sound as light as possible. He said, “I think so too. Maybe Snowball has its own bucket list. After it finishes everything it wants to do, checks them off one by one, clears the list, it will come back.”

“Forgot to say, I have another good quality, which is that I’m very patient,” Zhu Zhixi said with a smile. “I will wait obediently for Snowball to come back.”

“Besides, didn’t Xiao Yu say we won’t know what will happen until the very end?” Zhu Zhixi comforted him. “It’s also possible that this countdown won’t affect me, and in the end, it will just be a false alarm, just like today.”

Fu Rangyi never lifted his head.

Zhu Zhixi squatted down, resting his hands on his knees. In a half-squat, he kissed his slung arm, then lifted his face to meet Fu Rangyi’s gaze. He moved closer, kissing his nose, his lips.

A sad Fu Rangyi tasted cool when kissed. He must smell very bitter right now.

Zhu Zhixi took off his wristband and put it on his own wrist. He hoped Fu Rangyi’s pheromones would land on him, surround him. He wanted to share some of his bitterness.

Fu Rangyi didn’t want him to keep squatting like that, so he stood up, pulled him up as well, and led him back to the bed. They squeezed onto the small hospital bed, like two survivors of a shipwreck, huddled fearfully on the only small lifeboat, bumping and swaying, neither daring to close their eyes.

“Actually, I have a list too,” Zhu Zhixi said suddenly.

Fu Rangyi looked at him. He found that Zhu Zhixi, usually careless, was always exceptionally considerate in small details, such as how he actively omitted the word “bucket” from “bucket list.”

“What wishes are on it?” he asked.

“Too many to count,” Zhu Zhixi said with a smile. “I wrote it a long time ago.”

Fu Rangyi stroked his hair. “How long ago?”

“When I was a kid,” Zhu Zhixi lowered his eyes, as if lost in memory. “The day after my mom passed away.”

Fu Rangyi’s fingers paused slightly, staying in place.

“The first item was: I want to go to many, many places and make many, many friends,” Zhu Zhixi looked up and said with a smile. “Because before she left, she told me that after people die, they don’t actually disappear; they turn into other forms. She wouldn’t leave me, she would just become a blade of grass, a cloud, a dragonfly by my side.”

“Wherever I am, Mom is there. My eyes are Mom’s eyes. The Earth is too wonderful, too big, and she hadn’t seen enough of it. So, she told me to go out more, to go to faraway places, and to see the world with her.”

Fu Rangyi listened without speaking, stubbornly pretending not to understand. He found he still couldn’t accept it. Not even such a veiled farewell.

“Many times, I really feel like Mom is by my side. Sometimes when I see a small cat following me, I feel like it might be Mom. That’s why I’m always picking up small animals. I used to think it was a niche hobby, but then I met Xiao En and found out he thinks the same way.”

Fu Rangyi said softly, “No wonder you two could be friends.”

“If it were you, what would you want to become?” Zhu Zhixi suddenly asked.

“Me?” Fu Rangyi had never considered such a question, but he thought about it seriously for a moment. “A tree, I guess.”

“A tree?” Zhu Zhixi looked up at him. “Why?”

Because a tree’s roots are deep in the soil. Even if it’s all alone, it won’t be adrift and without support.

“I just like trees,” Fu Rangyi answered casually, then asked, “What about you?”

Zhu Zhixi thought for a moment. “A butterfly, I think.”

“Because butterflies are beautiful?” Fu Rangyi asked.

Zhu Zhixi shook his head. “Because a butterfly’s life cycle is very short.”

He looked at Fu Rangyi, his tone very light. “To be honest, I’m a little unwilling. I really like this current life. Because I met you, I feel very happy. But if it really is this short, with only four days left, then in every life after this, I only want to become a butterfly, to die in a few days, or a few weeks.”

As he spoke, his voice became much lower. “Without you, even a few weeks would be very long.”

This answer was completely beyond Fu Rangyi’s imagination. It was so light, like a few jokes, yet at the same time so heavy, heavier than any vow. Zhu Zhixi spoke with such a childlike innocence that it was almost cruel.

From now on, whenever he saw a butterfly, he would probably be stunned.

“Don’t say things like that,” Fu Rangyi’s eyes turned red.

“Okay, then do you want to hear my other wishes?” Zhu Zhixi stroked the corner of his eye.

Fu Rangyi nodded, turned his face to the side, and kissed Zhu Zhixi’s fingers.

Zhu Zhixi’s tone remained light. “I want to cook a meal for my dad and brother. You know, I can’t cook at all, so you have to help me.”

“No problem,” Fu Rangyi said. “How about tomorrow? When Dad lands and gets home, it will be ready.”

Zhu Zhixi smiled and nodded. “We’ll make a whole table of delicious dishes. I want to sit at the table and listen to them praise me endlessly, and watch them eat it all up.”

Fu Rangyi could already imagine him sitting at the table, chin in hand, looking smug. “What else?”

“I want to… knit a sweater for a penguin,” Zhu Zhixi said. “I signed up for a public welfare environmental project before. Due to oil spills, many penguins get oil on their feathers. They ingest it when they preen, which is very dangerous. After the penguin conservation center receives the sweaters, they put them on the penguins until they recover. But I don’t know how to knit. The pattern is so complicated. You have to help me.”

Fu Rangyi really wanted to know where he found all these strange projects. “Okay, I’ll help you.”

“Do you think four days is enough to knit one?” Zhu Zhixi asked.

“It is,” Fu Rangyi said. “Trust me.”

Zhu Zhixi nodded. “And also, to watch the cultural relics exhibition I’ve been preparing for so long open smoothly. This one should be achievable, since it opens the day after tomorrow.”

“I will go and help you film it, to record it.”

“Okay.” Zhu Zhixi wrapped his arms around his neck, moved much closer, and whispered, “You’re like my magic lamp. I can just rub you and make a wish.” After saying that, he rubbed Fu Rangyi’s face.

Fu Rangyi rested his forehead against his, nuzzling their noses together. “Is there anything else, little master?”

Zhu Zhixi’s eyes gradually moistened, the smile at the corners of his mouth slowly faded, and his expression changed from playful to serious. “There is one more, very, very important, and only you can help me complete it.”

“Nian Nian, I want to cure your illness. This is my most fervent wish.”