The Tenth Year After My Death, He Finally Came Back

Part 5

My hopes, once held high, had fallen heavily to the ground.

Ji Chuan said he didn't know me.

He Duo Duo, sitting in the car with the photo in hand, puzzled over it, "Could I have really made a mistake? But Ji Chuan's reaction just now was strange—it didn't seem like he didn't know her."

I couldn't understand. How could Ji Chuan have forgotten me?

Was his love for me a lie?

I hadn't even held it against him that he fell for someone else. But how could he just forget me?

Now, even if he found out I was dead, he probably wouldn't be saddened.
Suddenly, someone knocked on He Duo Duo's car window. It was the girl who had been standing next to Ji Chuan earlier.

She said, "Hello, my name is Lin Yuan. I'd like to buy that photo you're holding. Name your price."

"Sorry, it's not for sale at any price. But if you can tell me whether Ji Chuan knows the person in this photo, I might just give it to you directly."

"I can tell you this: the person in that photo almost ruined Ji Chuan."

"What?"

"Having that photo isn't a good thing." Lin Yuan glanced at it. "Everything related to that woman is a landmine for Ji Chuan. You'd best be careful."

"Is that so?"

He Duo Duo handed the photo to Lin Yuan.

I heard her mutter as she walked away, "Things are about to get interesting."

"Whether it's a landmine or not, we'll only know once we step on it."

?

I thought Lin Yuan would destroy the photo, but unexpectedly, she brought it to the hotel and gave it to Ji Chuan.

"Are you still not over her?"

Ji Chuan took the photo, didn't even look at it, and tossed it straight into the trash can.
He said, "I've long forgotten who she was."

"Heh."

Lin Yuan's tone seemed a bit strange.

I sat at Ji Chuan's feet, looking at the photo in the trash. I couldn't describe how painful it was.

That was our only photo together.

We'd taken it at the amusement park, with my camera.

I still remember he had a pink cotton candy in his hand, and it was so sweet.

He even said he would always love me.

He changed his heart.

But I didn't.

When I got home that day, I had two copies of the photo developed.

My dad tore one of them up.

It was because of that photo that he found out about my relationship with Ji Chuan.

I secretly brought the remaining one into the psychiatric hospital.

During the fire, I hid the photo in a tin candy box, and behind some peeling wall paint, there was a hole where mice got in. I put the tin box in there, covered it with my body, and barely managed to save half the photo.

After I became a ghost, I drew Ji Chuan's face in my mind every day. Even though the photo was destroyed, I never forgot what he looked like.
Every word he ever said to me, I remember it all.

All of it is etched in my mind.

But Ji Chuan had forgotten.

6

The cleaning lady at the hotel threw my photo into a larger trash bin.

I had no choice but to follow her.

Actually, I wanted to tell Ji Chuan.

Over the past ten years, I had come to understand many things.

I had seen young boys and girls kissing in alleys, promising each other a lifetime of love, only for the boy to turn around and kiss someone else, making the same vows again.

I had also witnessed couples on the verge of divorce, fighting over property and children, wishing each other dead.

And I had seen couples who, despite not loving each other, still chose to be together after an arranged date, their eyes void of any love.

...

I still couldn't define what "love" meant.

But I knew that my affection surpassed that of most people.

I didn't lie, nor did I change my heart.

I had kept all my promises to him.

Yet now, I couldn't comprehend Ji Chuan's affection anymore.

Late at night, I leaned against the trash bin.

Loving someone was indeed a complex matter.

No wonder my dad thought I'd never understand it.

Before dawn, I saw Ji Chuan running over in his pajamas.

His eyes were red as he rummaged through the trash bin, finally retrieving my photo.

After wiping it clean, he tucked it into his chest.

Ji Chuan was sad.

Why?

Hadn't he said he had forgotten?

He took my photo back to his room, sat dejectedly on the edge of the bed, motionless.

Loving someone shouldn't be something that brings sadness.

I wanted to tell Ji Chuan.

If he felt sad, then maybe he shouldn't love me. It was okay to forget me.

I regretted leaving that photo behind.

I didn't want to see Ji Chuan sad.

He put the photo into his wallet, carrying it with him wherever he went.

From then on, I could follow Ji Chuan every day.

He never mentioned my name, nor did he try to find out what had happened to me.

He remained completely unaware of my death.

He and Lin Yuan attended a banquet together after the summit.

Everyone praised them as a perfect match, asking when they planned to marry.

Just the thought of Ji Chuan marrying someone else made me wish I could disappear.

I wanted him to be happy, but I didn't want to see his happiness with my own eyes.

Loving someone was selfish; it was possessive.

I even thought, maybe I should let Ji Chuan know that I was dead. Then perhaps, he'd remember me and not marry Lin Yuan.

I really was selfish.

Ji Chuan bought the villa where I had once lived.

The agent told him, "This is a haunted house. It's already had two previous owners. The last owner went bankrupt, and the one before that committed suicide here. As for the first people who lived here, I heard their child died tragically at just eighteen. The owner was so devastated that they moved abroad. Perhaps you might want to reconsider?"

Hearing this, I shuddered.

But Ji Chuan was busy texting and didn't even hear the agent's words.

"Contract."

After reading it, Ji Chuan swiftly signed his name.

Although Ji Chuan's handwriting was beautiful, his fingers long and slender, they were anything but nimble.

When he carved, I had to guide his hand.

And whenever I spoke to him, he barely paid attention. His ears would turn cherry red, making me lose focus, too.

I never had the chance to pick those cherries—I lost them forever.

Late at night, Ji Chuan sat in the room where we once had lessons, the lights turned off.

I looked around and realized all my things were gone, replaced by unfamiliar furniture.

He lit a cigarette and quietly stared out the window.

What was Ji Chuan thinking?

The next day, he had all the furniture moved out.

The villa became empty.

Ji Chuan would come here every day, spending some time in silence.

The sunset filtered through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting its light into the room.

He sat on the floor, gazing at the wild roses outside the window.

The sunset bathed him, blending into an atmosphere of sorrow.

I sat beside him, quietly accompanying him.

Ji Chuan, were you thinking of me?

You clearly remembered me, so why lie?

Did loving me make you feel ashamed?

"Ji Chuan!"