CH 29
Chapter 29: He’s still late
By carefully recalling the scene of his second escape from the dark room, he felt his emotions fluctuate as he witnessed the devil’s cruel treatment of his Xiao Shu under that bright screen. For a long time after that, he felt lost and confused.
When he finally regained some clarity, he successfully escaped for the second time.
Later, he saw his Xiao Shu in the hospital.
Bian Yi didn’t know what the true purpose of that system was, but it seemed to know exactly how to deal with him in order to achieve the best results.
Initially, it had succeeded.
He wanted nothing more than to chop up that despicable person into mincemeat, and to kill Kou Li, who had failed to protect his Xiao Shu.
He also thought about how he could end his useless and ridiculous life.
Bian Yi sighed heavily and closed his eyes, leaning back in his seat.
Fortunately, it wasn’t real.
It was just his own nightmare.
Bian Yi couldn’t help but wonder if his first escape was also a nightmare.
That place was impregnable, with no visible weaknesses. Without the system, the possibility of him escaping on his own was close to zero.
Why did they send him out for a minute or two back then?
To break his spirit? To make him more resentful?
The amusement park… Look at them, they’re a real family of three.
What are you? Nothing but a nameless cannon fodder destined to be replaced.
At the time, he didn’t know the truth about the novel, so he kept asking “why” over and over again.
Now, Bian Yi didn’t feel that getting what Kou Li needed today was unreal at all. He just wanted to go back quickly, wait for Kou Li to complete his research, and extract and destroy that system from Jiang Shi’s mind.
He even wanted Kou Li to add a feature to his research that would allow the system to feel pain, so that it could experience the excruciating pain that it had caused them.
“Oh, by the way,” Bian Yi suddenly remembered Kou Li’s last words and said with disgust, “What kind of friends do you have? Giving wheelchairs so easily?”
Kou Li chuckled, “That’s just how he is. He and Xiao Shu had a good relationship, and they even collaborated and won an award together. There’s a room in the house dedicated to Xiao Shu’s trophies. Before I… the room was almost full, and the trophies are all very beautiful.”
Bian Yi snorted. He could tell that Jian Yi had often visited Kou Li’s home during the time he was away.
Although Jian Yi’s character wasn’t very good, his professional expertise was undeniable, and he must have given Xiao Shu a lot of help.
Just as he had hoped, Xiao Shu later became a great scientist.
But what was Kou Li about to say before? What was the word he didn’t say?
Bian Yi looked at Kou Li, who was still speaking, “I haven’t taken you to that room since you came back. When we go back, I’ll take you to see it.”
Bian Yi lowered his brows and nodded in agreement. “Okay.”
Since he wasn’t saying anything else, he didn’t ask much more, lest he asks something that Kou Li couldn’t bear.
The journey was long and tiring, and after chatting for a while, the two of them rested.
What Kou Li didn’t finish saying was, “Before he died.”
Before Kou Li died, he filled the room where Xiao Shu stored his trophies with various colorful trophies, each one shining brightly. But Xiao Shu, who stood among countless trophies, was not happy.
His eyes, which were very similar to Bian Yi’s, were always filled with sadness. He always looked at Kou Li and said, crying but not daring to cry, “Dad, take a break. I’ll work hard. Dad will definitely come back.”
“Dad, you should eat something.”
“Uncle Jian has made a new medicine. Do you want to try it and take a nap?”
Kou Li slept uneasily because, after talking to Bian Yi about Xiao Shu growing up, he dreamed of the shadows of the previous Xiao Shu. But in each shadow, Xiao Shu was crying.
When he was very young, he cried from eating an unripe fruit.
As he grew older, he was rejected by his classmates, who called him a “monster,” and he cried to Kou Li, feeling wronged. “The question was so simple. Why did they insult me when they couldn’t do it themselves?!”
Later, when he grew a bit taller, he held Kou Li’s hand and cried without making a sound, tears streaming down his face, beside his hospital bed.
After that, he grew up quickly and rarely cried, but he still did sometimes. He happily hugged Kou Li, tears in his eyes, and said with a smile, “Dad! We did it! We really did it, look!”
But his smile didn’t last long, instead, tears welled up in his eyes more and more.
“It’s too late.” In his dream, Kou Li heard his own voice, feeling exhausted. “It’s too late, I’m too late. He’s dead. He’s dead.”
“Xiao Shu, Xiao Shu – he’s dead, Ah Yi is dead, he didn’t wait for me.”
“We’ve succeeded, why? Why didn’t he wait for me, just one more minute, one more minute and I could have saved him.”
“Why didn’t you wait for me, why did you give up? Why…”
“Dad!” Kou Li heard Xiao Shu’s shocked voice in his ear.
“Don’t, don’t,” Xiao Shu wiped the blood from Kou Li’s mouth, his tone panicked as he never had been before, it was the most violent Kou Li had ever seen him cry, “Dad, don’t, don’t… You’re mistaken! The research hasn’t succeeded, it’s this machine that’s malfunctioning, we’ll do it again, Dad -“
“Please, don’t. Look at me, look at me! I haven’t grown up yet. Are you really not going to accompany me to grow up? I haven’t fallen in love, I haven’t gotten married. Don’t leave me, don’t abandon me!”
“Dad, Daddy…”
Kou Li woke up suddenly.
Everything in the dream slowly faded away as he woke up, leaving no trace after a few more seconds.
Kou Li rubbed his temples, looked down at his watch, and saw that there was still an hour left.
Through the window, he could see the sunlight in the clouds, which was beautiful and the typical morning view.
Eighteen years old, shining brightly like the morning sun (1).
Their Xiao Shu was really amazing. He was only eighteen years old at that time, and he was already so outstanding.
If Ah Yi knew, he would be very proud, wouldn’t he?
Kou Li smiled, got up and freshened up, had a cup of coffee brought by his secretary, and then began to immerse himself in his work.
Their efforts, Kou Li’s and Xiao Shu’s, would soon be over in just another month or two.
When the dark clouds disappeared, their family would still live under this beautiful sunshine.
(1) “十八岁，如朝阳的十八岁” literally translates to “18 years old, like the rising sun at 18”. This sentence uses a metaphor comparing a person’s age to the rising sun. In Chinese culture, the rising sun is often associated with the beginning of a new day and represents hope, vitality, and energy. The phrase “如朝阳” (like the rising sun) is often used to describe a young person who is full of vitality and energy, just like the sun rising at the start of a new day. So in this context, the sentence means that the person being referred to is 18 years old and full of youthful energy and potential, just like the rising sun at the start of a new day. I didn’t think it made much sense to say it in the literal sense so I altered it slightly.
By carefully recalling the scene of his second escape from the dark room, he felt his emotions fluctuate as he witnessed the devil’s cruel treatment of his Xiao Shu under that bright screen. For a long time after that, he felt lost and confused.
When he finally regained some clarity, he successfully escaped for the second time.
Later, he saw his Xiao Shu in the hospital.
Bian Yi didn’t know what the true purpose of that system was, but it seemed to know exactly how to deal with him in order to achieve the best results.
Initially, it had succeeded.
He wanted nothing more than to chop up that despicable person into mincemeat, and to kill Kou Li, who had failed to protect his Xiao Shu.
He also thought about how he could end his useless and ridiculous life.
Bian Yi sighed heavily and closed his eyes, leaning back in his seat.
Fortunately, it wasn’t real.
It was just his own nightmare.
Bian Yi couldn’t help but wonder if his first escape was also a nightmare.
That place was impregnable, with no visible weaknesses. Without the system, the possibility of him escaping on his own was close to zero.
Why did they send him out for a minute or two back then?
To break his spirit? To make him more resentful?
The amusement park… Look at them, they’re a real family of three.
What are you? Nothing but a nameless cannon fodder destined to be replaced.
At the time, he didn’t know the truth about the novel, so he kept asking “why” over and over again.
Now, Bian Yi didn’t feel that getting what Kou Li needed today was unreal at all. He just wanted to go back quickly, wait for Kou Li to complete his research, and extract and destroy that system from Jiang Shi’s mind.
He even wanted Kou Li to add a feature to his research that would allow the system to feel pain, so that it could experience the excruciating pain that it had caused them.
“Oh, by the way,” Bian Yi suddenly remembered Kou Li’s last words and said with disgust, “What kind of friends do you have? Giving wheelchairs so easily?”
Kou Li chuckled, “That’s just how he is. He and Xiao Shu had a good relationship, and they even collaborated and won an award together. There’s a room in the house dedicated to Xiao Shu’s trophies. Before I… the room was almost full, and the trophies are all very beautiful.”
Bian Yi snorted. He could tell that Jian Yi had often visited Kou Li’s home during the time he was away.
Although Jian Yi’s character wasn’t very good, his professional expertise was undeniable, and he must have given Xiao Shu a lot of help.
Just as he had hoped, Xiao Shu later became a great scientist.
But what was Kou Li about to say before? What was the word he didn’t say?
Bian Yi looked at Kou Li, who was still speaking, “I haven’t taken you to that room since you came back. When we go back, I’ll take you to see it.”
Bian Yi lowered his brows and nodded in agreement. “Okay.”
Since he wasn’t saying anything else, he didn’t ask much more, lest he asks something that Kou Li couldn’t bear.
The journey was long and tiring, and after chatting for a while, the two of them rested.
What Kou Li didn’t finish saying was, “Before he died.”
Before Kou Li died, he filled the room where Xiao Shu stored his trophies with various colorful trophies, each one shining brightly. But Xiao Shu, who stood among countless trophies, was not happy.
His eyes, which were very similar to Bian Yi’s, were always filled with sadness. He always looked at Kou Li and said, crying but not daring to cry, “Dad, take a break. I’ll work hard. Dad will definitely come back.”
“Dad, you should eat something.”
“Uncle Jian has made a new medicine. Do you want to try it and take a nap?”
Kou Li slept uneasily because, after talking to Bian Yi about Xiao Shu growing up, he dreamed of the shadows of the previous Xiao Shu. But in each shadow, Xiao Shu was crying.
When he was very young, he cried from eating an unripe fruit.
As he grew older, he was rejected by his classmates, who called him a “monster,” and he cried to Kou Li, feeling wronged. “The question was so simple. Why did they insult me when they couldn’t do it themselves?!”
Later, when he grew a bit taller, he held Kou Li’s hand and cried without making a sound, tears streaming down his face, beside his hospital bed.
After that, he grew up quickly and rarely cried, but he still did sometimes. He happily hugged Kou Li, tears in his eyes, and said with a smile, “Dad! We did it! We really did it, look!”
But his smile didn’t last long, instead, tears welled up in his eyes more and more.
“It’s too late.” In his dream, Kou Li heard his own voice, feeling exhausted. “It’s too late, I’m too late. He’s dead. He’s dead.”
“Xiao Shu, Xiao Shu – he’s dead, Ah Yi is dead, he didn’t wait for me.”
“We’ve succeeded, why? Why didn’t he wait for me, just one more minute, one more minute and I could have saved him.”
“Why didn’t you wait for me, why did you give up? Why…”
“Dad!” Kou Li heard Xiao Shu’s shocked voice in his ear.
“Don’t, don’t,” Xiao Shu wiped the blood from Kou Li’s mouth, his tone panicked as he never had been before, it was the most violent Kou Li had ever seen him cry, “Dad, don’t, don’t… You’re mistaken! The research hasn’t succeeded, it’s this machine that’s malfunctioning, we’ll do it again, Dad -“
“Please, don’t. Look at me, look at me! I haven’t grown up yet. Are you really not going to accompany me to grow up? I haven’t fallen in love, I haven’t gotten married. Don’t leave me, don’t abandon me!”
“Dad, Daddy…”
Kou Li woke up suddenly.
Everything in the dream slowly faded away as he woke up, leaving no trace after a few more seconds.
Kou Li rubbed his temples, looked down at his watch, and saw that there was still an hour left.
Through the window, he could see the sunlight in the clouds, which was beautiful and the typical morning view.
Eighteen years old, shining brightly like the morning sun (1).
Their Xiao Shu was really amazing. He was only eighteen years old at that time, and he was already so outstanding.
If Ah Yi knew, he would be very proud, wouldn’t he?
Kou Li smiled, got up and freshened up, had a cup of coffee brought by his secretary, and then began to immerse himself in his work.
Their efforts, Kou Li’s and Xiao Shu’s, would soon be over in just another month or two.
When the dark clouds disappeared, their family would still live under this beautiful sunshine.
(1) “十八岁，如朝阳的十八岁” literally translates to “18 years old, like the rising sun at 18”. This sentence uses a metaphor comparing a person’s age to the rising sun. In Chinese culture, the rising sun is often associated with the beginning of a new day and represents hope, vitality, and energy. The phrase “如朝阳” (like the rising sun) is often used to describe a young person who is full of vitality and energy, just like the sun rising at the start of a new day. So in this context, the sentence means that the person being referred to is 18 years old and full of youthful energy and potential, just like the rising sun at the start of a new day. I didn’t think it made much sense to say it in the literal sense so I altered it slightly.
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