Chapter Ch157.2 - The Dream Ends (2)
Translated by Eve
Edited by Serefina
15. The Dream Ends (2)
【Xie He：Baby, help me exchange for a ticket to “Dreams of Your Past Life: the Theater of Life”. Let Han Wenqian see what happened after his death in a dream.】
【444：Huh? Σ( ° △°|||)︴】
【Xie He：What’s wrong, Baby?】
【444：Is this necessary…? _(:зゝ∠)_】He really feels that this move is really a little too ruthless…..
【Xie He：You just have to follow orders. Smile.JPG】
【444：…OK! One ticket to “Dreams of Your Past Life: the Theater of Life” costs 1000 experience points. Exchange complete! It has been implanted in Han Wenqian’s mind. The next time he falls asleep, he will see it!】
【Xie He：Very good. This is my breakup gift to Gege. He will definitely like it. 🙂 】
【444：……】
Xie He seemed to be in a really good mood, as if he had completely let go. He even initiated conversation with Han Wenqian.
After eating dinner, they went out onto the street. As they passed a large building, Xie He suddenly smiled and said to Han Wenqian, “Ge, I want to eat cake from that Western bakery. I haven’t had it for a really long time.”
Han Wenqian immediately nodded. “Wait here. I’ll buy it for you.”
He didn’t even think about it and left. He remembered that bakery. He used to pick up cakes for Xie He after work in the past. Although the other was a boy, he really loved sweets. Han Wenqian used to tease him affectionately about it.
That bakery had pretty good business. Although Han Wenqian was in a rush, he still had to wait a while before he could make his purchase.
He carried the cake out with a heart full of anticipation. It had been the first time Xie He had smiled at him in a very long time. It had also been the first time he had come outside with him and asked anything of him in a long time…. Everything caused his heart to jump for joy. It was like he had caught a glimmer of hope, like things would only get better and better between them from here….
However, when Han Wenqian returned to the spot he had left Xie He, the other was nowhere to be found. That moment, a baffling sense of dread arose in Han Wenqian’s heart. The joy completely disappeared. Where had his younger brother gone?
Many people ran past Han Wenqian, heading towards a building’s entrance. What were they saying? It sounded like they were saying someone was jumping from a building.
Han Wenqian followed the stream of people in a daze. He looked up and saw Xie He sitting on the window sill on the sixteenth floor. Both hands were on the sill and his legs were dangling in midair. It looked like he had been waiting for someone. When he noticed Han Wenqian, he smiled at him from afar. This smile was as pure as it had been in the past.
It was just like it had been in the distant past.
The wind blew against the young man’s bangs. Han Wenqian gazed at him from a distance with a tilted head…. The next second, he watched as the boy jumped off, arms spread out. He was smiling at Han Wenqian. His lips parted. He seemed to be saying something.
Han Wenqian couldn’t hear it. Everything felt like it was playing in slow motion. He bolted forward with everything he had in him, wanting to catch his angel. He wanted to hold him, to take him home, but he was a step too late….
He watched as the person he loved crashed down onto the ground beside his feet. Soon after, blood slowly seeped out from under him…staining Han Wenqian’s shoes…staining the ground red….
The cake box fell from Han Wenqian’s hands. Everything in front of him was a blur.
A long time later, he slowly knelt down, and pulled the young man into his arms. But all the bones in the young man’s body had been shattered. When he held him, the other felt like he was a lump of flesh without any bones. The other’s head fell against Han Wenqian’s neck. He was still smiling.
Han Wenqian cupped Lin Xin’s face and softly said, “You’re scaring me again….”
But no one responded to him.
Han Wenqian asked, “What did you say to me just now? I couldn’t hear it. Tell me again, okay…?”
He held Lin Xin and kept speaking to him but Lin Xin didn’t answer him. Han Wenqian wanted to say something else but noticed that someone was pulling at him. Someone wanted to take Lin Xin away from him.
Han Wenqian was furious! Who wanted to take his younger brother away?! Who was it?!
He tried to throw off the person holding him and punched really hard, knocking down the other person. Immediately after, more people came over to suppress him. Han Wenqian felt a pain to the back of his head and then everything went dark as he fell to the ground…. The moment he shut his eyes, he saw someone take his younger brother away…..
He wanted to reach out and grab hold of him but he couldn’t reach him…. The other was taken away.
………………………………
When Han Wenqian woke up, he found himself lying in bed at home. His mother was watching him with a worried gaze. There were also tears in her eyes. She sobbed, “You’re awake.”
Han Wenqian tore off the blanket and began to leave. As he walked, he asked, “Where’s Xiao Xin? Someone took him away. Where is he?!”
Mother Han pulled him back and cried, “He’s dead.”
Han Wenqian threw off his mother’s hold and angrily said, “He’s not dead!”
Mother Han looked at Han Wenqian, tears blurring her sight. She didn’t know what to say. She had also seen Lin Xin’s condition. She was in so much pain and was so upset…if even she felt this upset, then what about Han Wenqian, who loved Lin Xin so dearly…? Just how much pain was he in…?
Han Wenqian didn’t care and continued to make his way out of the room. However, before he could get past the front door, Han Chengshan stopped him. Han Chengshan slapped Han Wenqian and said, “What are you making a fuss for? It was you who couldn’t take proper care of him. You couldn’t even care for one child and you still have the gall to cause a fuss!”
Han Wenqian’s head whipped to the side. In that instant, he froze. These words drained him of all his strength. His face paled and his lips trembled.
Yes, it was all his fault. He hadn’t been able to watch over the person he loved properly…. He had thought Lin Xin had managed to walk away from his pain. Several minutes ago, he had been smiling at Han Wenqian. He looked so normal. He had even said that if none of this had happened, he might have fallen in love with Han Wenqian….
He had thought that Lin Xin finally wanted to start anew. He had been so happy…which was why he had been so careless.
Han Wenqian raised his head to stare at Han Chengshan, dazed. His eyes were very still. It was all his fault…it was he who didn’t keep a proper eye on Lin Xin.
Han Wenqian slowly let out a hoarse voice, “I want to see him one last time….”
Han Chengshan looked old and exhausted. A long time later, he nodded.
Han Wenqian left and went to see Lin Xin’s corpse again. He handled his funeral arrangements. He didn’t sleep for several days in a row. He just accompanied Lin Xin, right until he was buried.
Han Wenqian caressed Lin Xin’s tombstone and stared at the picture on it. The young man had on a bashful smile and one could see faint dimples in his cheeks. Han Wenqian peered at the photo with a gentle, yearning gaze. He quietly said, “What did you want to tell me that day? I couldn’t make it out….”
Han Wenqian shut his eyes and fainted.
He fell into a very long dream. In his dream, he returned to his previous life.
That day, he had rushed over to confront Lin Xin but had found Lin Xin in bed with Qin Ye. Lin Xin had mocked him. Blinded by his extreme anger, he hadn’t paid attention to the traffic and ended up dying in a traffic accident. He then floated out of his corpse. Next, he watched how things had unfolded afterwards.
This was what he hadn’t gotten to see in his last life.
Han Wenqian watched as Lin Xin rushed out from Qin Ye’s home. He held Han Wenqian’s corpse and wept.
Qin Ye followed behind and stared coldly at Han Wenqian’s body. He said to Lin Xin, “What are you crying for? The Han Family has committed too many evil deeds. They should have died long ago.”
Lin Xin’s face was completely streaked with tears. He screamed at Qin Ye hysterically. “You promised me! You said that as long as I did as you told me, you wouldn’t hand the Han Family over to the authorities!”
Qin Ye cocked a brow up. “Yeah, I kept my promise, didn’t I? He got hit by a car and died all on his own.”
Lin Xin was so angry he nearly fainted.
Han Wenqian watched Lin Xin cry sorrowfully. His heart ached terribly. But he was just a ghost. He could not approach the other or comfort him. He could only float beside him and watch on helplessly.
He watched as his body was buried. His father’s hair had turned white overnight. His mother cried so hard it seemed like she would be the next to pass away.
Lin Xin had been aggrieved and heartbroken the whole time. But eventually, he had calmed down. One day, he went to see Qin Ye and said to him, “You’re right. A dead person isn’t worth my heartache. The Han Group will be yours sooner or later. You promised me a portion of it.”
Qin Ye said, “Of course. I don’t just want the Han Group, but you as well. You will also be mine.”
Lin Xin smiled and said, “Good. I’m very capable. You won’t lose anything by being with me.”
After saying this, he kissed Qin Ye.
Qin Ye didn’t think Xie He would kiss him. He was left in a daze…until he was stabbed in the chest. Lin Xin sneered at him. For the first time, a crazed, sorrowful expression appeared on the face of the young man who had always been gentle, quiet and seemingly apart from worldly affairs. He stabbed Qin Ye over and over, and Qin Ye eventually stopped breathing. Despite this, the young man kept stabbing while saying, “It’s your fault, it’s all your fault…if it wasn’t for you, my brother wouldn’t have died. I have to take revenge….”
He kept muttering while he stabbed the other. In the end, he let out a pained smile. He whispered, “Ge, I’m sorry….” He then slit his own wrists and blood spurted out….
Han Wenqian’s eyes bulged out of his head. He reached out, frantic, wanting to cover Lin Xin’s wounds, but he only passed through the other’s body.
It was like he was watching a movie. He could only see the other but he could not touch him.
He watched as the younger brother he loved the most committed suicide after taking revenge for him…. He watched as the blood slowly drained out of the other, dyeing the world red. It was like watching a bloody scene of slaughter in hell….
Han Wenqian reached out time and time again, in futile attempts to touch Lin Xin. In the end, he only ever managed to pass through the other’s body. He said with a trembling voice, “You don’t have to do this. I just want you to be able to keep living…”
Even if I die, it doesn’t matter. I just wish for you to live….
Why are you being so stupid…?
Tears painted Han Wenqian’s face. His gaze gradually became fuzzy and his heart twisted in pain. So this was what happened in his last life…. Now he knew…. But he would rather Lin Xin never have taken revenge for him. He wished that at least in his last life, his younger brother could have lived well….
Han Wenqian woke up. He opened his eyes and touched his face. He had cried for real.
Finally, he was able to make out the last words Lin Xin had said to him as he had jumped. He had said, “Gege, take me home.”
The cold, dusky moonlight filtered in through the windows, shimmering down onto the ground. Han Wenqian slowly sat up and walked to Lin Xin’s room. There was no one inside, but everything was the same as it had been in the past. The only difference was that the person he loved was gone now. It was empty, cold and still.
He walked out, pushing the door open to the piano room. The white grand piano sat there quietly. Han Wenqian’s gaze grew unfocused, as if he could see the young man of the past, sitting there in front of the piano with a gentle and bashful smile on his face. His fingers were flying off the keys, playing out a beautiful melody….
He remembered seeing that beautiful scene right after his rebirth. At that time, he hadn’t known that for the rest of his life, he would only ever get to see that kind of scene again in his dreams…. It was what he now wished for the most. He was willing to pay with his life if he could just get that back.
And yet, he hadn’t cherished it.
Han Wenqian finally understood why he had been reborn. The Heavens had given him a chance with rebirth so that he could properly cherish the person before him. It was so that he could work hard to protect the beauty before him…. It was a chance for him to protect his happiness.
But he had only had hatred in his heart, so he had destroyed it all…he had destroyed the person he loved most.
Han Wenqian stood in front of the piano all night. The next morning, he happily told his parents, “Dad, Mom, I know what to do.”
Mother Han looked at him with an aching heart. “Tell me.”
Han Wenqian said, “I have a secret I’ve been keeping from you. Actually, I will die in three years. But I’ve been reborn. It was because I mistakenly thought that Lin Xin would betray me in three years, I framed and hurt him. This is the real reason for why I had hurt him. I had always been afraid you wouldn’t believe me so I never told you…but now I understand. I know how to fix things. I just have to be reborn again! This time, I will properly protect him and won’t disappoint you guys again. This time, I definitely won’t mess up. Trust me.”
Mother Han covered her mouth, tears streaming down. Her son had lost it.
After saying this, Han Wenqian eagerly ran out the door. Last time, he had died when he had been hit by a car. This time, as long as he died in the same fashion, he could be reborn once more!
This time, he would definitely cherish Lin Xin properly. He could not make the same mistake twice. He would not let anyone hurt him!
Han Wenqian’s eyes were full of anticipation. He rushed out into the oncoming traffic. However, before he was hit, the police stopped him. Turns out, the moment he had left the house, Han Chengshan had called the police.
Han Wenqian’s eyes were bloodshot. He screamed, “Why are you stopping me?! I won’t die! I’ll be reborn! I’ll fix my mistakes!”
Han Chengshan stared at him and shut his eyes. He didn’t say a thing and left.
He seemed to have aged many years at once. His back had even bent quite a bit and his hair had turned white. Mother Han watched as Han Wenqian was subdued by the police and sobbed silently. One of her sons had died and the other son had gone mad.
The police officers didn’t take Han Wenqian home. They brought him to the station and then sent him to a psychiatric hospital. He had the psychiatrist deal with him.
Han Wenqian fought the whole way, roaring in anger non-stop. He kept telling them that he had been reborn and that he wouldn’t die!
But no one believed him. Everyone thought that he was crazy. The doctors thought that Han Wenqian was too violent. Even with several people, they almost couldn’t hold him down. They had to give him a sedative.
When Han Wenqian woke up again, he saw that he had been tied down to the bed. He immediately began to struggle with all his might and shout. But no one paid him any attention.
The doctors came to forcefully inject him with medication every day, calming him down. They then kept asking him the same questions over and over again. Han Wenqian kept insisting that he had been reborn, that he wouldn’t die. He said he wanted to be reborn again to fix his mistakes…. The doctors all thought that he wasn’t getting any better so they continued with his treatment. They had him take large quantities of medication. Because Han Wenqian’s mental state was very unstable, he kept trying to escape or kill himself, so he was tied to the bed for a very long time. He was unable to leave.
A year passed and Han Wenqian finally stopped saying that he had been reborn. He also stopped making a fuss. The doctors would occasionally let him leave but they kept him under a strict watch.
Mother and Father Han would come see him but Han Wenqian didn’t recognize them any more. He had really gone insane.
Han Wenqian stayed at the psychiatric hospital for several years. He had been reclusive and never spoke to anyone in the beginning. But later on, he made a friend. It was Old Liu from the room next door.
Old Liu was a middle-aged man. He looked very slovenly but he had a very good personality. He complemented the reclusive Han Wenqian very well. The most important part was that the two of them had much to talk about.
Every day, the two of them would sit in front of each other, sharing a table in the cafeteria and chat.
Old Liu would point to his empty left side and say, “My boy Han, this is my wife, Ah Yan.”
Han Wenqian would look to the empty space on his right and say, “This is my younger brother, Xiao Xin.”
Old Liu said, “Ai yo, your younger brother is really adorable. What a good child.”
Han Wenqian would then reply very happily, “Your wife is beautiful. You’re very lucky.”
Old Liu would then answer back, “Aren’t I? I love my wife the most. I promised to love her for the rest of my life.”
Han Wenqian was not to be outdone. He said, “I also love my younger brother the most. I said I’d protect him for the rest of my life.”
The two of them complimented the other’s loved one. It was a very big display of affection. They chatted very happily. But when the hospital workers saw the ridiculous pair, they couldn’t help but shake their heads. They wanted to laugh but also felt their hearts ache.
After eating, Han Wenqian would bid farewell to Old Liu. They would promise to continue their chat the next day.
These days went on for a long time, until one day, Han Wenqian didn’t show up. That day, he didn’t go out to eat with Old Liu. By the time the doctors found him, he had already died.
It turns out that he had secretly been stashing medicine for about a year. He had hidden them beneath the bed and had then eaten them all at once. All sorts of psychiatric medicine filled his stomach. There were also some pills left in his throat and mouth post-mortem.
The expression on his face made it clear that he must have suffered greatly when he died. But upon closer expression, you could see a sliver of a smile—as if he was finally free.
The author has something to say:
Lalala, finally this world has ended, la~ Tomorrow, I’m going to take a day off to plan out the next world~
\(≧▽≦)/ New world announcement: The Cold Prince and the Charming Princess-Consort.
Eve: I can’t help but feel bad for HWQ and Old Liu. But of course, my heart aches the most for Lin Xin. I knew my cinnamon roll could never have done anything bad like that. Anyway. 3 more worlds to go! Jiayou~
sere: HNNN HURT LKANSDJKGN the first time i read this i felt like XH really went all out in squeezing that last bit of abuse out even as he died. Spoiler(?): after i read the last arc this abuse really hits differently