After arriving, I ran again, not caring whether my clothes were getting wet or my leather shoes were getting dirty. My mind was just focused on escaping Lin Yang's shadow.

...

I drove straight back to the city, not directly to my mother's restaurant, but bought Pei Shi Yu her favorite dishes. I was in a stimulated state, because I didn't know what the meaning of life was.

Was coming into this world my choice? And was leaving something I could decide?

Driving into the residential area, I remembered that Pei Shi Yu had told me to call her first this morning. Before getting into the elevator, I dialed her number...

"You're back?" Pei Shi Yu asked first.

"Yeah, I'm already at your door."

When I went upstairs, Pei Shi Yu was already standing at the door, looking at me with great delight. I took a breath, intending to put aside the repressed emotions I had been feeling. After all, emotions are often determined by the environment, and I didn't want to pass on bad feelings to the people around me.

I was about to go inside when Pei Shi Yu grabbed my arm...

"Don't go in. Your clothes are all wet, and your shoes are too dirty, covered in mud."

I took off my coat and threw it directly on the ground. Regardless of whether it was dirty or not, anything from that kind of place needed to be washed. I kicked off my leather shoes and put them directly at the door, then said to Pei Shi Yu, "I want to take a shower."

"Then go take a shower."

"Is the water hot?"

"Yeah," Pei Shi Yu replied briefly.

Although I had been here several times, it was the first time I had taken a shower in her bathroom. The scent inside was very fragrant, probably the scent of Pei Shi Yu's cosmetics. I didn't even close the door and immediately stripped naked.

As soon as I turned on the showerhead, I heard Pei Shi Yu suddenly scream. I quickly turned around and saw her with one foot still in the bathroom. It turned out that seeing me like that had made her scream...

"What's with the fuss?" I asked, staring at her blankly.

"Have I ever seen you shower before?"

"You have now."

"You don't even close the door?" Pei Shi Yu questioned me again.

"There's no one else here. I'm just rinsing off," I argued.

I said I was just rinsing off, but I washed very hard, as if trying to wash away the bad luck brought by the funeral. Who would willingly step into that kind of place if they weren't forced to!

I stood under the showerhead, letting the flowing hot water wash over my whole body. It was comfortable and stress-relieving. I wiped the water droplets from my face, vigorously scratching my hair that had grown out. Then, I opened one eye and saw many toiletries placed on the shelf. I found a bottle of shampoo with the cap forgotten, squeezed out a little, and casually applied it to my scalp, rubbing it in just as vigorously. In the splashing foam, I smelled a unique fragrance. Although it was the smell of toiletries, it was like smelling the faint fragrance left behind by Pei Shi Yu.

After the shower, I stood in front of the mirror, bare-chested. In the instant my eyes glazed over, I seemed to see Lin Yang's smiling face. I immediately closed my eyes, and when I opened them, I saw Pei Shi Yu standing next to me, constantly asking, "What are you doing this afternoon?"

Only then did I come back to my senses, answering irrelevantly, "Oh."

"What are you thinking about? I'm asking you a question," Pei Shi Yu said, staring at me.

"I'm too lazy to go to the restaurant this afternoon. I'd rather take a nap."

"Were there many people sending Lin Yang off?"

"It was quite a scene. I didn't recognize any of them..."

"Didn't your family relatives recognize you either?"

"Lin Hai is an only child. I left very early and didn't keep in touch. Those distant relatives weren't interested in saying hello."

"Lin Yang is gone. Now you're an only child too."

"Are you making fun of me? Lin Hai did make an appointment with me to do a paternity test the day after tomorrow. That's good for both of us."

"What did your mother say?"

"My mother was very firm and told me to go with him quickly."

Then Pei Shi Yu didn't say anything more about this topic. Perhaps she was as confused as I was. It was a simple matter, yet it had been dragged on for decades before a decision was made to figure it out.

The dishes I bought today were simple, mainly vegetarian. I don't know if it was because I attended the funeral or the food didn't suit my appetite, but I just casually ate a couple of bites and then stopped eating...

"No appetite?" Pei Shi Yu asked, puzzled.

"Yeah, I can't eat after being in that kind of place."

"You didn't do anything. How could it affect your appetite?"

"Lin Hai asked me to hold the urn."

Pei Shi Yu stopped eating and looked at me in surprise, saying, "Does that mean he acknowledges you?"

"Who cares if he acknowledges me? I just want to figure out what's going on."

"Your family is too complicated. It's very perplexing," Pei Shi Yu said, giving up on asking further.

"Maybe."

I didn't want to explain too much about the same old story. What I cared about was my origin, while what Lin Hai cared about might be whether there was any flesh and blood of his left in this world. That was the difference between my viewpoint and Lin Hai's.

I looked around the living room. In a corner next to the sofa, there were still toys left behind by Xiao Long, including a model airplane that I had personally assembled. I picked it up and looked at it, casually asking, "Has Xiao Long called you?"

"No," Pei Shi Yu replied briefly.

Only then did I shift my attention to her. Wearing her home clothes, she looked a little indifferent at the moment. Was it because she didn't like children? Or was it because her nature was to not express herself, belonging to the type who liked to hide her feelings in her heart?

"Is your mother's surname Shi?" I asked, looking at her.

"Yeah, have you met her?" Pei Shi Yu asked me back.

"I met her once. She's a very elegant woman."

"Where did you meet her?"

"That's not important," I replied in a low voice.

It really wasn't important, because the only meeting I had left a bad impression. Lin Yang's engagement party turned out like that. Maybe it was an invisible arrangement. Her mother was gone, Lin Yang was gone, and Pei Shi Yu and I came together. I hoped this relationship would be eternal.

I opened the security door and walked outside. The weather was gloomy in the morning, but now the rain was getting heavier and heavier. The entire residential area was shrouded in rain and mist.

I lit a cigarette. Because of the high-rise, my eyes looked out at the road. Cars speeding past splashed high sprays of water. The sidewalk with few pedestrians looked a little lonely, forming a stark contrast with the passing vehicles.