Chi Ji was a Christian, and during the Mass, priests and many people prayed and blessed, the vast mourning hall silent as a graveyard.
He was an adopted child, his adoptive parents expressed their grief but also their wish for him to stay in their homeland.
To dust, to earth, to light.
From the second the funeral started, Huo Ren no longer looked at anyone.
Long Jia once inquired about his condition, but he remained silent, no longer offering even eye contact.
He was trapped in darkness, completely unable to escape.
Strange hymns circled the dome, with sobbing and sniffling sounds in the distance.
Huo Ren felt a detached emptiness instead, not shedding tears at this moment.
He quietly stared at the coffin covered with flower branches, and the stranger lying inside.
His blood slowed, even his heartbeat sinking continuously.
He remembered the last words he and Chi Ji shared, recalling how Chi Ji leapt from the cage, dancing in the blooming white magnolias against the wind.
His heart began to ache again.
All memories and thoughts could no longer escape this confinement. He seemed to be sinking further, his soul struggling without seeing any light.
Chi Ji was provoked.
But if it were just gender shaming, just those filthy words, he would have endured.
But if Han Qu personally made Chi Ji have any misconceptions, making him feel like a burden to everyone in Corona, a load for all—
“Chi Chi’s depressive state is closely related to you all,” Dr. Wu gently admonished. “Make him feel needed and cared for by you, giving him a sense of belonging and recognition, and treatment will go more smoothly.”
“His love for you is the most genuine and passionate.”
“Depression patients easily feel guilt, which is also why physical disconnection from the internet is necessary.”
“If he feels like he’s burdening everyone too much, having incurred too much guilt…”
Huo Ren gasped sharply, his heart again squeezed tightly, the pain almost making him kneel to support his body.
The pain coursed through his body like electricity.
Pei Ruye caught him before he fell, signaling others to take over the eulogy, and quickly carried him towards the nearby medical room.
Not even a few steps out, the young man covered his heart, breaking away from his support, staggering back.
Then he knelt beside the coffin, his eyes red but unable to shed any more tears.
From a distance, Qi Ding watched anxiously, glancing questioningly at Su Rong.
Should we… tell him?
Su Rong silently shook her head.
The variables were too many; they couldn’t afford to take risks now.
They had to wait at least another two years.
At the very last second of the funeral, Huo Ren slowly stood up.
He turned and walked away, no longer saying goodbye to anyone.
He knew everyone had their own destinies, their own futures, and lives.
Even if Chi Ji hadn’t died, the future of the six people marrying and starting their own families might not really be like living together in a big house as they once envisioned.
At this moment, he felt only betrayal.
He understood why Xie Lianyun signed, he understood why Bo Jue signed.
But Long Jia, I’ve called you brother for so many years.
Why?
Why?!?!
His footsteps suddenly missed the ground, and the next second, pain completely swept away his consciousness, returning him to chaos.
