Zhao Yunkong was stunned. He had never told anyone about this part of his past, and no one had ever talked to him about it from this perspective.
For a moment, he was dumbfounded, not knowing what to say.
“I know the pain and guilt inside you, but what’s the point of it all? If you truly feel sorry for Xiao Yun, then bravely face reality and use your strength to do something more meaningful. That way, the more you shine, the more it proves Xiao Yun didn’t love the wrong person.”
“These are your two choices. It’s up to you to decide which path to take.”
After leaving these words, Qin Lang turned and walked away, leaving Zhao Yunkong sitting there on the floor, completely dazed.
Downstairs, Dr. Wang and Mrs. Chen both looked rather grim.
Qin Lang had been wearing an intercom device, so everything Zhao Yunkong said was heard by the two of them downstairs.
They understood that this was a very tricky situation. Helping Zhao Yunkong overcome his inner demon was no easy task.
Because Xiao Yun was already dead. Because she died because of him.
Unless Zhao Yunkong could find his own way out, no amount of talking from others would make a difference.
But judging by the current situation, for Zhao Yunkong to pull himself out of this… it seemed incredibly difficult.
If he could have done it, he would have done it long ago.
Mrs. Chen and Dr. Wang both realized this.
“Miss Qin, thank you so much. If it weren’t for you, we still wouldn’t know what happened to my son.”
Mrs. Chen’s expression showed a trace of pain and heartache.
Qin Lang shook her head. “Don’t thank me. It’s what I needed to do. But… Dr. Wang, given Zhao Yunkong’s condition, what are the chances he can get through this on his own?”
Dr. Wang shook her head. “I don’t know. Zhao Yunkong’s obsession runs very deep. With this kind of obsession, ordinary words and guidance are useless. What you said earlier was already very good. If he still can’t wake up, I’m really at a loss.”
Qin Lang frowned slightly. “Aunt Chen, do you have a guitar at home?”
“Yes, we do. What do you need a guitar for?”
Qin Lang smiled. “Don’t forget, I’m still a singer.”
…
Up on the rooftop, Zhao Yunkong remained sitting in a daze.
His mind felt like it was filled with countless voices arguing. Some agreed with Qin Yunxuan’s words, others disagreed. Some blamed him for his past cowardice, while others made excuses for it.
These countless voices were almost driving Zhao Yunkong insane.
And just then, a crisp guitar melody drifted over. The beautiful prelude carried a hint of heaviness and depth.
Soon, Qin Lang’s soaring and clear voice followed.
“Ah Diao, living somewhere in a mountain village. Like a vulture, perched on the mountaintop…”
There was an exotic quality to Qin Lang’s voice, along with a touch of sadness that immediately captured Zhao Yunkong’s attention.
And Zhao Yunkong felt, deep down, that the ‘Ah Diao’ in Qin Yunxuan’s song was exactly the Xiao Yun in his own heart.
“Under the gray brim of your hat, sunken cheeks. You speak very little, simple answers. Where is tomorrow? Who would care about you? Even if you die on the road…”
Hearing this, Zhao Yunkong’s eyes flickered. It seemed like he could see Xiao Yun, dressed in her big red wedding gown, lying dead.
He could also almost see the festive scene in the mountain village. No one cared about the daughter of a gambler. No one truly grieved for her, no one cried for her, no one fought against fate for her.
“Ah Diao, will you get a full meal tomorrow? You’ve grown used to hunger being a kind of faith. Ah Diao, you won’t be worn smooth by reality! You’re not from this world, there’s no need to care about the truth! Fate is cruel, yet you remain foolishly indifferent. Saying goodbye to youth, countless bus stops passing by. Willing to be ordinary, yet unwilling to rot as ordinary. You are Ah Diao, you are a free bird!”
The final notes were high-pitched, passionate, like a sudden clap of thunder tearing apart a sky full of dark clouds.
It was a cry, a shout against the injustice of fate, and an expression of an attitude towards life.
And Qin Lang’s voice, like a beam of holy light, broke through Zhao Yunkong’s once-closed world, shining into the sunshine.
Ah Diao was Xiao Yun.
Xiao Yun was Ah Diao.
Ah Diao’s struggle against fate was also Xiao Yun’s struggle against fate.
Was her final act of going to her death really Xiao Yun’s sad choice?
Could it be that it was actually a fight against fate?
Suddenly, Zhao Yunkong seemed to see Xiao Yun’s lively, clear eyes again.
He seemed to hear her nightingale-like laughter echoing in his ears.
His breathing quickened. He frantically grabbed the paintbrushes scattered on the floor and rushed to the canvas.
Qin Lang’s song continued in his ears. As if possessed, he painted wildly.
Time seemed to stop for him in that moment. Only one thought remained in his mind.
He had to capture the most beautiful moment from his memories.
Quickly, on the once-pristine white canvas, a girl with beautiful, yearning eyes appeared.
She wore a red wedding gown, her hair styled intricately. Her eyes, which should have held sadness and despair, now shone with anticipation and hope.
When he put down the brush for the final stroke, Zhao Yunkong felt completely drained.
He stared blankly at Xiao Yun on the canvas.
Suddenly, tears streamed down his face like rain.
This was the Xiao Yun in his memory.
This was the Xiao Yun he loved most.
This was the Xiao Yun as she looked at the end of her life.
His quiet sobbing turned into whimpers, and finally into heart-wrenching wails.
Zhao Yunkong’s cries echoed from the rooftop, clearly heard by those below.
Mrs. Chen’s eyes showed a flicker of worry. Her son’s cries were so full of sorrow, she was very concerned about him.
But Dr. Wang’s eyes showed a mixture of shock and joy.
“Congratulations, Mrs. Chen. Zhao Yunkong… he, he’s come out of it.”
“Really?” Mrs. Chen was taken aback, and then tears immediately welled up in her eyes. “Dr. Wang, if that’s true, thank you so much…”
Dr. Wang waved her hand. “Mrs. Chen, don’t thank me. If you want to thank someone, thank Miss Qin. She’s the one who found Zhao Yunkong’s inner wound, and her song was the world’s best medicine, completely opening the door to his heart.”
“Yunxuan, I… I don’t even know how to thank you enough.” Mrs. Chen gripped Qin Lang’s hand tightly, tears falling in big drops.
A mother’s tears, each one carrying both worry and joy for her son.
Just as Qin Lang was about to say something polite, Zhao Yunkong walked down the stairs.
It was the first time in two years that Zhao Yunkong had come down from the rooftop.
“Yunkong, are… are you alright?”
Mrs. Chen quickly stepped forward, her eyes filled with a mixture of hope and anxiety.
Looking at his mother, whose brows had always carried a shadow of gloom, Zhao Yunkong finally understood just how awful and cowardly he had been.
With a thud, he knelt down in front of Mrs. Chen.
Smack, smack. He slapped himself hard across the face, twice.
“Mom, I’m sorry.”
