Chapter 2 — Light Does Not Touch

4

Luc Chieu took out a cigarette, took out a lighter and lit it. But the moment he heard my brother's words, his hand suddenly trembled. Or maybe it was because the sunset wind blew past, making the cigarette unable to burn. It was clear that he had completely lost patience. He threw both the cigarette and the lighter back to the man next to him, then cursed in a low voice, full of frustration:

“You psycho.”

He walked away quickly, ignoring my brother's urgent calls. Approaching the cemetery gate, perhaps still angry, he scolded him again:

“They're all crazy!”

Behind him, my brother, taking advantage of the police not paying attention, suddenly rushed through the police tape and ran straight to my coffin. Ignoring the police shouting, ignoring the hands trying to stop him, he almost frantically pushed the coffin lid open. Inside, almost only one set of remains remained. The skin and flesh were long gone, even the face was unrecognizable. But he still kept staring at the broken bone in my little finger. Then, amid a struggle by the police, he suddenly collapsed to the ground. His eyes gradually became panicked, then empty, desperate. I heard him crying. His voice was hoarse, painful, full of self-blame and regret:

"Little Sister... is my Little Sister..."

"It's all my fault, I couldn't be with you in the last moments..."

I have never seen my brother cry. My heart felt like someone was choking me. I rushed forward, wanting to help him up, wanting to tell him—

“It's not your fault.”

But my hand only passed through his body. The voice also cannot come out. The police were afraid he would destroy the coffin and remains, so they resolutely pulled him away. My brother struggled frantically, constantly calling my name in tears. Not far away, under the canopy of the tree, Luc Chieu's steps stopped a bit. Maybe he heard it. He didn't turn around. But his face became increasingly gloomy. Then he got in the car and left the cemetery. I was worried that something would happen to my brother and wanted to follow him. But the soul cannot be controlled, stuck next to Luc Chieu. I don't understand what's going on. Until he saw Luc Chieu sitting in the back seat of the car, then took out a silver ring from his vest pocket, dumbfoundedly twirling it in his hand. That's when I realized, perhaps it was this ring that pulled my soul back. I was once engaged to Luc Chieu, this is the ring he used to propose to me. He designed the model himself, taught himself how to sculpt, and carved each pattern by hand. Later, when I passed away, I wanted to take this ring to my grave, but I couldn't find it. In the end, I could only wear the necklace I picked up from the trash again. Perhaps, after death, my soul still lingers on that lost ring. Seeing it now, my instinct made me unconsciously follow it. I couldn't leave, I could only sit quietly in the back seat of the car, next to Luc Chieu. I don't know when this ring returned to his hand.

5

The car left Nam Thi and headed towards Hai Thanh. Four hours on the road, Luc Chieu did not say a word. He leaned back in the chair, closed his eyes, looking like he was asleep. But I saw his eyelashes flutter slightly, knowing that he was not sleeping. Many years ago, when my brother and I first met you, brother was already a very quiet person. Now, it seems to have returned to its previous appearance. I couldn't help it, I sighed softly. But when the car entered the villa area, was about to arrive and stopped, I heard Luc Chieu suddenly open his mouth:

"Lam So was dumped by Mr. Trinh."

I froze for a moment. It was only then that I remembered that the "Mr. Trinh" he mentioned was my former superior. The same man I lied to him about, saying I was in love with. The driver in front was slightly surprised. Looking back from the rearview mirror, it seemed like he didn't know how to react to this sudden statement. Luc Chieu remained cold as before, his tone indifferent, continuing to say:

“Today I returned home, and as soon as I got to the airport, I saw him, and there was another woman next to him.”

The driver nodded:

“So what?”

Luc Chieu closed his eyes again and smiled faintly:

“Now Lam So probably has no more money.”

I gradually understood the hidden meaning of his words. I also heard gloating, as if I had just avenged a deep grudge. The driver also seemed to understand and immediately chimed in:

"That's why she and her brother ran to act in front of you."

Luc Chieu clasped the silver ring in his hand. Perhaps, he kept this ring to remind himself of the betrayal that year. After three years of not seeing each other, it turns out he still hates me no less. I heard him sneer:

“I'm afraid they'll be disappointed.”

The car stopped in front of the villa, Luc Chieu got out of the car and went inside. The living room is brightly lit, ghosts cannot enter places with too much light. I was stopped outside. It wasn't until nearly midnight that I finally escaped the ring's bondage and left. I hurriedly went to find my brother. It wasn't until I found the small motel room I used to live in when I was alive that I saw him.

6

Three years have passed, the rent I paid has long since expired. This room has also changed many tenants, and is currently vacant. Perhaps seeing how pitiful my brother was, the landlord reluctantly agreed to let him stay temporarily for a while. My brother didn't turn on the light. Relying only on the faint moonlight, searching everywhere for something. He's been here many times. He took everything I left here, and there's nothing left for a long time. But he was still unwilling, still trying to search, hoping to find some clues. He wanted to know the truth so much. About my illness. About my last days. About why I was buried with a stranger in the same grave. No one can answer him. Only what I leave behind can. But now, there's nothing left. I sat down on the ground and quietly searched with him. Until the night became thick, my soul also began to be exhausted, feeling like I was about to fall asleep. Vaguely, I don't know how much time has passed. Suddenly, I heard him choking, trying to hold back but still letting out each sob. I woke up from my daze. In the dim light, I saw my brother sitting next to the wardrobe that had been pulled out. He is now skinny and has no strength left in his body. The cabinet is so big, I don't know how he pulled it out. In his hand was an old piece of paper, yellowed with time, probably found from the corner of the closet. I saw his tears falling onto the paper. Then panicked again and carefully wiped it away, afraid of damaging it. I leaned closer to look, and after a while I realized what it was. It's a contract to buy a shared grave that I signed with another patient three years ago. I never thought, after three years, my brother would finally find it. To be honest, I felt quite awkward. During my life, I was used to being thrifty and saving every penny. Because I wanted to save money, I hid both my brother and Luc Chieu and shared a cheap motel room with someone else. When I was about to die, because I wanted to save half of the expenses, I decided to bury myself with a stranger. I didn't dare raise my head to look at my brother. Until, out of sight, I saw him trembling and pulling out his phone. He looked for Luc Chieu's number. It seems he has the answer. He wanted to tell Luc Chieu that the skeleton in the grave was me. My heart immediately tightened and I frantically rushed forward to stop him. I don't know whether I don't want Luc Chieu to know I'm dead, or don't want him to see me in such a tragic situation. But my hand only passed through my brother's body, unable to stop anything. Panicked and desperate, I continued to rush forward, wanting to grab his phone. But the emotional fluctuations were so great that my soul was exhausted. Before I could touch him, my eyes darkened and my consciousness sank into nothingness. My memories, once again, were pulled back many years ago.

7

I first met Luc Chieu when I was 18 years old, when I first entered college. It was a late afternoon after school. He was stopped at the corner of the wall by a group of middle-aged men dressed in black, holding baseball bats. His father ran away in debt, and he, as their son, was pursued by them for debt. I don't dare come out and interfere in this matter. Just quietly held the phone and secretly called the police. When the police arrived, Luc Chieu had been beaten, the corner of his mouth was bleeding. The creditors were taken away, the police wanted to take him to the hospital for examination. I hid in the dark, waiting for them to leave. But I saw Luc Chieu coldly say one sentence:

“I'm fine.”

Afterwards, he walked away on his own. He seemed fine, a few police officers just sighed and stopped forcing him. I stood there, watching the police car gradually disappear, looking at the skinny back of the teenager. Then, just after walking a short distance, he suddenly collapsed, losing consciousness in the middle of the road. I ran back in panic. He tried to open his eyes to look at me, his vague but cold voice blurted out:

“Don't call the police, don't worry.”

I gritted my teeth, took out the little money I had left in my pocket, and called a taxi to take him home. My brother is a doctor. He and I have relied on each other since childhood, wandering around for many years. You once taught me not to worry about money. But that night, I still stubbornly brought Luc Chieu into the house. My brother turned pale, but still helped bandage his wound, then let him stay the night. The next morning, when my brother and I woke up, Luc Chieu had already left. On the tea table, he left two hundred yuan. After that, we occasionally ran into each other in school. Luc Chieu didn't know if he really forgot me, or deliberately acted like he didn't know me and never took the initiative to say hello. I thought, maybe what happened that night for him was not a memory worth remembering. So I also consider it not yet No matter what happened, life continued, and I still considered him a stranger. It wasn't until my fourth year of college, almost to graduation. The club organizes the last climbing trip before graduation. When going down the mountain, I accidentally twisted my foot and couldn't move. The boys walked quickly, passed ahead, and were no longer seen. The girls accompanying me surrounded me, discussing how to help me get down the mountain. At that moment, a cold but familiar voice rang out from behind, a bit awkward:

“Need help?”

I turned around and discovered that Luc Chieu was still following me.

8

That afternoon, on the long mountain road, Luc Chieu carried me down the mountain. I was shy and asked him many times in the middle to put me down. He didn't say anything, just quietly carried me all the way for nearly an hour. He is always cold and quiet. To the point that I had been in the club for two years, but that day I found out he was also a member. After graduating, my brother moved to work as a doctor at a hospital in Hai Thanh. I couldn't bear to leave him, so I followed him there to find a job. The second month after settling down at work, I went to the shopping center and unexpectedly met Luc Chieu again. It turned out that he also went to Hai Thanh to work. Life is always full of coincidences. Sometimes I can't help but wonder if it was all just a coincidence or not. Meeting familiar people in a foreign land always feels familiar. We started going back and forth more. Then one day, my brother had an accident in a conflict between a doctor and a patient. A patient's family member with neurological problems stabbed him, causing serious internal damage. That family member was arrested, but was unable to pay compensation. I panicked and ran everywhere to borrow money to pay for my brother's hospital bills, but all my previous acquaintances avoided me. Without saying a word, Luc Chieu sold the car he had just bought. He emptied his savings, collected two hundred thousand yuan, and transferred it to my account. The next morning, he took me to breakfast. I happened to see the balance in his phone, only more than ten yuan left. At that time, I realized that he had given me all the money he had, without keeping any of it. Actually at that time, we weren't really close yet. Later, when my brother was discharged from the hospital, I received compensation and returned the money to Luc Chieu. Then he and I came together. Before, I always thought that Luc Chieu was the type of person who was cold and heartless. But when we were actually together, I discovered that he was the most gentle and thoughtful person. He poured out all his love for me, just missing the point of tearing out his heart and giving it to me. So, when I found out I had leukemia, knowing I didn't have much longer to live... I intentionally let him see me and my superiors entering the hotel. After that, I frankly told him that I hated these poor, hopeless days and wanted to break up. His eyes at that moment were filled with anger, but also extreme pain. I saw him turn pale and turn away in panic. I thought I didn't see it, but at that moment, a tear suddenly fell. For the first time in all the years we've known each other, I see he cried. The day he accepted the company's offer and left for abroad, I knew he would not come back again. I took a taxi, quietly followed behind, and saw him off to the airport. He didn't say a word to me. It wasn't until he stood in front of the security checkpoint that he turned around, his eyes were empty, and coldly said:

“Let's never see each other again.”

That evening, after seeing him off, I went back to the hospital to complete discharge procedures. Just ask the doctor to prescribe me lots of painkillers. The main doctor looked at me for a long time, then suddenly asked a question:

“Is your boyfriend gone?”

I almost couldn't hold back my tears. In the end, I could only smile wryly, nodded and replied:

“Yes, gone.”

Think back to Luc Chieu's words at that time: "Let's never see each other again." Now, three years later, we meet again. But one lives, one dies. In the end, perhaps I did exactly as he wished.