Chapter 8 — Promising You a Lifetime of Peace

I offered a faint smile.

Then let them be insincere for just once.

Xie Wang's voice trembled as he read the readers' comments aloud to me: A a a! It is not a tragedy! Lovers finally end up together! It is over, scatter the petals! But even after reading it, I still feel sad... Clearly, there was no major catastrophe, so why do I keep feeling that the ending should not be like this... The author is too idealistic... After listening for a while, my eyelids grew heavier and heavier. Xie Wang's voice seemed to drift in from somewhere very far away, becoming increasingly vague and indistinct. In the final moment before I closed my eyes, I only felt a warm kiss gently press against my forehead.

Xiao Ning, you must live a peaceful life in your next incarnation.

24

In the days following Xiao Ning's departure, Xie Wang had no idea how he managed to survive. He turned off his phone, refused to see anyone, and retreated into their old apartment all day long, drinking heavily. Jiang Dao came by several times. Receiving no answer when she knocked, she would sit outside his door until midnight before leaving again. Xie Wang's mother arranged for people to deliver food. The meals left outside grew cold, yet no one ever retrieved them. Later on, Jiang Dao sent over a large crate. The crate was extremely heavy, and the recipient's name was written as Xie Wang with a heart. He sat on the floor, leaning his back against the wall beside the doorway, and opened the container. Inside were neatly arranged gifts spanning from his twenty-fifth year all the way to his one-hundredth year. Every single item was wrapped in kraft paper and labeled.

Twenty-five years old: A tie clip. It matches the blue suit you wore last year.

Twenty-six years old: An electric shaver. Stop being so lazy, when it is time to shave, you must shave.

Twenty-seven years old: A handwritten letter. Open it and read.

Twenty-eight years old: A fountain pen. To be used for writing scripts.

...

Forced to imagine his future, the gifts continued:

Fortieth year: I guessed your hair would certainly be thinning by now, so I bought you a hat.

Sixtieth year: Reading glasses. Aren't they cute? The frames are round.

Eightieth year: Can you still walk? If you cannot walk anymore, sit in a rocking chair and read books. I sent you a whole box of them.

One hundredth year: Xie Wang, live a truly good life until you reach one hundred, and look at this world a little more on my behalf.

At the very bottom of the crate lay a stack of handwritten greeting cards. The handwriting on each card was crooked and wobbly. As the years progressed, they grew harder to decipher, as if the writer no longer possessed the strength to hold a pen. Yet at the end of every single card was a distorted, misshapen heart. Xie Wang read through every card, from his twenty-five-year-old self up to his one-hundred-year-old self. By the time he reached the very end, he clutched the crate and burst into uncontrollable sobs. Following that day, he began to eat again. He gradually kicked his habit of drinking, went outside to bask in the sunlight, and accepted a role in a new film. During the opening press conference, a reporter asked why he had chosen to return. He remained silent for a moment before speaking.

There was someone who wanted me to look at this world a great deal more on her behalf.

The audience fell silent for a brief moment, and then thunderous applause broke out. Returning home that evening, he untied the red string from his wrist and fastened it to the bedside lamp. He lay down, watching the red string sway gently in the warm glow of the light before closing his eyes. In his dream, someone lightly poked the back of his hand. He turned his head. Xiao Ning, wearing her high school uniform, stood beneath the old scholar tree and smiled at him. He walked toward her. She stood on tiptoe, leaning close to his ear, her voice soft and tender:

Xie Wang, in the next life, you must come and find me sooner.

He nodded. When he opened his eyes, dawn had already broken. The red string still hung quietly from the lamp. Xie Wang sat up, retrieved the ring engraved with their initials on the inner surface from the drawer, and slid it back onto his ring finger. Afterward, he picked up his phone and published a post on Weibo. The attached photo captured the two of them kissing beneath the dawn light on the snowy mountain. The caption consisted of only four words:

Wait for me, Xiao Ning.

EXTRACT 1 The first time Xiao Ning met Xie Wang was during the third week after the start of the tenth-grade term. After school, she was helping her mother tend to the wonton stall. She squatted down behind the counter to tidy up bowls and chopsticks when she heard a lazy voice echo overhead:

Boss lady, give me a bowl of won—

The voice stopped abruptly. She raised her head, coming face-to-face with the vibrant, energetic features of a teenage boy. Xie Wang widened his eyes as he stared at her, then blurted out a curse:

Damn it! Boss lady, did you go get plastic surgery? When I came by a few days ago, it did not look like this at all...

Xiao Ning maintained a blank expression as she wiped her hands:

I am the boss lady's daughter, here to help out.

Oh, oh.

Xie Wang awkwardly scratched the back of his head, the tips of his ears turning red.

My apologies. I have been staying up late a lot lately, so my mind is a bit muddled. Give me a bowl of wontons, with lots of scallions.

He ate that bowl of wontons with his mind miles away, stealthily glancing up at her several times. Xiao Ning pretended not to notice, though she saw every bit of it. The following day, the two of them collided in class, sending test papers scattering all over the floor. Xie Wang was about to lose his temper because he had just woken up from a nap, but the moment he lowered his head, he met her familiar eyes.

Huh? It is you?

Having attended school for over half a month, it was only at that moment that he realized such a person existed in his class.

EXTRACT 2 Xiao Ning could hardly be considered pretty. Nearly everyone in the class acknowledged this fact. Compared to the wealthy young ladies in her class, she truly fell far short. She wore clothes bought from street stalls, donned black-rimmed glasses, and had bangs that covered more than half of her face; her skin was slightly tanned from constantly helping her mother sell food outdoors. Yet Xie Wang could not stop himself from looking at her. When she sat behind the wonton stall calculating accounts, her head lowered, her quiet eyelashes drooping downward. When she was doing her homework, she would bite the cap of her pen, her brows slightly furrowed. When she was called upon by a teacher to answer a question, her voice was small and soft yet she answered fluently before sitting down again. Every evening after self-study period ended, Xie Wang would deliberately take a detour to buy wontons. Initially, Xiao Ning's mother was surprised:

Why do you come here every single day?

Later on, she grew accustomed to it. Each time she saw him, she would smile:

The young student is here again? The usual order?

Yes. He took out his money while casting a sideways glance. Auntie, where is she?

Ninh Ninh is doing her homework inside the room. Are you looking for her?

No, no, no need at all!

He snatched the wontons and bolted away, his ears burning red the entire way down the alley. His friends mocked him for acting like he was possessed, unable to understand why he had set his sights on such a rustic girl. Xie Wang cornered the person who had spoken the harshest words in the alley and beat him up. Once the fight was over, he leaned against the wall to smoke a cigarette. Raising his head, he caught sight of Xiao Ning standing at the entrance of the alley, clutching the straps of her schoolbag and quietly watching him. His heart skipped a beat. He acted as though nothing was wrong and stubbed out his cigarette. However, Xiao Ning said nothing; she merely walked over and squatted down. She placed her schoolbag on the ground, taking out adhesive bandages and antiseptic ointment:

Give me your hand.

He obediently extended his hand. She lowered her head to tend to the wound on his hand.

Xie Wang. While applying the antiseptic, she spoke. I do not care about what those people say.

But I care. He muttered softly.

On that day, he thought she had not heard. But Xiao Ning had heard every single word clearly, missing not a single syllable.

EXTRACT 3 Xie Wang used his newly purchased sports car to trade for a seat, moving right next to Xiao Ning. Xiao Ning glanced at him, said nothing, and continued doing her homework. Xie Wang propped his chin on his desk beside her, watching her write for half a period before poking her arm:

Xiao Ning, will you let me copy your homework?

Do it yourself.

I do not know how.

On last month's monthly exam, you ranked in the top ten of the entire grade level.

That was because I copied someone else's.

Xiao Ning finally turned to look at him. He flashed a wide grin at her. She sighed, pushing her notebook over:

Return it to me once you are done reading.

Absolutely.

From that day onward, he copied her assignments every single day. Copying back and forth, he gradually began bringing her breakfast, milk tea, and the roasted chestnuts with sugar that she loved. At first, Xiao Ning refused to accept them, so he declared:

If you do not take them, I will throw them away.

She had no choice but to accept. Afterward, the entire class knew that Xie Wang had fallen for Xiao Ning. Some people hooted and teased during recess, prompting Xie Wang to kick a chair:

What business is it of yours? Get lost.

Xiao Ning sat in her seat flipping through a book, her ears as red as if they were about to drip blood.

EXTRACT 4 One month before graduation, Xie Wang suddenly grew quiet. He stopped copying homework and stopped acting out as well. Every day, he would simply rest his head on his desk, staring blankly out the window. Xiao Ning asked him what was the matter, and he replied that nothing was wrong. Only later did she find out that, in order to prepare for his confession, he had spent nearly an entire month without sleeping. On the day of the graduation prom, he finally mustered up his courage. The circuit breaker had been tripped by someone he hired. In the darkness after the power went out, he gently poked the back of her hand and leaned close to her ear to ask:

Xiao Ning, would you be willing to give this guy a chance?

She remained silent for a very long time, so long that he thought he had been rejected. Then, he heard her softly ask:

Xie Wang, how long can you wait?

His heart melted instantly. Damn it, even if he had to wait for one hundred years, this fellow was willing! THE END.