After the Most Hated Persona Faked Their Death, the Ex-Husband Lost His Mind - Chapter 11

It would be wonderful if people could choose their own destinies.

Occasionally, Li Zhi thought, “Is there another version of me in this world? Another version who is ordinary but very happy?”

In a parallel universe, Li Zhi would have both parents. Their life would be financially tight yet fulfilling. He would never live in such a magnificent house, never wear such expensive clothes, or eat such exquisite food in his entire life, but he would be happy.

Happiness. Li Zhi once thought happiness was like one wave of cool breeze after another.

But now he understood that happiness is a bubble that bursts at a single touch.

He felt as if he had been in a very long dream. It was a beautiful dream, lifting him up like a soft, light cloud. The place where Li Zhi stood grew higher and higher, and the things before his eyes became more and more beautiful.

That cloud transformed into a staircase leading to the Eden of “happiness.” He saw a brightly colored apple, and a hollow voice said to him, “Eat it. Eat it and you will find eternal happiness.” As if possessed, Li Zhi reached out. Just as he was about to pluck it, the cloud vanished.

He fell violently from the highest peak. Li Zhi opened his eyes and saw overturned leftovers and the constant, buzzing wings of flies.

Li Zhi blinked. His eyes were dry, like a parched riverbed. He lay paralyzed on his side on the floor, curled up in the fetal position.

His hands hung to one side, convulsing. The spasms were so minute that if one did not look closely, they would go entirely unnoticed.

Get up. But his body no longer felt like his own. He could not even control his fingers; he could only watch them tremble.

No matter how hard Li Zhi tried, they only shook. Please, move.

Prop yourself up, then get up and clean yourself to go to class. Why was it impossible? It was clearly such a simple task.

Li Zhi’s eyelids twitched neurotically. A cry, like the death wail of a dying animal, escaped from between his teeth. Li Zhi realized a tragic fact: the place where he lay was not a cold, hard floor, but a swamp. The more he struggled, the faster he sank.

“Who is there!” Suddenly, a male voice rang out. The frantic swinging of a flashlight beam blinded Li Zhi. After a long time, he finally saw the person standing before him. It was a middle-aged man.

It was the teacher in charge of the school equipment room.

“Student? Student?” The teacher was clearly startled by Li Zhi’s appearance. “What happened to you? This…”

He looked around and pointed at the large overturned trash can. “Who did this?”

“Student, is someone bullying you? Tell me what happened! Tell the teacher!”

“This is too much!” he said indignantly. “Which class are you in? What is your name? Who is your class advisor? Who else was just here?”

Li Zhi parted his lips. He was grateful he could still speak. Though his voice was faint, at least he could get the words out.

“I, I am Li Zhi from Class G10A. My class advisor is Ms. Jennie Liu. Just now, Wang, Wang Kaixuan, Han Zi, yao, Chen…”

He stammered through the names, but halfway through, his weak voice faded into nothingness and finally vanished. He noticed the change in the teacher’s expression: from initial anger to panic, and finally, regret.

Li Zhi thought he heard the sound of something snapping.

“I, I see. There must be some misunderstanding. Student, get up and go wash yourself. I will find your advisor to explain the situation.” Leaving only these words, he turned and hurried away. His footsteps were erratic and his retreating figure was frantic; it could almost be described as a “flight.”

He left so hurriedly that he even forgot to close the gym door. Bright sunlight spilled across the dust-covered floor, and a single beam landed near Li Zhi’s foot.

Li Zhi’s foot jerked neurotically, like a fish out of water. He stared blankly ahead, his face wet. The only things on his body that could move were his eyelids. It was tears.

Li Zhi realized he was crying. About a few seconds later, a mournful, desperate wail echoed through the vast, abandoned badminton court. The voice was hoarse and sharp, like a silk string on the verge of snapping.

“Ah!”

“AH!”

Save him. Save him.

Human, god, or ghost; no matter who it was, save him.

“Please, I beg you.” Li Zhi lay on the floor, unsure of who he was talking to. The taste of blood in his mouth was so strong it made him gag. Saliva, blood, and tears mixed together, as chaotic as he was. “Help me.”

Tap, tap. It was the sound of leather shoes stepping on the floor. Li Zhi’s eyes flew open.

He used all his strength to look toward the source of the sound. A tall figure stood at the half-open door. He stood at the boundary between light and darkness, one hand holding a pair of headphones around his neck, the other tucked in his pocket. He carried a case that looked like a cello bag, but larger than a normal one.

Against the light, Li Zhi could not see his face, but he recognized him. Li Zhi’s dry, peeling lips moved, and he whispered the person’s name with a trembling voice.

“Chu Mingzhang.”

Chu Mingzhang. Please help me.

Pity me. Just a small favor will do, a very, very small favor. It will not be much trouble for you.

But Li Zhi’s throat was hoarse from crying; he could not make a sound. Those words circled in his heart, but he could not say them.

At that moment, the Westminster chimes rang out. The foot standing in the darkness moved slightly and then turned in the opposite direction.

Tap, tap. The footsteps were as steady as when he had arrived.

He left. Chu Mingzhang left.

Li Zhi closed his eyes. His body on the floor grew cold. He had no more tears left to shed. The trash covering him was like flakes of destiny, forming a small, filthy burial mound.

His vitality drained away like his tears. An unendurable cold spread from his limbs toward his heart.

Li Zhi’s eyelids flickered. His fine, soft lashes suddenly felt as heavy as a thousand pounds. Everything before his eyes grew blurred and dark until only a tiny slit remained, and even the faint light vanished.

…

A warm, though not yet broad or sturdy, teenage back. The scent of faint cedar at the shirt collar. A cold white nape. Neatly trimmed hair.

Was he lying on someone’s back?

“Do not move.”

More unexpected than that was the fact that the person carrying him was none other than Chu Mingzhang.

“Chu, Chu Mingzhang? Ugh, Gag!” His stomach suddenly cramped. Acid surged up, instantly filling his mouth. He vomited.

He vomited on Chu Mingzhang!

“Uh! I, I am sorry!” In that moment, Li Zhi felt the hair on his back stand up. He could only watch the disaster he had caused without any way to take it back. Li Zhi was so panicked his mind went blank. Wanting to do something, he foolishly reached out with his sleeve to wipe Chu Mingzhang’s collar.

“Do not touch me.” Chu Mingzhang spoke then. His words halted Li Zhi’s movements. The youth’s voice was cold yet pleasant. Chu Mingzhang kept his head down, so Li Zhi could not see his expression, but he heard the irritability in those words.

Li Zhi withdrew his gaze from the collar and pulled back his hand dejectedly. “I am, I am sorry.”

“Thank you. Maybe, maybe I should walk by myself?”

Chu Mingzhang did not speak.

Li Zhi continued to talk to himself, muttering incoherently. “Um, class has probably started, right? You, do you not need to go to class? Thank you for the trouble.”

“I am sorry.” The situation was too bizarre. Li Zhi was stiff all over. He racked his brain to say something to make the atmosphere less awkward, but unfortunately, aside from repeatedly saying sorry, he could think of nothing else.

Chu Mingzhang continued to ignore him. Li Zhi felt foolish and stopped talking. Under the setting sun, Chu Mingzhang carried him past the teaching buildings and stopped at a crossroads. “The infirmary, or the dormitory?”

“Ah, the dormitory!”

Chu Mingzhang did not immediately walk toward the dormitory. He remained standing in place. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Where do you live?” Chu Mingzhang asked him.

Li Zhi intended to give his room number, but as the first digit left his mouth, he suddenly stopped. Chu Mingzhang noticed his hesitation and asked, “What is it?”

Li Zhi replied with extreme embarrassment, “I forgot my dormitory key.”

He lowered his head after saying this. Li Zhi did not even dare to look at Chu Mingzhang’s reaction. The other boy seemed to take a deep breath and then exhaled slowly.

Li Zhi’s face flushed red with shame.

“Go to my dormitory first,” Li Zhi heard Chu Mingzhang say.

Li Zhi opened his mouth as if to say something but swallowed it for some reason. Perhaps it was because of Chu Mingzhang’s obvious impatience, or perhaps for another reason; he was not entirely sure.

Chu Mingzhang’s dormitory was not in the same building as the others. It was on the top floor of a different building, roughly one hundred and thirty square meters. The lighting was excellent. The afterglow of the sunset fell diagonally through the floor to ceiling windows onto the polished marble floor and onto a double bass case lying flat on the ground.

“Can you stand steadily?” Chu Mingzhang set Li Zhi down and then turned around.

In truth, Li Zhi’s legs were still weak, and a sharp pain shot through his knee joints from time to time. But he leaned against the wall and nodded hurriedly. “I can. I can. Thank you for the help.”

He looked up and then froze. It was because of the clothes Chu Mingzhang was wearing. The usually spotless shirt was stained with various unidentified liquids and clung to him in a wrinkled mess. He looked a mess.

“Have you seen enough?” Chu Mingzhang’s voice did not change, but Li Zhi noticed his brow furrow slightly. Chu Mingzhang raised his hand and pointed inside. “If you want to shower, use the bathroom out there.”

“Oh, okay. Then what do I wear?”

Chu Mingzhang let out a soft click of his tongue and pointed in another direction. “The walk-in closet is there. Just take a set to wear.”

After saying this, he walked toward the end of the hallway as if he could no longer stand it. Then came the sound of a door locking. It was easy to guess he had gone to shower.

Li Zhi crouched on the floor for a while longer. Once that mysterious pain subsided, he walked toward the walk-in closet Chu Mingzhang had pointed out.

He grabbed a random set of clothes and ducked into the bathroom. He turned on the shower. As the warm water washed away the filth on his body, Li Zhi felt his entire being grow warm and soft.

The cold and the dirt flowed down the drain together. Li Zhi straightened his body and tilted his head back, running his wet hair away from his face.

The foam, scented with cedar and orange blossom, flowed over every part of his body. Li Zhi washed himself thoroughly until he felt truly clean and safe. Only then did he open the bathroom door.

Li Zhi faced two problems. First, Chu Mingzhang’s clothes were too large for him. The pullover hoodie was manageable, but the pants were far too long. After struggling for a long time, Li Zhi gave up and folded the pants, setting them aside.

The second problem was that he had searched the bathroom for a long time but could not find a hairdryer.

Just then, there was a knock on the bathroom door. Through the thick wood, Li Zhi heard Chu Mingzhang’s voice. “Li Zhi?”

“Li Zhi? Open the door.” Knock, knock.

Li Zhi scrambled up from the floor. Water dripped from his hair, blurring his vision. Li Zhi pushed his wet bangs back and went to open the door with his bare legs.

“What were you doing in there?” Chu Mingzhang’s brow furrowed slightly. He rested one hand on the doorframe, his gaze naturally falling on Li Zhi, who was a bit shorter than him. “Do you know you have been in there for almost two hours?”

He looked at Li Zhi, and his pupils wavered slightly.

The bathroom door had been opened suddenly, and the dense steam carried the fragrance of orange blossom; it was weightless and ethereal, yet somehow heavy. Li Zhi fidgeted with his fingers, brushing away a strand of wet hair stuck to his neck. A winding trail of water remained on his pale, almost translucent skin, flowing past a tiny black mole near his Adam’s apple.

“Oh, sorry,” Li Zhi lowered his head and answered in a tiny voice. “I could not find the hairdryer.”