Ye Zhibai couldn’t hold on, but there was still Ye Zhiyun!
Although she hadn’t been paying immediate attention to Chi Yuliang’s movements, she had been watching her sister the whole time!
So when her sister suddenly surged forward, her own body followed on instinct.
Ye Zhibai braced Chi Yuliang’s back, while Ye Zhiyun threw both hands out to steadily support Ye Zhibai from behind.
Talk about a solid backup!
She was pretty solid, but don’t forget that Guang Yu had also grabbed Ye Zhibai’s arm to lend a hand.
Cough, though she arrived a step late and didn’t do much.
The Head Maid had just been confirming details with the staff when she whipped around and saw the whole scene.
What kind of antics are you girls up to now?!
Ever since coming out with the two young misses, there had never been a moment of peace!
If Chi Yuliang had hit the ground directly, she probably would have passed out completely.
But caught like this with no impact, her consciousness slowly returned.
With Ye Zhibai’s support, she gradually straightened her body.
“Huh…?” All she managed was a puzzled monosyllable, unsure of what had happened.
Sister Liang, you don’t need to know what happened anymore.
Because during this little interlude, “Ye Zhibai’s” body—carried by the automated rack—had been fed into the cremation furnace. The door sealed shut, and the cremation process officially began.
Ye Zhibai had etched the final remnant of her previous life’s existence into her heart.
And in her mind… she bid a final farewell to her struggles against that unfortunate life.
Chi Yuliang’s scattered awareness finally cleared.
Her first glance naturally fell on the dazzlingly beautiful girl in front of her, and she knew it was she who had helped.
But her rapidly returning senses didn’t let her utter a “thank you” first.
Chi Yuliang whipped her head around, desperate to find her Xiao Bai.
But… he was gone.
He had been gone for a while now.
Right at that moment, he was turning to ashes.
Cremation generally took about two hours.
The furnace door stayed tightly shut, rumbling away, denying Chi Yuliang even a final glimpse.
~~~
That one look had become more than twenty years apart.
Once, they had chatted happily together.
Now, looking back, they were forever separated by life and death.
After frantically searching around with no trace of Xiao Bai to be found, Chi Yuliang’s clenched fists finally fell limply to her sides.
Two trails of clear tears rolled down her cheeks.
Her choked whispers echoed deep in Ye Zhibai’s mind, striking at her heart’s softest spot.
“Xiao Bai… I’m sorry… Sister couldn’t even say goodbye to you in the end… I’m really sorry… Sorry…”
She kept murmuring that “sorry.”
But Sister Liang, you have absolutely no reason to apologize to me, do you?
Ye Zhibai clasped her hands behind her back, her eyes stinging a little.
It was just… how to put it.
In her previous life, despite all the setbacks and hardships, the only one who had truly reached out to help her was this wonderful sister of hers.
So, Sister Liang, please—whatever you do—don’t say sorry to me.
Because… you were the sole stroke of luck in that miserable previous life of mine.
Ye Zhiyun clearly saw that it wasn’t just this girl named Chi Yuliang who was crying.
Her sister’s… shoulders were trembling too.
Of course… Ye Zhibai had little strength left to worry about others.
Scenes from her previous life replayed in her mind like a montage flashing before her eyes.
“You’ll be called Ye Zhibai. Starting today, you’re part of our orphanage family. Come on, say hi to everyone!”
“Xiao Bai… if there’s anything tough, you have to tell me. Everything will pass. Sister will always support you.”
“You can’t even do a simple job right! I hired you part-time expecting you to say your studies are heavy and take time off whenever! If you don’t want to work, then get out! With that attitude, no one would even hire you to bus tables! And you think you’ll get into Qihai University? Dream on!”
“Um… Ye Zhibai, congratulations! You did great on the Gaokao. I heard you’ve been working hard and studying diligently. You’ve finally reaped the rewards. Once you’re at Qihai University, keep pushing—you have to work hard yourself to change your fate, no matter what others say!” “Hey… look at that Ye kid over there. Always eating alone like he’s too good for everyone. What’s he pretending to be!”
“After university graduation, everything will get better, you’ll…”
Bang!!
The fierce impact sound made Ye Zhibai’s shoulders jolt violently!
The fragments of her past life shattered like bubbles under the crash!
I… may have had terrible luck.
But I tried my best, right?
I once brimmed with hope, dreaming of a wonderful life.
“Hahahaha, sorry! The Deity has the Deity’s own composure—we absolutely never laugh under normal circumstances! Unless we can’t help it. Go on and become a girl to enjoy your new life!”
And somehow that weird memory slipped in at the end!
Ye Zhibai suddenly shot Guang Yu a fierce glare. Guang Yu immediately tilted her head with an innocent, harmless expression.
Damn it! She knew exactly how to play it!
Ye Zhibai had never felt her heart so turbulent.
Not even on the day when she was at her poorest—having paid compensation for breaking plates at her part-time job, too broke on the way home to buy even a steamed bun, curling up hungry under the covers—had she shed a single tear.
But now, listening to the relentless rumble from the cremation furnace, she really could hardly hold back.
The greatest sorrow of being human is having the right to relive your entire life in memories!
Others die and that’s it—they leave without a thought.
But Ye Zhibai remembered every stroke of fortune and misfortune she’d endured, crystal clear!
That’s why this moment birthed the greatest sadness of her two lives, neither too short nor too long.
Waaah! Previous me, really… rest in peace!!
With Sister Liang crying beside her too, Ye Zhibai’s heart truly ached to its depths!
Then came a scene that nearly suffocated Ye Zhiyun.
After trembling for so long, her sister let out a choked sob.
A single tear welled from Ye Zhibai’s left eye and rolled down her cheek.
Her sister… was crying?
Ye Zhiyun panicked.
“Sister… d-don’t cry… I… I don’t know what… to do.”
“Yun’er… I’m… fine.”
A trace of sorrow flickered across her usually expressionless face.
Even though it vanished in an instant, the tear track remained on Ye Zhibai’s cheek.
This might have been Ye Zhibai’s first time shedding tears.
And the very first time broke Ye Zhiyun’s heart.
She lunged forward to hug her sister’s body, hoping to still the trembling.
“Sister, don’t cry… Yun’er’s here. I’m right here…”
“Ah…”
Warm, serene.
As if all those gray memories from before had suddenly gained color, bursting into light.
Guang Yu had somehow circled behind Ye Zhibai, tugging at her sleeve with small hands.
“We’re not getting drinks today… Don’t cry. This is making me… me feel awful too.”
“……”
Once, she had been that pitiful nobody no one cared about, without any presence.
Unnoticed, she had become someone who could touch everyone’s hearts, shining so brightly.
The past only gained value because it demanded farewell.
Ye Zhibai patted Ye Zhiyun’s back, then wiped the tear from her eye.
She gazed at the cremation furnace nearby, a happy smile blooming in her heart.
Even without saying it aloud.
But Ye Zhibai did murmur it softly to herself.
—”Farewell, Ye Zhibai.”
Hello, Ye Zhibai.
