Sorry, Li Guang

Fang Qi searched for another day and night.

Clinging to his last shred of hope, he searched for another day and night.

He felt that Liguang... might not have actually thrown herself into the sea.

But...

He found absolutely nothing.

In the news broadcast at the convenience store, he and Liguang were still fugitives on the run.

He was even hoping.

Hoping that Liguang might have been captured by the Company, rather than feeling betrayed... and ultimately sinking into the sea in such despair.

But that wasn't the case.

The Company hadn't caught Liguang at all.

He even saw An Lian bowing in apology at a press conference, taking the blame and resigning.

The lady who owned the convenience store still glanced at him...

But she still didn't recognize him.

The old man seemed to know something. But he remained silent and said nothing.

Until the night of the third day...

His consciousness was already blurring, and he finally...

Gave up.

He followed the old man back home.

Along the way, he didn't say a word.

The old man didn't say anything either.

He just walked ahead, his back slightly hunched, his pace much slower than when they had come.

The setting sun stretched their shadows long, dragging two silent, dark silhouettes along the dirt road.

Fang Qi looked down, staring at his own shadow.

Limping, incredibly wretched, just like a deserter.

No, not just like. He was a deserter.

He felt that it was no longer possible to win this battle... so he had fled back.

The fisherwoman was already waiting at the courtyard gate.

Seeing them return, her eyes lit up, and she trotted over to meet them.

"You're finally back? Did you find her? That girl—"

Halfway through her words, she saw Fang Qi's expression.

The old man silently shook his head.

Her words caught in her throat. She froze for a few seconds, and then her eyes reddened again.

"This... this..."

She opened her mouth, but in the end, she only managed a few words:

"Let's go inside first. Go inside and rest."

Fang Qi was pulled into the house by her gripping his arm.

He sat at the old square table, in the exact same seat.

The food was already set on the table.

A steaming bowl of fish soup, a plate of stir-fried greens, and a few white steamed buns.

Still giving off steam.

The fisherwoman busied herself nearby, chattering on about things like "eat more," "you've been tired all day," and "your health is what's important."

Fang Qi heard her, but it also felt like he didn't.

He just looked down at the bowl of fish soup.

Milky white soup, with a few pieces of emerald green chopped scallions floating on top.

"...Thank you."

He picked up a spoon, scooped up a spoonful, and brought it to his mouth.

It was very savory, very hot.

He swallowed it slowly.

Then he scooped another spoonful, taking bite after bite.

His expression was as calm as if nothing had happened at all.

The fisherwoman stood nearby watching him. Her lips moved, wanting to say something, but she swallowed it back.

She turned and went to the stove, her back facing him, her shoulders trembling slightly.

The old man squatted by the threshold, took out his pipe, and lit it.

He just took puff after puff.

The smoke curled upwards, scattered by the evening breeze. It rose again, and was scattered again.

One pipe after another.

No one spoke.

Fang Qi finished the bowl of fish soup, and then finished the plate of greens.

Finally, he finished off those few white steamed buns as well.

He put down his chopsticks and raised his eyes.

The fisherwoman was standing by the stove, looking at him with red-rimmed eyes.

Fang Qi smiled at her.

"Auntie, thank you, really. The food was truly delicious."

The fisherwoman's tears fell all at once.

She turned her face away, wiping them haphazardly with the back of her hand, her voice trembling:

"Good... good child... Auntie still has more in the pot, I'll serve you some more..."

"There's no need, Auntie." Fang Qi stood up. "I'm full."

He paused, then added:

"I want... to go outside for a walk."

The fisherwoman froze and looked at the old man at the door.

The old man, pipe in his mouth, didn't make a sound, but just gave a slight nod.

Fang Qi pushed open the courtyard gate and walked out.

The night had completely darkened; there was no moon.

There was only a sky full of dense stars, hanging coldly above.

He walked along the dirt road he had taken during the day, stepping towards the sea one step at a time.

His footsteps were steady, his expression calm.

As he walked, he strayed from the dirt road and turned onto a more secluded path.

At the end of the path...

Was a cliff.

Not high, about a dozen meters or so.

Below the cliff were black reefs and waves surging up one after another.

Fang Qi stood still at the edge of the cliff.

The sea breeze blew from behind, salty and astringent.

He looked down at the reefs below the cliff.

Black, wet, appearing and disappearing as the waves crashed against them.

He just stood there like that.

He stood for a long time.

Then—

He laughed. A self-deprecating laugh. The curve of his lips was uglier than crying.

"Haha..."

He laughed out loud, the sound scattered by the sea breeze.

In this loop... how many vows had he made?

—"I'm not going to fucking load a save!"

—"I want to preserve this memory for Liguang!"

—"I want the future Liguang to be able to look back on this elopement with a smile!"

Bold words.

Each sentence was louder and sounded better than the last.

And then what?

He hadn't achieved anything. In the end, he hadn't been able to find her.

He could only take the seashell she left behind from someone else's hands, and look at the two lines she had carved into the crevice—

"Master is a liar."

"But Liguang still loves you."

He could only stand by the sea, watching the strong-swimming villagers dive down, then float back up, shaking their heads at him time and time again.

He could only be pressed against the beach, waiting like a piece of trash...!

Waiting for others to help him search, and then waiting for others to tell him—

"Nothing. There's nothing at all."

The only things that drifted back in the end...

Were that wooden raft, and the fruit stuck in the cracks of the raft.

Fang Qi lowered his head.

In his palm, the seashell was still there, the silver hair was still there, and the star was still there.

That fruit, turned white from soaking in the seawater and with a bite taken out of it, was also still there.

He took another bite.

It was really sweet.

But this sweetness made him clearly realize—

He was just a piece of trash.

He kept saying he wouldn't load a save, that loading a save was for cowards.

But in the end?

He still had to load a save. Loading a save was the only path left for him.

Because...

He really couldn't find her anymore.

This crazy woman, from the moment she left the star in the crevice, had probably already decided...

To go to a place where no one could find her, and fall into an eternal "slumber."

No one could find her.

Including him, this "liar."

She probably... wouldn't believe anyone ever again.

Fang Qi raised his head and looked at the dark, heavy sea before him.

The waves were still crashing against the reefs. The reefs under the moonlight were pitch black, as if bobbing in the waves.

Now, as long as he jumped down—

His head would hit the reef, it would hurt for a moment.

And then—it would be over.

He would be able to see her again.

Fang Qi stared at those reefs without blinking an eye.

He had no fear of pain, no fear of death in his heart, he really didn't.

He even felt... quite expectant.

Jump down, and he would be able to see her, how wonderful.

But... what about her?

She wouldn't have a save to load.

Her memories would be wiped clean once again.

The her who thought she had been abandoned, yet still left behind "Liguang still loves you"...

Would sink into this sea forever.

Fang Qi closed his eyes...

And recalled everything from this loop once again.

The island, the helicopter, the elopement, the hiding, the raft, the escape, taking shelter from the rain at sea...

He etched all of this... deeply into his mind.

Then, he remembered the words spoken by Liguang, the one who knew everything.

"Perhaps one day, when A'qi is strong enough, you can bring me back for real."

"So that all these memories will no longer be A'qi's alone to treasure."

...He had to do exactly as Liguang said.

He had to... become strong!

He took a deep breath and opened his eyes.

The sea breeze was still blowing, the waves were still crashing, and the stars still hung coldly overhead.

Nothing had changed.

Nothing would change just because he stood here and made a silent vow.

So—

Jump.

Jumping down meant starting over. It meant he would once again see her kneeling across the coffee table, smiling gently at him.

And then... he would become strong!

He would help Liguang...

Recover all her memories!

Fang Qi took a step forward.

His toes hung over the edge of the cliff, with nothing but pitch-black emptiness below.

Then he let out a self-deprecating laugh.

No matter how much he thought about it, no matter how he tried to justify it, he couldn't hide the fact...

"The current me..."

"Is really just a piece of trash."

He muttered to himself.

Then he closed his eyes—

The ground vanished beneath his feet.

An intense feeling of weightlessness instantly enveloped his entire body!

The wind howled in his ears!

And then—

"Bang!!"

A violent impact!

His head smashed against the reef!!

A blinding white light instantly exploded before his eyes!!

Pain!!!

It hurt so much that his whole body convulsed!

Then something warm trickled down from his temple, sticky and reeking of iron.

The ocean waves surged up with a crash, swallowing him whole!

Freezing cold!

Suffocation!

The world spun wildly!

Like a torn rag, he was swept away by the waves, violently tossing and turning!

Salty seawater flooded his mouth, choking him until his lungs burned with agony!

His limbs flailed weakly, but he couldn't grasp onto anything!

His consciousness began to blur, and his vision grew darker and darker.

The reset... is it coming?

I'm sorry, Liguang...

Once again, I couldn't preserve your memories for you this time.

But just at the exact moment his consciousness was about to sink completely into darkness—

His vision suddenly lit up.

It wasn't the white light of the reset, but a different scene.

Shaky, blurry, hazy...

It was like... looking at things through a veil of water.

Then, the image gradually became clear.

Fang Qi froze.

Because...

He realized he was kneeling on a raft.

A rough, crude raft, three meters long and two meters wide.

The very raft he and she had built together.

But... his field of vision was somewhat narrow.

He instinctively tried to look down at his own body—

But he found that he couldn't control himself.

...This wasn't his point of view?

There was only one person on the raft right now.

He could feel that this body was trembling slightly.

The next moment, his line of sight finally began to shift downward.

An off-white swimsuit appeared in his vision.

Along with the slender, fair, delicate body of a young girl.

And the delicate hands resting on her lap, fingers trembling slightly.

Hands that he was deeply familiar with.

...Liguang's hands.

...Huh?

Is this...

Liguang's perspective?