Translator: AlfredoPoutineSoup  Editor: DesTheSloth
When he backed to the ward, he accidentally saw a man talking with his grandmother.
âOh⦠You are back.â
Officer Ma smiled and said, âIâm just worried about your grandmother.â
He Xiaomei nodded and kindly said, âJiahui, he is very kind.â
âWell.â He nodded, âGranny, please rest a while, I want to talk to him.â
He showed Ma Houde out. When they walked to the corridor, he said, âI think Iâve told you not to bother me.â
Officer Ma said, âCanât I show my concern to the elderly?â
He took a deep breath and said, âOfficer Ma, youâre welcome for visiting. But if you came here for⦠that woman, please go back.â
Ma Houde narrowed his eyes and nodded, âWell, alright, Iâll go back. Take care of your grandma.â
âWait, you dropped something.â Ma Houde suddenly shouted.
He was stunned and turned around, seeing Ma Houde picking up a medicine bottle. âYour medicine.â said Ma Houde.
âNot mine.â He glanced at it and casually said, âMaybe itâs the nurseâs.â
âIt really isnât yours?â Ma Houde asked again.
He impatiently said, âIâm fine, Iâm not sick, I donât need medicine, OK?â
Ma Houde seemed to be suddenly become enlightened and patted his forehead, saying, âOh, Itâs the medicine that I got from the doctor⦠But do you know who this medicine is prescribed to?â
âNo, I donât.â
âThis is the medicine forâLiu Jiahuiâ¦â Ma Houde squinted his eyes, âWhy do you forget that?â
His expression dramatically changed and said with his head lowered, âI donât know what you are saying⦠Donât come again!â
He swiftly left. Ma Houde didnât catch him up this time, he just shouted, âGu Jiajie, youâre Gu Jiajie⦠That day, the one who died was your brotherâ¦â
He suddenly turned around in shock and panic!
Ma Houde, who was rich in experience, sighed and slowly came to him, âBefore you returned, we have asked a doctor about Liu Jiahui. Technology is very advance now, we just need to examine the body and will know if he had an prior illness. And you, with just an examination, we will know your condition as well.â
He subconsciously backed up.
Ma Houde calmly and quickly said, âWhy did Liu Jiahui die there? Why did you come? And what did you do? You killed Liu Jiahui!â
âNo, not me! Donât come⦠Donât come⦠Donât!â
âDo you want me to ask your grandma?â Ma Houde had no choice but to seriously ask with a threat to stimulate him. Even though he knew this mean was a little contemptible.
âNo! Donât tell this to my granny! Please, donât!â He begged, âOr my brother would have died in vain.â
âWhat⦠What the hell did you do?â Ma Houde frowned.
Gu Jiajie took a deep breath and said with a bitter smile, âI donât know⦠I donât know why I agreed. Now itâs useless to regret.â
Gu Jiajie looked at Officer Ma, âTwo months ago, I came here to see a doctor, and I saw him.â
âYour brother, Liu Jiahui?â
Gu Jiajie nodded, âMy mom told me he drowned, but I surprisingly saw him that day and knew what had happened.â
Sitting on the corridor stool, Gu Jiajie sadly revealed everything that happened in the past two months.
âOfficer, did you know that my father usually hit me?â
âYes, Gu Feng admitted.â
Gu Jiajie gave a wry smile, âI donât know why I didnât tell my mom⦠Maybe they are same, just forcing me⦠â
He grabbed his collar and painfully said, âSometimes, I feel Iâm out of breath. I want to leave my home, leave them⦠I told this to my brother and he said we could exchange because we are twinsâ¦â
âYou mean⦠You exchanged a long time ago?â Ma Houde was surprised.
âNot very often.â Gu Jiajie shook his head, âWe only exchanged if we knew my father would come home.â
Ma Houde nodded, âNo wonder Gu Feng said you suddenly rebelled⦠It was your brotherâ¦â
Gu Jiajie exhaled and leaned his head on the wall, âIâm a coward. When I saw these wounds on my brother⦠I really didnât want to go back⦠And at that time, he saidâ¦â
âSaid what?â
Gu Jiajie looked at the ceiling lights and whispered, âHe said⦠He would die for me.â
âAre you agreed?â
Gu Jiajie closed his eyes and nodded, âUntil now, I still donât know why I agreed⦠To pay them back⦠To live⦠Or to stop the pain of my brother? He fell down in front of me when he suffered relapseâ¦â
He shook his head and went on, âHe has so little memories about me and my mom. Granny is the most important person for him. So if he died, I could take care of granny and be free.â
Ma Houde was shocked. He wiped his face and sternly said, âHow ridiculous! Have you ever thought about you mother? You followed her these days, didnât you know how pain she was in?â
âBut what should I do? I didnât know my brother choose that day, but he just died! We didnât talk over this, he himself just made this decision and diedâ¦I canât go back to the past!â
Gu Jiajie was excited, âMany many times, I want to tell my mom⦠Iâm Gu Jiajie⦠But I canât⦠I dare not to tell her I cheated her⦠I shouldnât have agreed with my brother. He said a few years later, granny would pass away and my mother would forgive me whether Iâm Gu Jiajie or Liu Jiahuiâ¦â
âThat day⦠When I saw my mom bitterly cried downstairs and my brother was covered by the white cloth, Iâ¦â His voice trembled, âI⦠I regretted.â
Though Ma Houde was an experienced officer, though he knew Gu Jiajieâs sadness, fear and regret, he only shook his head and didnât know what to say.
âI⦠I did not mean to hide it from you, Officer Ma.â
âI know.â Ma Houde nodded. He patted Gu Jiajieâs shoulder and bitterly smiled, âThis is not really a bad thing⦠But itâs really not good to go on like this.â
âI donât know what I should do.â
Ma Houde shook his head and suddenly asked, âOh, Why there are strange messages in your cell phone?â
Gu Jiejie replied, âYou mean the teacher?â
Officer Ma nodded.
Gu Jiejie said, âMy brother said we can use the rumor of that teacher to confuse the policeâ¦â
Ma Houde was dumbfounded in an instant.
He was curious aboutâ¦about Liu Jiahuiâ What had this child been through before he died?
Did he die in exchange for someone to take care of his grandma and let Gu Jiajie be free?â
âOh, Officer Ma, Iâ¦â He gulped. He wanted to say he had seen his brother, a living dead brother, but he swallowed his words.
âWhat else do you want to say?â
âNo⦠Just donât tell my mom for the moment, OK?â
Ma Houde sighed, âThen till when? Your brother lived with your grandma for more than ten yearsâ¦Couldnât she recognize you that you are not Liu Jiahui?â
âI donât know. I can only play it by ear.â Gu Jiajie shook his head.
âWell, Iâll keep the secret for the moment⦠But youâd better tell your mom soon.â
Ma Houde left the hospital with a touch of melancholy.
â¦
Looking at the noisy street, Officer Ma couldnât help but wonder how Liu Jiahui got over the pain of living these years?
Twins that came into this world at the same time.
Yet, walked down different paths.
âHeâ¦â Ma Houde stopped on the road and suddenly realized, âHe has deep, deep grievances!â
â¦
â¦
After revisiting these old haunts, he came to the play center again.
Itâs still opened. And the staff who was watching a video on the cellphone didnât notice anyone or anything.
He didnât noticeâno, he couldnât see him.
He also couldnât hear the music of these game machines in this play centre, because he was wearing the earphone.
One tortoise machine now was running.
âItâs the time.â
Seeing him grabbed the hammer and hit the tortoises, Luo Qiu slowly closed his eyes.
There was no soul in this dead body, but now the long lasting desire for life which was like a seed burst out at this moment and a new soul was born.
This was the most meaningful moment for Luo Qiu. He quietly waited for it, just like quietly waiting for the night-blooming cereus to bloom.
But now Boss Luo opened his eyes and lightly said, âMiss Black Water, I thought you would stand by and do nothingâ¦â
Miss Black Water was standing behind him; and at her back, Shen Meihuan was there.