Pandora’s Box

I thought this would be the happy ending of a family reunion, but after Ke Luo went to see Lee, he came back with furrowed brows and a depressed look.

I rushed to ask, “What’s wrong? Is Lee okay?”

“He’s fine.”

“Then,” I cautiously approached, “Did you have an argument?”

Ke Luo said sullenly, “I can’t tell.”

“Then why aren’t you happy? Didn’t Lee thank you for saving his life? There’s no way to repay such kindness, but to repay it with his body.”

Ke Luo said, “No. I told him that I didn’t tell Uncle Lu about it so he can rest assured.”

I was a bit surprised, “Why didn’t you tell him the truth? How will he know how much effort you’ve spent?”

“I don’t want him to have such a psychological burden. Anyway, the problem is over. I don’t want him to return the favor.”

“Why…”

I didn’t know whether to call him virtuous or stupid.

“I only asked him to apologize to Shu Nian and promise not to harrass Shu Nian in the future.”

“That’s very reasonable.” Although the Xie family no longer pursued for his accountability, it was only natural that the victim should receive an apology.

Ke Luo shook his head again, “But he refused.”

“???” I was confused, “Why?”

“I don’t know,” Ke Luo shrugged, “Maybe he’s just volatile.”

I really wanted to say a few words for Lee, but after mulling it over for a while, I could only think of, “Maybe he’s just a little jealous?”

Ke Luo frowned and asked, “Was this why he hurt innocent people without remorse?”

Well, it really wasn’t appropriate.

Furthermore, Shu Nian wasn’t even participating in this competition since he had a stable relationship. It was one thing to hold a grudge in your heart, but it was another thing to kidnap and torture someone.

I had mixed feelings. The Lee I knew was not that narrow-minded of a person. He had lived to this age and it wasn’t as if he didn’t encounter a tough bone that couldn’t be chewed or a more challenging competitor. He was not in an ugly position.

I didn’t understand why, this time, he was so enraptured and so incapable of letting go, that he refused to spare Shu Nian.

I could only sigh internally. I asked, “Did you scold him?”

Ke Luo said, “No. I’m very disappointed.”

“…..”

“Maybe I have wrong expectations for the wrong people.”

“…..”

This hopeless statement made me panic. He may as well directly scold Lee.

Although I didn’t know what Lee thought of Ke Luo and they weren’t particularly compatible in every aspect, but for some reason, I still hoped that they could be together.

I tried to find Lee again and this time, I was finally able to get in touch.

His voice sounded as cynical as ever. He didn’t have any emotions after such a close escape, let alone remorse or regret, as if nothing had ever happened.

I had a lot to say to him, but knowing that Ke Luo probably didn’t want me to tell him nonsense, I deliberated for a bit before asking, “Why did you do those things?”

Lee paused for a while, then smiled and said, “Probably because I’m an asshole.”

“…don’t you regret it?”

“I regret it. However, if have to do it all over again, I would probably do it again,” Lee admitted, “Some terrible things is fate and there isn’t an escape.”

After a period of time, Ke Luo never mentioned Lee to me again. I thought he gave up or persuaded himself to give up.

Although it was a pity, I had no part in this affair. Ke Luo tried his best and if Lee didn’t appreciate it, then why bother persuading him to hang onto a tree?

As for Lee, he dared to return to work in the company and lived a peaceful and nine-to-five life again.

This direction was beyond my expectations. I could only conclude that I admired Ke Luo’s ability and worshipped Lee’s psychological state of mind.

Betrayed one time or betrayed 100 times. Regardless of how thirsty he was for talent, traitors would not be taken into consideration and this was not accounting that Lu Feng wasn’t even a considerate person at all. However, since Ke Luo was fully responsible for this matter, as long as he could withstand the pressure, it was up to him to decide who to use. Looking at Lee, who was calm and tranquil like a normal person, I deeply felt that the current society was still invigorating while the older society was truly unbelievable.

If it were me, I would probably go far away and hide for several years before I could get over this hurdle in my heart.

I thought his mood became worse and his smile gradually waned. I wasn’t sure if it was due to Lee’s disappointment or Shu Nian’s illness.

Ke Luo didn’t fill me in about Shu Nian’s specific situation. I understood it was because I couldn’t help much and the Xie family could solve most things, so there was no need to bring them up for discussion. However, he had indeed changed from a bright and cheerful sunny boy to a gloomy and dull one.

“Shu Nian has acute leukemia and needs a bone marrow transplant.”

When Ke Luo knocked on my door one day and dropped these words in a flat tone, I was in the middle of gaming. I was about to earn a win but I was so shocked when I heard these words, all the bullets slammed into the opposite tree.

I immediately took off the headset and exited the game, turning to stare, “That serious?!”

“Well,” Ke Luo said, “I’ve found a successful preliminary match in the bone marrow bank already.”

I was overjoyed, “Really?!”

Ke Luo flatly said, “But the other party backed down.”

“…..”

This roller coaster-like experience of ups and downs was really discomforting.

I asked, “What to do now?”

“I can only look again,” Ke Luo said without any fluctuating emotions, “or ask the volunteer and hope he can change his mind.”

“…..”

The chances of both were equally low. I thought for a while, “How about I also check to see?” It was basically treating a dead horse as if it was alive. (Trying to fix a hopeless situation)

Ke Luo shook his head, “We’ve all done this before and it’s a wasted effort. Your chance of being a match for him is about the same as being struck by lightning so, there’s no need for that.”

“Then, does he have any relatives? Relatives have a higher chance of being a match, right?”

Ke Luo whispered, “Shu Nian is an orphan.”

“…..”

That was too hard.

I was not very familiar with Shu Nian, and I only knew that he was a gentle and good-tempered person.

I heard general stories from Ke Luo intermittently and from what I gathered, his life wasn’t easy. He was in a car accident before so half of his face was disfigured and his feet was still lame. Soon after, he finally got together with Xie Yan and they were regarded as lovers before finally getting married.

However, after a few days of a peaceful life, he was unexpectedly diagnosed with this disease and was forced back into a desperate situation.

It seemed that he couldn’t live a safe and smooth life.

Was this his fate?

I couldn’t help but felt despair for him.

I prayed very earnestly for a while before heading to bed this night.

Although it was a bit superstitious and probably useless, but what if, right?

Perhaps, there were gods in the sky watching the world and they could hear my plea for that poor man.

During the next few days, everyone was rushing about Shu Nian’s situation. After all, it was a matter of life and death, and the two families had a long history of contacts in businesses and relationships. So naturally, they were doing their best. Unfortunately, there was no progress.

Shu Nian was transferred to the hospital in T City and I went to see him. He was in good spirits and politely thanked me for the fruit basket with a smile without any complaints or grievances.

This person was so thin and out of shape that I couldn’t see the so-called similarity with Lee from his appearance.

I chatted with him for a while and told him some jokes, causing him to frequently laugh, because I was not good at dealing with such situations.

At the end, when I was about to leave, Shu Nian suddenly asked me, “Xiao Jing, if you’re free in the future, can I trouble you to talk to Xie Yan more?”

“Ah?”

He smiled and said, “You are so funny, you can make everyone around you happy.”

I was a little embarrassed, “How is that, that’s saying too much.”

“I hope you can also bring Xie Yan happiness,” he said softly, “I’m afraid that after I leave, Xie Yan may be overwhelmed in a short amount of time. It would be great if you could spend more time with him and help him move on faster.”

“…..”

I was in a heavy mood this night, tossing and turning until I managed to fall asleep at midnight.

When drowsiness was gradually settling me, the bell suddenly rang loudly, abruptly slamming into my consciousness that was originally fading away. I grabbed the phone and squinted, seeing that it was Lee’s call.

As soon as I picked up, I heard Lee asked on the other end, “Lin Jing, if I’m not here one day, will you miss me?”

I sleepily asked, “If you’re not here, where are you going?”

“Everyone will eventually die.”

“???”

Why did both of them talk as if they were going to die?

Didn’t he simply have appendectomy performed before? Would cutting out the appendix affect life expectancy?

“Whether you’re dead or alive,” I yawned, “If you want to drink, I’ll come and accompany you.”

I spotted Lee at the bar and it was obvious that he was truly in a bad mood, as he was rarely so slovenly.

However, his disheveled self was only relative. After all, he was usually one to pay attention to every strand of his hair.

Yet, at the moment, his hair was slightly unkept, he did not style it well, and his shirt was even a little dirty with soot.

We talked nonsense for a while, but because my heart was heavy, the topic slipped into a dark direction involuntarily as we continued chatting.

“Shu Nian is also miserable. It was like he used up all his luck in finding a matching bone marrow donor, but the other party temporarily regretted it and that may end up killing somone.”

Lee raised his eyebrows, “You can’t say he was in the wrong even if he regretted it. Humans are naturally afraid. It is compassionate and righteous to help others, but not helping others is also a natural matter of course. If Shu Nian died, it is not his fault. You can’t be kidnapped morally.”

“The problem is that he gave someone hope and asked someone to work hard to prepare for this hope, but ultimately crushed it later.” I frowned tightly, “This is too devastating and it’s better not to give it in the first place.”

Lee laughed when he heard these comments, “It’s ruined just like that? Little boy, there are still many situations like this in our lives.”

These words sounded too heartless and pessimistic. I couldn’t refrain myself from glancing at him.

He was still very handsome. His apathetic and detached look between his brows and eyes caused him to look even more charming.

I wasn’t sure if I could even remain in this state when I neared 40 years old in the future.

However, I certainly would not be as cynical as he was.