A few years later.

At the end of the pale corridor, the door of the ward was half-open. Faint light squeezed out from the crack in the door, sprinkling on the smooth floor, outlining a cold boundary.

Feng Chenning stood quietly outside the ward, her back straight as usual, her long hair hanging down, and it was impossible to see the expression on her face.

"Miss, you are the granddaughter of Teacher Le's good friend, right? She always talks about you, go in and keep her company."

The nurse reminded softly, interrupting Feng Chenning's thoughts.

She took a deep breath, forced a smile, nodded in thanks, and walked into the ward.

The VIP ward was filled with the pungent smell of disinfectant.

The regular beeping sound of the ECG monitor next to the bed was abrupt and cold in the silence.

Various medical tubes meandered down, connecting Le Chengrou to those cold, flickering instruments, and also maintaining the last faint rhythm of her life.

Mixed with the faint smell of decay that belongs to the disappearance of life on her body, it is suffocating.

Feng Chenning withdrew his gaze from the window. Lying on the hospital bed, Le Chengrou was so thin that she looked unrecognizable, with sallow and loose skin. Her once neat black hair was now sparse and gray, scattered messily on the pillow.

Her body looked even thinner and more fragile against the pale sheets.

In the eyes of others, Feng Chenning is a young girl in her early twenties, but only she herself knows that this body has carried a hundred years.

In order to avoid shocking the world, she often changed her identity with the changing times. Now, at the end of her best friend Le Chengrou's life, she pretended to be her granddaughter.

The sunlight shines through the mottled curtains, casting a few weak rays of light and shadows, as if trying to add a bit of warmth to this room full of sadness, but it is in vain.

Seeing that Le Chengrou woke up, Feng Chenning sat down beside the bed.

His fingers unconsciously stroked the bed sheets, and his eyes were fixed on Le Chengrou's bloodless face on the hospital bed.

Her eyes were sunken in her eye sockets. Her eyes, which were once bright and lively, were now shrouded in the haze of illness. Only a dim light remained, focusing on Feng Chenning's face with difficulty.

When Le Chengrou saw Feng Chenning, her eyes lit up instantly, and the corners of her mouth slightly raised, pulling out a weak smile: "You...you are Chenning's granddaughter...?"

"Yes, I came here after receiving your letter."

A glimmer of light flashed in Le Chengrou's dim eyes, and the corners of her mouth moved with difficulty, "Where is she?"

"Grandma, she's gone."

Feng Chenning lowered her eyes and held her weak hand.

Only a handful of bony hands remained, the skin drooped loosely, a worrying sallow color, and blood vessels snaked protrudingly under the skin.

"Tell me...if there is a next life, can we still be friends?"

Her cracked lips trembled slightly, and the words that escaped were as light as a mosquito, but as heavy as a hammer.

Feng Chenning nodded: "Of course, grandma said that you two will be good friends for the next few lifetimes."

"Okay, okay..." Le Chengrou's tears burst out uncontrollably, wetting a small piece of the pillow.

Le Chengrou's breath was weak. She rolled her eyes with difficulty and looked at Feng Chenning, stammering, "You and her look so much alike..."

Feng Chenning looked at Le Chengrou and pulled up the corners of her mouth, trying to force out a smile as brilliant as she used to.

But that smile is more heartbreaking than crying. The fine lines at the corners of the eyes hide the reluctance to leave this world, the regret for unfinished things, and the attachment to oneself.

After resting for a while, perhaps because of a last burst of energy, Le Chengrou's mental state actually improved slightly.

Le Chengrou began to tell Feng Chenning intermittently about the interesting things that had happened in the past, sometimes laughing and sometimes sighing.

Those bits and pieces of memories are like the warm current of spring, warming the cold air and also warming the dying heart.

But as she spoke, Le Chengrou's voice gradually weakened and her eyes began to unfocus. Feng Chenning's heart suddenly tightened and her nose felt sore.

The shadow permeated the ward like ink, Le Chengrou's breathing became rapid, and medical staff rushed in.

Feng Chenning was pushed into a corner, watching helplessly as various instruments flashed and beeped in vain, trying to save the fading life.

Feng Chenning watched as her eyes began to blur, but she was still trying to find herself in the gaps between the crowd.

She rushed to the bed regardless of everything, held Le Chengrou's hand, and burst into tears: "Chengrou..."

Feng Chenning only felt Le Chengrou's grip on her fingers gradually weakening, so he leaned close to her ear and whispered softly, "Chengrou, I'll remember our friendship in this life, and we'll continue in the next life."

The tears finally burst out and fell, wetting her cheeks and also wetting the end of this long century of companionship.

"it is good…"

Those eyes, once filled with the sea of ​​stars, now shone with brilliance, and then lost all their brilliance, leaving only emptiness.

The ECG monitor let out a long, sharp beep, and a straight line mercilessly crossed the screen, announcing the end of Le Chengrou's life.

"I'm sorry..." Feng Chenning's voice was choked with sobs and broken, and the pain of separation and death that she had experienced over the past hundred years surged up in her.

Feng Chenning looked at her peaceful face, moved closer to her, and put his forehead against hers.

Tears mixed with tears as I felt the warmth from her body fade away little by little.

After a long time, rain started knocking on the window lattice, the night was filled with fog, and the lights in the VIP ward were dim.

Feng Chenning sat blankly beside the bed, holding her chilly hand, looking at her peaceful face, the past hundred years of companionship flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern.

The floodgates of her memory suddenly opened, and she recalled the scene when she and Le Chengrou first met.

Blood dripped down her hair and clothes, and bloomed into flowers on the stone road.

I felt powerless all over, and the world before my eyes was only a chaotic blood-red color and blurred light and shadows. My legs felt like they were filled with lead, and every step I took required all the remaining strength in my body.

"Sister? You're hurt!"

Feng Chenning raised her eyes with great effort and saw a young girl standing in front of her. She had a youthful and innocent face, was wearing a simple cotton skirt, and was carrying a basket for picking herbs. She was looking at her timidly but with concern.

"Sister, my home is nearby. I will take you there to heal your wounds."

The girl stepped forward without giving any explanation and supported Feng Chenning's shaky body. Her arms were slender but contained amazing strength, and she lifted her up steadily.

Feng Chenning was half-dragged and half-carried, stumbling forward on the winding path. His consciousness gradually blurred, and only the girl's sweet words remained in his ears.

When she woke up, she was already in a cozy little house with dried herbs hanging on the beams and a crackling fire, illuminating your busy figure.

"What's your name?"

"Sister, wake up! My name is Le Chengrou!"

Le Chengrou is the daughter of a rural doctor. Her parents died early and she lives with her grandmother. She collects herbs and practices medicine on weekdays. She is a compassionate person.

Le Chengrou carefully cleaned Feng Chenning's wound and crushed the herbs to apply on it. Her movements were gentle and focused. Tears welled up in her eyes and she was filled with heartache. She murmured, "Sister, if it hurts, just shout."

"It doesn't hurt. I'm fine. Don't worry."

Feng Chenning looked down at her, and his dry heart seemed to be moistened by the rain. In this dangerous world, it was the first time he felt pure kindness.